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Chapter 92: Unofficial Meeting ①

 

～Aun’s point of view～

A week has passed since the clash with the Ibrudia Empire’s Army.

Imperial Army General Knut Beck died in a mutiny by his allies, and the war came to an end with the complete surrender of Knut’s son, Colonel Jeff Beck, who took over as commander.

Over the past week, we’ve been staying at the Clan House in Alraine, analyzing the damage, questioning prisoners of war, and helping out with the reconstruction work. Gradually, the obscure part of this war became clear.

The damage caused by the invasion of the Ibrudia Empire’s Army was by no means small when considering the Arto Kingdom as a whole. The city of Alraine, the royal capital, was greatly destroyed, and many residents had nowhere to live.

Although the damage to civilians was confirmed to be very minor, it seems that at least 500 soldiers died in the battle.

In regards to the incident where Shinku and I went on a rampage, although it felt like we overdid it, Kinu and the others stopped us mid-way, and Ruzark skillfully guided the soldiers’ sentiments. No particular negative sentiment was directed at us by the soldiers or the populace.

Not only that, but Drake’s success seems to have further increased the name and prestige of Star Supremacy.

For now, it can be said that this war has come to an end, but considering that the Emperor is still being manipulated by the demons, we do not know what they will do in the future.

And according to Colonel Jeff Beck, who surrendered, his father, General Knut Beck, who was in command of the army, had a sudden personality change just before the war.

In the past, he wasn’t a commander who tried to annihilate his enemies, but was a kind and reasonable man. Although I was doubtful of that, it is still entirely possible that the commanders in the war were brainwashed by the demons before the war. Therefore, it seems better to keep in mind that more people from the Empire might be brainwashed.

However, the Imperial Army has suffered a considerable number of casualties, and since 8 of its 10 magic airships have been sunk, it seems unlikely that they will do anything right away.

A few days ago, Ruzark told me, “I would like to organize information and discuss the future plan and handling of the prisoners of war”, and today was the day for that discussion.

And now, in addition to myself, Ruzark, Legenda, and Princess Luna, for some reason Zen was also participating in the discussion in “Room 206 of the Golden Grape Arbor”.

「Thank you for coming early in the morning. To start with, in addition to the members of the pre-war meeting, I had Zen-kun participate in this meeting. Zen-kun was working behind the scenes in order to quickly detect the launch of the Imperial Army’s magic airships. I think this is the first time Aun and Zen-kun are meeting each other?」

「Yes. I only saw you fighting Kinu in the semi-finals, but you seem to be quite the swordsman. You can call me Aun.」

「You can call me Zen. By the way, I have a lot to talk about privately with you, Aun. If you don’t mind, can we talk after this meeting?」

「Yeah. I also have something I want to ask, so let’s talk later. Ruzark, for the time being, shall we talk about the post-war process?」

As I brought that up, Princess Luna Ibrudia stood up and bowed her head deeply.

「Um, let me first start with a thank you, and offer an apology! I am truly sorry for all the damages and casualties due to the war waged by our Ibrudia Empire… I would also like to thank everyone who put their lives on the line to keep the damage to a minimum.」

Princess Luna’s face, as she raised her head, was filled with sorrow, relief, and anxiety. Her beautiful face was distorted.

However, thanks to the advance information from Princess Luna, there is no doubt that the damage was reduced significantly.

「Personally, I think that it was thanks to Princess Luna that we were able to end the war with only this much damage, and also I do not harbor any negative feelings towards Princess Luna. However, I will accept your gratitude and apology.」

「That’s right. I think Princess Luna might have mixed feelings, but… the four of us here are very grateful to you. We have the hereafter to consider as well, so I consider you as a collaborator.」Ruzark.

「Indeed. Shall we start by sorting out the information?」

With tears in her eyes, Princess Luna nodded firmly.

Ruzark then talked about the major problems at present.

「Let’s first sort out the current problems. First, the biggest problem is the demons. Considering that the Emperor has not moved from the capital, there is a high possibility that the demons are also lurking in the capital. And it’s hard to imagine what actions they will take from now on.

The next problem is the handling of prisoners of war. There are 2,865 prisoners of war in total, but there is no place in this country to hold such a number, and there are also problems such as food. However, even if we send them back to the Empire, it would be a problem if they start another war.

The third is the issue of reconstruction. Considering that roughly 40% of the city was destroyed, it will take a long time to rebuild. We have asked the surrounding villages and towns to accept the victims who lost their homes, but they are not prepared to accept them immediately.」

「For the time being, shall we start talking about the relocation of the victims? Or rather, isn’t this your job, Ruzark? Do you not have a general outline in place already?」

「About that… There are only a limited number of choices available. I’m thinking of emigrating the victims to Miralda, Recuria, and Plainenvelt. However, there will certainly be people who don’t want to migrate. Those people will stay in the arena as a refuge center and gradually carry out the reconstruction work until the reconstruction is completed.」

「Well, there’s nothing else we can do. So, why did you bring up that topic in this meeting?」

「Haha… You guessed it, huh? Well, the truth is, it seems that there are quite a lot of people who want to emigrate to Plainevelt… In terms of the ratio, Miralda 3: Recuria 2: Plainevelt 5.」

「Barbaru is gonna die from overworking, you know? Plainevelt doesn’t have enough housing even for the current immigrants…」

「Yeah, I know that, but… right now, all the people in construction-related work in this country are in Plainevelt, right? Expanding other towns requires more work, such as tearing down the outer walls and sending people from the Construction Guild to other towns.

So, why don’t we expand the size of Plainevelt to about three times its current size? That’s what I want to discuss. Of course, we will also increase the budget and personnel even more…」

「I mean, this is not something I can decide on my own. It’s necessary to consult with Barbaru and Earl Stedrius first.」

「You don’t have to worry about that. Earl Stedrius agreed, and Barbaru-kun said he would do it if you gave the OK.」

「You sure work quickly… I mean, I have no choice but to give the OK, right?」

「Haha, something like that, I guess…」

It’s true that in terms of dungeon points, it would be a big advantage for us as well. It’s almost like a wish come true, but I’m quite worried about the burden on Barbaru due to the rapid expansion of the city…

「In that case, I will accept it with one condition. First, I would like you to assign an excellent and easy-to-manage civil official as Barbaru’s assistant. Also, please make sure that Barbaru will be the lord of the city, and considering the long-term future, make him a viscount instead of a baron. That should provide flexibility financial-wise as well.」

「I think that the court rank will be raised step by step, but I will advise His Majesty regarding that. As for civil officials, I will select several excellent personnel who have graduated from a civil official training school and also make sure they are not heirs to any nobles.」

「In that case… it should be fine.」

「Alright, then let’s move on to the next topic!」

We decided the outline of the response to the victims who lost their homes in the war, and the actual work will be carried out by nobles and soldiers belonging to the royal army under Ruzark’s instructions.

In which case, it looks like the next topic will be about the prisoners of war.