While Kent and his companions were busy reopening the shop, an important meeting was being held at the Royal Castle with the King and Queen.
“This should be considered a declaration of war by the Duchy.”
“We lost Lord Randolph to the hands of the detestable Duchy, and many lives were lost within the castle. We have reached our limit. We should retaliate immediately.”
“If we do not immediately raise our soldiers and invade the Duchy, our anger will not subside, and we cannot predict public opinion. We must avenge those who lost their lives.”
This meeting was about the military invasion carried out by the Duchy the other day. The Kingdom was in chaos, but after the funeral for the deceased was over, a discussion was held at this timely moment of calm.
“Everyone, please calm down. I am also heartbroken to have lost my son. However, we must not move the country with anger and hatred alone. First, we must organize the information.”
As soon as the meeting began, voices arose from those who were still angry about the loss of First Prince Randolph and many others during the battle at the Royal Castle, demanding retaliation. While understanding their feelings, the King insisted that information organization should come first. No one dared to defy the King’s words, and silence fell upon the room where the meeting was being held.
“I say this again, this meeting is to organize information and discuss how the Kingdom should proceed. Now, please continue.”
The King lowered his tone, urging everyone to discuss calmly, and then yielded the floor to a military officer who was having trouble starting the discussion.
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will now proceed with the meeting.”
The military officer began reporting on the Duchy’s Army’s movements, the Kingdom’s damage status, and the details of the battle, based on the documents he had brought.
“The ones who fought inside the castle were a vanguard unit of the Duchy’s Army. After capturing the castle with a small force, the Duchy’s Army Main Force planned to occupy the castle and the town of Tiol. This is information obtained from captured Duchy’s Army prisoners. Furthermore, we have confirmed the existence of an informant within our Kingdom who assisted in this operation. We also know that they leaked information about our national military exercise, luring the Duchy’s Army into the Royal Castle during a period when our defenses were weakened. The name of the mastermind is…”
The military officer reported that there was an informant within the Kingdom during the Duchy’s invasion.
“I am surprised that he was the informant.”
“Why would a former minister who served the country do such a thing?”
“Did he harbor ambitions to take over this country?”
For the first time at the meeting, the name of the former minister, Cedric’s father, was revealed as the informant, and those present who were unaware of the situation exclaimed in surprise.
“Regarding this person, a judgment will be made according to the laws of the Kingdom, including any accomplices. Also, since there are no provisions for prisoner exchange with the Duchy regarding the Duchy’s Army prisoners captured in this battle, they will be held in prison until their fate is decided.”
“The Kingdom’s laws are too lenient. The prisoners should be given the death penalty.”
” ” “That’s right, that’s right.” ”
The military officer calmly reported on the handling of the informant. It was stated that the treatment of the prisoners would be deferred as there were no agreed-upon regulations with the Duchy, and when those who were still enraged by this alone voiced their opinions, many others joined in.
“I believe I understand everyone’s feelings. Personally, I think this matter is too lenient. However, our country is a nation of laws. Even the King must abide by the established laws. If we distort the law based on emotions, the very foundation of our country will collapse.”
Hearing the King’s firm declaration, those who had been speaking fell silent.
“The reports are finished. Next, we will discuss the treatment of the Duke’s Army Detachment, which, after escaping the military exercise, rushed to provide reinforcements to the Royal Guard unit that was struggling during the battle at the Royal Castle. Although they ultimately succeeded in rescuing the King and Queen, it remains a violation of military discipline. We will discuss how to handle this.”
After all the various reports were concluded, the discussion began. First, it was about the treatment of the Duke’s Army Detachment, which had participated as reinforcements in the battle at the Royal Castle. Despite their achievements in rescuing the King and Queen, escaping the kingdom’s established training was a violation of military discipline.
“I commend Duke’s command for sending reinforcements, even at the risk of violating military discipline.”
“Since it was a small detachment and not the main force, couldn’t it be considered the minimum necessary deployment to not affect training?”
“No, it is undeniably a violation of military discipline. I believe a considerable punishment is appropriate.”
The participants expressed their various opinions: some argued for punishment, some praised their brave actions, and others suggested a compromise that balanced the violation with their achievements.
“Hmm, I would like to ask Duke what his thoughts were in dispatching the detachment to the castle. I heard that when the Royal Castle was attacked, the detachment was still engaged in combat training with other units on the training ground.”
The King questioned the Duke about his intentions in sending the detachment to the castle.
“Actually, I was surprised when I received a report from a messenger of the detachment while I was in charge of training. While training, I received a report that the detachment had left the training ground, and by then they had already disappeared from the training ground and deployed troops to the castle. The subsequent events are as reported. It was a unilateral departure by the detachment captain, but as he belongs to the Duke’s Army, the responsibility for leaving training lies with me.”
The Duke, who was present at the meeting, described the situation at the time and stated that he had not ordered it, but the detachment had acted independently.
“So, if I understand correctly, Duke, the detachment captain acted on his own?”
“That is correct.”
When the King confirmed with the Duke, the Duke replied that it was indeed the case.
“The one leading the detachment was Lady Elnet, wasn’t it? It’s unfair to punish her for saving the King and Queen.”
“That’s right. Instead of punishment, her achievements should be praised.”
“But, it’s strange. According to the report, it’s as if they moved from the training ground to the castle in an instant.”
“That’s true. How did they travel that distance?”
The majority opinion was that Elnet, who led the Duke’s Army Detachment, should not be punished and her achievements should be praised. However, questions were raised by those unaware of the details, as records showed the detachment fighting other units on the training ground at the time of the Royal Castle’s attack.
“I will explain that matter.”
The Queen, who had been silent until then, spoke up.
“The means by which the Duke’s Army Detachment traveled to the Royal Castle was due to divine intervention. You all remember the resurrection of the Country God, who had been missing for many years. To save the country from crisis, we dispatched the Duke’s Army Detachment, who would achieve the maximum results with the minimum scale.”
” ” “Rumble, rumble, rumble.” ”
“Does God truly exist?”
“No, but considering the means of transport, that’s the only thing we can think of.”
The Queen’s words were met with voices of doubt from those present.
“Everyone, we must express our gratitude to God, who extended a helping hand to protect our Kingdom. Protecting the nation from crisis is the highest priority. This is more important than any training. It is unforgivable to punish the Duke’s Army Detachment for carrying this out without hesitation. Furthermore, this was done by God’s judgment, and the Duke’s Army Detachment was caught up in it. There is no one in our law who can judge a Country God. Therefore, there is no one to hold responsible for this matter.”
“What the Queen has said is true. Therefore, this matter is resolved.”
” ” “Yes.” ” ”
The Queen’s opinion was adopted by the King, and the punishment for the Duke’s Army Detachment, who had left training, was rescinded.
“Next, regarding the details of the battle that took place in front of the Sanctuary…”
Subsequently, a detailed report on the battle in front of the Sanctuary was presented.
“The final report concerns the Duchy’s Army Main Force, which was positioned on the plains far from the Royal Castle. We had information that approximately 10,000 soldiers had gathered in the area, but when we sent an investigation team, we recovered what appeared to be remnants of Duchy soldiers, but we could not confirm the presence of any Duchy soldiers. Additionally, there were several huge holes in the vicinity that could not possibly have been created by human hands, and the area was in a very dangerous state. You all know this much. New information we received earlier reports that all the large holes have been filled in.”
” ” “Murmurs.” ”
“We heard they were huge holes, but how were they filled?”
“Even with many people dispatched, wouldn’t it take a long time to fill all the holes?”
When the military officer reported that the large holes that had formed near where the Duchy’s Army had been stationed had been filled, those present exclaimed in surprise.
“Regarding the state of these filled holes, are they passable for people and carriages?”
“Yes, according to the investigation, the ground is as solid as if it had been leveled, and there are no obstacles to the passage of carriages.”
“Hmm, strange things do happen.”
When the King inquired about the condition of the filled area, the military officer replied that it had been neatly leveled, to the point where carriages could pass.
“Now, we will move on to the next agenda item. In response to the attack by the Duchy this time, we will decide at this meeting how our Kingdom should deal with it.”
After the reports and the decisions made regarding the responses so far and disciplinary actions, the most important agenda item was reached. Up until this point, the discussion had been about past events, but from here on, it would focus on future actions.
“To avenge the fallen Prince, we have no choice but to retaliate against the Duchy.”
“To mourn those who died in this battle, we must show our strength to the Duchy.”
From the beginning of the meeting, the direction was already towards invading the Duchy, and similar opinions were raised by many.
“Everyone, have you forgotten the existence of the Forest that separates our Kingdom and the Duchy? That Forest has anciently resisted the passage of a large number of people, such as an army, at once. It is possible that many lives will be lost, as in past expeditions.”
The Queen spoke to everyone, who were leaning towards invading the Duchy, about the Forest that separated the Kingdom and the Duchy. The Kingdom had invaded the Duchy through this Forest several times in the past. All of them had ended in failure with heavy casualties, hindered by the mysterious power of the Forest.
“Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Duchy deployed 10,000 soldiers near the Royal Castle. It is presumed that the Forest’s ill-fated effect has subsided. We judge that it is now possible to advance into the Duchy should we pass through.”
A military officer presented a counterargument to the Queen’s opinion, representing the military’s perspective.
“That’s right. If we’re going to counterattack, now is the time.”
“The Forest’s effect is just superstition.”
“We, the strong Kingdom’s Army, will not be defeated by such things.”
The Queen’s opinion did not have the power to change the minds of the participants, including the military, and the consensus leaned towards advancing into the Duchy to return the pain they had suffered.
