Volume 6, Chapter 3 - Unquenchable Hatred, Part 2
A large number of soldiers had begun moving near the eastern border of the Felzen region. They numbered fifty thousand ― a huge army that could shake the ground.
Their armor glittered in the sunlight, and the tips of their spears shone brightly as if to show their prowess. The unhurried march of men and horses was powerful enough to make anyone who saw it marvel.
The flag bearers were running through the gaps between the soldiers, raising a cloud of dust.
The flag displayed a snake emblem flag painted on a red and black background.
It is the flag of Anguis, one of the countries of the Six Kingdoms.
It was a royal family that once produced many unified kings, and the current queen was expected to be the next unified king. However, one incident brought her glory days to an end, and now she walks in the shadows as the one farthest from the throne.
She was currently sitting in a carriage running near the center of the march, her body shaking.
“Lucia-sama, we expect to meet up with the Urpeth siblings in about four days.”
“Fumu, I see… It’s been awfully long getting there.”
Lucia nodded absent-mindedly in response to her aide, Seleucus.
There’s a big box in her hands. She hugged it carefully as if it were a fragile object. Seleucus, who was alert to the strange object, tilted his head.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a souvenir. I got some rare ingredients in Felzen. The Urpeth siblings will be pleased to receive it.”
“You are unusually thoughtful, aren’t you?”
When Seleucus said something to the queen, Lucia’s smile deepened, but she did not blame him.
“In Felzen, I did not meet a general worthy to enhance my reputation, but in the west, will I meet a skilled one?”
Lucia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she licked her lips, but Seleucus did not even raise his brow at the lascivious gesture. Lucia frowned as if her dignity as a woman had been hurt by this.
“Fumu… Am I really incapable that my sex appeal doesn’t work?”
It’s also a rumor in the royal capital of Anguis. It seems that the noblewomen have all tried to seduce him at the banquet, but no one could get him to come to their room. A runaway noblewoman once broke into his room, but not only did he turn her away but later delivered a complaint to her parents, which made the woman a laughingstock and meet a dead end. Nowadays, it is said that he is a homosexual, and only strange rumors stick around Seleucus. It is because of this that he is able to serve as Lucia’s aide…
“You’re saying something ridiculous. If I were to make a move on the belated Your Majesty Queen Lucia, I would be sucked dry to the bone, wouldn’t I?”
“I’m from a family of snakes, after all… Well, joking aside, I guess I’m just not a very attractive woman. It’s just that no one is coming on to me.”
“I’m sure you’ve had a few proposals, but they all fell through, didn’t they? Didn’t you destroy one of those houses some time ago?”
“That was because he touched me lightly on the shoulder. I am not a cheap woman, you know.”
Lucia puffed up her cheeks like a child, her mouth pouting.
Seleucus sighed sorrowfully.
“That’s it. It is the reason why no one comes up to you. They can’t afford to have their house destroyed just because of one little touch. I think the only way out of this is to get a groom from another royal family, don’t you think?”
“…I’m done talking about this. Why should I be blamed by you?”
Lucia threw her gaze out the window, not amused.
Seleucus scratched his cheek in exasperation and smiled again, just as he always does.
“So, when you said earlier that you wanted a general who would enhance your reputation…”
“Hmm, are there any?”
“There is only one… It seems that one of the five great generals has already been defeated, but the other famous one in the west is Aura, the ‘War Maiden’.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard that name before as well. She’s said to be quite a knowledgeable general.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Lucia threw an expectant glance at Seleucus.
“Well, she was banished from the west and is now working in the central, so it is unlikely that we will be able to meet her soon ― so, unfortunately, there is no one who can satisfy you, Your Majesty Queen Lucia.”
After raising her expectations, he drops her into despair. It is rude to treat the queen like that, but he can be forgiven. If he had been incompetent enough, Lucia would have immediately cut off Seleucus’ head.
“You are really… fearless, aren’t you?”
It’s unfortunate, but there is no more capable assistant in Anguis than him. So she doesn’t care if he speaks casually.
It was annoying, but Lucia had no complaints as long as he was competent.
“…It’s boring. Can’t I just fight with a strong one yet? Shouldn’t I just attack the Central at once instead of dealing with the west?”
Lucia, who expressed her disappointment without exuding anger, can also be said to have a wide range of abilities. No matter how capable they are, there are kings all over the world who would cut down a disrespectful vassal. There is no doubt that there is a bond of master and vassal between the two.
“Unlike Your Majesty Queen Lucia, I don’t like to meet strong people…”
“Are you afraid?”
Lucia giggled mockingly, but Seleucus did not deny it and nodded frankly.
“It’s hard to imagine that the Grantz Empire will strike back any time soon. There are no forces in the surrounding countries that can respond to us. If they push us back, the surrounding countries might turn on us, and that would be a chilling situation.”
In terms of national stability, there is nothing more unstable than the Six Kingdoms. It was a coalition of six nations, so stability was not something that could be expected.
Although they are technically longtime allies and mooring their hands together, they still have a sword clutched in one of their hands. They are in a situation where they could stab each other at any moment.
In order to prevent this from happening, there is a unified king, but in recent years, their power has been waning.
“There is no need to worry; the Grantz Empire has expanded its territory too much.”
This is the reason why the war power is dispersed, and even if they want to unify, there is the barrier of the five major noble factions.
“It’s not that easy to get together. And even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to work together, would they?”
“It’s the same for us.”
After cutting off her words, Seleucus loosened his collar and opened his mouth again.
“We, the conquering army, are made up of the armies of four nations. We have different tactics and weapons for each country. Our skills are different, and so is our training. There is no way we can coordinate with each other.”
“That’s why the conquering forces have been given different roles in the invasion. Even if my lovely Anguis army were to join up with them, they would only be the first or second team, and they would not play an important role together.”
If they joined forces, it would be a large army of two hundred thousand. There is no way they can push back with half-hearted numbers.
Just as the waves that come in cannot be stopped, any nation can be blown away by the violence of numbers.
“But if the enemy is inept, that is.”
Even if it is rotten, the opponent is the Grantz Empire. Because of their vast territory, they have an abundance of human resources.
The western part of Grantz was not blessed with human resources, but it had rich and fertile land. As a specialty of cotton and sesame, it dominates the market, and if it could be obtained, the nation’s finances would be further enriched. However, that is not Lucia’s goal.
She would like to acquire it if she can, but the other countries will not stand by idly. She doesn’t want to start a political war.
If nothing else, that woman is sure to take all the goodies.
“My purpose is different. While the rest of the world is arguing over how to deal with the West, I will have to get rid of my humiliation.”
“However, it will not be a simple matter from now on. The rumored descendant of the God of War has yet to emerge. Although it is unlikely that he will appear under these circumstances.”
“Do you still think that the Grantz Empire will abandon the West?”
“Yes, it is difficult to gather the numbers in a short period. But that doesn’t mean they can’t intercept us with a small number. It’s not going to do them any good if they’re just going to show up looking like fools. I don’t think they would bring out the descendant of the hero king under such circumstances.”
Then after a short pause, Seleucus nodded as if he had remembered something.
“I forgot about the Grand Duchy of Dral. As I recall, the descendant of the God of War attacked in small numbers. I’ve read some fragments of it in the reports of our spy.”
“I have read it myself. It was impressive, I must say. No, it can be said that the defeat resulted from being carried away by the title… Well, before that, the Grand Duchy of Dral had no man with the backbone to take on the descendant of the God of War.”
It was a foolish country that chose to surrender without a fight, despite the overwhelming difference in strength.
Lucia smiled deeply as she unfolded her iron fan, wondering if it would be a good idea to attack and destroy the Grand Duchy of Dral once she obtained the west.
“I don’t want to go through the trouble of dragging out the descendant of the God of War. If possible, I would like him to go to the West on his own. That way, the first prize in this war will go to me.”
“Looking at his war record so far, he seems to be quite a belligerent man, so let me revise my opinion that there is a high possibility that he will appear. Hopefully, he’s good enough to entertain Your Majesty Queen Lucia.”
“Indeed. If he doesn’t come out, it would be interesting to avalanche into the Central. It would be even better if we could destroy the Grantz Empire straight away.”
“I hope it works out that way. As for me, I’m afraid that we will be confronted with the fact that a lion is still a lion.”
“It will work out. That is why I am here, you know.”
After closing her iron fan, Lucia declared with an attitude that could be described as arrogant.
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