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Vol 02 Chapter 53: Border Conflict V

「What have you done now…」

I listened to Ron’s report, holding my head in my hands.

Why did it come to this…

「I’m sorry…」

「It’s fine. Helping refugees is… well, problematic, but you did a good thing as a human being. Yeah, that part is okay. But why did you have to counterattack?!」

If we had just apologized there, maybe we could have still fixed things… Now we’re completely at odds with them!!

It hasn’t even been a week since the last refugee incident!!

「Well, well, Almus. Calm down. The enemy’s objective was clearly the salt mines. For now, we’ve managed to defend them… so it’s not a complete disaster. The fact that we won despite the huge difference in military strength is significant.」

Tetra said this to defend Ron.

Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it. However, in the end, we will have to give up part of the salt mines as compensation.

「By the way, what did you do with Gilbert-dono, Rigal-dono’s cousin whom we captured?」

「At first, he complained, but after we offered him some distilled spirits, he drank, got drunk, and fell asleep.」

How can he drink so much and sleep soundly after being given alcohol by the enemy? Is he actually a big shot?

Either way, Roswald made a nice play. If he had killed him, we would undoubtedly have had to answer with the lives of Ron, Roswald, and Soyon, and refusing that would have been incredibly difficult. Having the commander of his army captured is definitely a scandal. The Dibel Family would want to hush it up.

It looks like a good card to play.

「No choice… We’ll be more careful from now on. But… how about the casualties on our side?」

I felt a bit tense.

It’s normal for there to be deaths in a battle. But… I’d rather not have any kids from the village die.

All of them are people whose faces, names, and details I know very well.

「…There were ten casualties. All were recruited soldiers.」

I see… I felt the palpitations in my chest subside.

It might not be the best attitude for a leader… but I’m only human.

「But…」

Ron looked a bit hesitant to continue.

Soyon stepped forward in Ron’s place.

「Three people were injured: one lost a right hand, another a left leg, and the last a left hand. The wounds had started to fester and rot, so I decided to amputate.」

I see… Well, maybe it’s better than dying.

「Let’s go visit them right away.」

I stood up.

◇

The three were already awake. Due to my blessing, the amputation wounds healed quickly.

However, the missing limbs won’t grow back…

Seeing my face, the three looked downcast.

「I’m sorry…」

「We messed up…」

「To think that we can’t fight for Almus-san anymore…」

These guys… They’ve suffered serious injuries, yet why are they worried about such things?

While I felt touched, I also felt a slight sense of fear as I patted the heads of the three.

「Idiots! We’re short on manpower, you know? Just because you’ve lost a limb or two doesn’t mean you can rest. I’ll have you do paperwork. It’s even harder than the battlefield. Be prepared.」

When I said this, the three of them lit up with joy.

It seems my response wasn’t wrong after all. But still… It weighs heavy on me…

◇

「Damn it! You brat!」

Rigal had been taking his anger out on objects around him for some time now. Over ten pieces of furniture and decorations had met their demise.

Watching this, Belmet sighed deeply in his heart. Rigal appeared to be angry with Almus… but Belmet was angry with Gilbert.

He had prepared everything, even bracing for scandal, yet how could he lose? He wanted to grill him for at least an hour. And to top it off, Gilbert had been captured.

If he had died, it would have cleaned up the power dynamics on their side, and they could demand a huge sum for compensation…

But now, the scandal of the Dibel army being weaklings was unavoidable. After all, they were thoroughly defeated despite having twice the number of troops.

It was undeniable that in every aspect other than numbers—quality of weapons, training, and quality of their commanders—they were outmatched by Aris army.

The Dibel Family’s influence would undoubtedly wane. It would be wise to expect that some patricians might switch allegiance to the Aris family. However…

「The salt mines can still be secured.」

Whether they lost or won, securing the salt mine was always possible. Winning would have gotten them direct control over them without issue, but losing would left them with the option of taking them as compensation for the attack.

This time they would need to use the card of compensation. They are the victims, after all. Well, the capture of Gilbert was problematic…

Due to that, taking all the mines might be challenging. In that case…

Belmet pondered his options, devising the best strategy for the situation.

Settling out of court would be preferable to a trial. They’d rather not spread the scandal further. Since a trial might actually be more advantageous for the opponent, settling would require offering conditions favorable to them, but that’s unavoidable.

「Rigal-sama, I will head to the Aris territory. Please await favorable results.」

Belmet said, leaving Rigal behind as he set off alone for Aris territory.

◇

「We’d prefer not to escalate the dispute. Let’s settle this amicably.」

The elderly man declared in front of me.

This old man is apparently named Belmet. Though his body seems as withered as a dead tree, his eyes reveal deep intelligence.

At least he doesn’t seem senile.

「A settlement, you say? Personally, I’d prefer to resolve this formally through a trial.」

King Rosais favors me. A trial would be more advantageous. If we loudly denounce the opponent’s misdeeds, criticism of the Dibel Family would intensify, and any blame directed at me would be comparatively reduced.

「If it comes to a trial, we will demand the head of those responsible for this incident.」

He’s hit a sore spot… Does he know how much I value Ron and the others?

While a trial might be favorable, it’s uncertain how much the sentences could be reduced. Ron and the others are neither of royal blood nor great patricians. They’re my vasals.

The possibility of some form of punishment being imposed is not nonexistent. Settling amicably indeed seems safer.

Well, I expected as much.

「I see. Our territory is short on manpower. Losing them would be problematic. Very well. Depending on the conditions, I will accept a settlement.」

Upon saying this, Belmet took out parchment and a pen.

So this old man can write…

「First, we want an apology from your side. The incident was caused by your failure to properly discipline your soldiers.」

「I understand. This incident is due to my negligence.」

I apologized and then asked Tetra to bring some paper.

Settlement Conditions:

Almus Aris acknowledges his faults in this incident and apologizes.

That takes care of the first line.

Now onto the main issue, the money.

「Now, as for the settlement conditions… we demand all rights to the salt mines.」

「That’s too much. One-third.」

The conversation hit a deadlock. But this was the moment to hold firm.

「Let’s do this: we will cede two-thirds of the salt mine rights to you. In exchange, we will release all prisoners, including Gilbert-dono, without ransom.」

This should be a reasonable compromise. Demanding a ransom for the captives would be too much…

And one-third wouldn’t be satisfactory for them either.

「The release of prisoners is a given. Additionally, we require compensation for the equipment. We’ve unnecessarily lost men because of your actions.」

「Understood. We will compensate with equipment and also provide wheat as compensation. In exchange, one-third of the salt mine rights will remain ours. Also, any deserters who have fled to us will be dealt with on our terms.」

This arrangement maintains our dignity while providing tangible benefits to the other party.

Fortunately, we have plenty of wheat. The equipment can simply be returned as is.

That should be enough for your side.

「Very well. I agree.」

The settlement conditions now include:

Almus Aris will cede two-thirds of the salt mine rights within his territory.
Almus Aris will release the prisoners of war at no cost.
Almus Aris will compensate with wheat and replenish equipment.

This concludes the matter. Let’s consider it settled.

◇

「Hmm, so you’ve settled. If it had gone to court, I would have made sure you won.」

「If I owe you any more favors, I fear I’ll be forced to become the next king.」

When I responded, King Rosais laughed through his nose.

「What are you saying after starting an armed conflict with him… If that bastard becomes king, your position will be like a flame in the wind. Not just your position. Your family and subordinates too. It’s common for the victors of a war to take the wives of the defeated as concubines.」

What an unpleasant thing to say…

I understand that much. But this isn’t a problem that can be easily resolved. Once the decision is made, there’s no turning back. That’s why I’m struggling.

I’m not really interested in becoming king. But I do want to marry Julia.

Even I’m not sure what I want.

「Well, that’s fine. Take your time to think it over. I wouldn’t want you to have any regrets. Now, on to a different subject… I hear you had a great victory in battle. It’s the talk of the court. The Dibel army of three hundred lost to your Aris army of one hundred and sixty.」

「It wasn’t me who won, though. It was my subordinates… Ron and the others’ victory.」

「The achievements of subordinates are the lord’s achievements as well. There are those who have excellent subordinates but fail to utilize them properly, and there are those who may not have the best subordinates but can create situations where their abilities are maximized to the fullest. I’m assessing you and your subordinates as a whole.」

King Rosais said this and then coughed.

It seems his illness is progressing seriously. Raymond-san mentioned he might not last another year…

「So, how did you win? Tell me.」

「Sure, based on what I’ve heard…」

I explained the tactics used by Ron and the others—how they skillfully utilized cavalry and terrain.

Honestly, I’m amazed. When did they learn these tactics? Now that I think about it, they often talked with Bartolo… maybe they learned from him.

Well, all soldiers, not just heavy infantry, are weak to attacks from behind, and it’s not so difficult to think that changing direction suddenly in the middle of a river would disrupt formation.

It probably helped that the enemy forces were in the hundreds. If it were in the thousands, it would take much longer for the cavalry to circle around.

The tactics worked because it was a battle of small forces against small forces.

「Hmm, it’s quite simple. I thought you used some clever strategy since I heard you defeated an enemy twice your size…」

「Clever strategies don’t often succeed. I think simple plans are less likely to fail and more reliable.」

I’ve heard that a true general is one who prepares a large army to defeat the enemy from the start, rather than overcoming them with a smaller force. Although we were outnumbered this time, we were superior in all other aspects.

It’s my job to ensure we don’t end up in desperate situations that require the use of clever strategies.

「By the way, there is something important that I need to tell you.」

「 What is it?」

「King Domorgal’s Country and King Gilbed’s Country have signed a cease-fire agreement. It seems to be in preparation to counter the Rozel Kingdom and to advance their southern expansion policy. A conflict is likely to arise soon.」

King Domorgal’s Country… I’ve heard their total military strength is around ten thousand. If pushed to their limit, they could even mobilize up to thirty thousand.

「Will they send ten thousand?」

「Likely. That country can mobilize up to thirty thousand. They’ll probably bring at least fifteen thousand. But the more troops they gather, the more time it will take to mobilize. That country has the same problem as ours, the patrician Families have a lot of influence in the government. A large-scale invasion would require coordination. We probably have a grace period of half a year. By then, we should be able to prepare our countermeasures. That brat Ferme took us by surprise, but this time we know in advance that war is coming. We can mobilize up to seven thousand.」

Well, excluding the patricians, the Rosais Family can directly mobilize about four thousand.

Considering the need to fortify other national borders, we might be able to prepare around six thousand to fight against King Domorgal. But that depends on diplomacy. It seems tough.

「Accelerate the construction of the fortress. We must stop them there at all costs.」

「I understand. Ismene is currently working hard on the renovations.」

We also need to increase the production of black powder. It looks like we’ll need it in large quantities.

AN: I will discuss a little the advantages and disadvantages of hawk messengers and courier horses.

The speed of message delivery over flat terrain is almost the same for both hawk messengers and courier horses. However, hawk messengers can move in a straight line, ignoring rivers, forests, and mountains, making them faster. But hawk messengers can’t travel long distances, so over certain distances, courier horses using a relay system have the advantage. Inside the territory of King Rosais’s Country, hawk messengers are more convenient.

Courier horses can’t move through enemy territory, but hawk messengers can. There’s a chance of being spotted by enemy magicians, but it’s harder to detect than moving through enemy territory on horseback. Magicians aren’t always on alert, so they don’t constantly watch the skies.

Hawk messengers are particularly suited to secretive actions or recruiting enemy generals. Additionally, there’s also the option of using owl messengers for transmitting information at night.

Currently, most magicians utilize wild hawks, but with ongoing selective breeding, the speed of the hawks could potentially increase, making bird-based communication methods more advantageous in the future. For instance, homing pigeons can cover distances exceeding one hundred kilometers.

In terms of the comparison between homing pigeons and hawk messengers, while homing pigeons can only travel from point A to B, hawk messengers can go from A to B and then B to C, making them superior in delivering information to moving allied troops. Additionally, since they’re operated by humans, they’re more reliable than pigeons. However, if a hawk messenger is attacked, the loss can be significant since the magician controlling it might die, making homing pigeons a cheaper option.

This explanation might not make it into the narrative directly, so I thought it best to clarify here.