The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

35 – First Experience of War

“Foolish Theo…”

“Now, what do you intend to do? Elder.”

One elder, his head bald, looked at another elder with a white beard and sighed.

“Is there any other way?”

“In the end, you’re considering using that method.”

“It can’t be helped. We must strike while the queen hasn’t firmly established her position.”

“But… can we trust the Latvians?”

The elder referred to as the bald one, worrying, stroked his white beard and replied.

“Listen. Tessa was originally a city of merchants. Our city, directly speaking. It was like a home to many upper echelons, including the one you belong to. But what has it become now? A fallen family pushed aside in the empire’s power struggle, allowing themselves to be incorporated into their land and then, disregarding us as hosts, they established a mere facade of an elder council.”

“Yes, Elder… I apologize for interrupting your historical lecture, but how does that relate to my question?”

“For the Latvians, Tessa isn’t important. Their goal is Terosa’s downfall. Those barbarians merely need land to raise their sheep and horses. Even before the rise of Terosa, they were loyal customers trading with us.”

The bald elder’s understanding sparkled after hearing those words.

“Ah! I see. Since they were nomads, what they needed was to purchase from us, the merchants.”

“Exactly. How frustrating must it be for them now that the vast lands they once freely used belong under the flag of this fledgling nation called Terosa? We give them what they want, and in return, we receive what we desire.”

Days had passed since Rosalia executed Theo ruthlessly.

The public perception of her as ‘the young girl suddenly ascending to the throne’ remained unchanged, but as Theo’s assassination attempt was revealed and she executed him cruelly, feelings such as fear, empathy, and reverence as a leader were gradually growing within the hearts of those observing her.

“Handro.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Regarding the internal investigation within the Elder Council that I mentioned earlier… Have you decided how to proceed?”

Handro responded firmly to Rosalia’s inquiry.

“It’s the same answer as back then, Your Majesty. It’s better not to touch the Council.”

“Hmm… Are they really that important? People who plot to overthrow Terosa and still call themselves loyal subjects. Attempted assassination of the queen is a joke?”

“As Your Majesty knows, they practically control everything in Terosa’s economy. They may be the council of a nation now, but their origin is that of traders. If they feel threatened, they can leave Terosa or betray it at any moment.”

Rosalia laughed incredulously at Handro’s words.

“Isn’t that the truth? They are threatening the monarchy now.”

“I told you. They believe they are under threat just because you are young and a woman.”

“Well…”

Handro kneeled in front of Rosalia, drawing his sword and placing it beneath his own foot.

It was the way to pledge allegiance to the king in Terosa.

“Become a presence that they fear. Grow into a king they can trust and follow. Once their anxiety is eliminated, the rebellious forces will reveal themselves. Trying to crush them right now is like burning down the entire house to catch one bug.”

Listening to Handro’s words, Rosalia pondered deeply.

There was not a single false statement.

If she led the soldiers to raid the Council, she could undoubtedly uncover the forces plotting against her.

But other council members would not view that favorably.

The moment they thought the king could threaten them, they could all turn into rebels.

Moreover, since they held the economic power of Terosa, she had to handle them with even greater caution.

“…So what should I do?”

“Attack Radvia.”

“Radvia?”

Radvia was a nation of nomads situated along the southern border of Terosa.

Although not a highly civilized nation, their powerful military made them formidable, even to the Empire.

The relationship between Terosa and Radvia had never been good due to territorial disputes.

As a result, they occasionally crossed the border, kidnapping Terosa’s citizens or engaging in robbery, posing a continuous threat.

Recently, since Rosalia ascended the throne, the frequency and intensity of such incidents had increased, causing her considerable headaches.

“But… I have never experienced war.”

Handro sensed fear in her trembling voice.

He stood up, sheathing his sword, and said, “There’s no such thing as a world that is as peaceful as a fairy tale, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world we live in is not much different from the world of animals. The stronger ones prey on the weaker ones.”

History has been proving it. You must have studied a lot to know.”

Handro bowed respectfully to her.

“Your Majesty, you should devour whatever comes your way. Become stronger. No one should be able to eat you.”

The Queen nodded, looking at Handro, who showed no sign of wavering.

“Thank you, Handro. But I need to think a little more about the full-scale battle you mentioned with the Ratbi.”

“Whatever choice you make, I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

“Thank you.”

Since that day, Rosalia studied day and night, reading various military tactics and war strategies.

She ordered Handro to prepare for war and taught him various combat knowledge and tactics in his spare time.

She gathered the wizards to train in magic spells to protect her own body and invested generously in developing new weapons.

And she deployed more troops on the border with Ratbi.

And so, a month passed.

As usual, Rosalia was looking at state affairs when a messenger flew to her.

It was a messenger sent by Handro, who was checking the coastal defenses at the northern port.

“Your Majesty! I have an urgent report!”

It was news that a large number of Ratbi warriors had invaded beyond the northwest border where the defense forces were the weakest.

“This… can’t be true…”

The northwest border they attacked was a coastal area adjacent to the sea.

It meant that the nomadic army, which had been traveling on land all their lives, crossed the sea and launched an invasion. It was an attack that no one could predict, as they had no sailing technology.

“How on earth did they attack the weakest point by riding ships?”

“I don’t know either!”

“There must be a traitor within…”

Trembling with anger, Rosalia gave orders to the entire military as she had learned.

Following the Queen’s orders, the entire army of Terosa began to move in disorder as they had been trained.

They spread the situation to the people so that they could prepare for war and organized the units in accordance with the military system, appointing each commander.

And some of the organized units were sent as reinforcements to the north, where Handro was holding out.

Rosalia, who handled the sudden outbreak of war as calmly as possible, found that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable as time passed.

The Ratbi warriors were much stronger than she had anticipated, and they seemed to know the geography of Terosa well. They selectively attacked the weak border and started attacking in various places simultaneously.

Handro, an experienced soldier, was isolated in the north and could not provide any assistance to the Queen. Although the Queen made desperate efforts, since it was the first war, many territories of Terosa were trampled by the Ratbi army.

And in an instant, Ratbi warriors began pushing into Terosa.

The savage tribes, who had finally reached the palace, began pillaging the capital city of Tesa and slaughtering its residents.

The queen, witnessing the scene, felt the sense of defeat.

“Oh, father… I must have been unworthy of being queen… I ultimately failed to protect them.”

Eventually, even the palace was breached, and the sound of soldiers being massacred by invading warriors echoed throughout the entire palace.

And thus, the warriors of Latvi began to approach the chamber where the queen resided.

The queen was filled with fear, but she tried her best to hide her emotions and faced them with dignity.

“Indeed… This is the mess you’ve created.”

A traitor stood at the front line of the invaders, the one who had guided them here.

An elder referred to as “sir” brushed his white beard and spoke to the queen.

“Do not worry too much, your majesty. We made them promise not to use you as a bargaining chip and to kill you swiftly and cleanly.”

As he finished speaking, a burly savage warrior, wielding a gleaming axe, slowly approached the queen.

…2

***

“Your Majesty!”

Startled by the urgent voice, Rosalia rubbed her sleepy eyes and got up from her desk in the office.

“I had that dream again…”

Recently, her past experiences had been appearing in her dreams.

“I never seem to have normal nightmares.”

She sighed deeply, trying to shake off her drowsiness.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Tendrial and the Forest Order members who escaped a while ago… They came with Casey’s body.”