When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 179

Episode 179

After leaving the ancient ruins, Jez and the others initially intended to head straight to the royal capital, Nevorista. This was because there was a mountain of tasks to be done in the capital, whether preparing for the expedition to the Divina Papal State or otherwise.

However, upon arriving at the frontline fortress city of Novalis, Jez decided to change their plans. Specifically, they decided to send a messenger to the capital first before heading there themselves.

There were several reasons for this decision, but the primary one was that approaching the capital without first informing them about the strategic-class conceptual armament/ pseudo-divine artifact, the Skybound Ark—Mandjet/Mesektet, could lead to severe and unintended consequences such as fierce attacks. Jez had almost been attacked by Raja while still in the ancient ruins, and it seemed that a similar situation could occur in Novalis.

Given these considerations, heading directly to the capital seemed likely to cause a lot of trouble. There was a high possibility of similar incidents occurring multiple times on the way.

When Novalis came into view, Jez and the others displayed the national flag, the Fourth Saintess Flag, the 7th Legion Flag, and the 11th Legion Flag. Nevertheless, they were met with a barrage of warning shots from Novalis. Given the recent South Uprising and the presence of an unidentified giant flying object approaching from unexplored regions to a frontline city, it was understandable that they would be attacked. Jez understood this reaction.

It would be worse to carelessly approach a frontline city with something whose allegiance was unknown, so this reaction was actually the correct response.

After retreating to a safe distance from Novalis, Jez and his team disembarked Erin, Rene, and Lucretia from the ship to explain the situation. Upon confirming their identities and Raja’s letter, Novalis officially recognized the Ark Mandjet/Mesektet as a vessel belonging to the Tashman Kingdom’s military. It allowed Jez and the others to dock the ship in a nearby wilderness.

Jez and his team spent two days replenishing supplies such as food, water, and magic stones, and checking the ship. During this time, they formulated their next steps.

The speed of this ship, which completely overturns existing concepts of travel and marching, was astonishingly fast. Capable of flying at approximately 200 km/h, the ship could cover around 1500 km in one day. 

To put this in perspective, a well-trained cavalry unit can cover about 100 km in a day, while infantry can only manage around 40 km without enhanced magic support. This means that a journey that would take a cavalry unit two weeks to cover at full speed could be completed by this ship in just one day.

Indeed, Jez and his team returned from the ancient ruins to Novalis in one day, a journey that would normally take about two weeks for a cavalry unit. Raja and his group would take at least another 10 days to return to Novalis.

This significant time lag implies that the Ark Mandjet/Mesektet, moving faster than any existing means of communication, will likely encounter frequent troubles like the current one. Repeatedly handling the same issues and the risk of mistakes leading to conflict cannot be dismissed.

Especially considering the current state of Tashman Kingdom, which could be described as a semi-war state. With the Southern Uprising still unresolved, the recent appearance of a dragon in the capital, and the internal strife in the Divina Papal State, it is understandable if the kingdom would shoot down any unidentified giant flying object within its territory without hesitation.

Considering these factors, Jez and his team decided to first send a report to the capital to inform them of the ship’s existence and then head to the northern core city of Foresval with the ship. By advancing along the border between human-inhabited areas and unexplored regions, they aimed to reduce potential troubles and seek cooperation for the formation of the 11th Legion in the northern front.

The formation of the 11th Legion was Jez’s first assigned role. Given that Raja, the leader of the 5th Legion, was aware of the establishment of the 11th Legion and the expedition to the Divina Papal Kingdom, it was almost certain that communication had already been sent to the three northern Legion commanders.

Furthermore, considering the current situations on the southern and eastern fronts, it was anticipated that the core of the expeditionary force would be composed of individuals from the north. The Legion Commander of the 11th Legion, Jez Norman, was also from the north.

Given these circumstances, it was unlikely that Jez’s stepfather had not taken any action. There was even a possibility that he had already begun assembling the necessary troops for the expedition.

Given the nature of the required expeditionary force, it was preferable to have a highly mobile unit of several hundred elite troops rather than a regular army of several thousand. With the current total of 15,000 troops from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Legions, it was not impossible to provide such a unit.

Jez and Erin had organized these considerations while delegating the role of chief of staff to Jez’s junior, Cynthia Clark. They requested her to handle logistics management, and proceeded north to secure the necessary troops.