Chapter 413

War Reparations
A week had passed since the invasion of Vardmoi ended.
During that time, the frozen soldiers remained frozen, while the others lived in cages set up outside the city.
Incidentally, the cages were built by Talat.
That was the fastest and sturdiest way.
How would you even go about destroying a cage that freezes time?

As for the regular soldiers, that's where they were kept, but it seemed that officers and nobles were subjected to strict interrogations.
As a result, it was discovered that the one who orchestrated the invasion of Vardmoi was Marquis Morogawarde, and the one who supported him was the king's younger brother, Prince Corinius.
This was the first time I'd even heard the name of the king's younger brother.
Anyway, those two were the ringleaders, and the others had apparently acted under the orders of either Prince Corinius or Marquis Morogawarde.
Viscount Melt, a noble from the north, had also moved under Prince Corinius’s orders, though it seemed he wasn’t enthusiastic about it.
Since Viscount Melt’s territory also produced Mana Spider Silk, he fully understood the terror of spider-type monsters.
Even so, he couldn’t disobey Prince Corinius’s orders.
Instead, it seems he pleaded for the lives of the soldiers who had marched from his domain, offering his own head and reparations in exchange.
Unable to defy orders but taking responsibility for his own failures... what a fine lord.

Why do I know all this?
Because I’m currently hearing it directly from Marquis Vardmoi.

Mainly because we're discussing what to do from here.

“My thinking is that Morogawarde will be executed, Melt will be spared in exchange for reparations, and as for the soldiers... I’m thinking of leaving that to you.”

“Leaving it to me? Marquis Vardmoi, are you trying to push the responsibility onto me?”

“Of course not. There is still a chance that enemy soldiers could attack Vardmoi again in the future. To nip that in the bud, it’s necessary to release a certain number of soldiers.”

“Releasing a certain number... Ah, to spread word of our strength?”

“As expected, you are sharp. If we only release a few, they might be executed by the prince. But if many are released, what would happen?”

“They wouldn’t be able to capture them all, and the soldiers would scatter across the lands. Then rumors about the situation in Vardmoi would spread.”

“Exactly. And if that happens, even if another uprising is attempted, recruitment will be slow, and morale will be low. In that state, even if you are absent, repelling them would be easy.”

Hmm, even if I’m absent, huh.
Certainly, it’s unrealistic to assume I’ll always be in Vardmoi.
And if I’m not here, Talat will also be absent.
Even without Talat, Vardmoi now has the Kiblinki Saltas, so unless something extraordinary happens, they won’t lose in an intelligence war or be caught by a surprise attack, but it’s still better to be cautious.
This plan is about taking every possible precaution.
Yeah, not bad.

“I understand. Since there haven’t been any major incidents, let’s release all the regular soldiers.”

“All of them, huh. Well, there’s no reason to execute them either. Very well, we’ll arrange it that way. And I have one more favor to ask of you.”

“I should head north, right?”

“You’re quick to understand. We must also show Talat’s power. Will you take on this task?”

“I understand. I’ll go with you.”

After accompanying Marquis Vardmoi on a round of visits to his vassals, next we’ll head to the northern part of the divided kingdom.
This autumn is going to be quite busy.

What do you think about this chapter?