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“Losing five men from my battalion is truly heartbreaking.”

Princess Eleora traced her finger over each name on the report one by one.

“Menchev’s coin-hiding tricks were nothing but failures, but it’s sad to think I’ll never see them again.”
“The cheers were louder when he failed than when he succeeded.”

Her adjutant, Borsche, offered a wistful smile.

Eleora closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and offered a prayer in the style of the Sonnenlicht Church.

“My dear comrades who’ve devoted your lives to me, I will not lose. Watch over me.”
“That is exactly what I expect from Your Highness.”
“Stop treating me like a child, Borsche. I won’t cry anymore.”

Giving the smiling adjutant a wry smile, Princess Eleora ran her fingers over the Magiarms Book on the desk.

Borsche presented the rest of the report.

“As per Your Highness’s orders, assigning two medics to each squad was the right decision. Eleven men, including Fourth Lieutenant Schwarze, owe their lives to that.”
“Even though everyone can use basic healing magic, there are still cases where only a professional healer can save them.”

Eleora asked, as if to confirm.

“Speaking of which, have we recovered and maintained the Magiarms Staffs from our fallen?”
“Of course. After the battalion funeral, we added them to our inventory. Their numbers remain the same.”
“Good work. If that guy had picked one up, it would have been a real headache.”

The adjutant tilts his head.

“Who is ‘that guy’?”
“Lord Black Wolf of Lüenheit. He’s likely already gathered ample intelligence on our campaign to capture Worngang as well. He’s heading to the front lines himself.”

Borsche grinned.

“Just like Your Highness. I do not envy his subordinates.”

At that, Eleora looked a little sulky.

“I remember going out of my way securing a certain person the position of an instructor in the Magiarms Division, and yet they disobeyed my orders and followed me all the way here. Would you remind me who that person is, Borsche?”
“Hahaha. It is a family motto of the Nolynskey family that one should endure hardships while young.”
“You’re hardly young. You’re already forty-two now, aren’t you?”
“I am still only forty-two, Your Highness.”

The trivial small talk helped Eleora feel a little calmer.
Grateful for her aide’s consideration, she said,

“Since you’re such a nag, I’d like you to retire immediately. Let’s get this over with quickly. What happened to the ‘Rabbits’?”
“Interestingly, most of them kept walking westward and ended up freezing to death.”

Eleora checked the map.

“So they tried to reach the Mining City of Boltz? I heard it was destroyed by the Demon King’s invasion and has only just been rebuilt.”
“Mining seems to have resumed, but it’s just an iron mine.”

Eleora thought for a moment, then nodded.

“There’s probably something there. Those who have lost everything tend to cling to whatever they can rely on most. Order the 5th Squad to search the mines of Boltz.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and an officer of Rolmund entered. It was Fourth Lieutenant Natalia.

“Your Highness, we have a petition from the citizens.”
“What is it, Natalia?”
“The followers of the Rohigermund Faith in Worngang have come seeking freedom of religion.”
“Here too?”

Eleora sighed.

“The Holy Rolmund Empire is a nation that unites countless peoples and establishes the Sonnenlicht Faith as the sole and absolute state religion. While we position ourselves as supporters of the Liberation Army, in reality, we are invaders. Do you understand, Natalia?”
“Y-yes. But…”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit pitiful?” Natalia mumbled under her breath.

Eleora furrows her brow in a troubled expression and continues, choosing her words carefully.

“To begin with, most of the citizens in the north are followers of the Sonnenlicht Church. With the future in mind, we will convert the small number of non-believers.”
“Eh…”
“Do you object, Natalia? For the daughter of a Sonnenlicht Church priest, you’re surprisingly kind.”

Natalia nodded timidly.

“Yes. My father taught me that the Church is defined by its coexistence with pagans.”

Eleora closed her eyes, lost in memory for just a moment.

“As a result, your father was excommunicated by the Inquisition. In Rolmund, the Sonnenlicht Church is a tool of governance, and the furthest thing from truth or goodness.”

That is precisely why we cannot do anything that would draw the ire of the mother country.

“To make Miraldia a vassal state, we’ll simply have to make the followers of the Ruhigermond Faith suffer.”
“Yes…”

Seeing how dejected Natalia looked, Eleora gave a wry smile.

“But converting on such short notice would be difficult. As a temporary measure, we’ll let the heretics off with a small fine. Those who cannot pay may perform community service instead.”

Natalia’s expression brightened instantly.

“Eh? Is that really okay!?”

Eleora opened the directive from the home country and reviewed its contents.

“The directive from the home country prohibits treating followers of the Sonnenlicht Church and non-believers equally. But surely this isn’t equal treatment?”

Of course, I don’t think this will satisfy the followers of the Ruhigermond Faith.
But there was no other choice.

“I, too, had been concerned about the sequence of events: forced conversion, refusal, punitive examples, and a rebellion by the non-believers. We will wait for the situation to settle down and then proceed with the conversions gradually.”

Natalia smiled and saluted Princess Eleora.

“Th-thank you, Your Highness! I really do love you!”
“The pleasure is mine, Fourth Lieutenant Natalia. I am an unbeliever, you see. I tend to forget about these kinds of issues.”

A new report was brought in.

“Your Highness, it seems Vilheim is surrendering to the Liberation Army.”
“A reasonable decision.”

Eleora nodded.

“It seems we’ve won the standoff with Lord Black Wolf. If we’d lost here, we’d never have been able to fight him in the future.”

Adjutant Borsche offered his advice.

“It would be best to keep Vilheim under surveillance. There’s likely a ‘parting gift’ from Lord Black Wolf.”
“Do you think so as well?”
“No soldier would willingly hand over a stronghold to the enemy. Even if they retreat, they’d at least poison the well.”
“That’s a very soldierly way of putting it, First Lieutenant Borsche.”

Eleora nodded and flashed a defiant smile.

“We’ll have to be wary of Governor Krust’s movements. I don’t want to be fed poisoned grain. For surveillance, withdraw four men from the 1st Squad. I’ll leave the selection up to you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Glancing at the map, Eleora muttered as if suddenly remembering something.

“By the way, regarding the messenger we sent to Zaria, I suppose that wasn’t enough to sway their hearts.”
“I’ve heard that Governor Shatina of Zaria is still a child, but she surely has a guardian. Simply avenging her father’s death wouldn’t be enough…”
“The Governor of Veiria is a shrewd operator, and the governors of Tübahn and Bernehainen are demons. It would be impossible to win them over. In that case, our final option is a military invasion.”

Eleora pressed her fingertips to her forehead.

“But every single catapult that should have been in Worngang was seized by the Southern Federation. That was a bit of a miscalculation.”
“Regarding the disbanded catapult unit, with the governors’ cooperation, we’re in the process of reassembling the engineers who were laid off.”
“That’ll just pile up more debts. Nothing comes for free.”

Favors received must eventually be repaid in some form.
Most likely, it will take the form of a concession.

“Building catapults requires specialized parts, so our tracks will inevitably be traced. And their sole purpose is the destruction of structures. If our preparations for a military invasion are discovered, it will affect our diplomacy. Do not begin construction until the very last moment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

As Borsche saluted, Natalia, who had remained behind, tilted her head.

“But Your Highness, even without using catapults, we have the Heavy Shooter Squad, don’t we? Some lousy castle gates are nothing…”

Eleora shook her head.

“I want to avoid any further casualties. While the Magiarms Staff’s power is unquestionable, it falls short of the bow in terms of range and rate of fire. If we deploy it in a siege, there will inevitably be casualties.”

Of the five casualties in this battle, three were members of the Heavy Shooter Squad. Furthermore, one member from another squad was killed during the assault.
They had lost a total of four men near the city gates.

“The south is a different story from the north. Don’t underestimate the Demon Lord’s forces. It seems countless skeleton soldiers, summoned by magic, have already been deployed to the frontline cities in the south.”
“Yikes…”

Natalia hugged her shoulders, looking frightened.
Borsche frowned as well.

“To think that necromancy—a forbidden dark art—is actually being deployed in combat in Miraldia. This is troublesome.”

Eleora signed the documents on her desk with a wry smile.

“That’s precisely why a warmonger that I am sees the need to pretend to be a civil official. Isn’t it laughable that I, of all people, am engaging in appeasement efforts?”
“No, I’m simply admiring Your Highness’s remarkable growth.”

Eleora shot a slight glare at Borsche’s smile.

“Someday, I’ll definitely make you an instructor at the Elementary Cadet School.”
“Please spare me that, Your Highness.”

Eleora smiled, then handed the documents to him.

“Now, work hard so I don’t get the urge to let you go. While we apply pressure to the south, we’ll consolidate our position in the north. Summon the governors.”
“Yes, ma’am!”