Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
For Whom You Fight

The Dodedirica Continent, Central Region.

Bordered by the Kingdom of Farnesse is the Duchy of Stonia, ruled by Archduke Silvester von Bernstein and four elders—— known as 『Four Sages』. The Duchy was divided into five zones, with Silvester controlling the center and a Sage setting the zones in each cardinal direction.

At the beginning of the war, they and the Sutherland Confederacy declared their neutrality. However, it had been reduced to a vassal state of the Empire, like the neighboring Kingdom of Swaran.

「All people present.」

Answering Silvester's call, the Four Sages gathered in a room inside Corks' main castle. In contrast to the bright blue sky, the people gathered at the round table had sullen faces.

The reason was the letter that the Imperial envoy had brought. In short, they were asked to start a war against the Holy Nation of Mekia.

Silvester is 38 years old. Archduchy was passed down from father to son, and he was the seventeenth Archduchy. Her hair dyed in pre-war honey had turned gray now, quietly revealing just how stressed she was.

「I understand if they ask us to attack the Kingdom of Farnesse, but why the Holy Nation of Mekia? The main church of Saint Illuminous is located. If we attack recklessly, we will anger all their adherents.」

The blood vessels that appeared on the forehead of the Northern Sage showed his concern as Silvester listened quietly. There are many devout followers of the Goddess of Creation, Citresia. As the Duchy of Stonia declared war against the Holy Nation of Mekia, even if they won, they would face intense retaliation from those believers.

The bigger issue is the personal army of Saint Illuminous Church, 『Knights of the Holy Church』. It was only one division in strength, but was known as an elite organization.

If you mess it up, it'll be hard to escape unscathed.

(Win or lose, our nation will suffer great losses. Everything is a counter and not an advantage. I am the laughingstock of Archduchy who cannot complain about the cruelty of the Empire ..)

Ignoring the frustrated Silvester, West Sage laughed with ridicule.

「You can ask the Imperial envoy about the reason, dear Duke—— 'please tell us things that are not worth it, the reason for fighting against the Holy Nation of Mekia.' But in the end, they have no intention of telling the dog about their reasons. 」

Before the sullen Northern Sage could speak, there was a loud explosion at the round table.

The Eastern Sage had slammed the table with a demonic posture.

「If possible, we will kill that messenger! Stop attaching things we cannot do one by one! How unpleasant!」

「Fufu, then what? If we don't act soon, it will make the Empire unhappy, you know? Even now, the Imperial envoy is waiting in the guest room as we speak.」

After the quarrel between the Eastern Sage and the Western Sage, the almost 80-year-old Southern Sage, Roman Casael spoke in a hoarse voice. He was the leader of the Four Sages, and the first to propose a path of stable neutrality. He is also Silvester's teacher.

「Even if we agree to the demands of the Empire, we do not have any information from the opposing military ... Or is the Empire asking us to investigate it ourselves?」

「Teacher, regarding that, the Imperial envoy gave that information.」

Everyone focused their gaze on the Northern Sage who was given a bundle of paper. The group then looked through the documents provided. In that short time, the room was filled with the sound of paper overturning.

「—— Hmmp, Empire has worked hard. They really want to make us fight?」

The Eastern Sage threw the documents onto the table with a grunt. The Western Sage stroked his chin and continued the conversation of the Eastern Sage.

「According to this report, the number of opponents is between 40,000 to 50,000 ... If I remember correctly, the Holy Nation of Mekia has a population of about one million, are their estimates accurate?」

Even the Duchy of Stonia with a population of three million could only mobilize 60,000 troops. Be it war or peace, the maintenance of troops was a huge cost. They got a lot of military funding from the Empire, but if they wanted to add to their troops, it would weigh heavily on their economy and even cause the fall of the nation itself.

So Silvester thought the West Sage question made sense. However, the most worldly and knowledgeable Northern Sage denied it.

「No, we can't be sure. After all, the Holy Nation of Mekia had many ores of good quality. Besides, the workmanship is amazing. Take a tour of their land and you will know how well the price of Mekia ores and their accessories are sold.」

「So the Holy Nation of Mekia has the means to maintain a large army ... In this era, it makes me envious.」

The words of the Eastern Sage made the Northern and Western Sage nod in agreement. They often fight, but this time they think the same.

The leader of the Four Sages, Roman, subtly urged him to make a decision. Silvester directed his gaze to the ceiling to avoid the gloomy gaze of the old man. They had exchanged all their views so far, but Silvester's answer had not changed from the start.

(To be honest, I had no choice.).

Feeling that the Four Sages were watching him, Silvester sighed as if he was venting all the frustration in his chest and said: 'Silvester:

「No matter how much we don't like it, because there is an example of Swaran Kingdom, we can only obey it. If we reject them, the Sun Knight stationed at Fort Kiel will not let him lie down. 」

「... Want how else.」

The Roman wrinkle is deepening. The three sages looked shocked, but did not reprimand him. This was the Sun Knight who captured the impregnable Fort Kiel, a formidable force. Silvester was unaffected as he calmly sipped his cold tea.

As silence and worry loomed in the room, the Eastern Sage recalled something.

「Oh right, I heard Sun Knight was defeated by Farnesse Kingdom recently. Really?」

「The truth behind the problem is still unclear, but such rumors are widespread on the streets.」

The Northern Sage nodded wisely while stroking his chin.

The news of the Crimson Knight's defeat had reached Silvester's ears, but he brushed it off just as luck built on some coincidences.

So to him, the Kingdom of Farnesse was still in a dire situation in their war against the Kingdom of Arsbelt.

(However, if the Sun Knight's defeat is true.).

Of the three pillars supporting the Empire, two had been destroyed. If the last pillar was as strong as the rumors, it would not easily fall. Even so, Silvester was not the only one who saw it as a glimmer of hope in the boundless darkness.

「Does the tide change?」

The Western Sage said a little excitedly, and the Northern Sage agreed with a nod.

「Maybe so. Even the Imperial Army was not perfect. And the Royal Army has General Cornelius Always Winning, maybe the Empire is in trouble? 」

A bold smile appeared on the Eastern Sage's face as he spoke.

「With that, their intentions are now clear. They want to destroy our power, which they see as a threat to them. In other words, they want us to be good kids and not try anything funny.」

The three sages were about to start an intense discussion when Roman suddenly interrupted with a shrill voice.

「By assuming it is true, do you plan to rebel against the Empire?」

The three sages looked at each other and were silent. Roman's words were like a bucket of cold water, and Silvester cooled down just as the three sages did.

The Imperial Army may be engaged in a difficult war, but that doesn't mean they can ignore the Empire's request. Even more so if their aim was to destroy the Stonians. They could use this opportunity to switch to the Kingdom of Farnesse—— But if they wanted to do so, they would have to clear it through a secret channel first. To be honest, they did not have time to come into contact with the Kingdom of Farnesse in secret.

(No matter what, this is checkmate. In the end. Nothing will change ..)

Silvester smiled mockingly at himself and calmly told Roman.

「Transmit the Imperial envoy to the audience room.」

...****************...

...To Be Continue's...