Vol 8 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Altina the Sword Princess Volume 8 Chapter 2

Celestial River

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Darkdhaos, Jason, Ice Phantom, CEObrainz

On the 9th ——

Regis looked out the

The sun had risen to the top of the sky, and he could see the fort on the other side of the hill

That was Fort Bonaire with its distinctive grey walls

The tracks of hooves and carriages covered the green plains, and there were ns of an intense battle could be seen easily

But there were no bodies

As it ue and disease, the horse carcasses and corpses would be buried swiftly after battle at the first available opportunity

Soldiers would carry quite a bit of s in the army, the amount of money on them would affect their very lives if they needed to run

Hence, a lot of soldiers would scavenge the corpse of eneht be despicable, but only the lowest ranking soldiers would need to take care of the bodies, so it was a valuable chance for there salary

But that was limited to the bodies of the enemy

The possessions of their fallen allies would be sent back

Taking the possessions fro the living, and was a big taboo religiously

Fort Bonaire was just a half day’s journey from the capital Versailles by foot and was the last line of defence for the the city

However, the walls were already falling

The gigantic gate of the fort was now a pile of rubble, as if a giant had smashed it with a hammer

A large nu the debris by hand

The fort was coate should have been ine that it had collapsed due to natural causes, but it wouldn’t have been destroyed to such an extent even if it took several direct artillery hits

—— So what happened?

The Fourth Ar this scene, and theirspeed slowed down

Altina rode her favorite horse Karakara Seeing the commotion, she tilted her head in confusion

“Did so happen?”

“ The dae is terrible”

Regis leaned out froe

Altina came closer with her horse and asked,

“Hey, what do you think happened?”

“He aate and detonate it? That’s the main concern here”

“Latreille had it hard here too”

“ Maybe it’s really lucky that Fort Bonaire didn’t fall”

“Will it be fine for us to approach like this?”

“I have already dispatched scouts and contacted the other party We can’t let our guard down, but I don’t think there is anything to fear”

“Understood!”

Altina nodded and spurred Karakara to the head of the formation

After ordering the unit lagging behind to catch up, she reached Fort Bonaire

The soldiers at the gate gathered stones into baskets, carrying theht of the Fourth Ar their hands

Cheers erupted

There were people waving flags too

Lively ars could be heard too

The carriage Regis was riding in also entered Fort Bonaire He turned to Clarisse, as right next to him

“Please wait in the carriage for a moment”

“Understand, please be careful”

She spoke in a gentle voice as she bid farewell to Regis

After diseis walked towards Altina

She had already met with the commander of the fort

He was a young knight

“Your Highness, it is an honour to meet you!”

“Well, if it isn’t Coignieres You seem lively”

Altina smiled back

The Seventh Arnieres as their leader

He used to be stationed with the Beilsched completely, as if he was a different person

His subordinates had stopped their work altogether, rejoicing in their reunion

The cheers grew louder after Regis came near

Coignieres saluted and said:

“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Regis!”

“Ehh? Ah, yes”

Not expecting to receive such a gaze, Regis saluted in a hurry

Coignieres was originally a Second Grade Co the Seventh Aruesonne was killed in action, he was is was certain his rank was subordinate to Coignieres’s

The proper etiquette would be Regis saluting, and the other party returning the salute

He could hear the soldiers of the Seventh Aris d’Auric!”

Regis was feeling light headed

Just yesterday, he was filled with regret because of his failure in the succession struggles, it was a big contrast from the praises he was showered with today

Regis stood stiffly in place ——

Suddenly, Altina smacked his back

“What are you spacing out for? Give them a response!”

“Ehh!? Me!?”

“Is there another Strategist Regis d’Auric aside from you?”

“No… But… I, didn’t do much…”

“Regis, you are really…”

Altina shrugged as she smiled wryly

Coignieres smiled too

“You are still the saist Adhout the Empire”

“ Report?”

“That’s right! Standing in for the wounded Adis d’Auric coh Britannia, and even captured the enemy commander and the latest battleshi+p!”

“ Erm, it’s thanks to the excellence of the Empire’s sailors, tactics that only appears in stories like diving into the sea at night was only possible because of their efforts”

“Sinking the incredibly tough enele explosion, is that true!?”

Coignieres had the face of a boy excited by a legend

His subordinates asked excitedly

Regis became frantic

He couldn’t say that the report was a lie, and that did happen

“ Yes… although our allied vessels were sunk too”

“Ohhh! That is incredible!”

The cheers started spreading

Regis had an inferiority coets complimented However, for soldiers who praise the accomplishments achieved in battle, it was impossible for them to understand this

Coignieres used the chance and asked:

“I heard you used fantastical strategy to defeat the Mercenary King’s army of 10,000!”

“ The princess was the one who defeated the Mercenary King though?”

“You created fog! You can even do so like that!?”

“ Well, I did propose that… Ferdinand froe of execution, and it is thanks to all the ——”

Before Regis even finished, the Seventh Arain

“He can create fog!?” “He is really a !”

It was only natural for them to react like this

Few people would study natural sciences in this era, and even if they understood the theory behind rainfall and the conditions for rainbows, they couldn’t use it to protect theame in the forest

They couldn’t even grasp the idea that the fog was manmade

And Regis used it in a real battle to neutralize the new model of rifles

On top of that, the Seventh Arh Britannia’s new e recently

Sounds of gasps became louder

The is felt He was not good with accepting compliments

Regis changed the topic as if he was trying to escape from this situation

“By the way… What happened to the gate, is this caused by a gunpowder explosion?”

“Ohh! You can tell!?”

“I don’t knoas destroyed, but such a solid gate would not crumble by itself”

“It is as you said, Sir Strategist Actually ——“

Coignieres described the tactics of the enemy

There were people hiding inside the barrels of gunpowder they thought they had captured The people hiding inside even blew theate

Regis frowned

“ To think up of such a plan… The ones inside will definitely die if it works…”

The opposing strategist was known as Oswald, and there were intelligence reports saying he was the de facto commander

Altina who heard the story together with Regis became furious

“What kind of person is this!? He sends his soldiers to blow themselves up!”

“ That’s true”

Regis nodded

He didn’t speak up to avoid any s as there were many soldiers around

But in reality, Regis didn’t think Oswald’s tactics were that nasty

Ordering a battalion to charge with the knowledge that they would suffer a certain nu a small number of troops to a battle plan they had no chance of surviving —— Was it any different from these crimes?

The former was fine, and the latter was evil?

Kill one man, and you are a murderer, kill ten thousand men, and you are a hero?

Oswald’s actions wouldn’t be judged by a court of law

But wartime actions could be pursued after the fact

This would probably be added into the negotiation teraria Eh Britannia ends

Or o on the counter offensive and invade them

Latreille would be the one to judge this Leaving the succession of the throne aside, he was still the Field Marshal in command of all forces

Since the war has started, it would be up to him to decide when it ends

Coignieres sighed

“I was lightly injured in the earlier battle, so I was in the medical room deep inside the fort and escaped death However, the commander of the Third Arhts were…”

“Is that so…”

Regis closed his eyes in

To be honest, he couldn’t accept this

If the enemy launched an assault, then ran aith their cannons and gunpowder left behind, one should consider the possibility of it being a trap, even

If you bite onto so that was obviously a bait, that would be no different than the fishes in a pond

Latreille achieved numerous victories and his capability as a commander was exemplary But he eak to such underhanded tricks, probably due to his personality being too frank

Or maybe his subordinates acted on their own?

Regis didn’t think about things like —— If only I was there

“I don’t knohat their scheave such advice, he would only be mocked as a coward in the Empire

He knew his proposals would not be accepted

“Has Prince Latreille returned to the capital?”

“Yes, even though the High Britannia aro around the back and assault the capital”

“Hh Britannia’s movements?

“We are tracking them, but there aren’t any reports yet”

“I see”

To be safe, Regis asked about contacting the capital and the security of the region

Altina asked at this moment

“Regis, do we camp out here? Or move inside the fort?”

“Since only the Seventh Ararrisoned here, there should be rooate and bunk in the rooms there”

Altina then left to convey the e to the troops

They had not been able to sleep under a roof for a long while, so cheers of joy came from the soldiers

Regis shi+fted his gaze to the debris

“Was it Prince Latreille’s orders to clear the rubble?”

“Yes, because Fort Bonaire is a key defence of the capital, so we have to repair it as soon as possible But with our current speed, it will take a month to clear the rubble Will it be fine?”

“It’s true that if another nation aside froh Britannia forces invade deep inside Ierous But it’s not very likely for them to reach the capital

“Hmm…”

“Worried about so?”

“If High Britannia returns, only the Seventh Army would be here to fend thee and the losses in the battle in this fort, we have less than ten thousand men left Everyone’s exhausted too”

“Ahh… If the High Britannia army shows up, then abandon the fort”

“Eh!?”

“It is impossible to defend this fort in its current state It will be the saive it to them”

“Ah, I see!”

“Even if they want to defend this place, they will surrender sooner or later because of a lack of supplies The enemy would not make such a foolish choice, so you don’t need to worry about the back”

“Indeed… It is as Sir Strategist says!”

Coignieres’ expression brightened up

As he muttered softly:

“Soh Britannians if Sir Strategist had been by Prince Latreille’s side”

“Haha… How could that be…”

Regis shook his head

After this, the Fourth Army entered Fort Bonaire

The plains that served as the battlefield just recently were dyed red by the setting sun

It was the colour of blood, adding an eery feeling to the beautiful sunset

A group bearing the standards of the Empire appeared to the north of the fort

The carriage drawn by two horses was surrounded on all sides by cavalry

It was an envoy from the capital

The Imperial Seventh Army was responsible for the defence of Fort Bonaire, but the one with the highest rank here was Altina

Normally, Altina would be the one to receive the envoy There were people ould leave it to their subordinates, but Altina wasn’t such a person

The presence of the Strategist Regis was also requested

At that tined roo on the door

Following the lead of Coignieres’ subordinate, Regis entered the conference room

Froate could be seen through the s

The ere daed too, probably because of the explosion

Altina was already seated on a chair at the long table, but there weren’t any signs of the envoy

Regis lowered his head

“Sorry I’m late”

“Thank you for cois, this way, please”

Coignieres stood up and ushered him to the seat beside Altina

This is anxious

After sitting down, Regis surveyed the room once more

Clothes draped the walls in the traditional style of I war, but they paid a lot of attention to thewith a picture of God and His ers

Being passionate about war and art, that was the culture of this country

Frois, Benjanieres

These were the only people that were present

“Where’s Sir Jerome?”

“He see to the horses”

“He is really focused on such things”

“That’s right”

He probably thought that dealing with the envoy was a hassle, and that Regis will report the details to him after this anyway

Before the conference began, Coignieres‘Field Marshall Latreille directed our forces fro down at the enemy formations from this ’

Regis asked again to confirm

“ He observed the battlefield through this ?”

“Yes, he will discuss the enemy formation with his adjutant, First Grade Admin Officer, Germain”

“ But the Prince was injured in an earlier battle, is his health okay?”

“Now that you mention it, he did summon the doctor to his room several times But he stood at the very head of the for to move out towards the end, so there shouldn’t be any problem”

“Is that so”

Regis was concerned when he e…

But there didn’t seem to be any problem with his health

The voice of a soldier came from the other side of the room

“The envoy fro an audience!”

After confirnieres said:

“Granted”

“Yes Sir!”

The door opened

The one who entered with four lightly ar robes who did a curtsey

Her hair reached her waist, with long eyelashes, a beauty with pretty features

She gave others the impression of sensibility

She was about Regis’ age

“Greetings, I am General Affairs Officer Fanrine Veronica de Tiraso Laverde from Ministry of Military Affairs”

Regis heard that family name before

Altina tilted her head

“Tiraso Laverde? Are you Eleanor’s sister?”

“Yes, thank you for taking care of reet you”

She santly

It was a minute action, but it made it clear that she was a lady from an aristocratic clan

“Then why are you working in the Ministry of Military Affairs, House Tiraso Laverde is both a Dukedom and a tycoon in the south correct?”

General Affairs Officers were considered soldiers, but they basically won’t head to the battlefield

Most of their staff would work inside the Ministry of Military Affairs

Deputies of high ranking officers and nobles who couldn’t even wield a sould normally work there to earn the title of a soldier

Their jobs were similar to Inspectors

As it was a non coh that was rare…

Fanrine

“Why I joined the Ministry of Military Affairs? Well… I am different froood in numbers”

“You need to deal with nuht!?”

“Ara, that’s true… Heehee”

An unfathomable woman

She didn’t show any signs of fear in front of the Altina as a Princess and the commander of the Fourth Army She also rivaled her sister in a way

Regis pulled the topic back on track

“I thought General Affairs Officers won’t leave the Ministry of Military Affairs building… Why did you come all the way to a battlefield?”

“Because I have pressing matters Firstly, this…”

She handed a letter to Altina

It ax sealed with the stamp of Ministry of Military Affairs

Altina opened it

An order from the Ministry of Military Affairs

—— Varden Grand Duchy istheir forces from all of Gerain The Fourth Arainst an invasion

Altina kicked her chair away and stood up

“Isn’t this a grave matter!?”

Benjamin and Jansen’s expression turned stiff too

Fanrine Veronica was shocked too The ers often weren’t told of the contents of their letters, even ers

“ Can I take a look?”

Regis pulled the letter to him from the side and read

This was usually a rude behavior, but Altina didn’t ive any advice as the strategist without knowing the details

The letter mentioned all sorts of information

He browsed through the letter

“Hmm… I see… there are reports from the spies we sent to the Germanian Federation too”

Regis took soence network, but he was lacking in s

Altina swung her arm

“Now is not the tiis!”

“It’s fine, there is a possibility of an attack, but it is still in the preparation stage Our troops are exhausted too, it would be for the best if we can set off the day after tomorrow Please take a seat for now, Princess”

“Yes…”

Altina pulled back the chair she kicked away and sat down

“ H the east”

“Eh? What?”

Coignieres leaned forth

Regis handed the letter to Coignieres as he read out the part in question

“Relations with Estaburg that borders us to the east are expected to deteriorate, so the Seventh Arist of it”

“Dividing the capital’s defense force? They are certain that the High Britannia army will definitely retreat?”

Coignieres was troubled

Regis nodded

“It says that the High Britannia arh it is still in Ih to deal with them —— That’s probably what the Ministry of Military Affairs thinks”

“Is it really okay? The north is under the jurisdiction of the Third Army, but Lieutenant General Buxlow died in battle and the Sun Knights are lost, there is a need to regroup”

“ Indeed, the northern defences are really weak”

Because the Second and Third Arh Britannia, it led to a huge gap in the frontlines

There were reserves too, but their deployment was ineffective and problematic

Coignieres read the letter again

“H are expected to deteriorate? We fought with that nation for many years, but didn’t the Emperor take in a concubine from them as proof of amiable relations?”

Fro was just a s expansionist ideals, and was taking territory frothen their forces

But the King of Estaburg was already fifty, and such a trend eakening

For the Belgaria E tense relation they had with Gerh Britannia, they didn’t want to commit too much forces to the east either

As a result, the two nations forarian Emperor took Princess Johaprecia Octovia as his concubine

But the Ministry of Military Affairs was expecting relations between the nations to deteriorate, and even drew the forces defending the capital to defend against them

Regis was baffled too

“ Even if the Emperor passed away, it had just been half a year since our alliance, there is no reason to declare war And High Britannia is retreating nohy are they expecting relations to deteriorate?”

Regis had a few ideas in mind

But it would be faster to ask someone who knew, so he turned his eyes to Fanrine

“ Can you tell us the reason why relations with the Kingdo down?”

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered

“That’s because… Imperial Consort Johaprecia has died”

“What!?”

Regis stood up in surprise

Altina was dunieres opened his eyes wide

She continued:

“Grieving over the death of the Emperor, she killed herself to be with him”

“Impossible…”

Regis uttered unconsciously

It’s hard to accept

The passing of the Es in the court, but she would still be able to live a luxurious life, and had no reason to commit suicide

Altina frowned too

“Grieving over the death of the Emperor, she killed herself to be with him? That woman doesn’t have that sort of personality”

She put it in a rather mean way

But Regis agreed with her

Even just looking fro Day banquet, her demeanour didn’t seem to be like someone ould follow the Emperor in death

Even though it was possible that her actions and her thinking were coreat

Regis asked Fanrine: