a road from the imperial capital to the Earl of Oblissin Soldiers walk along the highway.
　As far as the eye could see, there were still quite a few soldiers who made up this army.

"Wow... that's amazing." Is that by any chance?"

　A woman working in a field a short distance from the road muttered, and a man who seemed to be her husband nods back.

"Oh, the expeditionary force," I don't know where the fighting will take place, but if possible, I would like our village to be safe from damage."
"That way... isn't it in the land of the Earl of Oblissin?"
"...the Earl of Oblissin?" I hear that you like war, and it's not surprising to think so."
"Well, it's not far from the land of the Earl of Obrissin," Is my village all right?"
"It's all right, isn't it? Rebels are no match for the Imperial army after all. Look at that number."
"...but as far as the soldiers are concerned, they don't seem to belong to the Imperial Army?"
"Huh? ... oh, I see. It's probably a force led by some nobleman."
"Is that really okay? I don't want it to come down to our village."
"I don't mind if you don't like it," There is nothing we can do about it, so we can only pray for the punitive force to win."

　Other than this couple, similar conversations were taking place in fields near the highway.
　They are worried and dissatisfied with the civil war, but they will eventually be suppressed because the Imperial army is coming out.
　Living in the Empire of Bestia and knowing its strength, I had to live with this degree of agitation.
　...however, it must have been the defeat in the spring war that caused the anxiety that he should have placed his full confidence in.
　Moreover, anxiety spreads even more among those who realize that it is not the Imperial army but the aristocratic forces.

"Yes, that's abominable!"

　The man muttered in the carriage, feeling uneasy in the eyes of the farmers.

"What's the matter, Baron Delotta? This road leads to our glory, and we ought to take it easy now."

　When the man sitting opposite him tells him so, the man called Baron Delotta speaks as if to suppress his anger.

"But Viscount Adeno! Look them in the eyes! They only seem to despise us!"

　The other man in the carriage muttered deeply at the remark.

"Well, it's true that we are leading the troops, not the Imperial army, so it can't be helped."
"Count Schola!"
"After all, who is in charge of the general command? Isn't it natural to think that this is a bad military action?"

　The so-called Earl of Scola is apparently thin and not the type to go to battle. In fact, because he understood it, he often expressed doubts about this punitive force.
　In the first place, all members of this expeditionary force, including Count Scola, belong to the Second Prince's faction.
　Other than that, the Earl of Scola understood that there was something in common among those who were on the expedition. That is to say...

(Even among the second prince's group, those who are considered to be incompetent and incompetent. In other words, the purpose of this punitive force was to check the strength of the rebels led by Prince Mercurio.)

　mutter inwardly, glancing out of the carriage window.
　There are ten cavalry figures.
　It's not just a cavalry. They are under the direct control of the second prince, and can be called elite.
　Why are such elite troops taking part in this punitive force, if only part of it?
　We could have thought of it as a military force if it had enough troops. However, only ten horsemen are participating.
　With all this blatantness, it was easy to imagine for what purpose the cavalry was accompanying the Earl of Scola.

(Confirmation of how we will be overthrown by His Highness Mercurio) in order to see their cards at least a little.)

　Nevertheless, the Earl of Scola cannot tell those accompanying him in this expedition.
　No, should I keep silent because I understand that even if I tell you, you won't be accepted?
　In the sense of gathering the incompetents and turning them into pieces, those who took part in this punitive force certainly had the capacity to do so.
　overestimate our capabilities and underestimate our enemies. I don't think it's wrong. We are even talking about how to divide the territories of those who participate in this battle after we defeat the rebels.
　It was surprising to the Earl of Scola that he was capable enough to notice the farmers' gaze at the punitive force.

(I suppose I was perceived to be such an incompetence.)

　At the same time as I think so, I cough.
　Yes, this is why the Earl of Scola was judged incompetent.
　He was weak in health, and although he was not the head of a noble family, he judged that he should not survive the violent times that he would be able to face.
　Naturally, as long as Count Schola was involved in the expeditionary force, his brother would be installed as the next Earl of Schola if something happened.

(Then what I can do now... at least fight to keep the name of the Earl of Scola clean, and draw out the rebel's hand as much as possible. and that we should wear our troops as little as possible...)

　You make up your mind, but at the end you get a slight bearishness.
　That's only natural. This expeditionary force itself is a jumble of troops, and, as the Earl of Scola said earlier, the command has not been unified.
　I told the other nobles about it before I left the imperial capital, but no one listened because I didn't want to be under the command of the other nobles.
　When I think back to that time, I even feel as if the weak Count of Scola was about to fall.

"Count Schola? What's the matter?"

　Viscount Adeno says to Count Schola, who suddenly becomes silent, with a somewhat nasty smile.

"No, it's nothing. I was just wondering how to proceed with the fight against the rebels."

　the Earl of Scola shook his head in haste
　If I were to say that I was in bad health here, I could be taken away from the troops that Count Scola had brought.
　Originally, a viscount was one count below a count, and such an imitation could not be made.
　However, as long as he was in military service, he could not have done anything wrong because of the pretext of confusion in command.
　The weakness of Count Schola is particularly well known, so it was only natural for the punitive force to have someone who was looking for the opportunity.
　What would happen if such a man took command of his army? It'll be obvious without thinking.
　There was a good chance of being abandoned in order not to drain the strength of one's troops.
　Knowing it, I can't afford to show any weakness as a Earl of Scola.

"Is that so? If something happens to the Earl of Scola, it will be a disaster. If you don't mind, I may command the troops led by the Earl of Scola."

　They line up worrying words, but they don't hide the light of desire behind their eyes. ...no, I can't.
　Because he was such a man, he must have been abandoned in order to see the power of the rebels.
　The reason why our allies are hobbling together is probably because we are told that there are still more people on our side.
　In other words, I want to display my performance in a more spectacular way because it is a decisive battle.

(It's true that we're going to win or lose.) It must be difficult to say the other party's hand. Then I'd better concentrate on withdrawing troops as little damage as possible. whether or not it will even work.)With superficial flimsy words, the Count of Scola breathes inward.
　It's not so difficult to withdraw on one's own. But it's just annotated that we're the only ones here.
　If the other nobles could see him withdrawing carelessly, they could make a fuss as to whether he was acting as an enemy or fleeing in front of the enemy. Furthermore, we cannot afford to look at the cavalry, which is considered to be Schulz's squadron, to see what the rebels have in this battle.
　Just imagining such a difficult situation made my stomach ache and almost knocked me unconscious, but I couldn't do it here.

"...is that Baron Gulks's? Hmm, the incompetence that killed the intelligence forces in vain, but how dare you be shameless enough to take part in this battle?" I don't think he has any sense of pride or pride as a nobleman in the Westian Empire."

　Baron Delotta muttered abominably at the sight of the other cabs from the window of the carriage.
　Count Scola wanted to agree with it in its entirety.
　for, in order to gain his own credit, he named Schles and sent the tiger's intelligence unit to the Earl of Obrisin, and destroyed it all.
　I don't know the details, but I could still see that the matter was related to the Earl of Scola.
　Perhaps the intelligence forces dispatched have been wiped out, so instead, we should pull out the information of the other party. Then thin out incompetent aristocrats who could drag themselves down in time of need.

(Pretend to be troublesome...)

　He breathes inwardly, but as long as things are already going on, there is nothing he can do about it.
　Anyway, I'll manage to survive safely. With that in mind, the Count of Scola looked to the clear autumn sky.





"We will camp here today!"

　Such voices echo, and the soldiers of the punitive force immediately begin to prepare for the camp.
　Normally, one of the aristocrats can complain, but no one can complain because everyone is tired.
　the nobles in the carriage and the soldiers who had been walking all day. It was the latter considering which was more tired, but for the nobles... to be exact, for most of the nobles who were in the expeditionary force, the lives of the soldiers were nothing more than the stones around them.
　Being led by such nobles, the morale of the soldiers is naturally not high.
　If they had not known that the number of rebels was smaller than they were, some would have fled at once.
　As long as he was such a noble...

"Don't be silly! You want me to eat such a bad dish... no, I can't call it a dish!"
"Where's the wine?" I need alcohol to relieve my tiredness today. Bring it to me as soon.
"Are you going to tell 儂to sleep in such a poor bed!? Get a better bed! Woman!"
"You fools! Act faster! You're slower than the rest of the troops! Are you going to humiliate me?"

　That kind of angry voice rises everywhere in which they are stationed.
　Of course the soldiers were working as hard as they could, but the aristocrats felt the response was slow.
　As long as they walked all day long, it was only natural, but for nobles who looked down on themselves as ordinary people, they even felt contemptuous of themselves.
　At last one of the nobles reaches out to the dagger of his waist with irritation at the soldier who is not quick to respond to his orders.
　The reason why he didn't pull himself out of the sheath was probably because he thought it would be meaningless to kill him here.

"Work harder!"
"Oops!"

　The scabbard struck with the words is knocked against the shoulder of the soldier.
　Soldiers armed with leather armour, though some pain, were not fatal wounds.k.a. fatal wound.
　Satisfied with the soldier's appearance, the nobles leave with a satisfied smile.
　The soldiers must have been more of a distraction than a distraction.
　The soldier, accustomed to the tyranny of the aristocracy, shrugs his shoulders against the sympathetic gaze of the soldiers around him before returning to the position to camp.
　For the soldiers in this expeditionary force, this was a common occurrence.
　The few exceptions are the Earl of Scola, who, after all, is only the head of a punitive force. Furthermore, he could not do anything about it because he was physically weak and was despised by other nobles.
　The cavalrymen sent from Schles look at the aristocrats with dumbfounded eyes.
　Tired of overworking the soldiers who would be fighting in the next few days, they set up luxurious tents for the nobility and enjoy a good drink.
　It would take twice or more to reach the Earl of Obrisin's territory, though it was supposed to take only two days.
　What will happen to such a punitive force in the future?
　To understand that, we decide that we only play our part... in a few days we regret that the judgment was hopelessly lenient.