“Kael! Are you insane?!”
Aieeeek! Someone save me! Adjutant, Adjutant! What in the world are you doing over there?!
How can you just stand there while your direct superior is being harassed like this?!
…Oh. So Her Highness the Princess decided this is unavoidable? Fine. I admit it. You’re right.
—
“Ah, Your Highness Princess! Princess! Please calm down first!”
“Calm down? You’ve got to be kidding me! Going to Ross Tannika directly, sure, I can see that—but why on earth did you go directly to Dugal, which Dedolant already occupied?! Were you planning to get captured or something?!”
“There’s no need to worry. To prevent any leaks of classified information, I carried poison just in case—KYAAAK!”
“That’s not what I’m worried about right now!!”
—
d*mn. I messed up there. All I meant was that confidentiality isn’t something we should worry about.
Apparently, Her Highness interpreted it as, “Ah, if I get caught, I’ll just k*ll myself and that’ll be that.”
Now she’s straight-up smashing my back. And hey, I have a noble’s pride too—but in this situation, what can you do?
Honestly, when I entered Dugal, I myself thought, “Hmm. This might be a bit reckless.”
But there was no choice. To really stoke the flames, we needed to put on a good show.
Ross Tannika and Dugal—they all need to go absolutely wild against Dedolant.
There will be no compromise. No surrender. It’s war until the bitter end.
Because only then can our Empire secure its perfect future.
Of course, we pay our respects to the sacrifices made by Ross Tannika and Dugal.
But we can’t let sentimentality ruin the plan moving forward.
I’m not some idealistic youth—I’m merely a noble of our Empire.
Family first, house first, and Empire always comes first. So order must be maintained—
—
“UGGHHH!”
Zzaak! A burning sensation explodes across my back like I’ve been set on fire.
I quickly turn around to see Her Highness glaring daggers at me, puffing like an angry cat.
—
“You’re not going to respond? Don’t ever do something so dangerous again. Do you understand?”
“Guuuhhhh…”
“Say it again!”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Your Highness. It won’t happen again.”
Whatever. The spark has already been ignited. This is enough.
From here on out, anyone else from the Empire could probably handle things without making too much of a mess.
If we don’t screw up completely, the goodwill Dugal and Ross Tannika earned will stay intact.
First impressions matter most. If they’re bad, there’s no recovering from it no matter what you do later.
That’s why I had to be there personally. For someone who’s supposedly so renowned…
Might as well use my reputation while it still holds value. It might fade later, after all.
—
“Hmph. You still don’t look like you’re sorry. Should I trust your words?”
“I’m truly sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Really… I just wrapped up my work in the south and came back here, and hearing you were missing… Kael, how could you? I almost yelled at the Dedolantians when I heard you went to Dugal from Ross Tannika!”
“You can’t possibly mean that.”
“Are you insane? If I had, I’d have ruined all the good groundwork you laid!”
—
As expected, Her Highness knows not to cross certain lines.
—
“But still, are Ross Tannika and Dugal’s resistance movements that important?”
“To leave a scar. An indelible nightmare.”
“A nightmare for Dedolant.”
“For Dedolant. Exactly. But it’s not just for them. It’s also for anyone who might oppose our Empire in the future.”
—
An indelible nightmare, you say? Her Highness tilts her head, clearly unsure.
It seems she hasn’t fully grasped the grand vision crafted by the Emperor and the Crown Princess yet.
I didn’t fully understand their intent either until recently, so I get it.
—
“In the future, there will undoubtedly be those who wish to stand against the Empire. Whether it’s in a year, ten years, or even a hundred years from now.”
“That sounds about right. Humans tend to forget yesterday’s events and make foolish choices.”
“So, we’ll brand their collective memory with that nightmare. The Empire might be defeatable, and rebellion against its order may seem like an option. Those choices remain entirely up to them. But if they dare to defy us, we’ll ensure the warning sticks: they’ll face a sea of fire from every direction.”
—
The allure of tearing flesh from the mightiest is undeniable.
But collaborating with that same mightiest to take down weaker prey is also highly tempting.
Especially when you’ve seen countless examples of those who tried to challenge the powerful only to end up obliterated.
It might be wiser to hunt safer prey, in a safer way.
As Her Highness said, humans tend to forget yesterday. Yet, they can become obsessively fixated on certain lessons.
Worlds call these fixations “taboos” or “forbidden acts.”
The Emperor, the Crown Princess, and I—we want this lesson to become an eternal nightmare.
If you dare to mess with our Empire, be prepared for your neighbors to shred you to pieces.
They’ll see it as far more profitable to side with the Empire and destroy you rather than try to topple us.
—
Of course, for this nightmare to endure, one prerequisite must be fulfilled.
The Empire must continue to exist as the Empire.
As long as that happens, situations like this won’t ever arise again.
—
“…Kael.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you still think you’re not some sort of master strategist?”
—
If I’d been asked this a while ago, I’d have reflexively replied with a “Yes.”
But now… well, I just don’t feel like it anymore.
It’s not because I’ve suddenly gained self-confidence or anything.
More like… I don’t have the heart to deny it when so many people believe in me so deeply.
Because of their trust, their fierce efforts fighting alongside me…
It’s become meaningless whether I’m a genius or a strategist or none of those things.
—
“I merely do my best for those who believe in me.”
“That’s right. The Kael I know has always been that kind of person.”
—
Saying this, Her Highness nods approvingly and steps closer.
Thinking she has something else to say, I watch her silently.
—
“…Your Highness?”
“Hmph.”
—
Before I knew it, Her Highness enveloped me in a sudden embrace, causing an involuntary loud gasp to escape me.
I almost screamed but somehow managed to hold it back.
“This is my way of comforting you. You look so burdened. So tired. Watching you work so hard for others worries me.”
“…”
“I’m starting to understand now. Standing on the frontlines after always staying in the background… Watching the countless lives resting on the shoulders of those out there, and the fates of so many families… The pressure must be… unfathomable.”
—
Her Highness is absolutely right. That was exactly what terrified me, and what weighed me down.
I’m not extraordinary. It always frightened me that those who believed in me might get hurt.
Perhaps that’s why I kept denying the epithets they gave me.
—
“Hang in there, Kael. I don’t know if I even have the right to say this, but I have nothing else to offer right now. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. To me, it’s an immense comfort.”
“It’s a lie. But thanks for saying it anyway.”
—
A lie. At her response, something welled up inside me unexpectedly.
Before I realized it, I shifted my awkward stance.
“It’s not a lie.”
—
I carefully return the embrace. It feels unfamiliar, cautious, and tinged with worry—but given how much we’ve been through together, I think this is okay.
Among all the people who believe in me, she has been particularly invaluable.
—
“I’m always grateful to Your Highness. Without you, I would have struggled far more than I do now.”
“That’s… very kind of you.”
“So, thank you, Your Highness. Thank you for holding me steady when I waver.”
—
Alas, a battlefield is far removed from the embrace of family.
But it’s Her Highness who has taken care of me in place of my family.
And then there’s also the fact that the Emperor and the Crown Princess keep egging this on…
—
We stayed like that for a while until we finally parted after some time had passed.
Regaining a slight distance and looking at each other, an oddly uncomfortable atmosphere lingered—but somehow, laughter bubbled up through it.
—
“Well then, my esteemed strategist. What’s the plan moving forward?”
“Until winter ends, we’ll keep holding tight. Ross Tannika and Dugal will keep bleeding themselves out on our behalf while Dedolant loses momentum in Setongrad. In the meantime, we’ll make a significant move with the Ghost Legion in the southern theater, throwing them off balance. On the Artria front, we’ll maintain a peaceful lull, creating suspicion among them.”
—
With Dedolant inactive in the central theater and bogged down where they are, we’ll use the intelligence we’ve been gathering to move our armies as discreetly as possible.
This is Dedolant’s turf—of course it’s more advantageous for them.
But our Empire hasn’t been idle either. We’ve been gathering geographic data.
And now, we possess the flexibility to nearly match them in maneuverability.
—
“I’ll also bring in my younger sister and Miss Charlotte. I’ve pulled out the elite 7,000 troops from Nobogorod to work with them. They’ll act as our Empire’s flanks, and when the time comes to encircle the enemy, they’ll play a crucial role.”
Kaya and Charlotte in the northern front—they’re trustworthy enough to hold the ends and deliver a decisive blow.
—
“Kaya I can understand, but you seem to rate Miss Charlotte quite highly as well?”
“Didn’t she prove herself capable against both Atria and Dedolant forces in the northern front? That should be sufficient grounds for trust, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hmm. I suppose so.”
—
Something’s telling me I can’t stop talking right now.
“Of course, she shouldn’t become overly enamored with me. But given that Your Highness knows me far better than she does, I trust you to help guide her accordingly.”
“That’s true. I do know Kael better than Charlotte does.”
—
Just moments ago, she was radiating icy vibes, but now she’s cheering up so quickly. It’s baffling—and yet… adorable somehow.
I shouldn’t feel this way, but her presence always draws a smile from me, one I have to suppress with great effort.
