Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 349
LookingatCountKaitana,whohadapleasedexpression,Ievenfeltasenseofwondernow.
Iaskedaboutthemethodofconferringthetitle,andIevenheardthatitdoesn’thavetobesomeonefromyourtribe.Thismeansthatevenifclansunderthecommandofothertribesorwandererswhoareclan-sizedarenotpartoftheKaitanatribe,theycanbesubjectedtothepowerofCountKaitana.
‘Didyouthinkofthatasthesoonasyoutalkedaboutthetitle?’
Do you have any sedentary ancestors by any chance?
On the way back to the base, escorted enthusiastically by Count Kaitana.
“Excuseme,master.”
“Yes?”
Captain4,whohadbeenlostinthoughtaboutthingswithaseriousface,carefullyopenedhismouth.
“Areothernomadslikethat?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer the question, which was full of doubts.
If I did, it would be like denying my common sense, and if I said no, the presence of Count Kaitana would not leave my mind.
***
From the moment the Karl army left for the Kaitana tribe, the nomads’ offensive became even more intense. The nomads who were already active on the front lines moved as if they were going to fight to the death, and the tribes that showed a belligerent attitude also appeared on the front lines one by one.
News of the offensive is coming from each front. It is natural for such a reckless offensive to take place during a war, especially against nomads, but—
‘They’re all playing separately.’
Not all the tribes on the front lines are launching an offensive. Tribes that show a willingness to surrender to the empire, such as the Kaitana tribe, are still silent.
It’s strange. If the nomads’ offensive had intensified, it would mean that an order had come down from the rebel who called himself the Khan. They must be moving to put pressure on the allied front lines and force casualties.
However, in order to inflict casualties on the numerically superior imperial army, the nomads must launch an offensive with all their strength. It is impossible with a strange front where some are fighting and some are watching.
‘Then it makes sense to clean up the traitors first.’
It would be normal to order the tribes that are just taking up space on the front lines to return, or to讨伐them. If the tribes that may turn to the imperial side at any time are left on the front lines, the tribes launching the offensive could be surrounded.
However, there were no such measures. The tribes that were on the offensive did not pay attention to the silent tribes, and vice versa.
Of course, there were some renegade tribes that had retreated from the front lines, but they did not retreat because they were afraid of the belligerent tribes, but rather they retreated as if they were showing off, as if they wanted the Kaitana tribe to come to their territory. This is a situation that is difficult to understand.
‘Has there ever been such a brazen traitor?’
I’m confused. I don’t know how many times my common sense has been shattered during this war. Internal strife of the enemy? It’s possible. Strong expression of surrender? That’s also possible.
However, it is impossible for internal traitors to walk around openly and for such traitors to be left alone.
‘Is there another guy who is the Khan?’
I wondered if Udeser Dor-gon had died long ago and another ambitious man was impersonating Dor-gon.
If not, there is no way to explain such strange unity and behavior. Udesur Dorgon is the only blood relative and successor of the Rebel King. He has enough status and ability to be a symbol to unite the nomads. The Empire also assessed the risk as high and pursued him for three years, but the ability of such a dangerous molecule is only this much?
Rather, if Dorgon had shown incompetence in the last war—Dorgon mediated between the anti-imperial tribes who were at odds with each other. In terms of competence and incompetence, he is close to being competent.
If I hadn’t seen the sky tear, I would have seriously thought that someone other than Dorgon was the Khan.
“Your Majesty. The inspector has returned.”
I nodded at the report of the knight who entered the barracks while trying to suppress the chaos and update the frontline situation.
For the time being, judging from the knight’s reaction, it seems that Kal’s army did not come back because something went wrong. Then, it must mean that the negotiations with the Kaitana tribe ended smoothly.
And as soon as I saw the map that Kal’s army brought, I realized that it was not easy.
“The area marked on the map is the territory of the tribe that is considering surrender.”
“I see.”
There are many. Not all tribes are on the scale of thousands like Kaitana, but even considering that, there are many.
“Also, there are still many tribes that have not yet made up their minds, and among them are tribes that used to play the role of priests.”
It was also surprising that there were still neutral camps among them. The number of tribes with a clear intention to surrender is considerable, but more tribes than that could surrender?
‘Priests?’
Moreover, it was unbelievable that priests were included in the neutral camp.
In order to prevent the nomads from gathering for the second time, the paganism that the nomads believed in was a thorough target of eradication. Not only the Great Priest who was also the Rebel King, but also other priests were tracked down and killed, and countless temples were destroyed. The Empire trampled on paganism that much.
However, it is said that the priest of the trampled faith is neutral.
‘It’s ambiguous.’
If the priest had instigated the war out of resentment for the trampled faith or had given up everything and turned against the war out of self-destruction, it would have been understandable.
However, the fact that it is a neutral camp that is neither here nor there means that the tribe must have a lot to think about.
“The name is the Barandiga tribe. It is not large in size, but it has a long history and was one of the representatives of the tribes that did not follow the Rebel King in the past.”
I pondered more at Kal’s words. It is the only point of faith at a time when all the priests are dead, has a long history, and has a record of rejecting the Rebel King.
Even if they had been pro-war, this is a tribe that should have been contacted. Even more so in a situation where one had to worry about conquest and maintenance, not just the subjugation of ordinary nomads.
However, if there is only one thing that bothers me—
‘We have to acknowledge paganism.’
While embracing the focal point of faith, it is impossible to tell them to abandon that faith. Embracing the Barandiga tribe means embracing not only its influence but also paganism as a whole.
It is difficult to ask them to abandon their faith while embracing the center of their faith. Barandy’s embrace of the tribe is not just about embracing their influence, but about embracing paganism as a whole.
In fact, looking at the history of nomads, tribal chiefs who called themselves khans occasionally appeared. They were not considered important simply because their end was all the same, having died at the hands of other nomads.
“It is a difficult task. How can the Empire, which has received the Mandate of Heaven, recognize paganism?”
‘It is not something I can decide.’
There is a saying that a general who goes to war does not even listen to the orders of the lord. Of course, if you really don’t listen, you are a traitor, but it means that a commander operating in the field can make more accurate judgments than the lord in the rear. That is why the Imperial Army tends to respect the judgment of the commander and commander in the field.
Still, this is not it. It is not for a mere duke to decide on such a matter on his own.
“You have brought valuable information. Thank you for your hard work. Please rest until I call you separately.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
I let out a small sigh as I watched the retreating Carl army, bowing his head.
A coveted chalice came into my hand, but there was poison in the chalice.
‘…I should report it to His Majesty.’
Unfortunately, this is not a matter that can be dealt with on the spot.
***
The report from the Jeon Seung-gong has arrived.
It is said that a tribe that already operates thousands of troops has surrendered, and several other tribes have expressed their intention to surrender.
In addition, it is said that the pagan priest, who was thought to be dead, is alive and well, and is expressing an ambiguous position that is neither pro-war nor anti-war.
…
‘What the hell is this?’
I frowned unconsciously.
The situation in the north… was it this much of a mess?
After the Great Punitive War, the Empire’s intelligence capabilities in the north completely collapsed. Despite efforts to rebuild intelligence capabilities since the end of the war, they have only recovered to about half of their previous level, and even that has not been fully devoted to rebuilding because of the pursuit of the traitor’s bloodline.
Therefore, the Empire was unable to grasp the details of the military power and internal situation in the north. In such a situation, it was natural to be nervous when the traitor’s bloodline called himself a khan.
Fear from the unknown, the only experience that can be used as a reference is the rebellion of the traitor who went so far as to receive the death penalty from the Mandate of Heaven of the Empire. If we deal with it loosely, it is tantamount to declaring that we are giving up the Empire and the Mandate of Heaven.
‘Was this the reality?’
However, it was shocking in a different sense when the veil of the unknown was lifted and reality was witnessed.
Can the current north really be called a single force? Is it normal for an internal traitor to act openly and no one to punish the traitor?
‘Is it a coalition?’
No, it’s even lower than that. If it were a coalition, they would fight with a common goal, but these do not even share goals.
‘The name Khan is not light.’
My head hurts. Rather, if the chieftain of a large tribe had led some forces that agreed with him and revolted, it would be understandable, but the traitor’s bloodline called himself a khan. A mere influential person and a khan have authority of a different dimension.
It is absurd for a person who has gathered forces with such authority to fail in internal discipline. If someone who cannot even control internal discipline calls himself a khan, he will collapse at the hands of other nomads without the Empire having to come forward. It will collapse at the hands of other tribes asking, “How dare you, a guy like you, stand above us?”
In fact, if you look at the history of the nomads, there were occasional tribal chiefs who called themselves khans. It’s just that their ends were all the same—they died at the hands of other nomads, so they weren’t taken seriously.
‘This is an impossible situation.’
It’s not my personal stubbornness, but history that speaks. There are only two possible futures for those who call themselves khans. Either they become a scourge, reigning supreme over all the tribes like a tyrant, or they fall like their predecessors, becoming ghosts of the steppe. There can never be a reign without strict control, like the current khan’s.
But what can I do? It’s an incomprehensible and impossible situation, but it’s actually happening. In that case, I have no choice but to think of a solution rather than denying reality.
If the khan’s control is weak, we must exploit that gap to expand the empire’s influence. And as the number of tribes that submit to the empire increases, so will the information we can gather about this strange situation.
‘The shaman of the pagans.’
In that sense, the Barandaga tribe reported by the quartermaster is the top priority for absorption. Religion doesn’t just stop at religion; it permeates everyday life, so it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s the foundation of the nomads.
The only stumbling block is that they’re pagans, but…
‘The eternal blue sky.’
Suddenly, I thought of the incident of the World Tree’s revival that the prince had reported.
The World Tree, which had disappeared due to Apelles’s misdeeds, was revived during Keplofen’s time, a monumental event that I had looked into in detail. I also learned that the cause was the chief inspector, who had come into contact with the power of a god other than Enen.
I couldn’t believe how the chief inspector could be involved in the revival of the World Tree, but now I can see that it was truly a blessing from the Great Emperor.
‘The northern god revived the World Tree through the people of the empire.’
In that case, there is no justification for suppressing them simply because they are pagans. The World Tree is also an important existence from the perspective of the Dawn Order.
As soon as I made my decision, I activated the communicator. Even at this moment, the war continues, and the soldiers of the empire are shedding blood in a foreign land. If there is a way to bring the war to an end even a little sooner, it is the duty of a monarch to act quickly.
– Your Majesty’s humble servant to Your Majesty—
“Summon Cardinal Rishiuko. I have much to say.”
I cut off the words of the bowing palace official and gave the order.
Cardinal Rishiuko, the head of the Diocese of Ausen, is the most powerful figure in the Dawn Order in the empire. He is also aware of the details of the World Tree’s revival to some extent, so it will be quick to persuade him.
***
As I entered the barracks after receiving the quartermaster’s summons, I saw a multi-stage map—no, a map of the north—spread out that I had received from Count Kaitana. It was a token of loyalty, marking the territories of the tribes that had clearly expressed their intention to surrender.
“Inspector. Have you heard anything about the territory of the Barandaga tribe?”
I shook my head at the quartermaster’s question as I looked down at the map.
“I have not heard anything about that. I have heard that several tribes have moved their territories in the past three years, including the Barandaga tribe.”