Chapter 2: 2

The Mask of Incompetence

Facing the hopeless situation, Lute’s earnest screams echoed around him.

 

“This is why we should’ve done something about that baldy straight away! Even though it was originally the country of Gilse, it’s now been annexed to the Empire! And yet, to pick a fight based on emotions is nothing short of stupid! I should have switched with Baron Raine, who understands the logic of this all!”

“….. The Margraviate of the Rize family is a prestigious and noble one that contributed to the founding of the country, you know.”

“If they’ve been here from the founding of this country to its ruin, they sure must be really prestigious!”

“….. That’s right.”

 

At Lute’s forceful irony, even Heinrich couldn’t help but get a faraway look in his eyes. The cause of this war was so hopelessly inexplicable that calm people could only laugh at it, while those involved, like Lute and his company, wanted to cry.

In the past, there used to be a small country called the Duchy of Gilse between the Land Kingdom and the Froysel Empire. Although called a Duchy, the territory used to be in the hands of the Land Kingdom and ruled by the archduke Gilse and his faction. The Duchy of Gilse was then born as an independent country as the result of a civil war caused by oppression of the people. From the Land Kingdom’s perspective, that was the main cause of the country’s downfall from a middle sized kingdom to a small one, as the size of its land was drastically reduced. From the perspective of the Duchy of Gilse, the country was born after being driven to independence by the hateful former ruler. Naturally, the relationship between the two countries were at its worst, and although no there had been large-scale clashes due to the continuously shifting international situation, skirmishes occurred almost every year.

However, the skirmish that had become an annual event did not happen this year. The reason for this was that the Duchy of Gilse had been annexed by the Empire, which was pursuing an aggressive expansion policy. How that happened, Lute would never know, but what was important is that the Duchy of Gilse, who was the sworn enemy of the Land Kingdom, had become a region of the Froysel Empire. Originally, the Duchy of Gilse had been a vassal state of the Empire, but once it was officially annexed, the situation changed at once. 

Of course, regardless of the feelings of the local residents, the Froysel Empire had no reason to engage in a skirmish with the Land Kingdom. Now that the nation itself had changed, engaging in armed conflict did not serve any purpose, and a skirmish with a small country like the Land Kingdom would just be a waste of war expenses. If they were going to do it, it was better to use their just cause and superior military strength to swallow the land in one gulp.

For that reason, the right choice to make for the Land Kingdom, or more specifically, for the Margraviate of Rize, which was adjacent to the border, was to resist the expansionist policies of the Empire with all their strength. When you didn’t have a million in one chance of winning in an armed conflict, the best course of action was avoiding at all costs to give them any justification to advance in the country. 

But unfortunately, according to Lute, that idiot Margrave Rize did not understand that logic at all and, prioritizing his own and his citizens’ feelings, carried out their established practice of fighting the enemy.

 

“….. Well, we did receive the explanation from the margrave that he had been subjected to an unbearable insult from the Gilse side.”

“Was that  made in public? Or maybe in writing? As long as there’s no public evidence, the Empire is given the cause of retaliation in the eyes of the international community. Thanks to that, our country will only remain in history books. We’ll be this stupid little country that picked a fight with a huge empire even though we had no chance of winning, and got destroyed because of it!”

 

In the first place, from Lute’s point of view, it was natural to be provoked in such a way, and he should have been prepared for more vicious means and schemes that would have limited his options. It would not be surprising if the Empire viewed this provocation as nothing but a greeting that no one would have actually fallen for. In other words, Margrave Rize was stupid enough to fall for the bait, and by extension, the Land Kingdom were the way bigger of fools for assigning the rank of margrave to such an idiot.

 

“It would have saved us if all the members of the Margrave Rize’s family had been decapitated as soon as this was discovered, and along with the Margraviate presented their heads to the Empire as an apology. After that, we could have proposed to become their vassal nation.”

 

But unfortunately, the reality was the exact opposite. In response to the Land Kingdom’s repeated and inconclusive meetings, the Empire quickly issued a declaration of retaliatory action and began their advance. In a blink of an eye, the Margraviate of Rize fell and, with that momentum, they advanced towards the royal capital. The Land Kingdom also hurriedly mobilized its forces, but they were instantly defeated by the overwhelming difference in the number of troops, skill level, and equipment, and were currently running to the royal capital with Lute and his men acting as sacrificial pawns in a fort along the way. As a result, they were doomed.

 

“….. Your Highness, that’s a bit much…”

“Heinrich. Look at the situation. As incompetent as I am, even I understand the importance of a nation’s honor. I also know that if we’re looked down on, it’s over. Still, honor only means something to someone who’s close to your equal. When dealing with an empire that is overwhelmingly superior, the only thing that should be protected is not its honor, but rather the survival of the nation itself. In the first place, by the time of the first screw-up, our honor had long been destroyed.”

 

It was one thing if we picked a fight with the Duchy of Gilse, with which we had some sort of justification, but if we went against the Froysel Empire, with which we had no rationalization for whatsoever, our reputation with the international community went down the toilet. In this situation they were going to do nothing except look on passively and allow the Empire to advance in the country and place the country on the verge of ruin.

 

“Huh… I can’t believe I’m saying this now, but I never thought our country would end up this horrible.”

“This is why I’ve repeatedly said that Your Highness should aim higher.”

 

Heinrich replied earnestly to Lute, who was deeply troubled. Lute was despised for his incompetence, but Heinrich, who had accompanied him for a long time, knew what he was really like. No, anyone would understand if they listened to the conversation they had just had. His Highness Lute, who was said to be incompetent, had a solid political perspective. He was in fact extremely rational in thinking and had the talent to be a ruler, but it was just that he didn’t have any desire to be one.

 

“As I’ve told you so many times before, I’m not the kind of person that can stand above others. I’m a social misfit who really just wants to spend his days lounging around and not work.”

“However, Your Highness does have the talent to stand above others. Even though Your Highness spends all day acting incompetent and lazy, Your Highness has still managed to charm me and more than fifty other soldiers. That is proof that Your Highness has unmistakable abilities.”

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“It just means that you guys are weird…”

 

The fact that his self-deprecating denial was met with reverence put an unsettling look on Lute’s face.

 However, the simple fact was that all of the men in Lute’s squadron had volunteered to join. Not only those who had been with Lute since a time of peace, such as Heinrich, but even those who became temporary subordinates in this war chose to give up their lives under Lute’s command. The ease with which they almost forgot that he was royalty, the intelligence that proved his reputation for incompetence to be a lie, the breadth of his perspective that allowed him to see things from a coldly accurate perspective, and above all, the charisma of a leader that occasionally peeked through, transformed the men from mere subordinates under orders into Lute’s loyal subjects.

The number of them was only a little over fifty men. However, that was the number after Lute willingly wore a mask of incompetence and did not actively interact with others. If Lute had been more, if he had wanted to take the throne, he would have certainly become a force that the current crown prince and others in the upper echelons of the succession would consider a threat.

 

“Ha ha ha. I don’t deny that we are weird. After all, if Your Highness’s life is at stake, we are willing to charge into the empire and die a noble death, or surrender and become prisoners of war.”

“Stop putting all this pressure on me, you idiot! Don’t try to give a lazy slacker extra responsibilities!”

 

This was a strange sight in that world; a prince was cornered by his vassal. However, in that scene one felt a sense of both warmth and loneliness. The light in Heinrich’s eyes may be reminiscent of a grandfather in his last moments, playing with his grandson.

 

“….. Well then. That’s about all the joking around I can do. Our time here is limited, after all. Now, Your Highness, decisions have to be made.”

“So you want me to make a reckless assault and have everyone die in a spectacular fashion?”

“I do not care.”

“Or do you want me to surrender my life, become a prisoner of war, and be the one that destroys our country in one move?”

“I do not care.”

 

Heinrich’s heart did not waver in the face of Lute’s overly pessimistic two options to choose from. The determination that dwelled in his body was that of a loyal vassal who justly followed his master.

 

“Your Highness. Since this is an emergency situation, I will reveal my true intention here. I joined the army with an oath to be loyal to the Land Kingdom and to defend my country. … However, that is no longer the case. I was appointed the escort of His Highness, and I have remained by your side. My loyalty is not with the Land Kingdom, but with His Highness.”

 

These were words that a soldier should not have uttered. A soldier, a part of the armed forces of a nation, did not swear allegiance to a country or to a king, but to a mere prince. If anyone had heard, he could have been arrested as a traitor.

However, Heinrich remained undaunted and continued his declaration with pride.

 

“This is true not only of me, but of all men who remain under Your Highness’s command! Our will is with Your Highness! Therefore, please make a decision as Your Highness sees fit. We will not regret dying or forsaking our honor. We are willing to accept that our country will be destroyed as a result. …That’s why, Your Highness. Please, please, please make a decision without any regrets.”

“….. Heinrich.”

 

This declaration shook Lute, who had come to like being called incompetent, to the core. Although Lute claimed that he was a lazy snob, his true nature was by no means one of a beast that had abandoned his innate goodness.

Lute sighed and strengthened his resolve. No matter how much he dismissed his subordinates as a bunch of weirdos, there was no way that he wasn’t going to reward the devotion that they had shown him so far.

 

“I accept your resolve. Gather the men. I’ll tell them what we’re going to do.”

“Oh? … Which decision did you arrive at?”

“Don’t let the old man steal a march on me. If I’m gonna tell you, I will do it with all you weirdos together. … Just don’t worry. It’s not gonna end badly. We’ll get the best result with only a little bit of lost honor. I’m choosing the third option.”

“….. At your service.” 

 

And so Lute smiled boldly, although young, he was clad in vigor befitting a king.

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