29 – The Final Decree
“I will hand over the military authority. If cooperating is the only way to survive. However, you must promise to help the people of the Phebron Empire as much as possible, so that they don’t die unnecessarily.”
Princess Breini made up her mind. If the sinking ship was inevitable, she would rather hand over the helm to someone else. I willingly accepted her proposal.
“I will do my best as far as my abilities allow to fulfill that.”
Princess Breini handed me a nameplate.
“In the event of an emergency or a similar situation where the emperor cannot issue commands directly, the one who possesses this nameplate shall assume full military authority. However, it would be difficult for everyone to follow just because someone is holding the nameplate. That’s why I will also join the battlefield. You will be in command, and I will support you from behind, so don’t worry.”
“If you’re willing to do that much, I couldn’t ask for more.”
I bowed formally to the princess and greeted her properly before heading outside.
“We have to go together.”
Although the princess had already handed me her insignia, she followed me with small, hesitant steps. Outside, I could feel the gaze of the royal knight commander and some of the knights. Without giving anyone a chance to ask why the princess had gone outside, she made an announcement to the people.
“From now on, Macderrath here will hold full command over the entire imperial army of the Phaibron Empire and lead them on the battlefield. Therefore, everyone, including the royal knights, must obey his orders without question!”
As soon as the princess finished speaking, immediate resistance arose.
It was the knight commander of the Phaibron Empire, Knight Commander Flatein, who immediately looked at me and shouted.
“What have you done to the princess!”
It was a situation that could be seen as either coercion or mind control through magic. From the perspective of others, the princess had done something unthinkable. The importance of having someone with command authority as the country was in turmoil couldn’t be emphasized enough. To temporarily transfer that qualification to someone else was absurd, not coercion or mind control.
However, the princess, unlike before, stepped forward and shouted with dignity.
“I have not been coerced or controlled by mental magic. The Royal Mage Guild can confirm that if you wish.”
“You… dare not use mental magic on Her Highness’s person.”
Knight Commander Flatein began to kneel and stammer. His actions were not unpleasant. It was a natural reaction. Did you simply hand over command without saying a word? I will follow you from now on. If he had shown such a reaction, there would have been nothing more alien.
However, as the princess’s firm voice began to echo, everyone stopped objecting.
“If you believe in me and follow me, I hope you will respect my decisions without question. The Phaibron Empire! We have already been defeated by the Karelden Empire on most fronts. The knights’ bodies have been desecrated, the few remaining holy maidens have been kidnapped, and innocent citizens have died without even being able to resist the Karelden Empire’s knights. Even as we push forward without even honoring the minimum terms of the war treaty, I couldn’t do anything.”
Princess Braine threw her crown onto the ground and shouted.
“I am the heart of the Phaibron Empire, and I am the one who must protect the people, following in my father’s footsteps. I admit my incompetence. If I were a little more capable, I wouldn’t have ended up in such a desperate situation. If I admit it, I must improve. I have kept it a secret from you, but I have the ability to know the truth of what people say. This man is undoubtedly the only salvation and last hope of our Phaibron Empire. So, just once. I ask that you respect my decision without saying a word.”
Although she could have forced them with her power, she appealed to them with her sincere words as she relinquished her throne. Had her heart been swayed? All the knights fell to their knees in front of the girl and shouted.
“We will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
It was not a short process, but the perfect reorganization was complete. From now on, I had legally acquired the authority to command all the battlefields of the Phaibron Empire. I immediately asked Knight Commander Flatein.
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“If there is a list of the knights and mages spread across the continent and how many are on each battlefield, bring it to me right away.”
The commander of the Platine Imperial Knights brought me the most crucial information about the war without any hesitation. When I looked at the map, I saw that the dots were moving in real time as if under a spell.
“Here, this information shows our knights and wizards. Each big dot represents a hundred people.”
Roughly estimating the numbers, the significant forces of the Phebron Empire were estimated to be around 700,000.
“There are more people left than I thought.”
“Originally, we had a force of 1.5 million. However, after a significant number died, we drafted all the men who could be mobilized for the war, resulting in a total of 700,000.”
The number 700,000 was by no means small. However, the problem was that this included not only professionally trained troops but also ordinary people capable of fighting, making the figure ambiguous.
“What about the enemy’s forces?”
“2.5 million. Even with only professionally trained troops, it’s about 2.5 million.”
I sighed. The reason why Princess Hwangnyeo was able to do such an unreasonable thing like the Saint Allocation System in the Kaorelden Empire was probably because of this overwhelming force. A fourfold difference in power. If we exclude the untrained individuals, it could be more than eight times the difference in strength.
It was a part that explained why the princess was crying in despair and appealing to them.
“How many casualties are there?”
“We haven’t properly estimated it yet… but it’s estimated to be at least 3 million.”
I nodded.
There is a misunderstanding among people. When a war breaks out, most people think that soldiers will be the ones to die. However, that is only true when the enemy engages in minimal humanitarian combat. In a war where they slaughter indiscriminately wherever they go, the civilian death rate is inevitably much higher. Even if dozens of civilians rush at a trained knight, they can only become corpses, not to mention that it is difficult for a magician to even approach.
Considering that this is a world where magic exists, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were even greater casualties. In fact, I have experienced a war with casualties that would be difficult to compare on a larger battlefield.
Now that we have assessed the damage and the forces, it was time to take action.
“Gather all those who are blocking the enemy in the border area and concentrate them in the central zone.”
“… It’s impossible. Some of the front lines have already been breached. If we give up other areas, the enemy will quickly penetrate into the civilian zone.”
“Extract the wizards separately and use large-scale warp magic to concentrate all civilians in the central zone, leaving them behind. We will gather in one place and fight the war.”
“It’s too risky. If we exhaust all our mana with the warp magic, the wizards will no longer be able to continue the fight. It’s like committing suicide to concentrate the troops in one place after wasting the wizards’ withdrawal from the battlefield, especially when there is a significant difference in strength between the two sides. Even in the current situation, where we are delaying the advance by provoking as many small-scale skirmishes as possible, we will all end up dead.”
“You must stay within my domain in order to survive,” said the princess, looking at me and giving an order to Platin.
“Listen to what Macderrath says.”
…
It was a strategy unheard of. Even the slightest mistake could have led to the disappearance of the Phebron Empire from history. Gathering all the refugees in one place was absolutely forbidden. It would only serve as a plea to the enemies, begging for a strike.
Unless one had the ability to fend off all attacks and simultaneously launch their own.
“Damn it…”
Platin, the commander of the Platin Royal Knights, looked into the princess’s eyes. She had an unwavering gaze of conviction.
“Understood.”
Platin finally carried out the order. He knew it himself. If they continued on this path, they would lose all their forces.
All personnel in the border area were evacuated in an instant, and using a large number of wizards, the civilians were gathered in one place through warp magic. Thanks to this, the mana of the wizards began to dwindle. However, they followed the orders unconditionally.
The border area was breached, but it was no longer defended. After all, they would retreat again.
Those who arrived in the central zone started the battle once more. However, the situation naturally started to become disadvantageous. This was because countless forces from the Kaorelden Empire began to concentrate in the central zone. Macderrath hastily prepared something.
What he handed over was a document expressing his intentions.
“Is there a way to send this to the Emperor of the Kaorelden Empire?”
Princess Breini shook her head.
“There is no way other than sending someone directly.”
The princess briefly looked at the document and nodded. Written on it was a final request for a ceasefire. Princess Breini dispatched an envoy to the battlefield, but what returned were the bodies of the dispatched individuals.
They had done the bare minimum of humanitarian consideration. They had even provided an opportunity to end the war on their own terms. It was a form of propaganda and the minimum of ethical procedures.
Now, all that remained was to exercise force.
“I’m going to the battlefield. I will restore your everyday lives.”
As the battlefield drew near, the crimson orb of MacDerrus began to tremble wildly.