Jerry called his men over to dispose of the body.
The middle-aged men who arrived were startled when they saw the corpse, and even more so when they saw me. Even then, without uttering an unnecessary word, they silently carried out Jerry's orders, hauled the corpse away, and departed.
"Who were those men just now?"
"As sharp as ever, Liege."
"Hmm?"
"They're the fellows who were saved alongside me by you back on that day, Liege."
"Ah."
I see. In that case, their surprise upon seeing me made sense.
"So there's no way in hell they'd ever betray you like that dung beetle just now."
"Good to hear. Moving on, tell me one more thing."
"Yes, sir."
"After the Imperial Army was routed, how did you manage to hold the line here?"
I asked Jerry about the situation. The whole affair had started when Eiler Noufe turned traitor, handing the Empire's regular army a crushing defeat. That, in turn, had led to my personal campaign. I had read the official reports, of course, but I wanted to hear directly from someone on the ground. Earlier, things had been too chaotic with the granary fire, so I had missed my chance to ask. This was another reason I had come to Jerry's outpost.
"Yes, sir! Would you prefer the rough summary, or should I go into detail?"
"Hahaha, what does the rough summary sound like?"
"We were having our usual skirmishes out on the frontier when that dung beetle betrayed us, and since then, it's just been a daily grind of stalling for time."
"I see. That is rough indeed."
I gave a nod, breaking into a grin.
"So the granary incident was just an extension of buying time, then."
"Yes, sir."
"In your view, why were you able to stall for so long?"
"Well, that'd be thanks to your glorious majesty, Liege—"
"Spare me the flattery."
"—Yes, sir."
Jerry nodded, his face turning red. He seemed embarrassed that I had caught him buttering me up.
"The reasons are... two, no, one—wait, two, maybe?"
"Haven't sorted them out? It's fine, just give me all of it."
"Yes, sir. For one, the locals despise the other side, whereas they like us."
"Does that make such a big difference?"
"Normally not that much, but when you add the other reason—that the other side is parading around acting like the imperial army—it makes a massive difference."
"...I see. The path of righteous rule cannot be walked without the cooperation of the people, is that it?"
"Brilliant as always, Liege."
I gave a small nod. If this were a mere barbarian horde or an ordinary rebellion, they could rampage as they pleased. But Eiler had proclaimed himself Emperor. And as long as he claimed the throne, he was obligated to govern. Governance required the cooperation of the people—or to put it more bluntly, it required winning their hearts. Claiming to be the Emperor while the populace actively cooperated with the opposing force—Jerry—was practically like having his hands and feet tied behind his back.
"...Jerry."
"Yes, sir."
"Spread a rumor that once the Empire reclaims this lost territory, all taxes will be waived for a year."
"That sounds great and all, but... are you actually going to do it?"
"Yes."
"Will our coffers be all right? I mean... in terms of, you know, this."
Jerry made the classic gesture, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger.
"It will not be an issue. If we defeat Eiler, we can confiscate his assets."
"Well, sure, but... shouldn't that sort of plunder normally be handed out as military rewards?"
"We are here in person. As long as We achieve prominent military merits, any complaints can be kept in check."
"I see... Ah! Could it be that the reason you're playing the dim-witted fool right now is—"
"Just going with the flow. As far as a personal campaign goes, this is my first battle, so I intended to sweep up the military glory for the future anyway. The idea about the funds only just crossed my mind."
"I see, brilliant as always, Liege!" Jerry marveled once again.
"Now then, We shall be departing soon... How is Mule?"
Remembering what I had forgotten to ask in the chaos of the sudden assassination attempt, I inquired about the beast.
"Ah, yes, sir! It's all set outside. We had to cram it into a pretty tight carriage, though."
"Understood."
Jerry and I headed from the far end of the garden—by the cage where Mule had been held—toward the front gate. Making our way through the winding path, we stepped outside to find a carriage waiting, just as Jerry had said. The vehicle rocked subtly back and forth, appearing quite restless. I found it rather amusing, imagining Mule thrashing about inside, unable to settle down.
"Well then, We shall—"
"Ah! There he is! Heyyy!"
"Hm?"
A shout loud enough to cut through my thoughts rang out, accompanied by the patter of approaching footsteps. Turning around, I spotted a familiar face running our way.
It was the novice eunuch, Luke.
Luke was charging toward us, drenched in sweat. A boy racing through the streets in travel-stained clothes drew curious looks from the townspeople, but they showed little interest beyond that, casting a brief "I wonder what that's about" glance his way before returning to their daily routines.
Luke sprinted straight up to me.
"Thank goodness, you're here."
Luke planted his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Ah! Um, Your Maj—"
"We are on the street. Stop that."
"Eh! Ah, yes! Um... then, Master?"
"Umu."
I nodded at Luke's quick correction.
"What brings you here?"
"Yes! Um, a letter from my parent—no, from Lord Henry!"
"Show me."
"Right away!"
Luke carefully produced an envelope from his robes. Taking it, I broke the seal, pulled out the letter, and scanned the contents.
"Hmm, understood."
Having read the concise message through, I tucked it away inside my tunic.
"What's happened?" Jerry asked.
"Rest assured, the broader situation has not changed. It is merely a report that Eiler has relocated to the city of Kakalka."
"Kakalka, that's practically right next door."
"It seems he is using the move as an opportunity to inspect his mausoleum as well."
"I see, I see."
"We are heading there. We wish to see Eiler's face at least once."
"I'll provide an escort."
"No, that will not be necessary. Depending on the circumstances, We may go listen to Eiler's bedside pillow talk, so a large entourage would only get in the way."
"Is that so... Understood."
"Luke, you are coming with me."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Jerry. Make sure to prepare that."
"Yes, sir!"
Using Huwawa's power, I recreated the crest to show Jerry once more. Then, taking Luke with me, I boarded the carriage carrying Mule and rode out of town.
Sitting on the driver's bench, I rode shoulder to shoulder with Luke. Since he was still just a boy and lacked the skill to handle a carriage, I took the reins myself.
The carriage rolled down the road, crossing into Eiler's sphere of influence. Even so, Eiler had originally been imperial royalty, meaning this land was once part of the Empire's domain as well. Had Jerry not warned me, the scenery was so seamless that one couldn't tell where the boundary began.
Throughout the journey, however, Luke was visibly on edge, constantly glancing back toward the interior of the carriage, mindful of Mule's presence.
"U-Um..."
"What is it?"
"D-Does it really... not bite?"
"It is fine... Mule."
"Miki?"
"Eek!"
Called by name, Mule poked its head out, startling Luke so badly he nearly tumbled off the seat. Wearing a face that seemed to ask, Did you call, Master?, the creature looked positively charming, entirely devoid of its former hostility and malice.
"Give him a lick."
"Miki!"
At my command, Mule leaned out further and planted a wet lick right across Luke's face. Panicking, Luke lost his balance and nearly plummeted from the carriage, but I caught him by the arm and hauled him back up.
"See? Nothing to worry about, was there?"
"Y-Yes... You're amazing, Master. When on earth did you tame such a terrifying monster?"
"Just a little while ago."
"Incredible..."
Luke looked on in sheer awe, glancing back and forth between Mule—who had quietly settled down in the absence of further orders—and me, the one commanding it at will.
"...Hmm."
Suddenly, something caught my eye in the surrounding landscape.
"What's wrong, Master?"
"..."
Without a word, I brought the carriage to a halt, hopped down from the bench, and walked toward what I had spotted. Luke scrambled down after me with hesitant, cautious steps.
I stopped at the edge of a sparse stand of trees at the entrance of a small grove. Reaching out, I gently ran my fingers over one of the trunks, surveying the surrounding woods.
"What is it, Master?" Luke asked again.
I turned around, met his eyes, and jerked my chin toward the trees.
"The grove...?"
"Yes. Look closely. The bark has been stripped away, hasn't it?"
"Eh? Ah, you're right. Why would someone do that?"
"They ate it."
"Ate it...?"
"Most likely the local farmers. People wouldn't resort to this unless facing a severe food shortage."
"Um, Master?"
"Umu?"
"Can you really... eat tree bark?"
"It serves as emergency sustenance. Enough to keep starvation at bay, at the very least."
"How do you even eat it?"
"Hmm." I dredged up old memories from the back of my mind. "First of all, eating it raw is strictly out of the question. Do that, and you'll suffer severe poisoning and die of dysentery."
"I-Is that so?"
"You strip the outer bark, shave away the rough surface, and keep the inner layer—the part that looks pale and fresh."
"Right."
"Then you cook it, either by boiling or roasting. If you slice it thin and use the discarded outer bark as kindling, you can prepare it without any waste."
"I had no idea you could do something like that..."
"With proper processing, you can even eat dirt."
"What?!"
"Though that, too, will only keep you alive for a short while longer."
"I see... You really know everything, Master. It's incredible."
I offered a faint smile, casting my eyes over the grove once more.
It was a scene common during famines. When all food ran out, people stripped and devoured the very bark from the trees. Floods produced the same devastation. In most disasters, the populace could cling to life until the bark was exhausted, but a locust plague was another matter entirely. The swarms devoured even the bark, leaving behind nothing but bare earth.
Lost in these ancient memories, a touch of melancholy washed over me.
"Ah, Master?!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"There's a village over there. Do you think it belongs to the people who ate this?"
I looked where Luke was pointing. Faintly visible in the distance was what appeared to be a small farming settlement.
I pondered the sight. There had been no natural disaster here; there was only war. The conflict was undoubtedly the root cause, but... how and why had conditions deteriorated to such an extreme?
Determined to find out, I took Luke with me and steered the carriage toward the village.