A few days passed. Vieille is still quiet in her hospital bed.
I was in touch with His Majesty in Hereditary, preparing to go to Aphrodite. Heedata was ready to go out at any time, and Sandanj was apparently conducting a large-scale military exercise as Sadakichi and the others scouted the area, although there were no outward signs of it. Since there is a high possibility of a naval battle this time, it seems that they are mainly conducting maritime training exercises. It seems that the king is planning to join the war whenever he feels like it.
The thing that bothered me the most when I was about to go to Aphrodite was the choice of the commander. Matkal, Knogen, and Rufana insisted on going. I decided to ask General Lafayence for advice. Without any hesitation, he told me to take Matkal and Knogen with me.
"The 3,000 soldiers you are taking are mostly young soldiers, aren't they?"
"Yes. Basically, we don't plan to take part in combat, so we are taking young soldiers with us to give them experience on the battlefield."
"So, then, the commander must take someone who has fought a hundred battles. There are two reasons. One is in case Agartha is attacked. Inexperienced soldiers may not be able to respond flexibly. For this reason, it is necessary to appoint an experienced commander.
"I see. I suppose that's true, but then I don't think you'd have to take two people with you. ......"
"No, I dare you to take both of us."
"And what do you mean?"
"Let the young men learn together how to command and control the two of you."
"Oh."
Although he claims to be a retiree, this old man's military sense has not faded at all. It made me a little happy.
Matkal and Knogen commanded in opposite ways. Matkal leads his soldiers with his clear voice, inspiring them. He is a very good looking man dressed like a beautiful woman. She may not know it, but she is surprisingly popular among the women of the city.
On the other hand, Knogen leads his soldiers with his emotions. He builds a relationship of trust with his soldiers and makes them feel at home with each other. For this reason, his orders are very straightforward. This is because the soldiers understand his intentions and respond according to the situation.
There is no superiority in their command. Matkal can lead a hastily prepared army to a certain extent, but he needs to be very detailed in his command. Knogen is a knogen, and it takes some time for him to build trust with his soldiers. Therefore, a hastily prepared army may become a ragtag group. The general's intention was to let the soldiers learn the best of both of them.
"I understand. Thank you."
"When this battle is over, we can go to King Poseidon's."
"Yes. It hasn't been five years yet, but I'll tell King Maintia.
"I look forward to it."
I left the general's office and immediately sent for my men to tell Matkal and Knogen to prepare for battle. The campaign was to begin in three days.
Returning to my office, I took a pen and wrote a letter to King Nike of Sandanj. I sent it to Sadakichi. It was nothing important. I only informed him of the date of our departure and the date of our planned stopover in Sandanj. It was the king. He may come to meet us aboard his ship. We may not be able to take a rest.
After that, we'll be transferred to Heedata. The destination is His Majesty's apartments.
His Majesty divides his time between his political work and his rest in the back of the room, unless there is something wrong with his life. He usually conducts his political affairs in the morning and spends most of his time in his room in the afternoon. If it is first thing in the afternoon, there is a good chance that we can see His Majesty.
"Oh, brother-in-law..."
When you move to the new location, His Majesty greets you with a smile. On this day, a young man was unusually present. This is ...... Prince Arrows.
He looks at me with black and white eyes as I suddenly appear. His Majesty looks at me with a wry smile on his face.
"You can't be the emperor of Heedata if you're surprised by something like this.
"......"
Prince Arrows purses his lips and looks down.
"My dear Majesty. Anyone would be surprised if someone came out of the blue. By the way, Your Highness, you've grown!
At the sound of my voice, Arrows jumps to her feet, puts her right hand on her chest and bows her head.
I apologize for the delay in greeting you. I am happy to hear that King Agartha is in a good mood.
Let's not be so formal about it.
"Yes, Arrows. This is not an audience chamber.
At His Majesty's words, Arrows sits back in his chair, his eyes dazedly moving from side to side.
"It's good that you've grown up so serious, but I'm afraid I'm a bit timid.
"I suppose I'm like you, Your Majesty."
"Me? I am ......"
"When I first met you, Your Majesty, you seemed to be in the same mood. No, you were more than that."
"You're hitting a sore spot, aren't you? Well, such a gentle man must have a strong queen. I'll send you soon, Mr. Eril. ....... No, Arrows. Why don't you go and see Lord Eril yourself?"
"What? No ......, I'm ......."
"Well, well, well, Your Majesty. We'll talk about it when the time is right. I'm here today to tell you that we have set a date for our departure for Aphrodite. The day after tomorrow, Agartha's army will leave the capital for Garbee.
"I see. Then I'll order the army to march tomorrow. I will meet you in Garbee.
"Yes, sir. I'll leave you to it.
"Mm-hmm. Good luck. By the way, how is ...... Mr. Vieille doing?
"We're letting ...... rest, in case you're wondering."
"Mm. Whether this battle is won or lost, the man is going to have a busy life ahead of him. Let him rest while he still can."
Yes. Yes. Thank you.
I thank His Majesty and activate the shifting wards. Just before I move, I see Prince Arrows stand up and bow to me. He is a very likable boy. ....... No, no, men can change until they grow up. We have to be very careful.
With this in mind, I returned to my office, where Matkal and Knogen were waiting for me.
"Oh, what's up, you two?"
Knogen smiles at my question. At that moment, Matkal opened his mouth.
"Master Rinos, Mister Knogen wants me to return to Agartha while the ship is in motion.
At Matkal's words, Knogen scratched his cheek, still smiling bitterly.
"I think it's fine if you come back.
"No, that's not how it works. Many of the soldiers we are taking are inexperienced. Some of them have never been at sea before. This is a good training opportunity. If I return to Agartha, they will not be able to train at night.
"What? You train at night?"
"I go to ...... once every three days in case I'm suddenly attacked."
"Soldiers, won't they be tired by the time they get there?"
"That's what I said. This time we are fighting to gain experience, so there is no need to go that far. ......"
"I agree with Knogen."
"Mr. Linos, ......"
"No, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have night training. I want the soldiers to learn to command Knogen as well."
"Lord Knogen's Commanding Power: ......"
"In other words: ......."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door and a soldier who had been waiting outside entered.
"Sir, I'm sorry. Queen Meirias and Roni are outside to see you right now.
"May and Roni?"
I couldn't help but look at Matkal and the others. .......