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~3rd Person Perspective~
Sicily has left the main force of the Libra Division.
An ordinary general would have been upset that she had fled before the enemy, but the Libra Division’s trust in her was strong.
No one was upset.
Some of them were worried about the princess’s good nature and her weaknesses, but Leon’s plan and the maid accompanying her made the division members believe that she would be fine.
The maid, who was also trusted by the division members, asked Sicily on the way.
“However, our schedule has been greatly disrupted. I had hoped to have Her Highness as our queen.” (Chloe)
“That was Leon-sama’s first promise, wasn’t it?” (Sicily)
“Yes. It has now been a broken promise.” (Chloe)
“No, that’s not true. I said I wanted power, not authority, and that I wanted to use that power to lead this world for the better. I could be a milkmaid or a laundress, as long as I could do that.” (Sicily)
“I can’t let Her Highness become a servant.” (Chloe)
“Thank you, but before I met Chloe, I was a normal girl, remember?” (Sicily)
“You were still living downtown with Philia-sama.” (Chloe)
“That’s right. I’m the child of the king, but I grew up in the downtown area. My father loves my mother, the Second Lady, so she was driven out by the First Lady.” (Sicily)
“The court is an evil place, isn’t it?” (Chloe)
“Yes. But for me it was a joyful time. We caught beetles, played tag, and trick-or-treated with the children of the city.” (Sicily)
“So you got along well with both boys and girls.” (Chloe)
“Yes, there was no problem with playing with either gender.” (Sicily)
“That’s good.” (Chloe)
“In a way, those were my golden years. My mother was healthy…” (Sicily)
“…………” (Chloe)
Chloe fell silent.
Philia and Sicily lived under the patronage of a knight, a loyal retainer of the king who lives in the downtown area. The king seemed to have managed to bring her back to the royal palace, but the First Lady and her parents, the Marquesses of Antezuma, made the first move.
They released assassins and tried to kill Philia and her daughter.
As a result, Philia fell to the deadly blades as she protected Sicily.
The knight fought back the assassins and complained to the king about the cruelty of the Marquesses of Antezuma, but he was framed for the assassination of Philia and imprisoned. He is still under house arrest in the deepest prison in the world.
He was the first person Sicily wanted to rescue when she took power but now was not the right time.
First, Sicily had to convince Ziggurat to rescue her brother. Then she would have to confront her brother and seize power.
The road ahead is difficult.
He has to win through the so-called civil war.
The grief of fighting against her sibling was not something she could get used to, but in Sicily’s mind, there was nothing but determination. The longer she wavered here, the longer the civil war would drag on.
It was obvious that the people would suffer, and the weakest would suffer the most.
Then there was no choice but to resign oneself.
There was no other way but to follow Strategist Leon’s plan and bring the anti-Maxis group back together as quickly as possible and get rid of her brother, the prince. Thinking of the people, her own suffering was insignificant.
Sicily hurried on her way, her resolve firm.
She whipped her horse.
The princess and her maid rode the unfamiliar horse.
Working tirelessly for three days and three nights to reach the border.
Lieutenant General Ziggurat, an old and famous general of the Ernian army.
There is no von in his family name.
He was a commoner who had risen through the ranks from soldier to lieutenant general.
He had no children and an old wife.
The couple did not get along poorly. –No, they were very good, actually.
Ziggurat is always on the battlefield, but on rare occasions when he gets a day off, he spends it at home. On those rare occasions, he is more than happy to eat his wife’s excellent cream stew.
He also enjoys taking a bath with her, even though it is not worth his while to do so.
When his wife gets angry at him for getting more scars on his journey back from the battlefield, Ziggurat retorts that you are getting more wrinkles, but both Ziggurat and his wife are thinking of each other.
Thinking of his wife at home, he stares at the photo in his office.
She was so beautiful when she was young, and she is even more beautiful now.
His first officer and others praised her as “the ideal way to age,” and he thought they were right.
While he was thinking about the past and the present, one of his subordinates came and reported to him.
“Lieutenant General Ziggurat, as for the situation of our Earth Division, we have one division while the Empire has three, even though we are in this fortress, it is inevitable that it will fall.” (Soldier)
“What about reinforcements from the royal capital?” (Ziggurat)
“None.” (Soldier)
“Hmm. They hate me, too, don’t they?” (Ziggurat)
“We’re obviously Pro-Sicily. We’ve flanked His Highness Prince Kerich’s division.” (Soldier)
“Right. Well, there’s no point in regretting it now. I had to do it then.” (Ziggurat)
“You’re going to flank Maxis this time, aren’t you?” (Soldier)
“I’d like to, but only after we’ve dealt with the Imperial Army. We can’t do anything if there are three divisions along the border. If the capital falls while we are engaged in civil war, it will be meaningless.” (Ziggurat)
“That’s right, but it’s the same with Maxis, that’s probably why they harass us less.” (Soldier)
“We don’t send reinforcements, but we don’t get in their way either. They want me to work like a dog at the border?” (Ziggurat)
“That’s right.” (Soldier)
“I hope you are.” (Ziggurat)
When I summed it up like that, one of my men looked at me quizzically, but the other interrupted him.
The young officer opened the door to his office with great force and reported breathlessly.
“Li-Lieutenant General Ziggurat, it’s terrible.” (Young Soldier)
“Oh, what’s the matter, you’ve gone all pale?” (Ziggurat)
“H-Her Hi-Highness. Princess Sicily has broken through the enemy lines and has come to this fortress. She is requesting a meeting with the Lieutenant General.” (Young Soldier)
The other subordinates were also disturbed by the report, but Ziggurat reacted calmly and alone.
“It’s not surprising, considering the princess’s character. I’ve heard that she’s been holed up in Mount Shibi, but she’s not one to sit in the mountains and watch the war go on. She has a strong will to act and try to change the situation.”
–But, Ziggurat supplements.
“It is really a surprise in terms of ability. The princess has no inherent fighting ability. There was always a maid who protected the princess without a shadow of a doubt, but she alone should never have been able to break through…” (Ziggurat)
That impression is correct. While Chloe’s military prowess is not to be underestimated, she still can’t break through the encirclement of three divisions. Sicily made full use of Chloe’s strength as well as her intellect.
Sicily and Chloe captured the Astoria Empire soldiers and borrowed their uniforms.
It’s not like they’re just going to come to the fortress with their uniforms, but they’re going to take some extra steps. The bandits who were involved with Sicily’s party along the way were given the uniforms and handed over to the imperial army.
“We’ve captured the thugs who tried to steal our uniforms.”
The bandits objected, of course, but the “female officer of the Imperial Army” who had saved the Imperial soldiers had more say. They were able to break through the lines without any questions whatsoever.
When they reached the fortress, they talked to each other in an amusing way.
“I never thought it would be this easy. That’s Leon-sama’s ingenuity.” (Sicily)
“That’s right. But from this point on, Leon-sama has no advice. The princess must solve the problem with her wits and charisma alone.” (Chloe)
“I am the first disciple of the Sage of Balance. I will act in a manner worthy of that.” (Sicily)
She says with conviction, but she couldn’t help but giggle.
“But Chloe, you don’t look good in the Imperial uniform.” (Sicily)
“Of course not. This Chloe’s uniform is the maid’s uniform. You don’t suit yours too. Your Highness is still best with Ernian colors.” (Chloe)
“Thank you. I’ve got royal blood in my veins, you know.” (Sicily)
The girls laughed at each other like this, but as the magnificent fortress spread out before them, they steeled themselves.
If they couldn’t get the cooperation of Lieutenant General Ziggurat who was present here, they would lose.
The thought of the fate of the Libra Division’s five hundred men resting on their shoulders made their spirits burn.
Her stomach was fluttering when she thought about the future of this world, but Sicily never thought of stopping.
Once she thought that her dear Leon von Almarsh was fighting dragons in the mountains of Shibi right now, Sicily’s hardship would not be a hardship at all.
This is how Sicily came to the fortress on the border.
She was surprised by its splendor and sturdiness, but this was the front line against the empire, and without such strength, they would not be able to prevent the empire from advancing.
After putting it all together like that, he entered the Lieutenant General’s office.
When she stripped off her Imperial uniform and returned to her usual attire, the officer of the Earth Division easily arranged a meeting with her. In addition, the Lieutenant General would see her immediately.
Then she thought of Leon’s words.
“If you don’t get an immediate meeting and are placed under house arrest in your room, run away immediately. Lieutenant General Ziggurat should be considered to have fallen into the hands of the enemy.”
He said, but she doesn’t think she had to be worried about that.
“There’s no way that stubborn General Ziggurat is going to change his mind.” (Chloe)
This was Chloe’s thoughts, and Sicily had the same opinion.
However, whether or not Ziggurat will cooperate is a different matter.
The Earth Division, led by Ziggurat, is currently surrounded by enemy forces. Even if they wanted to assist Sicily, they were unable to do so. In the worst-case scenario, he might have to face the mighty army of Maxis on his own.
Entering the office while swallowing her nervousness.
A familiar figure was sitting on the chair in the office.
There sat an old general with a stern face like polished granite, a rugged body that had served as a warrior for many years, and with whom she had exchanged many words in the royal palace and military office.
He stood up from his chair and bowed deeply. He was treating her like royalty.
“I have been declared a rebel by the court.” (Sicily)
“I’m aware of that. But for me, only your father is the rightful king. I believe you, Princess Sicily, to be his rightful successor.” (Ziggurat)
“Thank you. Then will you help me?” (Sicily)
“I have already written twenty-eight letters to people who I believe will be on your side, all of whom hold important positions in the military or the court.” (Ziggurat)
With a smile, he adds:
“The country is rotting from the top, but the roots are still strong. There are still many individuals who think of the country.” (Ziggurat)
“I am very happy for having them. I want to create an environment where they can do their best for their country.” (Sicily)
“I’m willing to help in any way I can, but the problem is our military strength.” (Ziggurat)
“Is it really that bad?” (Sicily)
“I am not expecting reinforcements from the Royal Capital. We are on the brink of civil war. There are countless people who look up to you as their leader, but they’re all being held back by the Army.” (Ziggurat)
“In other words, the main army in the Royal Capital will not move?” (Sicily)
“That’s right. They will not move for fear of a coup d’etat.” (Ziggurat)
“So, we should take on Maxis’ army?” (Sicily)
“Yes, 50,000 of them, a quarter of the 200,000-strong Ernian army.” (Ziggurat)
“My Libra Division is 500… They are 10 times more, right?” (Sicily)
“It’s the strength that a military strategist of Libra would have, but the goddess of victory hates those who expect miracles from the start.” (Ziggurat)
“Well, can’t we mobilize Lieutenant General’s Earth Division?” (Sicily)
“…………” (Ziggurat)
The general is silent for a while, he avoids giving a direct answer and only states the facts.
“At the moment, this fortress is surrounded by 30,000 men. We have ten thousand. To be honest, if we lose even one soldier, the fortress could fall tomorrow.” (Ziggurat)
“It won’t do us any good if the imperial army comes pouring in while we’re fighting for the throne.” (Sicily)
“That’s right. Either we compromise with them or we kick them to the curb.” (Ziggurat)
“……compromise.” (Sicily)
“That’s the most realistic, but also the most difficult. If we compromise, we’ll have to give up this fortress. The top brass of the army would never accept such a thing.” (Ziggurat)
“Well, the Grand Marshal will never allow that.” (Sicily)
“That’s what I mean. Then the only thing left to do is to kick them out. –But I don’t have the wisdom of your military strategist.” (Ziggurat)
“… Wisdom.” (Sicily)
If Leon were here, he would use his magical military tactics to drive the imperial army away, but he is not. The only people here now were Sicily and Chloe.
An atmosphere as heavy as lead blanketed the office, but Sicily shakes her head.
(…I shouldn’t. I can’t do this. I’m going to be the regent of this country. I’m not going to be able to rely on Leon-sama alone forever.) (Sicily)
Sicily decides this and raises her voice.
“Lieutenant General Ziggurat, Commander of the Earth Division.”
Ziggurat reacts to the passionate words and naturally corrects his posture.
“My name is Sicily von Ernia. I am the third princess and future regent of this country. I will escape this predicament and be sure to take my brother to the throne. And I will surely lead this country in the good direction.” (Sicily)
“…………” (Ziggurat)
Ziggurat stared at Sicily’s eyes.
“This is neither a boast nor a bluff. I have a plan to make it true.” (Sicily)
“A plan?” (Ziggurat)
“I will drive away the imperial troops surrounding this fortress, and I will ask you to lend me your power. Please lend me your wisdom, your strength, and your will that protected this country for over four decades.” (Sicily)
Ziggurat took notice of these words, which were filled with a strong will and vision, and bowed his head deeply.
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