The fingers of Philos, ruler of the autonomous city, tapped twice on the desk, making a dry sound.

　The clerk gazed at the gesture with a nervous expression, then naturally lowered his eyes and looked down. Everyone who visits this room, Philos' office, has the same attitude.

　It's not out of respect for Philos, and it's not out of any peculiar politeness. It's just pure fear.

　The ruler of the autonomous city of Philos, Philos-Treit.

　Treit is the family name of those who have ruled this city for generations. The name of the city, Philos, and the family name of the rulers, Treit. These two names have been handed down from generation to generation.

　It is only natural that the citizens of the city would feel a certain amount of awe for a ruler with such a name. However, the gaze given to the current generation of Philos is laced with an atmosphere of aversion to something more fearsome than that.

　The reason for this lies in his origins and background. This generation's Philos was originally not the biological son of the ruling Treit family, but only an adopted son. She was treated as a boil, and was rarely shown to the public. Before she became Philos, most of the citizens were only aware of her existence through rumors.

　Originally, she was not supposed to have a governor. She had more than ten brothers and sisters, and her eldest brother, who was supposed to be the heir to the Philos name, was an ordinary person, but he didn't have any serious problems. He had enough talent to rule the city well if the people around him supported him.

　Therefore, no one thought that she would become a ruler, or that she would eventually be forced into a political marriage somewhere, but that was the extent of their understanding.

　--Until the day she reached the age of maturity, when the rest of the Treated family died a strange death.

　It was too macabre. If you see it as a plot to take over the family, then yes, it is a common occurrence among the upper class.

　But conspiracy killings are done in secret, with no one knowing who did it. And yet, she killed everyone but herself, as if to make an example.

　And most of all, the citizens were afraid. Despite the fact that such an abnormality had opened her eyes, the old followers of the lord had approved her as the only remaining Philos, without saying a word of significance.

　It was as if everything had been decided without the slightest hint of upset. The day after her death, of course, the current generation of Philos-Treit wielded the whip as ruler.

　That is why there is always fear in the hearts of those who serve her and interact with her. They fear that they too will die suddenly and unexpectedly in the same way. And that death will be meaningless and forgotten tomorrow.

I've decided.

　Philos said after tapping his fingers on the desk a few times.

　When the clerk finally sat up stiffly, he could clearly see the dull glint of the glasses in Philos' right eye.

　Philos's right eye, which was probably born with amblyopia, had an overall strong white color. This unusual eye color and the glasses for one eye that were installed to correct it was also one of the reasons why the citizens shunned Philos.

　When those white eyes stare at you, you can't help but feel like you're being watched by a human being. It's as if the person you're dealing with doesn't seem to have any blood in their veins. Sweat beaded on the clerk's hand. His throat was very dry.

　The clerk's hand is sweating, and his throat is very dry.

Send a messenger to the general of the Great Sacred Army. I will write the letter myself, over.

　The clerk hears the words and opens his mouth involuntarily. The clerk heard the words and opened his mouth, more out of reflex than any thought.

"Are you going to pick up the pen yourself, Master Philos?

　As soon as he said those words, the clerk's face showed an expression that seemed to say, "I'm sorry.

　The Philos of this generation tends to be especially averse to others interfering in what he does. The clerk's eyes twisted, fearing that he might be reprimanded again if he spoke in this manner.

　However, the clerk's words were justified.

　It was only for those of higher rank than himself that he would take up a pen and run ink on parchment in the presence of his lord. That is to say, to a higher nobleman or royalty.

　Why would you write a letter in your own handwriting to an army general? That is essentially a clerk's job. At most, the lord would include the contents of the letter.

　The clerk peeked at Philos with trepidation. His single white eye was there, without any emotion in it.

Yes, the army of the High Holy Church, but it's the army of the Kingdom of Garleist. It's a major land power, and the autonomous city of Philos used to be Garleist territory. Then we have to be polite.

　As if to say that there was no other meaning, Philos walked over to his desk and picked up a pen. The clerk, sensing that he had no further words to say, bowed and left the office.

　Indeed, what Philos says makes a kind of sense. It was not wrong.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.


　I'm sorry.


　Richard, the old general leading the advance party of the Great Church, was sitting in his tent, waiting for two tidings. His wrinkled cheeks cast a slight shadow.

　A few more days of marching and we will be on a plain suitable for war. If they were to crush the heraldic army, it would be best to stay where they were, outnumbered. But Richard had camped near the road, a short distance from the plain, just to wait for the news.

　As he sat in his tent with a small amount of wine on his lips, the quiet footsteps of a soldier struck his ears. Apparently, one of the tidings had arrived.

"Captain Richard. A messenger has arrived from the autonomous city of Philos. They want you to write to the battalion commander.

　The voice of his second-in-command, Neymar, still sounded cold, and Richard cleared his throat as he accepted the parchment.

　The letter was rather bland. For Richard, at least, it was more pleasing than a letter with a strange politeness attached to it.

　The content was not so far off from what he had imagined. He welcomed the Archdiocese's troops, but wanted to hold talks about cooperation, as if he were trying to dodge our demands.



　No, no problem. In fact, considering the past of the Garlist Kingdom and the self-governing city of Philos, there was a risk of an uncontrollable backlash. This level of content is well within the acceptable range.

　In fact, the fact that it was even stamped with a seal indicating that the lord had personally written the text was more than I expected. Richard's eyes narrowed as his white beard flickered.

I thought I'd be licked for being a captain.

　The wrinkles on his face deepen as he plays with the bottle in his hand. The expression on his face was as if he was pondering what to make of this document. At his side, his second-in-command, Neymar, twisted his eyebrows slightly and blinked his eyelids.

　The military structure of the Garlist Kingdom can be divided into two major organizations, a higher level and a lower level.

　The upper organization is the army of the upper nobility. They are allowed to take the titles of Protector and Executioner, and are given the appropriate authority and the position to lead the elite that the nation has raised.

　On the other hand, the subordinate organizations are the troops belonging to lower class nobles or people from the common people. Those who belong to these subordinate organizations will never be appointed to the rank of captain or higher, even if they have made great achievements or shone like heroes.

　The troops that can be led are not the elite of the nation, but new troops or half mercenaries.

　Similarly, the Order of Knights is classified as either a higher or lower organization depending on its dignity.

　This is probably due to the fact that there is a clear distinction between higher and lower ranks within the military, and there are many cases where the leader is underestimated by negotiators simply because he is a captain.

　The treatment of a general as a military commander varies greatly depending on whether he is an official or a captain. The same is true for the title of battalion commander, which is the highest rank among commanders.

　However, for some reason, the Lord of Philos sent a letter to the captain in person. 　How should this be received? As he closed the letter, Richard's eyes narrowed and his mouth formed the words.

Get me a clerk, sir. Have him write a letter or two to ...... right away. They should be close by now.

　Neymar hears these words and lets out a big sigh, as if to say that he is truly fed up. He has no more reservations about Richard. You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

"...... I'm not your handmaiden, Richard, Captain.

　Neymar's eyes narrowed and his voice slowly slipped out. I'm not sure what to make of that.

But you're my second-in-command, Neymar. A lieutenant is supposed to listen to his chief. Well, if you want to vent, I'll let you.

　Richard said, still looking at Neymar with some amusement. In his ears, he heard noisy footsteps, the opposite of Neymar's earlier footsteps.

　It seemed that the second piece of news he had been waiting for had finally arrived. Richard's eyes twisted with amusement.