Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter3 - MTL
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Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script.
Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed.
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Chapter Three: The Shinto Priest of Romalia
The Tristain and Germania united army landed in the port town Rosais, which is located about 300 leagues to south from the Albion capital Londonium (One league, turned in Saitos' worlds unit, would be almost one kilometer).
Immediately after landing;Allied Forces expected the enemy's counterattack. First of all, land units build a circle around Rosais.
Yet… Albion made no counterattack.
The most supreme commander of the united army De Poitiers, lost the momentum to invade. They were to have set up the strategy, expecting for the enemy to attack after the landing. The ‘decisive battle’ ought to happen near Rosais, which would let them to destroy enemy’s large army in one blow and march to Londonium in a dash.
The planned for the compain to be over in three weeks, until the Yara’s month begins… In other words, before the advent festival of Founder Brimir which is ‘New Year's Day’ in Londonium comes.
In other words, a short-term decisive battle was planned.
This cannot be helped now. A large amount of food is necessary to maintain the large army of 60,000 people. The specific medicine (Especially, the water element based recovery medicine) to recite strong spells, war materials like bullets, gunpowder and the cannons are needed. And it all had to be carried from their own country, to the army in the front.
Fighting a long war in the enemy's territory, would be nothing but the nightmare. Besides, Tristain’s economy made such long war impossible.
Albion main army successfully retreated from Dartanes, barricaded in the capital Londonium now.
Apparently, the enemy army evaded fighting a decisive battle. In a word, after Albion air force received damage beyond imagination, and lost the sky control, the Albion army might have abandoned the counterattack tactics.
Allied forces were prepared for the Albion’s attack.
But because the expectations went down the drain and concrete damage did not occur, constructing positions and preparing for decisive battle became. Allied forces wasted food for one and a half week.
Allied Forces could not plan anything but a short-term decisive battle, so they only took food supply for six weeks. But now it became necessary to carry food and gunpowder from the own country by ship. For the two countries that organize the expedition army with very limit finances, the situation was worrisome.
It was an eight day after the landing and the tensed atmosphere… surrounded the future plans of the invasion.
Air base in Rosais, Royal Albion Air Headquarters and the sacred Albion republic air force headquarters, and a Tristain Germania united martial army command base now, these walls of red bricks changed three masters in one year. A great hall within the second floor was where the history was made.
At the round table, on the central seat, the supreme commander of coalition forces, General de Poitiers, sat. He was listening to two different opinions.
First one came from Germanian general, Marquis Handenburg, who insisted upon a short-term decisive while shaking his fist and white mustache.
“Let’s march! March! March! We have food only for four an a half weeks. Make a detour at a fort on the way and march to the castl!. Anyway, lets aim to Londonium. Fortunately, we controll the sky. We have to end the war before the Founder Brimir's advent festival, as the morale will drop after advent festival!
Seems like Germania’s general insisted upon advancing like a flame.
“Ending before advent festival, but I wonder why there are no such short war endings in Halkeginia’s history?”
Wimpffen, chief of general staff, objecting coldly staring through the pane of his glasses.
“Then, we’ll create a precedent.”
Said Marquis Handenburg giving a piercing glare to Wimpffen.
“By circling Londonium we would expose our back to their castles….We can’t act without strategy. Moreover, if we start marching the supply lines would be left behind. Without supply we would end up in a deadlock. Though it is troublesome we should proceed carefully, step-by-step. We should advance capturing fortresses and castles before marching.”
“Capturing fortresses or castles would inflict too much damage! Supply? We only have to take over Londonium before advent festival!”
“As the marquis said, we control the sky, right. So the damage upon capturing will be suppressed to minimum. Londonium taken over by the advent festival? That’s nonsense!”
Marquis Handenburg said with a face full of contempt.
“…this is ‘wind’ element thinking, wind that cowardly evades obstacles.”
“As if ‘fire’, which hastily out-burns itself , element thinking is any better.”
Two people stared each other.
“Courage is what cowardly Tristainians need to be taught.”
“There’s nothing to learn from barbarians.”
They both pulled out their wands at the same time. Supreme general De Poitiers stepped in between them.
“We argue too much! Marquis! Marquis! Show germanian courage in the battlefield! Wimpffen! Stop disgracing yourself.!”
At last, they both calmed down.
“For now we have to admit that the first plan, beating Albion main forces and then advancing to Londonium, getting Cromwell’s head and rising white lily’s flag in Whitehall, failed. Yet we advance through war according to plan it is still possible.”
After overthrowing the Albion revolution government, they will rule in the name of Henrietta. Of course, part of the territory will be ceded to Germania. Afterwards, Albion royal family's remaining alive survivors will be searched out and placed in the throne of the territory under Tristain’s rule, thus reviving the monarchy. To avoid possible revolutions they decided to look for survived Albion’s royal family members, once a suitable noble with royal blood is found, the throne will be passed to him.
De Poitiers shook his head, trying to brush of this imagination from the thoughts.
It’s not the time to think about it. Right now they need to think how to annihilate the enemy.
De Poitiers bit his lip. Anyway, my promotion hangs on this.
If he would win this was he would become a field marshal.
Everything could have been easily settled by one decisive battle… De Poitiers felt a grudge against the Albion army. Why did Cromwell barricade himself in Londonium and it doesn't go out?
What about the country being infringed by the enemy?
What about facing ministers, nobles and public opinion.
What is he counting on?
While being lost in a thought, he noticed ally general and the chief of the general staff looking worried at him, De Poitiers announced the strategy plan by himself.
“…there is no decisive battle anymore, but the plan must be executed anyway. We have to take over Londonium Emperor‘s palace Havilland and rise Her Majesty‘s flag there. Now, it would be too dangerious to attack Londonium directly. And capturing catle after the castle could take decades.“
The marquis and the chief of the general staff nodded frowning. De Poitiers showed the map that has been expanded on the table and pointed at the place between Rosais and Londonium.
“The City of South Gotha. An ancient town, favorite tourist spot. We will take it over and turn it into the foothold for Londonium capture. We will leave 5000 soldiers here in Rosais to secure the supply and the retreat path. The remaining troops will participate in capture with the support from the air forces. If enemy's main army comes out, we will bring it to the decisive battle, of course.”
The marquis and the chief of the general staff nodded. It was a compromise proposal, though it was a the noncommittal strategy plan, it wasn’t bad.
South Gotha is a big town. The crossing of all roads. If it is taken, it becomes possible to be effective against other castles and towns. Even if the war is not settled before the advent festival, it would be easy to hold out longer as it is a big city.
At that time when the strategy was decided someone knocked against the door.
“Who?” asked guard.
“Me. Her Majesty's court lady, La Valliere.”
De Poitiers gave the sign to guards to let her in. Even though he wasn’t particularly eager to let the girl take part in army business, but he can’t treat her unkindly as she was Her Majesty’s court lade and the user of the legendary ‘Void’. Even though it may be offending and bothersome.
De Poiters saw Louise as nothing more but a ‘tool’.
“Aah, Miss Void. We have prepared a gorgeous tent for you. Leave all the trouble to servicemen and take a rest. I will calls you if you will be needed.
Louise was nervous about the great surroundings. However, she can‘t do what she decided to if she acts cowardly. So she gathered her courage and spoke out
“W-well…”
“What? Oh, you were not rewarded for your work at Dartagnes. As expected of Void. You did well. Gentlemen! Applause!“
Indifferent applauses echoed in the conference room.
“I will request for the royal family reward.”
“N-no that…”
“What? Are you still here?”
De Poiters tone became diluted with dour.
Is an a single reward not enough? What a greedy chit!
That human beings are greedy, it is one of the basic habits of human beings. De Poitiers felt offended that after praising her Louise wanted more.
“It is different. Umm, I did not come here to get reward. It’s about the dragon knights who returned alive…”
Generals for a moment could not understand what she was talking about… But then they remembered the dragon knight unit that returned alive and nodded.
“Aah, what about it?”
“Well… though it’s great, don’t you think it’s strange? A whole week passes after the crash and they returned safe and sound….Moreover, does not remember anything in between?”
“Indeed.”
Annoyed generals listened to her. How was it effecting army? They were about to say it.
“It’s a place near South Gotha. I think it should be investigated.”
When Louise says so general waved his hand.
“Oh, OK. Near the marching route. Search expedition will be organized to investigate the mystery." he said in a dull tone not really believing in such expedition.
“Did they hit their heads and saw some kind of ghost?”
“…they reported it was a fairy.”
“A kind fairy!”
Someone said and conference room was wrapped up in laughter. Does not matter whom she would ask. The ten surviving knights were just another war miracle and they would not explore it even if the knights minds were clear.
“No way! What if behind it lies an important secret?! Something that might change the flow of war!”
“Miss, though it certainly is a mysterious event, it is not likely to change such grand situation. We do not have time to care about such trivial matter.”
“But…”
Then, as if just having an idea, De Poitiers added.
“Right, I want you to go to investigate it. Can you do that?“
Louise came out of the red-brick command center as if being driven out. Saito and Rene, who were waiting at the entrance of the building, ran up to her.
“How was it?”
Fuun, Louise looking the other way walked directly past them.
Saito snorted. He hardly talked to Louise since yesterday. After leaving Louise in front of the tent of the dragon knight battalion, the couple has been in a very ugly mood.
Saito walked behind Louise’s back.
“Haah, princess and her servant.” Rene said sarcastically.
Then he lowered his voice and whispered into Saito's ear.
“Just between us… Are you Academy’s researchers?”
“Academy?” Saito looked at Rene in utter amazement. Interested dragon knights gathered around the boy.
“I guess the flight machine was made by Academy.”
“Is there any new magical weapons?”
“Like in the recent mission, where one was used in Dartanes to confuse enemies?”
The boy knights’ eyes were sparkling brilliantly while talking to Saito. Apparently, they thought that Louise and Saito are researchers of the magic laboratory. Indeed, the only ones that knew about Louise's Void were only a few generals.
Though it is easy to convince masses outside the court that it all was a war miracle, the same excuse doesn’t really work with nobles. So the most plausible explanation would be ‘Academy’s new magical weapons’.
Louise, listening to Saito’s conversation attentively, halted.
- Pon!* Saito stopped as well. Everyone stood upright. A tensed atmosphere emanating from Louise, sank into all of them. What else one could expect from the duke’s third daughter?
Louise, not turning around, said in a clear voice.
“Not exactly. I do not belong to Academy researchers. I am Her Majesty's court lady, under her direct control.“
Saito panicked. Hey! Baka Louise! Void should be kept a secret! It might be a big trouble, if the rumors would reach the enemy! They would be targeted! He thought in feverish haste.
“We are the members of ‘Zero organization’ responsible for researching new weapons, under direct royal family command.”
Huh? Saito was speechless. What Zero Organization? Never heard of it.
“I-is that so?! Great!”
“Though I do not really understand, it sounds like a really powerful organization!”
“Really? Secret Organization? Then you can’t tell anyone? Then you research magical weapons, but what does it differ from the academy’s researches? There must be a death punishment for revealing it.
“R-really?”
“Everyone swear by the founder to not disclose it!”
They all, being kind, swore sincerely.
We could pretend to be members of zero organization researching new magical weapons. This way enemies or allies would not be able to even imagine about ‘Void’ existence.
Saito thought then. If someone would start denying the rumors it would cause even more rumors. But one could to make a plausible ‘true’ rumor, to avert curious eyes from the truth.
It was the right thing to do in order to manipulate the information.
He ran up to Louise and whispered.
“…but have you told me about such plan. Not much.”
“…I only said following the order of the princess. Even the allies should not know about the void, thus I said an excuse.”
“You! You are not paying attention to my words. You are not listening to what I say at all!”
“It would be useless, as you cannot act, idiot.”
With a snort, Louise turned her face away and started walking.
“What’s wrong between you and your mistress, you are moody lately.”
Rene muttered.
Saito answered casually.
“Fuh. You are imagining things.” Hearing his words, Louise turned around.
“You were acting uneasy ever since we returned from giving that report, you were acting dejected and angry. That’s unusual.”
“I am not angry” Saito repeated.
Louise gave a cold stare to Saito.
“Wha-what…”
With a snort, Louise turned around and started to walk in silence. Saito, remembering his decision to ignore her, turned his face away as well.