Chapter 45

Even on the way back, I had a lot to do.

I had to withdraw the troops stationed near the frontlines, inform various commanders about the armistice agreement, and arrange for the return of assets that had been conscripted during the war.

As the military’s number two (nominally, since I promoted General Albrecht to Field Marshal and took real power under him) and the overall commander of the Western Front, I handled the paperwork.

“Move the 37th Division to Marquis Nassau’s territory, and the 12th Grenadier Regiment to Baron Mannstein’s domain. How is the 19th Division doing?”

“Not well. They were heavily depleted in the last battle. Over 40% of their personnel are combat ineffective.”

“Since the 22nd Division also suffered heavy losses, both units will be pulled back to the rear for reorganization. We don’t have the luxury of sending new recruits right now, so merge them and fill the ranks.”

“What about supplies? We’re somewhat short on gunpowder reserves.”

“We won’t be fighting for the next two years, so just hold out. If necessary, we’ll provide supplies later. Oh, and redirect a few regiments from the Imperial front to the Holy Kingdom.”

It wasn’t particularly difficult. Just an extension of the usual peacetime work.

Though the volume was a bit much, so I was stuck stamping documents for days.

With the war-torn units needing major repairs, the paperwork piled up like a mountain.

We weren’t doing a full overhaul, just some basic maintenance, but it felt endless.

Has anyone ever weighed documents to approve them? I actually did. It was exhausting.

“Then proceed as planned. Report any additional issues to the capital.”

“Understood, Sir!!”

“I’ll be heading back now. Keep up the good work.”

After managing the frontline troops, I finally set off for home.

Our group moved with the speed of a certain speed demon, swiftly advancing toward the Royal Capital.

Along the way, we briefly stopped in the Northern Region to deploy reinforcements and extract some veteran Revolutionary Army troops.

This was to ensure we had enough force to strike Rahator immediately and launch our operation.

“Sir, shouldn’t we follow proper procedures? I understand your anger, but using force right away might cause backlash…”

“Backlash, my ass. Did the nobles and royals follow procedures when they tried to assault the Imperial Princess? Did the Empire invade us because we didn’t follow proper procedures?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“I get your point, but this isn’t the time to respect laws. If we don’t act fast and crush them, what do you think the nobles will do? Do you think they’ll just sit back and take it if we hesitate?”

It’s true that this is illegal.

Neither the existing kingdom laws nor the new laws we passed in Parliament justify arrests and punishments without trials or legal warrants.

But in this situation, if we start debating legality, do you think we’ll ever hold the war criminals accountable?

While we’re arguing in Parliament and presenting evidence, they’ll just flee somewhere.

They probably already guessed what news we’d bring back from the Empire. So, we have to strike first.

We’ll leave those in their territories for now and focus on rounding up the ones in the capital.

We can explain and justify our actions after everything’s done.

I don’t particularly like this saying, but sometimes the end justifies the means.

“Understood. Then go check the soldiers’ quarters. We’ll deploy them as soon as we arrive, so we can’t afford any deterioration in their condition.”

“…Yes, Sir.”

After weeks of moving at the fastest possible speed, we encountered an unexpected messenger on the road.

“Sir Roytel! A message from Chief Kais of the Capital’s Intelligence Bureau!”

Along with useful but infuriating news.

* * * * *

“You’ve come a long way. Go rest in the empty tent to the east.”

“Yes! I’ll take my leave now!”

After encouraging the exhausted messenger, I sat in the barracks and opened the letter from Kais. My officers gathered around my desk.

“What could’ve happened to send someone like this? We’re almost there, so couldn’t it wait?”

“Who knows? Let’s find out.”

I carefully unfolded the letter and immediately cursed.

“Motherf***er.”

“Why the sudden outburst?”

“Read it yourselves. You’ll understand why.”

After hesitating, they read the letter and soon erupted with similar reactions.

“This is insane.”

“So that’s why the war passed so easily. Those damn bastards.”

“I should’ve just fled to another country instead of serving in this army…”

Even battle-hardened veterans were mentally breaking down. The reason was simple: the content was just that infuriating.

“I never thought the most pro-Imperial factions would cause such a mess. No wonder there was no opposition.”

According to Kais’s letter, the group that visited the Empire with the Crown Prince was mostly composed of young nobles from influential families. They were close to the Prince and around his age.

As official representatives of the Kingdom on a diplomatic mission, they were naturally from pro-Imperial families—those who had always advocated for friendly relations between the two nations.

But surprise, surprise. They ended up causing a huge scandal. Not only did they turn the Imperial Palace into a battlefield, but they also tried to assault the Imperial Princess.

The families, now branded as traitors for turning a key ally into an enemy, decided to switch sides.

“After all that pro-Imperial talk, they suddenly start calling for absolute retribution? Do these bastards have any conscience?”

“Politicians always talk out of both sides of their mouths. But this… this is extreme.”

Even if they kept pushing pro-Imperial views, it wouldn’t matter. The Emperor is furious and wants to crush the Kingdom. Who’d listen to them now?

So, they went all-in on anti-Imperial rhetoric, completely forgetting their past praise for Imperial culture and figures. They actively collaborated with the anti-Imperial faction.

Anyone who even hinted at a moderate stance toward the Empire was immediately vilified as a traitor.

Did anyone criticize them for lacking conscience? Of course, they did. They just ignored it all.

With their families on the brink of ruin because of their sons’ actions, they became shamelessly thick-skinned.

It’s utterly ridiculous and disgusting, but it worked. The anti-Imperial faction grew overwhelmingly powerful within the Kingdom’s political sphere.

“I get that these guys strengthened the war faction, but didn’t the opposition disappear entirely?”

“Even if it was just 10%, there should’ve been some anti-war voices. Where did they go?”

And here’s the part of the letter I hadn’t read yet.

“They were eliminated. To prevent any instability.”

“…You mean they were killed?”

“Yes. They were wiped out to reduce political competition.”

Even though the core of the pro-Imperial faction had switched sides, a few still opposed the mainstream. They argued that starting a war in this situation would gain nothing and that the Kingdom was clearly at fault.

Honestly, their arguments were hard to refute logically.

So, they were all killed.

King Karl VII, who had already decided on war, and the nobles who saw them as obstacles, collaborated to eliminate them.

They were invited to a banquet under the guise of gathering opinions, and then the building was collapsed, burying them alive. A classic wine, carriage, and terrace assassination.

“The minor nobles in the provinces, ignorant of the truth, just followed the capital’s decisions, and the surviving passive opposition kept quiet to save their lives. That’s how opinions were forcibly unified.”

“Damn, this is madness.”

A two-star officer listening in couldn’t help but curse. It was rude, but I didn’t call him out. Everyone felt the same.

Additionally, since the war’s cause was pinned on specific families, it was agreed that these families would lead the war effort while the other nobles provided funds and supplies.

In other words, conscription was concentrated in certain regions, leading to regional discrimination.

“Sigh…”

I let out a long sigh. It’s almost impressive how they keep finding new ways to screw me over. Is this some kind of special talent among the elite?

I thought I’d seen enough of human depravity in politics, but I guess I was still a frog in a well.

‘Look on the bright side. Now that I know, I’ll add this to the list of crimes and crush them all.’

I suddenly turned to my adjutant.

“By the way, what’s today’s date?”

“November 23rd, Sir.”

“From here to the capital is about ten days…”

So, we’ll arrive around midnight on December 3rd.

“Perfect.”

That’s an excellent date for a coup.