冈本aPP安装

Beso

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Angelica Sacrament was holding her head, as if trying to suppress her overwhelming despair. The reports came in rapid succession, almost resembling screams. Her anxious vassals were panicking. Sandwiched between her elder brother King Alfred and the Papal States’ army, her forces were being utterly crushed. Upon realizing that they had fallen into a trap, she immediately considered a full retreat, but selecting a viable retreat route was difficult. Believing that those damn Papal States were allies had led them to securing all the key locations.

She even found herself hoping that the Shaalta Kingdom’s army would take advantage of the situation and launch a major offensive. She was practically praying for the enemy’s success, but they showed no movement, instead shrinking their positions and taking a more passive stance. While the intelligent people around Ange were shouting out their opinions, one report came in.

“A messenger has arrived from the Shaalta Kingdom’s army! After circling in the air, they dropped a white flag and are now descending slowly. On the white flag, it reads Huguenot Francis… and, for some reason, a name of Flusha origin.” (Vassal)

Huguenot Francis?

When Ange heard that name, her mind, which was under extreme pressure, reacted strangely. It was as if out of a medicine cabinet with thousands or tens of thousands of drawers, one single shining drawer opened on its own, and a vivid memory associated with that name returned.

It was the alias Yuri Hou had used during a previous Crusade when they engaged with a small detachment from the Peninsula Kingdom. She remembered hearing the name from one of the survivors. Even when the knight leading the detachment was killed, Yuri Hou, for some reason, performed the holy ritual, engraving the name Huguenot on his armor.

“I will meet with him. Bring him here immediately.” (Angelica)

“Understood.” (??)

The messenger swiftly turned on his heel and ran off.

“Ange-sama, however—” (Leonar)

Leonar Divar, who had now fully settled into his role as one of her advisors, began to speak.

“Shut up. Don’t make me repeat myself. All of you! Do not utter a single word. Right now, I need any bit of information I can get.” (Angelica)

At her command, the inside of the tent fell completely silent.

A man entered the tent boldly.

“I will have to search you.” (??)

One of the servants said, and the man, with a startled expression, reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger, sheath and all.

“Apologies, I forgot to leave it behind.” (Yuri)

The man spoke with the legitimate pronunciation (Rigityma Accent) that the elites of the Papal States use.

“I will hold onto it for you.” (??)

“That’s fine. Consider it a gift. Take it home as a souvenir.” (Yuri)

Saying this, he pressed the dagger into the servant’s chest.

His confident manner did not resemble that of an ordinary messenger. More importantly, Ange had seen his face before. Just once, across a collapsed bridge and a canyon. He had grown a lot since then, but this was definitely the man he looked like.

“So, Angelica-dono–…” (Yuri)

The moment their eyes met across the desk, the man’s expression, which had shown both slight tension and confidence, instantly collapsed. He looked at Angelica with eyes as though a monster had mingled among humans.

“…Why are you here?” (Yuri)

He murmured in the Shan language.

“Is it strange for a woman to be on the battlefield? Yuri Hou.” (Angelica)

When Angelica switched to the Shan language and retorted, the man faltered and took a step back.

“That’s not her…” (Yuri)

He muttered as if he hadn’t heard her.

Then, he began to breathe shallowly, *ha-ha*, *ha-ha*, and started clutching his chest, as if his heart was beating irregularly. Occasionally, he would make a motion as though swallowing, as if he were choking.

What is he doing? Did he suddenly have an attack from a chronic illness?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” (Angelica)

Angelica walked closer.

“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!” (??)

A knight said, but she pushed him forcefully in the chest.

“Move!” (Angelica)

“Haa, haa…” (Yuri)

Angelica stared intently at the man who was looking at her with a face as if he were seeing a nightmare.

“Is this an attack of a chronic illness? What on earth is happening to you?” (Angelica)

“…Is that not it?” (Man)

Not it? What is?

“I am Angelica Sacrament. The one who inherits the glorious holy blood of Xerxes. Are you trying to say you don’t know my name?” (Angelica)

Raising her voice and infusing it with emotion, she spoke. The man’s unfocused and disoriented eyes seemed to regain a little clarity. It wasn’t a chronic illness. It seemed that something had stirred his emotions deeply, causing his heart to waver. The moment she realized that, Angelica’s heart was filled with anger.

In this situation, Yuri Hou? That man who had tormented her so? In this crucial moment, when every second was precious, he was stopping because of something like that?

“What are you doing! You have come here bearing the lives of your army and your people! The one who we called even a Demon King, Yuri Hou, is behaving like this?” (Angelica)

When she yelled out in a fit of emotion, the man seemed to come back to his senses.

“…You’re right. This isn’t the time for this.” (Yuri)

He said, furrowing his brows tightly and closing his eyes firmly, as if regaining his composure.

“Let’s begin, then.” (Yuri)

Let’s begin, he says?

“Sit down already! My army is on the verge of being annihilated, and you’re making jokes?” (Angelica)

Angelica returned to her chair. Even now, her army was being crushed on the frontlines, and her soldiers were dying every minute.

“Sorry. It’s just that… you resembled my late wife too much. I thought you’d come back to haunt me.” (Man)

—What did you say?

“That is—” (Angelica)

Yuri Hou interrupted her.

“On closer inspection, you didn’t resemble her that much after all. Let’s get back to business.” (Yuri)

“…I see. I’m sorry, but we are in a critical time here. I hope you understand.” (Angelica)

“I understand. We’re in the same situation.” (Yuri)

What did he just say? The Shaalta Kingdom’s army is fully prepared and organized. If anything, they are in a position where they can move freely while the damned Papal States and her foolish brother are preoccupied with her forces.

“I think you’ll understand if I say this. Liao Rube has revolted and seized Sibyaku.” (Yuri)

—What?

Liao Rube revolted. That much I understand. The second-most powerful noble in the country took advantage of the absence of the most powerful noble to stage a revolt. It’s a common story.

But you’re telling me that report just arrived now? At the very moment this battle started, perfectly timed? That would mean Liao Rube had colluded with the Papal States.

As Angelica reached that conclusion…

“The enemy’s plot far surpasses what we imagined. Naturally, the main communication lines we prepared are part of their plan. If we try to use them honestly, we won’t make it back alive. We need to outsmart them.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou continued.

“Therefore, I want to cross through your territory and reach the sea.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou started rifling through the map on the desk and took a pen to draw the route he wanted to take.

Certainly, this route would allow them to foil the enemy’s plot without coming into contact with them. However, of course, they would need Ange’s permission to do so. If they went ahead without it, they would have to fight in every direction, carving out a bloody path, and occupy the port town at the end of the line. That’s not a feat even Yuri Hou could pull off with a pursuing army at his back.

” That’s a very selfish thing to say. You’ve caused me quite a lot of trouble. Even if your army gets destroyed and you die, I would feel nothing but joy, not sorrow. Why should I have any obligation to cooperate with you?” (Angelica)

If Yuri Hou were suggesting a plan to break through the center, splitting the enemy camp in two between the Papal States and Alfred’s army and joining forces with us, that would be a different story. But that’s not what Yuri Hou is talking about. That would be no different from having a regular battle and trying to secure a victory. In a situation where the news of the capital’s fall has spread throughout the army, we cannot afford such a direct confrontation. In the end, we will have to retreat separately from him.

“Of course, I’ve prepared terms for the exchange. You will retreat towards the sea. Naturally, you’ll face severe difficulties along the way, but if you manage to reach the sea, I’ll guarantee your safety.” (Yuri)

He started saying something strange.

“Hah. How do you plan to guarantee that? Even if, by some chance, we do make it there, you’ll be busy dealing with the rebel forces on the mainland for a while. You won’t have the forces to send reinforcements to us. Did you really think you could manipulate me with such an empty promise? Don’t make a fool of me!” (Angelica)

“A large-scale landing operation is planned to take place on Great Albio Island, coordinated with this battle.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou’s proposal was beyond anything Ange had considered.

A landing operation? Is it from the Albio Republic?

“That operation is set to begin the moment they receive communication from us. So, I’ll pull that entire force as your reinforcements. I’ve also lent them gunboats for harbor attacks. They’re not those useless gunboats you once destroyed. These gunboats are equipped with the cannons we brought. With that, they’ll be able to defend any city along the coast.” (Yuri)

It was an incredibly tempting offer. Ange realized that she wanted it so badly, like a terminally ill patient craving a miracle cure.

“However, the Albio pirates aren’t your subordinates. They’re an independent nation. There’s no guarantee that they’ll accept a proposal you just came up with.” (Angelica)

“They’ll accept. Liao Rube is allied with the Papal States. If the kingdom shifts to him, the Eagles and the armor-piercing incendiary rounds that have troubled you so much will be withdrawn, and the dream of conquering Albio will be pushed further out of reach. They wouldn’t want that. Of course, there will be some compensation required for their cooperation, but that’s something we’ll take care of.” (Yuri)

“—Even if we are protected, how long would that protection last? Either way, if the Papal States have turned against us, even if we escape, we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides.” (Angelica)

As Ange pressed on with her questions, Yuri Hou took a watch from his pocket and checked the time.

“We don’t have time to get into such nitty-gritty details right now. We can talk about all that later, after we’ve gotten through this situation. If I don’t return within the next ten minutes, my forces will start retreating. Sorry, but hurry up and make your decision.” (Yuri)

That’s a terrible thing to say. You suddenly showed up, set conditions, and asked me to accept your verbal promise?

“Ange-sama, you must not agree to this.” (Leonard)

Leonar spoke up. Since he understood some Shan, he must have grasped the gist of the conversation.

“This man is Yuri Hou, correct? You don’t need to take such a risk. If you negotiate with the Papal States, you can extract concessions from them.” (Leonard)

“What? Who is this guy?” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou looked at Leonard with displeasure and said in Telor language.

“My aide.” (Angelica)

“You’ve been standing there for ages, and now you’ve finally come up with this idea? What a lowly man. You certainly keep some low-quality men at your side.” (Yuri)

“Watch your tongue.” (Angelica)

Ange said that while considering Leonard’s suggestion. However, before she could think it through, Yuri Hou looked at Leonar and opened his mouth.

“How exactly do you plan to negotiate? Even if you take me to the frontlines of the enemy, and by chance, someone recognizes my face, they would just shoot me dead along with your envoy. They don’t want to take me prisoner. They want me dead.” (Yuri)

That much is true. From the Papal States’ perspective, there would be no point in capturing Yuri Hou. Even if they were to take him hostage and demand concessions or ransom from the Shaalta Kingdom, the kingdom would change hands if Yuri Hou were no longer around, making negotiations impossible. If Liao Rube took over the kingdom, he would likely prefer Yuri Hou dead rather than alive. There is no option other than killing him.

“The Papal States fear letting Yuri Hou escape alive. If we use that to our advantage in negotiations…” (Ange)

In other words, you’d be threatening to release him if they don’t listen.

“Come on now…” (Yuri)

However, Yuri Hou scratched his head in frustration.

“In the first place, if I don’t intend to let them kill me, I can’t even show my face, so it would just be a false rumor with no evidence. The reason I came here now is that the trap that lies in my escape route is in Alfred’s territory, and it’s only functioning because of Alfred’s cooperation. What would happen if the Papal States believed that rumor and agreed to a ceasefire? If they stop attacking you, their relationship with Alfred will collapse. If the alliance falls apart, the real me will return to lead the Shaalta Kingdom’s army home safely. There’s no way the Papal States would take on such a risk at this point. You’re an idiot, so shut up.” (Yuri)

So, he had thought that far ahead. I had thought him reckless for coming alone to an enemy camp that had been hostile until now… Of course, there was a chance he could have been killed on the spot when he arrived, but now that I think about it, it would indeed be difficult to leverage his capture.

What should I do? Could I make the decision to go alone into enemy territory and negotiate right after the situation had drastically changed…?

“Understood. I’ll work with you.” (Angelica)

Ange spoke up.

“Ange-sama!” (Leonard)

“Be silent.” (Angelica)

The moment Ange sternly addressed Leonar…

“Alright. It’s decided.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou stood up.

“We’re both in a hurry. There’s no time to draft formal documents, so let’s settle it with a verbal agreement. Make sure to prepare documents convincing the local lords to grant us passage on the way. I’ll send someone to collect them later.” (Yuri)

Clearly pressed for time, Yuri Hou checked his watch again as he spoke.

“Oh, and make sure your headquarters is clearly visible from the air. Either affix a flag to your tent or raise one while on the move.” (Yuri)

“We have the Sacrament Imperial flag. I’ll give you one, so send it with your envoy for verification. Hey, prepare it for him!” (Angelica)

Ange gave the order to her attendants.

“We’ll provide artillery cover for your retreat. We’ll aim close to the front line with the Papal States, but we’re not attacking you, so don’t get the wrong idea.” (Angelica)

“Understood.” (Yuri)

“Alright then. Stay safe.” (Angelica)

Yuri Hou raised his fist towards Ange.

Is this what men sometimes do? Well, shaking hands at this point would feel weak, so I don’t mind.

Ange raised her fist and firmly bumped it against his.

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