Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 337

337

Who is the Light?

Sion expected to see all the prominent nobles of the kingdom gathered, but he only saw three marquises and Queen Vanessa.

Vanessa, seated at the head table, began to speak as Sion sat down, perhaps wondering who he had gathered.

“The other nobles will be called in shortly.

I summoned you all first to inform you of the situation and to ask for your opinions on how to act in the presence of the nobles.”

Queen Vanessa was subtly showing consideration to the three Marquis families—who could be said to be the power brokers of Hispania—and Count Clausen of the Frontier, ahead of a major national event.

It was a measure to prevent them from feeling neglected, and also a way to subtly apply pressure, ensuring they wouldn’t consider backing down.

Marquis Joaquin nodded, as if he understood the Queen’s intentions.

Marquis Volkov was a loyalist to the royal family from the start, so he seemed to have no intention of backing down at all. The young Marchioness Estia, who had recently taken over as head of her family, carefully spoke, watching the two veterans.

“Your Majesty,

the fact that you have secretly summoned only the three Marquises and Sion Clausen…”

“A magical communication arrived from Nudia just now.

It is said that the Holy Prussen has finally crossed the border.”

The marquises’ eyebrows twitched at the news, and they all looked slightly surprised.

Until recently, the Celestial Race from the Holy Prussen was spoken of as a sinner or a judge, but that was only ‘words’.

But taking direct action like this had a completely different impact.

‘They really are trying to harm us, and even though they talk about light and whatnot, they end up wielding power and threatening us as they please.’

The moment such thoughts took root among the citizens of Nudia and Hispania, all those who had been showing a favorable attitude toward the Doctrine of Light would turn away.

Especially since the Doctrine of Light wasn’t as strongly ingrained in Hispania as it was in the Holy Prussen, one could argue that the will of light was wrong.

Yet the Holy Prussen, and the Celestial Race behind them, decided to use force.

Even though it was obvious that they would incur people’s resentment, hostility, and anger, the only reason they would act like this was because they were confident that they could subdue all of Nudia and Hispania by force.

“It is said that at least 20,000 have been confirmed so far.”

“Did you say 20,000?”

Marquis Volkov asked, unable to hide his surprise, unlike usual.

The Holy Prussen was a nation that had never waged war with other nations thanks to the Doctrine of Light.

There had to be a good reason for their power to be unleashed, and the recent Holy War was one such occasion. Marquis Volkov had faced the army of the Holy Prussen at that time.

‘I remember the number being around 10,000 at the time.’

Vanessa nodded, as if she had read Marquis Volkov’s mind.

“When the Holy Prussen participated in the Holy War, they brought about 9,000 troops.

I thought that was their elite force, since they were willing to risk their lives for the Holy War.

But the news from Nudia this time contained more than twice that number.”

“…Are you saying they were hiding their strength?”

“That’s highly likely.”

“There is also the possibility that the opposite is true.”

Sion spoke, and Vanessa and the others looked at him.

Sion had recently shown an outstanding talent in the area of war that no one else could match, so they were listening to his opinion.

“They may be pushing themselves to the limit to cover the entire continent from east to west with the Doctrine of Light in one offensive.

In other words, we should see it as them overextending themselves.”

“Sion Clausen, you may be right that there is a possibility of that.

But if that’s the case, isn’t it even more of a problem?

Their offensive must be that much greater.”

“The offensive will be great, but the backlash will be considerable.

If we can stop them and, furthermore, inflict damage, they may be shocked and unable to move.”

“That means Hispania must also mobilize all its forces to help Nudia fight against the Holy Prussen and the Celestial Race.”

Sion nodded, answering Vanessa’s words.

Vanessa hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“The Holy Prussen even stopped the attacks of the Demon Race and even pushed them back.

Moreover, even though the Celestial Race has changed strangely, they are still the descendants of light.

Sion Clausen, you know how great they are, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what do you think?

Can we stop their offensive?

Can we find a gap and stop them in reverse?”

She didn’t even expect him to say that they could win.

All Vanessa wanted now was a word that would ease her worries.

That it was manageable, that they could stop them, that they would do their best—that would be enough.

“We can win.”

But Sion Clausen, her vassal and hero, said it as if it were obvious.

Rather, he spoke confidently, as if Vanessa’s question was wrong.

“We will win this war.

I will make it so.”

“…”

If someone else had said that, they might have scoffed or cursed inwardly.

The opponent was the elite army of the Holy Prussen, who even pushed back the threatening Demon Race.

They would do their best to put everything on the line in this war.

In addition, they would receive help from some of the fairies and the cultists hiding inside Nudia and Hispania, and decisively, the most powerful ally, the descendants of light, would lead them.

Even in such a situation, even in what others would see as a truly desperate moment.

Sion, who said those words without a hint of change in his expression, showed no sign of wavering.

“…Okay.

If you say so, then this war will be our victory.”

Vanessa eventually smiled and said so.

Considering that the man had never been wrong in what he had said so far, she couldn’t even imagine Hispania losing, or Sion losing.

“Marquis Joaquin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How is the matter I mentioned last time progressing?”

“Fortunately, thanks to the beastmen and fairies, we have succeeded in putting out some of the urgent fires.

In particular, we found the iron ore mine, which was the most important, with their help.”

Iron was the resource Hispania was most dependent on from their trade with the Holy Prussen.

In particular, the Holy Prussen produced a lot of high-quality iron, so the relatively low-quality iron from Hispania was not suitable for making important items such as weapons, let alone farming tools.

So, they had been relying on trade for most of their iron, but now that trade was cut off, the supply of iron was immediately shaken.

It was the beastmen who stepped in at that time, surprisingly.

They knew that most of the humans fought with weapons, unlike themselves, who used fangs, hands, and claws, so they gave the iron ore in the corner of their territory as a gift, and it was of such good quality that it could replace the iron of the Holy Prussen.

In addition, the fairies told Hispania about their iron ore refining technology, though not all of it, so Hispania finally had better quality iron.

“We have not yet entered the stage of full-scale production, but I would like to say that we have at least prevented the problems that could have arisen from the interruption of trade.”

“That’s a relief.

The other races are cooperating better than I thought.”

“That’s what I’m saying.

To be honest, I didn’t expect even the fairies to come out like this, let alone the beastmen.”

‘Actually, it’s all my work.’

Sion muttered inwardly and chuckled.

Perhaps the poor pigeon Richel, who didn’t know that, would have gone to the forest to persuade them.

He didn’t even know that the fairies were completely fooled by the fun play that he had written and Kim Yoo-hyun had starred in.

‘Originally, Richel could have stepped in and said that nothing like that had ever happened and persuaded them, but the rumors would have already spread to the fairies.

That the Celestial Race is going to punish those who do not follow the Doctrine of Light.

The fairies in the forest have already turned their backs on the Celestial Race and are driving out the radicals and distancing themselves from the Doctrine of Light, so when they heard that, they would become even more wary in order to survive.’

The Celestial Race will now go all-in, so they will no longer try to persuade the fairies who have turned their backs on them, but will simply push them away with force and complete the purification project.

It’s too late to play any more tricks now, because they’ve been dragging their feet for too long.

“Marquis Volkov.

How many soldiers are currently available?”

“Many of those who were injured in the previous war with Nudia are still recovering.

Of course, some of them can move again after receiving proper treatment, but quite a few will not be able to go to the battlefield for a while.”

“…It’s a bit of a shame that the skilled soldiers were injured.”

“It’s not a stage to worry about.

There are still more than 10,000 soldiers who can be deployed immediately.”

“That’s true, but we have to think about the future.

If they pour everything out, and we pour everything out, it will be a mutual destruction.

If they hit us with all their might, we must have a clever way to counter it while minimizing the damage.

Marchioness Estia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Continue to focus on organizing the reserves as you have always done.

Always consist of skilled people who can be deployed, but provide a background where those with little experience can gain experience by putting them in appropriately.”

“I understand.”

Vanessa is thinking not only about the war with the Holy Prussen, but also about the aftermath.

Some might say that she is counting her chickens before they hatch [making plans based on assumptions that may not come true] in a situation where it is not even clear whether they will win or lose right now, but Sion rather took that part for granted.

Why?

Because they will definitely win this war.

“Sion Clausen.

What do you think?

Do you have anything in mind in advance?”

“It will be no different from what Your Majesty is thinking.

Now that the Holy Prussen has started the attack, we cannot hesitate, because if Nudia falls, it will be Hispania’s turn.

We must immediately dispatch troops to help Nudia.”

“Yes, I knew you would say that.

Then you plan to move to Nudia with Marquis Volkov.”

“That’s right.

However, there is one important part.”

At Sion’s words, Vanessa looked at him as if asking what it was.

“Do you remember Sir Kim Yoo-hyun, who played a big role in the previous war?”

“Of course I remember.

He is a war hero and also the person who protected me with your bodyguard when I participated in the Holy War before, isn’t he?”

“That’s right.

I’m thinking of sending Kim Yoo-hyun to the southern part of the kingdom.”

“…The South?”

Vanessa opened her eyes wide and asked back at Sion’s words.

The area where the battle is expected to take place is naturally the eastern part of Hispania, the land of Nudia.

However, it was only natural for Vanessa to question the fact that Kim Yoo-hyun, a talented person who should play the most important role in the war, was being sent to the southern part of the kingdom instead of the east.

“Sion Clausen.

Why Sir Kim Yoo-hyun of all people?

That man is called the hero of the kingdom along with you.

He should be on the battlefield with the soldiers to face the Holy Prussen.”

“Of course, as Your Majesty said, the most important battlefield for us will be the east.

But the south is just as important.”

“Hmm, is it because of the merchant ships that have not yet returned?”

“No, Marquis Joaquin.

It’s because of a more important issue than that.”

At Sion’s words, Marquis Joaquin reacted as if he couldn’t understand at all.

Marquis Volkov, Marchioness Estia, and even Vanessa could not understand what Sion’s words meant.

So, Sion, who had suggested Kim Yoo-hyun’s trip to the south, slowly spoke.

“It is very likely that the other side will use what our Hispania enjoyed in the past, in reverse, as it is.

If the target was pirate ships at that time, there is a very high probability that the target will be the cities in the south this time.”

―

The nobles who had been waiting in the royal castle without returning to their territories gathered at the royal palace again.

They sighed at the news that they had been hoping would not come, but they still hoped that the history of Hispania would not be cut off and would be maintained for a long time.

And they responded to Vanessa’s summons, hoping that their names would be remembered in that long history as loyal subjects who fought hard for this country.

“The Holy Prussen broke through the border of Nudia this morning.”

“…!”

A murmur filled the conference room.

The news that the will of light, which had been shouting about peace and prosperity, had now completely abandoned that and was invading only to ask for judgment on sins.

It also meant that they had to face it head-on without any place to retreat.

“More than half of eastern Nudia has already surrendered to the Holy Prussen.

Also, riots are breaking out in various places in the south.

To put it bluntly, Nudia now is as good as half gone.”

“…”

“Some will say this.

Whether we should help Nudia.

That the Holy Prussen may have still left room for dialogue, but our Hispania is kicking it away.

I will make it clear to those people.

The Holy Prussen, the Celestial Race, have defined us as clear enemies.

Now, it’s not a matter of who is ‘right’, but who ‘survives’.

And it would be easier if there were even one more person who would be with us on the road to survival.”

At Vanessa’s words, the nobles nodded as if it were obvious.

Anyway, the Holy Prussen and the Celestial Race did not seem to be making any more peace proposals, and if they had to fight, it was honestly easier to fight in the territory of another country than in their own.

It may be a bit selfish, but that was the truth.

“From now on, we will be the darkness, the evil, that they speak of.

Even if we are honest with ourselves, they will continue to call us that until the end.

It is a war with them, called that, and the end is unclear.

If there is anyone who disagrees with me even now, step back.

I will not blame you for having a different opinion, nor will I be angry.

I want to see your will, so if there is anyone who wants to step back, do so.”

When the Queen’s words were finished, the nobles who were sitting in their seats stood up.

Then, everyone stepped ‘forward’, expressing that there was no one who had such thoughts.

“…Thank you.”

Vanessa smiled as she looked at the nobles.

In fact, the nobles did not know that the reason why they were acting like this was because the cheers of the kingdom citizens, whose atmosphere had been heated up by Sion’s speech a little while ago, were making the royal castle noisy.

―――――――Afterword―――――――

Recommendations are always welcome!