Three days later...
Using his Grace comms, Nobunaga reported the results of the battle to Marika, who was far away in Stormveil.
"My Lord, these are the statistics of the casualties and the number of prisoners."
"Very well, Nobunaga. Continue to maintain the current state of affairs, and keep up your mobility. The main army of Inrud will try to hunt you down once they feel threatened enough by your forces, so don't be tempted to fight when you come across them."
"I will remember that. However, there is one more important matter that I would like you to decide, my lord."
"Speak freely."
"During this period of time, there are many merchants traveling with our army, and whenever we set up camp, they will set up stalls and trade with the soldiers. What do you think should be done about these merchants?"
Marika immediately smelled something wrong when she heard the question posed by Nobunaga.
'He shouldn't have to ask me this kind of question, right? Hm... I see, is it to test my administrative skills? That's good, then let's do it!
Although she understood the curiousness in Nobunaga's words, Marika wasn't afraid of the challenge, so she spoke confidently:
"No matter, Nobunaga, just let the merchants enter the army and trade as much as they want. You can buy from them when you need supplies. But..! Be sure to have them watched to make sure there are no spies among them. Also, I will issue a decree that traders with special passes will be exempt from taxes when trading with our army. Of course, if anyone is dishonest in their trade, you will revoke their passes immediately. In addition, the merchants who contribute the most money will be the first to establish businesses in the occupied areas. This should encourage them to refrain from playing small tricks to fill their own pockets."
"Wise decision my lord, I will do as you command."
"Then that's all for now, I look forward to your next battle report. Goodbye."
After saying that, Marika ended the communication.
At this moment, on Nobunaga's end, he was surrounded by his two partners, Toyohisa and Yoichi.
"So? Did she pass?"
Toyohisa asked excitedly.
"Uh-huh. She passed with a perfect score."
Nobunaga smiled softly in satisfaction, then relayed Marika's strategy to his two friends.
"It is indeed a good strategy. This will increase the initiative of the merchants, and at the same time allow our men to fulfill their material desires."
Yoichi nodded and said.
"You are right, Yoichi. It seems that our lord is fully aware that her army is not full of those religious madmen from her home country. Instead of relying on vague honor and religious beliefs, concrete benefits will make them work harder. Without the merchants, the soldiers' rates would only be useful after the war. The same goes with the rewarded land. So the merchants were useful for the soldiers to buy better equipment and goods to reward themselves. Then when the money ran out, they would fight harder in exchange for more rates. It's a good idea to kill two birds with one stone!"
Nobunaga laughed coldly, but in his heart, he was still satisfied with Marika's answer.
"Yet you are fully capable of coming up with that plan yourself, lazy oldman."
Toyohisa said to Nobunaga in a mocking tone.
"Hey! You punk, I'm usually the one who does the thinking here, so why can't I have a little help here?"
Nobunaga retorted with a sense of humor.
While the Drifters were having fun bantering, Marika was not in the best of moods.
"Damn it, can't those Inrudians give me a break for one day?"
Marika grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.
It was true that Nobunaga had been sending good news of his victories from time to time. However, war is still war. Every report of victory was followed by a report that a village had been looted or massacred by the Inrudian troops or their mercenaries. And she was saddened by the constant stream of Inrudian soldiers and mercenaries who died like cannon fodder as well. Her NewType sensitivity prevented Marika from fully recognizing the soldiers on both sides as pawns to be sacrificed at any time. Marika had suffered enough from the harassment of the Kingdom of Inrudians and their use of soldiers as cannon fodder.
"Alright then. Then I'll just take down the northern and western territories! You won't run from me, Nicholas."
Sensing Marika's thoughts, the system issued a timely mission.
"Mission Trigger: Host is requested to completely capture the northern and western territories of the Kingdom of Inrud, leaving the capital of Inrud in a desperate pinch. Mission Difficulty: Difficult. Mission Reward: Elden Ring Gacha pull x1, Multiverse Gacha pull x1, Unlock "Carian Knight" Moongrum, Trolls, "Carian knight troll" Bols."
"Trolls?"
Noticing the rewards in the quest, Marika's interest in the quest increased quite a bit. Whether it was construction work, cargo transportation, or warfare, trolls were a useful force.
"Ok, I'll discuss the matter of launching an army with everyone at tomorrow's morning court."
Thinking of this, Marika also finished signing the official documents at hand.
"Okay, that's all for today. Time to go home and see my darling!"
[Author's Recommended BGM: Signalis OST - Train Ride]
Night...
After accompanying her two children to eat the dinner that she had personally made, Marika returned to her bedroom.
At the moment, Marika was lying on Bedivere's lap, chatting with him in a relaxed manner. After half a year of dating, both of them had become more and more accustomed to intimate contact. For Marika, it was similar to the joy of coloring on white paper.
Both Bediverend Marika were dressed in their regular plain clothes. Marika wore a plain black dress, while Bedivere had a simple white shirt and brown trousers.
"Darling, how do you think you would feel if I were to send an army to take down the northern and western territories of the Inrudians?"
Marika asked as she closed her eyes and enjoyed Bedivere stroking her hair.
"The Inrudians are a nuisance to your people, and it would indeed be wise to dispose of them sooner rather than later. But... that's not really what's bothering you, is it?"
"Well... war is not something one really likes. Unfortunately, in our day and age, it's an obstacle that we can't get around."
Marika expressed her frustration to her lover.
"Master, you really don't like fighting at all, huh? Can you tell me why?"
"Why are you suddenly curious?"
Marika asked, blinking in confusion.
"Nothing, I just want to know more about you, Master."
Hearing this, Marika thought about his question for a few seconds, then answered:
"Maybe it's because some part of me wants to be a hero?"
"A heroic king?"
Bedivere chewed on Marika's words, his mind once again remembering the shining king of knights and her ideals.
"Perhaps it was my parents' teachings, or seeing my children kill each other during the War of the Shattering. It made me think that a heroic leader's ultimate goal would be to build a country free of war, where the people could be free and peaceful and follow their own goals. As their so-called hero, all I have to do is fight for their happiness."
Marika continued, her eyes gradually becoming glazed over.
"But to do that, especially in such a complicated world, I had to give up a lot of things. There's war and there's death, that's a basic truism. But more importantly, in order to protect the people from the enemy, I have to take a certain amount of power away from the people to ensure my government's ability to perform. But by taking away too much of their autonomy, I run the risk of turning the people into unthinking believers. No...that may already be happening, as evidenced by the Church of the Golden Order, and believers like D. They believe in me as God, and this will gradually make them mad, lose their freedom of thought, and eventually go out of control and start a crusade to destroy everything. I am afraid of such a future, the loss of free will...this is not the future mankind should have. But in order to liberate the people who are oppressed by the Inrudian, I have to continue to play the role of the King that everyone expects me to play, and to start the very wars that I hated so much."
Although Marika was talking on the surface, her new Type consciousness was becoming more thorough. But only to a certain extent. Although the final duel in the mission world had indeed elevated Marika's new type abilities, there was still a long way to go before she could be compared to a new type as enlightened as Amuro or Kamile.
"Wouldn't you be worrying too much? I think all these things would only happen a long, long time from now. And as of now, everyone is in favor of you defeating the Inrudians. I think that if Master focuses on the problems at hand, and at the same time makes these concerns your commandment, these future problems will be solved as they come."
Bedivere was gentle in his reassurance of Marika's concerns. Under his gentle touch, Marika was like a gentle, lazy lioness, her inner turmoil gradually calming down.
"Well... you're right. My old habit got the better of me again, always thinking about things that won't happen until a few hundred years from now. I should just do my best with what's right in front of me."
Speaking of this, Marika sat up and her thoughts became clearer. The sentimentalism and idealism that characterized the New Types like Marika would always make her unconsciously think about these profound issues, making her confused by the reality of the problems in front of her. At the moment, fighting and winning for the sake of her people to stop being oppressed by the Inrudian is the main focus, and thinking about the legitimacy of her own rule is purely an act of opening champagne in the middle of the game.
"No matter what the future holds, I will be by your side to support your ideals."
Said Bedivere, gently caressing his lover's face.
"Darling..."
In the late night room, the lovers kissed each other again and spent the rest of the night together.
The scene shifted to the Kingdom of Inrud...
In a brightly lit parlor, Grand Duke Edward was seriously plotting with his supporters.
"Gentlemen, I think you can all see it...the Kingdom of Inrud is doomed."
At these words, his supporters fell into an uneasy silence. But none of them dared to accuse him, for they either had their hand in Edward's, or they were truly loyal to him.
Finally, one of the supporters could not help but ask in as respectful a tone as possible:
"Lord Edward, is there really no need for us to continue our support of His Majesty Nicholas? He is after all-"
Edward, however, shook his head and interrupted the nobleman's words.
"A king should not show his anger easily, and muchless act upon it. His Majesty Nicholas has broken that rule. These two counterattacks have already hurt our foundation. If we continue like this, even with the contract with the Dragon Race, sooner or later this country will be drained of blood and be swallowed up by other countries that are eyeing it."
At this moment, another noble picked up the conversation and said:
"My lord is right. I have also heard that the great lords in the north and the west have been building up their armies on their own, so it is possible that they are already plotting against the throne."
"Exactly, so we have a choice to make now. To join the Empire or the Golden Dynasty."
"Eh? Why those two countries? Wouldn't it be better to support the great lords of the west or the north?"
A noble asked in confusion. Isn't it good to support your own countrymen? What's the point of sucking up to other countries?
Of course, the Elves and Dwarves were automatically ignored. What do you expect if the races are different?
"The northern and western territories do not have enough resources. Besides, their great lords will not be able to make a long-term alliance for the sake of their own voice after the fall of the throne. When Nicholas falls, the two of them would start to fight for power immediately. With their abilities, they will only end up fighting to a mutual end. That's why we, the court officials, need to find a more reliable backer. The Falkeri Empire has deeper roots and a larger territory than us, while the Golden Dynasty has great potential and fighting power."
Edward explained his analysis to the crowd.
"Why don't we wait and see? The power of the Dragon Race is still reliable when necessary. Let's do it this way! Tomorrow at the morning court, I will advise His Majesty to hire Falcurax to create chaos from the Golden Kingdom's borders. That way we can test the true power of the Golden Dynasty. Even if their famed queen decides to deal with him herself, Falcurax will be smart enough to escape without being caught."
A young brown-haired nobleman suggested. But as soon as he mentioned Falcurax's name, the faces of everyone in the room turned as white as white paper.
Although Edward's face also turned pale, he still tried his best to maintain the elegance of a Grand Duke and put on a mocking expression as he said:
"Hmph, Falcurax? That beast is not so easy to control. But if you want to try, go ahead. But don't expect me to follow this sinking ship of a plan."
