Chapter 2: I Didn't Want To Do This (2)

Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Kaisel, who had procured the information, handed over the documents and reported what he had found out. Unlike the usual poker-faced Intelligence Department, he couldn't manage his expression at all.

"So, to explain the circumstances, it's roughly like this."

He said that this strategy wasn't originally planned.

The King and the Nobility wanted to avoid losing even an inch of territory, and the military shared the same sentiment.

As they had always done, they planned to continuously reinforce their troops and defend the Front Line and the borders like an iron wall.

Retreat? That was nothing more than a term that shouldn't even be uttered.

....If it weren't for the damn Queen's sudden greed.

"That idiot Jallomier--"

"Watch your mouth. This is the army. Walls have ears."

"My apologies. Anyway, some idiotic bastard suddenly demanded that the Monarch buy expensive jewelry. Thanks to that, even our military budget is depleted."

The current Monarch, Charles VII, has three wives. One is the Queen, Jallomier, and the other two are concubines he took later.

The concubines aren't particularly important here, so let's move on. The problem started at a court banquet one day.

'Everyone, attention please! This is a brooch made from the largest ruby in the world!'

'H-How many carats is that? How can a jewel be the size of a fist even after processing?!'

'To buy that, the money....no, can you even put a price on something like that?'

The Venemun De Marquis Lady, who wasn't on good terms with the Queen,

appeared wearing jewelry sent from her family.

The Venemun De family's territory is famous within The Kingdom for its fine jewels.

When the highest quality raw stones were mined from the family-owned ruby mine, they processed and showcased them at the banquet to show them off.

It's quite irritating to hear such news when someone like me, a Lieutenant General, eats and sleeps in a tent 365 days a year, but it wasn't a particularly strange event.

One of the basic qualities of high-ranking Nobility is showing off and satisfying their vanity.

It's only natural to reveal your bragging rights in a public setting.

However, the Queen took this as a challenge to her authority and immediately sought a card to counterattack with.

In other words, she tried to find other luxurious and high-end jewelry that could rival the Venemun De's ruby brooch.

'Your Majesty, please secure emergency funds. I must somehow put the Marquis family in their place.'

'Must we really do this? We're already short on funds because of the war.'

'This is a matter concerning my and the Royal Family's authority! Are we going to just watch the honor of our Royal Family fall to the ground?!'

'Ah, alright. Then where can we get the money...'

Finding an item with a value comparable to a ruby large enough for the Marquis family to proudly boast as the world's largest is no easy task.

Moreover, since rubies are much rarer than other jewels like sapphires and emeralds, it's even more difficult.

Eventually, the Queen's attention turned to diamonds.

The king of jewels and a symbol of precious items. Even if a diamond is relatively small, its value and rarity are sufficient to show off.

It just so happened that a suitable item appeared in a neighboring country. A Tiara made with dozens of the highest quality diamonds, even though the size was somewhat smaller.

Although the price was astronomical, it perfectly captured the Queen's heart, so the goal was settled. A large sum of money was immediately procured for the purchase.

.....And that fund included the budget that was originally meant for the army's new recruit training and supplies.

Money earned with blood, sweat, and tears that was supposed to be used to defeat the United Empire, which had been plaguing our Kingdom for the past ten years, and to protect the nation's safety.

A sensible country would give up on buying jewelry and allocate that money to national defense, but this is a Kingdom ruled by an absolute Monarch.

In a system where the Monarch's words are paramount and take precedence over any value judgment, such rationality cannot be expected.

'Your Majesty, if you do this, there won't be enough budget to feed the soldiers on the Front Line.'

'Then we have no choice but to cut military spending. Which Front Line is costing us the most these days?'

'The Northern Region. Since it's far away and the terrain is difficult to access, supplies are complicated.'

'Then pull the troops back from there. Giving up a little frozen wasteland won't greatly affect the war, will it?'

A region where most of the year is buried in snow, making farming impossible and with a low population. There's not much benefit to holding it.

So, let's hand it over to the United Empire and reorganize the Front Line from the rear. If we retreat to a place where supply lines are shorter and movement is easier, we'll spend much less on defense in the future.

With that logic, the Northern Region was abandoned.

Leaving only a single order sheet with a few lines of instructions, as it was difficult to reveal the truth as it was.

"Damn."

And naturally.

There's no way I could agree with such a shitty decision after grasping the entire situation.

* * * * *

"Damn pigs in the Central Region."

I muttered a curse under my breath.

It's embarrassing to say this after just telling Lieutenant Colonel Kaisel to control himself, but I couldn't stand it.

Abandoning territory because they're short on money from extravagance? A Tiara is more important than the hardtack that goes into the soldiers' mouths?

Does this even make sense? Then why did they issue the no-retreat and desperate battle orders?

It's not like we were defeated in a battle where we invested most of our military power, and the economy isn't on the verge of collapse.

If we were going to give up land so easily, why have we been fighting? Huh?

If it was land that could be abandoned for a mere luxury item, why did we sacrifice so many lives, fight hundreds of fierce battles, and invest vast resources for the past 10 years?!

"Do they even know what kind of value this place holds? After more than 10 years, do they still not know why we bothered to set up a Defense Line in a region where even people can barely survive?"

"You may not believe it, but....it seems that's the case. Some even mock us, saying we're stuck in such a place because we enjoy suffering."

"Their intelligence must be lower than insects."

I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

Did they say the Northern Region is barren and doesn't contribute to national power? Yeah, that's true. Honestly, even if this land disappears, it'll have almost no impact on The Kingdom's economy.

But the value of land isn't simply determined by the products it produces.

There are lands that benefit the country just by possessing them, no matter how low their value.

The Northern Region is a realm ruled by snow and ice. It's hard to find even a decent village or settlement, let alone a city, and the terrain is rough.

The United Empire side seems to have a slightly better environment, but the area owned by our Kingdom is literally close to a wasteland.

However, beyond the Snowfield, a vast plain awaits.

A massive Great Plains like Ukraine, with almost no terrain other than a few hills and lakes.

"The moment we give up the Northern Region, our Kingdom will be destroyed."

Let me put it another way:

For our Kingdom, the Northern Region's Snowfield is like the Great Wall of China to the Ming Dynasty, or the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia.

Even if the Western Region falls, we can hold out because there's a fortress zone built in the rear. The Eastern Region has a short Front Line from the beginning, so even if it's breached, we can quickly block it again.

But not here. The moment we give this up, the entire country will collapse. It's the most critical stronghold where the nation's defense strategy, no, the entire security, hinges on, and they're just going to hand it over?

Do they intend to achieve some kind of peace in our time or something?

"It feels like the loyalty I've dedicated all this time has become meaningless."

"....I agree."

For the first time since I was reincarnated into this world, I felt regret.

The Queen who wastes taxpayer money to buy a Tiara, the Monarch who readily agreed to it, the Nobility in the Central Region who allowed this to happen.

I felt disillusioned by the very fact that these bastards exist in the world.

But more than anything else.

I felt the most disgusted with myself, the sucker who had devoted his life to this damn Kingdom.

Why. Why did an idiot like me waste 10 years? I should have surrendered to the United Empire as soon as the war started.

At least then, I would have been living with peace of mind by now.

Should I have become a merchant instead of a soldier?

Wouldn't I have been able to live a more comfortable and peaceful life if I had emigrated and traded?

"Even if I beg now, there's no way they'll retract the order."

Even though I made a name for myself on the battlefield, I'm just a low-ranking nobleman. A pure military man with no Connections in the Central Region and a humble status.

Even if I go to the Capital and beg the Nobility to reconsider their decision, it won't work. I'd be lucky if I'm just dismissed from my position as Deputy Commander for being impudent.

"Is there anyone else besides you who delivered this news?"

"No, you're the first, Lieutenant General."

"Then keep quiet about it for now. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry finds out, we're screwed."

"Yes, sir!"

After ordering Lieutenant Colonel Kaisel to keep quiet, I was left alone in the barracks, chain-smoking.

I'm not usually one to enjoy smoking, but right now, I wanted to pickle my brain in nicotine.

But as they say, bad news travels fast.

"Lieutenant General! Is it true that we're retreating because of a piece of jewelry?!"

"Please explain it to us!!"

The rumors quickly spread among the officers.