Summoning Japan × The New Order: Last Days of Europe

Chapter 40

July 2, 1963 / Year 1639 Central Calendar, noon

Lotus Garden, Principality of Qua-Toyne

The war with Louria has ended.

When the first news reached, cheers erupted from the streets of Qua-Toyne.

"The war is over!?"

"Louria has fallen! Seems like the interim government has signed surrender!"

"That's good news! Peace will finally come!"

"We did it! We did it!"

People rushed out of their homes, dancing on the streets in great jubilation.

The war with the largest military power in the Rodenius Continent ended in just half a month. Although the Principality of Qua-Toyne suffered losses, including the massacre of the border guards and residents of the town of Gim, most of the country remained unscathed. With the damage to Gim expected to be recoverable within a few years, there was still much hope for them.

However, despite being the victors, there were those among the leadership of the Qua-Toynian government who couldn't rejoice wholeheartedly.

"It's a joyous occasion that the war has ended... but has Louria truly collapsed?"

"Yes... King Hark Louria XXXIV fell in the Battle of the Royal Castle, and the southern states have fiefdoms with us. However, ethnic and tribal conflicts have erupted across various regions. Simultaneous uprisings and power struggles have intensified everywhere upon our defeat."

"From now on, we will prioritize relations with the southern fiefdoms that have gained independence from Louria. However, the Western Tribal Confederacy, where anti-demi-human sentiments run deep, still refuses to surrender to Qua-Toyne."

"...So, the war is far from over."

"Yes, for now, we are in the process of establishing the interim government of Louria and working with the southern fiefdoms to win them over to our side. Regarding the resistance forces, it seems they are trying to disseminate aerial photographs like these to demoralize them and suppress their fighting spirit."

Delivered to Prime Minister Kanata was a photograph of Jin-Hark Castle engulfed in flames and black smoke. The photograph received from Ambassador Tanaka, who handles Japan's diplomatic affairs, was more precise and transparent than a painting. Produced by the Teito Tsūshin Kōgyō from Guangdong, a former Japanese colony dominated by conglomerates, the photograph clearly showed the fierce battle at Jin-Hark.

Kanata was relieved that the photo didn't carry the stench of death. They hadn't sent photographs directly depicting the corpses of soldiers, but the walls stained black with countless bullet holes and blood splatters indicated the severity of the situation. Even in black and white, it was easy to imagine what had happened here.

In the Battle of Jin-Hark, many civilians were conscripted as soldiers. Even after announcements of the death of King Louria XXXIV were broadcasted, there were those who still believed the king was alive and chose to fight. As a result, the Japanese relentlessly bombed and shot at these resistance forces, using bombers and self-propelled howitzers to obliterate the urban blocks occupied by the resistance in Jin-Hark, showing zero mercy to anyone showing signs of resistance, regardless of age or gender.

'The Japanese Empire... truly possesses formidable power... to destroy a force of several hundred thousand troops in just half a month and then conduct a counter-invasion to occupy... they're a major power...'

What came to Prime Minister Kanata's mind was a city engulfed in flames, attacked by machine gun fire from helicopters circling the capital, and by iron wyverns flying at speeds even faster than wyverns. A single misstep and their own city might have met the same fate as Jin-Hark.

Fortunately, the Japanese government secured favorable terms for construction on leased land, and Prime Minister Takagi also holds favorable views toward the Principality of Qua-Toyne.

However, had things gone differently, the scenes captured in these photos might have been of their own familiar cityscapes. And then, bombs raining down on the Lotus Garden where post-war discussions were held, flames engulfing, people dying in agony...

Just imagining it sent shivers down Kanata's spine.

"If the incident in Maihark had escalated into war, we would undoubtedly have met the same fate..."

Prime Minister Kanata's words were not hyperbole. The foremost military power on the Rodenius Continent had been thoroughly defeated and destroyed. It is now a nation divided, and even if puppet regimes were established, considering post-war reparations, the government's freedom of decision-making would vanish. If, pushed by the radical factions within the government, they had gone to war with Japan... what lay on the table might not have been a cup of water, but their own severed heads.

"...Anyway, let's maintain our relationship with the Japanese Empire... They're not opponents we can contend with..."

"Yes, let's also listen to the detailed war situation report from the military attaché."

They concluded that not only the government but also the military had determined that Japan was not an adversary they could handle. And behind the victory in war, slowly but surely, the Principality of Qua-Toyne's footing was being eroded by the insidious grasp of Japan...