Chapter 132: Chapter 127: An Army Marches

Lia had a hard time sleeping that night. Not because of her conversation with the Goddess of Hearth, but because of nerves for the day ahead. Amelia had offered to use magic to let Lia have a restful sleep, but Lia had declined. Not only was regular sleep better for you than magical sleep, it was more flexible, too; if something came up that needed her attention, she wouldn’t able to wake up unless Amelia woke up to help her up.

On a normal night that might not be a problem, but Lia wanted to be available in case something needed her attention that night. Realistically, Rose or Amelia could handle anything that would come up, but Lia resolved herself to at least help. If things went the way they were going now, then Lia would forever be relegated to the role of a figurehead, and she absolutely could not let that happen.

If she wasn’t able to help them in combat, at least not to the degree that they were capable of, then she could at least learn administrative work and leadership and reduce that burden. Well, not that Amelia was doing much paperwork or making big decisions or anything, but Lia could at least help Rose with that.

“Lia, get up.” Rose said, gently shaking her. “It’s time to go.”

Lia yawned, unsure exactly when she had fallen asleep. She had been in the middle of thinking about the day ahead and her future, and before she knew it, she was asleep. “I’m up.” She mumbled. “Are we having breakfast here or there?”

“There.” Rose said. “We want to give Amelia some time to recover her Mana after teleporting us.”

“I see.” Lia said. “When are we leaving?”

“Five minutes.” Rose replied. “I just need to wake Amelia up and let her get dressed and then we’ll go.”

As Rose did, Lia took the time to wake herself up fully. The anxiety of the day ahead came rushing into her, but she was calmed by Connie placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll do great.” Connie said soothingly. “If it gets dicey, just listen to what Rose says and I’m sure it’ll turn out fine.”

“Thanks, Connie.” Lia said. “Hopefully things won’t get dicey, but…well, I think that’s a bit much to hope for.”

“Yeah.” Connie sighed. “War is never clean. Still, you probably won’t be seeing combat today, so that’s a plus, at least.”

“Yeah, we’re planning on it just being getting the army moving, but…who’s to say, really?” Lia said. “For all we know the other army is making their move today too.”

“Unlikely.” Rose said. “We’re hoping to catch them while they’re still amassing power. Still, it’s good to be worried about things like that and have contingencies for them.”

“Do you have a contingency for that?” Connie asked curiously.

“Not as such.” Rose replied. “From what little intelligence we could gather from freshly converted people and whatever Emily is allowed to hear at their meetings, the other nations seem to be assuming we’re either solidifying our grasp on the Glens and Aura, or are gathering monsters to use as troops instead.

“If they are moving today, then that might work even better; they won’t be expecting us, and the terrain between their camps and our forts is better-suited for us than where they are camped. It’ll take a bit of maneuvering, but the swarm is innately more coordinated than regular armies, so we’ll have the advantage there.”

Sensing a lull in the conversation, Amelia spoke up. “I’m ready now.” She said. “We should be on our way.”

“I’ll let you guys go, then.” Connie replied. “Um, be safe.”

“Against these fools? We’ll be fine.” Amelia laughed. “We’ll come to the Dimension of Discounts later tonight and we’ll tell you all about it then, okay?”

“Alright.” Connie said. “I, um, love you guys, I’ll see you then.”

“We love you too, Connie.” Rose said, planting a kiss on Connie’s forehead. “And we’ll make sure that none of us get hurt, okay?”

“Thank you, Rose.” Connie said, resting her head on Rose’s chest. “I…appreciate it. I’m more than a little nervous, and every bit of reassurance helps put me at ease. I just…never thought I’d be a housewife watching her lovers go to war, you know? I’m not prepared for this.”

Rose stroked Connie’s head softly. “We’ll be fine.” She said. “I’ve faced far worse odds and come out on top, this will be no different.”

“I love you too, Connie.” Lia said. “And I promise I won’t do anything reckless. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Me too.” Amelia added. “And I’ll watch their backs for you.”

Connie straightened up, nodding before giving a quick kiss on the lips to Rose, then followed it with one for Lia and one for Amelia. “I’ll hold you three to that. If any of you die, I’ll never forgive you, understand?”

“Perfectly.” Amelia said, flashing her a smile. “Until tonight.”

Then Amelia cast a spell, and the three found themselves in a room in one of the border forts, a somewhat disoriented Simona a few yards to their side.

“A little warning next time would be nice.” Simona sighed, looking around to make sure all her gear was still with her.

“I saw you were ready.” Amelia said dismissively. “We’ve got a schedule to follow and sending a message to you would have wasted time. Now, I believe our generals are waiting for us?”

“We are, Your Grace.” A woman said from behind them. “The army is assembled and ready to move, just say the word.”

Rose turned to Lia. “You know what I’m going to ask, right?”

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Lia sighed. “Yes, I’ll give a speech. Just don’t expect anything amazing.”

“I’m sure the army will be delighted to hear whatever you have to say, regardless of your oratory skill.” The general said. “Thank you for this, I’m sure morale will improve.”

“Lead the way, let’s get this over with.” Lia said.

“My Queen, if you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to.” The general said. “We wouldn’t dream of forcing you into something.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to.” Lia said quickly. “I just…get nervous about this sort of thing.”

The general smiled softly. “Then that makes it all the more meaningful that you’re doing it for us.” She said. “This way, if you would.”

She led the group down a couple of hallways and out into the fort’s walls, and Lia couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned by the sight that was waiting for her. There were thousands of soldiers waiting outside the walls, and thousands more monsters mixed in with them. It was one of the largest gatherings of people she had ever seen, and…she was their leader.

A silence fell over the army as they caught sight of Lia on the wall, and Lia couldn’t help but gulp in response. Her stage fright was coming back in full force, and she was no longer quite so sure she was ready to give the speech. And then Rose placed a comforting hand on Lia’s army, and she calmed herself a little, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

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Eliza, one of the rank-and-file soldiers from the Glens, looked up at the wall in wonder as the Queen walked out. Eliza had felt her attention drawn by her mere presence, and seeing her in person filled Eliza with a sense of awe. She struck a larger than life figure, the picture of beauty, grace, and power, as did the woman next to her; Rose was the reincarnation of the Ruby Emperor, and the aura she gave off was worthy of that title. On her other side was Amelia, this generation’s Hero and the creator of the swarm, and she really needed no further introduction.

After a moment, the Queen cleared her throat, the sound magically amplified so as to come through to the entire army. “I…cannot properly express what seeing you all here means to me.” She said. “I am beyond humbled, and you have my thanks for being willing to go through with this war, despite the changes I have forced upon your lives.”

Eliza furrowed her brow. Yes, the Queen had changed the lives of her and her fellow soldiers, but the changes were almost all for the better. It had been scary when she was first converted, but after that it was all upside. She didn’t have to work on patrolling the land, keeping monsters away from villages; the villages were now capable of protecting themselves.

She still went looking for monsters, yes, but that was to convert, and the monsters she fought ended up strengthening her unit and making her safer. And that wasn’t even to mention the boost to her personal power, the increased camaraderie of her unit, no longer needing to worry about dealing with arrogant nobles…the list just went on and on.

“Before we march, I would like to remind you why we are fighting this war.” The Queen continued. “We fight to ensure our future peace, and to increase the quality of life of everyone. This is not a defensive war, nor are most of the people we fight evil. I say this to remind you that the people you will be fighting are not villains or our enemies, they are your future sisters; in fact, some of you here today were fighting against us not too long ago.

“And I would also like to formally state that cruelty towards the opponent will not be tolerated, and especially not towards civilians you may come across. Anyone caught in rape, murder, theft, or any other action which would constitute a crime will be harshly punished. We are trying to better the world, and allowing such things would be contrary to the very ideals we intend to spread. I believe that you all are better than that, and that such an announcement is not necessary but I wished to make that clear before I continue.”

Eliza nodded in agreement. She, of course, hadn’t planned on anything of the sort, and most of the Glens’ army was more disciplined than that, but she had heard…stories about Aura’s army. They said that parts were little better than a mercenary group, and that they often extorted from the very citizens they were supposed to protect. It had been an unfortunate consequence of the way Alisha ran Aura, it was rife with corruption and chaos, a nation where the cutthroat survived and the honest were exploited.

“With that out of the way, I would like to stress that none of you are being forced to fight. At any time you are free to leave, and there will be no questions asked, no penalty for desertion. If that has not been made clear to any of you yet, you may leave now, and we will think no less of you for it.”

There was a brief pause, but as far as Eliza could tell there was no reaction from anyone else. She had heard that already, and she had no intention of leaving; she had become a soldier to protect those she loved, and that hadn’t changed. She just…had set her sights bigger; she now held the power to actually make a difference, to help upend the systems that had beaten her family and friends into the ground. The Glens had been better than everywhere else, yes, but despite Brom’s efforts there was still a class divide. But…in a way his efforts had borne fruit with the Queen and the swarm, and Eliza was more than happy to help make her new life a reality for everyone.

“I…see.” The Queen said, voice thick with emotion. “Thank you, truly. I know this is a hard thing I ask of you all, and that you all wish to go through with it anyway is a great honor. You all are brave women, and I promise that I will do my utmost to make sure you are fairly compensated for your service.”

Pride swelled in Eliza’s heart. She hadn’t been doing this out of hope for a reward, and even if she had, her work in bettering the world and the fact that the Queen was made so happy by it would be all the reward she needed.

“I assure you that, in the coming campaign, I will not be resting on my laurels while you all do the actual work for me. I will be with you in the thick of things, fighting as much as I am physically capable. My lovers and I will keep the opponent’s highest-leveled people away from you, so you can do your work without fear of being slaughtered by someone you have no hope of defeating.

“We will likewise promise to never send people on suicide missions, or to use you as bait, or anything which would sacrifice you for a tactical advantage. Each and every person’s life is unique and irreplaceable, and such things are what monster units are for. This same belief extends to our opponents, as well; we would implore you to aim to convert rather than kill whenever possible.

“However, please do not feel pressured to convert someone if doing so would put yourself in unnecessary danger. Just…try when it is possible for you, and remember that oftentimes it may be easier to convert than kill, as you will not need to deplete your opponent’s HP to defeat them.”

That was…less than stellar news. Eliza was flattered beyond belief that the Queen wished to help in this war, and hearing that she wished to keep as many people as possible alive was fantastic, but…the fact that she herself would be helping left Eliza with many mixed feelings. Her very being screamed at her that she should be doing her utmost to keep the Queen safe, and allowing her to fight the opponent’s strongest ran directly counter to that.

But, if that was what the Queen wanted, that is what she would get. It was not Eliza’s place to tell her how to run this war, she just hoped that the Queen didn’t feel pressure to fight alongside the army, or that people would be upset if she didn’t, because that was the furthest thing from the truth.

There was another pause, then the Queen nodded. “I understand many of you have misgivings about me fighting.” She said. “Rest assured that I am doing this because I want to; I am here today not because I feel forced, but because I, personally, wish to contribute however I can. I do not want to be a ruler that is detached from her subjects, and I would not want to force you to do anything I would not do myself.”

The Queen sighed regretfully. “However, my lovers and generals have insisted that Rose and Amelia have full license to teleport me away if they feel that I am in danger or that Rose and Amelia are unable to protect me. I was told it would make you all feel better with my presence, more assured of my safety, and if that is what it takes to allow me to fight, then so be it.

“However, should you have issue with that, I would beg of you to take it up with your superiors; I have no qualms with being in harm’s way, and it does not sit right with me that I have an additional layer of safety that you do not. If this truly does not make you feel better with my presence on the battlefield, and would only breed resentment, then I would much rather fight as the rest of you, with my life on the line.”

Eliza doubted anyone would complain. If anything, there would probably be more complaints about her putting herself in danger at all instead of staying in safety. Knowing the Queen died because she wanted to help would leave Eliza with guilt for the rest of her life, and she was sure the rest of the army felt the same.

“That aside, you may march comfortable in the knowledge that history will remember you as the brave women that ushered in an era of peace like the world had never known before. And…thank you, once again.”

With that, the Queen bowed, and the army erupted into cheers. It was far from the best speech Eliza had ever heard, the Queen clearly wasn’t a practiced orator, but it felt genuine, and that was enough. So, when the Queen left the wall, Eliza picked up her gear and got ready to march.