Chapter 103: Your Belief (6) The siege of the Zerpa Kingdom was partially lifted following this victory.
The Royalists had found some breathing room, but the nation was already split between East and West. The civil war was destined to drag on for a long time.
I spent the remaining time at the royal palace, sharing the rhythms of daily life with Crown Prince Alonso.
Meals, horseback riding, reading, golf—we did it all. Throughout every activity, I communicated in the Zerpa language. It was my own way of putting in the effort to get close to him.
"...It went exactly as expected."
We were in the palace gardens—an open, exposed space where eavesdropping was impossible.
I had been summoned there by the Crown Prince. Perhaps because I had become much more approachable lately, he seemed to have a great deal on his mind.
"As expected, the generals' demands have grown. Now that the siege is lifted, they are demanding priority rights over supplies and food."
The Crown Prince let out a heavy sigh.
"I wonder if I... if I ascended to this position too early."
The King of Zerpa, suffering from a terminal illness, was already beyond hope. That was precisely why the civil war had erupted.
"Sigh..."
I placed a hand on his slumped shoulder.
"...Your Highness Alonso. Do not trouble yourself with excessive worries."
However, even I couldn't move the Empire any further than this. It was a matter of justification.
The eyes of numerous Western kingdoms were already fixed on Zerpa. The moment the Empire showed blatant ambition, they would immediately form a coalition.
"You are the sole successor to the King of Zerpa. While everyone else seeks to exploit your power, only the Empire worries for the loneliness of the man who will sit upon that throne alone."
Instead, I went to work on the Crown Prince.
As I had done until now, I did not treat him like a puppet. I treated him with the utmost respect, both in public and in private.
"The Empire—the Empire alone—regards you as precious."
The Crown Prince's eyes met mine.
They were eyes weary of the world, bruised by betrayal. He was a man raised like a hothouse flower, ill-equipped to handle these turbulent times.
"Whenever things become difficult..."
I held something out to him. The Crown Prince reflexively tried to grab my hand.
"No. Don't grab my hand."
"Ah."
I brushed his hand away and pressed an object into it instead. It was a leather notebook about the size of a palm.
"This is...?"
"It is crafted by shaving high-purity mana stones as thin as paper. They are called 'Twin Notebooks.'"
It was an artifact created by cutting a single, massive raw mana stone into two pieces. Though it looked like a notebook, it was essentially a mana stone.
Since the mana synchronization rate between the two was 100%, writing or leaving a mark on one notebook would cause the exact same thing to appear on the other.
In other words, it allowed for perfectly secure communication without the risk of mana waves being intercepted.
"If you write here, I can see it immediately from the Empire."
It had a vast range that reached from the heart of the Empire to the Zerpa palace. Of course, a single one of these was astronomically expensive, but well.
"I shall try writing something."
I wrote a sentence in the notebook.
[You are the true root of Zerpa and a friend of the Empire.]
The message was delivered to Crown Prince Alonso's notebook as well.
"...Sir Maximilian."
The Crown Prince's eyes grew moist. I looked him straight in the eye and nodded.
"Do not worry about supplies. Even if I have to empty my own coffers, I will ensure the people of Zerpa do not starve. You only need to trust me and wait, Your Highness."
At the mention of emptying my private coffers, the Crown Prince finally burst into tears. He clutched the notebook to his chest like a treasure.
"Always remember. This Empire is by your side."
"...Thank you."
Alonso, the Crown Prince of Zerpa, looked ready to wail.
As expected, he was too powerless, too fragile, and too faint-hearted to control the greed of the military.
"Why are you crying? There is no reason for a Crown Prince to weep."
"No... it's not that... in a way... it feels as if my father, who can no longer even open his eyes, sent a knight like you to me..."
To put it simply, he was a man who would willingly sell out his country.
*
After parting with the Crown Prince, I ran into Leon in the palace corridor. Leon was wearing his combat uniform, covered in dust as if he had just finished training.
"Max. How did it go?"
"Who knows."
I shrugged.
The greatest turning point of the front had occurred. The siege was broken, and the future had changed.
However, a knight is not a soldier. From here on, it was the soldiers' job.
"What about us then?"
"We leave tomorrow. I'm going to write my report."
"A report?"
"Yeah. I'm the one in charge."
I had participated in the mission as a knight. Furthermore, since I was the one responsible for this expedition, I had to draft a report to submit to headquarters.
"Hmm... but wait, will Major General Schweitzer be okay? He looked like he was in a terrible mood. He was muttering all sorts of curses to himself."
I chuckled and nodded at Leon's words.
"It's fine. You go rest."
"Okay~"
I returned to my room and sat at the table. I stared at the blank sheet of paper, lost in thought for a moment.
From now on, Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han and Major General Schweitzer would be the main pillars in Zerpa.
Kai Han was my man, but I couldn't predict what Major General Schweitzer might do. He was a man who hated staying still.
Therefore—I planned to give him a carrot.
I quietly closed my eyes and recalled memories from before my regression. The numerous books I had read as a fugitive after the fall of the Empire. I tapped into the Virus's memory to recall a specific passage.
[ Schweitzer was not a strong man. Rather, he was an incredibly dependent person. A monster who craved the recognition of others for everything he did, a creature that grew by feeding on praise... ]
—Excerpt from Faces of the Imperial Era.
Schweitzer was, for all intents and purposes, the father of Blitzkrieg.
However, the only things he was recognized for, both inside and outside the Empire, were civilian massacres and cruelty. That was why he emphasized the 'battlefield' in his final words before his execution.
Of course, his brilliant military intuition was only re-evaluated after his death, but I needed that talent right now.
I picked up my pen.
I would fill this report with the words he wanted to hear most—the recognition and praise for 'combat' that he craved so deeply.
*
[Report on the Results of the Zerpa Siege Strike Operation]
Author: Sentinel Knight Maximilian
1. Operation Overview and Achievements
(Omitted)
...The success of this operation is, above all else, attributed to the swift and bold maneuvers of the Durkon Legion. Major General Schweitzer broke through the front lines at a speed that exceeded the enemy's expectations, serving as a model for high-speed warfare that should remain a case study in Imperial Army doctrine.
I would like to describe this as 'Blitzkrieg' (Lightning War), due to its lightning-fast mobility...
Furthermore, Major General Schweitzer demonstrated an outstanding eye for reading the flow of the battlefield and great decisiveness. In particular, his tactical judgment in accurately capturing the moment when the enemy's siege was at its thinnest to concentrate firepower was nothing short of admirable...
4. Recommendations
This knight highly evaluates Major General Schweitzer's military aptitude and suggests actively utilizing his experience and knowledge in establishing the Imperial Army's future mobile tactical systems.
*
The next morning.
We finished our preparations to leave Zerpa. The siege of the Alcantara region had been lifted, securing safe airspace, and a Kanilan-made transport plane was scheduled to pick us up soon.
Knock, knock—
While I was packing, there was a knock at the door.
When I opened it, the 0-year-olds were standing hesitantly in front of the door.
"Ah, Sir Knight."
Lois, Dare Tan, and Hannah each held out a large duffel bag.
"?"
I looked at them with a puzzled expression. Lois nudged Hannah's shoulder.
Hannah unzipped a bag.
"Ah, well..."
Inside the bag, the equipment issued for this operation was neatly organized.
"This is the expansion backpack, this is the micro-communicator, and this is the lightweight leather armor. Along with other miscellaneous items. We've washed and maintained everything thoroughly."
Hannah reported in a clear voice.
"...?"
I still didn't understand, so I tilted my head.
Seeing that, Lois hurriedly added.
"No matter how poor this girl used to be, she wouldn't do something like swapping the gear for fakes."
"Wh-what? Who's poor?"
Hannah snapped at the mention of being poor.
"Ah."
Only then did I understand. It seemed they had mistaken this equipment for items on loan for the operation.
Then again, each item cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Combined, they were worth nearly two million. That was equivalent to three or four years of an average knight's after-tax salary.
I gave a short reply.
"There's no need to return them."
"...Pardon?"
"Keep them. They're your equipment now."
I zipped the duffel bag shut and pushed it into Hannah's arms. Hannah clutched it awkwardly.
"I am bestowing them upon you as your superior. You fulfilled your roles in this operation, so you are more than entitled to this much."
These were kids who would have to navigate even harsher battlefields in the future, and to me, this was pocket change.
"...R-really?"
The 0-year-olds' eyes went wide. Hannah's face, in particular, was a sight to behold. She looked as if she had gained the whole world, her arms trembling.
The tip of her nose and the corners of her mouth wouldn't stay still, twitching and quivering as if she were having a seizure.
"Finish the rest of your preparations until the transport arrives."
I turned my back. From behind me, I heard a shout of "Thank you!" followed by the sound of them bickering.
What do you mean poor—you are poor, aren't you? Then are you rich? It was that kind of argument, but it was laced with laughter and joy.
*
Meanwhile, in the field tent of the Durkon Legion.
"Wow..."
Major General Schweitzer looked out from inside the tent.
His environment had changed 180 degrees. From a comfortable and luxurious penthouse to a rugged battlefield reeking of earth and gunpowder.
"...This is boring."
He muttered blankly.
The battle was over. The enemies had retreated, and the Durkon Legion had been assigned the pathetic task of guarding the 'Alcantara Road' throughout the civil war.
"No matter how fucking hard I run, I can't beat the son of the Commander-in-Chief."
Just as he was letting out a self-deprecating chuckle while recalling his conversation with Maximilian...
His adjutant entered.
"Major General. This is the report on the operation that arrived from the capital."
"Report? What report?"
The adjutant held out a thick file.
"Well, it's—"
"Forget it."
Schweitzer was about to wave his hand dismissively when he saw the author's name written on the cover.
[Author: Sentinel Knight, Maximilian von Ebenholtz]
"...A knight's report?"
"Yes, sir."
A knight's report went up to the Sentinels first, and from the Sentinels, it went straight to headquarters.
It was a real pain in the ass. Since knights were the 'Sword of the Empire,' the concept of overstepping their authority didn't exist for them.
"Give it here."
He let out a sigh and took the report.
An Ebenholtz knight. No matter how much of a hero he was for suppressing Genen, his method of suppression had been extremely authoritarian. It was proof that Maximilian himself was that kind of person. A high-ranking noble who lived for his own vanity.
So, he probably filled this one with his own achievements too.
With that thought, Schweitzer flipped open the report.
\---
1. Operation Overview and Achievements
Following the outbreak of the Zerpa Civil War and the Crown Prince's request for support...
\---
At first, he intended to read just a few pages and toss it aside.
[ ...The success of this operation is, above all else, attributed to the swift and bold maneuvers of the Durkon Legion. ]
"Hmm?"
But suddenly, certain sentences caught his eye.
[ Major General Schweitzer broke through the front lines at a speed that exceeded the enemy's expectations, serving as a model for high-speed warfare that should remain a case study in Imperial Army doctrine. ]
"What's this?"
Schweitzer furrowed his brows. He leaned his head in a bit closer.
The report described his merits in detail.
The guerrilla warfare of the knights that Maximilian had participated in was reduced to a supporting role, while the offensives of the Durkon Legion and the Bertun Battalion were described as massive contributions.
[ I would like to describe this as 'Blitzkrieg' (Lightning War), due to its lightning-fast mobility... ]
Blitzkrieg. A single term that perfectly captured the way Schweitzer handled his legion.
"Blitzkrieg?"
Schweitzer rolled the word around in his mouth, tilting his head. As he continued reading, he checked the knight's name at the top of the paragraph again.
[Author: Sentinel Knight, Maximilian von Ebenholtz]
It was definitely the report written by Maximilian.
"But..."
Schweitzer kept the report open.
He began to read down, line by line, a little more carefully.
Before he knew it, he was holding a pen.
[ In particular, his tactical judgment in accurately capturing the moment when the enemy's siege was at its thinnest to concentrate firepower was nothing short of admirable... ]
He underlined such paragraphs.
"He certainly knows how to separate business from personal feelings."
Maximilian had accurately identified the reasons for the victory and hadn't diminished or exaggerated anyone's achievements just because he liked or disliked them.
He continued reading, nodding repeatedly, when suddenly:
[ ...This knight highly evaluates Major General Schweitzer's military aptitude and suggests actively utilizing his experience and knowledge in establishing the Imperial Army's future mobile tactical systems. ]
"..."
Schweitzer's nostrils flared silently. He read until the last page, but naturally flipped back to the first.
As he read through it thoroughly from the beginning, a particularly pleasing word sparkled like gold dust.
"'Blitzkrieg,' huh..."
Advancing as fast as a bolt of lightning. Blitz.
This was the first time someone had so accurately seen through and praised his way of fighting.
Some bastards just said he went fast and called him a 'speed specialist' or some such bullshit.
Scratch, scratch.
The ink in his pen ran out as he underlined. Schweitzer ordered his adjutant to bring more ink.
"Here it is!"
"Yeah. By the way, did this report go up to headquarters exactly like this?"
"Yes. It should have. Is there a problem with the content...?"
"No. It's not that. Get out."
"Loyalty!"
He refilled the ink and continued underlining.
No, he even took out a notebook and willingly transcribed the sentences worth keeping.
Perhaps because he was the son of a high noble, his prose was quite elegant.
"...Hmm."
After his third reading, Schweitzer closed the report, a smirk playing on his lips.
He caught the scent of the earth wafting in from outside the tent—which felt unusually fragrant for some reason—and as if enjoying a novel, he repeatedly savored and chewed over Maximilian's report.
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