Chapter 279: The Next War

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In March of the Imperial Year 2325, Dimitri Daz and Myaro gathered in a meeting room located near the top floor of the royal castle. They were joined by a small, bespectacled woman named Melissa Riok, who had come from the Albio Republic. She had freckles on her face and wore her long, unruly hair in a thick braid down her back.

“This is a map of Melhem.” (Melissa)

She pulled out a large sheet of paper from a cylindrical container and pinned it to a corkboard-covered wall. The room, once a guest chamber with a beautiful view, had been stripped of its decorative wallpaper and furnishings to serve as a war room.

“Hmm…” (Myaro)

Melhem was a medium-sized port city located downstream of Vaticanus. Although Vaticanus was near the sea, the city itself was not directly on the coast. It had road connections for land transport, but a slow-flowing river, ideal for river transport, also connected it to the sea. In this way, the city’s structure somewhat resembled that of Sibyaku, being slightly inland yet dependent on waterborne trade. Melhem, situated at the river’s mouth, acted as Vaticanus’ gateway to the sea, facilitating the transition between maritime and river transport.

The hand-drawn map of Melhem was intricate, almost too finely detailed to discern at a glance, but it was an impressive work of technical skill.

“This is a highly accurate drawing from two years ago. Melhem is now in a semi-ruined state due to our nation’s ongoing bombardment, but please focus on this area.” (Melissa)

Melissa used a long pointer to circle a section of the map.

Several structures resembling long, rectangular piers extended from the city out toward the sea.

“These piers, depicted here, are wide and sturdily built from stone. Despite the bombings, they haven’t been completely destroyed. Should we attack Vaticanus by river, capturing and utilizing this port in Melhem would be essential. The Ele River that flows through Vaticanus isn’t deep enough for large ships, even though it’s regularly dredged. Therefore, sailing upriver to attack Vaticanus directly isn’t practical.” (Melissa)

With that, Melissa stopped speaking and lowered her pointer.

“What about the defense forces?” (Dimitri)

Dimitri asked.

“Yes. There is a garrison of about 1,000 troops stationed there, and the barracks have been reinforced to withstand air raids. So, it would be difficult to neutralize them entirely through bombing alone.” (Melissa)

The fortifications Melissa mentioned involved thickening the underlayer of the roofs with a pliable material, making it resistant to bombs light enough for eagles to carry. On top of this base, a thick coat of plaster was applied, with the roof tiles placed over it. While heavy bombing could still cause damage, these buildings were designed to withstand smaller bombs that would normally tear through an ordinary roof and burn it down with a single hit. Now, it would take five or ten bombs to achieve the same result, significantly increasing the cost of such an attack.

“Furthermore, the defense system in Melhem is designed to coordinate with the garrison in Vaticanus. If an invasion force is spotted, quick communication will summon the Vaticanus assault knights to intervene. Additionally, the city gates have mechanisms that can destroy the gate itself, preventing any possibility of blocking reinforcements from entering the city.”

It seemed they had prepared well for a naval assault. Losing Melhem, located right at Vaticanus’ doorstep, and having it turned against them would be disastrous, so it was likely they had fortified it long ago.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much impossible. Even if we gather all our ships, launching a direct attack on Vaticanus would be a stretch.” (Dimitri)

With the current fleet, they could transport maybe 4,000 troops in one go. While they could shuttle more in with repeated trips, the issue was the time required for each round trip. Since there were about 20,000 troops stationed near Vaticanus at all times, the initial landing force of 4,000 would have to fight against this much larger force on the first day. Even if reinforcements arrived within a day, their numbers would only grow to 8,000. Meanwhile, the enemy would continue to receive reinforcements from other regions, knowing full well that letting us amass a sizable force would pose a significant threat, so they would attack fiercely.

“It might be worth considering if Vaticanus were severely understaffed after an invasion from the Tyrellme region, but as things stand, the risk is far too high.” (Melissa)

“I agree. Even if we establish a base on Enugira Island, a voyage lasting over a month would put a significant strain on the soldiers. Most of them have never even set foot on a ship before.” (Myaro)

Indeed, it would be unreasonable to expect the soldiers to fight immediately after being seasick for an entire voyage. They would need at least three days to a week to recover before being combat-ready. seaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“We’ve come to the same conclusion. While there are other potential landing sites further away, the Papal States have long regarded the Dragon Empire, with its powerful navy, as a potential enemy. This means they aren’t complacent about a sea-based invasion. Even in remote areas far from Vaticanus, there are no completely undefended regions. In the past, the coastal defense system may have been weakened by corruption and the selling of military positions, but our repeated pirate raids have exposed and fixed those vulnerabilities.” (Melissa)

In other words, the frequent raids had essentially forced them to identify and repair the weak points in their defenses. Early warning systems, much like watchtowers in times of peace, tend to become lax if they went unused for too long. But if attacked frequently, those systems became far more responsive.

“Well then, let’s shelve the Vaticanus decapitation operation for now and move on to discuss the war against Tyrellme.” (Myaro)

Myaro suggested.

“Agreed, let’s do that.” (Dimitri)

“Melissa, if you could provide an overview?” (Myaro)

“Certainly. Please direct your attention to this map.” (Melissa)

Melissa said as she unrolled and pinned a new map to the wall.

“The central boundary line is based on our information from two months ago, but since the conflict is shifting rapidly day by day, please consider it only as a reference. In terms of land area, King Alfred’s sphere of influence is larger, but the southern part of Queen Angelica’s territory is a high-value area that produces iron ore and coal, so the balance of power is almost equal.” (Melissa)

“What is this “Three Lords’ Independent Territory” over there?” (Dimitri)

Dimitri asked.

“Yes. Let me explain a little. The country known as the Tyrellme God-Protected Empire was a nation where the power of the lords was very strong before the civil war broke out. There were nine powerful lords called Electors, and along with their privilege to elect the emperor, they had large territories within the country, almost like independent nations. They initially took a noncommittal, wait-and-see stance on the civil war, but this fierce conflict did not allow for such vague attitudes. One by one, they were crushed between the two forces, and now only three of the Elector territories remain, located in the mountainous regions.

The reason these survived is that their mountain locations made defense easier, and the three Electors had formed a tight alliance from the early stages of the civil war, making their defense strong. In other words, they are like neutral countries.” (Melissa)

“I see. Thank you.” (Dimitri)

Dimitri lightly bowed his head.

“Not at all.” (Melissa)

Melissa hurriedly replied, as if flustered.

She was an elite analyst dispatched from the Intelligence Bureau, a department that gathers and analyzes overseas information in the Albio Republic, so while she was a rising star, she was not someone of high status. Dimitri, on the other hand, was an extremely high-ranking individual even among the elite, so it was natural for her to feel flustered when treated in such a manner.

“…Well, from our perspective, either side can be dealt with however we like.” (Dimitri)

“Yes. The question is how we deal with them.” (Myaro)

Myaro said while looking at the map.

“By the way, what is the national sentiment? Which side do your country want to win?” (Myaro)

“Angelica, by far, is overwhelmingly popular. She doesn’t plunder beyond a reasonable extent, and she doesn’t punish civilians who join the enemy side without a solid reason. Alfred, on the other hand, has no qualms about massacring entire villages of people who defected to Angelica’s side, so he’s purely feared.” (Melissa)

“Yeah, I figured as much.” (Myaro)

“That said, it’s no longer a major issue for the people who rules. Both sides have imposed heavy taxes for survival and have showered the citizens in the horrors of war. The general sentiment is likely that they don’t care who wins as long as the war ends. In that sense, it’s a favorable situation for the Shaalta Kingdom. If the war ends and peace is restored, people might not resent even this country, as long as it’s not those two.” (Melissa)

“Well, let’s think about it tomorrow. The sun is about to set, so why don’t we call it a day?” (Myaro)

“Yes.” (Melissa)

“Do you have anything to add, Dimitri?” (Myaro)

“No, nothing.” (Dimitri)

Melissa had been talking at length about the plundering situation in the Albio Republic, which was outside Dimitri’s jurisdiction, so she must have been exhausted by the irrelevant conversation.

I stood up from my chair, walked around the table to Melissa’

“Melissa-dono, thank you very much.” (Myaro)

They shook hands.

“Oh no, it’s nothing.” (Melissa)

“If there’s no problem on your side, you can leave the papers as they are. We’ll probably use them again tomorrow. This is a conference room built in a tightly guarded section, so you can leave confidential materials here without worry.” (Myaro)

“I see. In that case, I’ll just take my document bag with me.” (Melissa)

“Okay.” (Myaro)

I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Then…

“Nooooooo!” (Shulika)

A little girl’s scream echoed faintly in the distance. The door to this room was made of heavy oak, so it must have been soundproof enough that they hadn’t heard it until now.

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