Preface: Regis’s Letter
Preface: Regis’s Letter
July 1st. Sunny.
Dear Altina,
I have recently been stationed in Mordol, fifty lieue north of the capital, as part of a temporary transfer. It is a prosperous town with flourishing papermaking and iron-processing industries, due in no small part to their river and the strong winds from the nearby mountains. There are large-scale vineyards as well; in fact, the region is famous for the Mordéu wine it produces.
While I’m sure you have already heard via report, we are currently in the process of retaking the fortified city of Grebeauvoir, which has been occupied by the combined forces of High Britannia and Langobarti of the Germanian Federation. The city in question is just through the mountains from where I am now.
The Empire’s First Army is twenty-thousand strong, comprising three thousand horsemen, three thousand artillery, and fourteen thousand foot soldiers—certainly quite a few more foot soldiers than I was hoping for. This is due to the majority of these troops having formerly belonged to the Third Army.
As you know, Lieutenant General Buxerou and his Sun Knights lost their lives defending Fort Boneire just short of a month ago. With their command structure in pieces, the Third Army was dismantled and its troops merged into the First Army. While we could do with more cavalry, it should not prove too much of an issue with retaking a city.
On another note, we have greatly increased the number of sappers at our disposal. We were able to gather quite a large number through temporary conscription, likely due to the high population density and the abundance of skilled personnel around the capital.
I shall write about the role our sappers are playing at a later date.
What has intrigued me most about the First Army is their expansive lineup of military cooks—never in any of my books have I read of any one unit with so many. There is a great surplus of ingredients as well. Our destination is not too far from the capital, so I believe these are preparations in case our battle turns into a drawn-out siege. Perhaps our unit should take inspiration from these actions...
“Hm... Yes, this is very much a report.”
Regis gave his writing a good look over, then crossed through the “Dear Altina” line twice, replacing it with the words “Status Report.” That was one job done, if nothing else, but the letters Altina had asked him to write presumably weren’t those of a subordinate to their superior. She wanted something more personal—an exchange between friends. He decided to try again, this time focusing on the kind of details they usually talked about.
Dear Altina,
How are you? I’m doing quite well myself.
I went to a bookstore the other day and bought a few books from Mrs. Carol. There is one in particular that has held my attention—a tale about a kindhearted protagonist who struggles with his schoolwork, and whose classmates help one another to improve. Indeed, it is the finale of a series beloved by many a reader, and what a moving finale it was. I believe the first volume was released eight years ago; I must have been reading these stories since I was twelve. The part that hit me most was—
Regis lifted his pen from the paper. “Hrm... Now this is a book review.”
When it came to books, he simply couldn’t stop himself. He decided to stop writing for now, otherwise he would run out of time to do anything else—time to read more books, to be more specific.
He recalled the many letters he had read that were written by great historical figures. “There was that letter Emperor Vicente sent to a lovely lady... He was highly praised as a poet, so maybe I should use that as a reference.”
Regis took out a blank sheet of paper and started his letter anew.
O my dearest Altina,
So long as you are in good health, the world is roses all around.
I send my most precious treasure along with this letter. Can you guess what it is?
It is my love.
Regis slumped down onto his desk, holding his head. “This... This is just wrong...”
He’d written literal mountains of reports and request forms in the past, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d sent a letter to a friend.
“Fine. There’s not much else I can do right now. I’ll write it tonight instead.”
He was scheduled to attend a meeting in just a few minutes, after all. Regis put down his pen and exited the room he had been afforded.
Boisterous voices filled the air as Regis walked the unfamiliar halls, and armored foot soldiers saluted him as he passed. When he reached his destination, he peered through the open door into a large room. An elliptical table stretched down the center, around which ten-odd officers were seated.
The blond, red-eyed man farthest in the back met Regis with a smile. He was Alain Deux Latrielle de Belgaria, marshal general of the Belgarian armed forces, commander of the First Army, and almost certainly the next emperor.
“Over here, Regis. Allow me to introduce my staff.”
“Oh, thanks...”
Regis had taken a seat at the foot of the table, only for Latrielle to summon him by name. The prince gestured to the seat directly to his left, opposite where Germain was sitting to his right.
Latrielle rose to his feet and gazed across all the faces gathered. “While I’m sure you’re already aware, this is Third-Grade Admin Officer Regis d’Aurick. I’ve borrowed him from the Fourth Army for this mission. He will serve as the First Army’s chief strategy advisor.”
Regis was officially still a fifth-grade admin officer, but here he was being treated as though he had already been promoted. The staff officers stood and saluted in unison, and the flustered tactician frantically returned the gesture.
“I-It is a pleasure to work with you all.”
Germain was eyeing Regis from across Latrielle. As the prince’s adjutant, his duties overlapped with those of the new chief strategy officer. The two were business rivals, as it were, but his expression remained calm nonetheless.
“Hah...” Germain sighed. “I’m sure there are some among us who believe I am unhappy with this development, but allow me to put those misconceptions to rest. I have experienced Sir Regis’s extraordinary foresight and resourcefulness firsthand, and my respect for him is eternal. Do not forget that my lord is the one who enlisted his services, believing him to be the perfect man for the job. I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from his example, so please, Sir Regis, there is no need to act so reserved around us.”
“Oh, well... I’m honored. I’ll do my best to be of some use.”
Despite his words, Regis felt nothing but shame. As far as he was concerned, being put on such a high pedestal would only make the drop that much more painful when someone inevitably dragged him back down to earth. Much to his surprise, however, it seemed there wasn’t anyone quite so ill-natured among the First Army’s staff officers; many nodded in earnest, while others looked relieved. He was met with a few glares as well, though. It sure was a complicated mix of emotions.
How terrifying... Regis thought, feeling a shudder run down his spine. He was from a commoner house, the youngest in the room, and the lowest-ranking to boot. Not only was he not a subordinate of the second prince, he had once cost the First Army quite a few casualties over what was essentially a domestic dispute. The law was of course on his side, but that didn’t change the fact he had sent many of their associates to an early grave.
At the same time, however, they seemed to recognize Regis’s achievements in the war against High Britannia. He was also joining them as the result of a direct invitation from Latrielle, so even those who couldn’t stand him deep down probably knew they were unable to voice any disagreements.
Those suppressed negative emotions are more terrifying than any blatant abhorrence... Should I refuse the offer? Regis wondered. He was growing more doubtful by the moment.
Even so, he had joined the mission for his own benefit as well. It was too late to turn back now. He needed to glean more information on Latrielle for Altina’s sake—both on his potential involvement in the emperor’s death and his plans henceforth.
There was also the fact that—as selfishly motivated and terribly pathetic as it was—Regis needed to pass the third-grade promotion exam in order to return to the Fourth Army where Altina was waiting for him. It unfortunately came with a practical portion, and as someone who couldn’t even swing a sword properly, he didn’t stand a chance of passing. And to make matters worse, failing the exam would send him into an endless loop of retakes.
Regis only had one path open to him: as the marshal general of the Belgarian Army, Latrielle had enough authority to make this mission count as his examination.
I’ve joined an army that hates me. Now I just need to gather information on Latrielle and make sure the recapture of Grebeauvoir ends in success so I can pass my exams—then I can return to the others.
It sounded simple enough in his head, but the overwhelming anxiousness that washed over him made it feel as though he were trying to scale the summit of a great mountain shrouded in fog.