Episode 78
* * *
He barely managed to draw with the infamous ‘Black Prince’ and reclaimed Rheims without a bloodbath.
It was solely due to the efforts of the virgin Aurelia, and Dale also handed over the capital of the kingdom in the name of the virgin Aurelia.
“The Virgin has restored the capital of the kingdom!”
“Wow!”
“The mercy and loving-kindness of the Sister Gods are with the Virgin!”
“The Goddess is watching over us!”
The people of Rheims, and even the Britannian independence army, cried out loudly for the Virgin’s name.
Not the legitimate heir to the Britannian kingdom, Charles VII, but the names of the sister goddesses Aurelia and Sistine.
‘These, these, these… …!’
How would that fact affect Charles VII?
‘It is I, I am the one who will be the king of this kingdom!’
But no one cared about Charles VII, the legitimate heir to the British throne.
The one who gathered and led the Britannian independence army against the tyranny of the Empire was none other than the holy maiden Aurelia, and furthermore, the powerful men of the old kingdom who shared her views.
All that happened was that the virgin Aurelia proclaimed herself king, and so Charles VII became king. That was it.
In other words.
──What if the Virgin Mary doesn’t want Charles VII to become king?
For a moment, Charles VII was under the illusion that he was merely dancing as a ‘virgin’s puppet’.
The rider of the goddess, who was so foolishly honest, could not possibly have any dark intentions or political intentions as Charles thought. But nothing changed.
After all, people tend to see what they want to see.
* * *
The Britannian Revolutionary Army reclaimed their capital, and was immediately crowned King by Archbishop Thomas Becket, a white wizard of the Seventh Circle.
An event where a person is officially declared the rightful king of the Kingdom of Britannia by being anointed with oil consecrated by a bishop.
The enemy of the Empire was no longer a single Britannian independent army. What they had to deal with was now the ‘Britannian Kingdom Army’, and furthermore, the strong men of the kingdom, including the Auror Master’s knights and the 7th Circle White Wizards, were supporting the Holy Maiden.
The end of the war was finally approaching.
Here on the island of Britannia, it is time to drive out the last of the Empire’s territories.
* * *
The imperial territory of the island of Britannia. The last bastion of the imperial territory, Burgundy, ruled by the imperial governor.
“You, you, you stupid, incompetent loser… … !”
Amidst the endless stream of bad news from across the empire, Philip pointed his finger at Dale.
“What on earth are you thinking, daring to hand over your lance to the enemy without bloodshed!”
As if to reprimand Dale for his incompetence.
“I am speechless at your foolishness, as you do not understand war at all!”
“Oh, is that so?”
Dale didn’t care. It was as if it wasn’t worth responding to.
“As expected, someone like you is not qualified to lead this war… … .”
Seeing Dale’s silence, Philip continued to speak. No, he was about to continue. It was at that moment.
Exactly.
There was a snap of fingers, and sparks flew out of Philip’s mouth.
“Eww, eww!”
The flame was supporting Philip’s tongue.
“If you keep talking nonsense like this, I’ll burn that pig-like tongue of yours.”
Lady Scarlett, the senior elder of the Red Tower, spoke coldly. But no one paid any attention to Philip, who was writhing in pain.
The Black Prince, Lady Scarlett, Cardinal Nicholas, the Governor of Burgundy. Even Philip’s father, the Holy Sword Count of Brandenburg.
When he heard Dale’s words that he would hand over the capital city of Rangs, the Holy Swordsman’s thoughts were initially no different from Philip’s.
But there, on the drawbridge in Rheims, the absurd tale of the ‘Black Prince’ drawing with the very maiden… … and the peace that Dale shows after returning to Burgundy, the last bastion of the Empire.
“As I promised, I will lead this war to victory.”
If the war is not won, Dale will bet his heart along with all the responsibility for the defeat. How can he remain so calm and composed despite this?
“Is there really a way to win?”
“You can’t destroy what isn’t there… … .”
Dale nodded in response to the Holy Inquisitor’s question.
“That is not the case.”
The expression on his face is one of confidence. As if the direction of this war lies in the palm of his hand.
At that sight, the Count of Brandenburg could never smile.
I just thought of this war being won and the fame of the ‘Black Prince’ spreading throughout the empire.
The ending is when Philip, the villain, leads the defeated imperial forces and achieves victory by destroying the ‘Kingdom of Britannia’ despite the historical defeat of 50% of the imperial army.
But there was no other way.
Because the ‘Geass’ is already engraved in the heart of the Holy Swordsman, to absolutely obey Dale’s orders in all future operations, and to leave the treatment of prisoners captured in battle to him.
* * *
There is no battle without scars. This was no exception, even for the independent army that achieved victory.
No, to begin with, it would be a miracle that we were able to achieve victory with such a small force.
If they had not captured Philip and obtained a large amount of military supplies as the offensive was on the verge of ending, the offensive would have ended and the advance of the independence army would have also come to a halt.
Capturing Philip and taking Belfort. Taking the impregnable fortress that was never supposed to fall. Furthermore, recovering the royal capital Rheims without bloodshed. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a miracle of the goddess.
But that was the end of it.
What moves war is gold.
And around that time, King Charles VII of the Kingdom of Britannia was gripped by great worry.
The existence of a virgin who threatens his position by carrying the name of a goddess on her back. Furthermore, the fact that Charles’ finances, which he poured into the war of independence, are reaching rock bottom.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
The level of investment that was based on one revelation from the Virgin Mary and filling a bottomless pit has finally hit rock bottom.
“We must advance to the imperial territory of Burgundy and drive them out of the kingdom once and for all.”
Nevertheless, the virgin Aurelia did not back down from her position.
According to the will of the goddess, until the Empire is completely driven out of the island of Britannia. Until the port city of Dover, where the Imperial army had landed, is taken over, and the entire island is painted as the territory of the kingdom. The fight of the virgin Aurelia is not over.
She did not hesitate to carry out her mission, a fact that was an indescribable burden to Charles VII.
“But, Holy Virgin, the remaining imperial territory is only a very small part.”
To be honest, the war was a f*cking pain.
“The royal treasury is already completely depleted due to the repeated fighting.”
However, this was a story excluding the ‘expenses for the king’s luxury.’
“… … Wasn’t it Your Majesty’s extravagance that squandered the royal treasury?”
Aurelia could not have been unaware of that fact.
“Please postpone the ‘construction of the new castle’ that Your Majesty has ordered, and invest the funds in the military.”
When the Virgin Aurelia pointed that out to Charles VII, there was only one emotion that took hold.
It was fear.
“──In the current situation, building a new castle is nothing more than an extravagance that would squander the national treasury, as Your Majesty said.”
A daughter of a mere serf is fearlessly giving orders to the king. She does not bend her will. And everyone in the kingdom of Britannia agrees with her will.
“Go, dare… … .”
What a king who must bow his head in front of a mere serf’s daughter!
“How shameless it is to act in front of the king!”
“… … Please forgive my rudeness.”
Charles roared, and the Virgin bowed her head and turned away.
“How dare you, the daughter of a mere serf… how dare you… .”
Charles VII muttered softly toward the back of the retreating virgin. His voice was distorted with unbearable humiliation and shame.
* * *
Some time later, when the seeds of discord that Dale had sown began to sprout.
An imperial envoy arrived in Rheims, the capital of the new kingdom of Britannia.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial forces was Dale of Saxony.
* * *
A room in the royal palace, the capital of the Kingdom of Britannia.
It was not the virgin Aurelia who greeted the imperial envoy, Dale. King Charles VII of Britannia was there.
In order to talk to the ‘chief responsible’ of this war… …Dale personally proposed a one-on-one conversation.
“What our empire desires is peace.”
And right at that table, Dale opened his mouth, as if he were acting on behalf of the Empire’s will.
“Peace?”
“This is a way to resolve the conflict rationally, without any more bloodshed.”
Dale said.
“After several crushing defeats, our empire has no more strength left to fight.”
“Isn’t this proof that the goddess is looking after our kingdom?”
“I guess so.”
Dale nodded without denying anything.
“It is virtually impossible for the Empire to threaten the Kingdom of Britannia any longer.”
As if they were literally on the verge of defeat.
“──Therefore, our empire would like to propose an ‘indefinite truce’ to His Majesty King Charles.”
“An indefinite armistice agreement?”
Not the end of the war.
“Please think of it as a show to preserve the empire’s dignity.”
Dale smiled as if to say, “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“No, an indefinite armistice agreement… … .”
Certainly, Dale’s words made sense.
In the form of an indefinite truce, the Empire will not officially allow the independence of the Kingdom of Britannia. At the same time, as long as the truce continues, the Kingdom of Britannia will maintain a situation that is virtually independent.
Charles’s long reflection continued.
“Well, there’s one thing that bothers me.”
At the end of the conversation, Charles opened his mouth cautiously.
“It must be the existence of the virgin Aurelia.”
Dale answered as if he knew that would happen.
The virgin Aurelia. She is the savior of the country who practically united the soldiers of the fallen nation and became their rallying point to achieve independence.
“Do you trust her?”
“I am expressing my gratitude beyond words for the activities of the Virgin Mary.”
Charles VII answered confidently.
“It is like the treasure of our kingdom.”
Charles answered, hiding his true feelings as much as possible, knowing full well the weight of the virgin’s existence on the outside.
“Do you really think so?”
But Dale asked back coldly.
“The only reason His Majesty Charles can become king is because she wanted it.”
“… … !”
As if looking straight into Charles’ mind.
“Then what will you do when she doesn’t want it?”
“I have no doubt about her devotion.”
Dale paid no attention to Charles’ bluff.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say.”
As if he had known this would happen, he took something out of his bosom.
“The Virgin’s faith is truly beyond doubt.”
It was a letter that was sealed in secret.
“What, what is this?”
“Archbishop Thomas betrayed the White Tower and willingly offered himself as the ‘Standardizer of the Virgin.’”
Dale said. Archbishop Thomas Becket. A white wizard of the Seventh Circle and a senior elder of the White Tower. One who volunteered to become an independent soldier for his homeland, Britannia.
“Cardinal Nicholas of the Imperial Army… … was caught trying to pass this secret letter on to Archbishop Thomas.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Please read it.”
Dale handed over the secret letter, and Charles VII accepted it cautiously.
─ … … (omitted) The day when the country of the goddess will stand tall on the island of Britannia is not far off.
And after reading the contents.
“Ah, ahhhh… … .”
“Yes.”
For the first time, the dark demon of suspicion that had been tormenting Charles revealed its true nature.
“The ultimate goal of the Virgin is not the independence of the Kingdom of Britannia.”
“Sir, no way.”
“In the midst of the secret activities of the White Tower, the country of the goddess… …is trying to revive the religious nation.”
Only then did the puzzle pieces scattered in Charles’s head begin to fit together.
“In other words, Archbishop Thomas never betrayed the White Tower.”
Why did Archbishop Thomas, a senior elder of the White Tower, claim to be the standard-bearer of the Virgin?
“Because the White Tower was not loyal to the Empire in the first place.”
Cardinal Nikolai of the White Tower, who is joining the Imperial Army, is in collusion with Archbishop Thomas.
“The victory of the Britannian Independence Army was not a ‘victory of the goddess’, but rather the result of the thorough collaboration of traitors within the Imperial Army.”
Dale said.
“So the Virgin will drive the Empire out of this country, and there is no need to talk about what happens after that.”
Charles VII was speechless.
“After the Empire, the one whom the Virgin will drive from this land will be His Highness Charles.”
Yes, it was as Dale said. The miraculous victory that the Virgin had shown was definitely not achieved by her own hands.
After all, it was the land of the goddess… … It was possible because of the White Tower’s secret activities for the revival of the religious nation. Only then could I truly understand.
“How are you, Your Majesty Charles?”
“… … .”
“What our empire desires is peace.”
A whisper as cunning as that of a snake.
“Please, won’t our two countries join forces for peace?”
For Charles, whose mind was darkened by a dark spirit, it was an offer he could not refuse.
