CH 387

After finally finishing our errands in the royal capital, we crossed from Steltin to Koenigsvelg by boat. The Hulk Sea is an inland sea, a Meditellenean Sea, and the waves are relatively calm, but it can still get rough. Luckily, our ship hasn’t sunk or run aground yet, but if you use the ship so often, you may have an accident like that sooner or later.

On the other hand, there is no option not to use a ship, so there is no choice but to try to make the voyage as safe and accident-free as possible. Even so, our ship will probably sink sooner or later… It would be better to proceed with seafloor surveys, nautical chart development, coastal development, and lighthouse installation.

I know I should do it, but if I do, it’ll be more work for me. Or rather, I feel like I’m doing most of the work myself. I’m not a super-masochist, and I don’t have a hobby of tormenting myself for pleasure, but for some reason, when I try to take it easy, I find myself with more work. Hmmm… why is that…?

Anyway, I walked through Koenigsvelg when I arrived. I need to bring my carriage here soon. This carriage is too violent to be usable. It’s the worst because the road surface is bad and the performance of the carriage is also bad. I used to ride in that kind of carriage in that kind of environment, but it’s a frightening prospect to have to get used to it.

I’ve become a body that can only ride a carriage with a good suspension that runs on our beautifully maintained road surfaces. It’s still better to run on foot than to ride in this carriage.

“Oh! Lord… Lady Flora…” Stefan said, at a loss.

“Stefan, I see you’re back now, aren’t you?”

I’m not surprised he’s confused. I’m dressed like a woman now, but Floto von Caan must pass as a man. Besides, I don’t want to draw attention to the fact that the Lord of the Knights Nation is in a place like this.

Since it’s a Knight’s Nation, the leader of that knight order is at the top of this country, but in practice, I’m the head of the Caan Knight’s Nation, so I’m the head of this country. I can’t easily expose my true face like that, and I don’t want people around here to ask me about it. Stefan looked at my appearance and decided that it would be better to call me Flora, he’s matured considerably.

“Are you still looking for explorers?” I asked.

“Ah, no,” Stefan said. “Right now, I’m here because of my subordinates. I, ah, I have to prepare a system so that it can do well even after I’m gone!”

Ah~…, well…, you’re putting into practice what the Navy and I have taught you. Well, I’m not going to complain because what he’s saying and what he’s trying to do are reasonable. Besides, he said it’s for the sake of his subordinates, but besides that, there may be recruiting here, and maybe some of the subordinates want to join the expedition. I don’t think he came back just for the sake of his men.

“Then I leave it to you,” I said.

“Yes! You can count on me!” Stefan cried.

I broke up with Stefan, who I met by chance at the port, and went to my office. For the time being, there is a government building in Koenigsvelg, but it is difficult to work there. If that’s the case, Caanza Trading Firm’s office is still better. I headed to the office while checking the state of the town.

As soon as I got to the office, my father came to visit me. Apparently, he had come down this far as well. He seems to have been roaming around while I was away, but I hear things have calmed down a lot lately.

“Was Maria with you?” Father asked.

“Oh, my? Not a lot to say, do you?” Mother said. “Isn’t there something you should say to your wife after being separated for so long?”

Scary… Mother’s face is smiling but it doesn’t reach her eyes. That’s definitely an angry face.

“Maria, you are beautiful today. I love you more than anything in the world,” Father said.

“Oh, you flirt… no, not in front of Flora dear,” Mother said, her cheeks dying red as she put her hands on them and twisted her body.

Is this really my mother? Where did “Bloody Mary” go? This is not like Mother at all…

Even so, it was my mother’s threat, but my father shamelessly whispered his love for her even though it was in front of me. I don’t know if that’s normal or if my father is crazy. The only thing I can say is that I, who have a Japanese temperament, will never be able to do something like this.

“Eh~… Father, did you come here for some business?” I asked.

“No, I think it’s time to return to my territory,” Father said. “I heard that you’re also here, Flora, so I just came to report that.”

I see……. If you’re far away, it can’t be helped if it’s by letter, but if I’m here, I guess it’s better to say it verbally. In fact, it was very helpful that he came to tell me the news directly. Sometimes I want to ask him something.

“First of all, when do you plan to withdraw?” I asked.

“Well… I would like to say that my role is over, so I’d like to say it as soon as possible… but if it’s a few more months, it won’t change,” Father said. “I’ll be back in about a month and a half, three months at most.”

In other words, when we return to the royal capital, we will return together. I don’t think it would be a good idea for me, my father, and my mother to leave all the main people and main powers at once, but if my father thinks it’s okay, there must be some grounds for it.

“How is the state of the border?” I asked.

“The Kingdom of Polsky has been quiet since its defeat,” Father replied. “It no longer has the willpower or the strength to fight back. The country will collapse on its own. The idea of sharing the same prey with the other nations seems to have been spreading since then.”

Is this as expected…? It was decided that the Kingdom of Polsky would perish when it lost the war. The only difference is whether it crumbles in an instant at the hands of other countries, or crumbles slowly from the inside. If you’re going to resent someone, resent having an incompetent leader who started a stupid war.

…… And Mikalojus, who did act to create the justification, shrewdly lives in my camp, but the country and the remaining aristocrats who weren’t actively acting, in particular, will eat up the blame. It’s going to happen, but, including that, there’s no choice but to think that the parliament and the king who allowed Mikalojus’s actions, to begin with, are at fault here.

“Excuse me. I heard that Master Flora is here…”

“Kanbee… I’ve asked you to knock properly… Haa… Well, that’s fine,” I said. “You’ve come at just the right time. Let’s talk a little with Lord Carruthers.”

Kanbee also seemed to have heard of my arrival and entered the office. Since I was staying in the royal capital longer than originally planned, I told Kanbee and Micaroyus to go straight to the Knight’s Nation once the negotiations with Frasia were finished. So they should have arrived earlier.

I have already received the first report about the results of the negotiations with Frasia, but I have not received a direct report. But since my father and mother are here, talking about Frasia is strictly prohibited. It becomes a discussion about why I am holding talks and signing treaties with Frasia without permission from the royal family. I’m keeping it a secret here because the matter over there is purely Blish Isles related.

“First of all… how is your work, Mikalojus?” I asked.

“Right,” Mikalojus said. “Everything is going well. Soon, the second division of Polsky will be decided.”

HM……. It’s maddening to give away the territory and the people to the Principality of Moscove, which has nothing to do, but in the current situation, it’s not a good idea to go to war directly with Moscove…… or is it?

No… wait? Until now, we were fearing a pincer attack with the Kingdom of Frasia on the other side, so I was seeking reconciliation with the Principality of Moscove behind us. But now Frasia is weakening. Now that they don’t have the strength to go on an expedition to the Blish Isles or the ability to continue fighting, it’s a chance to attack Moscove without worrying about Frasia…

What am I saying….…? I’m not a war maniac either, so I don’t want to go out of my way to fight an opponent I don’t need to fight. Even if you win, if you don’t dismantle the enemy completely, there is a possibility that you will receive revenge for the grudges. On the other hand, in the current situation, we can’t afford to dismantle and occupy the Principality of Moscove and put it under our complete control.

I always say that if you want to go to war, you have to have a purpose and a goal, that is, a grand strategy. Without an overarching plan, no matter how many times you win with battlefield tactics, there will be no end. Why, for what, how to fight, and how to end it. That’s important, and it’s my job to think about it and prepare for it.

There is nothing to be gained from going to war with the Principality of Moscove at this point. And it is impossible to control. If you just go to war, kill the enemy, and pay reparations, you will fuel resentment. It’s not worth it for mere reparations to get so much. If you want money, just do business. There is no reason to go to war.

“Mikalojus’s work is certainly going well,” Father said. “Thanks to him, I have nothing to do.”

I nodded at my father’s words. Now, Moscove thinks that it will be more profitable to cooperate and exploit the Kingdom of Polsky than to fight with us. That’s why I’m following the discussion and keeping pace.

Besides, at first, people who didn’t know each other well were wary of each other. But after spending so much time standing on the border and getting to know each other’s personalities, they’ll probably realize that it’s better to compromise and cooperate to some extent than wastefully skirmishing on the border.

As long as we hold west of Moscove, they can’t spread further than that. If Moscove is going to expand beyond this point, it will be south or east. And when it spreads to the fullest, it will aim to go west next. Due to the positional relationship between the two countries, the Principality of Moscove will inevitably have clashes at some point. I may be dead by then…

I think about the future while receiving reports from my father and Kanbee. However, an unexpected order arrived.

“Lord Flora, this is an order from His Majesty King Wilhelm,” the messenger said.

“Thank you,” I said.

I received an order… I don’t have a very good feeling about it. Why bother? I think so, but I can’t help but look at it. I open the package and check inside.

“Huh… is it still more trouble…?” I asked.

Just reading that order made me feel exhausted.

“What on the earth is it?” Kanbee said, looking on curiously.

I show it to him. After he read it, seems to have guessed it immediately.

“I see… it certainly seems like trouble for our House…”

And then I passed it on to my father. Originally, it was an order issued to House Caan, but House Carruthers also cooperated in this operation. So they’re not completely irrelevant. It’s not something I’d be troubled for him to see, so it would be easier if I showed it to my father.

“Are they trying to use House Caan and the Knight’s Nation as a shield? This is like the work of a margrave,” Father said.

“Haha…” I can only laugh dryly.

The content of the order I received was quite simple: in the Second Division of Polsky, they told me to secure with the highest priority the area southeast of Polsky’s royal capital, Waalzaw.

From Danzij to Waalzaw, and further southeast from there, there is an inland sea called the Bracken Sea. The inland sea to the east of the Meditellenean, with the Meditellenean to the west of the Barchans and the Bracken Sea to the east.

The Kingdom of Ploiss’s aim is to secure an exit to the Bracken Sea by invading southeast from Waalzaw. This has many implications.

First of all, it’s ostensibly support for the Principality of Aust. In order to support the Principality of Aust, which is trying to stop the Oltoman Empire by invading the Barchans, Ploiss also needs to have a territory that can invade the Oltoman Empire. If we obtain the territory of Polsky as indicated in the order, it will become a foothold.

Then the division of Aust and Moscove. It’s not like Aust and Moscove are on good terms. If Aust were to fall under attack by Moscove, Ploiss would be exposed to Moscove, as well. That’s why it would be a problem if Aust fell to another country.

Besides, since we have an alliance, there will be no option to silently let Aust die. If you do that, you will be criticized from home and abroad, so you have to support them even if it’s just public relations. If you’re going to support them anyway, it’s better to have them win properly than to lose since all your help was for show.

And…… perhaps the most important thing is to prevent the Principalities of Aust and Moscove from joining hands.

If Aust and Moscove collude behind the scenes and invite Moscove into Aust territory…then, just like before, we would suddenly be attacked by being so close to the royal capital. That’s why I want to divide Aust and Moscove.

Furthermore, in the future, the Principality of Moscove will definitely head south toward the Bracken Sea. The idea was that we would preemptively secure a place for Moscove’s attempt to extend power.

Moreover… I don’t know the geography of this world… but if it’s very similar to the Earth…, I came up with something.

If the Kingdom of Ploiss goes out to the Bracken Sea, and if it’s the same as Earth, it might be possible to expand its territory to the east at once if it runs through the stepped grasslands around there. Furthermore, if we go north on the way and cross the mountain range, there is a possibility that we can advance to what was called Siberia on Earth, ahead of Moscove.

If that happens, Moscove will not be able to go west, south, or east. If you plan to suppress Moscove in the future, it’s quick and easy to conquer that area first. Prevent the possibility of growing into a great power in the future, and on the contrary, extend our power. It’s an ideal deployment if possible.

However…, even if we spread it so recklessly, there won’t be enough people or supplies. After all, it is an empty theory on the desk. It’s a fantasy drawn only in my head without considering governance or manpower.