A Peaceful Land of the Orcs (6.5)
Soldiers.
Soldiers of the Anfaughlia Brigade.
My Orcsen welcomes you, who have been driven from your homeland without cause, with all our hearts.
You had the option to live in peace and security in this new land.
Our country would have accepted you even then.
But you have chosen instead to take up arms, to take the reins, to ready the cannons, and to serve our nation.
I will never forget that choice.
Never!
Thus, this land is now your homeland as well.
Your new homeland!
The bountiful earth, the green mountains, the meandering rivers, the dark trees.
This is your motherland now!
Never forget it.
Never, ever forget it.
Hold your heads high with pride.
Let us share our bread together.
With these words, I celebrate the completion of this brigade’s formation.
Star Calendar Year 876, July 4th
King of Orcsen, Gustav Falkenhayn
—Now then. I wonder how Elfynd will respond.
Without relaxing her expression or posture, while feeling deeply moved by and grateful for the meaning behind Gustav’s speech, Dineluth Andariel played with her own emotions like a smoldering flame.
She understood that the formation of the Anfaughlia Brigade carried political intent.
Now, the fact that the Dark Elves had fled to Orcsen in such large numbers, armed themselves, and sharpened their fangs would become known both inside and outside the country. The invited envoys and newspaper reporters would spread this fact to the human nations.
The king had touched on the reason quite clearly.
“Driven from your homeland without cause.”
Now then.
Now, now, now.
What will Elfynd do?
No doubt King Gustav’s inner circle and Orcsen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would “leak” further details in response to inquiries from surrounding nations.
With this, the elegant, peaceful, mythically fairy-like, pure image of the country known as Elfynd would be utterly shattered.
The speech also made it clear how Orcsen intended to respond.
These Dark Elves were armed “of their own choice.”
—If given the opportunity, we will crush Elfynd.
It was as good as a declaration.
It was thrilling beyond words.
Exhilarating beyond reason.
The fangs must be sharpened further. Relentlessly.
Elfynd, that which was once my homeland.
Struggle, suffer, lament, and dance in desperation.
My brigade—
Will be there to accompany you with our proud brigade song.
Once the Anfaughlia Brigade completed its formation, it gradually began taking on actual operational duties while deepening its training.
As per Gustav’s original plan, one cavalry company at a time was dispatched from Walderberg to the royal residence, tasked with guarding both the residence and the king.
Every morning at exactly eleven, they departed Walderberg, located northwest of the capital.
They proceeded west along Schütze Street in front of the garrison.
From there, they turned south onto Glanz Boulevard, crossing the Milchstraße River that flowed east to west through the city via the Aldebaran Bridge.
Upon reaching the intersection with Fuchsstern Boulevard, where the Victory Arch from the Dutone War stood, they turned east, then quickly south, where the massive marble structure of the General Staff Headquarters came into view.
Past Waldgarten, where the Saturday morning market was held.
Looking westward, one could see the back gate of the royal residence.
The route spanned approximately eight kilometers.
At the regular trot of Messara-breed cavalry, it should take less than ten minutes, but considering potential traffic conditions along the way, it was scheduled for just under fifteen minutes.
Viewed from above, the royal residence had a concave shape, with the recessed portion being the rear. The hollow area functioned as both a courtyard and a carriage entrance, where the company tethered their horses.
At exactly 11:30 a.m., they conducted the changing of the guard with the outgoing unit in front of the residence.
The guards assigned to the royal residence would stand watch over the main gate, the back gate, or accompany the king on his outings for the next twenty-four hours until their shift ended the following day—
Astonishingly, until then, the Orcsen Army had no dedicated Guard Division or Imperial Guard. The closest equivalent had been the 1st Grenadier Division, which also performed ceremonial duties, but its official role was the defense of the capital, not the king’s protection.
The reasoning had been that the king could assume direct command of any military unit wherever he went.
So, until now, how had the royal residence been guarded?
It had simply been assigned to police officers dispatched from the Wildschwein Police Department.
This was due to Gustav’s personal dislike of excessive pomp and his preference for traveling incognito.
However, as the supreme ruler of Orcsen—now one of the leading trading nations in Star-Euro—such lack of security was undeniably reckless.
There had always been voices suggesting something should be done.
Thus, there was little opposition to the Anfaughlia Brigade taking on the role of guarding the royal residence and the king.
For the first time in Orcsen’s long history, it now had something resembling an elite guard—composed of these Dark Elves.
Their deployment was as follows: one squad at the main gate, two personnel at the back gate.
Dressed in standard uniform—bearskin hats and ribbed jackets—armed with cavalry rifles, sabers, and pistols.
Pistols were typically personal purchases for officers, but due to the nature of the assignment, two companies' worth of pistols were provided as unit equipment. The stationed company would bring them from Walderberg.
The Anfaughlia Brigade’s role as the king’s guards quickly became a topic of conversation among the citizens.
Their ceremonial rides to and from the palace, their presence at the gates.
Tall, strikingly beautiful, their pointed ears and fluid grace reminiscent of predatory beasts—their appearance was dazzling, beautiful, and formidable.
At first, curious onlookers lined the streets just to catch a glimpse.
Particularly, the changing of the guard, with its rifle drills, drew great attention.
Even after the initial excitement settled, it became a sort of tourist attraction.
—Ultimately, this too was politics.
Dineluth Andariel understood this.
Of course, their role had real operational significance.
But their very presence at the royal residence naturally drew eyes and sparked conversation.
Not only among the citizens but also among diplomats and other human nations.
It even made international news.
For Elfynd, it was nothing short of a biting insult.
It was satisfying—but that was precisely why they couldn’t afford any missteps.
If they made a blunder, they would become a laughingstock, completely counterproductive to their purpose.
In the early days of the new system, Dineluth herself accompanied each cavalry company assigned to guard duty, carefully supervising and making it her primary responsibility.
After all, from her perspective, the brigade was still far from fully trained.
This assignment contributed to their training, but she remained uneasy.
For urgent paperwork related to brigade administration, any cavalryman could carry it in their leather map pouch and deliver it to her at the guardhouse, where she would handle it.
But even this had its issues.
If she hovered too much, giving constant orders and interfering excessively, it would overly stress the soldiers and undermine the authority of the captains serving as formal commanders of the guard.
Thus, she couldn’t remain in the guardhouse indefinitely.
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