The Strategist Knows Everything - Volume 3 Chapter 3
Part III: The Imperial State Edition
Chapter 3: The Lone Army 5
Translated by: Hiro02
Edited by: SevenTails
Inside one of the rooms in the Taishoukan.
There I was, standing in Viscount Rigar’s, the ruler of Ferrenor, room. There was only the Viscount and me in the room.
However, there wasn’t any conversation between us. The Viscount just crossed his arms as he sat in his chair in silence.
I could have started a conversation with him, but I choose not to. I could see it in his expression.
He was trying to sort out his feelings, and I didn’t want to interrupt him.
I’m sure he must have had his emotions under control before I arrived, but now that I stood before him, the feelings he has been suppressing must have surfaced again.
A feeling that is known as rage.
I am the man who caused his beloved niece to become the enemy’s hostage. But I am also the man that the Imperial State sold out.
As an uncle, he would have wanted to beat me to a pulp. Nevertheless, as the Lord Keeper of Ferrenor and a member of the Imperial Family, he must restrain himself.
Viscount Rigar was conflicted, but I couldn’t interfere with his thoughts.
The only person who can provide an answer is the person himself.
“… Yukito Kurei… Fiona, why did she let herself become a hostage?”
“To give me time to say a goodbye to my… friends.”
“You can’t… say that. The girl likes you. If you were from the Imperial State, she would have made you her husband without a second thought…”
Without questions or answers.
How could he just ignore human rights? At least ask me if I want to say agree or not.
I guess my innermost thoughts were showing on my face because Viscount Rigar glared at me.
“What is it? What’s with that face? You don’t like that?”
“If you suddenly ask me to be her husband, I think everyone will get confused…”
“That girl is beautiful, smart, and intelligent. If you make her your wife, you can brag about her all over the continent, no?”
“That’s true. But, I’m from Veris.”
There was already an unbridgeable gap between Veris and the Imperial State.
Veris will never forgive the Imperial State. Even if he manages to make peace on the surface, he cannot control the human mind.
The people of Veris will think that the people of the Imperial State are untrustworthy and quick to betray. And this will be reflected in their attitude, deepening the rift between the two.
It may be possible for the countries to get along in the future based on the decisions of a few, but it will be difficult for the general populace to do the same.
That’s why I’ll never be able to become Fio’s husband.
It’s not about my feelings or Fio’s. It’s about the country and its people.
“That’s right. If you were from the Imperial State, I could… risk my life to save you. Why are you of Veris…”
“I’m sorry. But, it’s no use saying that.”
“How can I not say this!? Why can’t that girl be happy!? Why is she the only one who has to bear the misery!?”
Viscount Rigar slammed the desk hard and stood up.
The vibration caused the papers on the desk to fly apart. However, the Viscount did not seem to be concerned about it.
“Fio… may be unhappy.”
“Not maybe! She IS unhappy!”
“But there are people on this continent who can’t afford to eat even for a single day, and there are people who are losing their lives as we speak. There are many children, even younger than Fio. Some of them don’t even know their parents’ faces, and others have grown up without knowing their parents’ love.”
“So what? You think she is happy compared to them!? Fiona is just like that! She’s been sent into battle because of her power and has seen people she didn’t want to see dying! Fighting a Hexenbiest is more horrible and tragic than fighting another human! Even as she watched her people being eaten by Hexenbiests right in front of her eyes, she still took command and brought back victory!! What’s wrong with wanting a little happiness in return!?”
Viscount Rigar knew that his words wouldn’t change anything.
Even so, he couldn’t help but explode with emotion and spit out his pent-up words.
With a ragged breath, the Viscount sat back down in his chair without effort.
“You… why aren’t you angry…? Why don’t you get angry?”
“If being angry and indignant would change anything, I would, but it doesn’t. The only way for me is to go to Albion, and that will not change. Neither being impatient or angry or even hitting people will change the situation. It’s at times like these that I try to stay calm, analyze the situation, and look for a way out…”
“Hmm… So you do feel anger and resentment, is that it? You’re human, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. And yes, I am a normal human being. There is a limit to what I can do, and there are times when I get angry, and there are times when I cry. So, I do my best to think. What’s the best I can do right now, and what’s necessary for my goal?”
“Is that the best you can do right now? Who decides that is… the best you can do?”
“Anyone other than myself, who has seen the results and acted on what I believe to be the best, and then me.”
“Depends on the outcome, huh… So, what outcome do you envision for yourself after this?”
That’s a tough question. No, it was rather easy.
The result I envision is…
“Peace on the continent. At least, for fighting between countries to… no longer exist.”
“That’s impossible. The continent has already entered a period of bog-standard warfare. The Republic continues to struggle with the island, and discord has arisen between the Imperial State and Veris. The Imperial State and Albion also have only conflicting interests. The alliance will eventually collapse, and each country will seek to dominate the continent… Well, the Imperial State will soon disappear.”
“Yes. The war will spread, and those without power will disappear. That is why it needs to be stopped.”
“How do you stop it? What can you do in Albion, the enemy country? Without the assistance of your best men and the support of the powerful?”
Certainly, alone, I am powerless.
I have no power on my own, and I could get executed with no questions asked, but the chances of that happening are slim because Albion has Stratos.
If I were that guy, I wouldn’t waste my time in killing me right away.
After all, he’s after Sophia.
I’m the perfect bait to catch Sophia. Moreover, I can attract Veris and bring in Kaguya-sama as well.
So I’m not going to get killed. Besides, Stratos enjoys manipulating people like a child. Just like an innocent child, he must be enjoying himself as if he were playing a game.
And a game that is too easy is boring. Without the right amount of struggle, it wouldn’t be fun, so Straton wouldn’t take away all my freedom and leave me without anything but food.
That’s what I’m aiming for. He has puppets but no allies.
He’s all alone because he can control everything.
So, well, I can probably handle him on my own. That is if I can get close enough to him.
If I can get a handle on Stratos, I can stop Albion from running amok. That country was originally a deterrent to the continent.
It is unlikely that they would willingly go to war. But if they did, they would only ask Sophia to help them, which she would prefer not to do.
“The cause of this war is Albion, which had been coordinating the great powers and invaded Veris. Therefore, if Albion returns to its neutral state, the war will stop.”
“You’re absolutely right. The reason the Imperial State is moving is that Albion is on its side. But how are you going to do that?”
“Nothing special. First, I’ll talk to the hardliners in Albion, and if they don’t understand, then I’ll simply eliminate them by force.”
Even so, most of the hardliners are probably under Stratos’ control, so I want to eliminate only Stratos.
That is if I can afford it.
“You don’t have that power.”
“There are non-combatants in Albion as well. If you don’t have the power, you can get it. If you don’t have any friends, you can make some. You can change the situation to your advantage. That’s what a military strategist does.”
“And what if the non-combatants aren’t willing to fight the enforcers?”
“If they aren’t, then I just need to give birth to them.”
Viscount Rigar’s eyes widened at my words.
I guess he understood the meaning of my words.
The struggle between the non-combatants and the hardliners. In other words…
“You want to start a civil war, don’t you?! With that in mind, you have no opposition to getting inside Albion! Are you trying to set yourself on fire?!”
“That’s just the direction I’m taking. First of all, I have to know the internal situation in Albion. I don’t know if it will work or not, but if Albion goes into a civil war, the attack on Veris will be stopped, and the Imperial State won’t be reckless enough to fight Veris alone.”
“If that happens, the countries will be in a state of tense stalemate… That explains it…”
It is difficult to provoke a civil war in Albion from the outside. No, not only Albion but from any enemy country from the outside.
Surprisingly, however, it is easy to spread chaos from within. It’s because the people do not wish for war.
As long as they are winning, they are fine. But if they start to lose or reach a stalemate, they will instantly become frustrated.
Normally, it is best to use interlopers or spies to incite such people, but this time, I am the interloper.
Spreading rumours, stirring up discord, lighting the fuse of discontent. All it takes is a good story and the know-how of how to tell it.
To tell a clever lie, you need to have a grasp of human psychology. And knowledge is necessary to make use of the information you have observed and obtained.
To use that knowledge well, it is necessary to know how to talk to people effectively.
The truth is, I need to spot those who easily believe what people say and those who are trusted by those around them, but I can easily figure that out by looking at their status.
As soon as rumours start to circulate on their own, they will be told as if they were true. Even the know-it-alls and those who talk big will add their own tales to the story.
The hardest part is getting inside, but in this case, they’re inviting me in.
While they’re bringing me in, locking me up and exposing me to people. It’s impossible that no one will come in contact with me.
I’m not going to miss that chance.
“Well, that’s the idea. Therefore, please stop… His Majesty, the King. It’s selfish that… His Majesty is willing to let the Imperial State perish without a fight.”
“… What guarantee do you have that you will succeed? If the Imperial State fights Albion, it will lose. That’s how big the gap is between Albion and the Imperial State.”
“If you surrender without a fight, there is no guarantee that Albion will do good to the Imperial State. Either you believe in Albion, or you believe in me. It’s one or the other.”
Maybe the Viscount will be able to dissuade His Majesty, Ronald. Even if I fail, I’m sure he won’t just let the Imperial State fall into Albion’s hands.
Albion used to indeed be a great power in the continent’s centre that had upheld peace by being a deterrent. Certainly, Albion was worthy of trust back then.
But it is different now.
The Albion of today is neither a guardian of the order nor a neutral country.
Trusting them is dangerous.
For some reason, His Majesty Ronald seems to have too much trust in Albion. Viscount Rigar, who is in a position to stop him somehow, must have sensed the danger.
Well, I guess it was why Albion was such a trustworthy country.
When I think about it, Albion’s invasion was probably strongly influenced by Stratos.
“I’ll try to persuade him, but I can’t promise anything. My brother is a… man who, once he has made up his mind, will go through with it no matter what…”
“That’s fine. But Admiral Arnold hasn’t been told about the… surrender.”
“No, he doesn’t know. Although I’m sure you’re aware of that. That’s why he sent Liasha. Arnold will take back the Imperial State once it has been surrendered and conquered. Such a scenario has already been formulated in my brother’s mind. That’s why he hasn’t told Arnold about the current situation of the Imperial State.”
“I see. I thought it was hard to believe that Admiral Arnold would ever agree with His Majesty’s idea, but I suppose that’s what happened.”
They intend to leave the matter in Admiral Arnold’s hands.
Judging from the way he spoke and the fact that he knew His Majesty Ronald’s thoughts on the matter, Viscount Rigar probably felt like they were… the ones to blame.
“Yes. Arnold can take care of everything.”
”Then, I suggest that the Imperial State should do it alone after the war is over. If the conquered Imperial State is to be reclaimed, it will demand more sacrifices from the people and it will harm the neighbouring countries. I’m sorry, but I cannot tolerate that plan.”
“Hmm… Then, return Albion to a neutral country. If you do that, the matter will be settled with the abdication of my brother. He will be relieved of the burden of being the King. He’ll be able to treat Fiona like a father as well.”
Making Albion a neutral country again.
In other words, if I can get Albion to stop the invasion by any means, then Veris and the Imperial State will be happy.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the rest of the world.
There’s no room for that.
I’m also a human, and there’s a limit to what I can do. My priority is my surroundings.
“So, wish me luck. I’m heading for the border. I also need someone to escort Fio back, so can you send a knight from Ferrenor?”
“Get ready then. I’ll get them for you. Yukito Kurei… I wish you good luck.”
“Thank you. Then I look forward to seeing you again sometime…”
After that, I bowed and left Viscount Rigar’s room.