339 – War never again? – 2
Unlike last year, this year we moved just in time for the memorial. If I were alone, I would have spent time stuck in the inspection department, but since I am moving with Prince Ma, I should refrain. If you go to the Inspection Department, you will receive a surprise visit from the duke, if you go to the Mage Tower, the chief will come, and even if you go to my mansion, one of the prospective hostesses will come. It’s crazy to go crazy.
“Did you come? I thought you were dead because you didn’t come.”
Thanks to this, as soon as I ran into the minister at the memorial, I was greeted with a confirmation of my survival.
“You haven’t contacted me about that.”
“I thought I would be resurrected somehow.”
The Minister, who had been spitting out strange jokes and laughing, bowed his head to Ma Jong-gong, who was next to me.
“Deber Briard of Blochen, the head of Count Briard’s family and the Minister of the Imperial Treasury, greets the noble Prince Mahjong.”
“It’s been a while, Minister. I’m glad you’re feeling well.”
“Thanks to His Excellency for your concern.”
The minister trembled at the sight of Prince Majong politely answering a count, but he seemed to have calmed down quickly and continued talking naturally.
It was a wise move. I treat Jong-gong Ma respectfully because the minister is my direct superior, but if the minister showed disapproval in that situation, he would have been rather hurt. As expected, the quickness seen on the battlefield did not go anywhere.
“His Excellency Seonggong is in the front row. The Inspector General and I are also in the front row, so let’s go together.”
When he was told that he should stand in front because he is a duke, Jong-gong Ma nodded his head and moved on. Certainly, it doesn’t look bad when the Duke is in the back row.
‘It’s more gorgeous than last year.’
And walking to the front row, I checked the people gathered at the memorial. It was the same as last year that the Minister of the Palace and the Minister of War participated in the administration, but in the parliament, Count Bardon, who was the chairman, came directly. Even in the military, there are many high-ranking positions.
As the years passed, the grand lineup gave a sneaky smile. At least I don’t think they will become forgotten heroes.
The memorial place, which had been buzzing as they exchanged greetings, became quiet as the Minister of the Royal Household began to read the eulogy. Who would dare to open his mouth in a place where he should keep quiet and read the emperor’s writings?
“Empires were not built overnight by one person. Today’s empire exists because there is a small history with the blood of countless heroes.”
The content of the eulogy was not much different from last year. Mourning for the heroes who died fighting for the empire, the ultimate praise that the empire existed because of those heroes.
Actually, it refers to something that has already been done, but it’s even weirder when the content changes every time. It will always be like this unless the imperial family treats the great subjugation war itself as a dark history and erases it.
“Blood shed from the ancestors, legacy inherited from the ancestors. In order to pass on the glory and sacrifice to the next generation, we must be wary of blood but not afraid.”
—I thought that.
From noble mtl dot com
“The history of the empire is made up of dedication, duty, and glory. We, too, are a part of history, and cutting off that history in our generation is an unspeakable sin.”
Agitation spread among the nobles who had remained silent at the intense remarks. Blood, Legacies, Sacrifice. And don’t be afraid of blood in order to pass them on to the next generation. Because it’s clear what that means.
Of course there were exceptions. The minister of the palace who reads the eulogy while maintaining an expressionless expression to the point where he can’t read his emotions, and Jeon Seung-gong, who doesn’t show any reaction as if he’s already been told. The emperor’s closest aides and the military’s greatest commanders were simply keeping their positions and fulfilling their roles.
A combination that anyone with brains can think of. When I turned my head slightly to see how far this combination went, I saw the minister frowning and Ma Jong-gong with a complicated expression.
‘Those two are the end.’
If even the second-ranking minister in the executive branch and the incumbent duke don’t know, then it goes without saying. It is said that he made a statement after thoroughly discussing it with two people. If you expand it further, it should be about the crown prince or the minister of special affairs.
And the fact that they exploded at a gathering of high-ranking officials from the administration, the imperial council, and the military means that they will publicize it as soon as possible.
“—The sacrifice and will of the heroes will be passed on to the next generation no matter what hardships.”
The reading ended in a commotion, followed by mechanical silence.
Even for me, it was a complicated meditation.
A year—no, it was a tombstone that I found again after half a year, but I had no choice but to return after feeding it quickly with boyar wine. In the current situation, even if you are in front of the tombstone, you will only be filled with other thoughts, so it would be better to come to say hello next time.
“Chief.”
“Why?”
As soon as the minister finished his visit, he hurriedly left his seat, and the second section manager cautiously opened his mouth.
“I’ll go first too. The information control should have been lifted by now.”
I nodded because it was right. Since it was openly disclosed at the memorial, information will begin to be released one by one. If Section 2 moves right away, he will bring you some useful information.
“Go. If you need anything, write it first and then report it.”
“Yes.”
Chief 2 lowers his back and quickly disappears. Looking at the back of section 2, I let out a small sigh. It’s a day where the heart is bound to be complicated in many ways, but now even the head is complicated. It’s time to indulge.
After washing his face dry several times, he turned his attention to the remaining executives. These guys also heard the emperor’s eulogy, so it must be quite a headache. Rather than holding on to it, it is better to let it go like section 2.
“You guys go first. I’ll get some fresh air before going in.”
“Okay. If anything happens, I’ll report it right away.”
“Yes.”
Following the deputy director who spoke as a representative, other executives disappeared one after another.
Except section 1.
“Chief, where do you want to sit? Your complexion looks really bad.”
“Okay. Beatrix is waiting outside, I have to go quickly.”
I smiled a little and moved towards the first section manager. Thank you for worrying about me, but my mind and heart were so complicated that I ended the visit quickly. There’s nothing good about staying in the graveyard.
In the first place, there is no place to sit. You can’t do the crazy thing of sitting on a tombstone.
“Hey, manager. Would you like to stay in the system until club time?”
At those words, I looked at Section 1 again. If he had done this at another time, I would have thought he was begging because he was bored being alone again.
‘That would be nice.’
Unfortunately, this is the current situation, so it’s better to do what Section 1 said. Section 2 will gather the information that will pour out like crazy when information control is released, and the deputy director will also find out unusual things in his own way. Not to mention the minister.
If you go to the academy in such a situation, you will have to access a lot of information through communication instead of face-to-face. It’s unreasonable to be in the system all day, but at least until club time. After all, since Majonggong is there, there is no time to go back.
To be honest, even if it wasn’t for this time, I would have stayed because I had to play with section 1.
“…Let’s have a meal together, okay?”
“Yes!”
Let’s avoid the inspection department for now. If the manager was holding on while rolling, he would only notice.
***
I looked at the manager drinking the water with a somewhat stiff expression, then I sneakily turned my gaze to Beatrix. Her older sister was also slowly slicing her steak, as if her brain was complicated.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the manager and my sister, but the atmosphere isn’t very good. However, it is not something that can be forced to float.
‘On a day like this, of course.’
I’m holding back because of the atmosphere, but I want to let out a sigh. Who would have known that war would be mentioned on a day when we should comfort the dead.
No, of course, since it is the anniversary of the end of the Great Subjugation War, not another day, it is a day to emphasize stability in the north… But it is still too sudden and shocking.
‘Me too, but the manager…’
I come to worship with the manager, but I have never actually seen the 6 swords in person. It was different from the city and the area of activity was different, so I didn’t even know the name before the war. It was only after the end of the war that I heard that the team leaders belonging to Division 4 of the Inspection Department were doing a great job, and I found out that the team leaders were close friends of the manager.
That’s why I’m worried about the manager. Even I, who only know the name, don’t feel comfortable, but the manager must be very upset. Displeasure that the day for the 6 Swordsmen was covered with turmoil, and at the same time, worry about the unexpected incident that would inevitably cause such turmoil. That feeling will burn your stomach.
I didn’t express the complexity out of my mouth, but this older sister knows it all. I’ve been seeing the manager for years.
“Sister, some of the wines here are made in Servette.”
“Oh, yes. It’s not as good as Boyar wine, but Servette’s wine is also good. That’s why it sells quite well in the metropolitan area.”
I looked at the general manager’s complexion and quietly spoke to my sister. For now, it seems like we should calm down her older sister and then appease the manager together.
Fortunately, she accepted her words with a soft face as if she knew my heart.
“Well, since Servette is nearby, it’s easy to transport. The Golden Ball will regret it if he finds out.”
“Whoops, the Golden Ball’s territory is far away, but it’s a fertile territory. If there are weaknesses, there are strengths.”
When a small talk became a topic, the manager also began to relax. Pretending to be okay, to be precise, but that’s enough for now—
“Ah.”
At that moment, a weak light leaked out from within the manager’s arms. It seems that someone contacted the manager’s communication port.
‘I’m almost here…!’
It’s annoying. I barely tried to lighten the general manager’s complexion, but no one noticed.
– Manager, it’s me!
And as soon as the manager activated the communication tool, I softly bit my lip at the urgent voice I heard. Section 2 is the culprit.
“What’s going on? I told you to write and report if you need anything.”
Toward the 2nd section manager, the manager gave a plaintive answer. Yes, the manager has already given the second section autonomy. But if you say you’re looking for information and contact me shortly after, then it’s meaningless to give you autonomy.
– I have something urgent to tell you!
I was a little surprised. It’s been less than an hour since Section 2 went into action, but you already asked for information to report? No matter how much it is, it must be difficult.
“You found it already?”
– I didn’t find it, but the Ministry of Information told me about it! I waited until the control was lifted and sprayed them all at once!
At those words, the manager’s forehead furrowed. The fact that the intelligence department handed over information even though other departments didn’t request it first is because it was only when there was an important agenda to proceed without wasting a second of time. Even more so if it is an issue to be forwarded to all departments.
Chief 2 also spewed out the information roughly, as if he had intuition that he had suffered greatly due to the seriousness of the incident.
– There was a gap in the supplies that flowed into the north, and the remnants of the tribe that had participated in the subjugation war suddenly appeared… It was because of the dungeon!
“What?”
– Those crazy bastards, were using the dungeon as a barracks! The Special Forces will not suddenly go crazy and approach the dungeon during the search, so I didn’t know it until now!
A silence fell over the unexpected information. As the 2nd section chief said, there was no need to even touch the dungeon while searching the harsh north unless the special affairs department went crazy. Even the north is wide and wide, so even if a dungeon is created in a strange place, the empire cannot know.
The number of dungeons in the north cannot be measured. Correspondingly, the materials and troops that would have been hidden in the dungeon could not be identified.
– The special task force also found out about the nomads who just came out of the dungeon. I couldn’t figure out how many of them were being used as barracks, so I had no choice but to pull myself out.
The manager was still silent. If the North, or Dorgon, to be precise, used the crazy way of using the dungeon as if it were their own home, there is a high possibility that most of the missing people in the Great Subjugation War would turn into survivors. The monsters that harassed the Imperial Army under the command of the Reverse Heaven will ride horses again and ravage the north.
– …And I just found out, the Minister of the Palace has summoned all the Ministers. His Majesty the Emperor personally visited the Imperial Diet.
No one could deny the words of Section 2, adding that something big will come today at the latest.
***
A few hours after the meal, as the 2nd section manager said, a big one came.
A telecommunication sphere that glows in a creepy dark red color, and an unpleasant, ear-splitting warning sound.
‘It must be crazy.’
As soon as I checked the text message sent to the communication port, I laughed out loud.
[Khan appears, nomad forces gathered.
Those who fall under the above are to immediately gather in the Great Council Room of the Imperial Council. ]
f*ck you, you bastards from the Ministry of Information. Not all information was released.
You didn’t say Khan.