Chapter 707

After returning to the command headquarters, I issued a few orders and then collapsed into sleep, only waking up after a full day had passed.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Army was like a funeral home, even though we had won the battle.

Perhaps it was because the news of Ludwig’s death had spread throughout the camp while I was asleep, or maybe it was because we had suffered too many casualties.

“The Lord of the Borderlands has fallen in battle…”

Nigel looked like he was about to burst into tears, and the other knights couldn’t hide their sorrow.

“Ka`har has retreated, but… can we really call this a victory?”

At the moment Ka`har retreated, we might have been able to cheer in the joy and thrill of survival, but as time passed and the excitement faded, the price we paid for this victory became all too clear.

—

The Imperial Army had suffered immense losses, both in quantity and quality.

The Supreme Commander, the Lord of the Borderlands of Landenburg, had died.

The 3rd Corps Commander, Frederick, had fallen in battle.

The heroic knights of Landenburg, Joshua and Heinrich, were in critical condition.

In fact, aside from me, the core combat power of the Imperial Eastern Army had either died or was bedridden.

And it wasn’t just the core forces.

More than half of the knights who had been the backbone of the urban battles had died, and the troop losses numbered in the thousands. Many mid-level commanders had also met their deaths due to Or-han’s assault on the command headquarters.

The losses were so severe that the merger of the 2nd and 3rd Corps was being considered.

—

As soon as I got up, I had to face a mountain of tasks without even a moment to tend to my own body.

The most urgent task, the transportation and treatment of the wounded, had been handled by the military priests who had stepped up voluntarily while I was asleep. But there was still so much to do that I didn’t even have time to eat.

Sir Shane and the other aides, along with the administrators of Landenburg, had helped, but… I couldn’t just dump everything on them.

While they could handle simple administrative tasks, most of the piled-up work was too critical for them to take responsibility for.

These were matters that Ludwig would have handled, but now that he was gone, I was the only one left to take charge.

As the head of the newly established Marquisate of Median and the official successor to Landenburg.

Though it wasn’t officially recognized yet, the people here already saw me not as the successor to the Lord of the Borderlands, but as the Lord himself.

The Supreme Commander who would decide the fate of the East. A position of immense responsibility. Far too heavy for a one-armed soldier from the outside.

Or-han had said that if the responsibility was too heavy, I should just quit and live as I pleased… but that was the kind of thing savages would do. Besides, it wasn’t even a message left for me.

“Identify the fallen and prepare their bodies for cremation.”

So, with one arm bandaged and receiving treatment from the healing priest, I worked alongside the survivors to clean up after the war.

“Organize the remaining troops by corps and report… The administrators should also estimate how much compensation will be needed for the bereaved families.”

“Surely, you’re not planning to pay compensation to all the bereaved families? Even the families of the soldiers?”

One of the administrators asked in a tone that suggested I was saying something absurd.

“Were you planning to leave them be?”

No, are soldiers not people? Of course, we should pay.

The families of knights might be able to get by with the inheritance left by the deceased, but the families of ordinary soldiers would have to worry about putting food on the table now that their breadwinner was gone.

“If we don’t take care of the bereaved families, who will?”

“Your Excellency, with all due respect, we don’t have the resources for that right now…”

The administrator looked troubled.

With the collapsed barrier, the half-destroyed city, and the cost of rebuilding the annihilated territorial army, there was no budget left to care for the families of the soldiers.

“Do it. Even if it means delaying the repair of the barrier.”

…It was such an obvious point that I didn’t even feel the need to explain.

“What do you think the surviving soldiers will think if they see the families of the fallen dying from neglect?”

They would be convinced that their own families would starve to death the moment they fell in battle.

“From then on, they would only care about their own survival, not the victory of the war. They wouldn’t hesitate to betray or desert if it meant staying alive. Do you understand?”

I glared at the administrator with a cold gaze as I continued.

“The brave soldiers who would throw their lives away for the Empire and Landenburg would turn into a ragtag mob, scrambling for their own survival at the slightest sign of trouble. Is that what you want?”

It was a bit of an extreme assumption, but it wasn’t entirely baseless. Familial love tends to take precedence over loyalty or duty.

“…Understood.”

The administrator finally nodded and agreed to follow my orders.

Whether it was because of the logical explanation or the piercing blue gaze I fixed on him, I couldn’t tell.

—

Aside from handling the fallen, there was still a mountain of tasks to deal with.

Managing the naturalized People of Dane, rebuilding the half-destroyed city, reestablishing diplomatic relations with Dane.

And even writing a detailed victory report to explain Ludwig’s overreaches to Leopold and the nobles.

“Haah… This kind of work really doesn’t suit me. Can’t you write it for me?”

“A report that will be delivered directly to Leopold? I can adjust it to fit royal protocol, but the draft has to be written by you. You’re the master of Landenburg, not me.”

“Well, that’s true…”

I sighed, the scent of mint filling the air, and put down the unfinished report on the desk.

When, where, and how we fought, and how many died. These details weren’t hard to write down. I just had to summarize the reports from the aides.

The problem was coming up with excuses for why we fought the way we did. From the central government’s perspective, Ludwig’s actions could easily be seen as treason.

The fact that he unilaterally destroyed the barrier could be overlooked since he was the Eastern commander.

But leading the Imperial Army across the border into Dane and signing a diplomatic treaty with Dane without the Emperor’s approval were clearly beyond the authority of a mere Lord of the Borderlands.

Frankly, Frederick could have rebelled and taken the Imperial Army with him, and no one would have blamed him.

“How am I supposed to explain this…”

As I clutched my pen and racked my brain, Leonor chuckled and offered some advice.

“You don’t need to worry so much. Just write that you did it because you wanted to. The central government won’t be able to say anything. At most, they’ll mutter some gossip. Even Duke Bien wouldn’t want to cross you.”

Is that really good advice…?

“Do you really think they’ll let it slide…?”

After some thought, I realized she wasn’t entirely wrong. No matter what nonsense I wrote in the report, Leopold would have no choice but to accept it.

Or-han had been defeated and Ka`har had retreated, but that didn’t mean the Empire was at peace.

Monsters, fairies, beastmen, maybe even dragons. Even with Ka`har defeated, the Empire was still surrounded by threats.

Leopold, Bien, or anyone else would have to tread carefully around me. Without me, the Empire had no way to deal with all these threats.

Just considering the losses from this war, if I left the Empire, they wouldn’t even be able to maintain domestic order, let alone repel foreign invasions.

Leonor’s advice was spot on.

Even if I killed every noble I didn’t like, Leopold wouldn’t stop me—he’d side with me.

…It was an extreme example, but the point was clear.

“Right, I was worrying too much. I was too caught up in the idea of filling Ludwig’s shoes. I should just be myself.”

Thanks to that, I was able to put aside my worries and write the victory report with a lighter heart.

If they didn’t like what Ludwig and I had done, a simple statement that I would take responsibility and leave the Empire would suffice.

“No, don’t write it so bluntly…”

After reading my draft, Leonor shook her head and rephrased my direct threat into a more formal statement.

“If this leads to a debate on responsibility and the diplomatic treaty with Dane is rejected, Landenburg and Median will have no choice but to act independently to uphold their honor and faith… What does this even mean?”

“It means that if they make an issue out of this, I’ll take two marquisates and join Dane. The central government will have no choice but to panic. The combined territories of Landenburg and Median would rival Pailoon in size.”

…It was a more formal threat, but it was even more threatening than mine.