Record of Wortenia War: Volume 3

by Ryota Hori

But they also knew Ryoma’s wish wasn’t one that would be easily granted. Those of the privileged class in this world didn’t understand the importance of information. And those that did wouldn’t leak information to a foreigner of dubious origins like Ryoma.

  In the end, if he wanted information, he’d have to hire people to do it, but in this situation, establishing an intelligence agency felt like a daydream. In the end he’d have to acknowledge the most ideal solution wasn’t a plausible one and make do with the cold reality dealt to him.

  “Master Ryoma... I don’t think letting what we don’t know torment us would get us anywhere. Shouldn’t we strike down General Albrecht and Duke Gelhart before the surrounding countries can bare their fangs against us?”

  Ryoma had no choice but to nod at Laura’s suggestion. He couldn’t find another solution.

  “Duke Gelhart has around 60,000 troops. That includes the troops under his direct control and the maximum number of commoners he can mobilize. Add to that Albrecht’s order of 2,500 knights and supplement it with mercenaries, and he’s got somewhere between 65,000 to 70,000 men. Meanwhile, we’ve got 12,500 knights, and with the neutral nobles we took in thanks to Count Bergstone, we’ve got another 20,000 men or so. Adding in the mercenaries, we get to around 35,000. In terms of sheer numbers, we’re at an overwhelming disadvantage...”

  Ryoma could smile bitterly at Sara’s summary.

  “The nobles’ faction is mostly made up of high-ranking nobility at the rank of count and above. They have territories to conscript a lot of men from. And since we can’t draft people from the territories belonging directly to the royal family, it’s almost natural the nobles’ faction has us beat there.”

  Ryoma heaved a heavy, wry sigh. Princess Lupis didn’t see conscripting the commoners favorably, but another major issue was that most of the ministers and bureaucrats handling the practical business of the country were part of the nobles’ faction. They employed all sorts of obstructive maneuvers in matters of fundraising and supply lines, which reduced the efficiency of those fields down to a crawl.

  The situation looked poor. But Laura shook her head at Ryoma’s words.

  “But we already knew in advance. And even if we’re lacking in numbers, we match them in terms of fighting power.”

  Knights can use thaumaturgy, and while there was some individual difference in how far one had deepened their powers, all of them should be capable of reinforcing their bodies. What’s more, knights were all individually trained, so if one were to compare knights to commoners, the difference in fighting power became significantly different.

  “I suppose... In the end, even with General Albrecht on the enemy’s side, the situation hasn’t changed much compared to before.”

  “That sounds right to me... Except, while we shouldn’t be too occupied with this invisible enemy, we also shouldn’t completely ignore them, in my opinion.”

  Laura’s words showed she understood the situation perfectly. The most frightening way this could end was if they failed to deal with General Albrecht and Duke Gelhart before another country launched its invasion. There was no proof it would happen, but they certainly couldn’t disregard that possibility, since Princess Lupis lacked the strength to repel an invasion right now.

  “In that case, wrapping this up quickly would be the best course of action... Hiring more mercenaries was the right idea.”

  After beating Branzo the Black Spider, Ryoma gathered seventy to eighty mercenaries, but by now they’d hired four times that number.

  Hiring that many was a waste from a financial perspective, but thanks to that, they had more leeway in terms of the decisions they could make.

  I wasn’t sure what we’d do with so many mercenaries at first, but you can never be too sure, eh...

  Ryoma’s eyes glared into the air. All to decide the battle to come...

  The morning after the bad news had been brought to the castle. An imposing group was walking down one of the palace corridors, which had a red carpet laid over it. Their bodies were covered in iron armor, making them the very image of warriors in a time of strife.

  The one leading them was Helena Steiner, who had recently returned to her office as general. The ones surrounding her were trusted people, such as her comrades from days past, or otherwise their children and grandchildren.

  The one walking closest alongside Helena was Chris Morgan, his golden hair flowing in his wake.

  “My apologies, Lady Helena. I never expected General Albrecht to make his move so quickly... I’ve made a grave error in judgment,” Chris whispered words of apology toward Helena as they hurried to the meeting room, his brow furrowed anxiously.

  His voice was full of regret and shame, his words laced with bitterness. After all, Chris’s actions were, without a doubt, what had led to this situation.

  He may have been acting on Helena’s orders, but there was little doubt that Chris’s maneuvering had roused General Albrecht’s sense of crisis. It would have been wiser in hindsight to keep a closer eye on General Albrecht’s movements and keep their plans from disturbing the water’s surface for as long as possible.

  But Chris never could have predicted just how greatly the oppressed knights would be drawn to Helena once she made her appearance. He understood and regretted this all too well now.

  Chris had stayed up until dawn gathering information on the situation and keeping the knights in check as they were frantically running about in an attempt to pick up information on General Albrecht’s flight from the capital. As proof of that, his eyes were swollen and red with heavy bags around them.

  “It was definitely beyond our predictions, but you shouldn’t worry over it,” Helena spoke sympathetically to Chris without turning to look at him. “None of us knew General Albrecht might join forces with the nobles’ faction after they’d been rivals for so long. I failed to read the situation as much as you have. And besides, this situation isn’t all that bad for us... No, if anything, we might be better off this way.”

  The situation was no laughing matter, and despite that, there wasn’t so much as a hint of wavering in her voice. The amused tone of her words echoed in Chris’s ears. As if to say everything was going as planned...

  “However...” Chris said ambiguously.

  Even if Helena told him not to pay it any mind, he couldn’t. Not as long as he believed this was the direct result of his actions.

  Many knights loyal to the kingdom, like Chris, had suffered under General Albrecht’s tyranny for years out of the belief that the day would come when they drive him out and return Rhoadseria to its rightful state.

  And they had just lost that precious opportunity. Many knights clearly despaired at the news. But Helena’s outlook on it was quite the opposite.

  “This is a wonderful chance to sweep this country clean... Don’t you think?”

  Realizing what she meant by that, Chris furrowed his well-shaped brows.

  “We’ll be opening hostilities, then? But...”

  It was because he realized what she meant that his voice was thick with anxiety. He knew it wouldn’t go that smoothly.

  To begin with, both General Albrecht and Duke Gelhart were standing in the way of Princess Lupis reigning over Rhoadseria and rebuilding the kingdom. In that regard, fighting them both was unavoidable. But on the other hand, there was a great difference between dealing with them individually and together.

  Chris’s maneuvering had brought most of the knights over to Helena’s side, but there was no telling how they would fare against the nobles’ faction, which boasted the largest army in the country, with General Albrecht and his first order of knights assisting them.

  “If Princess Lupis were to allow us to conscript the people in her direct territories, we may be able to overwhelm them with numbers. But considering what is to come, involving the citizens in quelling the civil war would be a poor decision. And the public order is another issue. Maybe if the situation was tilted even more against us it would be a differe
nt story... but as things stand, mobilizing them would be a poor hand to play.”

  Helena responded to Chris’s doubts with a smirk. In terms of numbers, Duke Gelhart and the nobles under him could mobilize somewhere between two to five times greater a number of knights incapable of thaumaturgy than those which were capable of it. Knights had some individual differences in terms of their proficiency and talent, but on average they were twice as strong as a normal person.

  Splitting the opposition as they had done brought five orders of knights to Princess Lupis’s side, which numbered 12,500 members, all twice as strong, putting them at nearly 30,000 men in terms of effective fighting power.

  If one were to compare both of the camps’ forces, the ratio would put Princess Lupis at a disadvantage of 4 to 6, or 3 to 7. But it wasn’t so hopeless a gap that it couldn’t be covered. With that much of a difference in forces, it was still perfectly possible for them to win if their forces were aptly commanded.

  If things were worse, perhaps Princess Lupis would have been forced to change her stance, but being the kind soul that she was, she refused to force her people to participate in the fighting under these circumstances.

  “The rest depends on that boy’s judgment...” The whisper escaped Helena’s lips softly.

  “That boy, you say...?”

  Realizing who Helena was speaking of, Chris narrowed his eyes.

  He’d already heard the rumors surrounding that man. He was some wandering adventurer who came out of nowhere, and one of the ringleaders of the conflict to come.

  Everything started with his appearance.

  To think Lady Helena trusts him this much...

  Hearing those words that mingled trust and affection from Helena Steiner, the woman worshipped and given utmost faith as a goddess of war by the people of Rhoadseria, Chris felt a black emotion, not unlike envy, burning within his heart.

  Thankfully, he had the self-restraint to stop that emotion from rising to the surface. Years of oppression under General Albrecht and his faction gave him ample experience at hiding his emotions. And so, Chris held his tongue and followed Helena.

  Heheh... Cute boy, you are. Ambitious and full of confidence, but you have the reason to restrain both of those traits. And judging from how you performed this time, you pass in terms of cleverness as well. A talented knight from a commoner’s upbringing... I can’t imagine anyone Albrecht would loathe more than you.

  Helena smiled as she looked at Chris. It was only natural for people to harbor ambition and jealousy. But anyone who made a visible display of it was unfit to march alongside the goddess of war.

  Having discerned Chris’s quality, Helena gave a pleased smile as she hastened her gait. And eventually, she stopped her stride.

  Now, let us see what comes next.

  The image of how things should move going forward was already drawn to perfect detail in Helena’s mind. This much was natural for a country’s general.

  But then again, this was not a test with predetermined correct answers. Every choice had its pros and cons, and there was no ideal path to take.

  Show me if you’re the genuine article... Ryoma Mikoshiba...

  It was precisely because there were no correct answers that people’s true worth and abilities came to the forefront. As she stopped in front of the heavy oak door to the conference room, guarded by armored soldiers, Helena’s lips curled up into a smile.

  “Fool! Are you listening to yourself? How can you even suggest that?!” Meltina’s shout echoed through the conference room as she slammed a clenched fist into the round table.

  “Lady Meltina, please, wait for him to finish...”

  “Would you kindly be quiet, Count Bergstone?!”

  Count Bergstone, who shared a seat on this round table, tried to cut into her words, but a stabbing glance from Meltina made him quiet down immediately.

  Far from Jupiter, far from his thunder, as they say. But right now, Meltina was less of a god and more of a demon. Quelling a woman’s anger can be difficult enough, but when considering how sour relations were between the knights and the nobles, it was only natural Count Bergstone quickly chose to throw in the towel.

  With her neatly combed black hair growing disheveled, Meltina glared at the boy, whose face betrayed his true age, sitting before her with a complacent smile.

  And now you finally display your true nature... You bloody amateur!

  The sight of his confident smile made Meltina want to pelt him with all the insults she had built up. She only held her tongue because she didn’t want to speak like that in the presence of Princess Lupis.

  “Oh, do calm down now...” A man’s husky voice filled the conference room.

  Sitting next to Princess Lupis with his arms crossed, Mikhail, who had listened to the discussion silently until now, turned his eyes to the two of them.

  “Do you really intend to lend an ear to this man’s nonsense at such a critical time?!” Meltina shouted aggressively.

  From a tactical point of view, the plan Ryoma Mikoshiba suggested could not be called effective. No, from Meltina’s perspective, who had been educated in a high-class family of knights and was an aide to Princess Lupis, it looked like nothing but the reckless idea of a feckless amateur.

  Mikhail, too, despite raising a hand to silence Meltina, turned a sharp glare in Ryoma’s direction, which made it clear he didn’t stop her out of good will towards the boy.

  “I am willing to hear you out, but let it be known I have the same stance as Meltina,” Mikhail told Ryoma, his brows furrowed in scrutiny. “If I recall... our plan until now hinged on drawing the enemy in and holding a defensive line. While our incorporation of the knights’ faction went better than expected, I still don’t see why this would lead to us changing our policy at this point. Surely you haven’t forgotten it? If you have a good reason, we will hear it out here and now.”

  Abiding by the dignity of those older than him, he didn’t make his displeasure known by raising his voice like Meltina did, but his voice was frigid and angry.

  His anger was justified, in a way. There were quite a few topographical issues with moving soldiers between Pireas and Duke Gelhart’s stronghold, Heraklion. But even with Mikhail’s anger directed at him, Ryoma’s attitude remained unchanged.

  “Not to worry. I have a few ideas regarding how to do so.” His tone didn’t waver in the slightest, and Mikhail could not help but click his tongue in response.

  The stir moving across everyone present was likely from shock at Ryoma’s unexpected confidence. The only one who remained unfazed by it, sticking to a composed silence, was Helena.

  “Are you quite sure you understand? Getting through the Herkshua forest is one thing, but how do you intend to cross the river Thebes...? Didn’t you propose the defensive line because there was no means to get past it?”

  Mikhail’s words made a murmur of assent rise from those around him. The capital and Heraklion were separated by two significant obstacles, the Herkshua forest and the river Thebes.

  The former was a large woodland home to many dangerous monsters, with a meandering road crossing through it. All the same, it was a road that wasn’t particularly hard to come across. It was far from town, and thus not paved with stone, but it was wide enough to allow carriages to pass through. It also had barrier pillars set up at regular intervals to ward off the monsters, allowing for merchants and travelers to cross safely.

  But that only applied to ordinary people. When viewed from the perspective of mobilizing an army, the Herkshua forest was a terribly problematic obstacle to clear. It wasn’t impassible, of course, but with how narrow the ranks would have to be, their marching speed would be quite slow, and the dense trees would obstruct visibility, making it easier for the enemy to lay an ambush.

  If they were moving just a few units it would be more feasible, but the terrain didn’t accommodate for mobilizing a large army.

  And even if they did get through the Herkshua forest, they would need a mea
ns of getting across the giant river Thebes.

  “You’re concerned about crossing the river, right, Sir Mikhail?”

  Mikhail nodded silently at Ryoma’s words. This river, which originated from the Woar mountain range located along the kingdom’s border with Xarooda, conjoined with branches from all around and dampened the earth as it flowed from the southwest of the country to the northeast. Rhoadseria owed its great agricultural produce to this river’s abundant waters.

  The river truly did give Rhoadseria its blessings, but when it came to moving an army, it became a major hindrance. It was 500 meters wide— not a distance this world’s architectural techniques could hope to bridge. It was rather deep as well, so wading through wasn’t an option.

  Of course, there were several wharfs along each side of the river, but while crossing the Thebes wasn’t an issue during peacetime, ferrying an army across it was a different story altogether.

  The biggest problem was that there was no ferry large enough to carry hundreds of people at once. Trade freighters or a navy’s warships may have been capable of it, but no ferry meant for crossing rivers was that large. The largest one available could only transport twenty to thirty armed soldiers.

  And furthermore, just ferrying soldiers wasn’t enough. Transporting supplies was another consideration. Spare weapons and armor, rations for the soldiers, fodder for the horses, as well as medical supplies for treating injured soldiers. Attempting to account for everything made it clear just how endless of a task it could be...

  And there was no going to war without all of those supplies, so they would have to carry those consumables with them as they crossed.

  Mikhail’s doubts aren’t mistaken... Crossing the river is a major problem. And so long as it remains unsolved, sending out the soldiers would be impossible...

  Helena brought a cup of tea to her lips. Since they’d need to ferry everyone across the river at once, there was only one solution left: gather ships from the surrounding villages, load as many soldiers onto them as possible, and make several round trips across the river to move everyone.