Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 350
“Itmay be possible if we approach other tribes besides the Kaitana.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Regrettably, that is the case.”
Count Kaitana, the vanguard of the northern expedition this year, does not know the location of all the tribes. Since the territory of a tribe can change overnight, there is no way to grasp the territory of another tribe in real time without continuous communication.
Moreover, there was a great upheaval in the north when the Kagan suddenly died along with a tribe that was quite powerful. The territory of the powerful tribe was one of the best in the north, and that valuable real estate became an unclaimed blank space. For the tribes that had been watching with their arms crossed, this was a godsend.
The Barandiga tribe did not miss this godsend opportunity, and Count Kaitana, who had not been in contact with the Barandiga tribe, missed the location of the Barandiga tribe.
“However, I heard from another tribe that the Barandiga tribe is moving to the front.”
Fortunately, Count Kaitana had obtained information at the beginning of the war, and thanks to that information, it is said that the Barandiga tribe was identified as neutral.
If it were a tribe of priests whose faith had been trampled on, they would have naturally come running with foam at their mouths, but if their movement was unusually slow, it means that the Barandiga tribe was not yet ready for war. However, it is not a situation where they are completely surrendering, as they are not appealing to the Empire.
“Fortunately, they are not hiding in the rear.”
The warlord, who seemed to be pondering something, raised his head as if relieved after hearing those words. Certainly, the difficulty of ‘finding a tribe hiding somewhere in the north’ and ‘finding a tribe that will come to the front someday’ is not too different.
“His Majesty said that even if they are pagans, he will embrace them if they wish to come under the Empire’s protection.”
“His Majesty’s grace is truly like the sea.”
In fact, he instinctively uttered praise at the words that he would embrace the Barandiga tribe, which is the center of pagan beliefs.
To be honest, judging from the emperor’s character, who values the national interest, I guessed that he would embrace them even if they were pagans, but it is a burden for the emperor of Keplofen, who is favored by Enen and accepts the will of heaven, to accept pagans. Since he has overcome that burden, he should praise the emperor’s decision as a subject.
“When the Barandiga tribe appears on the front lines, I want to make contact, so let the inspector know as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He bowed his head to the warlord and replied.
If we come into contact with the Barandiga tribe, there will be many difficulties, unlike with the Kaitana tribe. First of all, Barandiga does not have a strong will to surrender, and as the last remaining priest in the north, his faith will be outstanding. He will not have very good feelings for me, the culprit who trampled on his faith─
– Priest? There is no such child. They are all dead.
Oh, that’s good. Then there will be no one with a lot of faith.
…
‘Yes?’
Belatedly, I felt a sense of違和感.
The priest, gone?
The Eternal Blue Sky, which had been avoiding the fairies and speaking to me, had entered a state of silence when I entered the north. No matter how much God does not interfere excessively with humans, it must be bitter to see his own nomadic people die up close. In the first place, the headquarters of the Eternal Blue Sky is now the World Tree.
The Eternal Blue Sky, who had been silent, broke the silence and spoke to me for the first time in a long time.
– If there had been even one priest, I would not have fallen so low. Since there is no temple or priest, I have been living in your body.
Along with very shocking news.
Come to think of it, I think I heard a similar story when I first met the Eternal Blue Sky. Damn, why did I forget? Did my memory go bad because of the shock of meeting a god?
‘The priests are annihilated.’
Anyway, with the new information updated, I started to think again. If even the priests of the Barandiga tribe, who did not follow the Kagan, were killed, it means that the Empire, which did not get involved in the war to trample on pagan beliefs, killed even the priests.
This will make it much more difficult to negotiate. How can they trust the empire that attacked them while they were still─
– Oh, the last priest died a natural death. He died of old age in front of his family.
‘…….’
The information has been updated again.
– The son succeeded both the position of chief and the position of priest… but something happened during the succession process and he did not perform the role of priest properly.
Is it because the temple was destroyed? I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth at the words of the Eternal Blue Sky, who was muttering.
‘I’m going crazy.’
“That’s amazing.”
“If Zenobia fights on the front lines again, tell her to just die in the north. So what can we do? Those without titles have to follow quietly.”
It is revealed that the priests of the Barandy tribe have been wiped out, which is expected to make negotiations with the Empire difficult. The northern army is unable to determine the position of the Barandy tribe and is likely to clash with the Empire on the front lines. Commander Wilhelm is directly involved in the battle with his soldiers, and another commander, Georg, criticizes him. Georg describes the horrors of the front lines and argues that the command is not aware of the real situation of the battle. However, Wilhelm says that he is fighting on the front lines to save his soldiers directly.
Why is it that whenever I think about it these days, the results are different from reality?
The dignified escape of the tribes, the splendid henchman of Count Kaitana, and the last priest who lived comfortably and then died out.
‘Damn it.’
Is the north really a demon? I can’t predict even the smallest things.
***
I had lamb yesterday, so should I have horse meat today?
“Chief, we will arrive at the front in a few days. We may clash with the Empire.”
Meanwhile, I’m tired of drinking only mare’s milk every day. The alcohol from the Empire is expensive, so I should be able to drink it freely.
“We must decide our position now! As a priest, will you confront the heresy or follow the trend?”
But I think it’s okay to drink something precious sometimes. Alcohol is meant to be drunk, not to be a decoration.
“Father!”
“I’m listening.”
I answered flatly towards Chatty, who was making a fuss.
I feel a little sorry when I see my only daughter fluttering, but unfortunately, Chatty seems to have too many illusions about the name of the priest.
‘Priest, my ass.’
What use is a priest in a faith that has lost its temple, holy water, hope, and future?
In the last war, our tribe remained neutral because of our father’s old age, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t pay attention at all. The eternal apostle of the blue sky, the high priest, and the Kagan who first unified the nomads. How could we turn away from such an existence pushing the Empire?
However, the apostle went to God. The high priest could no longer spread faith on this land, and the Kagan fell before the sword of the Empire.
We are over. Our beliefs and faith collapsed that day. So being a priest or whatever is a useless name. In such a situation, other guys are looking at me with a slight expectation because I’m a priest.
‘Do you think a priest will be resurrected even if his neck is cut off?’
I’m lucky that the Empire isn’t trying to kill me.
Then I could give up the title of priest, but unfortunately, the biggest factor that binds our tribe is also the name of the priest. Thanks to that, I’ve been wearing this amulet for several years.
That’s why it’s crazy. As Chatty said, I’m too engrossed in this amulet to follow the trend, and my life is too precious to follow a dead faith.
‘Damn life.’
No matter how much I think about it, it’s annoying. I can understand that our tribesmen are united with the authority of the priest, but why do other tribes expect me to do something? Did I offer a single word or a single piece of land because I was a priest?
‘If Kagan were alive, he wouldn’t have been able to open his mouth.’
Anyway, it’s a shitty life.
The nomads’襲擊is a disaster for the soldiers. Overwhelming mobility, a position where they can look down on the enemy while riding on horses, and a shooting range that cannot be compared to ordinary archers. Except for the same cavalry—no, even if they are the same cavalry, the nomads are a devil that is difficult to deal with.
The Empire, which has not fully recovered its cavalry power, has mobilized special forces such as knights and wizards as a countermeasure against the nomads, but unfortunately, it is impossible to deploy special forces in all battles. No matter how superhuman they are, their numbers and stamina are limited, so there is no choice. We have to conserve our stamina as much as possible and only deploy it at the decisive moment.
Tactically, it is the right thing to do. However, conversely, it means that in battles that are not decisive and relatively less important, we have to deal with the nomads in a situation where there is no counter called special forces. The despair that the soldiers will experience is indescribable.
In such despair, the battle that took place today without fail. After the battle was over, there was a body that had lost its head, which seemed natural. Even his limbs were not intact, as if he had been trampled by a horse.
“Wilhelm.”
While looking around the front where the nomads had retreated, I heard Georg’s voice and looked back.
“You fought directly this time too.”
I nodded at the accusing words. There was nothing to hide or reason to hide.
“Is it strange for a commander to fight with his soldiers?”
“It may be possible for a general commander, but it is difficult for a marshal.”
It’s a common-sense statement, but at least it’s not something I want to hear from Georg. Didn’t that bastard fight on the front lines with the title of Marshal in the last war? It’s disgusting to pretend to be a normal person now.
“Even if Zenobia fights on the front lines again, she’ll just die in the north. So what can we do? A man without a title should just follow silently.”
Perhaps noticing my gaze, Georg coughed in vain and made an excuse.
Certainly, Zenobia had desperately tried to dissuade Georg from joining the army. The compromise they had reached was that he would join the army, but he would not fight directly as he had in the past. This was the result of him passing not only the title but also the real power to Zenobia.
“Now that you’ve passed the burden to your child, you should be prepared to be manipulated.”
Unable to refute that, Georg awkwardly closed his mouth.
His successful retirement was the will of His Majesty, but it was true that he had passed the title and duties to his daughter. One must take responsibility for one’s actions.
“Anyway, if you’re a commander, take care of yourself. Even if you’re both wealthy and enlisted, your wife will be worried, and how heartbroken she’ll be if she hears that you’re injured.”
I didn’t like the way he was subtly trying to change the subject, but it wasn’t wrong, so I just frowned. There’s still an arrow stuck in my shoulder.
“Isn’t injury commonplace for a warrior?”
“Ha, I’ll admit it if you can say that in front of your wife.”
Looking at Georg, who was grinning, I pulled out the arrow stuck in my shoulder, and blood gushed out.
Whether I touched a nerve or not, my arm felt strange, but with magic or divine power, an injury of this degree could be healed in no time. Even if my arm was cut off, it could be reattached, so a nerve is nothing.
Yes, it’s nothing. Compared to the soldiers who died fighting desperately against the nomads, this injury is nothing to worry about. It’s a very small price to pay for life.
‘If only there were some kind of decent defenses.’
I sighed involuntarily. The Empire is steadily advancing and expanding its front lines.
However, since it is impossible for the nomads to have castles or fortresses, the only defenses the allied forces had when they occupied other areas were makeshift defenses made of stakes, stones, and sandbags. It’s no wonder that soldiers are dying when they’re trying to hold off the nomads with such defenses.
I went to the front lines myself to prevent that inevitability. Even though I am a general, there is no problem with another noble taking command. In that case, shouldn’t I leave the command to a noble who is capable of commanding, and save as many soldiers as I can on the front lines?
If there are nobles who can save soldiers as commanders, there are also nobles who can save them with force.
“As expected, I can’t get used to the front lines no matter how much I see them.”
And Georg, who had turned his gaze to the fallen soldiers, muttered softly.
“When you’re at headquarters, the nomads have invaded, the front lines are holding, the enemy’s offensive has intensified, and the counterattack has succeeded. The situation is summed up in a single sentence. It sounds like an easy war.”
Georg said that and approached a soldier who hadn’t closed his eyes yet and closed them himself.
“That’s why I think I’m going crazy. There, dozens, hundreds of deaths are just a small sacrifice. If you can repel the enemy with that level of damage, you’re doing great.”
It’s an emotional statement, but I can understand the sentiment. Even if there are casualties in battle, from the perspective of the headquarters overseeing the overall war, it’s just a minor skirmish, a minor loss. That’s why, apart from the fierceness of the front lines, the perception of the headquarters was extremely calm.
I thought I was going crazy when I felt that gap. No, in fact, I still do. I’ve just learned how to endure it.
“But don’t come to the front lines like this. What if your daughter finds out?”
“Is it strange for a warrior to be on the front lines?”
I chuckled at Georg, who repeated my own words back to me.
That’s why I didn’t add anything else. Asking that reckless bastard to stay put at headquarters is like forbidding a beast of prey from eating meat.
In the first place, since this is a front line where the battle is over, I can turn a blind eye to it if it doesn’t break my promise to Zenobia.
“Oh, and I came to tell you something, but I was talking about something else.”