Chapter 254: Thoughts |
It’s been 10 days since Lupetta and the others left Newnelly.
Since I was stuck in my thoughts, I rested my back on my chair and looked up.
[Hmmm…]
The only thing there was the same ceiling of my room as usual. Of course, there are no written answers to recent thoughts.
As I was clearing my throat, Tesh called out to me.
[What is the matter, Young Master?]
[Just thinking.]
I answered that it was nothing, but Tesh didn’t back down.
[Master will be returning today. He will be worried if he sees Young Master acting like this. Young Master’s enthusiasm for overthrowing Spierzeig is good, but don’t get too worried about it…]
Rather than worrying, I was thinking. Because I had so many things to think about, the possibilities are expanding exponentially, and the range of my imagination is expanding. As a result, I ended up thinking endlessly.
[Does it have something to do with the story of the person named Melgin who was arrested in the castle town?]
The other day, when I visited the Newnelly Military Base, I summoned Melgin. This was because Lupetta had asked me to do so, and I was curious about the details of his proposal for “cooperation with the Quordenze family.”
The interview was completed without any problems. It was after that that there was a problem.
[That’s one of them.]
Very few people know about the contents of the hearing. I didn’t even talk to Tesh. That’s probably why Tesh was more worried than usual.
[However, it’s not a problem that I’m dealing with on my own. I’m sharing information with the officers at the base, and I’ve asked Raylight to consult with me.]
[This Raylight we are talking about, is he the one from the Knight Gatoren family?]
[Yeah, that’s him. He has a good mix of his own innate free spirit and Gatoren’s seriousness, making him easy to talk to.]
The story that Melgin brought to us was difficult to judge, not only for me but also for the senior military officer who was present.
In the first place, I don’t have any particular trust in Melgin himself, let alone Lupetta. The story was that it was a strange trick that was rarely seen in the south, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. In the end, Quordenze’s honest opinion was, “we can’t decide how much to believe’.’
As I was wondering what was going on, a Nambonan soldier came back from a field expedition at the perfect time. So I invited the commander, Raylight, to also listen to the story.
[If it wasn’t for Raylight, the talk wouldn’t have progressed. I’m grateful for him being in Newnelly.]
Raylight, who roamed the southern part of the continent as a mercenary, has knowledge that other military officers do not have. When he heard Melgin’s proposal, he immediately showed his understanding.
However, understanding and agreeing are not the same thing. Although Raylight gave a certain evaluation to Melgin’s plan, he concluded that the Quordenze side currently has an advantage, so it would be better to continue with the decisive battle. This is the same conclusion as other military officers.
However, Raylight also said that it would be better to proceed with the Melgin plan at the same time, so there was a difference in that regard.
[Then, it isn’t what troubled Young Master at the moment?]
It was after that that something unexpected happened.
[Well, I’m a little troubled when Raylight is gone. There’s no one I can feel free to talk to about this matter.]
Although Melgin’s plan was completely unacceptable to the senior military officers, they did not ignore the information on which it was based. It appears that the decision was made that this could become a factor that would affect future military movements. However, it was difficult to determine how much to believe the words of a man of dubious status such as Melgin.
At that moment, Raylight raised his hand and said, “Alright, let me check it out’.’ The story progressed in the blink of an eye, and the next day, Lupetta, Melgin, and Raylight departed for the Mist village, which is part of Weldburg City.
It’s okay because there are locals who are familiar with the area, and from what I’ve heard, it’s unlikely that they’ll be captured unless they get too close to Weldburg City. Lupetta and Melgin have been visiting the village back and forth several times in the past, so they should be able to manage. Having three Lord-classes should make it easier to get through in an emergency… Raylight had many ideas, but his footwork was too light no matter how hard he tried. Well, I should say that his waist is just as light. That guy loves brothels, so his hip movements must be nimble.
[I’m putting a lot of things on hold until Raylight and the others come back, so of course it’s making me like this. But don’t worry too much about it, Tesh.]
Lupetta will stay in her hometown, and Melgin returns to Newnelly. The basic policy has not changed. I was told that they would be back within a month, but since they’re with Raylight, I had set a flexible limit for that. I don’t know when he will return, but I would like him to bring back detailed information.
[I wonder what will happen…]
I returned my gaze to the desk. There was a mini-sized map there. I placed my finger on the Arknoa Contaminated Area on the Quordenze side and slid it all the way to the Spierzeig side.
The reason why I’m attracted to strange strategies may be because of the success of Operation Snake’s Fang. However, I want to win with as little damage as possible to the Quordenze army. Although we have the advantage of a head-on collision with Spierzeig’s army, military officers have simulated that there will be considerable damage.
The happy ending will be confirmed as soon as the Spierzeig family is defeated, although the end credits will not be played yet. Even after Spierzeig is subjugated, the Quordenze family and my life will continue.
It’s great and all if we win, but the army will be in more disrepair than expected, so it’s obvious that I, the next head of the family, will have a hard time. A narrow victory is not desirable. Depending on the extent of the damage, it is conceivable that small and medium-sized Noble families based in the mountainous areas under Spierzeig may have flooded into the Voistra Plain. Thus, sufficient military power would be necessary to suppress them.
I think it’s like putting the cart before the horse if you try to act timidly and then make a big mistake, and I’m not a big fan of clever strategies, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s a better way.
[…Arknoa Contaminated Area…Amelia River…Arknoa Contaminated Area, Weldburg City…]
So far so good. It’s not like there aren’t any ideas.
[And a weak lower jaw… huh.]
This was the biggest problem.
How about giving up on the rear-attack itself and just using a glare at the city of Weldburg, which they had assaulted and occupied. The main army of Spierzeig on the front lines may also be worried about their backs and lose focus on the battle. …but that would be a little strange. The Othelloria reserve troops will come as reinforcement and serve as a shield to protect the front lines, so it doesn’t seem to make much sense. In the worst case scenario, the city will be surrounded.
[Hmm…]
It is also possible to call in another Highlord who will be responsible for the lower jaw from a Noble family under the Quordenze.
For example, Viscount Galliana is agile despite his appearance. They probably don’t have the courage to attack Othelloria City, but they should be able to attract the Othelloria reserve forces that have come out to intercept them. By doing so, the upper jaw called Wilk Quordenze will be able to thrust its fangs into the butts of the Spierzeig main army.
However, Viscount Galliana is not someone that I can rely on unconditionally. Although he is pro-Quordenze, he does not blindly follow us. He just follows because it’s profitable. If I want him to work in the fight against Spierzeig, I will need to pay him a considerable amount of money. I feel like I’m being beholden to him and I’m going to have to suck up every good thing he has to say. If anything, I don’t want to be sucked by an old man.
And this is not just a matter for Viscount Galliana; the same thing applies to other Noble houses of the Quordenze faction. Moreover, unlike Viscount Galliana, a former commoner, ordinary Nobles would put their own family’s survival first, so it’ll be extremely difficult to draw them out.
Anyone who would accept such an invitation to enter a strange land and attract an enemy would be either an idiot or a battle fanatic. …if you ask me, I’d rather not invite any of those things.
[Young Master, why don’t you take a break?]
A maid approached with the gentle scent of tea. Apparently I was groaning again. Tesh probably prepared her for a change of pace.
[…That’s right. There’s no point in thinking about it now.]
When I let go of my index finger, another maid started cleaning up. The map was moved to another desk nearby, probably under the consideration that it would be used again soon.
[This is…]
In front of me was a letter set prepared by Tesh. I hadn’t written the address or the text yet.
[I did ask to prepare the letter set, but I changed my mind. I originally wanted to consult with my father, but now I don’t think the letter will reach him before he arrives home. Please put it back on the shelf.]
[Understood.]
Everything disappeared from the desk, and in its place was a tea set. I decided to empty my head and just enjoy the scent of tea.
[….after this, let’s go to the castle town.]
Let’s show my faces to the Pioneering Association once. Aside from a thorough examination of the work, I received reports that a certain amount of progress has been made in tidying up the warehouse. Nowadays, I should be able to have a meeting with my employees. Eve also went over there this morning.
I didn’t have time to hear from Raylight himself, but according to the reports of the soldiers who participated and were under my direct command, the training using muskets seemed to be quite rewarding. Therefore, I wanted to ask my employees to produce ammunition.
If that were the case, I could have just asked a civil servant to give me a message, but I wanted to see the faces of the employees for the first time in a while. I would also like to confirm the status of the business in person.
Besides, my father was returning from a meeting with the Zeldomitra family today, so my schedule after tomorrow was still unclear. It’s better to clean it up now while I have time.
After I finished drinking tea, I moved to the castle town.
============
When I stepped into the Pioneering Association, there was a strange atmosphere. I could feel the commotion, as if people were in a rush, and that sounds like trouble. I thought maybe it was because I suddenly arrived without warning, but as soon as the employees saw me, they looked relieved and began to gather around. Eve was among them.
[What’s wrong? Did something happen?]
When I asked that question, one of the employees answered with a troubled look on his face.
[The corrupted soil that we were planning to transfer to the production department is gone…]
[Again?]
When I visited the Arknoa Contaminated Area, I asked the knight who ruled the area to send the corrupted soil to the Pioneering Association, but I received a report from an employee that it never arrived.
After that, I requested a resend and was informed that it had been safely received, but it seems that it was lost again.
[No one would steal something like that. Perhaps they carried it to the base with the musket by mistake?]
The other day, the muskets were stored in a warehouse at Newnelly Military Base. At that moment, the first thing that came to mind was the possibility that they were mixed in together. It’s not a place where employees can easily go to check, so they’re probably making a fuss about it not being there.
While I was confused, the employee slowly shook his head.
[No, the cause was found out a while ago.]
[You did?]
[Yes. I think it’ll be faster to show it instead.]
As if he had been waiting for those words, another employee entered the room with a large plate in his hand. What was piled up thickly on the plate was the corrupted soil.
[This is… the corrupted soil…?]
The guards standing by my side all frowned.
The Lord-class are extremely sensitive to corrupted soil. Its presence, which can be called impurity, stimulates the sense of magic power and makes one feel extremely sick. Even when I went on a tour of the Arknoa Contaminated Area, my Lord-class maid was dizzy.
Since I and other employees don’t particularly care if there is corrupted soil nearby, the reaction of the guards was very noticeable. They probably feel like they’ve had poop thrown at them.
[…Eve too?]
Before I knew it, Eve had also entered the room, but her expression was grim. She was staring at the plate as if she were literally looking at something extremely dirty.
Then, the employee beckoned to Eve, who was in a defensive pose.
[Eve. Can you repeat what you did before?]
In response to his request, Eve held one hand over the plate. At that moment, I felt a flicker of magic power emanating from Eve’s body. She must be trying to activate magic.
A thin mist with a vague glow appeared from her thin fingertips, wrapped around the plate, and then disappeared as if melting into the air.
[…As you can see.]
In response to the employee’s voice, the other employee held out a plate as if to show us.
The ominous black-purple dirt that should have been on the plate was now light brown dirt that resembled lightly roasted coffee beans. It looked like just plain dirt.
As a Noble, I wondered what it would be like to touch the soil with my bare hands. While I hesitated for a moment, the military officer quickly moved and grabbed the plate as if to snatch it away.
[No way.]
He let out a stunned voice. I couldn’t quite understand it, since I didn’t know what he felt.
[Spirit’s Miracle, the purification magic…]
The military officer’s mutter echoed deeply in the room.