CH 342

C342: The Lone Troop

As Emitz had said, the base of the Royal Army of Lubel was close by. It took us about two hours to reach the base from where the battle took place. However, as Jean had declared, we would not go near the base, but wait by a nearby lake.

Emitz seemed to be heading for the base to request reinforcements. A ride hover was launched from Souve.

“It’s weird to watch the enemy get reinforcements like this in silence.”

Linnecarlo mutters as she watches from Mirai’s bridge as the ride hover runs toward the base.

“That’s true. If you think about it, they’re enemy forces.”

Their conversation reminded me of Emitz’s face when he came to Mirai. His apologetic expression came to mind, so I defended him lightly.

“It’s true that they may be the enemy, but right now they’re just a unit that’s watching us, right? They fought to protect us earlier, so don’t be so hostile.”

“It’s crazy that they could seriously fight with their allies for the sake of the enemy.”

Jean gave his own take on Linnecarlo’s impressions.

“If you think about it, soldiers are a peculiar group of people. A good soldier is one who follows the orders of his superiors to the letter. Commander Emitz is a good soldier, no doubt about it.”

“If that’s the case, I don’t think I’ll ever be a good soldier.”

“That’s fine, we’re not soldiers. We’re the best mercenaries.”

I didn’t quite understand the difference between mercenaries and soldiers, but I generally agree with Jean. We don’t need to be soldiers.

A few moments later, Emitz returned. He was not going towards Souve, but towards Mirai.

“Huh…….Looks like they refused to provide reinforcements.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“There is no movement at the base. Moreover, the fact that the Emitz is coming to Mirai means that things didn’t go as expected.”

As Jean had predicted, Emitz ‘request for reinforcements has been turned down.

“I’m sorry. It seems that Count Suidel had beaten us to it. I knew that the commander of this base was an old acquaintance of Count Suidel’s, but I didn’t expect that they would be so connected that he would go against the wishes of the country.”

“I understood the situation. So, what do you plan to do now?”

“There is no central military base in this area. Requesting reinforcements from the central army base would take too much time. It’s going to be a little tough, but we’ll just have to get by with our current strength.”

“It’s the same Royal Army of Lubel, are they really that inflexible?”

My question was answered by Kiyone.

“The bigger the organization, the more difficult it is to have a united front, and a country as large as the Kingdom of Lubel will have one or two factions.”

“I’m embarrassed to say that I agree. There is a huge barrier in the chain of command between the local and central forces. With a position like mine, there’s no compulsion for the district army.”

I can honestly say that I understand how hard it is. So I couldn’t help but suggest this.

“Well, if it comes to it, we’ll fight for you, so just tell us.”

“No, no, thank you for your concern, but this is a matter within the Kingdom of Lubel. We can’t ask for help from you.”

Seriously……  thought so, but Jean supported Emitz.

“It’s certainly not our place to get involved. I’m looking forward to your efforts, Emitz.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

After saying that and saluting, Emitz went back to Souve.

“Are you sure, Jean? If we don’t help, Emitz’s troops will be wiped out.”

“I guess it’s called military pride…….I’m sure they have their own agenda that they have to follow even if it kills them, so we have no business telling them what to do.”

Is that what it is? I never understood that notion.