Altina the Sword Princess

Book 9: Prologue

Regis Letter

With Deepest Respect,

Imperial Year 851 July 1st, clear weather.

Right now, I have been seconded to the Imperial First Army, and stationed at Mauldre City, 50 Li to the north of the capital.

This is a prosperous city with a booming paper and steel manufacturing industry, thanks to the river flowing through it and the direction of the wind. It also has a large vineyard, which is famous for its Mauldre wine.

I think you have probably received the report, I am in the middle of the campaign to retake Grebauvar City that had been seized by the combined forces of High Britannia and the Germanian Federation.

The target city is just one hill away, and the space in front of this hill will become a battlefield.

The First Imperial Army has a force of 20,000; with 3,000 cavalry, 3,000 artillery and 14,000 infantry. The ratio of infantry is slightly higher.

Thats because most of them were former soldiers from the Third Army.

In the Bonaire Fort defence battle a few days earlier, the commander of the Third Army, Lieutenant General Buxlow, died in the course of duty, and the Sun Knights were decimated. The unit was disbanded as its command structure was lost, and was rostered under the First Army.

Even though the number of cavalry is lacking, it shouldnt affect the campaign too much as we will be attacking a fort.

Another thing is the increase in the number of pioneers. It was on short notice, but we managed to gather a lot of pioneers. This is probably because the population around the capital is dense, and the place is well governed.

I will elaborate on the purpose of the pioneers in the future.

Additionally, the one thing special about the Imperial First Army is the large number of chefs in the unit. Their huge numbers were not documented in any of the records. Their food selection is quite varied. This is because the target isnt far from the capital, so they made these preparations with siege in mind. I think our unit can learn from this

... Hmm This is becoming a report.

Regis reviewed the letter, then crossed out the words With Deepest Respect with two lines, and added the word Report.

And with this, one of his tasks was done.

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The letter Altina wanted was probably not a report written by a subordinate to his superior, but something written with a more intimate and friendly tone.

Thats why he should write it while keeping in mind how they usually converse.

Greetings,

Altina, how are you doing? I am doing well.

A few days ago, I visited Ms Carols bookstore and bought a book.

Although the main character of the book hates studying and school, he is very considerate of others, it is a story of how the friends in the classroom help each other.  Its final volume is all the rage among the readers, and I was deeply moved after reading it. The series has been ongoing for 8 years, and I started reading it at the age of 12.

The most fantastic part is

After writing for a while, Regis stopped again.

... Hmm This is becoming an idle chat about books. Or rather, a book review.

Regis couldnt stop when the topic was about books.

He shouldnt write like this.

If he wrote like this without restricting himself, it would eat into his time to perform other tasks. Specifically speaking, he wouldnt have time to read other books.

Now that he thought about it, he had read many letters written by great people in the past.

... Emperor Vicente wrote letters to ladies before. He was highly regarded as a poet, I will use his letters as reference then.

And so he wrote on another paper.

Ah, my most beloved Altina,

As long as you are well, the world will be filled with hope.

Did you receive my most precious item that was sent with the letter? Can you guess what it is?

It is love.

Regis laid onto the table with his head in his arms.

... This is wrong.

Speaking of which, he couldnt recall writing any letters to friends.

But he did write a ton of reports and requisition forms.

Hmm No choice but to write again tonight.

It was time for the conference.

Regis put down his pen and walked out of his assigned room.

When he walked through the corridor of this unfamiliar building, he heard a noise. The heavy infantry guards were saluting to him.

He peeked into the large room which had its doors open, and found an oval shaped table with about a dozen men in there.

The man with blonde hair and crimson eyes sitting at the innermost seat smiled.

He was the commander of the First Imperial Army, the Field Marshal of the entire Imperial forces, and the next Emperor in waiting Allen Deux Latreille de Belgaria.

Sir Regis, this way Let me introduce you to the staff officers again.

Ah, thank you

Regis was about to sit at the least conspicuous seat when he was called by his name. Latreille was beckoning Regis to sit on his left, corresponding to Germains seat on the right.

Latreille stood up and looked at everyone present.

As everyone already knows This is Third Grade Admin Officer Regis dAuric. Just for this one battle, I have seconded him from the Fourth Army, to assist the First Armys Chief Strategist.

Even though he was officially a Fifth Grade Admin Officer, he was being treated as if he had been promoted.

The staff officers got up in unison and saluted. Regis felt the pressure from the atmosphere and returned a salute hurriedly.

... P-Please take care of me.

Germain who was standing beside Latreille looked his way.

As an adjutant, his responsibilities overlapped with Regis. Their relationship was akin to business competitors.

But Germains expression was very gentle.

Fufu Some of the staff probably think I am very unhappy And it is natural to think so. But dont worry. I have experienced Sir Regis careful and farsighted planning personally, and I have never lost that sense of respect. In addition to that, my lord recruited you because he felt you are well suited for the battle this time I also think this is a rare opportunity to learn from you. Rest assured, I dont mean any harm. Please ease your guard against me too, Sir Regis.

Ah, erm I should be the one learning from you I will do my best to contribute.

Regis was flattered.

Even though the people around complimented him, the only thing that flashed across his mind was his future of being pushed down a cliff.

But the staff officers of the First Army had no interest in creating such a hostile atmosphere. Some nodded seriously while others seemed relieved

There were those who stared at Regis too.

They must have been feeling conflicted.

How scary.

His back was soaked in cold sweat. Regis was born a commoner, and both his age and rank were low. He was also the strategist of the Fourth Princess, not a subordinate of the Second Prince. He even fought a skirmish that was akin to a civil war with the knights of the First Army in the past, which led to some deaths.

Legally speaking, he wasnt to be blamed, but he was still someone who killed his colleagues.

On the other hand, his achievements in the war against High Britannia were acknowledged by everyone, and Latreille was the one who recruited him.

For the members of the First Army, it was a fact that this guy isnt welcomed, but we cant criticize him openly.

Such suppressed negative emotions were more frightening than obvious shows of disgust Thats what Regis thought.

As expected, I should resign from this mission. Regis lost his nerves.

But he joined after considering all the pros and cons.

He couldnt go back on his words now.

For Altinas sake, Regis had to investigate Latreille, the mysteries surrounding the Emperors death and his policies from now on.

And also for a personal matter which was hard for him to say In order for Regis to return to the Fourth Army that was waiting for him, he needed to pass his Third Grade Admin Officer promotion test. If he fails, what awaits him would be a long period of re-test. On a side note, the subject of the test was practical skills.

It was impossible for Regis who couldnt even wield a sword properly to pass the test.

As the Field Marshal of the Empire, Latreille had the authority to use this battle as a replacement for the test.

Regis joined the Imperial First Army for this reason. Not only did it give him a chance to investigate the matters related to Latreille, he would be exempted from the promotion test and could return to the Fourth Army if he successfully took back Grebauvar city.

Even though the agreement was simple, Regis felt an uneasiness and pressure as if he was climbing a huge cloud-covered mountain.