Chapter 58: Declaration Of War
After the news of the rebellion suppression, a declaration of war came.
"The sender is from the neighboring 'Ambitosu Country' to the Roccha region, huh?"
From the perspective of the Roccha region, this country, which has a territory near the entrance to the desert, has some non-deserted lands, making it one of the stronger nations among the desert nations.
"The reason for the declaration of war is a righteous uprising in response to Roccha Region flowing poison into Ambitosu Country, afflicting the people of Ambitosu Country with illness."
Considering the location, it's a valid reason since Ambitosu Country is downstream from the river where the toxic minerals flowed. But this is a failure of the former Roccha country's policy, not my current lordship. Is this another consequence of the debt we had with the empire, I wonder? This is a point that needs confirmation.
On the other hand, declaring war immediately after the rebellion seems too coincidental.
"This might be the work of Ambitosu Country," I mutter, sighing at the difficulty of governing my territory.
And so, I decided to gather the management team of the Roccha region for a meeting.
Now, normally, I should be preparing for war immediately, but there's a good reason why I'm holding a meeting in this conference room. It's because the declaration of war from Ambitosu Country included an offer for pre-war negotiations.
"If they are willing to pay a sufficient compensation in those negotiations, I'll consider avoiding war."
The actual text is more embellished, but summarizing it, it comes down to this.
At my blunt summary, there was laughter from the Roccha region's management team.
"His country is the most greedy among the desert nations, perhaps because they have a river and arable land. Prince Milimos is in his first year of rule. It seems he's taking advantage of the still unstable security."
"Entering a state of war with internal problems still lingering is nothing short of terrifying. Normally, one would want to avoid war even by paying some gold."
I nod in agreement with the management team's explanation. When you're dealing with rebellions on the front lines and your own citizens are in revolt, you can't win even if you win.
With that mindset, the current situation is probably unexpected for Ambitosu Country.
"The rebellion in the Kampala region was quickly quelled. And with this incident becoming a rumor, the sparks of rebellion that were smoldering everywhere have calmed down."
Indeed, in this world, the power of word of mouth is tremendous. The action of suppressing the rebellion in the Kampala region with military force and using the ringleaders as scapegoats quickly spread throughout various regions.
Of course, since it was passed from person to person, the rumors were filled with embellishments. Even though this was a significant change, if it happened in a more distant location, it would have seemed like my actions were those of a demon.
The only saving grace in this situation is the fact that there is a knight from the Knight Country near me. Thanks to Famiris-sama, who is a knight, the perception that I haven't done much, even if the rumors were true, has spread. Perhaps it's because she's a woman, even though she's a stern knight, she seems to have a liking for sweet treats. When Princess Parvela held a tea party with Solerina, Famiris quietly brought more sweets than the two of them.
Oops, my thoughts are wandering.
"Even now, when the seeds of rebellion are disappearing from the Roccha region, will Ambitosu Country continue the declaration of war?"
To my question, the management team looked grim.
"In a normal country, this would be the moment to cut off the head of the responsible party and admit that the declaration of war was a mistake..."
"His country has a high sense of pride. He won't retract voluntarily; he'll probably proceed with the war."
"Do they intend to endanger their soldiers and citizens for the sake of their national image? Isn't that absurd?"
As I furrow my brows, a wry smile spreads among the management team.
"Prince Milimos has the correct understanding of state management. In many countries, that's not the case."
"Kings and rulers seek to enrich their own coffers. Those who grow under them tend to become such individuals."
"It's what you often see in history books, that the people exist as crops to enrich the king."
Honestly, what captures the people's interest in a country isn't the leaders but the tax rates they impose. I know this well from my time as a soldier in the Nonette Kingdom, staying in villages while exterminating pests.
It's unbearable to think that the lives of people are influenced by such inconsequential individuals. And yet, I'm now one of those rulers.
With thoughts like these, I wonder if my sensibilities as a ruler are still immature.
"I understand why Ambitosu won't avoid starting a war themselves. So should we consider compensation?"
"The soldiers from the Desert Nation are renowned for hunting monsters. However, we outnumber them, and we have iron armor. We have the advantage."
"When Rocha was a country, we had records of several defensive wars, all of which we won in large-scale battles."
"The only losses we recorded were in one-on-one duels. Ambitosu is probably aware of this, so if pre-war negotiations fail, they might challenge us to a duel on the spot."
With this, we have a prediction of Ambitosu's actions, and we can start planning our response.
"In this case, it might be suitable for General Durba, who is well-equipped with a shield and sword, to handle the negotiations."
General Durba, equipped with a shield and sword attached to his arm, fights just as effectively as before losing both hands. In fact, his training with unfamiliar weapons has made him even more agile.
So, even if it comes down to a one-on-one duel, he should win, and his leadership skills will be valuable in a full-scale battle.
As I'm considering entrusting General Durba, the management team hesitantly makes a proposal.
"Um, would Prince Milimos be willing to go?"
"By 'accompanying the negotiations,' you mean... not for the duel or leading the soldiers, right? Why?"
When I express my confusion, the management team starts elbowing each other and, eventually, one of them explains apologetically.
"Well, Prince Milimos has received combat training from the knights of the Knight Nation, so he might be stronger than General Durba. In fact, in the previous war, he defeated the general in a one-on-one duel."
"Me, on the other hand, I'm only as strong as I am because Famiris went easy on me. I think I won in the previous war because General Durba was exhausted from continuous marching, and my appearance allowed me to catch him off guard. It was luck."
As I honestly share my self-assessment, the management team starts elbowing each other again.
"Don't hold back; you can speak your mind. So, what's the point?"
Since there's no clear decision, I say a bit more assertively, and the management team begins to express their opinions about me.
"The soldiers who watched Prince Milimos's training with the knights said they didn't want to die in training, so they didn't participate."
"General Durba evaluated that being able to defeat Prince Milimos in a one-on-one duel would be rare."
"A friend who participated in the advance team in the previous war said that Prince Milimos is a cunning magic user, so be cautious. Ah, that's what the friend said, so!"
I acknowledge that I'm perceived this way, even if it leaves me pale with fear.
"So, everyone believes that it's more reassuring for me to be at the negotiation table than for General Durba to go?"
"Absolutely. Besides combat power, your courage and eloquence that can rival a first-tier magistrate of the Empire are valuable assets."
"Also, this is not the nation; it's one of Nonette Kingdom's territories. Rather than sending General Durba, who is the commander-in-chief, Prince Milimos, who is a member of the royal family and a lord, is more suitable in terms of stature!"
With that said, it seems like I have no choice but to go.
"But if I go, that means the Knight Nation's supervisors will come with me. Even though they're from the Knight Nation, shouldn't we be concerned about them interfering in our affairs?"
Thanks to Famiris, I've ended up governing the Rocha region. I'm worried about what might happen if I take them to negotiate with Ambitosu.
However, my concerns didn't seem to resonate with the management team.
"On the contrary, that's quite convenient."
"If the two Knight Nation representatives are there, they'll ensure that Ambitosu doesn't make unreasonable demands!"
"...So if those two are gone, who will handle Lady Solerina's reception?"
"Don't worry about that! Just a while ago, we received news that the construction of the road to the Nonette Kingdom's capital has been completed, and preparations for Lady Solerina's arrival and childbirth are finished. We'll provide an escort for Lady Solerina and send her to the Nonette Kingdom!"
"I didn't hear about this."
"I apologize. I received this news while on my way to this meeting. I was planning to inform you after the meeting. Here's the report."
The document presented indeed contained news from the Nonette Kingdom stating, "Completion of the Nonette Kingdom's capital road. Preparations for Lady Solerina Anaologi's arrival and childbirth are complete."