It took about 30 minutes to reach the town of Druga by Ilimo. As we approached the main gate, the number of dead soldiers increased. And, as expected, the corpses were piling up near the main gate.
As they entered the gate, soldiers of the Warlovian Imperial Army were lined up to greet Linos and his men. At the front of the line were two men. They were Commander Chang and Commander Worker. When Linos and his men arrived, they kneeled down in front of them.
"That man looks like ...... Linos the King of Agartha, doesn't he? It is an honor to meet you.
"Hm? Yes, of course. I guess you didn't recognize me because I was hiding my face until now, Commander Chang. Bertham Darke Linos. Thank you for your continued patronage."
At Linos' words, the two men bowed reverently.
"I am very much impressed by the leadership of King Agartha and Matkal, as well as by the personalities of both of you.
"Hahaha, no need for flattery."
"Ha ha ha. Well then, let me show you around the city.
The worker stood up and took Ilimo's gag. Linos nodded slowly.
He looked out to sea and saw that the fleet of ships led by Vieille had completely blocked the sea. The cannons protruding from the ships were lined up in a row, a truly spectacular sight. Linos turned his attention to the soldiers standing behind him and instructed them to inform the fleet that they had captured Dorga.
We were shown to the building used by the commander-in-chief. It was originally used by the chief of the city, and although it was old, it was a nice and quaint house. When we entered the building, we found ourselves in a large hall-like structure, where the generals of the Warlov and Agartha armies were standing in neat rows to greet Linos and his men.
In front of them were several men kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. One of the soldiers approached and reported that the men standing in line were the commanders of the Royal Barrial Army. Linos glanced at the men and ordered them to untie their ropes.
"King Agartha, that's ......."
Commander Chan is startled and tries to stop him, but Linos smiles back at him.
He smiles back at him. "You're not carrying a shred of steel on your body," he says. They won't put up a fight. See?"
Linos turns his attention to the captive men. They look away from him and down at once.
When Rinos sees that the ropes have been released, he instructs them to get chairs, and he himself gets one and sits down.
"This is Bertham Darke Linos, King of Agartha. We have met in this way, and I must say that you have done a splendid job in defending Durga so far. We are not ashamed to say that our luck happened to be with us this time. We should be very proud of the work we have done so far.
At Rinos's words, all the commanders of the Royal Army of Burial remained motionless with their heads down. He clears his throat and continues to speak.
"Now, I have something I need you all to help me with. A head search.
Several of the commanders look up. Linos looks at them, then turns his attention to Knogen, who nods cockily. Knogen unfolds a cloth package in front of them, which he has been holding carefully with both hands.
"Are you sure you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army of Burial, Mister Ersatzak?"
No one responded to Linos' question. However, a few commanders gave small nods. Seeing this, Linos nodded broadly. In response, Knogen carefully wrapped Ersatz's head in cloth again.
The heads of the generals killed by Agartha and Warlov were then examined and carefully entered into a head register. Among them was the head of Denza, who had struggled to defend Ersak to the end.
Just as the last head was being examined, a woman entered the room as if she had been waiting for it. Dressed in a pure white dress, Vieille, a woman with an alluring air, walked toward Linos with a beaming smile on her face. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Burial who noticed her were all wide-eyed and frozen in place. At the same time, Chan and Worker also gaped open-mouthed at the sight of Vieille.
Right behind her, several soldiers in armor followed her. All of them were wearing white armor, the same color as Vieille's, and the atmosphere around them was strangely bright.
"We are very happy for your great victory. I am so happy that I have come here without any further ado.
"Don't mind the pleasantries. Well, but this victory would not have been possible without you. Thank you, Vieille.
Your compliments are very kind, sir. But we have done nothing this time.
"No, you have built a fleet of ships and brought them here. That alone is enough work. I'm sure I'll be able to repay you for it.
"Ho-ho-ho, thank you very much. It is my pleasure to hear you say so. May I take your word for it, and may I ask that our soldiers who are waiting on the ships be allowed to land here at the forts of Durga and Hiyama? After all, it's a long trip by boat ....... The soldiers are tired. We will not cause you any trouble.
"......"
Linos quickly turns his attention to Chan and Worker. They too look at each other, unsure of what to do. Linos sighs and slowly turns his attention to Vieille.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped now that you put it that way. But don't proselytize.
Ho-ho-ho, I have no intention to do such a thing. You are a worrier. But I love the king of Agartha.
Vieille laughed as she said this.
She looked at one of the soldiers standing by, who bowed and left the room. In turn, a soldier approached them.
"Ha, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt. At this moment, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Siwa, Commander Guiggi, and Commander Toits have arrived at the front gate. They will be here shortly.
Both Chan and Worker's faces became tense. Linos saw this and couldn't help but laugh.
A few moments later, Siwa and the others slowly entered the room. Gigi is lying on top of Toits, who seems to be conscious but in very poor health.
She looked around the room and slowly approached Linos.
"Thank you for your help."
Linos glanced at her with his arms crossed, but quickly looked away.
"On behalf of the Imperial Army of Warlov, I would like to thank you for the recapture of Durga. Thanks to you, I am sure that our country will be restored to its former state of tranquility. As for the fortresses of Dolga and Hiyama, we will take care of them ourselves. Please, you are free to leave the camp.
"We can't just pull out of camp now."
"...... this is a strange thing to do. This is not the word of the king of Agartha. Durga and Hiyama are the territory of our Warlovian Empire. We ask that you hand them over to us immediately. That's the way of the world.
"Rude."
A woman's voice sounds as if she is whispering, as if in contempt. Sheeva looks at the owner of the voice. There was Vieille.
"The Agarthans have almost single-handedly recaptured Durga and the fortress of Hiyama, which you, as a party to the war, and all the other nations who came to your aid, were unable to bring down. Not only did they not take the trouble to do so, but they demanded that we hand them over immediately. This is the rudest thing I have ever heard in all the ages of the world.
"I don't know your name because I remember you didn't say ...... your name, but I don't remember you being rude to me."
I'm sorry I'm late. My name is Jouvencel Vieille, Pope of the New Climiana.
Shewa's face instantly froze. Seeing this, Vieille smiled thinly.
"Forty thousand men of the Crimiana Navy will be stationed in Dorga from now on. A long voyage on a long ship ....... The soldiers are tired. And now, after so many battles, the Agarthan army... For your sake, we, the new Climiana and the Agarthans, have done our best. First of all, it is only right that you should be given a good rest from your labors.
At Vieille's words, Siwa was about to say something, but she did not let him and continued.
"And you are not the deputy commander-in-chief, are you? Is this the way you should behave towards us, the kings of a country? Stand still and give us orders: ....... Is it customary in the Warlov Empire for a deputy commander-in-chief to speak to the king of a country as an equal? If so, what an ill-behaved country."
Vieille laughs as if mocking Siwa. Linos closes his eyes slowly, looking at her with a sideways glance.