The Reason It Was A Training Battle Was...

“Thank you all for gathering today for the military review of our Einheria Army. That said, what you will be watching is a simple training battle. Each tent has been provided with a map of the training grounds and playing pieces, so please make use of them if you wish.”

Kiriku began his greeting and explanation of the exercise in a clear, ringing voice.

Incidentally, the purpose of the exercise was very simple. We would show them a training battle by our army, flaunt our military power, and scare them… or rather, have them recognize that being protected by Einheria was something they could feel safe about.

The thing the retainers of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom were least convinced about was the dismantling of their own national army and entrusting all national defense to Einheria.

Of course, there were also factions happy about the significant reduction in military expenses… but if you thought about it normally, entrusting your own defense to people from another country was not something that could be accepted so easily.

Or rather, Efaria was the strange one for gladly accepting it.

It was hard to imagine that people from another country would risk their lives to protect them when the time came… and there was no telling when the power that had promised to protect them might bare its fangs at them instead.

From the Lufelon Holy Kingdom’s perspective, rather than trusting us, they were probably wondering just who and where this country called Einheria had come from.

That was precisely why the idea was to show Einheria’s overwhelming power in an easy-to-understand way and, for the time being, make them bow their heads.

Trust was not something that could be gained immediately anyway… It was something that only came into being after spending time showing results and giving benefits.

So this was fine at the start… If we were enemies, we would only be terrifying, but if we were allies, there would be no army more reassuring than this. If we could make them think that way, today’s objective would be achieved.

“This time, I, Kiriku, will command the blue army. And the one commanding the red army will be her, Ilmitt.”

When Kiriku announced the commanders, a not-insignificant stir rose from each of the tents.

Well, that was probably inevitable… Around this area, it seemed it was not very common for women to stand on the battlefield.

The commander was a woman… and on top of that, Ilmitt had that airy, fluffy atmosphere… She must have looked like someone far removed from a soldier.

Incidentally, the reason we divided the armies into red and blue rather than red and white was… because if we used red and white, everyone would complain that they wanted white and hated red.

Einheria was technically the white nation, after all… My title was Overlord, so my color was black, but originally, white was Einheria’s color.

Incidentally, the composition of both armies had been decided by the commanders, Kiriku and the others, through their own recruitment. There could be up to six generals, one of whom would be the supreme commander, and if the supreme commander’s army was destroyed, that side lost.

When forming their armies, both of them tried to invite Lynferia, but she refused instantly because she had to guard me. Well, apparently both of them had only asked just in case anyway.

Since this was a rare opportunity, I had come into today without asking what their army compositions were… I was very much looking forward to seeing how the two of them would operate their armies.

“Your Majesty, King of Einheria, Lady Ilmitt is… the Minister of the Interior, is she not? Lord Kiriku is the strategist, so I can understand him, but will she be all right?”

After hearing that Ilmitt would be commanding, Efaria, who was beside me, asked with a slightly worried look.

Efaria had many chances to interact with Ilmitt, and she also knew what Ilmitt was usually like, so it was only natural for her to feel uneasy.

“There will be no problem if it is Ilmitt. In terms of military command ability, she ranks among the top five in Einheria.”

Ilmitt’s abilities had been specialized toward domestic affairs, but she also fully met the requirements needed for a strategist… because in the game, the position with the most screen time, or rather the most dialogue, was the strategist.

I honestly understood very well the occasional desire to change the character supporting you into a girl for a change of pace.

…No, since the person she was based on was the same as me, it was only natural that I understood it well… but that did not matter.

Well, for that reason, Ilmitt was also fully equipped with abilities suited for a strategist.

“I see… Come to think of it, Your Majesty, King of Einheria, you are wearing armor. Have you stood on the battlefield before?”

Now that she mentioned it, was this the first time I had shown Efaria myself in armor? Technically, while Efaria had been staying in our castle, I had fought a battle against the Kingdom of Est, but…

“I have yielded command today to those two, but normally, I am often the one who takes command. Are you interested in battlefields, Holy King?”

“…No, I am… not well-versed in tactics or military strategy. The Lufelon Holy Kingdom has never once launched a foreign campaign since the beginning of its recorded history, but even so, we have repelled invasions from other countries many times. However, during my reign and the reign of my predecessor, we were never attacked by another country…”

“Well, it is not exactly a good thing for a king to stand on the battlefield personally. In Einheria, it is normal for me to go out onto the battlefield… but in other countries, if something happened to the king or a member of the royal family after they went to war… especially if it became a defeat, that would be a great crisis.”

“Why do you stand on the battlefield, even at the risk of danger, Your Majesty, King of Einheria?”

“People have things they are suited for and unsuited for… and I am suited for commanding on the battlefield. Besides, regardless of the process, in the end, I am the one who decides whether we fight. I almost never swing my sword on the battlefield, but even so, I want to place myself on the field where that battle occurs.”

“…”

“I would not go so far as to call it a duty. Besides, the Einheria Army is the strongest army. Even on the battlefield, there is no place safer than headquarters, you know?”

When I said that with a shrug, Efaria gave a small smile.

Well, I had never gone to a battlefield that was truly dangerous… No, I had been nervous at first. During the battle with Karmos, for example… But recently, I felt like I had become optimistic, thinking that somehow or another, things would work out.

I did think that was not a very good tendency… Yes, today I would watch two armies of the same level clash, study it, and use it to tighten my focus.

“It will begin soon…”

“Why are Lord Kiriku and Lady Ilmitt in the tent over there? Will they command from here?”

Apparently, Efaria found it strange that Kiriku and the others, who would be giving commands, were staying here instead of entering the ranks of the army they had deployed.

“Yes, that is right. Kiriku and the others will command from there.”

Now then, I supposed I should prepare too.

Kiriku and the others would command from a tent near ours, but the method was the same as usual.

Using my Hawk Eye, I would share my vision with both Kiriku and Ilmitt, and using Hawk Voice and Hawk Ear, I would send Kiriku and Ilmitt’s orders to each of their armies.

I was something like a relay station. Of course, I would devote myself to relaying and would not interfere… but the instant I passed a strategy to the wrong side, the exercise would be ruined… It seemed like I would be quite busy, and the responsibility was heavy.

Viewpoint of Krielt-Smark, General of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, Count

Our House Smark had served as the family responsible for the military of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom for generations.

The reason our country, which had never conducted foreign campaigns, had maintained an army was solely to eliminate threats from foreign enemies… We had continued to sharpen our blades in order to protect the Holy King, the people, and the nation.

There were no few people both inside and outside the country who mocked us as an army that did not actually fight.

Looking back through history, there were no fewer than ten nations that had looked down on us and invaded in an attempt to seize the territory of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom.

However, we had defeated every last one of them.

The army of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom was not a weak army that had never launched a campaign since the beginning of recorded history. It was a mighty army that had never once been defeated since the beginning of recorded history.

It was true that our actual combat experience could not compare to countries that waged war repeatedly, but exercises conducted just like real battles and daily training never allowed our skills to dull.

Above all else, the strong will to protect the nation to the end had elevated us into an undefeated army.

And yet, His Majesty the current Holy King… no, the regent ordered the army’s dissolution and declared that national defense would henceforth be entrusted to the army of another country.

This was an insult to us… No, one could say that the regent had spat not only on our pride, but even on the history of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom.

Recently, it was true that the chancellor faction’s momentum had pushed forward movements among the nobles that slighted His Majesty the Holy King.

That was likely why, in order to regain that authority, the regent joined hands with a country called Einheria.

Certainly, thanks to that, the regent faction regained its strength, and they were able to remove the chancellor and every last fool who had tried to harm His Majesty the Holy King.

Furthermore, many who had engaged in corruption were dismissed, and one could say that the upper ranks of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom had become far more open and clean… but there were also those who suspected that this merely meant the influence of the country called Einheria had grown stronger.

I was a man of arms, and I was ignorant of things such as power struggles.

Precisely because of that, while standing at the side of His Majesty the still-young Holy King, I had even considered whether I should strike down the regent who had invited in a foreign enemy called Einheria.

It was not out of pride as one entrusted with the military… I wondered whether I should act because I was concerned for the nation and His Majesty the Holy King.

However, one day… the regent himself came to visit me. His eyes were utterly clear, and they did not seem like the eyes of a man who had permitted the intervention of another country for his own gain, so I decided to listen to what the regent had to say.

After hearing the regent’s story, I, who had been entrusted with the army and had called myself the shield of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, felt ashamed of myself… By focusing on martial matters and keeping myself away from politics and power, I had failed to notice even a fragment of the outrageous situation that had been progressing within the Holy Kingdom I was supposed to protect.

The difference in strength between us and the enemy was far too great, and responding seemed impossible. That was precisely why the regent sought power outside… and that power was Einheria.

The regent, who had borrowed that power and prevented the Kingdom of Sorakil’s conspiracy, said that if things continued as they were, the Lufelon Holy Kingdom would have no future.

This time, the country was protected by Einheria’s power. However, considering the recent state of affairs, some country would reach out its hand toward the Lufelon Holy Kingdom again before long… and when that happened, would we be able to protect the country by our own strength? The Kingdom of Sorakil surely had not given up on our country either, he said.

Of course, as the one responsible for the Holy Kingdom’s military power, I wanted to raise my voice and say that we naturally could.

However, the one that had reached out its hand toward our country this time was the Kingdom of Sorakil… not a country of the same scale as those the Holy Kingdom had fought until now, but a far more powerful nation.

Precisely because I thought of the country, there was no way I could make an easy promise.

As I was at a loss for words, the regent bowed his head deeply and said this… That was precisely why we would enter Einheria’s protection… In this age when the world had begun to fall into disorder, there was no country more reliable than that one.

Naturally, when I told the regent that I could not accept it based on those words alone, he told me that he wanted me to judge Einheria’s strength for myself.

Einheria’s technological power was clearly superior. One need only look at absurd things such as that teleportation device to understand that at a glance, but that did not mean its army was strong.

I had no intention whatsoever of entrusting the country to an army that did not possess the resolve to protect a nation, but even more than that, an army without power was nothing but a harmful evil… What was needed now was power great enough to stand against the Kingdom of Sorakil.

If Einheria possessed that power, then even if I were stained with humiliation and branded incompetent… for the sake of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, I would even swallow a blade.

However, I did not think I could be convinced of that through something as small as a mere exercise.

Even so… if possible, I wanted them to let me find even a single fragment of hope.

Otherwise, I would have to stop Einheria’s intervention, even if it meant striking down the regent. Even if that path led to the ruin of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, it would still be somewhat better than ending its history as nothing more than a puppet state.

Perhaps people might call it worthless pride… I myself thought it was certainly not a choice that could be called considerate of the people… But I could not allow the name of the Holy Kings, praised for generations as wise rulers, to become that of a puppet king at the very end.