Hercule groaned when he heard Sonia's report of a narrow victory (a draw).

I'm not sure what to make of it. I've heard rumors, but ...... how can you call yourself a knight?

　I'm not a knight, but a bandit or a thief.
　There is no hesitation in using cowardly methods.
　If they are infidels or heretics, they can do anything they want. ...... This is the moral code of the Fullerling knights.

　The kingdom of Fullerling is a rare orthodox country in the western world.
　It is surrounded on all sides by infidels and heretics.
　There must have been no shortage of people to play cowardly tricks on.

　The Lemurian Empire is also Orthodox, but the current Orthodox faction is divided between the Papacy and the High Priestesses.
　In other words, from the point of view of the Fulling Kingdom, the Lemurian Empire is a land of heretics.
　The Lemurian Empire is a country of heretics in the eyes of the Fulling Kingdom.

　However, even if the ...... Lemurian Empire was Papal, I don't know if they would have been so reserved.

"That little girl ...... almost lost her troops in a trap. Isn't punishment necessary, after all?　Your Majesty.
"Well, ...... I was too hasty in my actions, that's for sure. But there are some things that can be done.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see that the Fulling's retreat was an act.
　The reason why she could not notice the enemy's "performance" was because the "performance" was not an act.

　In other words, it was an undeniable fact that the enemy's left wing mercenaries and Edelna's knights had been defeated.

　The enemy general, Bradamante, may have used the defeat of the mercenaries and Edelna knights as bait to catch Sonia.

　The most ...... fortunate thing is that Sonia had Jebe waiting in the rear just in case.
　This allowed for a successful retreat.

　It is to Sonia's credit that she was able to turn a major defeat into a virtual draw.

(Well, if you don't pursue cautiously, that's fine. ...... But if you don't pursue, you won't be able to increase the results of the battle.

　The greatest number of people die on the battlefield during retreat and pursuit.
　If you don't attack when the enemy is in a state of total collapse, you may give them a chance to rebuild.

　Therefore, Sonia's decision was not a mistake.
　She should be commended for keeping Jebe in the rear, just in case.

(But losing Cerda was a big deal. We were counting on them.

　It was not a total loss, but it was a loss of some of the best infantry.

And the enemy will advertise this as a victory. (Besides, the enemy will probably advertise this as a victory, but from our point of view, they eventually returned to the city, so we won.

　This made it difficult to attract cities and lords around this side of the Great Mountains to our side.
　Ludwig I would have enough time to cross the Great Mountains.

　War is all about results.
　Perhaps Sonia's tenuous draw should be punished somewhat, as it worked against the Lemurian Empire.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience.
...... Isn't that too lenient?
So, if you make a mistake comparable to Sonia's this time, I'll punish you severely?
No, no .......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　Alicia also thinks that Sonia's decision is not wrong.
　If you have a problem with the severity of the punishment, it is simply a personal grudge.

Fortunately, this battle is a victory for them as well as a victory for us. The lords and cities around Edelna have managed to hold together.

　The territories of the Kingdom of Edelna will be reduced, but will remain intact.
　We will recognize the existing interests of the lords and cities and will not touch them in any way.
　The Lemurian Empire and the Kingdom of Edelna will have a bilateral relationship.

　And so on. ...... I explained that their lives would not change much before and after the war.

　In fact, Hercule has little territorial desire for the Kingdom of Edelna itself.
　In fact, Hercule had little desire for the Kingdom of Edelna itself, and thought it would be fine as long as he could maintain the southern part of the country to maintain sea control.

　Therefore, he could offer such a generous condition.
　...... In the first place, occupying the land of a devastated country that is only worth 'the mainland of the former Lemurian Empire' is nothing but a burden.

"Your Majesty. I have a report from General Galfis.

　"General Galfis has something to report to you," said Hercule, as a messenger from Galfis came to him.

"You have permission to speak.
What?　About two days ago, an army led by General Galfis took over the city of Lemuria!　The Archbishopric of Lemuria is now in their hands!　The self-proclaimed Pope Gregorius has also been captured.
"Thank you.

　Hercule smirked.
　You'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in this article.

You have two horns now, don't you?
"Yeah. Yes, we have the advantage on the board.

　We've already signed treaties with the southern lords and cities of Edelna.
　At the very least, they've promised to remain favorably neutral.
　We've also secured logistics routes.

　And ...... the best bait to catch King Ludwig I is in Hercule's hands.

Tell Galfis to hurry and come to Edelna.
"Yes, Your Majesty.

　"Yes, Your Majesty," Hercule muttered, shutting his eyes as he commanded the messenger.

The rest will be decided by the battle with King Ludwig I, who has crossed the ...... Great Mountains.




　Meanwhile, the news of the fall of Lemuria and the capture of Gregory had reached Ludwig I. "You're only pulling my leg," he said.

"He's only dragging us down. That man.


"Not at all. I would have thought you could have tried a little harder.

　Ludwig I nodded in agreement with Tulpan's words of faith.
　Then he simply said something brutal.

Depending on whether the war is won or lost, we might as well cut that thing loose.
"Yes. We've already achieved our goal of independence from Lemuria, and we have no use for them.

　In the first place, there is not much difference in doctrinal content between the Papists and the Hime-Priestesses.
　This is not a matter of doctrine, but of politics.

　And King Ludwig I had succeeded in reorganizing the domestic churches into a national church, separating them from the Lemurian Archdiocese.
　He also brought the Lemurian princes under the influence of the Lemurian Empire to the side of the Fullerling Kingdom, or even destroyed them, and turned them into his own nation.

　The political system is complete enough to suppress any interference in internal affairs from the two "Lemuria", the Lemurian Archbishopric and the Lemurian Empire.

　In other words, whether the head becomes a priestess or a pope, the political independence of the Fullerling Kingdom is unassailable.

However, ...... says that the portable shrine should be light and par. It doesn't have to be Gregory, but I'd like to keep the ...... Lemurian Archbishopric in my hands for as long as possible.

　He had no intention of making any concessions.
　The Lemurian Archbishopric, the Kingdom of Edelna, the Republic of Adleria, and the title of Emperor.

　A complete victory would win all four from the Lemurian Empire.

　With renewed determination, King Ludwig I looked at his army below him.

　60,000 infantry.
　20,000 cavalry.

　Gauls, Duitsch, Albion, Scardinawea.
　These were the elite that King Ludwig I had recruited from the areas under the feudal system of the Kingdom of Frarling.

　With the exception of Namo and Ganuron, who were left in charge, and Bradamante, who had crossed the Great Mountains earlier, the seven heroes - Astolfo, Laurent, Chulpan, and Marazizi - were all here.

　There has never been an enemy we couldn't defeat with this.
　There had never been an enemy that could not be defeated with this force, and Ludwig I believed that there would never be one in the future.

"Well, gentlemen!　Let us go to the rescue of our people!　God be with us!
"God be with us!" "God be with us!

　"God be with us!" Ludwig I's journey over the mountains had begun.




　Meanwhile, news of the fall of the Archbishopric of Lemuria reached Cecilia across the sea.

"Your Holiness. It seems that the Emperor has fallen the Archbishopric of Lemuria.
"I see. Well, I suppose that's only natural for Hercule.
"Master ......?
Mm-hmm.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm here.
　Cecilia, on the other hand, smiles meaningfully.
　Then she stood up.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that.
"...... What do you mean?
"Oh?　Did you forget?　We are not Lord Hercule's vassals. It would be nice to sit here and wait for Hercule-sama to give us the Archbishopric of Lemuria, but he is not the kind of person who would give it to us for free. He might even make it a condition of marriage.

　Cecilia's cheeks were flushed.
　Cecilia's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were flushed.
　Cronus asked, as if he could guess what his lord was thinking.

I'm not sure if that's what you want ......?　As His Holiness?
I am not reluctant to do so, but it would be disqualifying for one who unites the Church to simply fall under the patriarchate of Hercule.

　Cecilia said with some regret.
　Then she smiled wickedly and put her index finger to her lips.

No matter what happens, you should arrange for the Lemurian Archdiocese to be returned to my hands.
It's .......
"It's called fishing for fish. Kronos.

　With a snap, Cecilia winked.




　Hercule, Ludwig and Cecilia.
　History is in flux as the thoughts of the three parties intermingle. ......