Chapter 19: Urgent News
Since the war had ended, it was necessary to send the soldiers who were stationed in the fortress back to their original assignments.
First, the new recruits and their guardian, Sentes, left the fortress.
"You! I won't forget that you kicked me in the stomach!"
"You have no excuse, you little brat, for injuring your ally! You're beyond stupid!"
"Hey, you two! What do you think you're saying to Senpai?"
"Whatever. The bad attitude of these two is simply a result of poor education by Sentes, the instructor."
"Oh come on! Are you blaming me for their behavior?"
Amidst the commotion, they returned to the royal castle. By the way, I handed a letter I wrote to Sentes. Due to a favor Sentes owed me, I asked him to deliver it to the superior who granted permission to take the new recruits to the fortress. I'm looking forward to what excuse they will come up with when I return.
After they left, the soldiers were gradually sent back in small groups every few days.
The reason for doing it in small numbers was to be able to respond quickly if Mendashium Kingdom launched a counterattack.
If there were Mendashium Kingdom's spies hiding within Nonette Kingdom, moving a large number of our soldiers at once could potentially alert the enemy that "the fortress is understaffed."
I think I'm being overly concerned, but that's the custom after the war, according to Alektem.
By the way, Alektem and I are the highest-ranking military officers, so excluding the soldiers stationed at the fortress, we are scheduled to be the last to withdraw.
"When we return, we'll have paperwork waiting for us. Maybe we should just live at the fortress during the winter."
"If it snows before we depart, that would be acceptable. However, working at the fortress during winter is tough. The mountain roads get blocked by snow, so there's no fresh food, and there's nothing to do but be bored. There are no advantages to it."
"...If that's the case, let's hurry back to the royal castle. Yeah, it's not good to let paperwork pile up."
As soon as I changed my previous statement, Alektem smiled.
It was a clever way to lead the conversation, but it didn't disadvantage me, so it's fine.
And so, after the battle with the Mendasium Kingdom came to an end, about twenty days passed, and it became the day when I and Alekthem would depart from the fortress.
During this time, I helped with the repair of the outer walls. With the use of sacred magic, I was able to transport large quantities of stones and clay, so I became useful as a laborer.
The outer walls, which were impervious to minor magical attacks, were built to perfection by the soldiers, and their masonry and clay work seemed to reach the level of craftsmanship.
Anyway, it seemed that life in the fortress was coming to an end, and as I was feeling somewhat sentimental, an urgent report arrived.
It was a carrier pigeon sent by a spy living in the Mendasium Kingdom, carrying a message.
I received the letter brought by the messenger and read it, and I was slightly shocked.
"...The capital of the Mendasium Kingdom has been occupied by the Empire. And it seems to have become an official colony."
"The Empire launched an invasion? Are you sure there isn't a mistake?"
I handed the message to the perplexed Alekthem.
No matter how many times Alekthem read it, the content of the letter could only be interpreted as I had told him.
"Hmm... Indeed, it can only be read as the Mendasium Kingdom falling under the occupation of the Empire. If there is no mention of the Holy Knight Kingdom's movement, the Empire must have a justifiable reason to occupy it."
I couldn't see the full picture of the situation, but I had no choice but to do what needed to be done.
"In order to verify the truth of this information, you and I must remain in the fortress, right?"
"That's right. When there is any movement, the first information will come to this fortress. Milimos-sama is a Marshal and a member of the royal family. It would be desirable for you to stay in the fortress to quickly assess the situation."
For the time being, the extension of our life in the fortress was decided.
Now, what will become of the occupied Mendasium Kingdom? We'll have to wait for more information.
I had been living in the fortress with a waiting posture, but the successive carrier pigeons brought news that the situation was rapidly changing.
Immediately after the occupation, the Empire stripped the royal and noble status from the Mendasium Kingdom's royal family and nobility, relegating all citizens to the status of second-class citizens with limited rights. The right to accumulate wealth for second-class citizens was restricted, and as a result, much of their excessive wealth was confiscated by the Empire.
It was an arrogant act, but the people of Mendasium, or rather the people of the Mendasium region under imperial rule, obediently complied. They understood that they wouldn't be killed, and they realized that they couldn't defy the Empire in any way.
In this way, the Empire swiftly pacified the Mendasium region, appointed competent officials as rulers, and dispatched imperial troops to various places in teams to enforce discipline and rectify the situation.
"If it's just a report up to this point, it would have been a trivial matter, like a fire on the other side of the mountain..."
And in the letter that came today from the capital, something unexpected was written.
"One unit from the Empire is heading to the country of Nonette. They are expected to reach the border fortress in five days."
Well, even if they say that an Imperial unit is coming here, there's nothing we can do about it.
It's not just me who feels resigned, but also Alektem and the soldiers stationed at the fortress.
"Finally, the day when our country comes to an end has arrived."
"For now, should we at least put up a defensive battle for appearance's sake? If we demonstrate our strength, maybe we'll receive preferential treatment even under their rule?"
"Or perhaps we should just leave the fortress gates open and welcome them warmly?"
The soldiers are fully prepared to surrender without a fight.
I, too, had concluded that challenging the Empire to battle would be reckless.
"If they use the latest type of magic staff, this fortress's walls won't last a day. It's better to avoid fighting."
As I said that, a question suddenly crossed my mind.
"Why is the Empire coming to the country of Nonette?"
"Well, obviously, to occupy it."
"But on what grounds? We haven't had a single instance of hostility towards the Empire, right? And an unprovoked invasion will surely bring the knightly countries to our aid, won't it?"
"Now that you mention it, what kind of just cause do they have?"
The soldiers and I searched for any evidence that our country had caused any harm to the Empire, but we couldn't find anything substantial that could serve as a reason for invasion.
"The only possible reason could be the conflict between the Empire's Susharta Company and our disputes. But since we received a written agreement, it should be an avoidable issue, right?"
"They might bring up the incident where the company proposed large-scale tunnel development for iron ore mining, and we rejected it. However, it seems insufficient as a reason for two nations to go to war."
With no apparent reason for an attack, we found ourselves puzzled, waiting for the day when the Empire would arrive.