'My Lord doesn't intend to join the kingdom's mercenary army, does he?　It is the nature of a mercenary to make good in battle.

　After Kirill left, Nere turned to Ardis and asked him.

'It's not that I became a mercenary because I wanted to kill people on the battlefield. I didn't even plan to get involved in this war in the first place. ......

So you've changed your mind now?

　Aldis Henele pursues further.

Do you think it's strange that you don't want your twin tutors to die in this trivial war?

　Nere sniffed at Aldis, who made an excuse-like counter-question.
　It's a rude servant to call Aldis Lord and to show his obedience.

"Hey,

Hmm. You can forgive me if I'm offended. If you want to spare Kirill personally without having to give a reason, that's fine. There's no need to bring up the twins in any way.

　Not being able to say it back, Aldis slumped.
　It's a painful thing to say that you should honestly say that you're worried about Kirill's safety.

I'm sure you're aware of the fact that you're not the only one," he said, "but when Kirill decided to have a trial game with a nobleman's children, my Lord is very good at keeping an eye on them secretly so that they don't notice. It's a good thing that you are taking care of your own affairs, or else you wouldn't have gone to the trouble of holding twins in your arms against the local army.

　This was what it meant to not be able to say a single word.

　With an expression of dissatisfaction on his face, Ardis gave up on futile arguments and pondered the clash between the Royal Army and the Imperial Army that would soon be coming.

　The imperial army, which seemed to be advancing with the momentum of victory, is currently halted at a point half a day's invasion from the border.
　There is no doubt that they intend to join up with the following forces sent from their home country.

　It doesn't seem like a very good move as it could lose the momentum of victory, but the upper echelons of the empire may be planning to attack the kingdom in one fell swoop with an all-out effort.
　You can see that they intend to use this opportunity to end a longstanding conflict on their own terms.
　Probably, the subsequent troops that left the imperial capital are already in the process of advancing towards the border.

　What are the top brass of the Empire thinking now?
　Are they filled with elation at the perfect opportunity to defeat their nemesis, or is their stomach churning at the prospect of a battle with the full force of their country?
　Ardis, the god, has no way of knowing.





　The Armenian Empire covers a long stretch of land from east to west in the southeastern part of the Robles Continent.
　It is a country that recognizes itself as the heir to the Caucasian dynasty, which once prospered over a vast area of 30 percent of the continent as its territory.

　Its imperial capital is spread out in concentric circles from an intimidating castle with a dark gray base.
　At the back of the castle, which rises in the center. Not only are commoners allowed to enter, but even nobles are not allowed to enter this area.

"Your Majesty. Your Majesty, the people are elated by the victories of the Imperial Army. The people are exultant over the glorious victory of the Imperial Army, and they are even thinking of the day when they will swallow up Naglas and restore it to its former glory. This is wonderful.

You do not even try to hide your discontent.

　The old man, called "Your Majesty," pointed out with a wry smile.

　He is opposed by a fearless-looking, mature man about two years younger than him.

　Normally, he would not be able to get away with hurling sarcastic remarks at an old man with the highest authority in the country.
　But the man, while formally speaking in praise of the old man, is unrelenting in his displeasure with the expression on his face.
　He was able to do this because he was his own son and because he was the Crown Prince.

　His father's teasing words caused him to burst out in a torrent of frustration.

It's fine to fight the kingdom. "It's fine to fight the kingdoms," he said, "it's even better if you've won. Eventually, I will be the one to carry the empire on my back. I know very well that reclaiming the old territory is the longest wish since the founding of our country.

　But, sir," he said, looking squarely at the Empire's highest echelons, "it's one thing to invite the unknowns into your pocket.

"It's one thing to invite strangers into your pocket, but it's quite another to invite them in.

　At the crown prince's insistence, the emperor pauses for a couple of breaths and asks.

'...... Are you talking about those from the southern continent?'

Should I bother answering that question?

　The Emperor sighed deliberately.

　The Crown Prince was referring to the reinforcements from the allied Saint Rogel monarchy.
　This was the army that had changed the stalemate in the first battle with the kingdom.

This battle was almost won through their efforts. The tactical analysts have reported that with the Imperial Army's standing army alone, it is highly likely that the battle would have ended in a painful split, just as in the past. I don't know what they're worried about, but it's probably too much of a curiosity?

I don't care if they're just mercenaries. As long as we pay them for their work, there won't be any problem. But they are an army with the backing of the state. But they are a state-backed army, and for a distant country whose existence was unknown until just a few days ago.

　The San Rogel Monarchy was a country on another continent located far south of the Robles Continent.

　It was only about six months ago that they received formal contact from the other side.
　It wasn't long until they received a delegation, established diplomatic relations and became an alliance, and even the nobles in the country didn't understand the situation and seemed to be in a panic.

　Due to its location, the Kingdom of Nagras was the only nation that directly bordered its territory, and the Armenian Empire had always suffered from diplomatic isolation.

　Both the Union of City States to the west of the Kingdom and the Republic of Bronzell to the north of the Kingdom are neutral in terms of their positions, leaning towards the Kingdom.
　They are not hostile to the Empire, but that doesn't mean they are not desirable allies.

　To the east of the Bronzhel Republic, to the north across the sea from the Empire, lies the Kingdom of Albarn, which has a huge island as its territory.
　Although we have a relatively friendly relationship with the Kingdom of Arburn, we are inexplicably too far away from each other.

　It is the open sea, where rough seas and dangerous aquatic monsters lurk, that separates the Armenian Empire from the Albarn Kingdom.
　Although the Empire's navigational technology is more advanced than that of the Kingdom of Naglas, we still have no choice but to follow the land to the nearshore seas.
　I'm not going to be able to send large fleets of ships as long as they pass through the coastline of the Kingdom of Naglas on their way, so they only send small diplomatic missions to the Kingdom of Albarn.
　Naturally, if warfare begins with the Kingdom of Naglas as it did this time, it will not be possible to come and go properly to the Kingdom of Albarn.

　You can't get away from the fact that you can't even cross the northern sea.
　It had been thought that since the northern sea could not be crossed, the only way out was through the Kingdom of Naglas, which bordered its territory, but that was a mistake.

　It would not be so fortunate for this country that another continent lay beyond the southern sea, and that the Ermenian Empire was the first country to which the men of the San Rogel monarchy from the south had arrived.

　With the unexpected arrival of guests from afar, the Emperor of Ermenia was able to make a military alliance with them without much effort in laying the groundwork.
　However, on the other hand, since the war with the kingdom began so soon after diplomatic relations were established, the empire has not sent a single delegation to the monarchy.
　This is an unusual thing.

　It is doubtful that the empire will be able to reach the southern continent without a ship from the monarchy, which, unlike the monarchy, does not have the means to cross the open sea alone.
　The reality is that they can't even send an envoy without permission.

We know next to nothing about their homeland. Do you not understand how dangerous that is?

　The emperor dismisses the sense of urgency that the crown prince has for this, dismissing it as an insignificant concern.

He said, "We can proceed with our exchanges in the future. If only the kingdom is overthrown, there will be no other country on this continent that can rival our empire. It's a good idea to take it easy as the leader of the continent. If we can obtain ocean-going technology from the monarchy, a military alliance with the Kingdom of Albarn is on the horizon.

　The emperor's desire to ingratiate himself with the sovereign nation was also motivated by the idea of capturing their technology.
　If it is possible to cross the northern sea and travel directly to and from the Kingdom of Albarn, the empire may be able to gain the alliance it has longed for in the immediate vicinity of the continent.
　And if they had brought the Kingdom of Naglas to its knees at that stage, there would no longer be any power on the continent that could compete with the Empire.

　But that would be too optimistic, the Crown Prince noted.

''Do you think they're just sending us reinforcements out of the goodness of their hearts?

　The monarchy has enough navigational technology to move back and forth between continents freely, but the other side does not even know where their country is.
　Militarily speaking, the other side can attack at will, while we can only wait for the attacker to emerge and defend ourselves.
　Just the thought of fighting a defensive battle against an enemy that could appear at any moment is depressing.
　At the very least, we should know where the monarchy is located, and we should learn enough technology to send an army across the continent before accepting any reinforcements. The Crown Prince thinks so.

　If you ask him, the current empire was walking a dangerous tightrope.
　But the emperor does not take this concern into account.

It's not easy for them to send an army from so far away. It is not easy for them to send an army from far away, even though their cavalry is strong, there are not many of them. I'm not going to be able to get any more than that. We have to make our power relationship with the kingdom clear and show them who is worthy of being the leader of this continent.

　In the past, the power of the Empire and the Kingdom were at odds with each other.
　However, in recent years, the demons that plagued the kingdom have been vanquished one after another, resulting in the development of new heavy iron mines and the shortening of commercial routes, and the kingdom's national power has increased.
　The gap between the Kingdom and the Empire is widening, and in recent years the Kingdom has been overwhelmed.

　It's important to avoid a situation where the San Rogel monarchy gives up on the Empire and passes on to the Kingdom.
　For this reason, the emperor told him that he had to secure his superiority over the kingdom as soon as possible.

　Although the crown prince is the second in authority to the emperor, he can only do so much against the supreme authority.
　He can express his opinions and urge his will, but the final decision is his to make.
　You will be able to find it very difficult to convince, but you nodded your head reluctantly, giving up on any further comment.



　After finishing his talk, the Crown Prince left the room and walked silently down the corridor with his bodyguards in tow, lost in thought.

　As for inviting an army into the country in partnership with the St. Rogel monarchy, perhaps the emperor secretly understands the danger.
　But the emperor must have been even more unable to overcome the temptation to become a continental power.

　The crown prince forcibly suppressed the dark clouds that were building up in his mind and began to list the things he needed to accomplish in his position.
　Now that the war had already begun, there was no turning back.
　Now that we've begun, we must win, and we can't let St. Rogel's monarchy see an opening.
　We will bring the kingdom to its knees, seize control of the continent, and eliminate the involvement of the monarchy as much as possible.
　He made a list of instructions that he would issue to his own assistants while also assuming that he would cross blades with the monarchy at a later date.