I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

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After the Anger of the Empire descended upon the Royal Capital of Dedorant,

the rumors surrounding the assassination of Cassius II, which had been simmering quietly, completely vanished.

It was only natural. With an event of this magnitude, why go through the trouble of an assassination? Just drop it right above the royal palace and be done with it.

Why go to all that trouble and risk when you can simply do that?

With this one attack, all the resistance will of Dedorant had utterly crumbled.

Though a few places, still not having received the news, continued their futile struggle, they wouldn’t last long.

After all, those who were to give the final orders had literally vanished in a flash of light, hadn’t they?

In a bit of time, they would come to realize that something had gone very, very wrong.

However, the execution of the Manhattan Project didn’t solely bring good outcomes.

First and foremost, there was not a single person remaining to officially acknowledge Dedorant’s defeat and request surrender.

With the command and high-ranking officials all gone, this was perhaps to be expected.

“Normally, when a war between nations ends, representatives from each country come forward to declare the end of hostilities and announce who won and lost.”

I thought that those drenched in madness wouldn’t be listening to reason anyway.

So, I simply dropped it right on top of their heads, but things got tangled up here.

And asking Paelus to do it seemed ambiguous, considering he was already a signatory of the surrender.

“According to our findings, the Former King of Dedorant died a few months ago, Chief of Staff. Also, Cassius II had no children. What shall we do?”

“Well, we have no choice. If we can find someone who can represent the Dedorant royal family, whether they’re a distant relative or not, let’s get them to the Surrender Ceremony.”

It doesn’t matter if there’s no legitimacy or rationale. We don’t need that anymore.

In a war that we’ve already won, Dedorant will no longer exist upon this land.

Honestly, it would be even better if one of the two heirs came forth to request surrender.

And a week later, a distant relative of the Dedorant royal family agreed to attend the Surrender Ceremony.

Despite not being a man but a girl, and not even an adult, it didn’t matter.

In fact, it would showcase the dire situation of Dedorant even more prominently.

“I hear the nobles accompanying the representative of Dedorant are all inconsequential local nobles.”

“Seems like they’ve all vanished. Better this way. It might even be best to rebuild from scratch.”

The news of the Royal Capital’s fall would be disseminated throughout Dedorant.

At first, many were skeptical, but they weren’t without ears, after all.

The information came from those who escaped the Royal Capital of Dedorant. And also from the information disseminated by the Empire.

Even those who had been steeped in madness began to regain their sanity, albeit belatedly.

Before long, most of the castles and strongholds still resisting raised the white flag.

The Imperial Army moved in to disarm them and confiscated all their weapons and horses.

There was a bit of resistance and disturbances, but when they caught wind of the situation in the capital, it quickly calmed down.

Additionally, the Dedorant Army stationed in DeGale and Ross Tanika also surrendered.

Thanks to that, we learned just how horrific things had been in the territories conquered by DeGale.

We discovered the extent of the devastation and how many lives had been lost during the process.

*

“…Those insane bastards.”

Reports continued to pour in, bringing back vivid memories of the tragedies that had unfolded in DeGale, which I had temporarily forgotten.

As I absorbed that news, a wave of regret washed over me. The Anger of the Empire—I should have restrained it just once more.

I shouldn’t have let them go easily. They should have all been captured and hung at the gallows.

Then, their corpses would have been suitably crushed by the enraged.

“How many have already perished?”

“Yes, Chief of Staff. Our forces entering DeGale urgently report about the dire food situation. It has been several months and casualties are rising.”

At first, they took the able-bodied men. Then, to eliminate the resistance, they killed untold numbers.

They abducted young women, claiming they would serve Dedorant.

Next, they swept away every last potato, leaving everyone—men, women, and children—starving to death.

While this was enough to be horrified, the real nightmare was just beginning.

“Urgent report, Chief of Staff! We just received news that facilities constructed to detain resistance forces were discovered in DeGale.”

“Are they talking about POW camps? Or….”

Don’t tell me. No way that could be true. Why would they even need to conduct ethnic cleansing?

If that were true, unleashing the Anger of the Empire would indeed be something to regret for ages.

“According to the investigation, it’s not a typical POW camp. Reports from the field commanders say these camps were where they tortured captured resistance members and ultimately killed them, the horrors beyond description.”

“…Ha. Really.”

After two long years, during which I led this war, I had never once thought I’d done anything wrong.

Yet, at this moment, I felt it keenly. I messed up. I made a mistake.

It was better to carry out the Anger of the Empire with brute force rather than magical displays.

Damn it. I should have gathered every last one of them and tossed them alive into boiling water.

“What is our current supply status?”

“We’re nearing the end of combat with Dedorant, so we have some leeway.”

“Gather all of them and send everything to DeGale. Quickly.”

Both for the sake of this war’s justification and for humanitarian reasons.

Support for DeGale must go through. In the long run, it is the right thing to do.

However, one troublesome issue burdened me, and it was yet another extension of politics.

“Kael. I’ve heard that there are worried looks coming from the Institute.”

“What’s that all about, Bel?”

“While it’s true that DeGale fought against Dedorant and suffered greatly, during that time many pro-Dedorant figures emerged in DeGale, and even foreign troops fought alongside Dedorant against our Empire.”

Is DeGale a kingdom that suffered, or is it a pro-Dedorant collaborative nation like Atria?

This seemed to be a point of contention within the Empire.

Amid this, it seems distributing goods funded by the taxpayers of the Empire to DeGale was deemed uncomfortable within the Institute.

“…Let’s just say it’s humanitarian aid for now. It can’t be that difficult, right?”

“I’ll go back to the Institute and persuade those showing reluctance. This is all for the sake of humanitarian efforts. I know you have your views, but it’s morally wrong to remain silent while hundreds of thousands are starving right in front of us.”

“Please, I beg you.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure my brother will fully support us in this matter.”

After sending Bel off to the Empire, the next person I met was Paelus.

He had been managing those who surrendered even before the Anger of the Empire fell upon Dedorant.

Upon hearing the news recently, he was in shock, not eating or drinking for days.

Visiting him at this time might elicit unfavorable reactions.

But I had to meet him. I had to convey this message.

“I’ll say this in advance. I will not apologize. Our Empire will not apologize.”

“….”

“If we had simply attacked, the Empire’s losses would have multiplied. If that had happened—”

“Then the Empire’s hostility towards the remaining Dedorant people would have grown in proportion. Chief of Staff, am I wrong?”

“You are correct.”

As I awaited his next words, Paelus let out a deep sigh.

“I see. I understand that this was a warning from the Empire, and conversely, an act of mercy shown to us Dedorants. Had we already made it, we could have used those resources elsewhere; instead, we’ve spared unnecessary sacrifices by surrendering after this final assault.”

“As I mentioned earlier, our Empire has no intention of erasing the Kingdom People of Dedorant.”

While I hadn’t heard anything differently from the Institute, this land would become part of the Empire.

Dedorant would, and so would Atria. The royal family has vanished entirely with more than half the nobles dead.

Those left cannot manage this land any longer. They lack the power and the rationale.

The Empire wouldn’t just hand over its spoils to innocent people, after all.

“I heard you found a distant relative of the Dedorant royal family.”

“Though they are distant relatives, they are essentially just nobles.”

“It doesn’t matter what they are. As long as those long-dead spirits of the past can admit they’ve ended the war and recognize their defeat.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Allow me to accompany the representative of Dedorant at that ceremony. I want to be there when that name is used for the last time.”

Paelus seemed to grasp my intentions. The name Dedorant will soon vanish.

In the not-so-distant future, this land would fall under the name of the Empire, within its boundaries.

“Very well. I grant you permission in the name of the Chief of Staff of the Empire.”

“I can only praise the mercy of the Chief of Staff.”

As I watched Paelus bow his head, I turned my gaze to the window.

Today, the sunset seemed particularly mournful and heart-wrenching. Was it just my imagination?