Chapter 47 – Episode 47 ― When People Gather, There Must Be (2)
Episode 47 ― When people gather, among them surely (2)
It’s already been three months since I worked with a small meeting.
The season is a short summer followed by a very short fall.
It is the most abundant and precious autumn in Evirgio of Boom Summer.
And the meeting was also enriched with work.
“Your majesty. Are you here?”
Obviously, the faces of Aranya and Shykvienna were noticeably more haggard than they had been yesterday.
I felt a little sorry, but originally, if you have a lot of power and enjoy a lot, you should have a lot of work.
Me?
I’m risking my life to rehabilitate the trash demon king, so wouldn’t it be okay?
I am literally risking my life at work.
“First of all, it is an expected report on supply lines and distribution methods.”
Presenting the report right away, without any back-and-forth or rhetoric, has now become a routine feature of small meetings with the emperor.
“The supply of food is Basel, the capital, the Volga port in the north, and Hajak, the border city in the south. It starts in three places.”
Food supply lines originating from the three cities lead to a nearby front.
If Erenier fails to capture the Merdegun grain warehouse, this supply line will have to be reorganized.
However, there is no doubt in the eyes of the small meeting.
“The following is related to the supply of winter items that His Majesty mentioned.”
Minoreus takes over Liron’s words.
“I don’t have enough time to prepare, but I will try to guess before ‘Deep Winter’.”
Among the period called winter, from October to March of the following year, the coldest period was called ‘deep winter’. So to speak, T.O.P.
For two months, from mid-December to mid-February, everyone shuts down and locks themselves in their homes.
Reason? Because I don’t want to freeze to death.
The war is also in a state of near lull at that time.
Demons are more resistant to weather changes than humans.
The border is also a warmer place than the inland of Evirgio, where the capital is located.
However, the demons, who were less prepared for the winter than humans, have not been able to enjoy the advantages of winter.
“However, Your Majesty…”
What was added at the end of the report on supplies for Liron and Minoreus was Aranya’s worrying words.
Roan saw her serious expression.
“It is questionable whether the lords will accept it.”
“Hmm.”
At Roan’s beckoning to explain further, Aranya tried to choose her words carefully.
It was because I had to dare to tell the emperor to take care of the lords. In the past, I wouldn’t have dared to speak.
“The front line is far from the capital. Your majesty.
We had the opportunity to accept change at your Majesty’s side, but lords and vassals only received orders given. That’s why it may take some time to understand His Majesty’s deep intentions.”
“You mean it will be too sudden?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
There are points of sympathy.
Hundreds of years or thousands of years. He tells them not to eat the humans they have always eaten, and suddenly, in the capital, humans who used to be nothing more than meat wander around and make money. They are even the people of the enemy country they are fighting.
In addition, if the emperor suddenly tried to touch supplies that were originally the domain of the lord, there would of course be voices of dissatisfaction.
But basically, this is the military.
What should I do?
“Princess.”
The chancellor opened her eyes wide.
The feeling of intimidation felt from the emperor’s words was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Add to this the strange powers she had experienced in front of her previous town hall, and the words of her emperor were transmitted to her as if they were stuck in her brain.
“Whose is everything in this country?”
She answered as if possessed.
“It belongs to Your Majesty.”
“What is the lord doing?”
“I am the one who manages His Majesty’s behalf.”
“Then who can be dissatisfied with me overhauling everything currently on the front line?”
Not only Aranya, but also the three nobles who were watching the dialogue were silent.
“You are right. Your majesty.”
In Roan’s voice, Aranya caught the slightest hint of her demon lord’s past.
Iron Blooded Emperor. Kill anything you don’t like. This nickname was given because it looked like a being with cold metal blood.
For a while, her lord changed into a gentle and delicate person.
So I forgot about it for a while.
That he was the one who, when he found out that someone had touched his property, left immediately to kill the target.
However, since I didn’t care about others from the past, there were many things I just left alone if I couldn’t see it in front of me.
And as if he had read Aranya’s thoughts, Roan spoke softly.
“Prime Minister. I agree that strength is one of the important values of our demons. First of all, I am the one who best proves that value.”
Araña’s nervous body, as if frozen, calmed down a little at the soothing ‘appeal’.
“But lately, you guys must be feeling it too.
Just because it’s weak doesn’t mean it’s useless. Aren’t you seeing what the human captives at the bottom can do up close?”
“That… , That’s right.”
“I agree with that statement. Incredibly.”
Aranya’s slow agreement and theory’s chuimsae.
Liron recently brought a human assistant to her lab to administer medications.
A pharmacist, rare among humans, happened to be among the captives, and he came to refine ingredients in the Magic Lab of Liron. The employer, Leron, is very satisfied.
“I’m sure the lords are also working hard to make their mark. I know the customs of war so far. But in the end, they lead my army.”
As if Minoreus was touched by something, he vigorously shook his head.
“It is my people who live and die at the behest of the lords. It’s not just about fixing my taste. I want to save my people.”
The thoughts in ‘Appeal’ resonate in the heart.
“The army is like that. It is the power of a proper group that 100 united weak individuals are better than one strong individual, and such trust is one of the most important things in war.
How can those who are anxious about being robbed of supplies by their comrades behind me use their strength to win the battle?”
The four members of the small meeting were each lost in thought.
As high-ranking nobles, they are also lords who rule separate territories.
Their soldiers are also now on the front lines.
“The number of strong people is finite. Most of the battles will be done by ordinary people. In the end, the victory of one knight or one lord is not the victory of battle.”
A lord is the most overwhelmingly strong being in the area he governs.
The four members of the Small Council were also powerful, so they knew neither the war nor the lives of the weak.
That’s why the emperor’s words were strange.
A normal human being would have felt ashamed, but instead, they were looking back on this ingenious and efficient manpower management once again.
In a world where it is natural for the weak to die, taking care of them is a cumbersome task.
However, it seemed that it could bring about unexpected changes and results.
“We will be able to end this war quickly by saving the weak and uniting them.”
I have no intention of capturing the capital.
Then you are the enemy of mankind.
I intend to apply strong pressure and request a ceasefire.
The request for a ceasefire will be accepted only when it is shown that you are stronger. Even if someone weaker than me bursts in and says, “Hey, let’s stop fighting!”
Having power is important.
And to give strength to the combatants, nothing more than solid food and sane and warm clothes. Don’t give me a water bottle that’s been out for decades.
Dissemination is the best
Unity is the next issue for lords to think about.
It’s not like I’m from a supply soldier.
“In that sense.”
The four nobles, each lost in their own thoughts, looked at the emperor’s mouth in unison.
“In the future, we will be reported on the survival rate.”
“… Killed, isn’t that a number?”
Minoreus, who barely swallowed ‘yes?’ Asked.
The most surprising thing about the war situation report was that the survival rate of the battle was not written.
Even if you sell something at a convenience store, you write down the amount of inventory sold and the remaining inventory, but you don’t count how many soldiers survived. I don’t know how many will die.
Those who cannot be counted by numbers.
This is the position of ordinary people in the world of demons.
It’s hard to believe, but the lords at the site said that there is no culture that compares the number returned with the previous one, only counting by eye.
As the war slowed down and there was no intense fighting or contact, the atmosphere intensified.
“The percentage of people who have lived is also reported.”
“Isn’t the number of enemies killed the measure of bravery? The number of survivors…”
Minoreus blurted out his words with an expression that he couldn’t understand at all. But Roan was adamant.
“You are right. I am not denying it. However, shouldn’t we promise the next battle only if we survive? I want a living soldier.”
Roan nodded his head in agreement.
“Wasn’t war for survival?”
Someone’s ‘Oh… A sigh was heard.
It was a sigh of enlightenment.
“Soldiers with accumulated experience are a valuable resource. Each one has a different value than the powerful knights. Veteran soldiers can save more allies.
There will be rewards for units or survivors with a high survival rate, and there will of course be awards for non-committal work following the war.”
Aranya felt both a headache and surprise at the Emperor’s unexpected idea.
Focus on the living, not the dead.
It was a really fresh idea.
But along with that, the opposition of the lords was also clearly visible.
They are still dissatisfied with the young emperor. Their influence and military power are strong, but the emperor is a strong man who far surpasses them.
That’s why they have been ruling Evirgio in moderation, not being noticed by the emperor.
There are few strong people above me, and one of them is a madman. How uncomfortable would that be?
Getting rid of that madman would make your life easier, but you don’t have the ability to do that.
It was a precarious balance, so to speak.
But now the Emperor throws the balance off.
‘It’s going to be great in terms of efficiency, but I’m worried that those clogged old people will listen to me.’
Aranya is a deeply loyal central official who has served even the late king. He does not directly rule the territory, so his affection for the demon king takes precedence over the territory, but it is not that he does not understand the hearts of other lords.
‘It would be too sudden.’
However, change cannot be delayed.
Just like His Majesty said, the people will die at that time as well. The people Your Majesty considers important.
It’s hard to fully understand why he suddenly cares about the weak, but if you think about the recent work of humans and the phrase, ‘united 100 is better’, like His Majesty’s words, there is a corner to understand.
In the end, Aranya smiled bitterly.
It’s been a while.
“The dizziness felt from His Majesty’s words only amazes God every time. I understand Your Majesty’s words. Together with the knight commander, I will refine the contents of the order and deliver it to the front.”
“Hmm.”
“Step.”
Roan’s eyes narrowed, and Shyk Viena unknowingly squeezed her hands together.
A clue to His Majesty’s words?!
But Aranya believed that, if he were now His Majesty, he would not be blamed for his proposal.
“I think it may come as a surprise to the lords that you suddenly measure it by performance. Unlike us, who can hear and understand Your Majesty’s orders directly, they cannot.
No matter how much it is an army, there will be a big difference in execution and results between understanding all of the master’s intentions and not.”
‘Listening’ made it known that Aranya was sincerely thinking about how to efficiently convey Roan’s thoughts to the lords.
So Roan nodded his head.
The lords could not deliver the words that the skill was applied to. Because most of them are on the wire. It will of course be different from what the small meeting accepts.
“It makes sense.”
“That’s why, first of all, how would you like to convey His Majesty’s order and give it a reprieve until ‘deep winter’? However, the troops under my command on the front will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
“Hoo.”
It was Leelon who let out admiration.
“I will also follow the words of the Prime Minister.”
Minoreus sympathizes with Aranya.
“If the Prime Minister and my troops act first and set an example, I wonder if other lords will be less reluctant to follow suit.”
Minoreus’ troops include the Central Knights. One of the best elite units in Evirgio.
If you start calculating the survival rate from them, you might not think that this method is just for the ‘weak’.
Soon, both the treasurer and the corrections officer joined in, and Roan’s proposed idea was put to the test by everyone in the small meeting.
“I get it. Then…”
Roan suddenly shut his mouth.
After a while, the butler’s voice was heard.
“Your majesty.”
“Listen.”
The butler’s face was pale.
“Additional human captives have come up.”
“Hmm?”
“You told me to treat you as a guest.”
A rescue team and a saint!
Roan jumped up without realizing it.
You said you came already? In four days?!
Roan looked at Minoreus with a proud face and asked.
“I get it. By the way, why?”
“They are making a fuss.”
Roan’s face became expressionless like ice.
