Episode 76: Strategy Proposal

　A few days had passed since the forces of the Kreving Earl Family came under the command of the Eastern Front Army.

　Siegfried accompanied Beatrice and Leon as he made his way to the Eastern Front Army headquarters.

　The visit had been scheduled and notified in advance.

　They were shown into the operations room on the first floor of the headquarters.

　Several chairs were lined up there, and a number of men were already waiting in readiness.

　Seated in the center was the commander of the Eastern Front Army—Bertram.

　Next to him, the deputy commander, Almants, sat with his frog-like appearance, holding back.

　The other headquarters officers were lined up in a row, all fixing their eyes on Siegfried.

「—You’ve been making quite a flashy spectacle of things, haven’t you, Earl Kreving?」

　The one who spoke up like that without any greeting, was the deputy commander, Almants.

「We’ve received the reports. It seems you’ve been doing whatever you please.」

　As if to supplement those words, another officer opened his mouth.

「We’ve heard you’ve clashed with soldiers from other units multiple times. Earl Kreving—aren’t you standing out a bit too much?」

　That point was indeed factual.

　Over these three days, Siegfried had clashed with soldiers or commanders from other units within the Eastern Front Army—and had utterly crushed them.

　However, Siegfried showed not the slightest sign of agitation.

「Yes, that’s right. It’s quite troublesome indeed. I’m not causing trouble because I enjoy it. However, there are simply too many people picking fights with me.」

　In truth, Siegfried’s unit had been subjected to frequent harassment from other units.

　Their way deliberately blocked. Incorrect orders intentionally relayed. Fights provoked—.

　Siegfried had thoroughly crushed each and every one of those.

　At those words, Almants turned his large, bulging eyes that resembled a frog’s toward him.

「——So, you’re saying the cause of these disputes isn’t your unit, but the surrounding ones?」

「Yes, exactly. I’ve submitted all reports in accordance with proper procedures. And whether judged by military regulations or the kingdom’s laws, my actions are entirely legitimate. …Am I mistaken?」

　In fact, Siegfried had submitted detailed reports on every incident that occurred and how it was dealt with.

　Each one included clear grounds based on military regulations or the kingdom’s laws.

「……We’ve certainly received the reports. In terms of the law, you may indeed be correct. However……」

　Almants murmured while stroking his sagging chin with his finger.

「You are a noble, a person in a position to lead a unit. For such a person to personally insert himself into petty squabbles among underlings and swing his fists—that calls your dignity into question.」

「Oh… dignity, is it?」

A cold smile appeared on Siegfried’s face.

「If protecting my own subordinates damages my dignity—then I have no need for such dignity.」

「……What did you say?」

「I’m simply saying that to me, my subordinates are more important than whatever dignity you’re referring to.」

　To Siegfried, subordinates were indispensable existences necessary for advancing on the path of the villainous overlord. Compared to that, how others evaluated his own dignity didn’t matter to him at all.

「Besides, if you’re going to question dignity—then it’s the ones who picked fights with us who should have their dignity questioned first. And as for the dignity of the superiors who allowed such individuals to run rampant… well, it speaks for itself, doesn’t it?」

　At those words, the expressions of the Eastern Front Army officers present changed.

　The superiors of those who had picked on the Siegfried unit on Siegfried’s unit—that was none other than them.

　The ones who had been hit right on the mark were the ones blatantly showing their displeasure.

　But Siegfried paid no heed to such things and cut in.

「Now, let’s set aside the idle chatter and get to the main topic.」

「Idle chatter, you say…?」

　Almants leaned forward in indignation, but Commander Bertram cleared his throat to check him.

　He didn’t seem like the type who’d change his attitude even if dignity was brandished further. If anything, it would just give him more ammunition for counterattacks.

　Siegfried calmly broached the main subject in a composed tone.

「——Why is the Eastern Front Army camped out in a place like this, wasting time doing nothing?」

　Faced with such a straightforward question, Bertram and the other officers were momentarily at a loss for words.

　Siegfried pressed on with further words.

「Just glaring at each other without fighting—that only depletes troops and provisions. Why doesn’t our army take the initiative to strike?」

「……Hmm. So that’s what it is.」

　Having grasped the content of Siegfried’s statement, Bertram leaned back in his chair and responded quietly.

「Earl Kreving. You are still young, after all. It seems you don’t understand what war entails. The reason we don’t move is to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.」

　Bertram continued in a somewhat condescending tone, speaking at a relaxed pace.

「As you know, our Eastern Front Army totals 15,000 men. The enemy forces on the Serodonia side are estimated to be of similar scale. The prospects of attacking from here and winning are slim. Even if we won, it would pay an enormous price in lives. In that case, we couldn’t hold the front. Even in victory, we’d ultimately have to retreat.」

As if echoing those words, the other high-ranking officials also raised their voices.

「As His Excellency the Commander says, there’s no point in striking out here.」

「It would just end with soldiers dying for nothing. To not even grasp that—Earl Kreving is truly an amateur, isn’t he?」

　Amid the flying scornful laughter, Siegfried didn’t change his expression at all and quietly opened his mouth.

「Leon.」

「Yeah.」

Prompted by Siegfried, Leon took out a single map from his belongings.

　It was a military map showing the terrain of this area.

　The map depicted a chain of mountain ranges and gently rolling hills weaving through them.

　The large dot in front of those hills was the Eastern Front Army’s camp.

　And deeper in, there was another large dot indicating the Serodonia army’s position.

　But what Siegfried pointed to was neither of them.

　Between the mountain passes, in the gentle terrain, a small solitary point marked there—.

「There’s a small enemy fort here. We—should crush this place.」