第１８９４堀：落ち着いてきたけどそれでも (Part2)
"But why the focus on social standing?"
Conscripting from other nations is an insane proposition. It feels like nothing more than creating a vulnerability for ourselves.
"In those lands, women don't become knights. Or rather, they *cannot*. So, there’s no room for them to complain if we put out a recruitment call."
"No, I don't think it’s that simple. It would essentially be a drain on their human resources."
As expected, Her Majesty—and my father—would never permit such a thing. They would certainly demand some form of compensation.
"It’s not for nothing. It serves as proof that women who were treated poorly elsewhere can be useful as soldiers, doesn't it? We’ll only take those who volunteer, and we can learn the know-how of training female soldiers. I’ll even grant them permission to return to their homeland—to Findal—afterward. How about that?"
"Is that the logic behind it? Certainly, that offers a merit. Even so, women as soldiers... while perhaps more plausible than them becoming knights, I imagine there will be backlash from the men."
I was only accepted because of my status as a princess and my own level of skill. Skill can be cultivated, but as for status...
"Well, that’s the country’s policy, and I won't interfere. But if we can deem them capable, that’s just more soldiers for us. And, of course, we’ll hold trials of strength..."
"…True, that would demonstrate their ability. It might invite even more backlash, but if they have the cold, hard fact of a defeat to point to, anyone who complains only makes themselves look pathetic."
"Exactly. Making excuses after losing to a woman? How miserable. But putting that aside, I’ll leave it to you whether or not to actually bring it up. This is only coming up because Weed is seeing a decline in soldier replenishment."
"Ah, is that so? Jessica has been holding her head in her hands over it, hasn't she?"
Soldiers aren't raised overnight. Weed does not conscript from the peasantry or the common folk. Given Weed’s technological prowess, using untrained civilians as soldiers would be nothing more than a hindrance. Therefore, gathering a proper force is no small feat.
"In that case, shall we also touch upon the soldiers in the northern town? I’ve heard there are no issues, but?"
"Yes. Regarding the defense of the northern town, there are no problems."
"Defense, you say. In other words..."
"Launching an offensive is a pipe dream. Even if the North were to attack, we can only hold our ground."
"I see. Well, considering the total population of Oue, that’s only to be expected."
"Yes. Besides, even if we were to topple the North, as Yuki mentioned before, we lack the capacity for occupation and governance. It would only end up dragging us down."
This is something Yuki has been saying for a long time. And I, too, understand it. Looking back at history, such outcomes are all too common. To break through this stalemate...
"It really comes down to the movements of Vilia and the others in the North. If the Kingdom of Giadana can suppress the activities of the Clearstream Church within their borders, I hope we might uncover the root cause."
"True, that’s the crux of it. Well, we can consider the initial objective—diverting attention away from the South—to have been achieved."
"Yes. Thanks to that, the possibility of a war breaking out in the South has dropped significantly. We cannot afford to let our guard down, however."
We hope that by seizing the Clearstream Church in the Giadana capital, their coordination will crumble. But we cannot guarantee that other branches, independent of the Kingdom of Giadana, won't start acting on their own and picking a fight with the South.
"Exactly. There’s a possibility that factions other than the Kingdom of Giadana might start moving on their own. We really can't move Stasia and the others out of Oue."
"If we need to respond immediately, that is unavoidable. Well, if I were to send Agil or Fiora back to the North to man the defenses, I could move, but how many soldiers can we actually deploy? Toppling a country is one thing, but do we have enough to garrison it?"
"…We don't. If only we had that kind of manpower."
"Indeed."
And so, while confirming the stability of the northern town, we were once again struck by the reality of our limited options—or rather, the sheer scale of our opposition.
Oue has settled down, but the conclusion remains that sending our forces abroad is impossible. Thus, we turn toward the possibility of gathering strength from outside of Weed. Since men are out of the question, the conversation inevitably drifts toward women.
Incidentally, Stasia is currently pregnant but still insists on being a frontline commander. Seraria and I are currently deliberating on how to keep that a secret from Yuki.