◇ ◇ ◇
Even so, Halbert raised his voice, as if trying to shake off his doubts. "Duke
Carmine's forces are well-organized! They would never do something so indecent!"
"I don't know what the situation is within the army, but Duke Carmine has more
than just the regular forces in his duchy," I said. "There are also those I stripped of
their rights or investigated for corruption. Those nobles who've raised the flag of
rebellion against me. They have nothing to lose. If they lose, death for both them and
their family line awaits. So they'll throw away their personal assets, hiring a large
number of Zemish mercenaries."
The mercenary state, Zem.
West of Amidonia and north of Turgis, it was a medium-sized country, founded
by the mercenary commander Zem, who had used his wits to destroy the country
which had hired him and then build his own nation of mercenaries in its place. They
had declared themselves to be "eternally neutral," but their primary industry was
dispatching mercenaries to other countries, so what that really meant was, "If
requested, we will dispatch mercenaries to any country." Their mercenaries were
ridiculously strong, so most countries recognized that it was better to have them as
an ally than an enemy, and so they had formed mercenary contracts with them.
"That's absurd! There are Zemish mercenaries under contract with the
Forbidden Army, too! If they send mercenaries to the Three Dukedoms, as well,
they'll be fighting against their own!"
"Oh, that won't happen," I assured him. "I terminated their employment contract
with the Forbidden Army a while ago."
Now seems like a good time, so let me talk about the military system of this
country.
This kingdom had a total manpower of around 100,000 troops. They were
divided like so:
40,000 in the army, led by Duke Georg Carmine.
10,000 in the navy, led by Duchess Excel Walter.
1,000 in the air force, led by Duke Castor Vargas.
(However, one wyvern knight was said to be equivalent to 100 soldiers from the
army.)
Of these, only the air force had a knightly title bestowed on every one of its
members (it was composed entirely of units of wyvern knights, i.e. "1 wyvern + 1 or
2 knights," so that was obvious), but more than half of the army and navy were made
up of career soldiers. They trained day and night in the three duchies, and they
received a salary from the three duchies.
You could say that the right to self-rule and the tax exemption on the profits from
their lands, along with the many other special rights given to the three duchies, were
there to support these troops.
Now, the remaining troops, numbering a little over 40,000, belonged to the
Forbidden Army, but they were further divided beyond that.
There were the Royal Guard, who reported directly to the king, and the career
soldiers who were attached to the Forbidden Army. Then there were the noble
estates (which had less rights than the three duchies) and their personal forces on
top of that. Also, due to our contract with the mercenary state, Zem, there had been a
unit of mercenaries under the command of the Forbidden Army, as well, but I had
already terminated their employment.
The reason that the Forbidden Army was smaller than the forces of the three
duchies had to do with the concept behind this country.
This country had originally been born through many races working together. As a
result, a member of the race with the largest population, a human, became the king,
but in order to protect the rights of the other races, the commanders of the army,
navy, and air forces would be chosen from the other races.
So, if a tyrant took the throne and began oppressing the other races, the system
had been set up so that the armies of the Three Dukedoms, being larger than the
Forbidden Army, could remove him. Turning that around, if one of the Three
Dukedoms was plotting to usurp the throne, the system was set up in a way that if
even one of the armies were to side with the king, the rebellion could be put down.
In a peaceful era, this might have been a good setup. However, now the Demon
Lord's Domain had appeared, and these were troubled times with every country
looking for openings to take advantage of. With this sort of divided command
structure, it was possible that we might not be able to respond quickly enough to a
sudden crisis. As a matter of fact, I was trying to move forward with reforms, but the
Three Dukedoms were giving me the silent treatment.
Now, let's get back to how I released the mercenaries from their employment
contracts.
"Hold on, what do you mean you released the Zemish mercenaries from their
contracts?!" Liscia shouted.
"Oh, yeah, I hadn't told you about that yet, had I?" I smiled wryly at the fact that,
rather than Halbert, it was Liscia who voiced her surprise this time. "It means
exactly what it sounds like. Mercenaries are useless and just eat up money, you
know."
Machiavelli had said, "Mercenaries and mixed armies are not to be trusted."
According to him, "Mercenaries are tied to you only by their own profit; if presented
with greater profit, they will easily betray you. Yet even when they fight, they
protect their employer only for their own benefit, and so their loyalty is not to be
expected. There is no reason to hire incapable mercenaries, and yet capable ones
will always use their wits to seize their employer's position."
In fantasy novels and RPGs, protagonists with the mercenary job often appear,
but the way the mercenary business actually worked was wildly different from the
image you'll have seen there.
Basically, they were people who made their money on the battlefield. They held
no loyalty to country or prince, quickly changing sides when the balance of benefits
shifted.
In a losing battle, they fled immediately. Even when victorious, they would run
wild. Compared to standing armies of the same size, their upkeep might cost less,
but they were a negative in the long term.
"We don't have the money to pay useless people like that," I explained.
"Even so, the mercenary contract was also proof of our friendly relations with
Zem, you realize?!" Liscia shouted.
"True, things have become tense with them since then, but you yourself said,
'Spend always on defense, never on tribute,' didn't you, Liscia? Unlike the empire,
they can't afford to invade us themselves. Paying them tribute to bide our time is
pointless with them."
The country was getting back at me by dispatching mercenaries to the Three
Dukedoms, though.
I looked straight at Halbert. "Those blood-thirsty mercenaries are on the side of
the Three Dukedoms. Do you think they'll leave a girl in the defeated army like
Kaede alone? While Kaede is being tormented by the mercenaries, and they're about
to kill her because they're done with her, where will you be, and what will you be
doing?"
"That's..." Halbert hesitated.
That indecisive attitude of his got me steaming mad. "Will you be lifting my head
aloft in joy?! Singing songs to celebrate your victory?! Meanwhile, your childhood
friend may have been made their plaything, then left dead at the side of the road!"
"Urkh..."
When I shouted at him, Halbert's legs seemed to give out and he had to put his
hands on the table for support. He had no comeback to that, and his mouth was
closed tightly. Kaede watched him worriedly.
When I saw them like that... I calmed down a little. "Halbert Magna. The path you
were about to choose is a dead end. If I win, you will be executed. If the Three
Dukedoms win, Kaede will... Well, she may not come out of it all right. If you're going
to make the gamble of a lifetime, at least make sure the future you want is on the
betting table."
He said nothing.
"Before you do anything rash, always think back," I told him. "Think about what is
it that you wanted, what for, and for whom? Look around you, and think about it."
"What for... And for whom..." Halbert looked around.
His eyes met with Kaede's, who was looking at him with concern. There were no
words between them, but Halbert looked like a man released from whatever had
been possessing him.
...What happens from here on is for them to decide, I thought.
"Sorry, Juna. We were getting in the way of your business, weren't we?" I asked.
"We'll be leaving now."
Just before we left, I went to apologize for making a scene, but Juna shook her
head. "No... Sire, your words carved themselves into my heart."
After saying that, Juna seemed to hesitate for a moment. She clearly had
something to say, but was unsure whether it was okay to say it.
I waited a little while, and finally Juna looked up, her face resolute. "Sire... I have
something to talk to you about."
"Hey, Souma, there was something I wanted to ask," Liscia said.
"Hm?"
We were inside the carriage we had called to take us back to the castle when
Liscia, who was sitting beside me, asked a question.
Aisha was acting as the driver, so we were alone together in the carriage.
"About what happened earlier," she said. "You were trying to persuade Halbert,
right? When you said traitors would be judged by the law, you seemed kind of
serious."
"...Because he still hadn't acted against me, yet. If he still does after this, I'm not
going to show any mercy."
"In the end, you're still a nice guy, huh?" she said.
"Be kind to your allies, severe with your enemies," I said. "That's the kind of king
people want to support. It's not like I'm being severe because I enjoy it. The fewer
enemies we have, the better."
"Just like I thought... You're a nice guy." Liscia rested her head on my shoulder.
◇ ◇ ◇
—The next day.
When I was in the governmental affairs office getting some paperwork done,
Hakuya came in. Then, "The head of the House of Magna, Sir Glaive Magna, has
brought his son, Sir Halbert Magna, and Forbidden Army Mage Kaede Foxia, and is
requesting an audience with you," he reported to me.
...Sounds like there's still another dispute to solve, I thought.
When I arrived in the audience chamber accompanied by Liscia and my
bodyguard Aisha, there were already three people there kneeling. In front of the
other two with his head lowered was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair.
In his armor, he truly looked like a warrior who had seen many battles. Behind him
were Kaede Foxia and Halbert Magna, who I had met the day before. That being the
case, I deduced that this man in front of them with his head lowered must be
Halbert's father, Glaive.
"Raise your heads, all three of you," I said.
""Yes, sir.""
When Halbert and Kaede raised their heads, I found myself transfixed by the
sight of Halbert's face. I mean, he had the marks to show he'd been punched several
times. His cheeks were swollen, and he had two black eyes. Those hadn't been there
when I'd seen him yesterday, so it must have happened after we'd parted.
"Halbert... You're looking even more handsome than last time I saw you," I
commented.
"Urgh... Yes, sir!" A look of frustration crossed his face for a moment, but he didn't
fight back the way he had yesterday.
I wonder what happened to him after we parted yesterday.
I spoke to Glaive, whose head was still bowed. "Glaive Magna, raise your head."
"I humbly, humbly, beg you, show mercy for my son's recent misconduct!" That
was the lamentful response that came back. He was pressing his forehead against
the floor. It was hard to tell since he had one knee up, but he was doing what we'd
probably call a dogeza in Japan.
"By misconduct, do you mean what happened yesterday?" I asked.
"Yes, sir! I heard the details from Madam Kaede. While he may have been offduty, he insulted you, sire, and what's more, boasted that he would join the
rebellious Three Dukedoms, which is utterly outrageous! ...However, my son is yet
immature. He said those things because of his underdeveloped brain. Your anger is
entirely justified, sire, but, please, let the blame fall on me for failing to educate him
properly!"
Um... That was a little long winded, but what he's saying is "I'll take the punishment,
so please spare my son's life," I guess? I'm not even angry, though.
"Yesterday's events happened when I was there in secret," I said. "I don't intend
to make a big deal out of it. From what I see here, he's already been punished
appropriately."
"Sire, you are too kind." Glaive apologized profusely, prostrating himself before
me.
Halbert and Kaede hurriedly bowed their heads once more.
Finally, Glaive lifted his face. "Now then, sire. I realize this is incredibly rude, but I
have come to tell you something."
"What?"
"Well... It is something best not heard by many people..."
A secret, huh? I had Liscia, Aisha, Hakuya, Glaive, Halbert, and Kaede remain, then
dismissed everyone else, including the guards. Aisha seemed out of place, but so
long as she was here, if it turned out he was using the promise of secret information
as a guise to assassinate me, I had someone to deal with that.
"I've cleared the room," I said. "So, what is it you needed to tell me?"
"Yes, about that..." Glaive began to talk at a relaxed pace.
When we heard what it was he had to say, Halbert's eyes went wide, Kaede
looked down, gripping her fists tightly, Hakuya closed his eyes in silence, while Aisha
looked around bewildered by everyone else's reactions...
Liscia, meanwhile, had gone stiff and expressionless, not saying a word. There
were tears streaming down her face.
As for me, it was a complicated feeling. Anger, exasperation, resignation,
sadness... All those feelings got jumbled together in my chest, and I worked my
hardest to keep them there.
I spoke in as calm and even a voice as I could manage, so as not to betray my
feelings. "Now that you've told me that... what do you want me to do about it?"
"Nothing. I just wanted you to be aware, sire."
"...It's heavy." I stood up, giving orders to Kaede and Halbert. "Forbidden Army
Mage Kaede Foxia. This insight is too valuable, and dangerous, for me to leave you as
a mere mage. I order you to serve under Ludwin of the Royal Guard as a staff officer.
"Huh? Y-Yes, sir!" she exclaimed.
"Army Officer Halbert Magna. I order you to transfer to the Forbidden Army."
"Huh?! Me, join the Forbidden Army?!"
"That's right. You will be Kaede's second-in-command and report to her. Her rank
effectively makes her Number 2 in the Forbidden Army. Because she is still a young
woman, there is the risk that her subordinates won't take her seriously. In the event
that that happens, you are to make sure they do as she says. Understood?"
"...Yes, sir!"
Thus, a new, young officer joined the Forbidden Army.
However, I wasn't feeling emotionally at ease enough to be happy a new ally had
joined us. As I forced down my violent emotions, my true feeling seep out through
my gritted teeth just once.
"Honestly, these people..."