4 - CHAPTER IV "Audience"

--Suddenly...

This game [Tactics Chronicle] contains a lot of fantasy elements, and as a result, it is different from ordinary historical war games in several ways.

One of them is that you can literally play a warriors' game ...... depending on how you raise your subordinates (characters).

If you are a commander of a large army, you can even see him kicking the crap out of his army by riding single-handedly.

For example, a certain player who was into role-playing once challenged an army of 10,000 men with 10 men whom he had intensively trained to fight against him and literally became a "one-hit wizard".

There is a manga that tells a story of ten heroes who succeeded in overthrowing a country, according to the player himself, who is a fan of the manga,

<

The statement was made by the owner of the company.

However, although his country destroyed the enemy's main army, it did not have enough soldiers to occupy the enemy's city, and the city was easily recaptured by the enemy's agents.

And while they were trying to recapture the city, the empty capital was overrun by violence of numbers and eventually became a vassal state of some other country. The reality is cruel.

However, even a certain country that ran on a story has achieved a one-hit wager at least once.

If so, there is no reason why the military superpower [Archimyra], which has become the world champion, cannot do the same thing, and the Commander of the Legion has a power far exceeding that of the Ten Braves of his (or her) country.

His combat power is so great that a man who is good at wide-area extermination can even take on an army of more than 1,000 men by himself.

On the other hand, however, the king (player) in [Tactics Chronicle] has no combat power at all.

Their physical abilities (status), such as vitality, are as low as or lower than those of humans in the real world, and it is impossible to train them.

The attack power is systematically set to zero, so that no matter how much you attack, you will not be able to inflict any damage on your enemies.

In short, in this game, the king "player" is set as the weakest existence while his subordinates are the strongest. ...... And what I am trying to say is that the game is a game in which everything will be subjected to a rebellion. (The life of a man is a life of luck, and that means it will run out soon.

--In other words, super scary.

"Good to see you all here, corps commanders."

He did not show any sign of fear as he addressed the assembled corps leaders with a hawkish attitude.

Telling himself that it is not kingly to speak with trepidation, Helian exudes an air of dignity that is not there.

Incidentally, the wound on his palm was healed by the Commander of the Third Legion before the audience began. There is not a scratch on it now.

As for the matter of her feeling sick in front of Levee, she insists that she just got dizzy all of a sudden and that she is fine now. As the commander of the 3rd corps did not find anything wrong in his brief examination, Levee did not pursue the matter further.

And, as expected, ...... other characters seemed to have "personalities" as well. The behavior of the leader of the Third Army, who treated me, was clearly not that of a cheap AI, but that of a being with a unique "personality"... ....

"I wish I could tell you more, but we don't have the time right now. Let's get right to the point."

After a brief preamble, Helian turns his attention to the corps leaders who are standing in line.

The army of [Alkimaira] consists of a total of eight legions, each of which has its own head legionnaire.

The supreme commander of the army is the king, Helian, but the discretion and detailed instructions are left to each corps commander in the absence of individual orders from the king.

The number eight is not a particular number. Some countries have more than ten legions, while others have only five or six.

In [Alkymyra], we have simply created legions that are appropriate from time to time for managing the nation and, by extension, for waging war, and as a result, we have settled on a total of eight legions.

And now, kneeling before Helian's eyes are four of the eight corps commanders.

Commander of the First Corps.

The head of a small elite force, known as the [Guard of Honor], whose main duty is to assist the king in various fields.

Liewe of the Moon Wolf Managarme, who is the king's aide and commander-in-chief of the general corps.

Commander of the Second Legion.

He is the head of the Order of the Beast, which possesses land forces centering on beastmen and knights.

A lion-headed knight in full plate armor of pure white, Balan of the Sword Lion Sverrebe.

Commander of the Third Army.

He is the head of the so-called "Order of the Sacred Spirits", a group of specialists in recovery and support.

Eltina of the Ancient Elves, whose golden hair reaches down to her waist.

Commander of the Sixth Legion.

He is the head of the demon-centered army, known as the [Demon Legion], which is in charge of espionage and sabotage.

Camilla of the [Nightmare Queen], whose deep eyes and bewitching appearance attract the eye.

These are the heads of the legion gathered in the audience hall.

The commanders of the first to third legions are reincarnated evolved versions of the demons that Helian had with him from the beginning of the game, and we decided to gather them here because of their relatively calm personalities.

Camilla, the 6th corps leader, is a member because she is a corps leader specialized in the field of information.

As for the other corps commanders, they have strong personalities, perhaps as a result of having been recruited with an emphasis on performance, and I have told them to continue to concentrate on their duties and have not given them an audience with me.

I do not dare to meet all eight of them out of the blue.

"The reason I asked you to gather here is nothing else. As you already know, our country is now facing an unprecedented situation. I would like to talk about how to deal with it."

""""--ha! """"

Four voices respond simultaneously.

They were perfectly aligned as if they had been practicing, and I felt slightly comfortable in this situation.

......You haven't practiced, have you?

"First, let's talk about the phenomenon that hit our country."

I speak, remembering the speech techniques I learned in a college presentation class.

While I was taking the lecture, I thought it would be of little use, but I am very glad I took it seriously.

The four pairs of eyes looking at you put pressure on you, but you must never stammer or look down. Look forward and speak with dignity. This is the most basic of all speech techniques.

"Our country, which used to be surrounded by grasslands, is now covered by deep forests. Such a phenomenon has never existed since the founding of our country. Therefore, our first priority is to understand the current situation. ...... Liewe, please [explain] the [current] [situation]."

"Ha, let me explain it to you step by step."

To be sure, I gave him an instruction using , but his reply did not include .

It seems that it is meaningless to insist on .

Helian shakes his head inwardly and switches his thoughts.

From this point on, it would be better to act as if we were dealing with PCs (players) instead of NPCs.

"This is partially the same information that I have already given to Mr. Helian.

"...... have you briefed the other corps leaders?"

Yes. I have shared most of the information that I have just reported with you.

"Then we're wasting our time. We don't need to talk about security and the results of the reconnaissance. Just explain the other parts.

Yes, sir. Then let me begin.

He nodded his head in agreement with the glances he received.

(...... Is this how a dignified king should look like?)

I'm worried, but it's too late.

I have no choice but to go along with this style.

"First of all, I have already reported that the outside of the city is completely covered with forest, but I found that the well-maintained road that was supposed to extend from the great gate on the outer wall is completely gone.

According to the survey, the same is true for all of the main gates on the east, west, south, north and west sides.

They are not buried in the forest and are not difficult to see, but are neatly cut off as if the outer wall were the boundary line.

"Therefore, it is highly likely that the entire capital city was cut off and sent somewhere ......, in other words, it is a metastasis phenomenon."

This almost confirms that it is a metastasis.

Transference itself is one of the bad events that occur occasionally.

During a certain war, a part of a group that was marching through the snow to cross a mountain for a surprise attack was once shifted several hundred kilometers away.

I remember that it was quite painful to lose a whole unit of the elite.

"Now, as for the situation in the city, there is almost no damage to the buildings. The only damage was a small fire caused by a startled resident who mishandled some oil. A few people were injured in the commotion, but they have all been treated by the medical team of the 3rd Corps.

This means that the situation in the country is calm for the time being.

It is not difficult to imagine that many problems will erupt as time goes by, but there are no problems that need to be urgently addressed at this moment. So....

"Is the most pressing problem outside the country?"

"Yes. Since we were requested not to provoke the foreign countries, we have been investigating from a long distance, but the forest itself seems to have a jamming effect, and the results have not been good. Both magic and skills are being blocked.

According to the results of the unskilled long-distance survey from the air, there is some kind of artifact in the northeast direction, but the rest of the area is covered by forest.

"...... I see."

He folds his arms and groans.

We don't want to take any rash actions when we don't know what we are up against. We need information to decide how to approach the outside world in the future.

"Let's assume that the fact that our country is here now is not known to the outside world."

It has already been more than an hour since the transfer, and there has been no contact from other forces.

Probably, the existence of [Alkimaira] has not been noticed by other forces at this moment.

Not being known is a big advantage. I do not want to give up this advantage carelessly. Especially in this situation where we don't know what kind of forces are out there, how much of a threat they are, or even what they are."

[In the Tactics Chronicles, countries that underestimated information usually perished. Whatever you do, you must have reliable information.

It is dangerous to act based on the wishful thinking that "there is no threat around us and we can do as we please and no one will know of our existence ....... Therefore, our immediate goal is to investigate the current situation and obtain information on the surrounding area as soon as possible, while keeping our presence hidden. First of all, do you have any objection to this?"

I look at the corps commanders with a prayer that they will understand that I am not a coward. Fortunately, no one raised an objection.

Resisting the urge to let out a sigh of relief, I asked them questions while wearing the mask of a king.

"Well, let's keep that in mind from now on," he replied. I thought you had entrusted the 4th legion with the long-range investigation by magic, how did it turn out?　The forest is said to have an illusory effect, but even the 4th Legion, an elite group of magicians, can't break through?"

"Yes. I have received a report from the commander of the Fourth Corps that the basic structure of the illusion effect formula is woven into a completely different system from the one we know, and that it will take time to clarify it.

I have no idea what the formula is.

But I understand that there is nothing we can do about it right now.

The commander of the 4th corps, who leads a corps that specializes in magic, has the characteristic of being a confident person, and there is almost nothing she has been able to do in the field of magic. Even when she was entrusted with a time-consuming problem, she would usually clearly state how long it would take to solve it, such as "I will have an answer for you by tomorrow.

Since she is such a [confident] person and she does not know when she will be able to solve the problem, it would not be possible for her to conduct an immediate investigation through a magical approach.

Incidentally, the demons under her control have up to eight [personal characteristics], which have a profound influence on their personalities and behavior patterns.

There are good traits and bad traits, and the most common ones are "seriousness" and "selfishness".

"However, if you can break through by force, it doesn't matter," he says.

When I asked him about it, he replied, <>But I have never heard of such a thing.

It is a forceful technique, a complete push-and-pull strategy.

It is like saying, "I couldn't find a key that fits the keyhole, so I will break the lock itself.

However, the preference for force is not limited to the commander of the 4th corps.

Most of the demons in the corps leader class - perhaps because they have more than enough power - have a strong tendency to try to solve problems by force when they encounter them.

Even Liewe tended to prefer physical language when dealing with minor problems. In fact, when he came to the office to make a report, he made a statement to the effect that <.

If there is such a thing as a "personality trait" called "brains", then more than half of the military commanders must possess this trait.

It makes my head hurt to wonder why I have made such a character all my corps commanders. I want to complain to my past self, <.

Holding back a sigh, I answer Rieve.

"Force is not an option. If there are forces around us that pose a threat to us, we will reveal our existence to them. It is possible that they already know us, but there is no need to confirm this possibility by making a flashy marker. It would be worth considering if we knew what was going on around us, but at this point we can't make any moves."

"I knew you would say that, so I told you to <. Once again, I would like to formally inform you that Herian has ordered us not to use force.

"...... Umm,hmm."

For some reason, Levee started wagging her tail.

Although her expression remained clear, her bushy tail was wagging from side to side while making a faint sound, reminding me of a large dog that is always asking for praise.

As an aside, Balan, the commander of the second corps, kneeling beside her, frowned in annoyance.

......Well, what the heck.

At any rate, it is helpful to be able to sense feelings easily.

It is easy to read from their reactions how to deal with them appropriately.

The fact that you and Levee were in agreement suggests that the weight of force is the right choice for the country.

"From the air, we can see what looks like an artifact in the northeast direction ......, right?"

Yes. At altitudes within the capital's boundary range, details were not available, but there are some structures in the forest."

He put his hand on his chin and nodded.

Helian, in a pose that suggests that he is in the middle of a thoughtful reflection, thinks back on his words and actions up to this point.

(I'm acting like a king so far, right ......?)

I wonder if my men are not impressed with me.

I glanced at the four corps commanders who were lined up in the hall, and no one seemed to be offended by the situation.

But that is also Helian's wishful thinking. It is not very reliable.

Helian is sweating cold sweat inwardly as his nerves are sharpened by the tension.

--There is a reason why Helian is so concerned about his subordinates.

There is a system of "rebellion" by the subordinates in this game.

Unlike a certain famous game, in which once captured, the player becomes a loyal friend, there is no proof that the player will not be betrayed even if he or she has once become a member.

If the happiness level remains extremely low or the loyalty level falls below a certain level, a rebellion may occur without mercy.

If the rebel and Helian face each other one-on-one, Helian's death is almost certain at that time.

As mentioned above, the player who is the king is set up as the weakest being who has no combat power. Apart from a few abilities as a king "player," all that is left is a weak commoner who can be easily killed if confronted directly with a demon.

And the reason why they, the , are bowing to Helian, the , must be because he is the "king" himself.

In other words, if Helian is not fit to be a king, it is no wonder that he will be rebelled anytime.

This means that we have to work hard at role-playing in the king's style.

They are still friends who have spent many years together.

I would like to believe that they would not betray me so easily, but since the transition, I have not even had a proper conversation with any of the other corps leaders except for Liewe.

There is no guarantee that they are of the same character as in the game, or that they are as loyal to me as in the game. ---- No, wait, this is a game. No, wait, it's a game. Or maybe you're just dreaming of a game. So it's all right. I don't know what's okay, but it's okay. It has to be.

Helian shakes his head and turns his attention back to his thoughts, "It's not safe to think anymore.

"I think I've got the general idea. So, if we want to investigate further without the risk of provoking the foreign countries, we will have to do it by foot. Then, Commander of the 6th Corps, do you mind if I leave the foreign investigation to you?"

Camilla, the Nightmare Queen, looks up.

Dressed in Victorian gothic clothing, she is a female demon with a bewitching atmosphere.

Although her external age is close to that of a girl of about 17 years old, the air she wears is completely that of a "woman.

Her red eyes are deep enough to make you fall if you look into them, and her face is more like a demon's face than a beauty. Her breasts are extremely large in comparison with her height, and perhaps her clothes were originally designed in such a way that the straps are loosened around her chest, exposing a tight cleavage.

If she smiles at you and puts her arms around you, no man would be able to refuse her invitation.

However, now she is frowning slightly and her eyebrows are lowered as if she is troubled.

"My Lord. If it is at the behest of my lord, then I and my army will do our utmost. That is only natural, but if you ask me if we can search ...... the forest, I must say that there are some problems."

Problem?

The VI Corps led by Camilla is a corps created for espionage and intelligence gathering for other countries. In the field of intelligence gathering, it is unrivaled by any other corps.

The problem that Camilla, the head of the Sixth Legion, is talking about is: .......

"I'm sorry to say that I'm not strong enough, but none of the demons belonging to the Sixth Legion, including my ...... mistress, have ever investigated an unexplored area. If you ask me if I'm confident, it's hard for me to shake my head. ......"

Camilla tells him apologetically.

Helian, on the other hand, was filled with a desire to hold his head in his hands.

(I've done it! I've done it! ......)

It is true that these women are specialists in intelligence and information gathering, but in a different direction.

The Sixth Corps was not created until more than fifty years after the founding of the country.

It was after the unexplored areas themselves had almost disappeared due to exchanges of maps with other countries, and at that time, the prototype of a world map was already in the process of being created. The purpose of creating the Sixth Corps was for the purpose of intelligence warfare during the Cold War.

In other words, the scope of activities of the Sixth Corps was only intended for the hypothetical enemy countries, and its main purpose was to conduct espionage activities involving human intelligence. The intelligence and information gathering capabilities of the 6th Corps were specialized in this area, and they had never even experienced the exploration of unexplored areas that had never been investigated by anyone.

It was Helian's mistake to entrust the Sixth Corps with this task, focusing only on the keywords that they specialize in the fields of intelligence and information gathering.

"Oh, no, of course I understand that it is a difficult situation to allocate personnel. If there is no one else qualified, my Sixth Legion will manage..."

No, your concerns are valid. Honesty is good in this situation. I am glad to hear your advice, Camilla.

Like a king," he muttered in his mind like an incantation.

"So let me ask you a question. Let me ask you this: Commander of the First Legion, Liewe, Commander of the Second Legion, Balan, Commander of the Third Legion, and Eltina, Commander of the Third Legion. Do you remember the time when you surveyed the unexplored areas?

How could I forget what happened right after I arrived in the world with Mr. Helian?

Of course I remember, my Lord.

I can remember it like it was yesterday.

Each of the three men who were asked replied in the affirmative.

Helian asked about the early days,...... when he had arrived in this world with three demons and was exploring on foot in a world he knew neither the right nor the left. The memory of the time when she led only three demons to explore the unknown world is still vivid in my mind.

I don't know how the event is interpreted in their minds, but if they remember it, it is better to leave it to those who have experienced it.

We have thought of using soldiers from each corps for the survey, but very few of them have experience in the unexplored areas. Besides, it would be a bad idea to go out to search in groups and let other forces know of our presence.

Furthermore, we do not know what kind of threats are lurking out there.

If there were to be a field boss level magical beast, we may end up making unnecessary sacrifices. Under the circumstances where we are separated from the satellite cities and there is no way to replenish our forces, there is a considerable amount of resistance to prematurely depleting our forces.

If this is the case, it would be better to deploy only the three corps commanders, who have experience in surveying unexplored areas and are part of the best force.

The possibility of exposure to other forces would be minimized, and even if they were discovered, a group of three or so could be disguised as travelers or stragglers.

Worst of all, even if there is a terrible threat lurking in the forest, the leader of the corps can survive as long as he is committed to running away.

Then, when I thought about entrusting these three with the task, domestic concerns came to my mind.

Although we are not facing any serious problems at the moment, we have just been hit by an unprecedented cataclysm that could shift the entire capital city. We don't know what will happen in Japan in the future. If that is the case,

"All right - then, as for the 2nd Corps Commander, "Baran", please continue to maintain domestic security and be prepared to defend the country in case of emergency. Under the current circumstances, I cannot remove you from the charge of maintaining security."

Balan, the second corps commander who was ordered to maintain security, bowed his head solemnly.

He is of the Sverrebe race, one of the high-end classes of beastmen, and appears to be a bipedal lion in full plate armor.

His helmet is also shaped like a lion's head for some reason, and his appearance is almost the same whether he wears the helmet or not.

However, this is not because he is joking around, but because his helmet happens to resemble a lion's head as a result of his pursuit of performance.

He is a professional in melee combat, and is the best defensive fighter among the leaders of the Eight Grand Corps. Under the circumstances, we cannot afford to exclude him from the defense of the country.

He also possesses the character trait of [discipline], and from the perspective of maintaining public order in a country in high spirits, there was no one better suited than him.

"And the two people in charge of investigating the unexplored areas will be the Commander of the 1st Corps 《Lieve》 and the Commander of the 3rd Corps 《Ertina》. Please take good care of them."

""--Ha, yes, sir!"""

The two female corps commanders return the order of worship.

The chorus of chants was lively, but at the same time, I felt that they were a little over-enthusiastic.

In a sense, this may be understandable, since they are responsible for the fate of [Alkimaira] from now on, but excessive [tension] will lower the basic performance. This was something to be feared when exploring unknown territory.

Helian thinks that although he does not have any combat skills, he can at least relieve the tension between the women.

And if there is something he can do, he should do it.

It would be one of the jobs of the king, his superior, to relieve the tension of his men and put them in a state of mind that would allow them to reach their full potential.

"You don't have to be so uptight, just think of it as a search in the beginning. Think back to those days. The only difference is that Baran is gone.

When I told them what I was going to do as a follow-up, Lieve and Ertina, who had been bowing their heads, jumped up in surprise. They both had a look of astonishment on their faces.

(...... What?　Was it so surprising that he tried to care for his men?)

Helian is a bit hesitant, but once he has opened his mouth, he is determined to finish what he has to say. He continued, "Don't worry about it.

Besides, your abilities have improved beyond compare compared to those days. Don't get too worked up, just show your usual ability. I have faith in you."

......I've said it all, but what do you think?

I was inwardly dripping with cold sweat, but the two corps commanders who were looking straight at me hung their heads again with tightly knit lips, as if they had made some sort of resolution.

""I understand the details, sir.""

His reply was even more forceful than before.

Moreover, he seemed to be filled with a stronger sense of tension than before.

...... Oh no. I must have failed.

Instead of releasing the tension, it seems to have worsened it.

But water does not return to the tray. We have no choice but to keep going.

"As for the 6th Corps, select five men who specialize in stealth.

They will accompany the survey team under cover and serve as liaison personnel in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

The selection will be left to you, Kamila. And you yourself will continue to collect and control information in the country.

"Yes, my lord."

With a charming smile, Camilla, Commander of the 6th Legion, nodded her head in affirmation.

This seductive gesture might have succeeded in capturing Hellián's gaze in normal times, but he was not in the mood for it.

"Well then, this concludes the audience. As for the foreign mission, we will launch from the north gate in fifteen minutes. Liewe and Ertina, get ready. The other commanders of the corps will continue their duties.

Helian leaves the audience hall, emotionally fleeing.

The two corps commanders who had been appointed to the survey team, among those who remained in the audience chamber, were deeply prepared with the king's words in their hearts.