#95
Chapter 11
‘In the past, now, and in the future, I always leave you in order to keep my place by your side, Enrique.’
As Enrique was taking a stroll in the small garden now fully adorned in autumn colors, he suddenly recalled Anture’s words. It had been nearly three months since Anture left his side to keep his place next to him.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere, Your Highness?” asked Pol, who was supporting Enrique as they walked. Enrique shook his head and began to walk slowly again.
It had been about three months since the capture of Francia Castle. The collapsed walls and infrastructure had already been repaired. Enrique had used prisoners to further reinforce the walls and dig a moat around the castle. Francia Castle, which was already sturdy, had completely transformed into a fortress in just a few months.
As planned, the castle served its role well as an advance base for the invasion of Baron. It stored combat supplies arriving from Ruben and Shamier in its warehouses and was successfully supplying them deep into Baron territory. Of course, since using conventional supply routes would likely be intercepted, the routes were randomly changed each time. So far, supplies had been intercepted only once.
After circling the small garden a few times, Enrique sat on a chair and took a deep breath. He was slightly out of breath. His belly had now swollen considerably, to the point where clothes could no longer conceal it. As the baby grew, Enrique’s movements had become much slower and clumsier.
A waiting attendant handed him a cold fruit juice. Enrique accepted it and began to sip it slowly. As the baby grew, his stomach was compressed, making it difficult to eat large amounts at once. Eating slowly and in small amounts was the best approach.
As he was resting in the chair and looking up at the alliance flag fluttering high on the castle wall, a knight approached with hurried steps.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness. A messenger has just arrived.”
At the knight’s words, Enrique’s eyes sparkled.
“Have everyone assemble in the conference room.”
Enrique gave the order and stood up with Pol’s support. Then he began to walk towards the conference room at a somewhat faster pace.
Due to his heavy body, his pace was inevitably slow. By the time Enrique arrived at the conference room, everyone had already assembled. Enrique naturally sat in the lord’s chair and looked at the disheveled messenger standing across the desk. The messenger, kneeling with bent knees, immediately began to speak.
“I report, Your Highness. Three days ago, the allied forces entered the Bashian territory. There, they met the allied forces of Baron and Monta and engaged in a decisive battle.”
At the mention of a decisive battle, Enrique’s hands gripped the armrests tightly.
“The outcome?”
Enrique asked in a calm voice.
“There were some losses, but we achieved a great victory.”
Pride was evident in the messenger’s answer. Relief and exhilaration flashed across everyone’s faces, including Enrique’s.
“If they entered Bashian territory three days ago, then the capital is within reach,” Enrique said, looking at the map on the conference table.
“It’s going more smoothly than we thought, Your Highness,” Duke Duvain said with a slightly excited voice. Enrique nodded in agreement.
From Baron’s border in just three months. They had succeeded in reaching the vicinity of the capital in just three months. Even though they had simply advanced while avoiding all major castles, they still had to fight several major battles against the Baron forces blocking their way. It was truly a remarkable achievement to have reached the outskirts of the capital, winning every battle along the way.
The messenger took out a scroll from his chest and handed it over. Pol received it and passed it to Enrique.
Enrique unrolled the scroll and placed it on the table. Everyone’s eyes fixed on it.
“It will be another large-scale siege battle,” Duke Duvain said quietly.
The contents of the scroll were a request for the necessary support to launch a full-scale attack on Baron’s capital. Until now, they had minimized their baggage, moved quickly, and procured what they could locally. But taking Baron’s capital was different. Sufficient supplies and preparations for a siege were necessary.
As they were in the midst of discussing the support needed for the capital’s capture, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock-.
Given that this was a strategy meeting during wartime, naturally every piece of information was confidential. Everyone looked at the conference room door with wary eyes.
Soon the door opened, and one of Enrique’s guard knights entered with a stern face.
“What is it?” Enrique asked, and the knight approached quickly and whispered in his ear.
“An urgent report just arrived. Monta has invaded Shamier.”
Enrique’s hands gripped the armrests tightly. Everyone in the conference room was watching Enrique’s expression. Enrique dismissed the knight with a hand gesture.
“What’s the matter, Your Highness?” one of the Ruben commanders asked. Enrique spoke with a calm face.
“It seems Monta has begun invading Shamier.”
Silence fell over the conference room. Worry and concern flashed across the faces of the Shamier people, while the Rubenians’ faces showed expressions of a troublesome situation arising.
“We’re right on the verge of attacking Baron’s capital. In the current situation, we don’t have the capacity to send reinforcements to Shamier,” a Ruben commander said in a stiff voice. Enrique held up his hand to stop the Shamier people from flaring up and nodded.
“I agree. Baron’s capital is within our reach. In the current situation, we must mobilize everything to attack the capital.”
“Then, what about Shamier…?”
“Shamier shares a border with Monta. From the beginning, when we formed an alliance with Ruben, we fully anticipated that the enemy might attempt to invade Shamier to divide our military power. Of course, we in Shamier have been thoroughly preparing countermeasures for this.”
Enrique spoke with a consistently calm face and voice.
“Are you really sure this is alright?”
“This is the best we can do for now. And while Monta is nearly invincible in naval warfare, their land warfare capabilities are similar to Shamier’s. I believe we can at least defend our territory.”
Though he said this, he couldn’t help but feel his heart fill with worry. Shamier had entered a direct war for the first time in decades. At the end of this war, Shamier would gain considerable benefits, but it would also suffer significant sacrifices. Since this war was essentially caused by him, he had to bear all that burden.
“Let’s continue the meeting for now. We can’t afford any delay in support.”
Enrique refocused attention and resumed the meeting.
After the long meeting, when he returned to his bedroom, he saw Pol and the attendants with worried faces. They must have heard the news too.
“Will it really be alright, Your Highness?” Pol asked as he removed Enrique’s shoes and washed and massaged his swollen feet. As a cool sensation rose from his feet, his head felt clearer. Enrique nodded, leaning back comfortably in the chair.
“It will be fine. We’ve already deployed many troops to the border area with Monta several months ago. What’s important now is capturing Baron’s capital. Once Baron falls, Monta won’t have the capacity to exert force on Shamier anymore. They’ll naturally divert all their forces to stopping our allied army. Shamier just needs to defend the border and hold out a little longer.”
“When you say it, Your Highness, it sounds like such an easy task,” Pol grumbled slightly, but there was a hint of relief on his face. This is how important the calmness of a leader is. No matter what anxiety wells up, no matter what crisis arises, one must not show anxiety or a sense of crisis. That’s how you can reassure your subordinates and encourage them to focus on their original duties.
‘I hope we don’t lose any of the border…’
Enrique thought as he lay on the bed for a nap, eyes closed.
Of course, in terms of calculations, it wouldn’t matter if Shamier lost some territory. After all, once the allied forces capture Baron, their next target will be Monta, so recovery would be possible later. But that’s just theoretical thinking.
The moment the border is lost, the damage to the people living there would be indescribable. This war started because of him. In the end, each and every sacrifice of the people was a responsibility that Enrique had to bear. All he could do was hope and believe that the troops he had deployed to the border before departing would successfully defend against the Monta forces.
Francia Castle also became bustling as the attack on Baron Castle approached.
This was because reinforcements requested from Ruben for troop replenishment had arrived. Since they couldn’t accommodate all of them inside the castle, most of the personnel set up tents outside the castle and rested. To boost the morale of those who would depart for Baron’s capital the next day, Enrique released plenty of food and alcohol from the storehouses. Naturally, the soldiers cheered with both hands raised.
