Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 125

The Empire’s Turmoil (12) – The Chaos in Gorber.

Among the people here, I was probably the one who was most surprised by Loderite’s death.

In the future that I knew, Loderite lived longer. I remember he died about 10 years before my death. But now, Loderite died earlier.

At first, I thought the biggest cause for Loderite’s death was the trap I set for him at Zetta. If that was true, then basically it was me who killed him. But Frankurlt’s explanation made me realize that my plan wasn’t exactly the reason for Loderite’s death.

Apparently, Sakuri worked by giving generals of his choosing a strategy. Loderite and Frankurlt were among those generals.

The generals he chose were all steady people who would faithfully follow his orders except for Loderite.

“Loderite is the only person who wasn’t chosen by Sakuri but rather promoted himself to Sakuri.”

At first, Sakuri came to Gorber as a traveling informant way before the Empire’s invasion of Rudek started.

Sakuri’s information was highly accurate, making The King of Gorber gradually value Sakuri.

The turning point for Sakuri was his plan to invade Rudek.

Sakuri began to egg on the King.

If things continue like this, not only Rudek but even Gorber will be destroyed by the Empire.

If we make preparations now, when the Empire and Rudek start fighting we could take Rudek by surprise and conquer Rudek without much difficulty.

If we managed to absorb Rudek then my king, you would be the ruler of the southern part of the continent, and even for the Empire, it would be hard to touch Gorber.

Gradually, the King began to fall for Sakuri’s constant sweet talk.

“The King has always been jealous of Rudek because even though Rudek and Gorbet are about the same size, Rudek enjoyed a much bigger prosperity simply because it had a large port. Sakuri used this jealousy. He pointed out to the King, the Rudek Kingdom prospered so why are we forced to live by pleasing the neighboring country every single day?”

Then when the war broke out between the Empire and Rudek, the Gorber army attacked and they managed to capture Kitsar Fortress without much difficulty, albeit for only a short time.

After that, the King of Gorber officially welcomed Sakuri as a strategist and he began to take a hostile stance against Rudek.

If Frankurlt’s words were true, it meant Sakuri was the one who instigated the war between Rudek and Gorber.

“Loderite knew Sakuri since he was still an informant. Sakuri is sharp in detecting the flow and subtleties of the battlefield so I heard that even when he was just an informant, Loderite would receive instruction from Sakuri on how to gain advantages on the battlefield so when Sakuri was appointed officially as a strategist, Loderite remained one of the influential generals under Sakuri. In addition, the condition that Sakuri put out when he accepted the position of strategist was for him to remain in the shadow. That’s why Sakuri’s achievements are often credited to Loderite.”

“Does that mean the reason Loderite became the first target for purging was that he had the closest ties to this strategist named Sakuri?” Frein asked.

“That is correct,” Frankurlt answered.

So that’s why people’s evaluation of Loderite’s ability became a debate in the future. I don’t think any of my knowledge from the future contradicted Frankurlt’s story.

As everyone was trying to digest the information they had just heard, someone spoke up, “Excuse me…”

It was Tsetsie with Luluria beside him.

With a troubled expression, Tsetsie asked, “Is it okay for us to hear about this too?”

Well, I don’t know if it was okay or not but it’s not like there’s anything I could do since they already heard it.

“Isn’t it fine? It’s better than being duped by some false information anyway. Plus, it’s an internal affair of another country, not our country,” Lapilia-sama replied and Tsetsie seemed relieved.

Beside him, Luluria was silent but I could see the interest in her eyes.

“May I continue?” Frankurlt asked

“Yeah, sure,” Frein replied.

“Strictly speaking, the people who were disposed of first weren’t Sakuri but rather the court officials with close ties to Sakuri who were at the capital before the defeated army returned from Zetta. I wasn’t there when that happened because I was stationed at the fort close to Hakusha so I was lucky. When I saw the list of the names of the people who were killed, I realized they were all connected to Sakuri so I knew I was also in danger. Once the defeated army had returned, a full-scale investigation began, and shortly after I heard a rumor that Loderite was put into house arrest. That was when I sent a message to your country to seek asylum.”

Frankurlt’s prediction was correct. Starting from Loderite, the execution of many generals began. Hearing pursuers were coming after him, Frankurlt immediately tried to escape by the sea. When he was waiting for an opportunity to escape at the small port, our ship arrived.

“Did Gorber Kingdom capture your family?”

“Thankfully, no. When I sent the request for asylum, I sent them alongside my personal wealth to Rudek’s territory disguised as a traveling troupe.”

“I see…What do you think, Roa? I don’t think he’s lying. I think we should take him with us and ask our superior for their opinion.”

“I agree, but Frankult-san, I can’t guarantee that Rudek will accept you. You’re the general who killed General Nisol, the former Commander of the 6th Division. You will face a large opposition from people like Wickharlt.”

Frankurlt glanced over at Wickharlt and gave a small silent bow, “I’m prepared for that.”

“Couldn’t you also seek asylum in Rubral in the west?” Tsetsie asked.

“Rubral is too far from where I was stationed so it will be too hard to bring my entire family there. Besides, I have relatives in Rudek.”

Rudek and Gorber used to have an amicable relationship so people used to come and go between the two countries. It wasn’t unusual for a Gorber’s citizen to have a relative in Rudek.

“There’s no point in endlessly debating here. Quickly decide on whether to bring him or not.”

Because of Northbell-sama’s words, I quickly made my decision.

“He’s also a valuable source of information about Gorber so let’s take him with us. Are you okay with that, Wickharlt?”

Wickharlt, who was still glaring at Frankurlt, finally turned his gaze away.

“Understood.”

“For now, We’ll bring you to Gedland. We will decide on what to do with you after arriving at Gedland. Depending on the situation, you might have to wait at the sea or be detained in Gedland. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course.”

Thus, we returned to Gedland with an unexpected guest, Frakurlt.

T/N: Despite Frankurlt’s explanation, I still think Roa’s scheme influenced Loderite’s execution. Maybe Gorber’s king, who’s already enraged because Sakuri ran away, heard the news of Loderite’s ‘betrayal’ so he executed him without giving Loderite a chance to defend himself?