The Princess of War

by Hyougetsu

  “There are only a few members of Rolmund’s regular army here, but they’re all the elite of the elite. Eleora’s also absorbed the mercenary groups and knight orders that used to work for the Senate.”

  The militia and city garrisons had other tasks so they couldn’t always be part of expedition forces, but mercenaries and knights were career soldiers. They could be called upon at any time. Kite, the sole human in a meeting of demons, pointed to the documents he’d pinned to the wall.

  “Even the largest mercenary groups have no more than a few dozen members at most. The same goes for the knight orders that used to serve the Senate. The smallest of the orders, the Saint Nicht Knight Order, has only five knights.”

  Five, huh?

  “They’re an offshoot of the Saint Morteus Knight Order, which grew too large. Of course, each knight has a retinue of squires and archers under them, so in truth the knight order has about twenty fighters.”

  Hearing that, Baltze sighed. Such inefficient organization offended dragonkin on a personal level. I was relatively certain Eleora had already reorganized the knight orders using the Rolmund military system.

  “But now both the mercenaries and the knights have been reorganized into hundred-man units. We don’t know the full scope of Eleora’s army, but she has at least three thousand troops stationed in Vongang.”

  And since all of them were professionals, they were quite a threat. They didn’t need to be babied during every step of a battle, they could make independent decisions based on the situation. Kite then pointed to a different document. This one had a drawing of something that looked similar to a gun—a rendition of Rolmund’s Blast Cane.

  “This is the weapon Eleora’s elite mage corps use. According to our information, it’s called a Blast Cane.”

  There was a lot we didn’t know about Blast Canes still, but I at least had a good grasp on their effective range. They couldn’t shoot as far as bows, and if they could, the bullets lost most of their power by that point. Otherwise, Eleora would have had her men shoot through the gates from a safer distance. Finally, I opened my mouth.

  “We have a good idea of how powerful they are, and they’re quite a threat. If the conditions are right, they can even kill a giant with a single shot.”

  The demon stirred. A weapon that powerful meant they’d need to reevaluate their strategies.

  “Ideally we’ll be able to get our hands on one and analyze how they’re made. It’s likely a magic tool of some kind, so I’ve called the most knowledgeable expert I know. Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you about them now.”

  Shure, commander of the Crimson Scales, raised her hand.

  “Sir Veight, has Rolmund made any diplomatic overtures as of yet?”

  “Sadly not, Lady Shure.”

  To be honest, that was bothering me too. I had expected them to try and negotiate something after conquering the nine northern cities. The fact that Eleora hadn’t bothered sending an official delegation of any kind meant she wasn’t satisfied with just the north. Since if she did send a delegation now, it was possible they’d unintentionally reveal her true intentions.

  “I’ve only met with Eleora once, but she strikes me as a highly ambitious person. We can’t afford to let our guard down around her.”

  Shure nodded in understanding. She was considered the most beautiful dragonkin alive, but I didn’t really understand dragonkin aesthetic sense.

  “Understood. In that case, I shall dispatch my Crimson Scales to the frontlines if necessary. Call me if you have need for me.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  Afterwards, we discussed what each division needed and how many troops they could field. Once everything was tallied, I returned to my office. Since I had to oversee both council meetings and demon army meetings, I was extremely busy. I’d hoped that vice-commander would be an unimportant job where I could take things easy, yet now I was the one doing all the work. I decided to take a short break and have a cup of tea before getting to my council duties. As I was steeping my tea, Airia walked in.

  “Princess Eleora has asked to meet with the council. ‘As Rolmund’s representative in Meraldia, I wish to speak with the Commonwealth on what direction we should take this region in.’ Those were her words.”

  “Finally. Alright, let’s make preparations to receive her.”

  I no longer had the free time to even enjoy a cup of tea, but at least things were moving now. It was decided that we’d hold the meeting in the old capital of Vest, which was the city most centrally situated. Though it was under the north’s sphere of influence. The fact that Eleora hadn’t called us to Vongang, where she’d stationed her army, meant that there was something there she absolutely didn’t want us to see. Since there was no guarantee this wasn’t a trap, I decided to take only Airia with me. Along with a retinue of werewolf guards.

  Vest looked much like one of those old European cities that travel agencies always put pictures of on their front pages. It was, in essence, the tropical paradise that the slaves who escaped from Rolmund had built for themselves. They had really gone all-out on its construction, and impressive architecture awaited visitors on every corner. Sculptures, fountains, and various other fixtures adorned the streets.

  “This is a splendid city, don’t you think, Lord Veight?”

  “Yeah. Hopefully we can make Ryunheit’s newer residential districts look like this.”

  The meeting would be held in Vest’s viceroy’s manor. It would be my first time speaking face-to-face with Eleora since that incident in Krauhen.

  Today, Eleora was wearing a dress. It was a regal gown, and it made her look like an actual princess. Though it didn’t make her seem any less terrifying. Next to me, Airia stiffened up slightly. Though her expression was as gentle as always, she was clearly nervous. Even to Airia’s eyes, Eleora was a dangerous individual.

  With a regal bow, she pointed us toward two chairs by the window. In Rolmund, where it was perpetually cold, it was always the guest of honor who was seated next to the sunlight. But that wasn’t why she offered those seats to us. Perking my ears, I picked up on the faint noises of armed men shuffling about in the distance. They were probably just Eleora’s guards, but it was entirely possible her guards were also assassins. The windows were dangerous.

  “We may be nobles, but you outrank us by far, Princess Eleora. These seats will suffice for us.”

  I picked a seat impossible to snipe from the windows, and sat Airia down in it.

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Airia, Lord Veight. I’m deeply grateful that you were willing to answer my summons.”

  “We in turn are grateful for the invitation, Princess Eleora.”

  Officially, this was our first meeting. It was taking a lot of effort for me to stay calm, but Eleora looked like she wasn’t nervous in the slightest. Royalty really are made of sterner stuff than the rest of us.

  Once the pleasantries were over, we got down to business. My inner commoner was terrified of dealing with a princess, but I suppressed my fear and kept a straight face.

  “What manner of relationship does the Meraldian Liberation Army wish to build with the Southern Commonwealth?” I asked warily, and Eleora smiled.

  “I am simply an advisor to the liberation army, so I’m afraid I don’t have the authority to answer that. But as an envoy of Rolmund, I believe cooperation between our two nations would be best.”

  So she plans on using her unique position as a shield to avoid making any binding promises. Damn fox. Fine, if that’s how you want to play then I’ve got a few tricks of my own.

  “Then speaking as an envoy of Rolmund, what kind of relationship does the Rolmund Empire wish to build with the Commonwealth?”

  “Rolmund is currently focused on affairs in the north. We have no reason to request that the south swear fealty to us. And so we would prefer to build a friendly relationship with the Commonwealth.”

  “Splendid.”

  I nodded
with a smile. Of course, I didn’t believe her one bit. Airia turned to Eleora and casually said, “The Commonwealth currently has a sizable demon population. What does Rolmund make of that?”

  Oh yeah. I totally forgot about that. I’m the demon representative here, and I completely forgot. Still smiling, Eleora replied, “Naturally we intend to treat them as citizens of the Commonwealth, as we would your human residents. They are free to travel to and from the cities under the liberation army’s control.”

  The people living in the north hated us demons though, so of course travel wouldn’t be that simple. Eleora knew that, which was why she could make a promise like that so easily. We poked her with a few other contentious questions, but she sidestepped them all with diplomatic replies. The things she knew she could guarantee without any detriment to herself she guaranteed with ease, and that which she couldn’t she simply used the excuse of “I’m nothing more than an advisor, so I cannot speak for the liberation army.” At the same time, she casually let slip leading questions to try and gauge our own intentions.

  An amateur negotiator like myself couldn’t hope to navigate this thorny maze, so I just sipped my tea and let Airia handle things. Though they both spoke civilly, they were engaged in a furious bout of verbal sparring. It wasn’t easy to tell from their tone, but my superior sense of smell picked up the heightened state of alertness both of them were in. This really was a battle of life and death, just with words. I watched their duel from the sidelines, doing my best to remain expressionless. Holy crap, this is scary.

  In the end, the negotiations finished with the Rolmund Empire and Meraldian Commonwealth forming an alliance, with a verbal promise that Eleora would advise the liberation army to remain on friendly terms with us as well. Treaties were signed, and—for the present—a peace was formed. In order to ease tensions, both sides agreed to not send any more troops to the cities on the north-south border. Though of course I already had a bunch of undead soldiers in the frontier cities, and Eleora had her entire army in Vongang. If either side felt like it, they could invade at any time. As we walked out of the viceroy’s manor, Airia sighed.

  “Princess Eleora was as impressive as I feared.”

  “Yes, she refused to divulge any valuable information, and avoided ceding any unfavorable conditions. But thanks to your wit, we were able to avoid ceding any unfavorable conditions ourselves. Thank you.”

  I wasn’t a politician, so a feat like that would have been impossible for me. During the negotiations, I’d just given a few noncommittal replies, and left everything to Airia. My reply seemed to help ease Airia’s nerves, and she smiled at me.

  “I’m honored that my poor negotiation skills managed to be of use to you. Let us see this to the end together.”

  “Of course. Though it looks like it will be a long battle. I’ll be counting on you, Lady Airia.”

  Both the military and the diplomatic departments of the Commonwealth would be busy for some time, it seemed.

  * * * *

  —Eleora’s War Records: Part 4—

  Eleora plucked a beautiful flower from a nearby vase and started toying with it. She’d returned to her room, but was still in her dress. The meeting had exhausted her. There was a knock on her door, and Natalia walked in.

  “Good work, ma’am. Would you like some tea?”

  “Thank you, Natalia.”

  Natalia kept shooting Eleora covert glances as she prepared a cup of black tea.

  “Mmm, what is it?”

  “Oh, nothing. It’s just, you look so wonderful that I can’t help but stare.”

  Natalia held up the tea tray to hide her face, and Eleora chuckled.

  “I don’t like dresses. This would look much better on you, I’m sure.”

  “I-I could never pull a dress like that off! By the way, how did the meeting go?”

  Eleora sighed, “I was on the defensive the entire time. The Demon Ambassador is a fearsome foe.”

  “What about the Black Werewolf King?”

  “He left the talking to Lady Airia. He must have enjoyed watching me squirm dealing with her alone.”

  Eleora rolled back her sleeves and gulped down her tea.

  “Your tea really is my favorite, Natalia. The Meraldians prefer brews that are far too mild.”

  “You flatter me, ma’am.”

  Eleora only truly felt at peace here when she was conversing with her men. Both the citizens of Meraldia and the demons to the south were people she needed to be wary of.

  Around the same time, in the city of Vongang. Kurst, the viceroy of Welheim, had come to the city in order to negotiate wheat prices. Though there was still some time before the harvest, he needed to know how much Vongang would ask for this year. As Vongang’s population fluctuated drastically based on how many troops were stationed there at any given time, the city’s demand for food was variable.

  Vongang’s viceroy, Dunieva, was an old acquaintance of Kurst’s. He was a cheery man in his mid-forties. The two exchanged small talk for a while before moving on to business matters.

  “They’ve decided to redo the city rankings.”

  Kurst glanced out the window. He recognized a few familiar faces in the hustle and bustle of the street below. They were the same people who’d tailed him since he left Welheim. Kurst was known as a mild-mannered leader, but while he was gentle, he was no fool. He understood the dangers of his position, and was always alert for assassination or spying attempts. Trying his best not to make it look like he was staring, Kurst picked out as many details as he could. Though the differences were slight, the men didn’t have the stature and complexion of Meraldians. On top of that, they seemed uncomfortable in their uniforms. Chances were they were Rolmund soldiers. Meaning they were watchdogs Eleora had sent to keep an eye on him. I see she doesn’t trust me. Noticing the change in Kurst’s expression, Dunieva smiled sympathetically and said, “Princess Eleora possesses some zealous subordinates.”

  “Indeed. Though it irks me how careless they’re being... Do they truly think I haven’t noticed? They’re underestimating me.”

  Kurst frowned. Dunieva decided not to say anything more on the matter and brought the subject back to the city rankings.

  “They’re ranking cities based not on importance, but on their contributions to the Rolmund Empire. Thanks to the Senate’s futile resistance, we lost our main gate and were demoted to eighth place.”

  While Dunieva had enough in his treasury to repair the gates, repairing the damage that had been done to the city streets would cost a lot more. Kurst pulled his gaze away from the window and sat across Dunieva.

  “And Welheim is in last place, ninth. Despite providing most of the food in the northeast, I suppose my city isn’t very necessary.”

  “Not at all. Without Welheim, Vongang would starve. As far as I’m concerned, Welheim is the most important city in the north. And of course, Vongang’s sworn ally.”

  While wars between viceroys had been prohibited under the Senate’s rule, they’d been free to form alliances as they pleased. As a result, most neighboring viceroys had grown close over the years. Kurst smiled gently and bowed to Dunieva.

  “Welheim feels the same about Vongang. Your knights are the shield that keeps our granaries safe. You’ve protected us from numerous threats since our great-grandfathers’ time.”

  Dunieva shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Speaking of knights, our esteemed knight orders are not very happy.”

  “What happened?”

  “The princess reorganized the structures of all of them. Many of the smaller ones were merged together, so plenty of knight commanders lost their posts.”

  “Ah... I see.”

  Unlike mercenaries who fought for money, knights fought for honor. To them, their honor was a tangible asset they could pass down to their heirs for generations. It stood to reason that they’d be mad now that their honor had been stripped from them. Sighing, Dunieva shook his head.

  “If only she’d offer them s
ome compensation, the demoted knight commanders would settle down. But she refused.”

  Their titles were just for show to begin with. A few Rolmund medals of honor would have been enough make up for their loss. But Eleora hadn’t compensated the knights for their demotions. She’d claimed that awarding honors to those who’d done nothing to earn them would be an insult to those who’d laid their lives on the line to do so. Since the Senate had surrendered unconditionally to Eleora, the knights had no right to dispute her decision. Dunieva frowned and took a sip of the tea Kurst had brought for him. Dunieva was a fan of the strong tea leaves that grew in Welheim, so Kurst had brought some as a gift.

  “That princess is always doing things the proper way. I suppose I should praise her for being so fair. Hahaha.”

  Dunieva’s expression was cheerful, but his tone was darker than the tea in his cup. Sensing his anger, Kurst said, “However, the princess has won the hearts of the people. So long as our citizens support her, we have no choice but to endure.”

  “Indeed. But only until the honeymoon phase passes.”

  Kurst studied Dunieva’s face for a long time, then finally said, “Sir Dunieva, what do you know of the Southern Commonwealth’s Lord Veight?”

  “I’ve heard he’s a werewolf strong enough to throw catapulted stones back at the machines that launched them. From what my men tell me, he’s a terrifying monster.”

  Kurst smiled sadly and shook his head.

  “You’re wrong. He’s a surprisingly understanding fellow. In fact, he was the one who suggested I surrender to the liberation army when I was stuck between two hard choices.”

  “Oho...”

  A fire kindled within Dunieva’s eyes. He no longer looked like a good-natured old man, but rather the viceroy of a fortress city.

  “Tell me more.”

  Dunieva called forth a servant and asked for more tea.

  * * * *

  It seemed that so long as negotiations with Eleora were in progress, the liberation army wouldn’t try to invade us. Of course, she was still trying to instigate members of our council to turn on us, so I couldn’t lower my guard. Though perhaps I needn’t have worried.