Read Novel Full Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Chapter 298 – Beginning of Hostilities Without Warning
“Yoshua, the Imperial Army is on its way.”
“Hey, that was fast!?”
Unintentionally overreacting like a young comedian, I replied to Myrril. It had been less than an hour since I had declared war on the Shadow Emperor in the conference room.
I came to pick up the Griffon I had left in the care of the Merchant’s Guild to secure my feet when I left the council chamber, but I had only just greeted the new Guildmaster, the giant elf Loringen-shi. Just as we were being ushered into the Guild Master’s office, the communicator in Myrril’s pocket rang.
“The Imperial Army? Your Majesty the Queen, what is the situation? I heard that the peace talks were unsuccessful, but the Emperor has not left the Hagwai yet, has he?”
Loringen-shi tilted his head in front of us, dazed. No, I don’t know anything about that.
“Myrril. Who says they’re on the move, and for how long?”
“First of all, I heard from Rinko that the ‘Doron’ captured a gunboat that was preparing to leave the northern harbor. The escort ships have already left the harbor.”
Northern port. Uh… is that it? That’s the port city they took from the Republic 70 years ago or something. I don’t know the name. I think the Casemaian engineers are planning to take the only port in the Empire. At this point, it might be a good idea to swoop in and take it. We can deprive the Empire of naval power, trade opportunities, and supplies of salt and other sea products. If we can cut through the dark forests in northern Casemaian, we should be able to connect the road to the port.
“The Imperial Army, I didn’t know they still had gunships.”
“Only one large cruiser gunship, an old ship under repair. The rest are five medium-sized transfer ships and two freighters with unknown cargo.”
…Hmm. What are they going to do? At the sight of my gaze, Loringen-shi also tilted his head.
“With that configuration, the best they could do would be Cassmer? The Republic’s naval forces are now assembled at Cassmeer. There are attack mages for sea battles, so we can sink the ship before it gets close. Even if they landed soldiers, it is unlikely that they would be able to do more than harass Cassmeer, as they are well supplied and manned.”
“Hmm? Hey, Myrril, did you say first?”
“Yes, that’s right. In addition, the Imperial Army is currently sending about 2,000 cavalry and infantry to Fort Ilm, the fortress occupied by the Apostles of the Saints. There are about 500 cavalry and 200 horse-drawn sleighs… probably the transport corps. No golem.”
“Is that… reinforcements for the saint? Or a punitive force?”
“I don’t know. The fort is in Republic territory, whatever their intentions. To the Republic, it’s an invasion force.”
“If the Navy’s move is a diversion for them… it makes sense.”
When I said that, Loringen-shi nodded.
“What else, Your Majesty?”
“According to reports from the winged tribe, after sending out 2,000 troops, there seems to be some strange maneuvers going on in the capital.”
“No way. Are they going to invade Casemaian at the same time?”
“No. The two thousand soldiers have been sent to the imperial capital. They must be preparing for a siege.”
The imperial capital is like a huge fortified city, so it’s probably a siege. In a city that is several kilometers long and wide, there is no way to defend it, or maybe there is no point in defending it. I don’t really care because I have no intention of starting a siege.
“The ship and the capital can wait until later. If we have to deal with them, it will be at Fort Ilm.”
Myrrhill spread out the map Rinko had made on the table. The huge old elf looks at the map in such detail that, for a moment, he looks as if he wants to say something, but then he silently turns his gaze back to the map.
“Ilm…… here it is.”
Myrril points to the southwestern part of the former Northern Territories. The map shows a surprisingly large area. The outermost part of the wall is Sarz’s size.
“How long has this been in use, Loringen-shi?”
“About a quarter of a century. It was once an impregnable fortress that repelled several major offensives during the border disputes with the Empire. The border dispute itself has become meaningless since the Empire took over the northern port, as Her Majesty mentioned earlier. Fort Ilm was abandoned and in ruins.”
The Apostles of the Saints took over there and started claiming that they were a third power that belonged to neither the Republic nor the Empire. I think they are probably aiming for something like the Declaration of Independence in my former world, but I am not sure if it is the idea of the former saint of the kingdom.
“Is the Republic government aware of the reality of the Apostles of the Saints?”
“They are made up of defeated soldiers and deserters from the Northern and Eastern Territories, the Central Territories, and the Empire. The total number is about two hundred.”
As a group of defeated soldiers gathered in the ruins of the city, it is surprisingly large, or should I say small, in terms of the popularity of the saint.
“The purpose of these guys, have you figured it out? Except… ‘to repent.'”
“No, I don’t. I would say it’s to infect them with the teachings of the saint.”
“Infect sounds like a disease.”
“This is no laughing matter. It is a disease. It is a deadly disease that will devour the nation if it spreads to the people.”