Day 130 of the Otherworld Summoning [Those in Motion] Part 4:

''I look forward to your future loyal service.''

Princess Lupis's voice echoed during the audience, and the five nobles standing in line before her bowed their heads in unison.


''It's going well, isn't it?''

After the meeting between the turned nobles and Princess Lupis was over, Ryoma and Count Bergston Zeref, who had gathered in a room of the castle, nodded to each other with a smile.

''I thought it was the result of Mikoshiba-dono's instructions.''

Count Bergston, a nobleman, bowed politely to Ryojin.
A month had passed since the counts joined the princess faction.
I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the next few days.

It's the result of the efforts of the Counts. I'm a stranger.

This is not humility.
It's not easy to break through the barriers of status, no matter how much you try to argue right or wrong.
It can be said to be for nothing that Count Bergston listened to Ryojin and came to his side.
Knowing this, Ryoma had entrusted Count Bergston and Zeref with the task of cutting down the sidelines.
Mertina and others, "You're going to weigh in on those who have been turned! He was opposed to the idea, but he was reluctantly withdrawn by Ryojin's persuasion.
As a result, Count Bergston and Zeref did more than they expected.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few months.
Of course, the ability of the counts had a big influence on this, but Ryoma's explanations through his advantage and judgment of the situation had a big impact on the success of the recruitment.
That's why Count Bergston and Zeref never took an arrogant attitude towards Liangma, who had no title.
Also, Liang Zhen also never increased the credit for himself, and he knows his place.

As a matter of fact, more and more noblemen will continue to swear allegiance to Your Highness in the future.

That's right. Yes, Count Zeref is right. There are plenty of bystanders with a grudge against the aristocrats.

The resentment of the nobles on the sidelines, who have been alienated from central politics for years, is strong.
Partly because they know that they are the ones who will be entrusted with politics after the aristocrats are wiped out after the war, the aristocrats who come to the royal capital are loyal to the princess with a devotion that is usually unthinkable.

''Well, it's good to have more...''

Ryouma smiled bitterly as he looked at the counts who were smiling at him.
Because the truth was that the situation was not an optimistic one.

''Does Mikoshiba-dono have something to worry about?''

Count Zeref asked while looking at Ryojin's face.

I know it's not a good idea to call it a decisive battle with the aristocracy, but I'm wondering how to respond to it.

At Liangzhen's words, Earl Bergston said after thinking it over somewhat.

Or is it after the battle?



'Isn't that still a decisive battle with the aristocracy, Earl Bergston?

I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal more than you think.
It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking at.

It's not possible. ...Then again...

Having arrived at his own answer to his own question, the Earl of Bergston asks Ryoma with his gaze, but this is not a complete answer.
But that's not enough to answer the question.
Ryoma wanted to know what the answer would be.
But when he saw Count Bergston's face, he gave up.
He didn't know why, he said, because it's written on his face.
Ryoma gave up and opened his mouth to explain to them what the problem was.


'Yes, you're right. What I'm troubled by is what happened after the decisive battle with the aristocrats.......well, it would be better if we could resolve it before the decisive battle.......

Warfare is all about preparation.
How well prepared you are in advance will determine the outcome of the battle.
Ryoma understood this.
This is not just a story for Ryoma.
Japanese people in the 20th century can find all kinds of military science books in all ages and places if they want to read them.
It is normal for a businessman to learn Sun Tzu's Art of War and apply it to his business.
Whether or not they are used in warfare, the knowledge of modern Japanese is comparable to that of the great politicians of old.
Compared to this, this earth was a time of warring statesmen.
This environment, in which military force is more important than knowledge, has greatly hindered the development of culture and knowledge.
To begin with, the barriers between the countries' status systems are so high that there is a difference in knowledge between the ruling class and the ruled class.
It is not unusual for peasants living in rural areas far from the capital to not even be able to write their own names.
And most of the soldiers who are led by the nobles who have been turned are these peasants.
They have no military training.
The Earl of Bergston's army, which he led to a thousand soldiers, is nothing more than a group of untrained amateurs.
Of course, that group is led by people who are useful to the Countess of Bergston by receiving support from her family.
They are not amateurs as they have received military training or have experience as mercenaries in the past.
But as long as the soldiers you lead are mere amateurs, you should not expect too much from their war potential.
Of course, the composition of the first enemy, the aristocrats, is the same.
They are a group of amateurs drawn from their own territory.

But the knightly faction is different.
All of them are genuine warriors who use the legal arts, even if they are all of low rank.
They are paid by the king and employed by the kingdom.
They are paid by the king and employed by the kingdom.
Essentially, they are the last line of defense for the royal family.
That is the reason why it is dominated by General Hodram.
It's a good thing that the troops who should be able to be trusted are now turning to the enemy.

The reason why Ryoma entrusted Count Bergston and Zeref to cut down the bystanders instead of him is because he wanted to prepare for the battle against the knights.
And the more information he gathered about the knights, the bigger and more serious the problem became.
In terms of the number of troops, it's quite possible to recover.
The number of people is limited because they are professionals.
That is why mercenaries are employed on every battlefield.
However, mercenaries are only a stopgap measure.
Their abilities also vary, and above all, they are far inferior to knights in terms of loyalty.
Moreover, excellent mercenaries cost a lot of money to hire.
On average, they have to pay about five times the annual income of a knight.
Instead, unlike knights who are hired permanently, they can be fired as soon as they are no longer needed, so the employer is not necessarily at a loss.
It would be easier to understand if you replace knights with regular employees and mercenaries with non-regular employees.

With that in mind, the problem that Ryojin is worried about, is about maintaining the kingdom's posture after assigning General Hodram.
After the battle with the aristocrats, the knightly faction and princess faction will have a decisive battle.
This in itself is the common understanding of all those who belong to the princess faction, from Princess Lupis on down.
Once the aristocrats are defeated, Princess Lupis will be able to govern the country.
This will force the nobles on the sidelines to pledge their loyalty to Princess Lupis.
If she controlled all the domestic nobles, she would never be defeated, no matter how large the knightly party's strength was.
If we were to talk about the number of troops alone, there would be a difference of nearly 10 times between the princess faction and the knight faction.
So what is the problem?
After eliminating the knightly faction through Princess Lupis's victory, the question is how Princess Lupis will be able to defend herself.

It was a turbulent time.
There are many people inside and outside the country who are sharpening their fangs to prey on the kingdom of Roseria.
You'll be able to find out if there's no one to replace them after eliminating the knight faction, the hungry wolves will not hesitate to turn on you.
But knights are professional warriors.
It's not just a matter of selecting the necessary number of peasants to replace them.
However, hiring mercenaries would be expensive.
Moreover, they can't be trusted in terms of loyalty.
If you don't get rid of the knightly faction, the princess faction will be crushed as puppets at some point, and even if you get rid of the knightly faction, if you don't have a fighting force to replace them, you'll meet the invasion of neighboring countries that have seen their national power decline, so it's as if you've wandered into a maze with no way out.


So, yes, you do have the foresight to do it.

You're absolutely right.

I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you.
It's not just a matter of time before you are able to get your hands on a new one.

(Can't you understand this kind of thing.......these guys.......if even these two, who are said to be sharp, can't think of anything, it's no wonder Princess Lupis and Mertina can't think of anything.

It's inevitable that Ryouma's heart is getting cold.
They are not ordinary people.
It's natural to feel uneasy if the people who take pride in carrying the country forward don't have the ability to see the future.
And to tell the truth, this issue is not very important to Ryojin personally.
Ryoma's only goal is to gain the backing of Princess Lupis and show the guild what he or she stands for.
If you don't live in the Kingdom of Roselia, you don't care what happens to this country after the knightly faction is eliminated.
In the extreme, Ryojin could take any number of measures if he only wanted to annihilate the knight faction.
The knights of this world have a terrible aversion to such things as trickery and surprise.
It's a good idea to think of it as a group battle, because it has the element of lawfulness, or perhaps because they don't think much about group warfare, they think it's best to fight with their own military force.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it.
Righteousness, loyalty and pride.
It is their claim that if you have these three things, you can win any battle.
In fact, I was shown a tactical book, which they claimed was their textbook, and the content was terrible.
Starting with etiquette, most of the content of the book is biased towards etiquette that is unrelated to combat.
In fact, there is no concept of supply or formation.
By no means are all humans without, but the average level of knowledge is far too low.
And it was no mean feat for Ryouma to trap a person who was that upright.

Still, if they were knights, it was still good.
It's a good thing that they are worthy of valor.
But the nobles are different.
It's not only important to have military prowess, but also to have a good eye for the future.
If you're thinking about how to rule the country after you've won, it's natural to anticipate that after the elimination of the knightly faction, you'll need an alternative force.
Of course, not all people are aware of this, and just because they don't notice it doesn't mean they are incompetent.
But even so, if all the people at the top of the organization can't think of it, it's inevitable that they'll be dismayed.

Or better yet, after the elimination of the knights, should we just ignore everything else and kill them?

Ryoma desperately shook off the sweet temptation of the short-circuited thoughts that rose up from the depths of his mind.

(No.........no matter how much, that's not good.......it's too unfair indeed.

If he did that, the Roselia Kingdom would definitely be destroyed.
Ryoma was a selfish and rational person, but on the other hand, he was a person who valued things like beneficence and righteousness very much.
He couldn't just leave people who had joined forces with him, even if it was only temporarily, to die.

''How can I help you?''

Count Zeref looked into Ryojin's face with concern.
I wonder if Ryoma's complexion has changed that much.

You will be able to see that Mikoshiba-dono thinks that winning over the knightly faction is not a problem in itself. And.....

The Earl of Bergston looks at Ryoma as he says as a reminder.

''Yes. That's the problem........''

''Then why don't we just let Lord Mertina lead the remaining knightly faction, with Lord Mertina at the head?

'Oh! The Earl of Bergston is as good as it gets. That's an excellent idea!

What if his idea was to get rid of General Hodram and then have Mertina, who is loyal to the princess, unite the knightly faction? That's what I mean.
It is true that this plan would only require the elimination of General Hodram and his cronies, so there would not be a major drop in strength.
But Ryoma shook his head.
The reason is that he thought about that beforehand and decided that it was impossible.

''That's impossible. Considering Mertina's human nature, it's almost reckless.''

Mertina was certainly brave, with a strong sense of justice and a very strong loyalty to the princess.
In terms of ability, she is certainly the right person for the job.
But this advantage, in contrast, is a big problem.
In the first place, Mertina hates faction warfare itself.
She is extremely loyal to the kingdom and the princess.
And the problem lies in the fact that she believes that her own values are absolute and that others must have the same.
Specifically, she believes that all people deserve unconditional loyalty to the royal family.
Of course, that's not a mistake.
You can say that it's a natural thing to do when you're serving the Kingdom of Roselia.
But people are not so easily divided.
I'm not going to be the only one who can do that.
There is also self-preservation.
There are differences of opinion.
There are various reasons.
Of course, if we are the strongest of the strong, we don't need to take other people's intentions into consideration.
We can crush them with force.
However, the situation Princess Lupis is facing now is not one where such a hard-line approach is justified.
If it were a simple power relationship, Princess Lupis is the weakest link in the chain.
It is necessary to have someone who can lead the knightly party to pledge their loyalty to Princess Lupis.
That requires understanding the grievances of others and dealing with them.
It's very difficult for an upright person like Mertina to do so.

"....

After hearing Liang Zhen's explanation, both counts remained stifled.
They didn't have the eyes to see the future, but they had the wisdom to understand the importance of the problem they could put in front of them.
That's why the two of them couldn't say anything extra.
In their minds, the future of the knightly faction that had erupted out of dissatisfaction with Mertina's arrogant attitude flashed across their minds.

Do you want to find one of the knightly factions to turn to the princesses?

''No I don't want to do that if at all possible because it could create a second General Hodram.''

Ryoma shook his head at Count Bergston's words.
I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who are willing to turn away from the knightly faction in the current situation are people who are driven by profit.
Indeed, even such a person would normally not have a problem, but this time, after eliminating General Hodram, you have to get the knight faction united.
Inevitably, their authority will be powerful.
That's why the loyalty to Princess Lupis must be chosen from those who are loyal to her.
In order to avoid giving birth to a second General Hodram.

''That's right! There's one person here who deserves it!

What?

Ryoma couldn't believe his ears when Count Zeref, who had been silent and thoughtful, said.

'Is it true? Count Zeref!

Even the Earl of Bergston looked surprised.

''Yes. She has no problem with your track record and humanity! I can assure you that I am confident that I will!

'She? Are you a woman?

'Oh? Don't you understand? Count Bergston! It's her. She was heralded as the White God of War of Roselia. It's her!

[Roselia's White God of War] Hearing these words, a look of surprise runs across Count Bergston's face.

''What kind of person are you?''

The Earl of Bergston replied to Liangma's question, unable to hide his agitation.