After finishing my report to His Majesty the Emperor, I was ushered in to immediately head toward Her Highness the Crown Princess.
There, the Crown Princess was present, along with the First Prince and a princess—an awkward trio if I ever saw one.
“…For some reason, the atmosphere among the three of you feels a little… off.”
Oh, I shouldn’t have said that. It really is off.
“Do you think so? Sit down first. Chief of Staff.”
When told to sit, I naturally moved to take a seat next to the First Prince.
No particular reason; I just figured it made sense since the Crown Princess and the princess were sitting together already. Plus, the First Prince is male like me, so it felt right.
But then suddenly, the First Prince shot up from his chair, pulling the princess to her feet. Next thing I knew, he’d commandeered her spot, offering his original seat to her.
The look of “huh?” was mutual for both me and the princess.
“What are you doing? Sit already, Chief of Staff.”
With that subtle but eerie smile, Her Highness urged me to hurry up. Eventually, everyone paired up: me with the princess and the Crown Princess with the First Prince.
“Hohoho…”
“What a fine sight. Sister.”
Wait a minute, Her Highness Crown Princess. That smile of yours isn’t making me feel all warm and fuzzy; it’s sending chills down my spine.
And First Prince? Saying stuff like that so blatantly—have you no shame for your sister sitting right next to you?
“…”
Hmm. I was about to say it was going to blow, but I guess it already did. Not only are her cheeks flushed, but the redness has spread down to her ears and neck.
“Did you give the Emperor your report well?”
“Yes, Your Highness Crown Princess. As for the details—”
“Ah, that’s fine. I’ll find out later. I didn’t summon the Chief of Staff here to discuss work right now, so let’s move on.”
Her steering the conversation away from work is pretty surprising. Rumors say she’s such a workaholic, she could make even the Emperor pale in comparison. Yet looking at her now, it seems she’s not always buried in duty. Perhaps she’s merely diligent?
“Chief of Staff, do you know what I’ve been tasked with recently?”
“…”
Wait, didn’t you say there wouldn’t be any more work talk?
And three seconds ago you said that, right before now introducing another task?
“It’s about the creation of a Duke title, along with the title of Duke of the Empire. Although an extra title might be a burden, since the title of Duke has historically been a one-time title in the Empire’s history, it’s not a big deal.”
“Your Highness?”
“Once the war is over, you’ll be known as the Duke, along with the title of Duke of the Empire. It may be burdensome, but since you’re technically royalty, wouldn’t Duchess suit better than the wife of a lesser Duke?”
“Your Highness Crown Princess??”
At first, I had no idea what she was saying. But as I kept listening, I started catching the gist.
This was about me. The mention of the Duke of the Empire title here in front of me? Yup, it’s me.
But a “Duke” and “Duke of the Empire”? Another title is being conferred?
While it’s not unheard of for someone to have multiple titles, isn’t it usually one given that’s below their current rank? What’s with this “Duke of the Empire”? Will the rest of the nobles just sit by quietly after hearing this?
“Sister, if you push too hard, the Chief of Staff might not be able to keep up.”
“Oh? Right, sorry. I got a little carried away.”
“Ah, not at all, Your Highness Crown Princess. But… about the title of Duke, what does that even mean…?”
“Surely the Chief of Staff knows the history of our Empire? Someone who has achieved unprecedented feats, beyond reproach, gets honored with the one-time Duke title, even if it’s rare.”
Well, I do know. Lord Ramsus was a famous statesman in our history. Since him, every other Duke recipient was an epic hero—figures so legendary they can’t even compare with someone like me. How in the world…?
“Judging from the Chief of Staff’s expression, he clearly doesn’t believe he deserves it.”
“That’s…”
“Nonsense. Just from your accomplishments in the eastern and southern fronts, that’s already plenty. And your exploits during the Dedolant battlefield far exceed the sum accomplishments over there. Please, don’t still consider yourself lacking.”
And that would be lying to those who look up to you.
I involuntarily stiffened at the Crown Princess’s stern tone.
“Sister is right. Chief of Staff, your humility has always been both your weapon and the whip that drives you to improve. But sometimes that can burden those who follow you.”
“But I…”
“You’re already incredible, Chief of Staff. Honestly, you’re so great that I hesitate to even call you that in front of Sister, lest I embarrass myself. Hahaha.”
“Gnaius, from what your face is saying, the Chief of Staff is much better than me, right?”
“Nonsense! To me, His Majesty the Emperor is the greatest, followed by you, Sister!”
World, how can these two be siblings? This military loyalty is perfection itself.
“Well, the Chief of Staff is completely worthy of the title of Duke. No one in this Empire can deny his contributions, acknowledged by both Sister and His Majesty.”
“But I’ve merely done my best. Just humbled, indeed.”
Times like this, it almost feels regrettable that I have such detached ambitions. Am I transcendent about this, or just clueless? Honestly, none of this stirs any emotions in me.
All I’m left with is worrying about whether I can do justice to it. Can I not disappoint?
“And… Belle seems to really like you, Chief of Staff.”
“Brother!!”
“Hehe, Belle. You were nodding your head like crazy in agreement earlier but now you’re backtracking?”
“It’s not like that! That’s going too far!”
Good grief, the princess’s voice is dripping with both embarrassment and desperation. She’s moments away from sniffling and bolting from her seat entirely.
And just imagining that, I can’t help but blurt something out myself.
“W-wait! That’s not true, Your Highness Prince!”
“Chief of Staff?”
“More than that… It’s… Um…”
I find myself biting my lips, trying to avoid the next statement. But then I realize both the Crown Princess and First Prince are sporting cheeky grins.
This is clearly going according to some plan! I’ve fallen right into it.
“Got ya!”
Of course, they set her up to tease me and gauge my reaction. It was a masterful collaboration, engineered by the Crown Princess with a final, fatal blow courtesy of the First Prince. And I… I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
“Who do you like more Chief of Staff?”
“True, do say who is it.”
Of all people, these siblings are no joke. They’re on another level. Why didn’t they just call themselves strategists!
“Ugh!!!”
“…More than Belle, I assume it’s, um, it’s me.”
No turning back now. I can’t just sit back and claim otherwise.
After I’ve confessed, the trio’s reactions are wildly different.
“Hahaha!”
The Crown Princess doubles over in laughter.
“Koff! Huh! Hmph!”
The First Prince, meanwhile, is still clearly amused but at least trying to contain himself.
“…”
And lastly, a princess whose face is buried in her hands.
“So, Chief of Staff, do continue.”
“Indeed, please do.”
Between the Crown Princess and First Prince urging me along, I share a quick glance with the princess. We’re both embarrassed, but her hand still in mine makes it slightly more bearable.
*
With business at the palace finished, I decided to visit the War Ministry next.
The biggest concern currently? The prisoner problem and supply issues, both of which fall under the War Ministry’s jurisdiction. We’ll need to discuss and iron out a strategy.
“You’ve come, Chief of Staff.”
“I just met you a while back at the palace, but here we are again, Minister of War.”
To note, the previous War Minister stepped down after the Empire’s major defeat. Though not as culpable as the General Staff, he couldn’t entirely escape the blame for the loss. Subsequently, he made the decision to step down after helping tidy things up.
“We need to settle the prisoner problem first.”
“Yes. Beyond the 40,000 troops that surrendered under Commander Paelus, we’ve collected more captives, totaling over 50,000 prisoners. This was manageable before, but the current front-line prisoner camp is under a tremendous burden since this latest surrender.”
“Ah. I anticipated more prisoners, but 40,000 surrendering at once was a surprise.”
The War Minister presses at his temples as if he’s got a headache. The Ministry of Finance is neither pleased nor able to voice a complaint because this is technically a great victory for the Empire.
“I understand. 40,000 prisoners are equivalent to two Legions.”
Such a sudden increase in bodies naturally stresses the upper levels. They need to think about their food, water, clothing, temporary accommodation, and not to mention the financial costs.
“Our logistical lines are also becoming stretched. We doubled the logistics and supply units, but they’re growing increasingly fatigued.”
Sending supplies towards Dedolant territory was tolerable at first. The distance was shorter, and we had control over local roads, but now that we’ve penetrated deep within Dedolant, the situation changes.
Our supply units must now investigate entirely unfamiliar terrain, and as distances increase, so too does the exertion required.
“Walking itself is exhausting. Adding cattle, horses, wagons, carts, and supplies….”
Supply units are people too, which means they require sustenance themselves. A portion of every shipment heading toward the front lines is used by the supply units themselves. Naturally, as the distance increases, their consumption grows.
“I’ve ordered a brief halt in our advance back toward the Empire until we sort out our logistics.”
“Agreed. We’ll do our best in the War Ministry to address supply and logistics-related concerns. Please hold out just a little longer while we resolve it.”
“Work quickly, yet carefully. In warfare, a brief moment of weakness can lead to catastrophic losses.”
Indeed, losing battles due to tactical mistakes is understandable, but losing due to logistical shortcomings—what a disgrace for an Empire like ours.
“And Minister, we should slowly reintroduce the magic units.”
“You can’t possibly be asking for another negotiation with the Ministry of Finance, can you?”
“How can I negotiate while I’m on the battlefield?! Hahaha!”
Sorry! I’ll happily fire off spells while you deal with the mess back at headquarters!
