Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 1 (section)

=== V ===
Within five minutes, the three aides arrived before Jouslain.

Rear-admiral Magnorton, Commodore Yuan, and Commodore Durey were their names. Edna Fredericks was not among them.

While the ancestral lineages of the three officers were all different, the result of dozens of generations of interbreeding meant they shared a very pale wheatish skin tone. As for their hair, the elder Magnorton had a golden hue streaked with grey, while the two middle-aged men had black hair. In any case, they had not been chosen based on their appearance. It was said that Ariabert placed great trust in these three, as they were not flashy but steady and sound military strategists.

Jouslain walked towards the three saluting officers himself and shook hands with each one. A wave of emotion and excitement pulsed through Jouslain’s palms.

“As a tactician, I do not hold a candle to you. To fairly carry out Ariabert’s vengeance, your strength is indispensable. I want Rear-Admiral Mittendorf and the three of you to lead a meeting of experts and present me with combat plans as soon as possible. You may submit multiple alternatives.”

“Understood!”

“Duke Ariabert was a comrade-in-arms to both you and me. Let us each do our utmost to avenge that comrade. I am counting on you.”

As the three officers departed, their faces flushed with the vigour of youth after being somewhat pale until that moment, Jouslain fell into thought for several seconds.

“Lord Balamy.”

“Yes?”

“Would you be so kind as to escort Princess Lydia back to her homeland?”

Balamy was taken aback by the sudden change in subject, but he quickly understood. Upon reflection, although Princess Lydia was accompanying Jouslain due to circumstances, she was a princess of a nation that did not belong directly to Tytania; leaving a girl of barely ten years at the front lines of a war was dangerous and, quite frankly, pointless.

“Then, whom shall you appoint as her escort?”

Jouslain’s expression shifted with suspicion.

“What are you saying? Obviously you’re the one who shall escort the Princess.”

“Me?”

“Who else?”

“Do you intend to remove me from this battle!?”

Balamy raised his voice.

“I have only just been entrusted to act as commander the other day. Though unworthy, I was prepared to serve with all my heart, but you change your orders so soon<ref name="ftn3">Literally “an order in the morning modified at night” (朝令暮改), an expression referring to changing laws or order with no rhyme or reason.</ref>?”

What Balamy said was true. Jouslain had no room for argument. This proposal had been born from Jouslain’s simple desire to prevent Balamy from dying, but it could not be denied that there had been a certain lack of foresight on Jouslain’s part. He had, after all, tasked a young man who possessed more vigour and sharpness than his actual age suggested with the care of a child. It was a task far beneath his station.

“Lord Balamy, you’re the only one I can entrust with Princess Lydia. That is why I am asking this of you. If you are willing, you need only return here alone immediately after the Princess has been safely delivered.”

“And what will you do if the ship carrying Princess Lydia is attacked by the enemy?”

“… What?”

“There are many, both far and near, who would seek to kidnap Princess Lydia to prove their loyalty to Uraniborg.”

“That is precisely why I am providing an escort.”

“Will ten or twenty escort ships be sufficient?”

“I shall send more.”

“If you do that, our forces will be depleted. To disperse one’s strength is a tactician’s greatest taboo. What do you intend to achieve by merely pleasing the enemy?”

In the face of the momentous task of conquering Uraniborg, the fate of a princess from a weak, frontier nation was a mere trifle. At least, that was Tytania’s way of thinking.

It was the voice of a young woman that interrupted the strange dispute between the two men.

“Princess, please, wait!”

It was Francia’s voice. Even without looking, the situation was clear. Just as Jouslain and Balamy exchanged an involuntary and wry look, a small bird flew into the fray, pursued by the others.

“May I enter, Lord Jouslain? Ah, I expected to find Bal here as well. You were discussing something important, weren’t you? I am sorry, but I have something important to discuss with you as well.”

Francia, who had approached closely behind the Princess, bowed in silence, her white cheeks flushed with the colour of cherry blossoms. Jouslain felt as though a door to her heart had opened without a sound, allowing a warm breeze to drift in.

“Please, Princess. I shall have some pastries prepared for you immediately.”

“No, there is no need. This is a matter of great importance.”

Princess Lydia declined, sounding regretful yet firm.

“We are all going to Elbing.”

“Pardon?”

“Lord Jouslain, Bal, Francia—everyone shall go to Elbing together. As my guest, the old King will welcome you dearly. Though we are a poor nation…”

Jouslain found himself smiling naturally.

“Princess, your offer is most gracious, but I am afraid that cannot be done.”

“Why not?” asked Princess Lydia before providing her own answer. “Is poverty unpleasant after all? I suppose from your perspective, we are but a pitiful frontier nation. Just a moment ago, I was in shock when Lord Ariabert died. Lord Jouslain or Bal, I don’t want for either of you to die. That is why I thought it would be fine as long as we could live in peace, even on the frontier.”

Francia gently took the Princess’ hand from behind.

“That is not the issue, Princess. We cannot simply leave the soldiers who are fighting alongside us behind?”

Jouslain explained with more gravity than any of the many diplomatic negotiations he had ever experienced.

“If we were to take them with us, then your own country would suffer great hardship.”

“Hardship? Nonsense. We are all comrades, and if my country’s population were to grow…”

Jouslain slowly shook his head.

“If you bring hundreds of thousands of soldiers into your country, they will require just that much food and supplies. You will no longer have the luxury of exporting potatoes. Furthermore…”

Jouslain looked over at Balamy.

“Furthermore, if you accept to give us asylum, you will of course be viewed as a complete enemy by Uraniborg. A great army will be dispatched, your country will become a battlefield, and every potato field will be stained with blood.”

Balamy was on the verge of a derisive laugh, but he hurriedly tightened his expression. For a moment, he had almost forgotten the dire predicament in which they found themselves. The image of the potato fields stretching as far as the eye could see was so simple that it brought a strange sense of humour to everyone present.

To Princess Lydia, the potato fields were likely a symbol of peace and friendship. When hearing that they would be stained with blood, she gasped softly and slumped, unlike her usual energetic self. To exaggerate, one might have said it was the moment her ideals collided with the wall of reality and shattered. However, after a few seconds, Princess Lydia lifted her head and spoke with newfound vigour:

“In that case, we shall simply win this war, and after that, we can all go to Elbing together.”

“Princess.”

“This is a promise. Listen, the old King once said that if an adult breaks a promise to a child, they shall become a calamity for the next generation.”

It was at this moment that Balamy spoke for the first time:

“Do not worry, Princess. We shall certainly prevail. I shall show you victory.”

A light, almost too bright, returned to the Princess’ eyes.

“I have certainly received your promise, Bal. If you break it, I shall make you eat two dozen cream puffs.”

“… Yes.”

This time, Balamy lost his spirit. It turned out that he had a distaste for cream puffs.



In the end, what truly gave voice to the fears and confusion of the masses was likely the furious roar of Idris, brimming with indignation and hatred.

“It seems you have no intention of retreating. Do you truly believe you can take Uraniborg without Ariabert? The one who is out of his depth is you, Jouslain.”

Though the speaker was unaware of it, this remark served as a clear tribute to the deceased.

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