Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Translator: Nat

–Aegir POV–

The uproar in the city of Patena, caused by the sudden appearance of a fleet, calmed down when the flag of the Olga Federation was flown.

The fleet stopped near Patena, lowered their speed when they spotted my flag and slowly entered the port.

「It's huge…… so this is a Federation warship……」

「I've seen it once before, but this is completely different than Goldonia's ships.」

It seemed like everyone living in Patena, including the fishermen and townspeople who lost their jobs due to the war, have gathered at the harbor.

While everyone was in awe of the size and magnificence, Sekrit's eyes widened and she snickered occasionally to herself as she inspected the fleet in detail.

Right when I was about to ask what her impressions were, I hear the nasty voices of men aboard the ships that successfully reached the pier.

「Look over there! It's the boss!」

「Holy mackerel, we found him on the first day!」

「The general is our general after all. We are bound together by a red string of fate!」

When I turned around, the men disembarked and ran toward me.

Some of them were saying strange things and even licking their lips.

「T-they should be allies! So I think, anyways……」

I stop in time from my drawing my Dual Crater because of Celia's confidence.

That and I also spotted someone I recognized.

「It's been a while, general. You haven't changed at all!」

「Yakov, was it?」

This man's name is Yakov, and he was my adjutant temporarily when I went to the Federation as reinforcements over a year ago.

I reply with "you haven't changed either" and compare him with the image in my mind, which is brawny at best and barbaric at worst.

His physique hasn't changed much.

It's the aura surrounding his body that changed.

「So these guys are……」

I look at the group on the ship waving their hands and yelling rowdily.

「They're of course the 105th division! This time we'll be acting as the general's reinforcements! Isn't that right, you guys!!?」

Yakov receives an enthusiastic cheer in response.

Instead of a proper army, they sound like a bunch of bandits, and some of the citizens who came to watch runs away screaming.

「We're here for you, boss!!」

「In the end, you are our only general!」

「We're finally free after being exiled by the strict Federation!」

Celia twitches.

「It feels like I heard a word which can't be ignored, like 'exiled' or something.」

When Celia stares at Yakov, he yells at his army.

「You idiots, I told you we're here as reinforcements! Do you want to be taken down!?」

「My apologies, Sir Yakov, reinforcements it is. We've become official reinforcements, yes.」

Yakov returns his gaze to us and smiles.

Celia isn't convinced and questions him further.

「……and the term?」

Yakov openly averts his eyes and answers.

「――forever, yes an indefinite period. We intend to remain under the general always even after the war is over.」

People call that expulsion.

「That's right. The top brass said to leave those idiots in Goldonia and to never take them back.」

The voice was a pretty one and belonged to a female, unthinkable in the 105th, yet it was also cold-sounding.

「We meet again. I thought we would never see each other…… though I didn't particularly want to meet.」

A lonesome female descends the ship which looked to be the largest of the entire fleet.

Unlike the loose-fitting clothes of the 105th division, who are practically indistinguishable from pirates, she's wearing a pure white military uniform for commander-class personnel of the Olga Federation and also has a sword with a slender blade attached to her waist.

「Do you know how hard it was babysitting these idiots? No place in the city we docked at was problem-free.」

Contrasting the shiny white military uniform were polished black military shoes, which tapped a crisp rhythm on the stone path with every step.

It was the female navy commander of the Olga Federation, Ivanna.

During my time in the Federation, I saved this girl, fought alongside her, and was even able to spend one night with her.

Comparing the excitement of reuniting with her to the dirty men of the 105th is quite rude of me.

「Ivanna! Ooh…… you came too! What a welcome sight, I'm so happy to see you again!」

I run with my arms open to greet her, but she sticks to a formal salute and doesn't accept my embrace.

「General, that's a fairly different treatment than what you showed us―― which is what I want to say, but, I guess it's natural to treat men and women differently. That much we also learned from the general.」

「Oh, be quiet.」

I ignore Yakov and Celia, who aren't important right now.

Ivanna hands me some kind of document.

When I casually stuff it in my pocket and try to hug her again, she glares fiercely at me.

It seems I have to read it right away.

「――in accordance to the request for support from the Alexandro I, the king of Goldonia, I will send reinforcements as a sworn friend. I sincerely wish your nation can fend off the perils you are currently facing and achieve victory in the end―― Olga Federation Supreme Commander, Martin Stessel.」

「Ivanna Reskina, officially reporting as the commander of the reinforcements. Here is the written letter to your king. Please ensure it is delivered.」

Ivanna once again displays a proper salute.

Hmm, a strict and beautiful girl like her wearing a tidy uniform is attractive, although slightly too stiff for my liking.

She can learn a little bit from those guys.

「Uhoo, look, that's one amazing woman! Man, her boobs are huge! Hey miss, wanna bang!?」

「Aw, she ran…… that one's bad because she ain't used to it. Her mouth is definitely NG, anyways, where are the brothels?」

「Since the trivial greetings are over, let's find them. I'm gonna find a good place with girls we can blow a month's salary on.」

「Uhyooo!! I'm gonna 〇〇〇 and ＸＸＸ in her □□□ until I spray it all over her!」

Ivanna shudders as the 105th discuss their vulgar topics loudly during our conversation.

I take that back, they're too crude.

What kind of education did they receive to become like that?

Celia repeatedly shouts at Yakov to stop them while unleashing consecutive low kicks.

「Idiots, all of them……」

「Those guys, did they do something that got them exiled from the Federation?」

Their absence of character is unrelated to me and none of my concern, but I'm curious after what we've been through together in the past.

Yet, Ivanna merely stares at me.

「You want to hear their screw-ups? No, let me tell you!」

I actually changed my mind, but I can't say to stop now, so I'll have to listen.

In the corner of my eye, I see Celia finally kicked Yakov to the ground, which elicited cheers from the 105th for some reason.

According to Ivanna's stories, the 105th division is a valuable asset who has experienced scenes of carnage countless times from the restoration of disrupted public order after a great war to the struggles of hunting Imperial army remnants.

「They have fought well. Many times, they have won against opponents with greater numbers…… except they just lack too much character!!」

Ivanna slams a stack of paper in front of me.

Those are all protests from the feudal lords and town mayors in the Federation as well as the documentation requesting for their punishment from the high government officials.

Why did she purposely bring all of that here?

「It's been decided that the remnants of the Empire were to be executed. However, they simply let all the females go after violating them!」

Ivanna stomps her foot down and takes one step forward.

「In celebration of a victory, they had orgies with the town prostitutes! In broad daylight and in public!」

She takes another step forward.

「They don't obey commanders. Especially when it's a female officer, they talk of nothing but sex. They change in visible areas. They peek in baths. Everyone resigned after one month!」

Ivanna closes the distance between me and her.

「This is all your fault! You're the one who taught them this strange behavior!」

She grabs my lapels.

「Even if you tell me that, I don't recall doing anything of the sort.」

I'm a gentleman in all facets of life besides the battlefield.

It's a true shame that they didn't grow up by looking at my back.

Celia is strenuously pulling you away, so it's time to let me go.

That was when a single barrel rolled out of a ship.

「…… are we already in Goldonia? Wait, A-Aegir!? It's me! Don't you remember!?」

Another girl appears from inside the barrel and suddenly shouts at me.

「……」

Although I smiled kindly at her and she returned the favor, she gets upset right away.

「You forgot, didn't you!? In my case, there was not a single night that I forgot about you!」

The woman runs up to me.

Celia and Ivanna were about to draw their swords, but I stepped forward one step and spread my arms.

While I recognize her face, a name isn't popping up in my mind.

I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue.

「It's the former pirate, Anette! After being stolen away by you, I was turned into a toy and left in Iruisk!」

Aah, I remember now.

The way she said that was too cruel in many ways though.

「……liberated a pirate!? You've got to be kidding me, I told you to hang to death any pirates you find! You're doing the same things as the 105th after all!!」

I hear cheers coming from the 105 guys behind me.

And Ivanna's furious yelling of course.

「Anette, huh…… I welcome you too.」

I greet her with a hug, but don't know why she's here.

What was she doing inside a barrel of a ship sailing to provide reinforcements in the first place?

The members of the 105 fills me in.

「We picked her up when we were resupplying at a port city. She said to let her on since we were also headed to Goldonia.」

「We obviously wanted to have fun with her, but she said she was the boss's girl……」

「We thought it would be a nice gift, and if she happened to be lying, all of us would fuck her. Those were the conditions for letting her hide in the barrel!」

I see.

「……blabbering about your destination…… and allowing a girl to stowaway…… you guys……」

Ivanna's face is turning red in anger again.

I'm not involved this time, so if you get mad, yell at those fools instead.

「So how about you? You can't go back.」

I ask Anette as she rubs her face against my chest.

「Isn't it obvious when I'm in love!?」

Anette takes off her clothes without hesitation.

It's like she can't even hear the loud hooting and cheers from the 105 guys.

「Look! These are my feelings.」

Instead of showing off her shapely breasts or neatly trimmed crotch, she emphasizes her waist and back.

Etched into her tanned skin, in large legible letters, is a tattoo of the words "Aegir's woman".

「You did it again…… I told you to stop, didn't I?」

Honestly, it's not like it doesn't evoke a strange feeling of arousal, although I'm not going to praise a woman for marking up her skin.

「I couldn't suppress my feelings. Besides, if I do this, I can't get married to any other man. You have to take me.」

It's true that no man would want to marry a woman who has another man's name carved into their body.

If I look after Anette…… I would be doing exactly what she wants.

「You engraved something on the precious body given to you by your parents――!?」

For some reason, Ivanna is indignant.

If you don't stop, you're going to pop a blood vessel.

Seeing my chance after Celia pulled the clinging Anette off of me, I approach the upset Ivanna.

「These are my feelings of gratitude to you…… so calm yourself down.」

I speak to her in a polite tone and bow down on one knee.

Ivanna, while confused, extends her hand out as part of the courtesy.

I gently take the hand…… quickly wrap my other arm around Ivanna's waist and back, and then steal her lips.

「Nnnh!?」

「Going for this one this time!?」

「Uoooooh! As expected of the general, he even made that girl his!」

「That's the boss for you! A peerless womanizer!」

「The boss is a man among men!!」

Eeei, I can forgive 'general' but cut the crap with calling me boss or whatever.

If people looking like you guys say that, you'll really be mistaken for bandits.

「What are you doing, insolent moron!? No wonder you were acting strange!!」

Ivanna's kick lands perfectly between my legs.

――A Few Hours Later.

The fuss ended after the anchoring of the ships and the disembarkation of the crew, who all went to take a break.

A calm analysis of military potential begun in the meeting room together with Leopolt and Tristan.

「It will come in handy later too. I want to have a good grasp of the strength you brought along.」

「You should have did this in the beginning. All that unnecessary…… ow, ow, ow.」

Ivanna ices the bruise on her leg and nods.

「The fleet is composed of―― 5 large combat ships, 20 smaller combat ships, 20 armed transport ships and that……」

Ivanna turns her head to gaze at it.

「It's the flagship, Battleship Suvorov, a proud battleship of the Federation.」

Suvorov was clearly larger in size than any of the other combat ships and made even Patena's harbor seem too cramped.

「They've all been sold to the king of Goldonia in response to his call for aid. In other words, you don't have to worry about repaying anything or worrying about losing them.」

The way Ivanna said it makes it seem like they aren't reinforcements, but rather Goldonia simply bought ships……

「Then you also have me, Ivanna Reskina, the greatest reinforcements you can get.」

Ivanna puffs her chest out in a dignified manner and rests one of her legs on the table.

Irijina and Luna go "ooh", impressed by her display.

Ivanna even gets carried away enough to tilt her chin up.

「River battleship Suvorov…… judging by the deterioration of the wood, I would guess it was built five or six years ago. The design concept is a little old and its broadside cannons are fairly big, but the blindspots of the front and rear cannons are too large. Positively speaking, its speed is above the bottom tier, although its use in fast-flowing basins has not been considered. Frankly, it's an outdated ship. It was probably pushed out during the reorganization of the Federation's fleet. I guess it was sold in order to get rid of inventory.」

The one commented with a large grin on her face was Sekrit.

「A…… ah……」

Ivanna froze with her foot still planted on the table and a finger pointed at Sekrit.

「It's an old model, but it isn't bad. There is heavy wear in certain places, however, that means it was used frequently and inspires a sense of confidence. In a situation like the current one, it's more reliable than a new experimental ship. It's a good ship.」

Sekrit gives Ivanna a quick glance.

「You……」

Yakov and Celia immediately hold Ivanna down from both sides.

Considering her connection to Sekrit, who knows when she'll pounce.

「How dare you show yourself before me again…… you're the one who ordered me to be the leader of idiots too――!!」

Regardless of her restraints, Ivanna stepped forward with enough power to pull Yakov and Celia along.

「Ooh, how scary, how scary.」

When Sekrit exaggerates her fear and jumps into my arms, a real bloodlust, unlike the one she directs at the 105th division, starts oozing out from Ivanna.

「So you were acting as some sex-crazed woman after all! I'll cut you down right here……」

She kicks Yakov away and shakes free from Celia, then reaches for her sword only to stop midway.

「――you, that arm.」

She realized the missing part in Sekrit's left sleeve.

「Hmph. It is as you can see.」

When Sekrit rolls back the sleeve to reveal her arm, Ivanna's grip on her sword weakens.

「You lost it?」

As a soldier herself, losing limbs is nothing out of the ordinary for Ivanna.

Sekrit's misfortune was actually a good thing for once.

Ivanna's pride will not allow her to cut down a one-handed opponent.

The smile on Sekrit's face was a malicious one though.

She probably thought of something wicked again.

「Yeah, as I promised to you, I won't ever stand on the battlefield again, so I asked this guy to cut it off with a saw. It was the first time in my life that I've ever screamed hard enough for blood to come out from my throat.」

「Hey!」

What is she saying?

「A-a saw, you said…… it was sawed off? I did say…… so you couldn't stand in battle again.」

A shiver went down Ivanna's spine as she imagined the gory scene, then she looked at me.

「General, that can't be right. It can't be!! Fucking is one thing, but hurting a woman in that manner isn't like the general at all!」

Even Yakov is staring at me.

How troublesome, I'll have Celia explain it later.

「Arrgh, enough. We're going to discuss war. What's important now is whether we can win against the Meldora fleet. Can we defeat them with the attacking power we have?」

If we are able to, we should prioritize sinking the enemy fleet.

The enemy's landing would be impossible once we control the river and we could conversely trap the enemy western army on the west coast.

On the other hand, if we can't win, there won't be any major changes to the state of war despite gaining reinforcements.

We would only have a minor advantage with the extra 5000 soldiers from the 105th.

I look to Ivanna and Sekrit, the surface warfare experts.

Now, what do they think?

「「I don't know.」」

Both of them answer at the same time and slump their shoulders.

Leopolt and Tristan sigh simultaneously.

「You can't say you don't know…… I'm asking seriously here.」

I try adding a sad tone to my voice, but it works against me and the four eyes staring at me look like they've given up already.

"You know ……", Ivanna rests an elbow on the table and begins.

「The Meldora fleet? What the heck is that? How do you expect me to know if you don't explain that, you idiot?」

Up next is Sekrit, who rests her leg on the table.

「How many ships does the enemy fleet have? 10 small ships? 100 combat ships? How can I predict the victor of a battle when the scale and composition of the enemy fleet is completely unknown? You can't win a surface war with muscles alone, idiot.」

They said a lot, but they're right.

I was impertinent.

「We have information from the capital…… though I doubt we can expect much.」

Leopolt cuts in.

「After all, they have practically no navy to speak of. The enemy has yet to reveal what they're fully capable of.」

Tristan chimes in as he unfolds some kind of map and draws a line on it.

「Considering the size of the port, the enemy fleet should be divided by this line…… the news of the arrival of reinforcements should be captured by their intelligence network. They should undoubtedly be gathering their forces in fear of each individual squadron being destroyed.」

Leopolt also nods and points to the map with a pen.

「We are planning a covert reconnaissance operation on the west coast. If the enemy is indeed amassing their forces, we should be able to accurately assess how many and what kind of ships they have.」

The two talented staff officers begin devising a plan.

I'll make sure not to bother them and throw a welcome banquet for Ivanna.

Yakov can sit in with them too.

Before that, I can talk for a little longer.

「As a reference, what is the largest enemy army we can win against?」

Ivanna, puts a hand to her chin and thinks for a few seconds after receiving a brief explanation of Meldora from Celia.

「The performance of city state ships and the skill of their soldiers are known. If the enemy has three times our forces, we can still crush them.」

「How promising to hear that we can handle up to three times.」

Ivanna holds her chest high and her cheeks turn a faint red.

「It's nothing. I mean, I refused to take command of the 105th at first…… I only reluctantly accepted because of your letter.」

I also sent a letter to Ivanna when the war broke out with South Yuguria, huh?

I didn't think someone with her standing in the Federation would come…… she's such a nice woman after all.

「Hmph, well, it's because I owe you one. Besides, being in debt goes against my――」

Sekrit butts in when she tried to act cool.

「Judging by the ship handling and strategy during their landing operation, if I take command, I can easily win against five times our numbers.」

Sekrit looks back and forth between me and Ivanna and smiles.

Then I could hear the sound of teeth grinding out of vexation.

Being the commander of the great Federation, Ivanna's pride is quite high.

Not to mention, she gets angry easily, so it's easy to set her off.

「……now that I think about it some more, I can handle six times our forces.」

Ivanna corrects herself stubbornly.

「If you push yourself too much, you'll get captured again―― oh crap!」

I can almost see the steam coming out of her ears the moment those words left my mouth.

「I said I can do it because I can!! Whatever, I'm going to rest and prepare for tomorrow!!」

「Hey, what about the banquet……」

「I don't need it! Do it without me!!」

She lost it completely.

「I provoked her like that when I destroyed her fleet that time too. Kuku, I remember it.」

This is no time to be laughing, Sekrit.

Ivanna is walking off in a huff with square shoulders. If we don't hurry with the preparations, she'll rush into an inn.

「I was thinking if things go well in the banquet…… we could proceed to better things later.」

I guess that's why people often say the mouth is the root of all evil.

「General, we're still here. Let us drink and be merry!」

The beauty transformed into Yakov.

「This is all because of the Meldora fleet. I won't forgive them.」

I refresh my resolve to win.

Then I wrap my arm around the snickering Sekrit.

「I'll do something about your arm. Believe in me.」

Sekrit stops laughing for an instant and gives me a light, upward headbutt into my shoulder.

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett. 25 years old. Summer.

Status: Goldonia Kingdom Margrave. Great Feudal Lord of Eastern Area. Mountain Legend. Friend of the Dwarves. Friend of the King of Aless. Dragon Slayer Hero.

Elf Mediator. Sex King of White City.

Subordinates:

Celia (adjutant), Myla (territory defense), Irijina (commander), Luna (commander), Ruby (around), Sekrit (close aide)

Leopolt (planning), Tristan (planning), Gido (escort unit), Brynhildr (nocturnal attack squad)

Ivanna (reinforcement fleet commander)

Army:

Under Protagonist: 42 000

Escort Unit: 120

Infantry: 11 230

Cavalry: 1200

Archers: 1300

Cannoneers: 450

Bow Cavalry: 8700

Aless Soldiers: 14 000

105 Army Corps: 5000

Cannons: 60, Large Cannons: 30, Dwarven Cannons: 16, Field Artillery: 20, Chariots: 50

Battleships: 1, Large Combat ships: 5, Small Combat Ships: 20, Transport Ships: 20

Stationed in Port City, Patena

Assets: 500 gold

Sexual Partners: 782, children who have been born: 68 + 565

Enemy Western Army Force: Approx. 50 000, Meldora fleet (???)