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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Eagle’s Nest.
The reason Arthur Philias named it as such was because he thought they were the true ‘eagles’, the symbol of the Empire.
Eagles are noble.
Unlike vulgar birds, they don’t flock together, and they are faster, larger, and more threatening than other birds of prey.
A beast of prey that perches alone on a sheer cliff, surveys the vast world, and glides towards the horizon.
That’s why he named it Eagle’s Nest.
A dwelling where eagles who had been abandoned and rejected by others could rest.
Right now, all of them, including Luthers Edan, were war heroes who had played active roles in the war against the Titans.
However, they were all demoted or fallen due to those around them who were jealous of their achievements.
Arthur Philias thought they were the soldiers who would be responsible for the Empire’s future, but it was because the President’s grasp had reached the military as soon as the war ended.
From the beginning, the President had not looked favorably upon soldiers.
He saw the military as a potential dangerous means that could always point guns at him, and even before the war with the Titans, he had constantly tried to firmly control the entire military.
It was only natural.
At that time, the imperial family’s power was still intact, and there were many officers who were loyal to the imperial family, not the state.
Naturally, the President, who had rolled in and sneakily grabbed a position, wouldn’t look pleasing to them.
So the first thing he did was to place his own person in the position of Inspector General of the Supreme Command, which was generally avoided by officers.
It was a period when everyone was in cahoots, and those who weren’t were pushed to a corner.
Who on earth would want to do the snitching job of arresting their colleagues and friends and handing them over to the military police?
However, that didn’t mean that the power held by the Inspection Department was nullified.
Mikhail Bismarck cleverly dug into that point and succeeded in successfully removing his remaining enemies within the military.
Arthur Philias, who was only a field-grade officer at the time, witnessed countless times the necks of his superiors, who had been stiff, being broken and falling to the ground.
They could make up any pretext.
At that time, how many people in the Imperial Army hadn’t had their fill?
Even if you were just a colonel, you would get solicitations from local notables or people doing business near the unit.
The military was inherently a money-eating hippo.
Just the basic number of personnel in a single unit was hundreds or thousands.
Eating, wearing, using.
All those things related to the necessities of life were all money.
Especially in the north or east, where infrastructure was relatively lacking, there were commercial districts that only consisted of income generated from military bases.
How difficult would it be to scoop a few pennies with a bucket from the waterfall-like stream of money and stuff them into your own pocket?
Under the pretext of custom and the excuse of practice, the things that were committed became the ropes that strangled their necks.
A considerable number of officers were hung on trees.
Although it was only a figurative meaning, there would have been quite a few who actually hung themselves on trees.
In fact, Arthur Philias didn’t particularly have any antipathy.
Because Arthur himself was also included among the underdogs who were rejected, unlike them.
Some thought it was an attempt to seduce him.
-We need to reform the spirit of this rotten military from the roots.
The conversation he had with the President by chance during that process made Arthur become infatuated with him.
Respect to those who should be respected.
Honor to those who are honorable.
Learning to those who need to learn.
The values emphasized by the President were all correct words, and Arthur Philias was inspired by those words.
From that moment on, Arthur Philias was the President’s sword.
He did not hesitate to tell the President about his tactical and strategic insights, and he made him face reality rather than cater to his taste.
Ridiculously.
Mikhail Bismarck liked that even more.
Arthur was a man without greed.
Only for the defense of the nation.
The President had no reason to discard a capable soldier who acted only for a great cause.
Doesn’t the defense of the nation ultimately mean protecting the Empire that he will completely possess?
It was the reason why Arthur Philias was able to rise to the position of Supreme Commander during wartime after running the promotion course.
And at that time, the war with the Titans broke out.
The President’s attempt to control the military was temporarily suspended.
If the defense lines were pushed back, the Empire and the President’s position would be swept away, so what military control was he talking about?
Those who had been waiting to be disciplined were massively reinstated, and even that was not enough, so people from various social classes were pushed to the front lines.
And finally, when the war ended.
Arthur Philias sensed that the military he had desired was completed.
The Empire’s talent pool was more abundant than ever.
Instead of greedy old men, capable and extraordinary young officers were advancing everywhere.
The combat doctrines that had been mere armchair theories were painted with the blood of comrades and transformed into more efficient and realistic ones.
Now, using them as a foundation, the Empire had to be made even stronger.
The stronger the military, the more prosperous the nation would become.
Perhaps the world order that had been taken away long ago could be regained by the Empire, not the Republic of Bostania.
That’s what he had thought.
Right after the declaration of the end of the war, before the President openly revealed his ambition.
He treated the young war heroes as a long-term threat.
Now that the war was over, he judged that they might turn their swords against him.
Arthur Philias protested that there was no way that would happen, but the President was adamant.
Only then did he realize.
The one who had brought a great wind of change to the Empire had become rotten, just like those he had despised so much.
An ugly old man who had covered his eyes with lies and delusions and struggled not to let go of what he had in his hands.
In his eyes that had held intense energy, there was now only a madness-like obsession with power.
His appealing and principled voice had transformed into a cunning one to fill his own pockets.
Yes.
He could have just let that slide.
He had seen people becoming corrupt many times.
In fact, even Arthur Philias himself wasn’t upright either.
But the moment the President turned his gaze not to the domestic, but to other countries beyond the border.
The Supreme Commander of the Empire finally had to make a ‘decision for the salvation of the nation’.
One year.
Only one year!
Are you saying that you will start a new war without even giving those who survived the war with the Titans time to reunite with their loved ones?
Now, are you going to point guns at fellow humans instead of Titans and pile up how much blood?
Even the war heroes he had praised until his mouth wore out were just like falling leaves in front of the President’s checks.
Arthur recalled the not-so-distant past.
It was right after the official end of the war was declared.
-Arthur, what do you think should be done about the award for Brigadier General Luthers Edan?
-He is a tremendously capable person who single-handedly supported the central front as the fortress commander. As a very valuable talent who will lead the Imperial Army in the future, you should greatly reward him and make him the next Supreme Commander.
-Hmm, do you praise him that much?
-Of course. No matter how much he is a brigadier general, it is the lowest among the general ranks, and the achievements he made as the commander of a mere frontline fortress are unimaginable. Even in a situation where everything was unfavorable, he had the sense to twist the results in a direction I couldn’t even imagine!
It was almost a song of praise.
Of course, it was too clear to simply call it a ‘song’ considering the achievements Luthers had made, wasn’t it?
However, the answer that came from the President’s mouth was frighteningly cold.
-That’s why it’s dangerous, Arthur.
-Pardon?
-The Empire has too many talents. Isn’t it a truly great nation? But you know… where is the guarantee that they won’t turn their claws against me?
-…
-I need a sword that will freely cut down enemies when wielded, but will obediently go into the sheath when not in use.
-But they don’t seem like that to me. To me, they look like beasts that will leap to a higher place at any time and bite the neck of their leader… Don’t you think so?
It was a moment that sent chills down his spine.
In fact, President Mikhail Bismarck had the intention to eliminate Luthers Edan if things went wrong.
Even if he had quietly gone down to his hometown and secluded himself as he had said, he probably wouldn’t have lifted the surveillance for at least a few years.
Then, whether intentional or not, the moment he lightly touched on the President’s suspicion.
It was obvious that the treasure and future of the Imperial Army would be trampled brutally and cruelly.
So he recommended him.
As the director of the ‘Strategic Security Agency’, a new organization the President would create.
At least until he held the hilt of the sword, he wouldn’t rashly try to throw away that sword.
And finally.
“The Titans are still alive.”
Luthers Edan, who had been caged for a while, had once again returned as an eagle.
With the shocking but—at the same time, sufficiently understandable news that the Titans were still alive.
“Then we should now seriously discuss countermeasures.”
Arthur Philias added as he put a cigarette in his mouth.
“How can we bring down that thousand-year-old serpent?”
In the den of the fiercest beasts who had once dominated the battlefields of the Empire.
The seeds of rebellion slowly began to sprout.
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