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The information gathered about the Emperor through Elves, Dwarves, and the like was… well, it left me thinking, “Wow, how did such a person end up on the Emperor’s throne?”

I began to wonder if there could be an army that could rival this one. No, as far as I know, there’s never been an army quite like this.

They simply cause some trouble and start a war—this world probably has no greater army than that.

Anyway.

“An army of thousands… frankly, those stationed in Betelgeuse could handle that just fine.”

“Well, thousands, huh? If we unleashed a firestorm with our Dwarven inventions, they’d scatter like nothing!”

The calm Elf and the bold Dwarf—the two rival races didn’t seem to entertain the thought of losing.

In reality, if they were to fight, they probably wouldn’t lose.

Among the Elves and Dwarves in Betelgeuse, excluding the elderly or frail who couldn’t battle, everyone was a warrior, an archer, a spirit mage, or an inventor.

A mere few thousand wouldn’t stand a chance against Betelgeuse; they’d need at least tens of thousands to pose a serious threat.

However.

“Surely you understand that fighting won’t lead to good outcomes, yes?”

At my words, the representatives of the Elves and Dwarves nodded slightly.

The biggest issue was this: Betelgeuse must not go to war.

Positioned in North Romania, Betelgeuse was politically ruled by the Elves and Dwarves, even though it lay within human territory.

Of course, humans could come and go as they pleased… but no noble, lord, or even the Emperor could lay a hand on Betelgeuse.

What if Betelgeuse went to war with humans and North Romania?

Naturally, it would become a city isolated in the heart of enemy territory.

Like West Berlin after WWII, it would turn into an island of land that couldn’t be reached from anywhere.

If that happened… well, there’d only be a future of starving to death.

Or abandoning Betelgeuse and fleeing.

That would only be a possibility if North Romania let them go, though.

“Still, we cannot hand over Betelgeuse to them.”

“Rumor has it that the foolish Emperor is eyeing not only the beautiful Dwarves and Elves but even the Dragon Priestess! If we leave that Emperor alone, the honor of the Priestess will be tarnished!”

Hmm? Rumor?

As I tilted my head, the expressions of the two representatives stiffened.

“Th-the Priestess? You haven’t heard about the rumors?”

“What rumors?”

“Um, well… is it right to tell the Priestess about this…?”

What kind of rumors could it be? Surely, it’s not something like wanting to make the Dragon Priestess a concubine—it couldn’t be that ridiculous.

“……”

“……”

The Elves and Dwarves stayed silent.

What the? Seriously, what kind of rumor is causing this atmosphere?

“If you could just tell me, I could find out quickly—what’s the rumor?”

At my words, the two representatives hesitated before speaking.

“Well, um… I wonder if it’s really okay to say this…”

“It’s too early for the Dragon Priestess to hear such rumors. Just know that there are rumors that someone is trying to do something ill to her.”

What? Is there truly a rumor about wanting to take me as a concubine?

Hmm. This is bad.

I tried to remain composed as I looked at the two representatives and said.

“Understood. Let’s come up with a countermeasure.”

What’s important now is how to resolve this issue without war.

Okay, let’s think about the prerequisites.

1. War must not occur.

2. We must protect Betelgeuse.

These two take priority. If war breaks out, many will die, so it must not happen, and if Betelgeuse falls into the hands of humans, the Elves and Dwarves will be enraged and start a war.

Honestly, I think it wouldn’t matter if we just handed over one city… but from the Elves’ and Dwarves’ standpoint, giving that city to humans, where both races have been competing fiercely, would severely damage their pride.

They’d be incredibly furious. Yeah.

If that happens… there won’t be war right now, but the Elves and Dwarves may come to see North Romania as a temporary enemy.

Then, well, it goes without saying what would happen next. Despite the considerable strength of North Romania, it wouldn’t be able to hold out when surrounded by enemies.

How could they stop enemies pushing in from all sides? South Romania isn’t doing anything about it either.

Thus, the best option would be to disband the army that aims to seize Betelgeuse… but hmm.

“According to the scouts, the advancing army is the Emperor’s Imperial Guards, raised personally by the Emperor.”

“Imperial Guards?”

“Yes. A military force that is always summoned solely for war.”

The Emperor’s private army, huh? Hmm… that’s a peculiar concept in this era.

Normally, armies are formed by gathering commoners or nobles. There aren’t usually any that are always summoned.

Hmm. If they’re always summoned… their training might be better than other armies. Their loyalty would also likely be high.

What should we do? Hmm.

“Can’t we just wipe them out and bury them without anyone knowing?”

“That’s a shortsighted thought, like your height.”

“What! Did you just say that!?”

“Enough.”

I stop the Elves and Dwarves, who look like they might fight at any moment. Hmm. The problems outside are troublesome enough; the issues inside are no cakewalk either.

“Now’s not the time to fight each other. If you have the time to growl at each other, let’s focus on coming up with a plan.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ugh…”

At least the Elves and Dwarves listen to me well, which is a relief. If not, I would have left long ago.

So, what shall we do? Hmm.

The fact that only the Emperor’s soldiers have come, without any other nobles, means… it’s impossible to divide with conflicts among the nobles.

No, that’s not right. It’s not impossible to divide even if only the Emperor’s soldiers are present.

Since they’re humans, fraud exists, and there are various means to lower morale.

In this case… hmm. Should I use the Church of Life’s influence?

Actually, it seems I’m involved in the rumors circulating as well. If I use several out-of-the-blue tactics before they actually go to war to crush their morale…

Wouldn’t they become disinclined to fight?

Of course, there’s the variable of the Emperor commanding directly, but I’ve heard he’s being thoroughly criticized as a foolish Emperor… no matter how loyal the Emperor’s direct troops are, if their morale crumbles, they won’t fight.

Alright. Let’s go with that. If necessary, I can directly confront the Emperor for physical persuasion.

It might be a hassle, but it’s better than having war break out and spilling blood.

“How much longer until their army reaches Betelgeuse?”

“According to the scout’s report, around 7 days… if they hurry, it could be about 6 days.”

“7 days… no, thinking of it as 6 days… we should hurry a little.”

At my words, the Elf representative looked at my face and asked.

“Have you thought of a good idea?”

“Well, whether good or not… I think we just need to make it so they can’t go to war.”

“That’s true, but… how easy will that be? Those greedy humans won’t give up easily.”

Well, that’s true. Humans’ greed is endless, and they repeat the same mistakes… um, maybe not.

Regardless, I can’t deny that humans are greedy.

“Whether by choice or by force, if we make it impossible for them to go to war, that’s all there is to it.”

“But how…?”

“I’ve got a bit of an idea. If you’re willing, could you help me a little?”

I looked at the Elves and Dwarves and smiled slightly, as the representatives of both races nodded slightly, looking somewhat dazed.

Alright. It’s time to stir the pot.

For daring to start a war at a time when I’ve come down, I will repay it with some deep-rooted chaos!

—

The army marching toward Betelgeuse began to experience strange occurrences at some point.

“Damn it. The road is all messed up again.”

“At this rate, the carts can’t pass.”

For some reason, the road leading to Betelgeuse was a complete and utter muddy mess.

“What the heck? Why is there snow piled up?”

“There’s no way we can camp until the snow removal is finished…”

Even though it’s the North, it shouldn’t be the season for unexpected snow to be piling up.

“What’s this flour! It’s gone moldy!!”

“What? No way!! It’s flour that was prepared with great care in Sirius!!”

“We can’t eat this! Damn it!”

The precious food has rotted and become moldy.

“Ugh!!! My stomach!!! My stomach!!!”

“Patient! We have a patient here!!! Isolate them!!!”

“Is this already the third person… Surely we need to request help from the Church of Life…”

“You fool! Haven’t you heard the rumors?! The Church of Life will actually help us!!!”

Due to a mysterious disease, patients kept popping up.

“Looks like this war was cursed by the gods…”

“Sure, it may be true for Elves and Dwarves, but the Church of Life? Picking a fight with the Church is suicide, isn’t it?”

“Ugh… should I desert…?”

The soldiers’ morale was plummeting.

—

“According to the rumors, they say the Emperor has an undefeated flag. Is that really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“They say the power of the undefeated flag lasts through several records. Under that flag, the morale of those fighting does not break. They’re said to have infinite vitality.”

I nodded slightly at the Elf representative’s words. I had indeed placed such a blessing.

“But, I wonder if just this kind of hindrance could shake the morale of those under that flag…”

“Certainly, if they fight under the flag.”

“Yes?”

Seeing the Elf representative not understanding, I smiled slightly.

“The power of that flag only applies to those fighting beneath it.”

That’s right. The undefeated flag has the limitation of ‘those who fight.’

In other words, it means it can do nothing about non-combat losses!

If you can’t engage directly, you can just nibble away at them by using various means from a distance!

Of course, the morale boost effect would kick in if they entered into combat, but beforehand we can do as much as possible to reduce their numbers or create plenty of deserters and patients!

Surely, wouldn’t a reasonable commander retreat when half the troops have fled or fallen ill?

 

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