Three months have handed because the Imperium of Drussia has compelled the Kingdom of Porrand into an armistice. The peace treaty or because it was formally often known as; the ‘Commonwealth Concords’ was signed by the remaining Porrish nobles instead of their ‘lacking monarch.’

The Concords allowed the nobles to maintain their maintain over the jap Porrish provinces or granted them a province that used to belong to a now deceased Porrish noble household.

Nonetheless, this got here at the price of them wilfully permitting the Drussians to annex the whole thing of western Porrand in addition to forcing them to pay common month-to-month tributes as a protectorate underneath the Imperium of Drussia.

These struggle tributes got here largely within the type of materials items fairly than forex or cash. In any case, the one actual limitations to the Drussian struggle machine was their inhabitants measurement and their entry to assets.

The signing of the Commonwealth Concords has briefly handled these issues. Not solely had been the western lands wealthy and fertile sufficient to justify the invasion from an financial standpoint however it additionally positioned a whole lot of peasants underneath the Imperium of Drussia’s thrall.

Though a few of these Porrish peasants had been really ethnic Drussians, not all of them had Drussian heritage. Nonetheless, this was of no significance. Everybody, together with the peasants themselves agreed that had been all the time a silly, uneducated bunch.

So long as they had been protected and paid sufficiently for his or her providers, peasants will work the land for no matter grasp they discover themselves underneath. The Imperium of Drussia ought to be no totally different.

Though there was certain to be some semblance of misplaced loyalty, the persisting existence of the Kingdom of Porrand albeit as a vassal nation mixed with Imperial Military garrisons and open borders between the 2 nations permitting immigration and emigration ought to placate the lots.

As such, it was generally agreed inside the Imperium of Drussia that this was an amazing victory. A milestone which signified the rising power and status of the Imperium.

Nonetheless, not each Drussian felt this manner.

“We talked about this earlier than Frederick! Please rethink this!”

Throughout the non-public quarters which was reserved for the first lieutenant of the a hundred and first alpha corps, two siblings had been arguing.

The older one, Frederick knitted his brows collectively in slight annoyance in response to his youthful sister’s pleas. With a agency resolve in his voice, Frederick answered again to his sister.

“I have already got. Belief me. I actually have thought this via. I’ve determined the Imperial military is not the place for me.”

Frederick’s sister was totally shocked and left speechless by what he had simply stated. It appeared as if she simply couldn’t not consider what he was saying.

After a quick second of silence handed, Frederick’s sister as soon as once more continued making an attempt to dissuade her brother.

“Please do not resign from the military. I do know you hate it however please simply maintain making an attempt to look the opposite means. Maintain doing what you are already doing. There is no want so that you can unnecessarily threat every part! Bear in mind what you instructed me? ‘Ignorance is bliss.'”

“I can not tolerate what the Imperium is doing! I can’t be a part of any extra pointless demise or destruction introduced by the Imperium.”

Frederick sighed sombrely earlier than he continued talking.

“Look… Katherine… You already know me. Absolutely you bear in mind the principle the explanation why I initially joined with the Dunnwals?”

His sister; Katherine solely stored her lips collectively in response to Frederick’s query. After a couple of moments of silence, Frederick answered his personal query.

“I joined due to two causes. Due to loyalty because the Hans household are vassals to the Dunnwals and since I needed to assist in expelling the Panish invaders from Drussia. I didn’t be a part of to grow to be an invader myself.”

When Katherine noticed that she couldn’t change her brother’s thoughts, she solely sighed sadly.

“You actually wish to do depart?”

Frederick solely nodded silently to reply Katherine’s query. After as soon as once more sighing, Katherine resigned to her brother’s needs.

“Effective… Simply promise me one factor.”

As Katherine spoke, she stared deeply into Frederick’s eyes.

“Earlier than, your rank as brigadier and now 1st lieutenant has been sufficient to maintain our life. You have to promise me that you’ll discover an appropriate substitute job.”

“Belief me, it’s going to be high-quality.”

Seemingly unimpressed by Frederick’s declaration, Katherine pouted as she responded.

“I am not joking Frederick. You bear in mind what our lives had been like after we misplaced all of our serfs and territories and…”

Katherine hesitated for a second earlier than she continued.

“And… and our dad and mom to the Paniards? We. Misplaced. All the things. We. Had. Nothing. And who constructed up our lives from nothing?”

A brief second of handed earlier than Frederick answered Katherine’s query.

“We did…”

“Sure. We did.”

Katherine sighed once more earlier than she continued. Nonetheless, not like earlier than, it wasn’t sombre. As an alternative it simply sounded… drained.

“Please do not make us lose every part we have already got… I can not bear to don’t have anything once more…”

In response, Frederick placed on a reassuring smile as he spoke.

“You possibly can relaxation simple.”

Whereas he stated this, he softly positioned his proper hand on Katherine’s proper shoulder.

“There are a lot of different governmental roles inside the Imperium. Absolutely I can discover a appropriate substitute. I am certain every part can be alright.”

When Frederick noticed that Katherine wasn’t going to reply, he let go of her shoulder earlier than he proceeded to excuse himself.

“Now I need to depart. I ought to return by dusk.”

Simply earlier than he can depart the workplace nevertheless, he was stopped by his sister’s voice.

“Wait Frederick!”

“Sure?”

Quickly, Frederick circled round to face Katherine, considerably confused by her intentions. With a mouth that fashioned each a smile and a frown mixed, Katherine stuttered a single sentence.

“I… I like you…”

Frederick solely smiled as he replied.

“I like you too.”

Earlier than he left the workplace, closed the door and made his means for the commander-in-chief’s non-public workplace.

As the first lieutenant of a hundred and first Alpha Corps, Frederick was granted a number of privileges. The flexibility to privately meet with Erika, the commander-in-chief with out making an appointment beforehand, being one in every of them.

Nonetheless, simply earlier than Frederick reached Erika’s workplace, he got here throughout a fairly peculiar sound.

It was the kind of sound that Frederick didn’t count on to listen to inside these halls, the principle headquarters’ of the Imperial Military, the ‘Imperial Navy Ways and Administration Centre’.

It was the sound of somebody singing.

“???????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ????????ü???????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ????????ü????????????????????????”

Nevertheless it was not the singing itself itself that stunned Frederick probably the most. However as a substitute, it was the one who was singing the music.

“???????????? ???????????? ????????????ß????: ????????????????????.”

The one that was singing, was none aside from Erika herself.

There was little question about it, in spite of everything his time spent within the Violet and later Imperial Military, there was no means that Frederick may mistake Erika’s voice.

Quickly, he noticed the commander-in-chief herself, leaning out the window and glancing out on the metropolis sprawling in entrance of her eyes as she continued singing to herself.

When Frederick noticed this sight, he couldn’t assist freezing in full disbelief.

He simply couldn’t consider that the inflexible and severe Erika may have this aspect to herself.

“1st lieutenant Frederick, do you require one thing of me?”

Though Erika abruptly stopped singing to query Frederick’s intentions, he was nonetheless unable to make a correct response.

“Properly?”

“Oh I am sorry my woman!”

Nonetheless, his correct considering mechanisms kicked in as soon as he was questioned for a second time. Quickly, he tried to apologise for his unintended insubordination.

“It is simply that I used to be caught off guard by your-“

“There isn’t any want to complete that sentence.”

Though she was beforehand singing in an empowering, joyful tone, she has rapidly returned to that skilled and stoic Erika that Frederick has all the time identified.

“I consider that it might be adequate to say that I am experiencing a number of moments of excellent moods just lately. Nonetheless, I do not consider that you simply got here to me for this particular matter.”

“No I did not.”

Frederick paused for a second to mentally strengthen his resolve earlier than he continued.

“I got here right here to formally resign from the Imperial Military.”

Though Frederick was in a position to catch a slight glimmer of shock in Erika’s eyes, she nonetheless stored her composed disposition as she spoke.

“There should not be an issue with that. In any case, membership inside any governmental position, together with the navy is simply voluntary and your skills aren’t too excellent. The Imperial Military should not expertise any setbacks out of your resignation. Nonetheless, that also begs the query.”

Erika’s blue eyes stared deeply into Frederick’s soul as she questioned him.

“Why do you’re feeling that you need to resign from the Imperial Military?”

“Please do not take offence to this however…”

Frederick took a deep breath earlier than he continued. In any case, he was solely insulting the emperor in entrance of his closest subordinate.

“Maxwell is a monster… no he is worse. He is a monster amongst monsters. He is a demon. I simply… I simply can’t convey myself to hold out his will… not within the navy anyway…”

Erika’s eyebrows rose in slight confusion in response to Frederick.

“So what? You name him a ‘demon’ however he has introduced our folks to a brand new age of prosperity. By no means earlier than has Drussia been as prestigious, affluent and feared as it’s now. An evil demon Maxwell could also be however I consider it might be extra applicable to name him a ‘essential evil.'”

Frederick sighed earlier than putting a whole lot of emphasis into his voice as he responded.

“Be that as it could I do not need anymore a part of this. Please settle for my resignation.”

When Erika heard what Frederick needed to say, she paused for a brief second to seemingly assume to herself earlier than she gave her reply.

“Very properly. Because the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Drussian Armed Forces I can solely settle for your resignation… Nonetheless, earlier than I do, I need to first eradicate all possibilities of navy secrets and techniques being leaked, in spite of everything…”

As Erika spoke, she slowly made her means nearer in the direction of Frederick whereas on the similar time seemingly reaching for one thing in her internal coat.

“If Maxwell actually is a demon-“

“Grrrrggh!”

When Erika stated this, Frederick felt a sudden ache in his chest. When he glanced down the place he felt his ache, he discovered a knife that was embedded deeply into his chest.

A knife that was held in Erika’s proper hand.

When Frederick glanced again at Erika, he noticed that she nonetheless stored that skilled look on her face. Nonetheless, when he seemed deep into her eyes, it appeared nearly as in the event that they had been glowing.

“Then that signifies that I should be a demon too…”

Quickly, Frederick misplaced all sensation in his limbs as he collapsed onto the ground. Mendacity on his aspect, Frederick may solely clutch his chest in ache with no matter power he had left in his physique.

The sounds of footsteps entered his ears earlier than Erika squatted down in entrance of him as she pulled the knife out from his chest earlier than she ‘formally dismissed’ him from the Imperial Military.

“Frederick Hans, you may have now been honourable discharged from the Imperial Military. I hope you take pleasure in your resignation from the Imperial Drussian Armed Forces.”