Inside the tent, I was donning my armor with Alice's help.
I was getting suited up in battle gear for the upcoming deployment.
"...Heh."
"Is something the matter?"
Alice, who was tending to me up close, looked up with a puzzled expression and asked.
Given our height difference, standing so near naturally forced her to look upward.
Meeting her questioning, upturned gaze, I replied, "Nothing. I was just thinking that even if my mouth were torn, I could hardly claim I can still dress myself alone anymore."
"Your Majesty..."
Alice tilted her head curiously.
Currently the Emperor, and once an imperial prince.
Such a man did not dress himself—having spent considerable time by my side, Alice knew that well enough.
At the same time, her reaction stemmed from a hesitation to openly contradict me or question my words.
I chuckled softly.
"I go out incognito quite often, after all. Henry even scolds me for it."
"Ah, that's true!"
Alice seemed convinced by that logic.
She appeared satisfied with the reasoning that I would naturally have to dress myself while traveling incognito.
Of course, that wasn't what I had actually meant.
What I had really thought was this:
Even with the memories of my previous life, I could no longer, for the life of me, claim I could still dress myself.
Decades had passed since I was reincarnated and became Noah Ararat.
In terms of years lived, the time I had spent as Noah was now the longer portion of my existence.
The memories of my previous life were slowly fading, while my identity as Noah was growing stronger.
It would be difficult for me to even dress myself now—a strange sense of nostalgia washed over me.
Though in truth, this was the second time I had experienced this feeling.
"...I once heard a story long ago," I began, framing it as someone else's tale as I spoke to Alice. "About a young man who was born and raised in a remote village, but moved to the capital after growing up a bit. Before he knew it, his life in the capital had become longer than his time in his hometown, and he felt deeply sentimental about it."
"I understand. For me as well—"
Alice started to say something, then caught herself and fell silent.
"Hm?"
"Ah, n-no, it's nothing!"
Alice panicked. Blushing vividly, she hurriedly brushed it off.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she murmured, "To think the life where Your Majesty is present has become the longer one..."
She had intended to hide it, but my ears caught every word.
Well, if she wanted to play it off, the kind thing to do was pretend I hadn't heard.
I held my tongue and said nothing.
Alice had been momentarily flustered, but seeing me remain silent, she quickly regained her composure and attentively finished dressing me, just like a devoted wife.
After a short while, a silhouette appeared outside the tent.
"It is Henry."
"Enter."
When I granted permission with easy magnanimity, the entrance opened, and Henry—already impeccably attired and fully prepared—stepped inside.
He approached me and offered a practiced, formal bow.
"Preparations are complete, Your Majesty."
"Umu."
"The location is straight southwest from here, where a stray enemy unit has been cut off. Given their numbers, it should be an effortless victory."
"Understood."
"However, why go out of your way for something like this?"
"Umu?"
I tilted my head and looked at Henry.
Henry, for his part, wore an expression even more bewildered than mine.
"I cannot quite grasp Your Majesty's thinking... The overall outcome has already been decided. What remains is merely mopping up or pacification—a subtle difference in nuance, but that is the stage we are at."
"Indeed."
"Why must Your Majesty make a personal appearance here? Moreover, your order was..."
Henry cast a brief glance toward Alice.
Having issued the order myself, I understood immediately—Henry was being considerate of my pride in front of a woman.
I let out an amused laugh and said, "It was to find out where the weakest enemy was, wasn't it?"
"...Ha."
"Since we're here, I thought I would continue to feign mediocrity for a bit longer."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I personally led this campaign, but I didn't actually do anything of note. It ended before I could lift a finger."
"...Ha."
Henry nodded slightly.
A man as sharp as Henry instantly understood that I was referring to the public narrative without requiring further explanation.
"I want it to appear as though the Emperor, having accomplished nothing, scrambled after the fact to hastily rack up some military achievements."
"I see. Since we are still at a stage where such deception is effective, you intend to thoroughly play the role of an incompetent fool, is that it?"
"Precisely. That's why an opponent weak enough to feel like bullying was ideal."
"Your Majesty is truly remarkable."
"You think so?"
"I inevitably view things through the lens of tactics. What Your Majesty is doing is staging the political position of the 'Emperor'—it is strategy."
Henry offered his praise.
Hearing a man of Henry's caliber deliver such earnest praise, Alice, who had been quietly tending to my attire, listened with an enraptured gaze of profound respect.
"Henry."
"Yes...?"
"Tactics and strategy are not superior or inferior to one another. It is merely a difference in means—in tools."
"...As expected, Your Majesty is truly magnificent."
Henry's eyes widened in momentary, speechless astonishment before filling with even deeper reverence.
☆
Leading my troops out to battle, I advanced based on the intelligence gathered by Henry—or rather, from the scouts—and intercepted the isolated unit in about a quarter of a day.
The enemy unit showed visible hesitation against the imperial soldiers who had suddenly materialized before them.
Should they fight to the bitter end, or should they turn and flee immediately?
It was plainly obvious that they were paralyzed by indecision, unable to commit to either course.
I, on the other hand, did not hesitate for a second.
Almost the moment I caught sight of the enemy, I manifested the imperial crest and ordered my soldiers to charge.
Accidentally defeating a formidable unit would be the worst possible outcome.
Second only to me, the Emperor, losing my life out here.
That was why I had ordered the scouts to thoroughly investigate the enemy force in advance.
As a result, I knew that even by the most generous estimate, they were merely an isolated band of weaklings.
I led the charge straight into their ranks.
Just as Henry had predicted, it was an effortless victory.
The instant our charge collided with them, their lines shattered into a rout. The battle quickly devolved into cutting down the fleeing enemy from behind.
I showed no mercy, continuously striking down enemy soldiers from horseback.
Naturally, I dispatched the few soldiers who dared cross my path, but beyond that, I also deliberately stole kills, cutting down enemy troops whom my own men had already weakened.
Even while snatching their achievements, I maintained the imperial crest generated through the spirits.
It was a power that compelled even those who had never seen my face to recognize me unmistakably as the Emperor through the crest and my overwhelming presence.
Wielding that authority, I swung my blade while forcefully asserting my identity as the Emperor.
By doing so, I made it undeniable that I, the Emperor, had personally taken the field.
In the blink of an eye, the enemy unit was literally wiped out.
"The enemy unit has been completely annihilated."
"Good work."
The squad leader delivering the report gave me a look of subtle disdain for constantly snatching the soldiers' glory.
This sort of petty rumor carries far more credibility when spread by allies rather than enemies, so I felt secretly satisfied that everything had unfolded exactly according to plan.
Still mounted, I looked over the soldiers handling the aftermath and the bodies of the vanquished enemy.
Suddenly, a strange sense of dissonance struck me.
"Strange..."
"What is, sire?"
The squad leader nearest to me picked up on my muttered words.
Without answering, I pulled on the reins and continued observing, trying to put that lingering unease into words.
After a moment's thought, I managed to articulate it.
There had been no sign of surrender.
The enemy soldiers had shown signs of either desperate resistance or outright flight.
However, there hadn't been the slightest attempt to surrender.
That bothered me.
Naturally, I had arrived with the full intention of wiping them out without question, but the enemy had no way of knowing my intentions. Even if they had, clinging to any hope of survival was basic human nature.
Yet there had been practically zero indication of surrender.
That was unnatural. It nagged at me.
"Your Majesty!"
A soldier came running over.
Out of breath, he looked as though he had sprinted over in a panic.
"What is it?"
"W-We found something strange."
"Something strange?"
"Yes, well... how should I put it..."
The reporting soldier's face was filled with utter bewilderment. He looked completely at a loss as to how to explain or report what he had seen.
"Very well. Lead the way."
"Y-Yes, sire!"
I gave the order to the confused soldier and had him guide me.
Remaining on horseback, I rode down the path cleared by the other soldiers.
We arrived at what had been the center of the enemy camp, where a modest cache of supplies was stored.
Among the provisions sat a single large wooden crate.
"This is it."
"This is..."
I dismounted from my horse and approached the wooden crate.
Prying it open, I saw what lay inside.
"...I see."
A young boy dressed in noble finery lay there—unconscious, but still alive.
"What could this mean?"
"He's that guy's son. Search the crate; there should be something that proves his lineage."
At my command, the soldier began thoroughly searching inside the crate and around the boy.
After a brief search—
"Incredible... Ah, here it is!"
The soldier searching the crate held up a gold plate engraved with lettering, as if he had just unearthed a priceless treasure.