Published at 21st of June 2023 6:55 pm

Volume 12, Chapter 3 – Snake Queen, Part 3

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

West of the Great Grantz Empire―Fort Zeltselt.

After the night attack by the Free People, General Weiss had moved their base of operations to Fort Zeltselt, two cells (six kilometers) south of Fort Hundert.

Fort Zeltselt, built on the border with the Grand Duchy of Drall, boasted a robust defense, was large in size, and had the advantage of being built from a good vantage point, making surveillance easy. It was also close to the planned decisive battle with the Vanir Three Kingdoms, and General Weiss decided that it was the perfect place to intercept them.

December 3rd, 1026th year of the imperial calendar.

Leading 20,000 men of the Grantz Army, Liz arrived at Fort Zeltselt.

Before heading for the Six Kingdoms, she had held more than 100,000 troops, but including preparations, it was too short a time for her to move that many troops and most of them were still in the Felzen region, preparing to leave for the front. It was still uncertain whether they would be able to join forces by the time the battle with the Vanir Three Kingdoms was concluded.

“I hope Rosa-aneesama is well…”

Liz muttered to herself as she watched Fort Zeltselt from her horse.

She had not seen Rosa since she left the Great Imperial Capital. Although they exchanged letters several times after the operation to recapture Felzen began, they only reported on the situation rather than on personal matters.

It is impossible to tell from the letters how the other person is feeling. Apparently, it was possible to tell from a person’s handwriting, but unfortunately, Liz did not have the ability to appraise it. The only thing she could tell was the strength or weakness of the handwriting. However, it would be possible to fool her by having a substitute scribe write for her.

Of course, in order to prevent forgeries and other misdeeds, the military was always accompanied by appraisers, but there was no way she could ask them to see if her sister was in good health or not for personal reasons. Therefore, until they see the person face-to-face, they could not be reassured.

“The soldiers in the camp have cheerful expressions on their faces. If anything were to happen to the Prime Minister, there would be no room for a chat.”

The Chief of the General Staff, Aura, said from the side.

It seemed that Aura had seen right through Liz. Or perhaps she was making an obvious expression; Liz, a little worried, tightened her face and nodded.

“Aura may be right… but I was worried when I heard about the night raid, but the atmosphere hasn’t deteriorated that much.”

“It could be that the damage is minor. I’m also told that Prime Minister Rosa has handed over command to Great General Weiss. Perhaps it is the result of her skill. I have to look at the details to know for sure, but the morale of the soldiers is maintained. I can’t find anything wrong with the camp so far.”

“Is that so? A camp this big should have blind spots.”

Soldiers who could not enter Fort Zeltselt set up encampments around the fort.

The tents set up in various locations were decorated with heraldic banners indicating their affiliation, and most of the banners were those of the Western and Eastern nobles.

“General Weiss must never have led such a large army. But she’s made it easy for them to work together by dividing the nobles of each region well into plots. Moreover, she has created gaps by setting certain intervals. This not only makes it easier to intercept an enemy attack but also prevents the spread of fire in case of a fire attack.”

“In other words?”

“It’s nothing short of brilliant.”

“Is it?”

“If I haven’t explained it well enough, I can tell you more. For example, look at the fence that surrounds the plot. There is a ditch dug on the inside of it, and the bags of dirt are piled up on either side of the fence so that they cannot be seen. It must have been built in case the cavalry attacked. The bag of dirt would make the fence stronger, and even if they could get over it, the ditch would take away their legs, and those hiding behind the bag of dirt would attack the bewildered enemy soldiers. Furthermore, many lives will be saved from the threat of enemy arrows. Besides, it was written in the Black Book that the first emperor Altius once praised the “God of War” for building an impregnable encampment. Perhaps this encampment built by General Weiss is the same one. Then she is trying to do the same thing as the God of War. Her point of view is not to be underestimated. I would even say it’s brilliant. In other words, the real horror of this encampment is that it is a double or even tripled――”

Seeing Aura, who was becoming talkative, perhaps because she was excited, Liz hurriedly interrupted her words.

“Oh, we’ll be at the gate soon. We have to greet General Weiss. There’s sure to be a lot to talk about.”

“Mmm… I’m looking forward to it.”

Aura seemed unhappy to be interrupted in the middle of her explanation, but since it was true that they had arrived at the gates of Fort Zeltselt, she stopped talking and looked forward.

Liz inwardly exclaimed with delight.

It would have been dangerous to go along with the story any longer. Aura, who was explaining the story, had the same look in her eyes as when she was talking about the Black Book. Once she started talking about the “God of War” and military strategy, she would not stop. The excitement lingered for a long time. She would have snuck into Liz’s bunk this evening and regaled her with endless stories about the “God of War.” Then she would say, “Write me a note.”

Liz patted her chest in relief at having avoided the danger of having a nightmare and, at the same time, looked again at Aura’s condition. Then she saw that she was giving a heated look to Skaaha, who was a little further away. Liz twisted her eyes and apologized to Skaaha in her heart. Because of her own fault, she would not be allowed to sleep today. However, Liz turned forward with a stout face, knowing that Skaaha’s sacrifice would not be in vain, and just then, the gates of Fort Zeltselt were opened.

The double-opened gates made a heavy rumbling sound, and the air currents created by the opening of the gates sent up a cloud of dust. The wind that was created tossed Liz’s hair to the side and disappeared as it mingled with the air.

On the other side of the fully opened gate, there is a large group of nobles with Rosa in the center across the aisle. Seeing them welcoming her, Liz naturally straightened her posture and advanced her horse.

Once Liz was through the gate, Aura and Skaaha followed her, and the elite troop of 100 cavalrymen, the elite guard, entered the fort. Liz proceeded down the road with her chest out and stopped her horse right in front of Rosa. Then, as she bows her head, the nobles surrounding her all take a vassal’s bow at the same time.

Among all the unfamiliar faces, Liz noticed a figure that stood out, but Rosa’s opening of her mouth caused her to return her gaze.

“Your Highness Celia Estrella, we have been expecting you.”

Rosa’s condescending attitude made Liz feel uneasy, but she silently accepted her words.

The word “sister” was not acceptable here.

It was because of the presence of the nobles that even sisters were required to show some form of courtesy.

“Yes, thank you for welcoming us. And…..”

The first thing that Liz did was to look at the “beastman” woman standing at a distance from Rosa.

She had been thinking about it for a while now.

The woman had beautiful silvery-white hair and sharp eyes, but there was something cute and unscary about her, perhaps because the corners of her eyes were sleepily drooping. Liz thought she had seen her somewhere before.

No matter how long it had been since they had seen each other, no matter how much she had changed her appearance, there was no way they could have mistaken her for each other. She was absolutely sure of that much. Her heartbeat grew louder, and memories of her floated up from the corners of her mind.

Because she was――.

However, before Liz could voice her doubts, Weiss, the “beastman” woman, made her move.

“How do you do, Your Highness Celia Estrella, I am Weiss, and I am in command of the Great General of the East.”

Weiss ended her speech with few words, looking somewhat unhappy, not bowing her head, and exuding an air of arrogance. The nobles around her are looking at her with a reproachful gazes. They are staring at her as if to say that she has no manners, but Liz was stunned because she had not been greeted in this way in a long time and was unable to respond.

In the past, there were many nobles like Weiss who greeted her in an appropriate manner, but recently, perhaps because she was said to be the next empress, there was no one rude enough to greet her in this way. Normally, she would have to be reprimanded. It would not be a good example to the others.

Liz, however, was unsure.

Hadn’t she always taken it for granted that the nobles of Grantz would obey her? Somewhere along the line, Liz had come to observe the rules of nobility. She had become so caught up in etiquette that her perspective had narrowed as a result of her position in society.

If her past self, who never cared about what others thought of her and only looked forward, saw her present self, she would not say, “Good for her,” because she was satisfied with being flattered by the nobles. She would probably scoff at the fact that she has grown up to be a stupid person.

If she was afraid of losing her current position, she would never be able to stand at the top of the Great Grantz Empire.

Liz looked back on her past actions and felt like screaming out of embarrassment, but she held her hand out to Weiss and smiled, thinking that this was due to her own immaturity.

“Nice to meet you, General Weiss; it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Liz showed her generous heart and the surrounding nobles were surprised. Weiss’ eyes also widened slightly from surprise, but her voice trembled as if she was moved.

“Your Highness Celia Estrella――”

Weiss bent down, and immediately after, a Western nobleman came running up to them.

“Your Highness! I am a nobleman of the West――!?”

There was a moment. Weiss’s figure blurred in front of Liz. The first time she looked in that direction, she saw the nobleman from the west had fallen to the ground with white eyes peeled.

“You bastard, you are being extremely rude to interrupt someone who is greeting someone from the side.”

The person standing tall in front of the fallen man is General Weiss herself. Her swordsmanship deprived the nobles in the surrounding area of any words, and her fists were filled with a fighting spirit.

“I would have beheaded him immediately, but I can’t have his blood staining Liz-sama. I’ll forgive you for this, and you can thank me.”

“Y…yes?”

Liz couldn’t help but make a strange noise. Too shortsighted and arrogant, does this lady of character ever reflect on her own actions?

“…..This is… that encampment… beastman…..?”

Aura was also sighing with her hand on her forehead as if she had a headache. Behind her, Skaaha was smiling happily.

However, Liz looked at the person who could not be the first to overlook the situation―Rosa, but strangely enough, Rosa, who was very fussy about politeness, showed no sign of blaming Weiss. She just smiled at her as if she was in trouble. Seeing that reaction, Liz understood. She remembered that she had heard about General Weiss several times before.

She was a woman of great distinction who was said to have been treated specially by the previous emperor, Greyheit. It was said that even if she lacked courtesy, that Greyheit never blamed her. She wondered why her father, who disliked being treated disrespectfully, had such a lenient attitude, but when she actually saw her, she was convinced that the story was true. For if Weiss had done the same thing in front of Greyheit, she would not have been here unless she had been forgiven.

Such a scene may be familiar to Rosa, the leader of the East.

Thinking about it again, she was too reckless to have been in such an attitude in front of Greyheit, and it was appalling. However, Liz smiled without showing such feelings.

“General Weiss, let’s leave it at that.”

“Yes, if Liz-sama says it’s okay, then I have nothing to say.”

When Weiss noticed that Liz was still holding out her hand, she took it and got down on one knee in a panic. Liz looked down and noticed something swaying behind Weiss.

Her tail, with its beautiful fur, was wagging wildly. She felt a sense of déjà vu as if she had seen it somewhere before, but at the same time, her suspicions were growing stronger. She thought they looked alike, but it’s not something she could ask in front of the nobles. While Liz was wondering what to do, Weiss moved away, and she had to put her doubts out of her mind as Rosa approached.

“Liz, let’s talk slowly inside. And, Aura-dono, your father is not currently present, but he is in this place, too.”

Hearing this, Aura looked very uncomfortable, which was unusual, really unusual.

“…..Please tell him that I didn’t come.”

“Why not? Lord Bunadhara was looking forward to meeting you.”

“That man, I’m not very good dealing with him.”

“You can’t be that bad as a father and daughter…”

“Didn’t Prime Minister Rosa also have a problem with her father?”

“Ugh, when you put it that way….. maybe that’s just the way it is.”

Liz, who was watching Rosa and Aura talking, suddenly realized that Weiss was gone. It is easy enough to find out where she has gone if you look for her.

“Skaaha-dono, my name is Weiss. Pleased to meet you.”

“Oh… it’s nice to meet you too… but more importantly, Weiss-dono, you’re very close.”

For some reason, Weiss sniffed at close range, and Skaaha was a little uncomfortable.

Liz was still suspicious of the familiarity of the woman’s attitude.

Rumor has it that General Weiss has a difficult personality and doesn’t like other people, but looking at her now, including her earlier behavior, it doesn’t seem that way. Liz tried to join in the conversation, but the Western nobles were talking to her, and she was unable to find out Weiss’ true identity.

“We are ready to welcome you. Let’s go into the fort; we have a lot to talk about.”

When Rosa said something about food, Weiss jumped away from Skaaha.

With a swish of her tail, she walked into the fort ahead of Liz.

“It would be totally unforgivable if she were not a great general.”

“I never thought she’d go in there before Her Highness… Good grief, such a beastman; I hope she is aware of her position as a great general.”

“She seems to lack the dignity of a general. Like what she did earlier, she hit him without thinking about her own actions, an act that would be unforgivable if not for the circumstances.”

The whispered voices of the disapproving Western nobles could be heard.

“Liz, don’t worry about it. She is such a person. Free and unrestrained, very much like the five great generals.”

Normally, she should have been reprimanded. No, it was a matter that should be punished with the revocation of the title or suspension. However, anyone could see that this was not a good idea in light of the current situation.

But she felt that it was not all that Rosa was being naive about. Perhaps noticing that she was having such doubts, Rosa gave Liz a wry smile.

“She is a person that I have only been with for a short time, but I find her strangely easy to hate. She has a difficult personality, the kind that is disliked by the nobility, but she has an unusual amount of trust from the lower ranks―the soldiers―have you seen the encampment outside?”

“Yes, Aura was amazed. She said it was magnificent.”

“The soldiers built such an elaborate encampment in such a short time. General Weiss herself participated in the work. If the five great generals get their hands dirty, no one can complain. That’s why morale is so strangely high; she’s very good at winning people’s hearts.”

“As one would expect from the Five Great Generals?”

“Yes, she may be freewheeling, but even so, she’s very capable. So you have nothing to worry about her.”

“I’m not doubting her ability.”

What she’s concerned about was something else.

Weiss was also similar to the plain-spoken girl Liz knew. In addition, free-spiritedness is an instinct of the beastman―even Skadi, the supreme chancellor of the Republic of Steichen. To cage them would mean to deprive them of their good qualities. The human race, which valued discipline, did not understand this, and the beastman was unfamiliar to the Western nobility. Therefore, unlike in the south, where the Republic of Steichen was close by, most of the Grantz who live in a different region often complain that the beastmen were not polite.

“She is a good person. You can tell a lot about her when you talk to her.”

Rosa desperately defends Weiss, even though she doesn’t have to. Perhaps she fears she might be punished. Liz would like to ask Rosa why Weiss should be punished.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Liz, muttering in the sky above, was now almost certain of the answer.

Since they had met as children on the eastern edge of the country, they had grown up together, closer than anyone else.

They shared suffering, joy, and anger together.

How could she punish her? If she did, Tris, who has passed away in the “Hero’s Palace,” would scold her.

She remembered that Tris had always praised her. She would never look down on her oldest and most loyal retainer just because that person had preceded her in the service.

“I know her well.”

More than anyone else in the world, Liz understood her.

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