Episode 316: Interlude (Piata Empire 1)
“So, when will the national reclaiming begin?”
As the man settled into the sofa, the first words from the elderly gentleman opposite him were these.
“…Your Majesty, even if you rush me, things can only proceed as scheduled,” replied the man, a diplomat from Berelforestei Country in charge of relations with the Piata Empire, with a sigh.
“But, you see…”
His counterpart was the Imperial Younger Brother of the Piata Empire. He was calling himself the Emperor in the Piata Empire’s government-in-exile, the younger brother of the missing Emperor.
The Piata Empire’s Emperor had been commanding the front lines to the very end at the Imperial Capital’s defense line, and then contact was lost.
The Prawa Theocracy’s monk soldiers, who they had been fighting, were rumored to be massacring all nobles and royalty, so he was likely already dead.
“I have told you that recklessly dispatching troops will not lead to the reclaiming of our homeland, haven’t I? Your Majesty, now is the time to bide our time. Even for our country, foreign expeditions take time to prepare. Sending a half-hearted force would only allow us to secure a small part at best.”
“That may be so, but half a year has already passed since we came here. I am not a military expert, but I had heard that preparations for a foreign expedition could be completed in three months. Surely this is taking too long?”
That was probably a reference to the Piata Empire’s system of mobilizing peasant soldiers. It was supposed to be confidential information, but well, it was almost meaningless in this situation.
The diplomat nodded without particularly pointing it out.
“If it were a war with another country, then of course, our country would also be able to prepare quickly.”
“Then…!”
“However, as of now, our homeland is not being invaded. As you know, mobilizing farmers will drastically reduce the grain harvest for that year and the following year. Especially now, during the busy farming season. We will, of course, assist in reclaiming your country’s territory, but we cannot afford to bankrupt our own finances.”
“…Hmm. Then, when will we be able to go on a campaign? How long must I wait!”
This Imperial Younger Brother wasn’t so bad in terms of personality, but his abilities were the problem. He wouldn’t act on his own and relied on others for everything.
And when the Piata Empire’s borders were breached, he was the first to flee to Berelforestei Country, a testament to his cowardice. You could say his only talent was running away.
And the nobles who had followed such a coward were all incompetent as well.
Since they weren’t in their home country, they weren’t causing any major problems, but they seemed to be taking it out on their subordinates quite a bit.
Already, half of those subordinates had fled to Berelforestei Country under the guise of exile, and they were in the process of naturalizing.
Because of this situation, the government-in-exile had become a paper tiger, with only the Imperial Younger Brother’s legitimate bloodline remaining.
“We are currently training professional soldiers and gathering mercenaries. Please wait a little longer, Your Majesty. Once preparations are complete, we will send out an expeditionary force with Your Majesty as the supreme commander. As the rightful Emperor of Piata, you will be able to reclaim the entire land.”
“Hmm… Well, I understand. I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to our country. I will come again to report.”
The diplomat brushed off the Imperial Younger Brother in that manner, gave a polite bow, and left the room.
“…Good grief. His Majesty is quite a handful.”
After getting into the carriage, the diplomat muttered to himself.
“The dispatch of troops will be soon, won’t it?”
The diplomat nodded at his attendant’s question.
“Yes. The National Reclaiming Army will depart in a few days. It’s with the support of that detestable Repuytari Kingdom, but the supplies are abundant. There are no problems with troop strength either. The justification is as you heard. Of course, our country will lead and command the army. After all, it is our army. There is nothing more tragic than an organization led by fools.”
“I, I see…”
Berelforestei Country was trying to advance its army into the Piata Empire, using the presence of the Piata Empire’s government-in-exile within its borders as a reason.
For the time being, about two-thirds of the Piata Empire’s territory was occupied by the Prawa Theocracy, but it still existed as a nation.
They were trying to annex it under the pretext of governance by the government-in-exile.
The Imperial Younger Brother of the Piata Empire would have been an unremarkable man if he had remained in his position as Imperial Younger Brother. Although he had no power, he could advise the Emperor in his role as a consultant, and his life was guaranteed by the Imperial Family.
But the Imperial Family had already collapsed, and he was now under the protection of Berelforestei Country.
Even so, if the Imperial Younger Brother had acted proactively, a different history might have been woven.
In reality, he was just an incompetent man waiting for someone to do something for him.
And the nobles who had followed such a man were the same.
They were just leeches who had been sucking up the sweet nectar. They had taken no concrete action to reclaim their homeland and were foolish men who mistakenly believed that everything would be arranged for them.
Therefore, Berelforestei Country was cleverly extracting a carte blanche in the name of full authority and greedily aiming for its territory.
“If they had gathered information from around them even a little, they would have immediately realized that preparations for the National Reclaiming Army were complete. The fact that they neglect to do so and take my reports at face value is laughable.”
There was a barb in the diplomat’s words, but that was indeed the case.
Just by sending people to the market to gather information on commodity prices and gossip, they could easily imagine that the large-scale deployment of troops to the border was complete.
The fact that they couldn’t even do that meant that the Piata Empire’s government-in-exile was being treated as a group of incompetents.
They just couldn’t realize that they were being kept alive only for the sake of justification.
They were birds in a cage, just a spectacle, yet they foolishly believed that everything would go their way.
◇◇◇◇
“Oh… that face, without a doubt…”
“Princess Neartha, I’m glad you’re safe…!”
This was a certain fort in the Piata Empire.
Appearing as the person in charge of the fort was Imperial Sister Neartha, the older sister of the Piata Empire’s Emperor.
“Who are you…?”
“Ha! Forgive my rudeness. We are the Luarta Defense Force, belonging to the Second Army. I am ashamed to say that we escaped with the lord’s family when Luarta fell and somehow managed to make it this far. We are now under the care of the Repuytari Kingdom’s support army.”
The group that had come from the front lines was a motley crew.
There were men who looked like soldiers at a glance. It wouldn’t be strange if they were introduced as soldiers dispatched from the Repuytari Kingdom.
But there was another group.
They were clearly different from those soldiers.
Glossy black helmets covered their heads and eyes. The armor covering their bodies was a combination of soft materials and armor, with parts emitting a faint, mysterious light.
Above all, their physique was clearly that of young girls.
Even so, the bizarre helmets and the large firearms they held were very intimidating, and they could not be underestimated just because they were small girls.
“I am Baruda Grandis, the representative of the Third Army of the Repuytari Kingdom’s Piata Empire Support Army, as introduced. I am truly glad to have joined up with the Imperial Family. If you would allow us, we would like to join you here and help reclaim our homeland.”
“Ah, ah… Really… However, I am very sorry, but this fort may not even be able to provide the bare minimum of hospitality. We lack buildings, manpower, food, everything.”
The Imperial Sister’s face paled as she stated that clearly.
She had a firm grasp of the current situation and could anticipate what problems an increase in soldiers would bring.
She seemed to be a very capable woman.
“Rest assured.”
And responding to those words was the girl soldier standing beside her.
“We provide our own food, cooking, and lodging. We only need a plaza. Is that acceptable?”
The interlude has increased, but please forgive me as it is a “turning point” scene.
Paraiso is subtly extending its demonic reach even to inland countries.
Will there be a way to counter them—(no).