Chapter 51: Revolutionary Period - The Value of a Person

Chapter 51: Revolutionary Period - The Value of a Person

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Revolutionary Period The Value of a Person

As the summer heat was in full swing,

I led an army drafted from across the Republic of Francia, having completed their basic training, out of the capital and towards the front lines.

It hasnt been long since that incident, so the thought of leaving Christine in the Capital didnt sit right with me.

Even more so, Louis had gone to study abroad in the Mage Kingdom of Holland right before my departure, leaving her alone, which concerned me all the more.

But to express such concerns would be discourteous to Christine; so I had no choice but to trust her.

Ughhh, its sooo hoooot.

My thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from beside me.

I glanced over, and there was Eris, slumped over her horse.

Draped in a robe and hood, with a veil over that, her attire looked suffocatingly hot as she withered under the blazing summer sun.

At this rate, it felt as if Eris was not riding the horse but was rather being carried by it.

Why didnt you just ride in the carriage instead?

Ugh, sitting still in a carriage just makes my bottom hurt and its so boring I could die.

Indeed, this foolish bard cant stay still for long.

However,

At this rate, Im worried you might die of heatstroke before you die of boredom.

No worries..Despite my looks, Im very healthy, you know?

Well, she might be right. Being a saint with an absurd amount of Divine Power must help her somehow since Ive never seen her get ill during the time Ive known her.

Even so, with her sensitivity towards the sun, it must be torture to ride a horse while wrapped in all those layers of clothes

Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that I could ask Christine for an artifact that could keep her cool even in the summer.

As with most artifacts from the Mage Kingdom, it would be ridiculously expensive, but it would make for a great gift.

And it is the least I can do since she managed to save Christine.

Well, Ill see what I can do about your situation.

Eris momentarily looked puzzled but soon reverted to her slumped posture on the horse as if such things didnt matter to her.

Her slumped body swayed with the horses movements.

But somehow she managed to not fall.

I turned my head slightly to look at the soldiers following us.

15,000 troops, hastily conscripted from all over Francia, only having gone through basic training.

Thanks to Christine, the immediate crisis was averted, and the combination of the Republics financial situation and the national conscription system meant that our military capacity had changed drastically from the days of the Civil War.

Among them, I suspect there are those gathered from the old Marquisate of Lafayette or the territories of the Southern Alliance, which gives me mixed feelings.

Nevertheless, this alleviates our numerical disadvantage in troops, though the quality remains to be determined.

Now that the forces are balanced, we may expect a proper showdown, not just skirmishing or reconnaissance.

I turned to Eris again and spoke.

Stay out of the frontline this time, Eris.

Eris seemed dazed, responding a beat late.

Huh? Why?

The scale of the battlefield is too large.

In the clash with Count Lionel, where Eris took to the fray, our combined might barely surpassed 3,000, and as it was a siege, it confined the scope of combat.

Both sides have tens of thousands of troops, and its going to be an open-field battle.

At that scale, unless one is a Blue Knight, the influence of a single knight is insufficient to turn the tide of battle.

Ill be too busy commanding, and it will be hard to look after Eris as well.

Safety isnt guaranteed even with Sir Beaumont at your side. A stroke of bad luck and you could be caught in artillery fire; its far too dangerous.

Stripped of her unique status as a holy maiden, Eris is a princess. Were it not for her abilities, she should never have been sent to the battlefield in the first place.

What if I want to go?

I sighed lightly and gestured behind me, causing our attendants to step back and give us space.

Eris straightened her slumped back on the horse, looking directly at me.

Hmm, its regrettable that we couldnt fully utilize our numerical superiority on the Western front.

Grand Duke Leopold muttered bitterly, stroking his chin.

Initially, the Republics forces were merely 25,000, while the coalition forces numbered 46,000.

While the Marquis arrived with 3,000 men, his forces were both late and exhausted, so even if a battle had occurred, victory would still be in the hands of the Grand Duke.

However, now the Republics forces, having lost 4,000 in the past battle, had prepared 39,000 troops, while the coalition forces had significantly reduced to 40,000.

Most of the lost troops came from the units that engaged with the Northern Army. Even after Duke Lorenne conscripted more soldiers, this was the result.

The Grand Duke Leopold clicked his tongue.

On one hand, it was none of their concern how badly King Louiss armys losses were.

The more his army suffered, the better it would be for their ultimate goal.

On the other hand, that would only be a good outcome if the Germania Empire prospered in this war, while the incompetent troops of the Francia Kingdom suffered.

The southern forces had held on more tenaciously than expected, and as a result of retreating to preserve their own strength, the last battle became known as a victory for the Revolutionary Forces, surprising the entire continent.

Given this outcome, for the sake of the Empire and the Kaisers prestige, they needed to secure at least one decisive victory.

Sigh-. Theres no other alternative. If we rely on those imbeciles, we will suffer the same fate. Thats why we will be marching towards Lorenne, waging a decisive battle there.

But are you sure thats wise, Your Grace? If we completely vacate the Alsace region

Hmph, let those Francian nobles defend their domains.

As Grand Duke Leopold uttered these cold words, an officer entered the tent and saluted.

Your Grace, reinforcements from the homeland have arrived.

Is that so? Shall we go greet them?

While the reinforcements should have been a welcome sight, a bitter smile played on the lips of Grand Duke Leopold.

Stepping out of the command tent with his staff and officers, Grand Duke Leopold saw a group of about twenty individuals approaching.

The number was absurdly small for reinforcements from the homeland.

After all, they had conscripted an army under the pretense of helping suppress a rebellion of another nations King, only to be beaten and have their dignity tarnished.

Recklessly reinforcing large forces in such a situation would be too great a political burden for the Empire.

Yet, Grand Duke Leopold did not underestimate the reinforcements that had just arrived.

On the contrary, he overestimated them a lot.

Those who approached were clothed in colorful robes of various designs, brandishing their stylish capes.

A tall woman led them, her robes fluttering against the winds as she approached the Grand Duke.

Welcome, Frau Wilhelmina von Weinfeld.

The woman narrowed her eyes and took a long drag from her pipe, before expelling the smoke and said.

Commander of the Imperial Mages, Wilhelmina Von Weinfeld, greets the Grand Duke Leopold.

The Grand Duke frowned as he breathed the tobacco smoke, but the woman simply smiled as if amused by his discomfort.

It appears to me that the enemy was not an easy prey

Indeed. I must have disappointed our Kaiserin with my inadequacies.

Surely not, Your Grace. The Kaiserin is not disappointed in you but in the disloyalty of the Lords who provided too little reinforcement for this campaign.

Wilhelmina leisurely drew another puff from her pipe and exhaled the smoke.

Otherwise, Your Grace, the Empires hero, and pride, would not have retreated without defeating those two turncoat brats from the Kingdom of Francia.

The Grand Duke chuckled at her words.

Indeed, thats right. On behalf of the Imperial army, I welcome you, Frau Wilhelmina von Weinfeld. I look forward to the feats you and the Imperial Mages will display on the battlefield.

The Grand Duke glanced at the Imperial Mages being led to their quarters and turned away with a bitter smile.

The Imperial Mages were a group carefully nurtured by the Empire for over a decade, after the successive defeats to Francia and the Kingdom of Kraft. They went as far as sending most of them to study abroad in the Mage Kingdom or even offered noble titles to attract talented mages to their fold.

The fact that such esteemed individuals were dispatched as reinforcements only seemed to cement the growing discontent the Kaiserin must be feeling over their last defeat.

What a shame this is, I truly hoped for a proper fight against the young Marquis, alas, some things simply arent meant to be.

After all, this couldnt even be considered a fight at this point.

Only a massacre.

TL:

Welp lads, hindsight is a bitch.

/genesisforsaken