《Reincarnated into a Game As the Hero’s Friend》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    Cheers and congrattory filled the capital

    The focus of those cheers is the army that has just returned. With their sess in retaking a fortress from demon army, which could be called victory, this level of celebration is natural.

    The first person to enter the capitals gate is themander, His Highness Crown Prince surrounded by Royal Guard. He rode his horse gantly. As expected, unlike me, a Crown Prince must be used to this kind of event.

    Right behind His Highness is a carriage pulled by a war horse. Standing on it is Hero Party, led by [Hero] Mazell Hearthing. That guy must be surprised with the amount of crowd. Good thing he recovers fast and started to smile while waving toward the crowd.

    The dazed hero party started to follow him.

    Me? No, Im not in the parade.

    Everyone! Its dangerous so please stay back. Augen, take care of that side too!

    Yes, sir!

    Currently, I am in the middle of controlling the crowd.

    This happened because of injured knights that returned earlier to the capital. At first, they were told to convey two pieces of news to the castle.

    First, the sess of Veritza Fortresss retakes.

    Second, the defeat of Demon King Army Third General, Dreax

    But instead, they went and announced that news loudly throughout the capital. I understand they did it because of how happy they are, but it created a huge fuss.

    The next day, urgent messages are sent for nobles left in the capital to mobilize their private army and prepare for the main armys return. After all, it wont be funny if after defeating a demon king general, the army ended up squashing citizens.

    Hah I also just returned you know.

    Private armies of nobles, which consisted of knights, apprentice knights, and normal soldiers created a human barricade around the parade. With that, they seeded in preventing reckless people to charge into the parade.

    But theres one thing that I cant prevent.

    Noises

    The sharp squealing of women, loud cheer, and congrattory words. Those noises hurt my ears.

    Well, I cant me them for reacting like this.

    In the game, no matter what event is unfolding, lines are spoken by NPC citizens never changed. Only when a special event g is activated that they will speak different lines.

    But in reality, these citizens must constantly live in fear. They never know when the demon king army is going to attack. There are also ferocious monsters outside capital walls.

    Because of that, both news of a fortress retaken and the defeat of a demon king armys general must make them both happy and relieved.

    I understand their feeling. But for me, a mob character thats not even a supporting role, this kind of sudden event is more of a huge pain.

    Just like now, I ended up with the job of controlling the crowd.

    I need to think about what to do if there are any injured people in the crowd. Theres no concept of an ambnce in this world, but I can prepare a carriage at the side of the street that will act like one. Which street should I prepare it in?

    As I was thinking, the crowd in front of me suddenly got livelier.

    Ah, its because the hero party passed here. Mazell probably noticed me. He smiled then winked at me. I think I saw his teeth shining too, but thats probably a trick of light.

    I gave him a bitter smile. Handsome bastard, he makes me jealous. Our interaction onlysted a short while

    Kya Hero-sama is looking at me!

    He even winks at me!

    Hes not winking at you! Hes winking at me!

    Its dangerous so please stay back!

    Because the crowd getting crazier. Damn you Mazell I will resent you for this.

    That evening.

    Sounds of toast filled the bar. One corner of the bar had a table filled with empty jugs, probably the remains of an earlier customer. I am sitting at that table and that guy sat across from me.

    By the way, in this world, theres a silent consensus that children below 10 years old need to be apanied by their parents to drink. Though theres no formal drinking age rule in the kingdom, so technically even a baby can drink, not that Im going to let a baby drink.

    May I sit here?

    Thats something you ask before sitting.

    While drinking the remaining of my ale, I answered that hooded man with a sour smile.

    Wont it cause problems if youre here, Hero-sama?

    Arent you here too, Viscount-don?

    We both joked. We have a close enough rtionship to do so.

    wow, its lively here isnt it?

    Though his voice sounds tired, its obvious that hes also happy.

    Thats how great todays events are, or rather, why are YOU asking that?

    Youre right, he said whileughing. As expected his face whileughing is also attractive

    I called the owner of the shop and ordered two jugs of ale with some food.

    Meanwhile, after making sure that the wall covered his face so no one can see it, Mazell took off his hood.

    Itste to ask this since I already ordered food but arent you full?

    Nah, Im hungry. I have no time to eat earlier because nobles keep talking to me.

    This time, he had a wry smile. Of course, a lot of people, especially nobledies must want to hear this handsome heros aplishment.

    Mazell is given a medal, but in this world, thats not necessarily a good thing. Especially since Mazell is amoner. The medal itself is made with precious materials, I mean it is a medal. Its just the noble in this kingdom who love to spice things around.

    For example, creating a celebratory banquet.

    Well since you are here you must have gotten through that banquet, good work, as I thought that the food and ale came to our table. I should say that sausages in this world are delicious.

    As expected, this bar owner is considerate. He didnt ask anything after he saw Mazells face. I heard a rumor that in the past, even when the young crown prince sneaks into this bar he can enjoy afortable time.

    To safe return

    Cheers

    We chugged our ale until it be empty. Then with a satisfied sigh, we bothughed.

    Ah I prefer this to a banquet.

    I have to agree.

    I too think that drinking in a town bar is better than going to a banquet.

    After all, Im a former office worker.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    I used to be a normal Japanese man. I was born into a normal family, graduated from school and college, and then became an office worker.

    I had my share of problems. All of them are probably something that every office worker has also experienced. Like a low sry that barely increased over the years or an annoying superior that I wanted to teach a lesson just once.

    I also dont have any savings because I spent most of my sry on my hobby.

    Then I reincarnated into this world. I dont know how or why it all happened. What I know is Im currently in a medieval Europe-like world as Welner von Zeavert, a counts son with memories of a Japanese man.

    Actually, my past life memories used to be hazy. It only bes clear after an ident.

    Before that, these memories are a confusing mess. Despite that, I still understandor rather I had no choice but to understand the fact that I reincarnated into this world.

    Of course back when I just sorted out these confusing memories into my past life I was surprised. After that, I thought since it already happened its useless to be surprised and just epted the fact. Thats why I also dont bother to search for how and why I reincarnated.

    I did feel guilty to my parent in Japan for thinking like that, though.

    As for the ident that make my hazy memories clear, it happened when I was seven. When I and my family are on the way to the capital the carriage I was in got flipped over. I hit my head and my elder brother, who was riding on the same carriage as me, unfortunately, lost his life. I received treatment in the capital and thanks to the power of magic that this world has I recovered in just a day.

    By the way, the ident is not caused by something grand like other noble schemes or bandit attacks. It was a pure unfortunate ident.

    After that ident, my family stayed for several days longer in the capital because of my brothers funeral and after we returned to the manor I started training both my body and martial arts like a madman.

    At that time I remember receiving looks of pity from my parents and all other adults in the manor. They probably thought I started training because my brothers death made me feel a sense of responsibility as a new heir.

    Of course, the truth is different. I did feel sad because I lost a brother that always pamper me, but thats all. The actual reason I started my training is that I noticed something from the now clear memories of my past life.

    This world is in fact the world of a game that I yed before and it was in the timeline before the game started.

    The game is called What is a Just Path?

    Its not a big hit. It received several critics like Cant you be more creative in creating the game setting? or The music and design of character are bad or The story is boring but I heard thepany still make some profit so its not a big flop either. Not something that will receive a sequel, but had its yer base and hardcore yers.

    Well, Im not one of the hard Anyway, themunity often said that its better than ying games filled withndmine*

    The problem that I have as someone inside the game is its story.

    Around thetter part when the hero and his party are fighting the Third of Four Heavenly King, thest Heavenly King led his army and attacked the royal castle. The castle that bes a battlefield along with the capital are destroyed, while all members of the royal family are killed. The only survivor is the second princess who is a member of the hero party.

    The event of the hero partys victorious return, only to see the ruined capital is quite impactful. Though, it was an obvious plot device to make the hero marry the second princess and became a king.

    When I saw that event I nonchntly thought its good that he bes a king but isnt the repair work going to be troublesome?

    But now that Im inside the game I realized that if I was in the capital at that time, as a noble, the heavenly kings army will kill me.

    Of course, theres also a chance that I wont die.

    First, theres no exact description in the game about Welner von Zeavarts death.

    The game only has a description of many knights and ministers thats inside of the capital died one after another but the description of what happened to any other noble, like me, didnt exist. I can think of two reasons why. One, the developer thought that description is not needed for the game development so they omitted it or two, the game is just not that detailed.

    Or maybe Im just not in the capital at that time.

    They all are possible, but I cant afford to gamble my own life based on some possibility.

    My life I should be the one that protects it. To do so, I need to arm myself with an eptable level of martial arts, so I can face the eventual start of the story.

    I remember thinking like that while putting my most desperate effort into training my martial arts.

    Those efforts produced results because at the age of twelve, I seeded in enrolling into an academy in the capital, not because of my status, but because of my ability. In the academy, I will be able to learn the basics of my ss.

    Yes, this world like how a game is has both skill and ss. Skill is something that one is born with. Skill and ssplement each other and will decide someonesbat ability particrly in regard to fighting monsters.

    For example, if someone has a [Mage] ss along with skill [Magic Talent] then that persons output of magic will be far more powerful than others.

    Also, both skill and ss could be leveled up. No matter how powerful a skill someone has is, if the ss is not leveled then that person could be defeated by a weaker opponent. Though, leveling a ss is far harder than leveling a skill.

    As for me, my skill is just amon [Spearmanship]

    Well, thanks to my effort I was able to enter this academys top ss so I should be able to survive.

    Whilementing my fate, I once again reminded of the fact that the game story has already started. As I saw Mazell Hearthing, the protagonist of this world bes my ssmate.

    *Landmine is a term for games that have something that triggers or enrages the yers. Like games filled with annoying tropes, bad control, etc.

    For rification, its still unknown if a ss is also something that a person is born with, like a skill or not.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    Mazell Hearthing. He is a handsome guy with a rare honest personality. typical, or ording to a lot ofments from yers in my past life, hes a boring protagonist.

    He was born with the skill [Hero], Yes, its a skill, not ss, and got a special admission to this academy. At first, I was unsure of how to interact with him.

    Its not because hes amoner, while Im a noble. Being amoner in this academy is not that rare. Plus Im a noble on the outside only. My heart is still amoner office worker from Japan.

    Rather, Its because Im afraid that interacting with him will bring an unwanted change to the game plot.

    But thats the past. Now we are friends. I dont remember how and why it happened, but I can say that we are quite close.

    The more I know him the more I think that he deserves his title of the protagonist. He got both a handsome face and a good personality. This pleasant charisma of his makes people able to quickly be friends with him.

    Back when we barely know each other though, I thought he was a quiet person. ording to him, its because he minded his status as amoner so he refrained from speaking with nobles like me. Thats why hes grateful that I approached him first.

    Looking at how we are now, you cant tell thats what he used to think. Hismunication skill is really great.

    I do understand where hesing from. The opportunity for amoner to know their own skill is few and people that can appraise skill are also rare. Not to mention that appraisal cost a lot of fortune too.

    Then there is this guy, amoner from nowhere who got his skill appraised by rmendation from the royal family, then got special admission to this academy. He must have received a lot of stares from his surrounding.

    I mean its not like the royal family can just announce we searched the hero from the oracle! to the public right? I only know that because of the game while Mazell knows nothing. For him to feel out of ce in this academy is not strange.

    He also said its hard for me to act normally.. though from how he acts you can barely see it.

    As for studying, this guy only needs to see or hear anything once to remember them. Damn, that made me jealous. I heard of people from history that have this kind of ability so I guess you cant call it unrealistic

    As for me, mathematics aside, this academy taught social study and the history of this world, so I need to study them from scratch. Fortunately, the science level of this world is low, since they can just do stuff that requires advanced science with magic

    Since I also have tons of experience in taking exams from my past life, I know plenty of study tricks, so I became one of the top students in this academy.

    For the practicalbat skill, be it in his basic abilities or with his [Hero] skill, Mazell is one of the top students.

    [Hero] skill has the effect of ss x skill + 1. Yup, its a multiplication. Thats why this guys strength is off the chart. Isnt the protagonist plot device a bit too op?

    The senior is not his match. Even teachers, if they are not careful, could be defeated by Mazell. Plus because of the +1 effect, Mazell can practically use every weapon and magic in existence.

    No surprise, the other students envy him. Not only because of his skill and hismunication ability but apparently, its also because hes my friend.

    I heard some students are jealous of the fact that we be friends. Mainly the young masters that want to be a friend of a talented young master from a counts family who is a member of the top ss and a famous hard worker (I just dont want to die), yet are too afraid to approach me because they have nothing in their name other than being a noble.

    There was this guy that went too far, so I gathered all evidence of his misdeed and lodged aint to the royal family via my father. He lost his right of inheritance.

    Since the one thatined is a legitimate heir from a count household, and the country also doesnt want to lose the man from oracle with precious [Hero] skill, they must have told the academy tounch a proper investigation.

    Later on, that guy and hisckey attacked me and Mazell out of spite, and of course, we beat them to a pulp. Our action is a bit too much in the academys eyes, so we got suspended.

    After the incident, my life at the academy has been pretty peaceful but in a few years, this world will be chaotic because of the invasion of the demon king and the hero party will fight him.

    I know that I cant be a member of the hero party. My ability is far toocking. All those achievements I got are only at the level of this academy. My opponents are nothing but people my age.

    But this is not a game. I may be inside the game world, but my life and the people with who I build a rtionship here are all real.

    There was a time I and my friends from school went to take a trip to a seaside town. My motive is to see the difference between the scenery in the game and the real thing, but It doesnt mean that I didnt enjoy the trip. There was also a time we studied for the final exam together. We also went to the festival. We went from one stall to the other and enjoyed our food. I also made Mazell participate in hunting, a so-called noble pastime.

    I wanted to visit Mazells hometown but unfortunately because its located in a remote I mean a vige that is far from the capital, I didnt have a chance to visit it

    In the academy extracurricr activity, we created a party and fought with actual monsters together. Its an activity to train our practicalbat skills..or so the teacher said, But we treated it as a semi-field trip. At night, we even snuck out from the inn to enjoy some drinks. In this world of magic, the teacher probably noticed us but turned a blind eye. Spending my life in the academy with great friends is really fun.

    Its not like I have forgotten my objective of staying alive, but once in a while, I think that taking a breather with friends is important. I dont want to be burned out like in my past lifeWait did I used to be a shut-in without any friends.?

    .. Anyway, Im still diligent in my training, so its fine. I know after all that Im a mob character. Usually, the most a mob character did is joining a unit and then got annihted by a random monster, without even one battle cutscene. So I trained myself for the eventual battle in the capital by trying to desperately keep up with Mazell.

    In other eyes though, I was judged as a exemry young noble who never stop working hard and the pride of Zeavert Family and I heard my name even reach the ears of the royal family.

    While bncing both my school life and training the event that I wish to but will never forget happened.

    .It is finally the start of the game.

    T/N:

    Sorry for thete release! Im pretty busy with rl but I will try to make it up this week. 1/6 chapter of this week

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    Stampede (Demon Outbreak)?

    Early morning, the surprising information that we heard from our teacher made Mazell tilt his head in confusion and I struggled to control my expression.

    All my practice and experience in using poker face, a basic skill of noble, seem to pay off as I seeded in making an unbothered expression.

    Its here. I just remembered. The start of the game story.

    A sudden demon outbreak happened near the capital. The students in this academy are sent to that battlefield as a support unit.

    In the game, the protagonist will receive a recovery medicine by talking to a teacher. What a convenient plot.

    Since Im not the protagonist, my only choice is to return home and prepare the medicine myself. Because Im a noble, No one will be getting suspicious even if I bought them inrge quantities.

    Its arge-scale demon outbreak that happened around once every 20 years. Its rarely happened near the capital though.

    I silently listened to the teachers detailed exnation, trying to catch, if any, differences from the game setting.

    By the way, in this world, beast-like and insect-like creatures that attacked people are called [Demonic Beast], creatures that have higher intelligence, have their own culture and even society are called [Golem], while the undead creatures are called [Demon]

    Last, creatures that are human-like  even if they have wings of feather on their backas long as they walked with two legs, and have high enough intelligence to make and use ns and strategies are called [Devil]. The ability to use magic is not one of the ssification criteria since even demonic beasts can use it. Well, this ssification method is not absolute. Useless debate regarding this ssification method often arose.

    For example, if the [Big Bird] bes an undead, will it be considered a demonic beast, or a demon? Sometimes, people also used [Demon] to refer to both the demons and the devils. [Demon Outbreak] is also used to refer to an attack caused by devils.

    Since they attacked us with a huge army, viges near the capital will get destroyed if we did nothing. Still, it wont be a big problem as long as we prepare a proper countermeasure.

    Usually.

    But the outbreak this time is caused by themon RPG plot, the revival of the demon king. Devils are probably pulling the string.

    Despite knowing this fact, I dont have any means, fame, or influence needed to make others believe my word. I also dont have any cheating ability that can make us win this sure-to-lose battle. The only thing I can do is grit my teeth and try to survive.

    It is a selfish decision, I know. People, even my acquaintance from the academy may die, I know. Still, I wont, or rather I dont have any leeway to regret my decision. My hands are already full in trying to protect my life.

    For the students who came from a noble house, return to your own mansion in the capital and wait for further order from your family

    Yes, sir

    Several people in the ss, including me, answered. Its a start of an event, with a different meaning than the game event.

    Its been 15 years since I lived in this world. That means its been 30 years since Ist yed the game. Its a game that I only yed in moderation, so my memory of its story is starting to get blurry. Fortunately, I managed to somehow recall the detail of this event.

    The knights that are dispatched to this battle will suffer a devastating defeat. Most will be killed while the surviving knights left the capital and are scattered around the continent. The same thing happened to the hero too. The Hero will then travel across the continent, including the neighborhood country.

    Its a plot device made by developers to make the hero adventure throughout the world.

    For the student who didnte from a noble house, you will be dispatched as a support unit responsible for supply transportation and tending to the injured. I doubt you will get attacked but dont let your guard down.

    Alright!

    People frommoner houses including Mazell answered spiritedly. The reason they are so rxed is probably that they thought its not going to be dangerous.

    Its not like there are descriptions of students death in the gameI think Like there are no descriptions of other nobles fates. I dont even know if the government or civil officers even existed in the game. I guess because they are irrelevant information, the developer didnt bother to put it in. Many other RPG games are also like that.

    Welner, what are you thinking so seriously?

    Its nothing

    I gave Mazell that short answer and continue to try digging into my memories for detail of this event.

    Hmm Nope. nothing. I only remembered one sentence The knights suffered disastrous defeat talked about by an NPC teacher. I tried harder in remembering Finally, I found one piece of important information.

    Its something that I cant say here. If others were to ask where I got this information, I wont have an answer. One wrong step, I might incite anger from others for saying nonsensical things.

    Before my face changed, I steered the conversation away.

    Im going home but you need to treat the injuredter right? How about keeping some recovery medicine with you? Try to talk to the teacher about it.

    Its true that you can never be too prepared. But Welner, you care about me this much, eh?

    I just felt sorry for innocent soldiers that will end up in your hands. Anyway, be careful.

    You too.

    I gave him a slight nod.

    In the game, the hero will work together with some adventurers toplete a reconnaissance mission and will encounter a Devil. Their fight with the Devil is the games first battle scene

    What the hell is themander thinking, sending a student on a reconnaissance mission was what I used to think but well, its game logic. No use inining.

    Now, in that this be a real world, I just dont have any spare energy toin. I need to think about how to survive. Unlike Mazell, I didnt appear in that event, so I dont know what my fate is going to be.

    First, lets return to the mansion.

    Where is my father?

    Hes with His Majesty.

    Damn. I know thatst year, father was appointed as minister of ceremonies. Its a position that required the ability to handle diplomacy and domestic affair but has nothing to do with military might.

    But currently, a demon outbreak happened near the capital. Because of noblesse oblige Zeavert Household also need to provide support. Since my father is away that means

    Currently, Welner-sama is themander of the county army

    Seriously

    I wanted .. or rather I blurted out aint

    Youre going to let a student lead an army?

    Welner-sama will bemander in name only. The one who will lead the troop is captain Max Lyman. Also, the Zeaverts participation is only for show.

    Norbert is not saying that to belittle me. After all, Im the heir and an excellent student of the academy. The second half is probably why my father gives me this kind of responsibility. In his eyes, this demon outbreak is not that dangerous.

    Not to mention, Zeavert is known as a family of civil officers. From what I remember, myte brothers skill is [Negotiation]. If hes still alive, he will probably be a diplomat or has a job rted to it. People born withbat skills like my [Spearmanship] are rare in this family.

    Since we are known as a family of civil officers, Zeavert Household participation will only be for show. Father probably thought that the most I will do is to watch the battle from a safe distance.

    But that wont happen. This is a sure-lose battle, at least ording to the game and now Im going to have to participate regardless of my will. After gathering what I remember from my past life, I decided what I needed to do.

    Norbert, call Max. Post an army recruitment notice then go buy some supplies.

    Recruitment and supplies?

    Norberts voice is full of doubt. Well, thats not strange.

    Even if I know this is a sure-lose battle, I still need to thoroughly prepare for my survival.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    Depart!

    With one order from the Crown Prince apanied by the sounds of trumpets, the army departed. Its made up of about 4200 infantry and cavalrybined, 300 mercenaries, andstly, the unit that is ced at the rearmost is the support unit made of about 100 students.

    The supplies that the army brought are few. The reason why are because of time. The battlefield is too close to the capital, so, taking too much time for preparation can be dangerous. Thanks to that, the army movement is quite fast, so troops outside of the capital cant catch up. Thus, this army is mostly made up of only people from the capital.

    Another reason why this armys preparations arecking is probably that the people underestimate this demon outbreak because usually, their scale is small. It makes sense though since unlike me they have no information from the game.

    To make up for theck of supplies, they will send more people, something along that line I guess.

    The main forces are 2300 people from the First Division and Second Division of the capitals knights and 300 people from the Royal Guard.

    The rest are 1000 people from various nobles private armies, along with 300 mercenaries. The number may seem to not add up, but the 1000 people didnt include ves brought by nobles.

    Well, since thebat ability of ves is low, they are brought only to inte numbers.

    The way the ves are treated in this world is different than what is often depicted in other games. Here, they are properties that were bought with a lot of money. Harsh treatment to the point of killing them is just too wasteful.

    On the contrary, a skilled ve can make more money than a random soldier. A drawback of being a ve is that they have no freedom to emigrate, but other than that their life can be quitefortable. In that sense, their treatment is simr to how ancient roman treated their ves.

    By the way, the Zeaverts army didnt bring any ves because I insisted.

    Honestly, the first time I learned that this world has a very system, I was pretty shocked. The game didnt mention them.

    Its probably because, again, the developer thinks its a useless detail. The game didnt have any ve characters after all.

    or maybe the very system is introduced in a new update after I died? 30 years is a long time after all, is this what people call a generation gap?

    Anyway, lets move on.

    For a nobles knight, usually, one person will be assigned with 3-5 orderly[1]. That also applies to the knights of Zeaverts, or rather Zeavert and its rtives noble houses army. There are 15 knights, 71 orderly, plus hunters and porter that we barely managed to recruit, for a total of 103 people. Including me, its 104. Because the demon outbreak is a sudden incident, gathering this number is already pretty good.

    Anyway, our participation is only for show. The fact despite being a count household our number is small is not a problem.

    The situation of other nobles army is not that different. Those barons only brought 3-5 people. They are probably only here because of their obligation, same with the students.

    We do get some curious stares. Mainly because despite being small in number, we have a lot of luggage.

    However, is dividing the army like this truly necessary?

    The person that asked me is Max Lyman. Captain of knight employed by Zeaverts household and the de factomander of this army.

    The amount of knights employed in a nobles household is not enough to create an official knight division, so Maxs title captain is more of what people often call him, rather than an actual position.

    Max is a man in histe forty. He looks exactly like how a power fighter is with hisrge build. Hes an excellent and loyal knight with great ability atmanding troops. Max is also one of my fathers trusted subordinates.

    Despite his excellence, Max shares onemon problem of this worlds knights, the tendency to think that their own power is everything. But, in the current situation, that alone is not enough.

    It wont be good if our people got injured here

    If you said so

    The tone of his voice is full of doubt. Its not like I can just tell him were going to a sure-lose battle. He wont disobey me, so I guess its fine.

    The order that Ive given is not thatplex anyway.

    Five knights will form a five-man team and one knight will be chosen as the teamsmander, while the other has to strictly follow hismand. The five-man team leader is literally called a five-manmander.

    I also created 3 toons, each with around 30 members, and appointed 3 people as itsmanders. This created a more efficient chain ofmand since I and my lieutenant Max only need to give orders to those 3 people.

    The five-man was the smallest unit of the army at the time of the ancient Rome empire and ancient Chinese. The army as a whole is also usually led by a representative team of five members.

    I dont know why its five, not six, seven, or eight. but its something that the two warmonger countries used for their army, so it must be more suitable for a real battle than something like the Dunbars number[2] thats created by scientists.

    In a chaotic war, the number of people one normal person can lead is five. Maybe in an everyday situation, five is also the limit of members that a team leader can properly lead since this world doesnt have any real-timemunication system.

    The groups of hunters are all under my directmand. When in pinch, Their only role is to hurl our luggage at the enemy on my signal

    I doubt they can execute it properly even if I gave them a moreplicatedmand, so this is enough.

    For his highness, The Royal Grandsons first campaign this feels a bit too in..

    I guess..

    Augen, one of the knights that I appointed as a toonmander careless said that, while here I am, head hurt after remembering whats going to happen.

    The Crown Prince and The Royal grandson will both die in this battle. Along with the news of the disastrous defeat of the knight order, this news is probably going to be the talk of the town. If possible, I want to prevent their death but that might be too difficult.

    Now that I think about it this kingdoms king is energetic eh. I mean The Crown Prince is 38 and The Royal Grandson, i.e his son is 10, but The Second Princess is like 15-16.

    While thinking about that useless information, we finally arrived at the forest where the outbreak is reported to be.

    When I looked at the capitals wall, it looked small. I think the distance from here to there is about 4-5 km?

    It might be doable for cavalry, but that distance will be too much for infantry with full armor to run.

    Is it just me, or theres this creepy feelinging out of the forest? My horse started to quiver from the fright, and I stroked them gently to calm them down.

    Then, under The Crown Princes order, the army started to create a formation. first division at the center, second division at the right nk, and the noble-adventurer army at the left nk.

    Wont the left nk copse first? is what I thought but well, is not like Im a strategist so maybe Im just the one that doesnt understand.

    The left nkmander is Marquis Norporth, a noble from the north who looks like a dandy uncle. His family has been protecting the border and maintaining the public order in the north so hes a perfect choice for amander. He didnt appear in the game, so I dont know what kind of person he is.

    He might not have the game knowledge, but still, hes themander that underestimated this outbreak and recklessly ordered to charge. I dont think I can rely on him too much.

    Gather the knights!

    Yes, sir!

    Max ryed my order to the toonmander and they brought the knights. Good, the chain ofmand at least functioned.

    When all the knights are gathered, I told them the strategy we are going to use.

    Its a strategy that can minimize losses in this sure-lose battle.

    [1]Orderly/batman is a person assigned to a military officer (in this case, a knight) as a personal servant. For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(military)#:~:text=A%20batman%20or%20an%20orderly,officers%20kit%20during%20a%20campaign.

    [2]Dunbars number is a theory that said the maximum amount of people that a person can maintain a stable rtionship with is 150 people

    For a more concrete image of how a five-man team works, you can try to read/watch Kingdom. Its pretty good too

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    Honestly, even if its Welner-sama order, Im still not convinced

    Demon fighting a knight is like one person fighting a pack of wolves. Theres no doubt the pack will win, so whats the point of this strategy?

    The strategy that they areining about is the group fight strategy. The five-man team and their orderlies will work together to kill a demon. After that, they will continue to help other teams. Its a simple but effective strategy.

    The problem is the knights think that telling them to use this strategy is equal to underestimating them because all this time they easily kill demons and demonic beasts without it. Really, this world that puts personal might over everything makes my head hurt. I guess this is the reason why a hero that defeated a demon king with only a small team makes sense in this world.

    But, a normal person cant afford to use the games way to fight.

    We still dont know the scale of this outbreak. What if its huge and we ended up fighting for a month? No one has enough stamina to fight for a month straight. This way, we can preserve our stamina.

    Now that I think about it, the game hero that can go to battle without a wink of sleep is really something.

    Its also safer. With a team battle, our people wont get injured. This means that the situation of dying because healing cant catch up to injuries wont happen.

    Well if you said it like that.

    Since Augen nodded, the other knights swallowed theirints.

    First of all, this is only His Highness the Royal Grandsons first campaign. It wouldnt matter if we stand out too much.

    I throw the Royal Grandsons name as an excuse. To be fair, The Zeavert army is only about 1/40 of the entire army. Its not a number that will stand out. Its not like were an elite too.

    Though its a pity if people are going to gossip about how our army shouldnt be that conspicuous on Royal Grandsons first campaign, in the end, they will understand that its the truth.

    Our goal is for everyone to return alive. Therefore, raise your military merit in moderation and return home safely.

    Even if I said that I know that it wont go that smoothly, is my thought but theres no way I can say it here. The battle with the demon army will continue until the hero defeats the demon king. What a normal person should first do is fight for survival.

    I can feel goosebumps appear all over my body. Is this the atmosphere of a battlefield?

    On the formation, the Zeavert army is ced in the second row of the left nk. Were quite close to the center. Im d that the elite First Division is right next to us, but the tense atmosphere washes away that sense of relief.

    Suddenly, the ground started to shake. A cloud of dust appeared from the direction of the forest, apanied by a rumbling noise.

    Hordes of demonic beasts started to fill my vision. Hunter Wolves, Six-Legged Rabbits, there are various types of demonic beasts that often attack people. Even the ones that usually stayed inside the forest are among them.

    There are also insect types of demonic beasts like fleas the size ofrge dogs and cockroaches that are even bigger than them. What with that amount Give me a break.

    The image of demonic beasts charging toward us is like a flood.

    Dismount!

    Get off your horse!

    With the opponent as tall as those insects, the advantage of a horse bes useless. Its only natural that a dismount order is given.

    Because horses are expensive properties, securing them is usually the job of orderlies.

    But its a waste of fighting force to left tending horses to the orderlies, so I gave them an order to left the horses to the porters in the back and return

    Fortunately, I already divided the team, so the orderlies can easily return without getting confused.

    FIRE!

    Archers and mages started to attack from a distance. Arrows, fireballs, icences, and lightning balls are fired at the enemies in session. Appearance-wise, its magnificent.

    Usually, some demonic beasts will fear that attack and stop, but now they keep advancing. I see, so this is an outbreak is the only thing in my mind, but the other isnt like that. I can see that some of them started to feel uneasy. They must realize that this outbreak is different from what they had previously imagined.

    Other armies in the left nk started to advance, but the Zeavert army stayed in ce. Before long, those armies that went first finally confronted the demonic beasts, like a bull that rammed into a wall.

    A bitter, the Zeavert army also came into contact with demonic beasts.

    Pierce!

    PIERCE!

    With one order from theirmander, each team simultaneously stabbed a beast and turned it into a corpse. I also killed one, but another appeared immediately.

    I was surprised, but maybe because of my training, my body moved on its own and killed it too.

    That beast is an insect with the head of a bat, it almost bit me, and the body of a grasshopper. It would be a lie if I said Im not disgusted.

    So this is a war

    Its heaven and earthpared to a one-on-one battle. Enemies appear in front of me without pause so I need to continue fighting If I dont want to die. Its an endless battle. Whileining, I swing my spear without stopping. The enemies continue to fall. Im d that Im surrounded by the other knights, so I can focus on the enemies in front of me.

    Others from the Zeavert army also defeated many enemies, but they kepting. I think I saw people from other troops being isted, but I dont have enough leeway to help them.

    Dont recklessly swing your sword! Pay attention to therades surrounding you!

    Dont break the formation! Dont take your eyes from yourrade on your right!

    Supporting and being supported. This is the basics of a team battle. Though Ive only exined it with words, I see that everyone is doing it properly. The feeling of wanting to stay alive must be mutual.

    The team battle is efficient, but it also has a weakness. You cant avoid the enemys blood.. or in this case their bodily fluid. Those disgusting fluids sttered onto your clothes and made the ground slippery. Then the smell.. urgh I dont want to describe it.

    Though, since the enemy kepting I stopped caring.

    So the kingdoms decision to fight an open battle with this outbreak is the same as making light of it

    Whileining, I continue swinging my spear.

    This isst weeks chapter

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    Strange.

    Without hiding his puzzled face, the Crown Prince gazed at his surrounding

    Receiving his gaze, the knights around him became unable to hide their expressions, including the young Royal Grandson who failed to hide his anxiety.

    The Royal Grandson, who just a little while before troubled the knights by pestering them to allow him to go to the battlefield, was silent. Perhaps, he too realized the change of atmosphere around him.

    This was all caused by the content of reports constantly told by messengers. Not one of them had the news of victories. It was all about chaos and hard battle.

    Particrlymon was the news of action taken by their unrelenting enemy.

    Your Highness, they..

    It looks like this is not a normal outbreak.

    Though rare, this was not the first time a demon outbreak had happened.

    Previously, using all sorts of strategies, the human will be able to make the demons scatter and dissolve. After all, the demons are nothing but a ragtag group without amander.

    But, this time as if.

    They feel like a suicide army

    I agree

    The Crown Prince answered his retainer words with a bitter smile.

    The enemies keep charging without caring about the damage they suffered. It was truly different from the outbreak that he or his retainer had known.

    If the battle continued in this way, the deciding factor will be number. The Crown Prince had no choice but to notice the gradual increase of damage and casualties suffered by the knights.

    He needed to retreat, but just blindly retreating would be dangerous. He needed to let the armies retreat gradually. Just, grabbing the right moment to do so was hard.

    The sounds of battle slowly get closer to the main camp.

    Report from Marquis Norporth! Viscount Krank has been in!

    What did you just say!?

    The rushing messengers word made the knights, who were the close aides of the Crown Prince raise their voices involuntary and the silent Crown Prince furrowed his brow.

    Viscount Krank was not close to him. But his death means that the situation had gotten worse to the point a noble with peerage can be killed.

    In a fierce battle, knowing the change of every situation on the battlefield and giving orders as a response were hard. What was even more challenging was making sure that order properly reached the battlefield.

    Then, keeping the status quo of the battlefield while waiting to receive that order and be able to properly execute it was one of a quality that a goodmander should have. That sort ofmander was the one who will be able to lead an army.

    You can also say that <i>an army can only function with the lead of that sort ofmander.</i> With the death of the viscount, no matter how many knights they had, the viscountys army will be nothing but scattered soldiers.

    Because an army with a lieutenant like the Zeaverts army was rare in this world.

    Without leaving any room for breath, the bad news keepsing. Baron Donanyi retreated from the frontline due to his severe injuries and the main camp lost contact with Viscount Mittag. The air inside the main camp started to get heavy.

    Though it was a relief that no news of the death ofmander-ss personnel hade from the center or the right nk, death report of knights had already appeared. The amount casualties will only keep increasing.

    While the crown prince was thinking, he heard a loud cheer from the direction of the right nk.

    What happened?

    No one had an answer for the Crown Princes question.

    People outside the main camp also started to cheer, as the sound of battle began to get farther and a strange silence covered the camp.

    Sir, a report!

    Speak!

    One of the knights promptly answered the messenger. After the messenger finished his report, the sound of surprise and relief filled the camp.

    The report was as followed arge toad with a human body that was capable of human speech had been defeated by the second division. After that, the demons started to retreat.

    This was the first time they heard such a beast, but it seems to be the demonsmander, which was what the people of the camp thought.

    The demon retreat was probably the reason why the sound of battle started to get farther, as the knight had sessfully reversed the tide against this unusually hard outbreak.

    Lord Father, please also allow your son to fight!

    Understanding that the situation had gotten better, the Royal Grandson started his plea again.

    Until now, the reason the Crown Prince hadnt given his approval was that he hesitated against showing his still young son the sight of a struggling battlefield.

    Now, the situation had gotten better. Though he also considered the impact of seeing blood and gore on his son, seeing such a scene could also be part of his education, while the Crown Prince was thinking suddenly he heard a voice from outside.

    Your Highness, please allow me to offer counsel!

    This is the shortest chapter Ive tranted to date, and the author immediately took revenge and make the next chapter the longest. This is also the first 3rd POV chapter that I did, which means that this chapter is written entirely with past tenses. So please point out any mistakes.

    Anyway, I still havent forgotten my 4 chapter debt and will try to release it slowly over the week, so stay tuned and enjoy this chapter!

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    A few moments before

    The Zeavert army listened to my word and maintained a group battle tactic.

    We do look strangepared to other troops on the left-wing, but in the end, we are only about 100 people. The whole battlefield didnt change much.

    We can keep fighting because the enemies are far weaker than us. or rather, since this is the beginning of a stage usually the demon king only sends small fry to fight the hero so I hope this time also..

    Thanks to the demon king pulling his punch, our fight bes easier. Wait, since the capital did the same I guess its a fair game?

    Viscount Krank is killed?

    It appears so

    Max reported to me, As I pulled my blood-drenched spear from the bisected body of a centipede. Two of its hands hold a sword. It had countless human arms in ce of its feet.

    Well, reporting that thing to me is useless, but it served as a reminder of how serious the battle has be.

    It looks like Welner-samas judgment is correct!

    Say the knight standing next to me as he together with his orderlies impaled a three mouth wolf. No, that thing cannot be called a wolf. Its a wolf-like demonic beast with a mouth on each of its forelegs. After that beast died they moved to the next enemies without even ncing at the corpse.

    That knight has a nosebleed, but I dont think its because of his excitement. Its probably caused by the terrible smell of the beasts bodily fluids coupled with dust. His tears are probably the effect of dust too.

    Not only he, but many others are also swinging their weapon with a nosebleed, tears, dust, blood, and bodily fluid covering their face. Their bodies also be victims of blood and bodily fluid.

    Its a relief that the demonic beasts blood is not poisonous.

    Honestly, on the battlefield where this terrible smell of the beasts bodily fluids and excrements are mixed, your nose didnt work because of a nosebleed is rather a blessing.

    The real battlefield is different from the clean battlefields that are often depicted in dramas and animes. The sight, smell, and sensation of the blood and bodily fluid flooded my senses. My eardrums are constantly pierced by chaotic screams and noises full of anger, pain, and hatred.

    The dirty battlefield looks like a source of diseases. Im sure that anyone, not only the clean freaks, will avoid this filthy ce.

    Caution is also necessary on the battlefield. A corpse can trip you or you can slip because of the bodily fluid. A strong grip on your weapon is also needed so it wont slip and fall.

    Really, on the battlefield even standing is mentally tiring

    We will long copse if not because of the group battle

    An orderly thats standing next to the earlier knight added. He already changed his weapon to a sword.

    Though a spear is an effective weapon it is not suited for a long battle. For one, its hard to create enough distance to use a spear, but thats not all.

    Its shape is simr to a pole with one side the metal spearhead and the other side being held, and it needs to be constantly bnced like a lever. Even if you just stay still and keep a stance with a spear is taxing for my arms.

    On top of it, because of the inertiaw[1]when the spear moves your body will also inevitably move, wasting stamina. The spear is not suited for a long battle.

    On the other hand katana and sword (except the greatsword) to describe it in a simple way a sword is a well-bnced piece of metal with a length that makes it easier to wield, regardless of its de.

    The logic is the same with using an umbre vs mopping the floor. In a long rain, less stamina will be spent on using an umbre rather than mopping the floor with a long handle mop. Using an umbre also ces less burden on your arms

    The longer you fight on the battlefield, the harder it is to keep using a long weapon like a spear. Of course, people will choose to pick up a sword with a length that makes it easier to wield rather than a spear.

    Back in Japan, some schrs said that katanas were barely used by the samurai in the Warring State Era[2]. Those schrs probably never hold a broom or anything longer than an umbre because in reality holding a long object for a long period will make your hands numb. Even if that object is only a light fishing rod made of carbon.

    Not to mention a spear. It has a sturdy but heavy handle and spearhead made of metal. I really want to see if there is anyone in this world that can continuously wield a spear for a long period of time.

    If that person existed, he must be a person that trained his body, managed his meal and lifestyle, and learned the most efficient spearmanship since he was little. Someone with that much time in his hand is probably a noble. Like, yes, me.

    Well maybe if a war that ended in just a 30-minute episode like in taiga drama[3] existed, an ordinary soldier may be able to do it.

    Anyway, unless that person is like me, who has the ability to move the spear, like moving your limb and has [Spearmanship] skill, using a spear in a battle like this will only be a waste of stamina. As expected of a games world How can something like skill even exist

    While I was thinking to escape my reality and stabbing the monkey that has sickle arms, the unit ahead of me became overwhelmed by a huge group of demons. Isnt that.. Viscount Mittags unit?

    As I thought, they went too deep.

    My hands were full trying to take care of the demonic beast in front of me, so I didnt try to save them. With a sidelong nce, I see several orderlies and knights sessfully escape with their life, as I try toe up with the next move.

    I wonder if the reason Im mostly calm even when I see corpses piled up like mountains is that I see this world as a game, or is it because after 10+ years I have be strangely used to this world?

    Well, lets think about thatter. I lost count of the number of enemies Ive killed. Now that I think about it, isnt keeping a count seems stupid?

    Are the people we hired still here?

    Yes, somehow. Well they probably wanted to run but cant

    Another knight answered me. Thats good because if they run away with our supplies it can cause a dent in my n.

    But in the still unstable battlefield, they, one way or another, remained

    Though Im reluctant to use this move now, lets give the signal to the hunters sling unit. While I just decided to do so, I heard cheersing from the right.

    What happened?

    Welner-sama, look! The enemies started to retreat!

    I dont need to hear his words to see the enemies in front of me retreating. From the distance, I can hear a shout The Knights from the capital had defeated the enemys boss!

    Max show a relieved expression

    It seems like the knight had finally done it. This battle is our victory

    Max said with a relieved sigh and I tried to digest his words. The knights from the capital defeated the enemys boss?

    Thats impossible. The one that will defeat the devil controlling this outbreak is the hero. At least, thats how the first boss battle in the game went. Plus most of the knights are still alive. Story-wise, theres no way that the enemies will retreat now.

    I gazed at the retreating enemies once again..wait they all retreated in unison?

    Dont tell me Realizing one of the possible reasons, I paled.

    Max, gather everyone! There are healing potions among the supplies that we brought so let the injured drink them then prepare to retreat!

    P..Pardon?

    Welner-sama, but the enemies.

    Just do it! Im going to the main camp!

    After shutting up Max and the knightsints with a shout, I run to the main camp. Not having a horse in this kind of situation is annoying.

    En route, I was asked many times to state my identity, but I ignored them all. After running with all my might I finally arrived at the main camp. I gathered all my breath, and from the tired body thats just arrived in front of the tent, I let out a shout.

    Your Highness, please allow me to offer counsel!

    [1]postte in physics that, if a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force.

    [2] Also known as civil war/sengoku era. Era in Japanese history where the samurai family fight against each other for territory.

    [3] is the name NHK(Japanese broadcastingpany) gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    That shout sounds out of ce in the main camp that was covered in strangely rxing air after hearing the news that the knights had overturned the situation and were now in the pursuit of retreating enemies.

    Your Highness, I shall go and inquire this fellows identity.

    No need, bring him in.

    Because the voice sounds desperate, perhaps it waste news of a high officers death or injuries. Crown Prince thought as he ordered for that man to be brought in.

    Well, the news bearers choice to use the word counsel was strange, but it may be a misspoke caused by his distress after a difficult battle.

    The blood and mud that covered the knights body made everyone fail to recognize him. He look young, yet it was obvious how hard he had worked in this battle. That appearance also caused the Royal Grandson to hold his breath in shock.

    Maybe, its still too early to bring him to a battlefield thought the Crown Prince. Then, he asked the knight a question.

    You are?

    I am known as Welner von Zeavert from Count Zeaverts household

    Oh, the son of the Minister of Ceremonies. Ive heard about you.

    Though the young mans manner had a bit of a problem, as they were on a battlefield, there was no need for a harsh scolding. On top of that, the Crown Prince valued a young talent like him.

    But the young mans next word caused the Crown Prince to frown in doubt.

    Your Highness, please deliver an order for the army to retreat.

    *Welners POV

    Your Highness, please deliver an order for the armies to retreat

    Come to think about it, the royal family knew me as an excellent hard worker, right? If not because of that, the Crown Prince probably will dismiss my word as nonsense. Good job, past me!

    The surrounding knights expressions of what the hell is this brat talking about!? are well within my expectation. Im also really surprised you know? To think that trapping an army thats been drunk in victory is this easy.

    WWhat are you

    Wait. Sir Welner, exin

    The Crown Prince raised his hand and stopped the action of a knight behind him. For better or worse, his expression is still soo calm, to the point it makes me nervous.

    Maybe, if this Crown Prince had proper information, the knights wouldnt suffer a devastating defeat like in the game.

    Our enemies movements are strange

    Strange?

    The enemy retreated because we had defeated theirmander, what so strange about that!?

    With the expression that seemed to say this is why the youngsters are the Crown Princes underling..<i>cough</i> I mean a knight whos probably the Crown Princes close aide butted in.

    The enemy did not scatter away aimlessly. They retreated in <b>unison</b>. Including the supposed unintelligent insect-type demonic beast.

    I said the fact in one breath. Thats right the enemies who should have just lost theirmander didnt scatter aimlessly. They retreated in unison to the direction of the forest.

    Our opponents are insects and beasts. Fighting in the forest wont be a problem for them. On the other hand, for the knights who are wearing heavy armor.

    Since his expression has changed, it seems the Crown Prince understands what I mean. He stands up.

    Ring the retreat bell! Call the knights who are pursuing our enemies! then reorganized our formation using men that are currently avable!

    Y..Your Highness?

    Hurry!

    With the Crown Princes urge, that knight started to move. I see, so this is a person whos ustomed to giving an order. I almost obeyed him reflexly too.

    After that, I said another sentence, this time my personal opinion.

    Your Highness, if I may be allowed to presumptuously offer another counsel, The role to protect our capitals gate would be an excellent choice for His Highness the Royal Grandson.

    A.K.A How about sending away a bothersome child first?

    Maybe he takes my advice as it is, or maybe he noticed my actual meaning, the Crown Prince nodded.

    Mairing, Fassbinder, aid Louwen. Go to the north gate. Bring the supply corps and the injured along with you!

    Yes, Your Highness!

    As your wish!

    The two knights brought the frozen Royal Grandson away from the main camp. So his name is Louwen. This is the first time I heard it. In the game, hes a nameless extra who only appeared as a description of the Crown Prince and his son died in that battle

    Sir Welner, I will have you work a bit more. Bring your army here and merge them with the main army.

    With the sharp sound of a metal bell as the background, you sure give a <i>great</i> order, Your Highness.

    Well, its not like I can refuse

    Understood. I shall bring them here.

    <i>sigh</i>Lets work hard a bit more.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    To think that demons will use Tsurinobuse[1]

    Tsu.. pardon?

    Ah, its nothing

    Under the order of the Crown Prince, the Zeavert army is on the way to the right nk. A knight heard my mumbling and asked, but I ignored him.

    The Tsurinobuse is a tactic where an army is split into three. One will act as bait and the other two will hide on both sides of a prepared ce. The bait will feign defeat to lure the enemy. If they seed, the enemy will be trapped in all three directions and killed. History said this tactic is used on a hillside, but of course, a forest could also work.

    The background noise of my current journey is the sound of the retreat bell.

    In my previous life, Ive heard that the reason a sharp sound of a bell is used as a retreat signal is that the sound can be heard even from far away and its drastic difference from sounds that nature creates can increase the vignce of a retreating army.

    On the other hand, the loud, low, and reverberating sound of taiko[2] is used as a signal to advance because it can increase an armys morale.

    Now that Ive heard both myself, I somehow understand the effect. Though of course, since its a bell, theres bound to be someg.

    As I was thinking, I gazed in the direction of the ominous forest. The sounds of battle from the forest got louder gradually, not at once.

    I guess the messenger barely made it.

    From what I heard, though the pursuing knights didnt suffer a disastrous defeat, casualties did appear among them.

    Because the enemys bait had failed to lure us all to the forest, they attacked the pursuing knight instead. Facing thebination of the bait and the two ambush troops, its no wonder that the knights suffered some losses.

    The injured will return to the capital!

    Those who still can fight, gather! We will assign you a temporary post. If any of you is dissatisfied with the assigned post, feel free to also return to the capital!

    With the remaining able men gathered by the Crown Princes aides, we somehow managed to form a mixed army.

    Its admirable for the Crown Prince to remain in the main camp, despite the fact the mains army started to prepare for a retreat.

    It was something along the line, I cannot abandon my subordinate and run

    As a leader, that decision is worthy of praise.

    Well, for me.

    Welner-sama, the arrangement for Sir Reinish troop had finished.

    The arrangement for Sir Degenkolb and Gekke-dono[3]s troops had also finished.

    Good work.

    I ended up as themander for the right nk. Why a youngster like me is chosen?

    They said it was the Crown Princes way of acknowledging me, but that sort of acknowledgment is only a burden..

    It seems like His Highness had put Sir Zeaverts ability to remain calm and analyze the battlefield in high regard.

    The dirt-covered Sir Reinish said that to me.

    Sir Reinish, its actually not something grand like analyze. Ive known that we will lose so its strange for the enemy to retreat. I only connected the dots.

    Now that it had be like this theres this small thought that maybe my troop will be sacrificed as a rear but thats probably only a thought I hope

    Lets seal that thought first. The Sir in this world had two different uses. One, as an official title. Two, as a way to call noblemen who are not the head of their house.

    Since I am a representative of my father, the Crown Prince and other nobles called me Sir. Thats why either the parent or the elder brother of Sir Rainish and Sir Degenkolb must be the head of their house.

    The cement of the word Sir depends on the houses noble title. In my case, as the son of a count who is also a court minister, the people that can call me Sir Welner are only those who had higher titles than my father. While the other must call me Sir Zeavert

    Its safe to just call a nobleman only Sir if you dont know their familys title. If several members of the same family are present call them Sir+full name. For the head of a nobles house call them with their title+family name. Thest one is the easiest to remember.

    This rule only applied on the battlefield. In the royal court, the correct way to call noblemen is by attaching Sir to their given nameThis is really confusing

    Im curious if the European nobles in my previous life also have to deal with this kind of tedious rule. If they did, I truly admire their effort.

    Ive thought before that maybe the reason why I often saw just Sir be used like you in the noblemunity is that they didnt bother to remember those rules

    In the case of Oliver Gekke, he may be a former noble who be a mercenary but currently, he had no official noble title given by the royal court. As he is also the currentmander of the adventurer-mercenaries troop, a -dono ended up being attached to his family name. Arghh reallywhy is calling someone this troublesome?

    While I keepining inside the former 100+ men army be 200+ men. Like before, I made them form a five-man team. Additionally, I had 5 teams form a toon and 3 toons form apany and I appointed amander for both the toons andpanies.

    With this, I finished dividing the people and established a proper chain ofmand. Now, its only a matter of maintaining it. The only remaining problem, ourmunication, is solved by the quick formation of a messenger team.

    Though I barely managed to divide a whooping 200 men, counting the past life, this is the first time I had this many people as my subordinates. I will only give amand to thepanysmander and left the rest to them. As Knights, they must be a better fieldmander than me.

    The enemys number had increased several times and they seem to be united to a certain extent. Theres also a report that the enemy purpose seems to have changed.

    What do you mean?

    ording to our observation, unlike before the enemy seem to have no intention of just charging blindly. On the other hand, several of them show the sign of being terrified by magic.

    From a knight sent by the Crown Prince, I received thetest information.

    I see. So the reason why the bait troop isposed of only the demonic beasts is that the enemy wanted us to feel frustrated by making us have a difficult fight against a mere demonic beast, and then lured us by the promise of a sweet victory. On the other hand, the enemy allocated the more intelligent demons like the goblins to the ambush troops.

    Since our enemy had enough intelligence to feel emotion, that means we can shake them up. Theres our chance!

    The n roughly goes like this.

    With a signal from the main camp, the First and Second Divisions of the capitals knights will separate.

    The main army will then upy the now-empty center. With that, the enemy will face an attack from all three directions.

    The attack is nned to only have enough power to stop our enemy so we can gain some distance and gradually retreat to the capital while fighting.

    Its not a perfect n but considering the short amount of preparation, theck of bettermunication methods, and the army that had suffered losses its the only viable n.

    I guess If pushes to shove, I can rely on the leftover goods the Zeaverts army had brought.

    T/N:

    [1] The tactic is said to be created by Shimazu Yoshihisa, a <i>daimyo</i> (Japanese territorial ruler) of Satsuma Province (Western side of now Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyuushu)

    Source: /2018/08/sengoku-period-warfare-part-4-battle.html

    [2] Japanese style drum

    Source: https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiko

    [3] Japanese honorific roughly means lord. Its less polite than -sama

    Additionally, I decided to change some of the words Ive used:

    1. right-wing -> right nk

    2. left-wing -> left nk

    3. Imperial Guard -> Royal Guard

    1/5 chapters I owned. Enjoy

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    After a signal from the main camp, the Knights whove been fighting in front of me charged to the enemys right-most nk. Moving that fast in this chaotic situation, as expected of Knight.

    Charge!!

    Under mymand, the right nk of 200 men charged at the enemys left-most nk. The demons that had been chasing the knights are now surrounded in both directions and they failed to respond.

    3-4 weapons stabbed a goblin in unison. Blood fountain spurted from its body as it fell without even being able to scream. I also pierced a kobold (probably?) On its throat and killed it.

    Amand from the toonmander makes the knights swing their weapons and mow the enemies. Piles of demon corpses stacked up, forming small mountains.

    All right, fall back!

    I raised my voice enough for thepanysmanders to hear. With the efficiency of our chain ofmand, that order soon reached the toonmanders too. With that, despite being a bit disorganized, the right nk a.k.a the Zeavert army started to fall back

    Rains of arrows and spells from the direction of the main camp fall to the ce we were before. The left nk of our enemies stopped their track.

    Splendid maneuver!

    Its thanks to His Highnesss direction

    Im not trying to be humble, Its the truth. Im only following the Crown Princes order. My smooth and calmmand is the effect of me not being blinded by the prospect of huge military merit and putting our survival as a priority.

    As we were talking, a messenger from the direction of the right-most nk came. He looked at me with a surprised expression.

    Greeting. I am Wachtel from the Second Division.

    Welner von Zeavert of the Zeavert household. Sir Watchel, youve worked hard.

    Ah the counts heir. Excuse my earlier manner, I was surprised by how young ourmander looked

    As expected, its my age. Honestly, I dont even understand why I was appointed.

    I had hoped to discuss our next move.

    Any word from the main army?

    My way of talking to Sir Wachtel who looked like he was at least 20 years older than me maybe a bit too rude. Well, considering we are in the middle of a battlefield, I guess its fine since Sir Wachtel also didnt seem to be offended

    Cooperate and push the enemies back.

    So our problem now is how to cooperate

    After thinking a bit, I asked Sir Wachtel for confirmation.

    How is the condition of the Second Division?

    Though we are not in a perfect state, fighting wont be a problem.

    They sure are knights, theyre tough. In that case, it will be better to entrust it to them.

    Alright. Then, Tell the Second Division to move deeper to our right. The Second Division will defend the main army from the side, while my troop will move to the center and act as the vanguard.

    . Understood

    Currently, the Crown Prince is leading the center. Even the Royal Guard have all started to fight. Theres a danger of the enemy breaking through the center because their numbers are overwhelmingpared to the Royal Guard.

    Because of the earlier separation between the First Division and Second Division, the First Division which is supposed to be in the center is currently in the left-most nk. They worked together with Marquis Norproths army to maintain our left nk.

    By the way, I dont know what happened to the left nk after the Zeavert army moved here. Its not like I will be able to help if I know so its not a problem. But well, I wonder if God exists in this world.

    Sir Watchels earlier pause is probably because he felt that the capitals knight should be the one that aids the Crown Prince.

    But in this situation where the First Division is at the left-most nk, while the Second Division is at the right-most nk, to reach the center they need to cut through not only our enemy but also our allies.

    If they did that, it would confuse our army. Its faster for us, the Zeavert army that is currently standing next to the center to move.

    But, how is the condition for the Zeavert army?

    Ah well, we are also tired but it should be fine

    I dont want to do this sort of dangerous thing. But if our leader, the Crown Prince falls, it will break the whole armys momentum. If that happens, the flood of demons will swallow us whole.

    I have no choice but to do it. Lets just pray to God (if He existed) that we will be able to hold on until Mazell defeats the devil.

    I dont want to die, so I should also think about how to run in case we fail. Of course, In front of all these knights, I hid my intention.

    My troops seem to be the only ones that can do it.

    Youre right, sir. But

    Then, Sir Watchel gave me a deep bow.

    We, the Second Division, are truly grateful for Sir Zeaverts decision! We will not disappoint you!

    . Okay?

    Whats with that deep bow!? Before I was able to respond, Sir Wachtel had already gone. Now, the blood-covered Max is standing in his ce.

    Max, you look scarier than a serial killer in a horror movie, you know.

    Is there any problem?

    Usually, I will say its not something that my lieutenant needs to handle but Max, this time you came at a perfect time. We will move to the center.

    His face shows a surprise, but it quickly changed into a resolute expression.

    I see. So youre nning to act as the Crown Princes shieldNo wonder the knights earlier look moved

    What?

    I only wanted to buy time for Mazell and will run away if I fail. To be misunderstood as a self-sacrificing person thats willing to be someones shield I feel guilty

    Whatever. We have no time to waste.

    We will attack the enemy again and use that momentum to pierce through until we reach the center!

    Understood!

    Mazell, you have to quickly defeat the devil, alright? If we survive I will treat you to a meal.

    As a former Japanese that didnt believe in God, I prayed to the Hero instead as I checked the condition of my spear.

    T/N:

    Ive done my best. But, if there are any confusing parts about my trantion, you can mention them in thement.

    This is the 2/5 chapter that Ive owned. Enjoy!

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    The screams and corpses hitting the ground caused me to barely hear my breath.

    This world doesnt have a precise clock, so who knows how long Ive been fighting. It feels its been 30 minutes, maybe actually longer. At this point, I started to feel disconnected from reality

    Move three steps forward! Push the enemies!

    PUSH!!

    Along with that shout, everyone stepped forward and turned many demons into corpses.

    Contact the main army. Tell them We will fall back a little!

    Acknowledged!

    Little by little, my voice started to get hoarse. Im impressed I can keep shouting for this long. . By tomorrow, I might not be able to speak.

    Indifferent to my ordeal, my troop started to fall back while dodging asional stones thrown by the enemies. After a sufficient distance, they began to reposition themselves.

    Who the hell said that stones are useless weapons on a battlefield!? Even while wearing armor, its still terrifying to see those stic bottle-sized thrown at me. Im sure the injury wont be light if it hits my face.

    Thats why goblins, kobolds, and other demons that can throw those stones are quite dangerous. Once in a while, there will also be one that can use magic among the goblins. Though the goblins magic is weak, Its still dangerous.

    So this is how tiring a retreating battle is. I dont know when it will end.

    The n to move to the center that Ive talked about with Sir Wachtel went well.

    The few archers and mages that the Crown Prince brought have been sent to the two nks. He chooses to believe in the Royal Guards ability. Its a good choice.

    After all, the Royal Guards are all stronger than the demons.

    In addition, unlike the nks, the center didnt suffer from the enemies spells and arrows. The Royal Guards had sessfully pushed the enemies back even before I arrived here. After my troops sessful surprise attack, weve gained even more distance.

    At the vanguard, my troop continues to fight the enemies without rest.

    If I didnt prepare an abundance of potions beforehand, Some of my men might already faint. Hufft Even ying sports without rest while wearing armor must be easier than fighting a war. At least, you dont need to risk your life. Not to mention the immense strain a war put on the body and mind.

    War is more advantageous for arger army with enough spare soldiers to shift.

    Haha.so this is why the rear often copses first.

    With one swing of the spear, an enemys legs are cut. That enemy soon bes a corpse under the onught of weapons from other knights.

    There were times when we didnt manage to kill the enemies. In that case, we just let them be. Because even injured enemies can impede other enemies.

    A scene in a war when the rear copsed first is often depicted in history books and novels. After all, The rear is mostly nonbatants. Its moremon for them to run in the middle of battle. That will cause a chain reaction, and the whole army will copse.

    Theres no need to worry about that now because our rear is none other than the Royal Guards. Even if I wanted to retreat, I cant, so Ive no choice but to keep holding up.

    Having skilled troops in the rear may feel unfair. After all, they can fight, so why did they hide in the back?

    But in reality, Its a relief. Because any time someone among us is tired or injured, we can switch with them.

    Well, The second our back is diminished into a vacant lot, I will run.

    Give the signal to our slingers!

    Understood!

    Now that the distance between the enemies and us have be close and it be harder to push them, I decided to use that

    A worn-out g is raised. Following that, countless jars fly into the air. Theynded behind the enemys vanguard and caused a fire.

    Its the modification of the me bottle, me jar! Because this world has magic, this kind of thing usually wont be needed on a battlefield. Plus, I dont have the important gasoline that can cause an explosion.

    Thats why I used a substitute, turpentine oil. I was surprised when I heard from Father that it existed in this world. Father said that people originally used the oil to make medicine, but nowadays, its more used to create scented oil.

    The oil is not rare, but buying an enormous quantity of it is impossible under normal circumstances. I can do it, albeit a bit forcefully, because of the Zeavert household influence. As the oil is often used in diplomatic ceremonies, the Zeavert household knows its cirction in the market.

    In other words, I just used my fathers name (without his permission) to buy the oil. Im probably going to be scoldedter, but its better than dying. The battle around the capital also makes it easier for me to gather the oils in a short amount of time. Its the only thing I can be thankful of the battle.

    Since there are only ten slingers, they didnt create something big like a me war.

    The reason I choose to bring the jars to the battlefield despite the existence of magic is that the fire created by spells and these me jars is different. The fire created by spells will die out not long after the spells hit the enemies, while fire created by me jars canst longer.

    Why? I dont know. The principle of magic is still a mystery to me.

    Anyway, I dont care as long as its works.

    The demons that went on fire started to roll on the ground. So whats hot is still hot, eh. They be obstacles for other demons, obstructing the enemies overall movement

    Because of them, a gap is created between the enemies in front of us, and the enemies after them. If we defeated the enemies right in front, Our retreat would be easier.

    Push them back!

    Get Them!

    Die, you bastard!

    Several rounds of jars throw are enough for my troop to get used to them. Now they started to prepare to attack after a round of jar throws. Thanks to it, the reaction speed of my troop increased.

    After we exterminated the enemys current front we stepped back again. Not that I dont want to run, it just behind me is the Royal Guards so I have no choice but to keep fighting.

    Well, this situation is on the better side. Because the Royal Guard has been taking care of and protecting injured personnel.

    Additionally, human legs cant match up to the beasts legs. The chance of being killed after running away here is way higher.

    Welner-sama, The me jars have almost run out

    Alright. Although we still have some potions left, tell the hunters and proters that they have my permission to retreat. Make sure they brought our horses back to the mansion.

    I replied in a hoarse voice. I dont have enough energy to keep shouting like before. The enemy didnt relent even for a bit, so Im mentally tired. Comet to think of it, back when this world is still a game, didnt a simr thing happen? No matter how many times I killed mobs unless I also killed the boss they will keeping. Where the heck are these guys keeping from?

    The capital walls had gotten closer, but I dont think I can handle this anymore. Should I just give up? I can at least close the curtain with a dramatic end by throwing the remaining me jars.

    As I started to give up, the enemies movement suddenly became strange. Some beasts look confused, and others look flustered after they see us. Some insect-type beasts even started to attack other demons.

    I followed my instinct.

    This is our chance! Push them back!

    Welner-sama!!??

    Ignoring the knights doubt, I swing my spear with all my power. A bitter, The Zeavert army that had been ustomed to following my order followed me.

    Thest to react is people who just joined my troops. As a result, we created a spindle-like formation and seeded in killing the enemies at an unprecedented speed. Currently, those demons are no longer a demon outbreak (Stampede) but just a ragtag of demons.

    To tell you the truth, I dont remember what happened after. After the battle, I learned that I rushed to the enemy line and rampaged inside. Apparently, The sight of me mowing down terrified demons makes me look like Im the devil myself.

    No, I dont enjoy ughter! It must be the effect of my pilled-up stressprobably.

    Not long after, a second armyes to our rescue. It was probably thanks to the knights that returned with the Royal Grandson. We worked together with that enemy to pulverize the ragtag group of demons and sessfully drove back the demons in the truest sense.

    We won..

    WE WON!!!

    ITS OUR VICTORY!!

    Cheers of celebration followed after. I managed to stand by using my spear as a cane in its midst.

    Huh? Is this a dream? We won!?

    It took time for the word me to digest that fact, and the second a sense of relief came, everything turned ck.

    T/N:

    3/5 chapter that Ive owned! The first battle has finallye to an end! Anyway, I heard that the horizontal line that I used to indicate POV and scene change sometimes didnt appear. So I changed it with a special character. Tell me in thement if it also doesnt; show up

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    A few days after that battle, The king called me for an audience. Thats why Im here, kneeling in the direction of the throne, wearing a formal outfit.

    Im not alone. That indeed reduced the pressure, but how did things end up like this?

    Ive heard I copsed for a whole day after our victory. It was only because of fatigue, not an illness. But I still made my parent, the butlers, and the maids all worried.

    It was to the point that, The second they noticed I couldnt make any voice after I woke up, they made me chug potions like crazy. After how much I shouted, it was obvious that it would happen.

    I heard a messenger from the castlee to me while I was unconscious. My parents dealt with them. Lets pretend I dont know.

    A day after I woke up, my parents, who had grasped the whole situation, scolded me,  Its not good to buy all avable oil in the market! Though the scolding was quite gentle and they praised me in the end.

    As for why the demons movement became strange toward the end of the battle, as I expected, Mazell had killed the devil. Mazell also destroyed the crystal that controlled the outbreak.

    Did that sort of crystal exist in the game? I cant remember. The fragment of that crystal is still under investigation.

    I also found some ck gems. But I heard that the researchers found that the gems are made of unknown material.

    So because the gems didnt look like a metal, they decided to call just to call it, gems despite not really knowing what those actually are.

    But gems are supposed to have value, while we still dont know if those ck gems have any value. What if they are imbued with curses instead? Maybe rather than gems, calling them something like demon stone, evil stone or wicked stone is better Nope. Those names sound tacky. Giving things good names is difficult.

    Anyway. When I heard about your deeds, I was more surprised than when I encountered a devil.

    Its just luck.

    Mazell and I are exchanging thetest information while sipping a ck tea. Although my fatigue had already disappeared thanks to healing magic, I was still not allowed to go outside. Just in case or so my parent said. Thats why Mazell visited me instead.

    The ck tea we are currently sipping was brewed by one of the mansions maids famous for brewing great ck tea. Some of my friends even came to the estate solely to taste this tea.

    That maid is tall, quiet, and gentle. Shes someone with a big sister vibe and is pretty popr among my friends. Wait, why was I ended up thinking a useless thing.

    Back to the topic, ording to Mazell, my achievements. Well, one that I unknowingly had gathered, is currently a hot topic in the academy. Other noble students had participated in the war. However, some had their fathers participate instead.

    I prefer not to talk about those things.

    They just love to exaggerate a story.

    Even if it is, the fact that you be a hot topic among the students is already amazing.

    Mazell responded whileughing.

    I also heard His Highness praise you to the heaven, saying that you have a keen eye for war. He told everyone about how you can crush the enemys trap and how you grasped the enemys moment of weakness and counterattacked.

    ..Please stop..

    I wanted to hide my face by putting it on the table, but the prepared tea and snacks would go to the drain if I did that. Especially the cookies, they are delicious.

    I managed to endure the urge and turned my eyes to Mazell.

    Hoe is your situation? DIdnt you defeat a devil?

    Not that much different from you. Thats why Im here to hide.

    Seriously?

    Mazell, how can you say something like that whileughing? A bitter, though, Mazell put on a guilty expression. Then with a bitter smile, he said.

    I dont have any choice. Im amoner, you remember? How am I supposed to know a proper manner to reject conversation with nobles?

    I guess youre right.

    Theres nothing more annoying in this world than a nobles manner. Maybe the developer never included any detailed event about the noble because theplex nobles manner data would take too much space?

    The truth is, even without understanding a nobles manner, Mazell can always use the excuse Im a student, so I need to study to refuse any nobles attempt to converse. But this is Mazell, the typical kind protagonist. Even if he knew that method existed, he wouldnt use it to avoid troubling the academy.

    Its not like hes okay with troubling the Zeavert House either. Mazell only intends to ask me, his friend, for help. Coming here is probably the best way to avoid the nobles he could think of as a student.

    I cant refuse him. The fact that I even thought of refusing him is probably the effect of spending 15 years living as a noble. I feltplicated, but I decided to help him. Abandoning him will be too cold after all.

    I will help him, but I hope this wont influence the games scenario.

    Other than that, I wanted to ask for your advice for tomorrows victory celebration and audience with the king.

    First, you can just wear the academys uniform for clothing.

    Really?

    Uniform is also a ceremonial dress.

    ording to my knowledge, school uniforms were originally used for ceremonial purposes in Japan. People who casually wear a school uniform are considered someone who knows no shame. They are treated like a fool.

    Though most adults in my past life didnt know this, they only said its against the schools rule when scolding students who wear their uniforms casually. As such, most students also didnt know.

    Its only an audience, not some international event. Nobles will understand your background, so there is no need to feel pressured. You will be fine as long as you know where to kneel and didnt talk to the king without permission.

    Just by doing those two things?

    The nobles wont be too fussy with a student because other nobles will brand a person who nitpicks a student as an idiot. So as I said before, theres no need for you to feel pressured.

    Unlike me, I barely swallowed that word. Noble wont be fussy <i>except against other nobles.</i>

    Most nobles inner thoughts are roughly like this I, who know manner is great whilemoner who doesnt is lower than me.

    For those nobles, getting angry at a student is like lowering oneself to the same level as amoner. Those nobles will only fight against people of the same level. Not with a student, especially a student, <b>and</b> amoner. Even if Mazell messed up, the most he will get is a warning.

    If the opponent is another noble, they will criticize every little thing. Im barely safe because Im also a student. But my father is the Minister of Ceremonies, so I must at least show an eptable level of manner.

    Ah.. this is really annoying.

    Mazell, did you contact your family?

    Nope. or rather, its impossible.

    After I told him several other things that Mazell needed to pay attention at the audience, I changed the topic. To my question, Mazell answered with a sullen smile.

    Thats to be expected. Mazells hometown is remote, <i>cough,</i> I mean a countryside far from the capital. Only the pilgrims on their way to the Great Temple Finnoi wille to that vige to rest for a night. That Great Temple is located in the mountain. Thats just how countryside Mazells hometown is.

    In the game, I remember the hero traveled a lot. People here are simr to people in my past life in that most of them rarely travel far, so it will be difficult for even a messenger to went there unless that messenger has a few days to spare.

    Even if I contacted them, they wont be able toe. My family will be busy running the store after all.

    I see.

    The store that hes talking about is probably the inn that Mazells parent run together with his little sister. Mazells hometown Alea Vige didnt have any weapons or armor worth buying in the game, but since the vige inn is Mazells house, staying there is free.

    After clearing the Great Temple, the yer will take advantage of that free inn to grind in the area around the Alea Vige. Then after reaching a sufficient level, the yer will go to clear the Counting Star Tower. Thats how the game went.

    From what I remember, there was also a scene where his family said, its been a while since you returned,  which means the games Mazell barely returned.

    How about I contacted your family instead? With the Zeavert Households help, it will be easier.

    Please dont.

    Mazells expression became flustered as he waved his hand. Iughed. Its a bit frustrating only to be able to get back for his earlier teasing like this.

    Forget the a bit It is frustrating, so lets tell Mazells family that he defeated a devil! What? Childish, you say? Mind your own business!

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    Note: We have merged previously splited chapters.

    First, the most distinguished personnel in this war, Hubertus Nahles Weiss Weinzierl. You did well.

    I did not deserve such a praise, as I merely did what Your Majestys had ordered.

    As I heard about the Kings endless praises for the Crown Prince I tried really hard to prevent myself from rolling my eyes. Of course, as themander of the whole army, the Crown Prince will be named as the most distinguished personnel.

    Its the typical all your merit goes to your boss the victory of this war also all attributed to the Crown Prince. Its all praise to the Crown Prince route.

    The King continues and bestows the Crown Prince with all sorts of rewards. First mary rewards, then a royal family treasured sword. The greatest reward though is the fact that with this achievement the Crown Princes position will be unshaken.

    Next, Ingo Fati Zeavert. Sirs army had be the key to our win in the recent battle. Sirs achievement is truly worthy of praise.

    I am truly grateful for your praise.

    Next, its my fathers turn. Father said so as he bowed his head. The one that went to the battle may be me, but the army is the Zeavet households so the achievement goes to my father.

    The reward that the King bestows is money and its quite a lot of it. The reward amount is enough to pay back the money I used to buy the oil so Im d. The remaining problem is there will be ack of scented oil for a while since I bought all of its main ingredients but I doubt we will have anyrge-scale international banquet in a while because of the demon king so it should be fine.

    Other thanck of scented oil, another effect of this time battle is probably going to be the change of perception people have toward the Zeaverts household. We will no longer be known as a house of the civil officers only.

    And for your heir, Welner von Zeavert who had for the one who had battled on the frontline, from henceforth we shall allow him to be called viscount.

    Such an excessive reward

    Please allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude once again for Your Majestys generosity!

    Now my name is brought up. As the actualmander of the army, I guess this will happen.

    I walked to the very front where my father is and gave a very deep bow toward the throne while I started to recall this kingdoms nobles rank.

    In my previous world, the basic noble rank is separated into five-level. They are duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. Some countries also had ranks below baron like bar, honorary knight, or esquire but well, the basic rank is these five.

    The Bain Kingdom I am reincarnated into also has five I wish. The Bain Kingdom actually had 6 ranks of nobility so its even more troublesome to remember.

    There is also a typical ssification of the noble outside of their rank simr to my previous life like a court noble and territory lord but there are also many differences. I used to get confused about them.

    The first rank is baron. Usually, a baron is a knight who had done many meritorious services or a talentedmoner who is liked by the king and then put in a governmental position. This bit isnt that different from baron in my past life.

    When a knight bes a baron, the only difference he will feel is probably the fact that he can now attend a royal banquet or a nobles wedding as a guest. As a knight, he can only attend these events as a guard.

    Most barons also didnt have any territory. Even if they had its only small farnd so there are also barons who are also a farmer. A baron may be a noble but they didnt have the typical noble luxurious lifestyle.

    There is also a non-hereditary baron. This type of baron will never get their territory. This position is more of an honorary position (or in this case an honorary title) than an actual noble position. Actually, this type of title is often given as a convenient reward.

    As a noble title, the baron has little to no merit.

    Of course, the baron had a privilege that every noble had like can escape arrest for a light crime or paying a cheaper toll when moving to another town. But these two privileges are useless for someone of a barons level.

    Above baron, there is a viscount. I really hope a viscount is just a title given to a baron that had umted great merit but nope, not that simple. In this kingdom, there are not 1 or two but 3 types of viscount.

    The word viscount originally mean a count aide this is why some viscount had a small part of the counts territory as their territory. This type of viscounts is called a remote viscounts

    The second type of viscount is government viscount they are viscounts who are appointed as a high ranking government official. Most of the royal familys territory is managed by this type of viscounts.

    Rarely, some governmental viscounts also be a minister.

    Last, is the provincial viscount who had territory in the provincial region. There is this unwritten rule that a provincial viscount must never be a high-ranking government official.

    The trademark of a viscount is they barely leave their territory. They only came to the capital for like reports and special events. Only fellow viscounts remember other viscounts faces.

    The territory of a viscount is not thatrge. An influential viscount has territory the size of a small city but most only had territory that can be considered bigger than a vige but smaller than a city. Some viscounts territory is onlyposed of farmer viges and farnd that isrge enough to do tenant farming.

    Other than three types of a viscount, there is another equal but different rank than viscount called deputy count This rank is usually given to sons of a marquis or a count. This rank is closer to an honorary viscount.

    You can tell if someone is appointed as a deputy count or a viscount by listening to the Kings word when appointed them. If the King said We shall appointed him as a viscount. then that person is appointed as a viscount, while if the King said we shall allow him to be called a viscount then that person is appointed as a deputy count.

    I heard deputy count used to be considered as one of the nobility rank in the kingdom right below the viscount. Back then, there were not six but seven ranks of nobility.

    I was appointed as a deputy count. There is actually barely any benefit for me. I will receive a sry from the court, though the amount is only roughly the same as a barren. Its an amount enough to support a family but Im still a student with no family to support.

    Rather than benefit, this rank brought me one huge trouble.

    As I said before, this rank is given to a son of marquis or a count. Its a symbol of an acknowledgement as the official heir of the house from the royal family. For a case like mine, whose father is a minister that often stayed in the capital, the job of managing the territoryes as a packaged deal with this rank.

    The huge problem that I was talking about is not the matter of heir. If my brother was alive, me given this rank by the royal family would lead to a full-blown sessor war, but since my brother died and I be the counts only son, Im automatically the heir without being given this rank.

    The huge problemy in the managing the territory bit. As the person who manages the territory, I also must protect the territory. It means <b>I will be the one who will lead the knights and the army at the frontline in case of any battle.</b>

    Basically, the king is telling me this your father is a court minister, so he wont be able to go to a battlefield. You go in his stead.

    The managing the territory bit had also brought heated argument among the others noble about whos higher a deputy count or a viscount?

    Onemon argument goes like this. The deputy count is only their fathers helper. Of course, a viscount with their territory and political influence as a high officer in the central government that managed finance or administration is higher.

    The opposing argument then goes like this. But, if the deputy count is a son of a marquis who is also a court minister, then as a manager of a marquis territory, isnt it obvious that the deputy count is higher than a viscount?

    and so on so on. The debate finally calmed down when the king decided to make the rank viscount and deputy count equal. The official document will keep the name deputy count while his official position and the way other nobles call him will be viscount.

    Though it had calmed down, it doesnt mean the debate hadpletely disappeared. The debate used to be heated again at a royal banquet. The order of sitting in a royal banquet is decided by the persons political achievements, position in the society, the parents position, the position of the inw family, and age. The heated debate often arose about the order of sitting of the viscounts and deputy counts.

    Maybe thats why only nobles with a rank of count and above can attend a banquet nowadays. Baron too, but many feel that the viscount didnt appreciate their rank.

    The next rank of nobility is the count rank. This rank is divided into 3. There are town count, rural count, and court count. All type of count had their territory.

    Some count had nothing but ruinednd as their territory, but the faulty with that counts father or grandfather for always ying around and never doing their job properly.

    The first type of count is town count. They are counts who had arge town as their territory. Their territory may also have farnd, but its small, so their primary iees from taxes, paid either by the towns residents and merchants or from export and import tariff.

    It may look like they are not earning that much, but for a counts who had a harbour town as his territory, the amount they make can be ridiculous to the point they can buy a personal warship. Yes, this kind of count existed in the kingdom. Then, for a town count that had a territory near a mine, he had an excellent connection to the kingdoms engineer, so pissing him will bring endless trouble.

    Even if the town counts territory location is not special, every town count also had other benefits like a great war potential of their territory. A town is where adventurers and aspiring mercenaries gather, after all. Then, they also had a solid connection to the merchant, causing them to be well informed about the flow of goods.

    A hidden power will describe a town count the best.

    This is different from my previous life. In my previous life, a town count ornded gentry was a position that was even lower than a viscount.

    The second type of count is known as rural count This type of count has a territoryposed of mainly farmer viges and farnd. Their primary iees from corps, livestock, and forestry.

    The main benefit that a rural count has is the number of people they have in their territories. Like in my previous life, most people in this kingdom live in farmer viges because Its natural for people to build settlements near farnd. Plus, because of howrge the amount ofbour is needed for farming, people still choose to stay in the vige to help their family farm.

    I dont know if, in the future, this world will also have an industrial revolution that will lead to the creation of tractors moved by magic. For now, most of the kingdoms citizens lived in farming viges.

    This benefit is the primary source of a rural counts influence. They could move arge number of people if they wanted. Not to mention they also controlled the kingdoms food.

    Arge number of citizens tranted directly to arge amount of potentialbour force. A rural count may not have any military power, but they influence military supply transportation. After all, who can transport goods if not people? Another sector that desperately needs abour force is road building. Road building also happens in this world, even if they have magic.

    A Simple way to describe a rural count is a noble who have an obvious power.

    Thest type of count is court count. Like its name, its a count that worked in the royal court. They also had their territory. The title count is given to a noble that had territory in the provincial region.

    Just while other counts spend the most time in the province to manage their territory, the court count spends most of their time working in the royal court in the central region. People often associated this count with an image of an intelligent person adept in politics. I dont know if my father is adept in politics, though.

    Among the three counts, the rural count had the weakest influence. Its quite different from my past life, where a noble with vast farnd as their territory usually have a strong influence. Some can rival a duke. But in this kingdom, the position of a rural count can be pretty shaky.

    The next nobility rank is Marquis. They are nobles who have a town the size of several counties as their territory.

    Marquis always stayed in the capital and only return to their territory a handful of times. They left governing their territory to several counts as their representative

    Marquis only left the capital under special circumstances like diplomacy work with foreign countries.

    Posts that held many of the kingdoms internal secrets like the knight captain, Minister of Defense, or General of the kingdoms army are always left to the marquis.

    Marquis has one special right that nobles below them didnt have. They have the right to possess a private army for each of their territories. They also have arge number of knights under theirmand.

    One strange thing that I noticed about marquis in this kingdom is that they are often left in charge to protect the kingdoms border despite mostly remaining in the capital.

    Another privilege that only nobles ranked marquis and above have is the right to be the kings inw. This is because theres a rule that requires the queen to be ady at least from the marquis household. In reality, though, there are severaldies from a counts household that managed to be a queen.

    Other rights that only noble with marquis and above rank have is the right to create a territoryw. They can create and enforce a specialw that didnt exist in the kingdoms constitution.

    There was this story about a certain marquis that created aw all bandit shall be executed It caused all bandits topletely disappeared from his territory. It also caused trouble in surrounding territories since the bandits ended up running there.

    If theres any sh between the kingdomsw and the marquiss territoryw then first bothws are investigated. Usually, the kingdomsw ended up being the one that is enforced, but times when the territorysw bes the one that is enforced also existed.

    I do think is a good policy. Because this way the territory lord will be able to swiftly solve problems that didnt exist in the kingdomsw.

    After the marquis, next is the duke. The nobility system in this kingdom, follow the western nobility system which is a bit different from the Japanese nobility system that I know in term of the duke. In the Japanese nobility system, the rank duke didnt exist. There is only a prince

    So the western nobility system duke and prince are both conveniently called just prince in Japan. Its confusing[1].

    In the western nobility system, a prince is either someone who ruled a small country or the son of the reigning monarch. Including the Crown Prince. A simple definition of a prince is a man who had a connection with the current monarch

    While duke is a title given to a lord who is higher than marquis. Dukes often controlrge towns. Many nobles became dukes after amassing a massive amount of war achievements. the duke territories are often treated as autonomous areas, like a small country. Other than being a noble title given to a lord of a kingdom, some countries also have duke as the title of its reigning monarch.

    The reason why the title duke didnt exist in Japan is because of the difference between Japans imperial family system and the westerns.

    Japan, Chinese, and other countries that embraced the Chinese-style nobility system had arge number of imperial/royal families since the reigning monarch have concubines. As suchrge territories that are typically given to a duke in western countries are given to one of the princes instead so the need to create apletely new title like duke didnt exist.

    On the other hand, the western nobility system is based on the system that existed in the European dark ages, the times when the church had a huge influence to the point that for a prince to be recognized as the next king it was more important to be recognized by the church rather than by his own parents.

    In the bible, there is a famous line Thou shall notmit adultery Thats why the king of the western kingdom cant have concubines. Officially, at least.

    Without concubines, No matter how much the royal couples work hard and even if the queen gave birth to one child every year, the number of royal family members wont be toorge, since the son of the concubine wont be recognized as an official member of royalty.

    Thats whyrge territories wont always be governed by a prince, unlike in the Chinese nobility system, but rather by a subject that had amassed merit. In this case, a separation between that subject and a prince is needed and thats how the title duke is born.

    Under the western system, some princes do be an heir to another kingdom because of their political marriage.

    While some dukes ended up bing a king because of the church deration like The God had recognized this person as the king!

    But in either of these situations, separating the title duke from prince itself wont cause any problem.

    From an outsiders point of view, separating the title also make it easier to remember so its a win-win situation.

    The situation is different in the Chinese nobility system. A king/emperors children is still a member of a royal/imperial family even if their mother is a concubine.

    I mean the ancient Chinese emperor had <i>at least</i> 20 daughters and the man that married those daughters also had the qualification to be called a prince, so the actual number of the royal family is just staggering.

    Not to mention there were also some men who is conferred the title of prince because their sons married a princess.

    Under the Chinese-style nobility system, territories are often only kept around the member of the imperial/royal family so theres no need for an additional title like duke.

    To add to the confusion, this type of nobility system had a separate parameter to decide the right to a throne other than the title of prince.

    For example in Japan, there is Prince Yamagata Aritomo[2]. He might be a prince but he didnt have any im to the Japanese Imperial throne. In the western nobility system, hes a duke.

    Fujiwara n[3] in Heian Period[4]is also another great example. Despite being the ns of the princes and emperors wives, none of the members of the n had any right to the imperial throne. This is because of the difference in treatment of maternal families in eastern culture and western culture.

    In the Chinese style nobility system, a prince can also have a different amount of authority depending on who the current reigning emperor/king is. The same prince can have a different amount of power in a different era.

    Due to differences between the western and Chinese-style nobility system, tranting both prince and duke into just prince often causes confusion in Japan because no one knows which is which. More often than not, both are just careless clustered together.

    Maybe the Meji Government[5] should have creates a different title to separate duke and prince in the past.

    So they can give Yamahata Aritomo an equivalent duke title instead of the straight-up prince;

    So to simplify things.

    Western-style title: a Prince has direct blood rtion to the royal family, while Duke hasnt. Prince has the right to the throne.

    Chinese-style title: Prince is a title that can be given to anyone who had the slightest bit of connection to the royal family. These Princes may or may not have the right to the throne

    Those are really simplified exnations. Though these simple exnations can still cause some misinterpretation.

    The Bain Kingdom Im currently in follows the western style nobility title that separated prince and duke.

    The Crown Prince falls into the prince category while the current prime minister is a duke. That means the six nobility rank in this kingdom is prince, duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron.

    The Weiss in the Crown Princes name signifies that he is the sessor of the throne. Other royals, like the second princess Laura Louise Weinzierl didnt have Weiss in their name. The Crown Prince can also be referred to as Prince Weiss.

    Hes sort of Archduke of this kingdom. Well, the Archduke in my previous world is a different though.

    Anyway, Ive spent quite a bit of time reviewing this worlds nobility system.

    In short, by giving me the title deputy count the king is telling me Youre still a student but theres no doubt that you are the next count so take care of the counts military affair.

    Just how did things be like this?

    [1]In Japan, (prince, official rank of old japan nobility) is used to trante the word duke and prince to Japan. Theres no distinction. Ex. Prince of Monaco and Duke of Hamilton will both be called  in Japan.

    [2] Former Prime Minister of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamagata_Aritomo

    [3] In the Heian Period, the Fujiwara n is the power behind the imperial court. With wives of the emperor and imperial princes, alle from the Fujiwara n. Still, the member of the Fujiwara n had no im to the throne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujiwara_n

    [4] The period in Japanese history from 794-1185 A.D is considered the peak Japanese Imperial Court.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period#:~:text=The%20Heian%20period%20

    [5] The era of Emperor Meiji marked Japans start of westernization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Meiji_Japan

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    T/N: Due to theint about the info dump in the previous chapter, I decided to add a skip button.

    After the awarding ceremony is done, next is a banquet. I really dont know what these people are thinking to open a banquet in this kind of situation. Maybe the royal family or the nobles had some sort of n? Who knows.

    What I know is currently we had be a celebrity among our peers.

    <i>Sigh</i> really, how did things be like this?

    Welner, youre the only person who willin after being given a peerage you know.

    Mazell, whose contribution earned him third ce in the award ceremony said. In the game, Mazell was the first ce, not the Crown Prince. As I expected, deviation from the game scenario appeared.

    A banquet like this also didnt happen in the game. Well with the death of The Crown Prince, who is in the mood to open a banquet?

    Even now, Its actually not the time to open a banquet. The demon king is in the midst of his revival after all. Not that anyone knows. Even if I go on my way to announce it, I wont be able to answer where I got this information.

    Regarding the banquet itself, the Crown Prince and the King had already left. Maybe they need to take care of the kingdoms matter or something, I dont know.

    While I and Mazell stayed here. That punk Mazell, why did he look more handsome wearing a students uniformpared to me who wears the gant formal suit? God sure is unfair.

    Not that I believe God exists.

    No way its just me! If you properly search

    If you properly search youre only going to find that other students envied you.

    Mazell said. It makes sense that being bestowed on a peerage is an honor for others but for me, its the worst thing that can happen.

    First of all, its already bad enough that its hard for me to left the capital for a long time as a student. Now, my chance of being in a castle, the heart of <i>that </i>event just increased.

    My stomach hurt

    Now you know how I felt yesterday, dont you.

    Now that I looked closely, Mazell seems to be more rxedpared to yesterday. Despite everything that I had said before, it seems like Mazell was really nervous yesterday because of his manner.

    So he can converse that well with His Majesty yesterday despite being nervous, eh. I remember thinking, that the scene of Mazell conversing with His Majesty is good enough to be included in a future history book. Being able to do everything perfectly seems to be included in the protagonists cheat.

    Well, my number one problem right now is this stomachache. It dide at a perfect time though since I had no intention to eat anything at this banquet.

    (T/N info dump warning about medieval cuisine here to skip)

    Talking about eating in many works that included reincarnated into another world theme, many of its protagonists speak about how bad the medieval cuisines are. Among those stories, some stories even make cooking a more delicious food as its main theme. But, many stories got the information about cuisines of the medieval time wrong.

    The wrong part is the descriptions of the food in medieval times are in, or you can only taste the ingredients but nothing else. I dont know food formoner taste, but the food served to nobles or the royal isnt like that.

    Food eaten by the nobles and royals is quitevish <i>ording to their standard</i>. The problem is that standards suck.

    The standard ofvish food is its price. In the north, that means dried fruit. Thats good. Dried fruits are delicious.

    But for other nobles whose territories are mostly far from the sea, their standard ofvish food is any food that uses most salt. The kind of food that will make your blood pressure shoot through the roof is the most expensive food here. The tradition of leaving arge container of salt near the dining tables head seat must be because of this.

    My guess is this kingdom hasnt entered the age of sail. Thats why people cook with salt not spices. Spices are as expensive as gold after all.

    There was a record of someone eating a food fully season with pepper and drinking wine that is also filled with pepper. When I read that record, I remember thinking how did this guys tongue and stomach handle that much pepper?

    It must be because in medieval times people eat nothing but food seasoned with salt so the taste of a simple pepper must be really delicious for them.

    By the way, the medieval period in Europe is around the Heian until the Edo Period [1] in Japan.

    In thetter half of the medieval period, the taste of food must have gotten better while in the earlier half I dont even want to imagine it

    As for the Bain Kingdom, the food here is at least not as bad as pepper-filled cuisine and wine. I know some cuisine that is called delicacy despite having a questionable taste, though. If there is one unique thing about food here, is that its normal for people to eat demon meat.

    Ive once had a soup made by demon innard seasons with self-created spices. The ingredients of that self-created spices were just<i>urgh</i>. Lets forget about it.

    As I was thinking, a familiar man wearing a ceremonial suit approached me. Its Marquis Norporth.

    Sir Welner von Zevert. First of all, let me extend my congrattion on your new peerage.

    Thank you, Marquis Norporth.

    First of all. That means theres more. Arghh Is it about <i>that</i>? Lets just apologize first.

    Also, Please ept my apology for my action in the previous battle.

    Hm

    Did he or did he not ept my apology? Anyway, I just lowered my head. I was the one who was in the wrong after all.

    After I raised my head, I can see Mazells confused face.

    I stayed silent and waited for Marquis Norporths next word. What I got is the low heartyugh of this dandy uncle. He looks handsome whenughing. Why is the ratio of handsome men near me so high?

    Its fine as long as you understand. I also need to honor His Highnesss request.

    His Highnesss request?

    His Highness requested me not to be too harsh on you as youre still young. Despite His Highness request, I came here prepared to scold you if you let your achievement go over your head but, it seems like its a needless worry.

    I am thankful for your kind intention.

    Wha- Did I just enter His Highness good grace? What should I do

    Count Zeavert is lucky to have such an excellent heir. I will be looking forward to your future.

    Thank you for your praise.

    I bowed again. When I raised my head, Marquis Norporth is gone. <i>Fyuh</i>

    So, what just happened?

    Well, to put it simply

    To Mazell, who had to repress his question until now I exined the situation at that time. After I noticed the enemy is using Tsuri-Nobuse I immediately went to the main camp to report to the Crown Prince. Thats the problem.

    ording to the armys chain ofmand, I should have reported to the left nkmander, Marquis Norporth. Then, the marquis should be the one that contacted the Crown Prince.

    But if you did that, wont it be more dangerous?

    Yeah. Thats why I went straight to His Highness because I dont have any time to persuade Marquis Norporth.

    Still, I ignored the rule. This is the same as I, a representative of the sectional manager skipped the department head and immediately reported to the CEO. Thats ignoring the proper procedure.

    But if someone is allowed to ignore the rule because that person had some achievement, the order of the army will copse.

    I see

    Mazell stared at me like I was some kind of alien. Can I p the stop looking at me! meme on his face?

    Welner, are we really the same age? I understand why Marquis Norporth came here only after your exnation, so how did you

    Thats called the difference between our life experiences.

    Literally. That is If you count the experience from my past life.

    As we were talking, other people started to gather around us. The nobles that want to form ties with the hero must have exhausted their patience.

    We might get busy for a while

    We did.

    [1]te 10th century-19th century

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    Thats why, Can you meet my daughter once, Mazell-kun?

    Correct me if Im wrong, Viscount Ungar. But from what I know, your daughter is only three years old?

    If given a chance in the future, I will surely meet her, viscount.

    Mazells face stiffen when I said the viscounts daughter is three. He must be having a hard time preventing himself from giving a straight refusal and answering the viscount as such while desperately giving me the signal to help him escape.

    Well, this is what happened since Marquis Norporth left. Really. Its fine if those nobles asked Mazell to meet someone his age, but why do they also ask him to meet a grandma above 50 and a girl below 10? They must have thought of Mazell, the man with [Hero] skill that defeated a devil as a delicious prey.

    As for me, I did get some meeting offers, but the amount is nothingpared to Mazells. Is it because hes more handsome than me

    Come to think of it. I didnt remember that this kind of scene existed in the game.

    Considering the game itself had little mention of nobles, I guess thats expected. Plus, originally, the Crown Prince is supposed to die in that battle. After the Crown Prince died, most nobles probably went to the frontline themselves and ended up as corpses. It makes sense that none of the nobles will be rxed enough to offer their rtive to the hero.

    This is also not a good time to rx actually. Not that anyone knows.

    Thanks for earlier.

    If youre grateful, treat me a lunchter.

    I will even include breakfast and dinner. <i>sigh</i>

    Mazell said, with a rare, extremely tired voice. Im also tired. Those nobles keeping like waves, and I need to talk non-stop to entertain them in the meantime. My throat, which just healed a few days ago, hurt again.

    At least, Im d I learned this worlds noble etiquette in advance. You dont know whats going to be useful, eh.

    But those waves of people is really something isnt?

    Arent you supposed to be used by it? <i>Mr. popr student</i>?

    Thats right. Mazell is also pretty popr in the academy. I hate to admit it, but he got both the face and the personality. Hes also quite a gentleman to the woman.

    Thinking about the academy reminded me of something. Some of the nobledies who attend the academy choose only to form rtionships with other nobles. In that group ofdies, sometimes I saw them enchanted by him while saying, If only hes a noble

    Then they will continue to say, A nobledy cant have a free love! to themselves. I pitied them. Its not like my pity will make them approach me instead, though.

    Why am I even thinking about this. Anyway, even without being a hero, Mazell is already a valuable item and his value will only continue to increase in the future.

    That value increase depends on his aplishment in the future battle with demons, though.

    Now that this kind of marriage market <i>ahem</i> I mean banquet event that originally didnt happen in the game had happened, I dont think I can rely too much on my game story knowledge anymore.

    I apologize for interrupting your conversation.

    Ah, no

    Ah, there is no need to apologize. But, do you need something from us?

    When I looked in the direction of the familiar voice, I froze.

    Mazell didnt know. Thats why he can ask something like that. As for me, Im currently trying my best to calm myself. She gave me a curtsy, and when I tried to bow to her, she raised her hand to stop me and smiled.

    Theres no need to be that stiff, Viscount Zeavert. Please, be at ease.

    You sure said it like its the easiest thing to do, maam. Wait, is she supposed to be in the pce now?

    Lets put off that question and calm my beating heart first. The impact of seeing a girl who is the hot topic, even if shes just a game character in real life, is quite something.

    Her beautiful blond hair swayed earlier when she gave us a curtsy. My mind finally catches up to me, and I remember that this was the first time I saw a curtsy, and hers was truly elegant. Is this perhaps a captivating movement often said in a novel?

    Allow me to introduce myself. I am Laura Louise Weinzierl. May I have a little bit of both of your time?

    Herees the games main heroine.

    Isnt she really beautiful?

    She is, and all other royals have a good appearance too. Who knows, maybe good appearance is one of the conditions to be a royal?

    As we were following Her Highness, Mazell asked me in a low voice, so I answered him. Its not like I can talk about how DNA affects a persons appearance here, so I just left it with that answer,

    I can tell how Mazell treated her with quite a bit of respect, despite her being a young woman. Its probably because of this noble dignity that she carried herself with. This is something that I only feel when I actually meet her in person.

    Anyway, despite my earlier answer, I also think Mazell didnt lose to the royals in terms of his appearance. Im not jealous. No. It makes me think again how different he, the main character, and I, the supporting character is.

    What? Im just a mob, not even a supporting character? Mind your own business!

    Well, rather than thinking about supporting characters what-not, Im more curious about where will she bring us to?

    Please follow me inside.

    She said as she passed the guard and entered another hallway separated by a huge double door. Ive realized it before, but her every little movement carried an elegance. As expected as a real princess.

    Also, I never realized when I read those reincarnated into a game story that hearing a real person talking with the voice of a voice actress is kind of strange, especially since I know other characters voiced by the same voice actress.

    Its a shame that I cant hear Lauras yful voice, unlike in the game.

    I stopped thinking of her voice and observed my surroundings. We seem to keep going deeper into the pce. I remember this area. You can only enter this area in the game after the demons half-destroyed it.

    Then, is the reason I cant enter this area before the demons attack because of the earlier guards? I dont know if those guards existed in the game, though.

    As I was thinking about the game, we arrived at a courtyard decorated with a sculptured fountain. There are also roses blooming in the courtyard. Even I, who have little to no artistic sense, think that the courtyard is quite beautiful.

    We walked to a gazebo near the fountain. Wait, isnt a gazebo only supposed to exist starting from the 19th century? Why is it here, in a medieval world? Whatever. Game logic, lets ignore it. I mean, even the difference between a castle and a pce in the game is pretty blurry so adding a supposed nonexisting thing isnt a big deal.

    What I should pay attention to more than the gazebo is the man sitting inside while enjoying tea. I know him.

    Wee. Viscount Welner von Zeavert, Mazell Hearthing. Thank you foring this far.

    Of course I know him. Its the Crown Prince. Why is he here?

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17

    I do want to run away when I saw His Highness, but I cant exactly do that, can I?

    Thats why I am here, sitting with my back straight. A rather pathetic state. As for Mazell, he sits like how he normally sits, without a trace of difort or stiffness. Is this another protagonists perk?

    The Crown Prince, his younger sister, the second princess who is the main heroine, and the protagonist are all seated at the same table. I feel out of ce.

    That feelinges because I know that this world is a game. From others perspectives, Mazell is the one who is out of ce. Because all three of us are nobles, while hes amoner.

    I feel there is something wrong here, but I dont know what because in the current situation, all sorts of thoughts filled my head and I can barely wrap those thoughts together. Lets stop thinking. After all, I cant be lost in my thought in front of the Crown Prince.

    The two of you saved me before, let me express my gratitude.

    Please direct your gratitude to Mazell instead, as It was him who saved everyone in the end.

    No. I was only able to do it because everyone had supported me.

    Prince Huber bowed slightly. Please, dont do that, Your Highness. Youre going to make my stomach cramp. Because of the Crown Princes attitude, Mazell and I answered him in a fluster. For now, lets divert the conversation.

    Her Highness is

    There is no need to use the rule of royal court here. You wont get scolded even if you call me by my name

    Ah, no, but

    I dont mind.

    With this, we will get closer, so just call me Laura. Is that not simpler? she said while winking. Isnt that supposed to be the line she will say to the hero?

    I looked toward Prince Hubers direction and saw him nod so Ill call her that. These two are supposed to be a sibling but their age difference made them look like a father and child instead.

    I did not expect to find Princess Laura in the royal pce. I originally thought that the princess is supposed to be at the Great Temple Finnoi.

    Oh, so you know.

    I have heard the news from my father

    He is the Minister of Ceremonies, isnt he? No wonder you know.

    Prince Huber replied in Lauras stead. Actually, I knew it from the game.

    In the game story, the Great Temple Finnoi where Laura is will be attacked by one of the three Demon General. Mazell, who heard the news rushed to the temple, and there he is supposed to meet Laura for the first time. But now, they have already met before the incident. Whats going to happen in the future

    The reason I can use my father as an excuse is that despite the worshipping ceremony itself being held by the temple, all the preparation is handled by the Ministry of Ceremonies.

    Laura had received an oracle and returned to convey it.

    An oracle?

    Thats right. she said that the demon king has been revived.

    For being able to prevent myself from spewing out the tea, I think I need some praise. Wait, but isnt it really important information?

    Is that true?

    Mazell asks with a straight face. In this world, the demon kings existence is just a fairy tale so it wont be strange if he burst intoughter but the atmosphere is serious, and theres no way he couldugh at a princesss word, so I guess he had no choice but to ask with a straight face.

    Prince Huber answered Mazell with a careful tone, The oracle is true. But weck information to judge whether the demon kings revival is true or not.

    The tone is more of 7-part certain and 3-part doubt rather than half certain and half doubt.

    Then, Laura added,  Although it is not widely known, There are different levels of oracles, though only the one that received it can tell.

    Right. Laura is supposed to be the highest level of saintess in history. Thats why she became a target of the demons attack. If thats the case isnt the kingdom supposed to protect her well, not letting her be a damsel in distress constantly saved by the protagonist!? Well its amon game trope though.

    The level of oracle I have received is the highest level. That is why I have returned to convey the oracle directly to His Majesty.

    I see.

    I understand now. I dont know about the King, but for Prince Huber who just experienced the abnormal demon rampage, I can sense he believe the oracle to a certain extent. What I dont understand is what is the rtion of that oracle to me and Mazell?

    Perhaps seeing the doubt on my face, Laura continues to talk.

    The oracle had also stated that the hero will be ying a significant role in the future, so I had hoped to meet you at least once.

    Ah, thats why. Maybe in the game, that oracle is also conveyed to the King thats why the hero Mazell is abused <i>cough</i> I mean is sent on a journey to defeat the demon king.

    Normally, a person needs to be appraised in the temple to see if he or she possessed a skill or not but this appraisal costs a fortune. I guess even the temple cant survive without any ie.

    Thats whymoners usually wont know if they have any skill or not for their whole life. I mean, even without any skill as long as you raise the level of your ss you will be able to live a quietfortable life.

    While Mazell got his skill appraised because of the support of the royal family and got a special enrollment to the academy because of an oracle. That oracle is probably the same one as the one Laura is talking about.

    So Prince Huber, who believed the oracle to a certain extent must be the one that called us here. Its a banquet after all, where themoner Mazell is at the pce so he must think that this is a perfect time. But then

    I understand about the hero I mean, Mazell. But then, what is the reason for my presence here?

    Yes. The question is, why am I here?

    It was Prince Huber who answered me.

    Its simple. I would like for Sir Welner to serve as a bridge and a wall.

    A bridge and a wall?

    What? Im getting more confused. A bridge between Mazell and the Crown Prince Ah, like a contact person?

    As the oracle hasnt been disclosed to the public yet, it would be strange if amoner like Mazell came to the royal pce all the time.

    Thats correct.

    If its after the death of the Crown Prince in a demon rampage, the demon kings revival will be more believable so the King can just summon the hero and personally speak to him. But the current situation isnt like that.

    In the current situation, if the oracle of the demon kings revival is known, all hell would break loose. Though the person who knows that the oracle is the truth is probably only me. I understand why the royal family is careful in disclosing the oracle.

    Thats why currently it will be strange if Mazell is called to the pce.

    On the other hand, as a viscount, I wont look suspicious no matter how often I went to the pce. Rather than a contact person, Im more of a messenger.

    I understand the bridge, but the wall?

    With a confused expression, Mazell asks. I think its better if Im the one that answered it.

    Its like what I did earlier. I have to protect you the nobles that tried to entangle themselves with you.

    Its going to be troublesome for the royal family if Mazell is involved with the other nobles. If the oracle of the demon kings revival is disclosed, then the royal family will be able to prevent it by using their authority but for now, they cant. Thats why the royal family had no other choice but to negotiate with the nobles, allowing the nobles to borrow Mazell for a lot of purposes. For example, for a marriage meeting.

    The royal family must fear that they will lose the hero to the nobles side if they let the nobles borrow him.

    How about I appointed Mazell-kun as Sir Welners official subordinate?

    Please dont.

    I tly reject Prince Hubers proposal. I mean, a future husband of Her High Laura bing a subordinate of a noble like me will definitely lead to aplicated rtionship.

    For my own sake and the sake of the games story, I must immediately reject Prince Hubers proposal.

    Mazell and I is a close friends. We are equal.

    Did thate off a bit too rude?

    I shall follow the royal familysmands as such I will spare no effort in cooperating with Mazell. But, I have no intention to change my rtionship with Mazell to be a superior and subordinate or anything of that sort.

    There is a choice to be a superior in name only like what I have done with my friends.

    I will still refuse, Your Highness.

    Theres no way the rtionship will only keep remain as in-name. Plus, how will the Crown Prince treat meter if I be the master of his sisters husband?

    Why is the Crown Prince being stubborn Ah, I get it. He wants to eliminate any seed of future strife from Mazells heart.

    I will respect your wish then. But I request that you support Mazell-kuns activities in the capital.

    As your wish.

    Actually, I also want to refuse that request, but if I keep refusing the Crown Princes its definitely going to cause trouble in the future. Who knows what will the Crown Prince do if I did that?

    Things had deviated from the games storyline anyway. So I will ept this request in exchange for the Crown Princes minimal intervention in my life while still prioritizing my safety.

    Its not like I have been asked to be the herospanion in defeating the demon king. Its only to support the hero as a noble. I can do this much,

    Still, this is an unexpected development. In the game, the kingdom sent the hero to a battle with minimal support.

    In the game, The King only gives a hero a meager amount of money not even enough to buy the best armor from the store. What a cruel king.

    T/N: I SURVIVED FINAL. That means you can expect more releases starting next week so stay tuned.

    .

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18

    *Third POV

    So, how was he?

    I do not know about his actual feeling but at least in front, he said they were friends and have no intention of changing their rtionship.

    During the intermission between his busy schedule, the King, Maximilian Reinisch Weiss Weinzierl listened to his sons report in his private room while cing his hand on his chin.

    Is there any chance that the Count is the one who told him to say so?

    No, I do not think that was the case. I did not feel any trace of lies in his word of wanting to be friends.

    Hmm. In that case, it is safe to believe him.

    Although they have yet to make a significant move concerning the oracle of the revival of the demon king, the royal family has been paying attention to the bearer of rare skill [Hero] for a long time.

    As the royal family had recognized the worth of that rare skill, they had once againunched an investigation for the bearer of the skill and discovered that the heir of Count Zeavert is among his close friends.

    Needless to say, they had also investigated other noble houses and had already taken the measure toward houses that are found to be engaged in any shady schemes.

    Then, the oracle of the demon kings revival reached their ears.

    With that, the value of the [Hero] increased tremendously. But because of the political situation, the royal family cannot make anyrge movement in the public. Thus, Welner became an important connection to the hero.

    As the bridge that will connect the hero to us, the fact that he had no intention to take the hero under his wing benefits us.

    I agree. Though, it is not a wise decision to make as a noble.

    Despite saying so, you seem to be in a good mood.

    To his royal father who show a rare puzzled expression, the Crown Prince answered with a smile.

    I was thinking he might be a good fit to be an aide of my son, Louwen. He had a decent peerage, does not seem to be greedy, and has military prowess.

    Hmm

    The king rested his hand on his chin and contemted. With a 38 years old Crown Prince as his son, the King is also of advanced age. If possible, he wanted to put outstanding aides on his grandsons side.

    Of course, the hero is one of the aides candidates. But if there were any outstanding nobles, it would be also a good choice to consider them. It is also a shame for an excellent person like Welner to only be used as a messenger.

    I see. Lets see how things progress in the future then.

    Yes.

    Also, about the demon kings revival

    We are still in the process of gathering the evidence. If we announced it now, I am afraid that it will lead to panic.

    We concur. For now, focus on the investigation. Just in case proceed to reconstruct the Veritza Fortress.

    By your will.

    Although the Veritza Fortress was half-abandoned as it did not have any contact with the border, it was originally built as a base of reinforcement in case the capital suffered any attack and as a ce to evacuate from the capital.

    The Fortresss reconstruction is the least that should be done after the kingdom suffered the bizarre demon outbreak.

    Also proceed with the reorganization of the knights. Ascertain our total casualty. Then, determine the current strength left of our army.

    Understood

    The King and the Crown Prince finally finished all their discussion. Still, the sense of crisis they both felt didnt disperse. After all, they have yet to truly trust the heros capability in defeating the demon king.

    *Welners POV

    I apologize for my brothers rudeness.

    There is no need for you to apologize, princess. I truly did not mind.

    After the Crown Prince left, I got flustered because Laura bowed her head to me. I mean, I didnt think the Crown Prince is rude at all.

    But shes the same as the game, a humble princess. I hope that she stopped bowing her head like this while radiating that regal aura though.

    Um?

    Mazell shows a confused expression. Well, thats to be expected. I dont think he needs to know that Laura is apologizing because the Crown Prince just tested me if I want to monopolize the hero.

    Wait a minute. Isnt this a chance?

    Excuse me. I need to go to the restroom. Mazell, take care of the rest.

    Huh!?

    Ahh, Mazells panicked voice, what music to my ear. I ignored it, bowed to Laura, then immediatelymenced a strategic retreat.

    From the perspective of the knights and maids around us, it would seem that I was fleeing from the princesss bow.

    Thats not exactly wrong, but my main purpose is to give the hero, Mazell, and the Princess, Laura, time together. The game and the reality might have deviated but its the truth that they looked like a perfect match.

    I ask a nearby maid to guide me to the restroom. I attempt to look like I dont want to wander alone in an unfamiliar ce. Its a hassle since I need to consider my image like this.

    Incidentally, different than actual medieval Europe, this world had both a toilet and bath. Aplete set. When I know that for the first time, Im d. After all, the game had no depiction of a toilet. I dont know if they had a proper water and sewage system though.

    I guess it will be odd if this world that had magic had no water system. Water is essential for living. Plus, magic can create water out of nothing so of course schrs of this world would try to research water.

    The reason why there is no bathroom in medieval Europe is mostly the churchs fault[1]. Many people living in the medieval time ended up never washing themselves let alone taking a longfortable bath and they are proud of it. As a Japanese person, its a culture that I find gross.

    Now that I observed my surroundings more carefully, this ce deserves to be called the royal pce. Its a Catholic-style pce. The outside is simple, while the inside is extravagant, showing the owners magnanimity.

    The pce wall is pure white. Its decorated with chandeliers, elegant ornaments made of gold and ss Ah right. ss is expensive in this world. I remember Mazell being surprised that there is a ss window in the academy.

    Its a shame that this ce will soon be destroyed. Its not like I can do anything though.

    When I admired the pces interior, the maid who is walking in front of me abruptly turned around and said, Viscount Zeavert. I apologize for being abrupt but there is something that I truly need to convey to you.

    YYes?

    I was surprised because the maid that I thought shes beautiful as expected as a royal maid just a second ago suddenly talked to me.

    But her next action left me confused. She bowed her head.

    Please ept my deepest gratitude, Viscount.

    Huh? No, um, I do not believe that I have done something that deserves your gratitude?

    What did I do?

    To the confused me, the maid raised her head and exin, My father and elder brother are both members of the Knights. I have heard of your aplishment in realizing the demons trap. If you are not there, both of them might have died in that battle.

    Ah:

    Im lost for words. Thats right. Of course, people who is saved by my action existed.

    I cant think of any response. Theres no way I can say Ah, dont worry. I did it for myself because I dont want to die right?

    I dont know if it was because of my silence, but the maid bowed her head again.

    I know that it is impolite to be standing and talking in the hallway like this. But I truly wanted to express my gratitude.

    Ah, no, you are wee?

    Why did it be a question Ah no, I guess I should be proud of myself to be able to even give a reply. Even if I have time until tomorrow to think, I wont be able to give any better response I feel pathetic for that.

    I apologize for impoliteness. Then, pleasee this way.

    She said and she continue to show me the way to the restroom. As for me, I still feel bewildered. Not because I was thanked by a beautiful woman.

    This world is just a game world for me, but there are people that lived here and each of them has their own rtionship.

    I thought I already understand that. But now that Ive received gratitude for saving someone who I dont even intend to save, not from the person themselves but from others I dont know anymore.

    Just because its a game, can I really abandon them? In the first ce, is this really the game world that I know?

    I will never match the hero, Mazell inbat. I also dont have any cheat ability.

    However, I have knowledge of the game. I also have the position and the privilege of a noble. Its not like I cant do anything.

    Its fine if I add another goal other than I will surviveright?

    T/N:

    This is one of my favorite chapters. Welner had finally realized this world and the people in it is not just a game, an exact opposite of his thinking in chapter 4, when he said (though not directly) he will let other died because his hands is full of trying to protect himself.

    [1] In the medieval era, public bath houses are frowned upon by the church. This is because these bathhouses often double as brothels.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    The next day, human waves formed by our fellow students, teachers, and others people greet me and Mazell when we arrived at the academy.

    As we try to get past those waves, I started to think about yesterday. Before we left the pce, we had a brief conversation with Princess Laura. We talked about our life in the academy and Laura listened andughed with us. This yful Laura is the real Laura I saw in the game.

    If only Mazell didnt spill my embarrassing stories. I know that I did plenty of pranks despite being a noble but still

    Anyway, Its good that we only talked about academys stuff, no talk about arranging Mazell or my marriage to the royal family.

    Lets leave yesterdays matter aside, and focus on the current problem. There are only a few students that participated in the battle against the demon outbreak. Most students that surrounded us probably heard the news from their fathers.

    Thats why they are here. I mean, the rising star ofmoners, Mazell, and the most promoted young noble, me, are bound to be a hot topic. I think some of them might even be told by their parent to pry some information out of us.

    We need to do this until the ss start.?

    Yeah. This is the first time Im looking forward to ss start.

    Its still morning but Mazell and I are already tired. This is harder than speaking to Laura.

    I already told Mazell to refuse all invitations to tea parties. You never know what those nobles will put on Mazells tea. Poison or even aphrodisiac. You can never let your guard down around noblewomen.

    No, not only noblewomen. Letting your guard down around all nobles is dangerous. Most of them are educated to do anything for themselves and their families

    Ah, right. Welner.

    What is it?

    Its not a good thing to whisper during ss but if we dont do this we wont have any time to talk.

    I want you to meet my acquaintance.

    Your acquaintance?

    Yeah. The one that helped me in the demon outbreak.

    Ah, thats right. the hero partys first member. I know who hes talking about.

    Sure. But why do you want me to meet that person?

    Because I think that person can help us.

    Well, that person is going to be a member of the hero party. Mazell decision to introduce that person to me, the bridge that connects Mazell to the royal family is right.

    I dont have any reason to refuse.

    Ok. I also have something to tell you.

    About that?

    The matter of the demon kings revival is still a secret. We both have no choice but to refer to it as that in case someone is eavesdropping.

    The meeting with Mazells acquaintance benefits me as well since I can finish one of many jobs I have to do.

    Ah, the bell rung.

    Alright. Lets run.

    First thing first, we need to escape the waves of students. Weve used the schoolyard before, so going there is a no. As for the library, we wont be able to escape if we got cornered there so its another no. Rooftop is definitely no. Hm The indoor sword training hall would be a good choice. The training hall is connected to the hallway so we can escape using the hallway if we need to.

    After a short strategic meeting, we both run. I chuckled because it remind me of the time I got scolded for running in the hallway in my past life. The momentum of the ssmates that chased me is actually scarier than demons.

    In the end, we ended up having to do this for the next few days. Maybe it would be better if I just called in sick and stayed at home. Though, Mazell is going to have to handle themotion himself. As expected of the academy that is said to be the miniature of nobles society.

    Im Luguents. Nice to meet you.

    As expected, its Luguentz Lazer. ording to the game, he should have been in his mid-twenties.

    Sitting in the bar, he looked exactly how an adventurer is. As for me, Im not wearing a uniform, but I think I still look like a student.

    Is this what they call traveling incognito? In my case, its more of I just still didnt feel like a noble rather than traveling incognito.

    For now, Lets focus on Luguentz. In the game, I remembered he was like a reliable senior to Mazell. Ah no, not Mazell, but the games main character. he doesnt appear in many events though.

    He has [Master of Weapons] skills. Thanks to it, its not on the same level as the hero but still, his physical attacks are strong. He is what you call a warrior archetype that has no magic.

    He joined the hero party from the first boss battle and remained until the game ending. Despite not being a cute girl hes still popr. If Im not wrong, his voice actress has a raspy voice.

    I am Welner. Pleased to meet you.

    Oh

    When I bowed lightly, Luguentz seem surprised. Right. Hes this kind of character.

    Not long after heughed with an expression that seem to say Mazell is right about you.

    Right?

    Yeah. Just like you said, Mazell, he is noble but strangely humble.

    This is why I introduce myself as just Welner, not by my full name. Showing off Im a noble in font of Luguentz isnt a good decision.

    I judged that Introducing myself as Mazells friend without being too humble or too arrogant is the best way to interact with him. This personality of his is the reason why he got along with Laura. Though Laura is also a strange royal.

    Actually, Ive heard about you. But meeting you in person sure is different.

    Youve heard about me?

    My friend, Gekke, told me that youre an excellent spearman.

    Ah, Oliver Gekke-san. We didnt talk much, but I remember he was an excellent toonmander. My father gave him a special reward as well.

    I never expected him and Luguentz to know each other. I guess since hes a mercenary and Luguentz is an adventurer its not that strange.

    Mazell said he wants me to meet you thats why Im here, but your intention is not only to meet me right?

    After ordering drinks, Luguentz asked me. Hes sharp.

    A mercenary and an adventurer can keep secrets right?

    Of course.

    Luguentz responded with a tone that seem to say isnt that obvious

    It seems like the demon king will be revived.

    He choked on his drink. Well, thats an obvious reaction.

    Isnt your joke going a bit too far?

    Well, its not a joke.

    Mazell answered him before me. Then, Luguentz looked at me with a serious expression.

    If its not a joke, why are you saying it here? Luguentz asks with a low voice.

    I can imagine Mazell thinking the same thing. I think its only a matter of time before the public finds out, so I want to make some preparation.

    To a certain extent, this ce can be said as a perfect ce for a secret conversion. With how loud the ce is, you really need to work hard to hear the conversation at other tables, otherwise, its impossible.

    Its better than inviting an adventurer like Luguentz to a nobles mansion. As a member of the hero party, I believe that Luguentz is also trustworthy enough to keep a secret.

    Its not a matter that I want to announce, but its going to be revealed anyway. I want to make some preparation before the matter bes public.

    Mazell is right. You dont feel like a student.

    Mazell, just what sort of thing did you tell him? I looked in Mazells direction and he avoided my eyes. This guy must have told him some ridiculous thing.

    So, what do you want me to do?

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    Note: We have merged previously splited chapters.

    Welner, youre really weird.

    Dont call me weird.

    I requested Luguentz to select the mercenaries and adventurers who are tight-lipped and used to traveling for an escort mission. We also agree to inform Gekke-san too.

    After we exined our purpose for looking for escorts to Luguentz and ask for his cooperation with Mazell, Luguentz said Im looking forward to Mazells growth The famous game line and left.

    And now, Mazell started to call me weird.

    I only said the truth you know. Youve memorized towns position on the continent. As for me, Ive never even looked at a map.

    I didnt memorize all of them.

    Rather than I didnt memorize its more urate to say I forgot. No one can perfectly remember the game theyve yed 30 years ago.

    Well if its only the rough location of towns where a game event happened or towns where you can buy some good equipment I still remember it. Its really just a rough location. Something around the level go straight, turn left, turn right, then cross the river and youre there! but its still better than nothing.

    I rememberining the King didnt even provide a map to the hero. I ended up relying on a strategy book, since at the time inte still didnt exist.

    When Ie to this world, I was told that an urate map is a national secret because making it known can be dangerous for the nations defense. Thats how I understand why the hero in the game isnt given any map.

    Still, having a map is important. Thats why I worked really <i>really</i> hard to dig through my memory and created a rough map of the continent.

    When I began to create the map, I noticed that many towns isnt featured in the game. Ah, no, its the opposite. Towns that are featured in the game are only the towns where some kind of game event will take ce.

    The Zeaverts household county also didnt appear in the game. I originally thought because its located in the countryside, but the real reason is probably that it has no rtion to any game events.

    There were also no events where the hero party greets the territory lord when they visited towns. As for an event that takes ce in a territory lords mansion There was one. It was in a town where the lord had been reced by a devil.

    Other towns where none of the game events takes ce arepletely erased from the game by the developer. Thats why Im not only relying on the games knowledge to create this map but also on my own knowledge after living in this world.

    Luguentz mentioned that my map can be sold for quite a fortune. I dont n to sell it since I know its going to be troublesome.

    But Welner, where are we going to get the money?

    My house will pay it first. After that, I will make the kingdom fork out the money.

    How do you even make the kingdom fork out money

    Mazellmented with a wry smile. Its an understandable reaction. But realistically, the kingdom will have no choice but to take action in the end.

    I didnte up with this idea on my own. I consulted with father and got his approval. Its because I told him its rted to the Crown Princes request though. As a minister, father knows about the demon kings revival.

    Anyway, Ill do my job here, so Mazell, youd better work hard on your training..

    All right.

    Thats right. Everything will end if the hero party defeats the demon king.

    I kind of understand why people in a story often just wait for a hero toe. After all, its easier to just wait for a person that can just solve every troublesome thing, rather than doing it yourself.

    This kind of waiting for hero mindset is for a good-for-nothing person. In a sense, I, who is also waiting for Mazell and his party to defeat the demon king can perhaps be categorized as a good-for-nothing. I dont have any choice. I dont have enough skill to defeat the demon king with Mazell and his party. If I try, Im going to hinder them instead. Thats why Ill do what I can do here.

    If you go south until you reach a river then go east you will find a forest on your left side. Inside that forest, theres a small old shrine. I heard demons often appeared in that shrine. How about testing your skill there?

    Alright. Its a good chance for me to train so I can be in sync with Luguentz-san. Ill go there when I dont have any sses.

    Ok. Be careful.

    In the early game that ancient shrine is the best farming spot. The drops arent great but the encounter rate is high so the amount of experience per minute is greatpared to other early game farming spots.

    By the way, in this world, a week is also divided into seven days. The name of the days is based on different kinds of activities. Those days are Farm&Fish, Trade, cksmith, Hunt&Rear, Art, Ritual, and Nativity. For some reason, forestry is included in the Hunting&Raisingday.

    Nativityday is equivalent to Sunday. There is also a belief that a certain day is auspicious to do a certain activity. For example, its auspicious to do a musical performance on Artday or wedding ceremonies on the Ritualday. Welp, I went off the topic.

    Anyway, while Mazell and Luguentz are busy getting real-world fighting experience, I need to solve several things.

    Hmm

    The Crown Prince is lightly mulling over my document. Today is the Nativityday, a.k.a the Sunday where even the royalty is free so I seeded in meeting the Crown Prince.

    Currently, Im inside the Crown Princes office and in the midst of my one-on-one meeting with His Highness. The Crown Princes butler is here in the office but since he didnt participate in our meeting he didnt count. I know that I have no choice but to meet the Crown Prince alone this time but Im still nervous.

    I more or less understand your n. Can I decide after seeing the actual thing?

    Yes. Before that, I would like to obtain your approval first.

    I understand. Good job on telling me this in advance.

    Of course, Ill tell you, Its necessary groundwork. It will be troublesome if someoneined during the n. But really, is this particr game setting so unconventional as a Japanese one because its a Japanese game?

    But can you really get a high-quality weapon?

    As far as I can tell, yes. Unfortunately, I did not know how many I could get.

    Thats to be expected.

    In the past, Im always curious. The game started in the capital, but for some reason, the remote regions in those games sold weapons and armor that are of higher quality than in the capital.

    I mean, who sent these kinds of weapons that are at least two ranks above the weapons avable in the capital to the remote regions? where can you even sell these weapons there? Who wants to buy it there?

    Then when I came to this world I learned a certain surprising fact. Those weapons or armor are the results of an excavation a.k.a grave robbing.

    Well, it isnt illegal to sell excavated items in this world where ruins andbyrinths exist. But other than ruins andbyrinths, these items can be found in a mass graveyard.

    This is because in the past, at the age of the previous demon king ording to this world history, the now-destroyed ancient kingdom has the custom to bury all the soldiers and the knights that were killed by the previous demon king in one mass grave with their equipment intact.

    Arge amount of equipment can be obtained if that mass graveyard is dug. Since the people being buried is all soldier and knights, the equipment that can be obtained are a full set of equipment needed by armies.

    Due to that, many towns and viges that specialized in selling those pieces of equipment popped out near the mass graveyard.

    There was a time when I wondered if those pieces of equipment are cursed. But after I think about it more, taking that equipment isnt that much different than taking an adventurers equipment that died in abyrinth exploration, so now I dont think those excavated equipment are cursed.

    Another thing that I used to wonder is about the shop that sold the excavated equipment. How did they survive by only selling expensive stuff? Then, I was told that this kind of shop is simr to the hardware store in my past life that mainly sold kitchen knives and pots and sold excavated equipment on the side.

    It does feel strange hearing everyday stuff like kettles and pots being sold together with metal armors but since it was amon practice in this world, I decided not to care about it.

    Other than equipment, there are also rare items that can be excavated from the graves. Those items are grave goods[1]. One of these items is the demon calling flute that will pull you into forcedbat I dont understand why the ancient kingdom even bothers to create these items.

    I used to think it was creepy to blow a flute dug out from a grave but the one that blew the flute isnt me but Mazell anyway so who cares.

    In the game, the flute has limited use. Not because the flute consumed arge amount of the game Mazells mana(It actually did consume a lot of mana but thats not the main reason) but because the flute is so old that it breaks with few uses. After it breaks the yer needs to buy it again from the store. I guess it might sense Or is it? hm

    I approve so give it a try.

    Thank you.

    With this, I got official written permission from the Crown Prince. One work done. I wont have to worry about anyplications regarding permission in the future.

    I also make another request to the Crown Prince. Its regarding the reconstruction of the Veritza Fortress. I asked the Crown Prince to provide the people involved in the reconstruction works with tools for nightmunication like fire signals.

    I told the Crown Prince that it was just in case demons attacked the fortress but actually, I know the demon will attack the fortress. For me to escape being thought of as a suspicious forteller, I didnt tell the Crown Prince about the attack.

    After I told the Crown Prince everything I need to, I was told to immediately leave the room. Im d. It was more nerve-wracking than going to the CEOs office in my past life. I guess thats not strange. If it was a meeting with a CEO the worst thing that can happen is getting fired but with the Crown Prince I can lose my life.

    T/N

    [1] Stuff that is buried together with the deceased

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    Note: We have merged previously splited chapters.

    Trantor MadHatter, Nisarah  Editor: Nisarah

    After I left the royal pce I went to the Commerce Guild. For stuff rted to the cirction of money or goods, its better to go to the Commerce Guild, or else I might receive harassment in the future.

    As a noble, it might be strange for me toe to rely on a Commerce Guild but the truth is there are many times when nobles had no choice but to rely on a Commerce Guild especially if its concerning their own dignity. One example of that time is when they want to buy a congrattory present for another nobles wedding.

    If a noble gives only amon present to another noble as a wedding gift they might get looked down upon by the noblemunity. Thats why they need the Commerce Guilds help to get some rare items. Is this what they call just leave things to a specialist? Hm Its close but a bit different.

    Thank you for yourrge order the other day.

    I was the one who should thank you for taking the order on short notice.

    The one who actually bought the oil was Norbert though. While saying that in my head, I sit down in front of an uncle whose body is as big as a barrel.

    The uncles name is Mr.Bierstedt. He is arge merchant who is active in the capital and a leading figure in the Commerce Guild. Well, a noble calling a merchant with Mr in front of his name might be frowned upon by the noblemunity but calling him with Mr inside of my head should be fine.

    When I requested arge amount of turpentine oil from him it must have caused plenty of trouble for him but since I bought it at the price he asked without negotiating he must make a quiet amount of profit. The merchant in this world isnt that different than a corporate in my past life.

    What can I do for you today?

    There are things that I want to purchase in a distant town. I want a trustworthy merchant to go there. I will prepare the escort.

    Thats quite unusual request.

    He shot me a probing look. I might be a viscount, but Im still a student. His being suspicious of my request is understandable. I know that I seem like a debauch young master that just recklessly spending money.

    This is the list of towns I want the merchant to visit and the list of items I nned to purchase. I would also want the merchant to confirm the avability of the items in each town.

    Allow me to take a look at the list.

    I handed him the list made of demonskin parchment. There are more demonic beastspared tombs so the price of parchment made from demonic beasts skin is cheaper than the one made frommbs skin.

    Only a certain type of demonic beast can be used to create a demonskin parchment. Now that I think about it its actually not strange for demonic beasts to resent humans. I mean, their flesh is eaten and their skin is taken to create a demonskin parchment. Not to mention their insides are used as a fertilizer on agriculturalnd.

    The saying that human is cruel seems right, isnt it?

    What a strangeI mean what a revolutionary n!

    After reading the parchment for 5 minutes, Mr.Bierstedt raised his head and remarked.

    His reaction didnt surprise me. Since if its items that are usually circted in the market you can just buy them in the capital but search for a new item? Thats practically just an expedition. Its not an idea that is usually thought of by a noble.

    As you know the recent stampede is different than the usual stampede.

    Yes. I have heard about it.

    It makes me curious about how much he knows. The informationwork of a merchant cant be underestimated. Among people who know information from the royal pce some of them are loose-lipped. Plus not many men will remain tight-lipped in front of alcohol and women.

    If theres a first time, there might be a second and a third time in the future.

    I can only say this much. He might know about the demon kings revival but neither he nor I will talk about it.

    And for some reason, people seem to think of me as a military man recently.

    I have heard of your recent achievements. Despite your age, you have an outstanding judgment in a war.

    Thank you.

    His ttery was obvious the virtue of modesty and humility isnt needed in this world so I just epted his ttery.

    Anyway, thats the reason I want to gather some equipment. I hope you understand.

    Theres a risk of another demon outbreak while my house, which is always seen as a house of civil officers is suddenly being expected to take a military role. Its impossible for me to gather excellent knights on short notice so the least I can do is to gather good equipment.

    Thats the pretext I said to Mr.Bierstedt but the truth is I want to gather high-quality equipment that in the game can only be purchased at thete game.

    I shall ept your request then, but as its a quite difficult task so I will ask for a handsomepensation.

    I know that. For now, I want you to deliver 8 weapons of each type and 8 armor of each type to the Zeaverts house. I will cover the cost.

    If possible I also want to buy equipment for soldiers of the royal pce but that has to wait forter. I mean, the amount of money I had isnt enough to even provide the equipment for all soldiers of Zeaverts army, let alone the entire royal pce.

    My n is to present half of the equipment to the Crown Prince because my current priority is to make the upper echelons of the kingdoms move by showing them what high-quality equipment could do.

    Before the demon attack on the royal pce, I need to make sure to equip the knights and soldiers with high-quality equipment. For that, I need to push the kingdom to fork out money.

    In the case we could get more equipment than what you have requested?

    If you can carry it here, I dont mind you selling it to the Commerce Guild as long as I got a cut.

    Its more beneficial for me if the high-quality equipment entered the capital market rather than me monopolizing it.

    Its because in the current state of affairs introducing the existence of high-quality equipment is much more important than money. If everyone knows the existence of high-quality equipment then the future battle situation with the demon king army might change. Plus, I wont lose too much because the amount of additional equipment that the merchant can bring is probably only a few.

    In the game, theres an inventory system so I can carry around many armors. I remember that I hoarded expensive armor drops so I can sell themter on. But this world didnt have that kind of convenient inventory system.

    Though magic bags can carry many items existed in this world but its really expensive. If it was Mr.Bierstedt then he might be able to gather some.

    But there are several towns on the list that I have never heard of before.

    I will provide a map. I also have an official permit from the Crown Prince to cross the border.

    At the mention of a map, Mr.Bierstedts eye lit up. Thats a merchant for you. For him to be unable to conceal his interest in front of a young person like me, the value of the map must be really high.

    Will you give me the map as well?

    Someone of the Counts household will take it and that person will guide you to the towns. You wont need direction to go to the towns for a second time, right?

    Of course not.

    Well, he didnt pester me. He must be afraid I left and ended up offering this business to another merchant.

    He didnt ask me where I got the map. Its because I said Ive gotten the Crown Princes official permission to cross the border. He probably thought that the map I have is provided

    I dont know how long I can continue to hide the actual source of the map from the sly merchant.

    We also will not know if the actual quality of equipment avable in the list of towns you have given me before we went there.

    Thats a given.

    The equipment are sold in the various towns back when I yed the game but I dont know if the same equipment are sold in this world. I already expected that they might be some equipment that didnt exist in the game.

    In the game, despite the fact the enemy that appeared in the towns and viges I listed in the demonskin parchment are strong but those viges and towns didnt get destroyed. I suspected that the avability of high-ranking equipment is why those viges and towns can protect themselves from demons. That means as long as those viges and towns existed and survived in the real world the chance that the equipment I wanted also existed is rather high.

    I can obtain the equipment without any difficulties then. All I need now is time. Once I got the equipment and proven the superiority of high-quality equipment the kingdom will also make move to buy them. Still, the game events will continue to happen and this world will get more and more dangerous.

    If that happens, the ces I want to buy the equipment from might be inessible in the future. Thats why I need to buy the equipment now. Time is of the essence.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    Note: We have merged previously splited chapters.

    After leaving the Commerce Guild I head to the Adventurers and Mercenaries Guild. Like its name, its a ce where adventurers and mercenaries gathered.

    The Adventurers and Mercenaries Guild used to be a separate organization Well it still is a separate organization. It just, there are many times when the work between an adventurer and a mercenary ovep so each guild is set up side by side in the same building. The building bes a ce for both the mercenaries and adventurers to exchange information and job opportunities.

    On the first floor is a bar which is typical for a Mercenaries and Adventurers Guild. Is the reason why there is no other Mercenaries and Adventurers Guild in the capital except for this one because this world is originally a game?

    Hm I think I need to confirm the existence of this kind of guild in the town that didnt appear in the game.

    I received many stares the second I entered the building but thats all. The reason why I didnt receive the typical newbie bullying is the recent demon outbreak.

    Ive battled in the frontline. I also shared my potions with many adventurer parties that participated in the battle. I dont know if they are thankful for me or not but at the very least only the people thats been living under the rock wont recognize me here.

    Surprisingly information travels fast among the adventures and mercenaries. Well, thats not surprising considering the nature of their works. No one wants to invite danger to themselves by receiving amission from a strange person or an idiot. Though some mercenaries or adventurers might take up amission from that kind of employer in exchange for absurd pay.

    Wee to the Adventurers Guild. What can we do for you today?

    I want to hire some people.

    So you want to put amission. Pleasee this way.

    The receptionist is a beautiful woman. I wonder if she could deal with the rough adventurer? No, maybe its because shes a beautiful woman the adventurer wont dare to do anything to her.

    The room the receptionist invited me to is soundproof. This is because there are somemissions where its dangerous if the information about it were to leak.

    The staff member who is in charge of listening to mymission is a man. No! Of course, Im not disappointed by fact that the beautiful woman left me here with a man.

    How may I help you?

    I want to make an investigationmission. I want to hire severalpetent scouts.

    Specifically how many scouts do you wish to hire?

    There are several ces that I want to investigate so its hard to determine the exact number. My estimate is I need about 20 people since if any scouts excel in working independently I dont mind letting them work alone.

    I see.

    The man writes on the board in his hand. Its a record board that serves as a notebook. After writing in a piece ofmbskin parchment or demonskin parchment, the surface of the board will then be thinly carved and will act as a notebook

    The wood shaving will then be used as firewood. If you throw it away I heard your superior will get angry at you. In a sense, its an eco-friendly thing that produces no waste.

    Here is the list of ces I want to investigate ordered by their priority. I will assign suitable ces to those who want to work with groups and those who prefer working alone.

    I certainly have received it. In that case, is there any options for our adventurers to refuse after listening to the detail of the ces you wish to investigate?

    Yes. After all, not all investigations are safe. I will offer more pay aspensation for the more dangerous ce.

    While nodding his head, the man continues to write on the board. Well, rather than saying he writes its more correct to say he filled the carved ce on the board with ink. He used a quill pen. The feather of the pen is made from the feather of a bird-type demonic beast. Its said that the feather of a demonic beaststs longerpared to a feather of a normal board. I dont know if its true though.

    Other than a pen made by a demonic beasts feather, theres also ink made using a demons blood. I wonder if its simr to ink made using squid ink. I used to be surprised by the fact that demons and demonic beasts various body parts that are sold on the market can also be used to create everyday stuff like ink and pen.

    By the way, a ckboard-Esque thing also existed in this world. But the quality of most chalks is so bad to the point that a little rub will immediately make the writing unreadable.

    Lets forget the fact that high-quality chalks do exist and It was made using hardened ashes from burning the bone of A magical beast named ck Bullhorse. Its a cringe name.

    Hmm But if we follow your system it would be impossible for me to record the exact amount of pay that will be received by our adventurers.

    There will be base pay and additional pay depending on the danger of the site. Of course, the pay for the guild will also be calcted using the same form with extra.

    Thank you very much.

    Needless to say, a guild isnt a volunteer organization. They need to pay the sries of their staff, the building maintenance cost, and even the damage caused by some random drunkard that goes on a rampage and destroyed their facility.

    Plus, the guild is also responsible to held a joint funeral of deceased adventurers that have no family. I mean its going to be big trouble if the deceased adventurers body is left as it is and ended up causing a gue.

    Thats why children arent allowed to be adventurers. Frankly, if the guild epts weak children that are going to die soon the funeral cost alone might put the guilds finances in the red.

    The guilds main ie is from the sale of various materials from purchased demonic beasts and demons carcasses and the guildsmission fees. most troublesomemissions like mine are sent to adventurers via the guild. Theres an unwritten rule that you must pay an additional 20% of the total adventurers fee for the guildmission fee.

    The typical posting of themission on the walls existed but the postings often only contains a bare minimum of information.

    I guess thats to be expected. Theres not enough space to write the detail of themission. There are also cases where the client is someone in a delicate position or when themission involved a spying activity in which the detailed information cant be easily disclosed.

    Thats why when adventurers decided to take amission, they will first ask the guild the detailed information about themission. The client often already told the guild the information beforehand so the guild can exin it to the adventurers.

    But the clients exnation to the guild can take a considerable time. This is because to ensure the guild can provide a reliable exnation to the adventurerster on the guild will ask many detailed questions. There are also cases where the basic exnation without the guilds question can take several hours toplete.

    Though you can still know the rough content of amission by looking at the symbol on the upper right corner of the postedmission. If the symbol is a double circle its a subjugationmission, If its a triangle and a circle then its an escortmission, and so on. With this even adventurers that cant read will be able toprehend some information.

    Other than providing a detailed exnation and payment, the clients must also abide by various rules and regtions of the guild. Unless themission is simple stuff like looking for a lost cat, making amission to a guild is quite troublesome.

    Back to the topic ofmission, if the guild cannot exin themission in detail, they will ask the adventurers to contact the clients directly. I think mymission this time will follow this pattern.

    Then, may I ask for the contents of the investigation?

    All I can tell you now is that I want to investigate the frequency of demons appearance in the suburb of Gulbelk, the situation of demons appearance in the Heat Haze Ruins near Delmenln, and the state of security in Bielelitz Bridge.

    Because some ces Ive talked to are located outside the kingdom the guild official looked at me doubtfully. Well, sending scouts to foreign nations might seem to be a preparation for war.

    The reason he asked me for the content of the investigations is to make sure Im not trying to investigate the actions of the kingdoms nobles. Its the guilds policy to stay far away from the kingdoms political strife.

    You see, I need to buy some goods from the ces I mentioned so Im going to send a merchant party there. But because of the recent peculiar demon outbreak, Im trying to be cautious.

    Ah, so thats why.

    Obviously, the information about a devil causing a demon outbreak has reached the guild. I made amission to hire scouts to ensure that a simr demon outbreak didnt happen in another era.

    If the information I want is just the simple the lord of this ce is ipetent so theres been an increase of bandits! I can just buy it from the guild. But for information concerning a possible demon outbreak, the information should be real-time information hence the need for scouts.

    My n is for the scouts will go first to the location and will gather the necessary information. After that, they will join the merchants and share their information with the merchant. Then after the merchant finished their business, the scouts will return here together with the merchants.

    I understand. Then, in the case that the scouts are involved in protecting the merchant

    I will provide additionalpensation. But, if the information gathered by the scouts leaked outside, I will deduce theirpensation as a penalty.

    What if there is someone among the scouts that wish to return to the capital first?

    They are free to do so as long as they reported to the person in charge of the merchant party. In that case, they will only receive the amount stated on the original contract.

    Thats fair. As for the cost of investigation?

    It depends on where they are going to investigate. I expect an investigation in the town will cost some money but I cant provide an unlimited amount of money for the cost. The amount of money given to the scouts for an investigation will be decided after a discussion with the scout in question.

    Thats how I finished exining the detail of mymission and various condition for payment to the guild. I need to share as much detail of themission as I can because If I dont there are risks that various trouble will ur in the future.

    Im pretty sure when the scouts return, they will report thetest local information to the guild.

    I have to assume that this is a matter of course and, because of the revival of the demon king, Im sure that the frequency of demons appearance in various ces will drastically increase. The guild should have up-to-date information about demons appearance rate.

    Because with an urate up-to-date information, the number of potential death can decrease.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    This chapter was originally splitted into two parts. We have decided to merge these parts. If you want to read from part two, please click HERE to jump to it.

    I am more or less exhausted after finishing my long exnation with the Adventurer Guild but I still moved my legs to the Mercenaries Guilds next door. Its just walking from one side of the building to the other not moving between two buildings though. Is it just I or The stench of alcohol in the Mercenaries Guild is stronger than in Adventurer Guilds? Maybe its my nose ying tricks on me because of the image of <i>drunkard mercenaries</i> in my head.

    Wee to the Mercenaries Guild. How may I be of service?

    Im here tomission several mercenaries to escort a merchant corps.

    Please proceed inside.

    Different than the Adventurer Guild, the receptionist here is a fairly old man. I suppose theres no need to offer the hospitality of a beautiful woman to the client who came here tomission the rough mercenaries.

    This old man is probably a former mercenary who retired due to old age or injury. To support the retired mercenary is one of the reasons why a guild exists after all. Though the support the guild offered isnt on the same level as the retirement support in modern times.

    Its hard to define the exact difference between a mercenary and an adventurer. A very rough answer is adventurers are people who venture into dungeons while mercenaries are people who engaged in battle in an open field.

    The most significant difference between the two is their versatility. Adventurers are a jack-of-all-trades. They can venture into dungeons or ept investigation requests like mine. On the other hand, most adventurers moved in small groups.

    Thats why an adventurer needs knowledge and experience to adapt to various situations. Its not even a stretch to say adventurers whock both are the one that dies first.

    While mercenaries aremissioned for a situation in whichbat will be expected. Mercenaries rarely ept amission for things like investigation, gathering magical herps, orbyrinth exploration. Of course, they wont eptmissions like exploring historical ruins. If its guarding an archeologist on a historical ruins exploration theres a slim chance they might ept it though.

    Also, some adventurers dislikebat and wont eptmission rted to it, like exterminating bandits, but mercenaries generally will ept. Simply put, mercenaries arebat specialists.

    Then, long-term jobs like bing a city guard or maintaining public order in certain ces are generally mercenary jobs, while adventurers tend to perform short-term jobs. The variety of jobs epted by adventurers is also morepared to mercenaries.

    Lets take mymission as an example. For a short-term escort job that goes from town A to town B thats an adventurers job while for a long-term escort job that goes from town A to town B, C, D, then back to town A thats a mercenarys job.

    Its not exactly a rule though. Its more of what kind of job most merchants and adventurers usually ept. If an adventurer already knows and is close to a client that adventurer can ept a long-term escort mission.

    Mercenaries are also oftenmissioned as onerge mercenary group. Among these mercenary groups, theres a proper division role like an ountant, etc and in many cases, the group operated as a single organization.

    Because many mercenaries move as one big organization it takes less time for an employer to exin the division of roles for jobs like escort missions and protection missions. This is differentpared to adventurers as many adventurers are bad at operating as arge group.

    Nevertheless, when ites to mercenary groups its important to carefully select them since depending on their leaders, their ability and work ethics can be vastly different from one another. Some mercenary groups have good work ethics, while some groups are no different than bandits.

    Well, mercenaries that are no different than bandits are useful to be hired during disputes between countries since their fighting ability is rather high, but they are often despised.

    So you wish to put an escortmission?

    Ah, yes, the specifics are

    I told him the name of towns the merchant corps are going to go to, the scale of the merchant corps, the schedule adjustment based on the appearance rate of demons, and the necessary time needed for conducting business in the various towns the merchant corps are going to visit.

    The reason why the opposite party show a surprised expression while he was listening to my exnation must be because he thought I came here not for an official business but for ying like a typical debauchery young nobles.

    I guess it makes sense that he wont take a child that looked like hes still a student seriously.

    Then, how many people will be protected?

    About 7-8 cart. Including the porters, the number of people that need to be protected is around 40 people. Well, this is excluding the cart horses.

    Hmm Then since the guards need to work in shifts, the number of mercenaries you need to hire is going to be 40 or more.

    I suppose so. I think the total number of people that will go, including the mercenaries are around 150 people or slightly less.

    For a merchant corps thats going to travel to a dangerous area this amount isnt that big. At least for me, who is a counts heir. If Mazell is here though, he will probably say something like Thats big enough, Welner.

    Part 2

    The reason I need 40 people for the merchants corps is that they are going to have many things to bring. For example, clothes.

    [Info dump warning! Click here to skip.

    Info summary: Most people use second-hand clothes and they are quite expensive in rural towns, so the merchants are going to purchase these second-hand clothes from the capital and sell them in rural towns.]

    The mass production of clothes began to develop after the Industrial Revolution. Thats why new clothes in this world, which has yet to reach the Industrial Revolution are all custom-made. Even if its just clothes made using an old design, its still expensive. After all, to even creating fabric needed for clothes need time and considerable manpower.

    As for ordinary citizens, their clothing is typically old clothes that are no longer worn by people who ordered custom-made clothes or everyday clothes worn by servants and attendants of the pce that ended up in the towns second-hand clothing stores.

    Even those second-hand clothes are pretty expensive so selling them is quite a profitable business. Commoners will wear this kind of second-hand clothes after repairing them. Then, if a town had many people who are rich enough to afford custom-made clothes, there are going to be plenty of second-hand clothes circted in the market.

    As a side note, old uniforms of nobles or royal servants and attendants are made into scrap and sold to various stores. This is because if the uniforms are sold intact theres a risk that criminals might use the uniforms as a disguise to infiltrate the mansions or the pce. As for why the scraps need to be in various stores, if the scraps are sold in just one store theres also a risk that the uniform being reproduced.

    Ah, Im getting off-topic. Anyway, in towns where there are only a few people who are rich enough to buy custom-made clothes, then there are only a few second-hand clothes that circted in the market. In that case, people will create their clothes from scratch or they will travel to a town that has second-hand clothing stores and purchase the clothes they needed from the stores.

    Because of that if second-hand clothes are of good quality, then they can be sold for quite handsome prices in rural towns. Whilepleting mymission, Mr. Bierstedt must be nning to also sell second-hand clothes from the capital to the towns hes going to visit.

    Sometimes there are people among really rich nobles that will throw away clothes after wearing them only once. Its not my problem but still, arent they too wasteful? Are those evils noblemen and nobledies feel inferior without showing that level of extravagance?

    Incidentally, its rare for second-hand clothes to only be used as something to be worn. Sometimes they are also recycled into cushions for a ceramic and much other stuff. Its an eco-friendly usage of space.

    [Info Ends.]

    Then, stuff like second-hand clothes is usually put in the carts while spices like salt and salt are tied to the horses that pull the cart. So in case of any emergency, the merchants will abandon the carts and run with only horses.

    By doing that, the merchants will at least have sufficient funds to carry out their next trade. After all, as long as you dont fuss about the selling prices salt can be sold in most towns.

    Well, I have prepared guard for the merchant corps so this kind of thing wont happenI hope.

    Whats left is just selecting the right people.

    Ive already asked Luguentz Lazer and Oliver Gekke to do the preliminary selection.

    I see. To have a connection with those two, youre truly impressive.

    I dont understand whats impressive about it. Im just going to pass it off as ttery to me.

    Thats everything about mymission.

    Understood. I will see how many people are avable, then

    Ill be counting on you.

    Ah, busy busy. As I was about to leave the Mercenaries Guild chanting that in my head, a cheerful and familiar voice called me out from the side.

    Hey, hey, Viscount-sama, I heard youre looking for people toplete amission?

    What a surprise. So its not only Laura who is in the capital but this guy too?

    Im Feri. Can you also let me hear about the job?

    T/L: Hi, everyone. We have decided not to split chapters from now on so that readers can experiance that story is actually progressing. We will also use anchor so that readers can directly skip irrelevant info dumps by clicking on them. We will announce it in more detaills in next chapter (Chapter 24). We hope that this will help you better enjoy this story.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24

    Feli. Full name Felix Earnest. Hes the hero partys scout. The game set his age as 14 years old but his ability as a scout is second to none. There are many trap-filledbyrinths in the game that cant be conquered without his help.

    His appearance is cute, but hes, without a doubt, a male. If the game had been released 20 yearster Felix is probably going to be a girl.

    And well, this isnt important but I think the illustrator must have taken a lot of inspiration from the Peter Pn in Dsney animation series.

    With this thought in mind, I take a seat back in the Adventurers Guild of course with Feli. Its not like I dont have any other works to do but it never hurt to keep in touch with Feli while hes here.

    So you recognize my face.

    Youre famous after all, Viscount-sama

    Feli is sitting on the chair with his leg still dangling off the floor because hes short. In front of him is a fruit juice, though because hes 14 it doesnt matter if he drinks alcohol, but he chooses the fruit juice instead.

    The fruit juice, along with fruits and nuts on the table are all my treats.

    So, what are you up to, Viscount-sama?

    Simply put, I want to buy stuff.

    After saying that, I proceed to tell him the same <i>official</i> reason that I also told Mr.Bierstedt. I cant tell him about the demon king matter but hiding the matter of buying equipment from Feli is useless since Im pretty sure Feli will be able to find it in no time.

    Heh, so you n to go around towns and splurge money to buy all sorts of equipment?

    Not exactly splurging money.

    Then youre doing a panic buying?

    That word has apletely different meaning you know.

    I wonder to what extent hes being serious. Feli has this kind of personality. Hes good at digging through peoples real intentions with his joke.

    Hes also good at digging through others pockets, a.k.a pickpocketing. He wont do it here, in Adventurers Guild though. The guild might expel him if he does after all.

    In the game, there are some events where his pickpocket skille in handy. Think about it, if you can pickpocket a valuable item from your opponent isnt that quite a great skill?

    It sounds interesting. Maybe I would like to be part of it?

    Why is it a question?

    Because other than it sounds interesting, I have no other reasons to go all the way to distant towns.

    Well, I guess so, since the matter of the demon kings revival is still a secret.

    Well then, where should I put a great pawn called Feli? Ive been wanting a person that can be the behind the scene support for gathering information in the capital.

    Feli would be an excellent choice for that.

    On the other hand, I can also put Feli in the merchant corps so he can ascertain the geography and the location of the future heros party journey.

    There is an expendable item called Skywalk that allows teleportation to a town youve visited once. That means if Feli joins the merchant corps now when he joins the hero party in the future, the scope of activities of the hero party will be significantly broadened.

    After all, the town where Skywalk can be bought is among the towns that the merchants corps will visit. Buying 2-3 of them would make Mazells future journey a bit easier.

    Well, Feli, what do <i>you</i> want to do? the question might seem straightforward but it actually isnt. I ask him this on purpose, so I can fit him in whatever job he wants and I need, even if its unrted to the merchants corps that been the subject of my conversation with him.

    Feli answered nonchntly, Anything, as long as its interesting.

    .In a sense, thats a simple condition.

    But in fact, thats a hardly simple condition to follow. The scope of <i>interesting</i> is just too broad. Whats certain is that Feli is the type of person that will willingly fall into a trap just because he found it interesting to do everything in his power to escape.

    In my past life, I have handled a new employee that has a simr character to Feli and he causes me a really hard time. In a way, this type of person is the most difficult to handle.

    How about a tedious but quite thrilling job? Will you be interested in it?

    Heh, what kind of job?

    A scouting job for the merchants corps.

    Then I proceed to tell him the exnation about the fact that the recent demon outbreak is orchestrated by a devil and the possibility of simr things may happen in other areas as well as the possibility of a change in the frequency of demon appearances, etc.

    Actually, both are certain facts that will happen, not just possible but Im probably the only person who knows that.

    In short, the roads that used to be safe are now unsafe and different types of demons might emerge so we need to be careful

    Yourmission sounds tough and it will take a lot of time toplete.

    In exchange, you will be able to acquire things that can only be found in those towns. For example, specialty dishes that you can only eat there. Yep, his expression changed a bit. As expected people of the Feli age care more about their stomachs rather than a beautiful woman. Speaking about beautiful woman, is there any red-light district in those towns? I had never paid much attention.

    I can provide you a food allowance in addition to your daily allowance

    That a lucrative deal.

    For me, as long as the merchants can return safely I dont mind spending some extra.

    Thats my real feeling. I really need the merchants to return safely so if Feli is with them the chance for that to happen is increased.

    Above all, putting Feli to work in the capital will only help me but putting him in the merchant corps will help Mazell and that alone can improve our whole situation against the demon king.

    Thats why I judged that having Feli travel with the merchant corps is a better investment for the future. Unfortunately, I still cant tell if he wants to go. Well then, should I start exploiting Felis character setting?

    More specifics exnation will be provided in the gathering at the Counts house in a few days so please show up.

    I will go if I feel like it.

    Here for your traveling expenses.

    I toss a pouch filled with gold and silver coins to the table. Feli, who probably knows the contents from the sound it makes when it hit the table shows a stunned expression.

    Even if youre a Viscount isnt this too much?

    Im just a nobleman in name only, I dont have that much money

    More than half of that words are true since the majority of my funds belong to my count father. This time, I gathered enough funds by practically taking a loan from my parent. But its fine since this money is my investment in Feli.

    But since Ive given it to you, its yours. I dont care where you donate it.

    !!!

    If Im not wrong, the setting said Feli is from an orphanage right? Well, the orphanage has never really been depicted in the game but Feli is part of the protagonists party so its definitely an orphanage. Really, a protagonists friend from an orphanage theres nothing more cliche than that.

    Come to think about it, there was no orphanage building on the game map.

    The meeting will be held in Hunt&Rearday. See youter

    Now, all I need to see is how Feli will act after learning about the fact I know hes from an orphanage. There is a 50% chance he will end up doubting me and be wary of me.

    But if it is to get someone of Felis caliber in my hand, it is still a worthy gamble. I left immediately after giving him the meeting day to cut off any questions he might have. The money I give to Feli is thest of my funds so lets call it a day.

    Thus, my Nativityday which was normally a holiday ended on a hectic note.<i> Sigh</i> lets do some training and immediately go to bed.

    T/N: Hello! Nisarah is here. So in regard to theints about the novel info dump, after some discussion with my friend, Fleeting whos also the sites admin, Ive decided to implement two things:

    1. I will stop splitting chapters unless its an extremely long like chapter 14. So instead of 5 split chapters/week, the release rate will be 3-4 full chapters/week.

    The main reason Ive decided to split chapters in the past is to give the readers a more frequent and stable release rate but it ended up making the novel feel like a drag so I decided to stop splitting the chapters

    2. I will add a skip button for future info dumps with a summary.

    So Ive actually implement it in the past for an unrted info dumps (You know, the spices chapter) but I decided to implement it for every long info dump in the future so for those who found it interesting and want to continue reading the info dumps (like me :v) can continue to read it.

    Despite the constant info dump, the novel is actually pretty good so I hope everyone can give it a chance! I hope by implementing these two things, everyone can enjoy the novel better. Please leave your thought and suggestions in thement below.

    Thats all, Nisarah out!

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    Since noon Ive been in the royal pce for a meeting with both the Crown Prince and Father, then went to Adventurer Guild for another meeting, after that, I was training my spearmanship. Im just a student but why is my life as busy as some kind of manga protagonist?

    In the game, you only need to appoint a person in charge then the expedition will depart on the same day, but the real life isnt that convenient. You need to prepare a lot of things that even one week is too short for preparation time.

    I have no choice but to use my authority as a noble to pressure the merchants to hurry with their preparation. Other might be confused about the reason why Im in hurry, but as someone who has the game knowledge, I know we dont have enough time.

    While spending those busy days, finally the Hunt&Rearday hase.

    Lets not drag this out and go ahead with the introduction. Im Welner von Zeavert.

    I am Mazell Hearthing. My upation is a student.

    Im Luguentz Lazer, an adventurer.

    Im Oliver Gekke. I work as a mercenary.

    I am Avant from Bierstedt Company. I have been entrusted as the person in charge of the merchant corps.

    Im Felix! You can call me Feli.

    Three of us are the games important characters while the other three are characters that never appeared in the game. Its a strangebination. Most of the people here look confused by Felis existence in this meeting.

    The oldest here is Avant, though hes still in his thirties. Two of us are students and theres one 14 years old kid.

    Im d none of them seem to be dissatisfied with the tea poured by one of the counts maids. Especially Feli. That guy keeps throwing sugars into his tea without any reserve. Doesnt he know how expensive sugars are?

    I am thankful for everyones willingness to gather here is what I want to say but since Im sure everyone is busy so lets just skip the pleasantry. No need to mind your manner either.

    I said that but I think the only person here whos used to noble manners is Avant. Plus if I use noble manners in front of someone like Feli Im sure he will get sick of me and just go home.

    First, Mazell and Luguentz. Please tell us about your experience in the ancient shrine when both of you went therest week.

    Ok.

    While I was running here and there to prepare for the expedition of the merchant corps, I heard Mazell and Luguentz going to the ancient shrine to train.

    Their training itself went without any problem, but Luguentz noticed a strange phenomenon so they have been investigating it.

    When Mazell and I were on our way to the shrine, I noticed that many unfamiliar demons have appeared.

    Luguentz spoke first and after that Mazell added, At first, I thought they are the remnants of the recent demon outbreak but after some investigation, I found that none of the demons matched any demons I have fought in the outbreak.

    I have heard of a simr phenomenon from my fellow merchants. They said that recently they have witnessed many unfamiliar demons appear in the vicinity of the capital.

    As expected, a merchantswork is quite wide. Though both Feli and Gekke stayed silent while drinking their tea, their expression are also serious.

    It seems like the situation has be more troublesome than Ive expected. Avant-dono, Gekke, Feli. The journey of the merchant corps might be pretty dangerous, are the three of you fine with that?

    Half of my word is a lie. The situation is actually close to my expectation. Despite that, I still need to confirm their willingness. Gekke put down his teacup and give me a simple answer, Since its a job its not a problem. I just need to be more vignt in protecting the merchant corps.

    By the way, I was surprised when I heard Gekke is willing to be the leader of the merchant corps escort team. It seems because of my action in the recent demon outbreak, Gekke evaluation of me is quite high.

    A connection to a noble must be both blessing and a curse for Gekke. Despite the risk, he still chooses to take up the job of being the leader of the escort team. Its outside of my expectation, but Im really grateful.

    After all, hes someone who was appointed in amander role at the recent demon outbreak. His ability as a leader is no longer a question.

    If I have oneint maybe because hes a former noble but hes handsome. Ive always wondered why is the ratio of handsome men near me is so high?

    I also dont mind, I just need to be more vignt and the chance of getting attacked is high. Only these two right?

    Feli say it lightly but other than me, everyone looked a Feli with doubt.

    Its not my ce to say this but its going to be really troublesome you know.

    I will do it.

    After an immediate reply, Feli put a pastry into his mouth. I dont know what happened since ourst meeting for Feli to be this determined but well I guess its fine since it worked in my favor.

    Perhaps being convinced by Felis determination both Gekke and Luguentz didnt say anything. Rather, the person who asked me in a whisper is Mazell.

    Welner. Its really fine to trust him right?

    Yeah. You can trust his ability.

    If you said so I guess its fine.

    Why are you trusting him just based on what I said? Im worried youre too gullible to the point you might believe some strange cult in the future, Mazell. Or maybe Mazell just instinctively sensed that Feli is going to be his futurerade?

    Anyway, theres one thing that Im curious about Felis action.

    Im thankful that youve be determined, Feli. But why?

    Feli stopped eating the pastry and with a serious expression, he looked into my eyes. I instinctively straighten my back.

    You remember that day when I ask you about the job?

    Ah, yeah.

    Though I was surprised since it was so sudden.

    That day, a child in the orphanage was suffering from a severe illness. But the orphanage has no money to call for a doctor or to buy medicine. Thats why I wanted a job.

    Ah I see. Thats why despite being the one that first ask me for a job, Feli seem disinterested when I exined to him about the expedition but seem to change his expression when I give him the money.

    What Feli needs is a job that can give him money right away not some long-term job.

    But because of the money you give me, I can bring that child to a doctor and also bought some medicine. That money saved that childs life.

    He said that while looking directly into my eyes. The will of his gaze doesnt seem to be something that belong to a 13-14 years old boy. So this is the gaze of a member of the hero party.

    I owe you a debt, Viscount-sama. Thats why Im willing to do this job. Thats all.

    I understand your reasoning, but stop calling me Viscount-sama. Its up to you to think of it as a debt but do know I have no actual intention to put you in my debt.

    He just nodded. So do you or do you not understand Ah well whatever. I understand where his willingnesse from. Though I never expected my investment to return this way, I guess its fine since in the end everything turned out well.

    From Feli, who continued chewing the pastry, I turned to Avant. I also saw Mazell nod his head. Though I dont know if Mazell understood Feli reasoning, or if he was just convinced that Feli can be trusted.

    I am also fine with it.

    Avant nodded deeply. Since he was the one who was less ustomed to fighting, I asked him again just in case.

    Are you really fine with it?

    Yes. You see, price raise in the time of danger so I will be able to make more profit.

    This guy he was thinking about profit? Merchants are amazing.

    To think they are willing to risk their life fighting monsters for some profits, the people of this world are amazing. While still filled with amazement, I continued our discussion.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    So our next discussion will be this.

    I spread a map. On that map, there are the towns names, important ces like bridges that are located outside the twins, and names of scouts that have already been in the towns.

    Ive dispatched scouts to this town and to this forest thats located near this bridge, When you get there, please confirm the situation with those scouts. If the situation is dangerous, I will allow the expedition route to be changed.

    Who has the final authority regarding route change?

    Though a butler from my house will also be going, I will give that authority to Gekke. After all, the sensitivity to danger on-site for a mercenary like Gekke is higher.

    On the other hand, if I let the butler have the final authority regarding route chance, theres a chance that he will keep going to dangerous ces for the sake of the house. In a sense, people who have high loyalty are more troublesome to handle.

    This reminds me of the saying You should send a coward as a scout from I think Takeda Shingen?[1] Well, that doesnt matter. I said this in order to let everyone know that their life is the most important.

    I am grateful that you have arranged this much for us.

    Avant said so while nodding with admiration. I.will.never.give.the.map. Still, merchants sure are good at making peoples hearts move, since unless I keep reminding myself I might get tempted to give the map.

    As always, youre far from the image of a student, Welner.

    I agree with that.

    Mazell said so and even Luguentz chimed in acknowledgment. Really, what is he saying? Manpower management is important. Itsmon sense to send people first to do the job that requires the most time.

    Oh, and do everyone know about the renovation of Veritza Fortress?

    Yeah.

    Only Gekke answered my question but Im pretty sure everyone knows. In front, the reason for the renovation is announced to prepare in case another demon outbreak happened.

    The only person who knows the other purpose of the renovation is me and Mazell.

    From my perspective, the renovation is a bad move.

    A bad move?

    Yeah. The fortress was said to be used as a refuge in case the capital gets attacked but think about it. The fortress itself has a half-assed defensive power and it is close to the capital, making it essentially a useless ce for refuge. If I was a devil, I will wait until the fortresss renovation was somewhatplete then attack it to make it my base, This is actually a spoiler of the game scenario.

    When the fortress really falls the people that are close to the fortress are probably only I, Luguentz, and Mazell, while the rest will be on the expedition.

    Despite that, I have my own reason for mentioning the fortress here.

    HmThats possible.

    If that happened its going to be really troublesome.

    Gekke and Luguentz exchanged ce and grumbled. As expected a mercenary and an adventurer have a sensitive sense of crisis. But for Gekke, a former noble, other than a sense of crisis, I think he also understands the fortresss strategic value.

    After gulping down another pastry, Feli asked, So, whats your n, bro?

    Who the hell is your bro With that thought inside my head, I answered Feli, What I can do is only to give a warning to the kingdom and I already did. Here I want to tell you guys what to do in case the fortress really falls.

    I took a deep breath.

    When the news reached any of you, dont stop what youre doing. For the expedition team, I want you to continue the expedition.

    Why?

    Because we need the equipment to retake the fortress. Its for our own good.

    I answered Gekkes question. Theres actually another reason besides that but this reason is easier to ept and is more convincing. Thats why I choose to give this reason as an answer but it seems like Mazell is still not convinced since he said, I wonder if it really for our own good.

    Its fine if all we need to do is to retake the fortress but what if after the devil upies the fortress they tried to attack the capital?

    After I said that, Mazell seem to be finally convinced.

    So youre saying that the devil might attack the capital?

    Im certain that will happen. After all, from their perspective, isnt it easier to attack us rather than sit and wait for us toe to retake the fortress? Though I dont know if the devil will immediately attack after upying the fortress.

    Its a lie. In the game, the devil didnt attack the capital after upying the fortress and I doubt he will do it in the reality (I hope). The real reason why I need to convince the expedition team not to return immediately return is to buy time.

    The event of the retaking of Veritza Fortress in the game is what makes Mazell be acknowledged as a hero so I need Mazell to be the one that retakes the fortress. The problem is (though I dont know if I can call it a problem) because the kingdoms casualty from the recent demon outbreak is much lower than in the game I cant predict if the kingdom will choose to immediately dispatch the knights to retake the fortress after it falls or not.

    My hope is that the knights can stay put until Mazell is strong enough. Thats why I do this to buy time, otherwise, the heros acknowledgment event might fail. Thats a viins way of thinking though.

    Thats why even if the fortress fall, I want you not to return immediately. Its fine even if you returnte as long as you return before the big battle. Return with as much equipment as you can.

    Understood.

    Avant nodded and beside him, Gekke give a silent acknowledgment. Im d.

    For Mazell and Luguentz, I want both of you to continue your training. In the case the fortress fall, I need both of you to participate in the battle for its retakes.

    Got it. When that timees, let me go on a rampage.

    I more or less understand but if the fortress really falls, whats going to happen to the people inside?

    To think that Mazell will ask that Right. This is a question befitting of the main character.

    Its impossible topletely prevent victims but Ive already given His Highness several suggestions. Now we can only pray that His Highness epted my suggestions.

    Ive really done that. Although I also want to minimize victims as much as possible, my authority is limited after all. I will also make some preparation.

    Despite the fact I know what will happen in the future, I stayed silent about it. Because of that decision, many people mighte to resent me in the future. Though, even if I told people about my knowledge I dont know if they are going to believe me.

    Even if they did, its somewhat scary. Worse case, nobles that are hostile to my father might use me as the devils aplice for knowing so many things.

    In a noble society, that kind of baseless acquisition can be a fact. Thats how terrifying the noble society is. The game is much simpler.

    We are only humans, not a God. So lets just do what we can do.

    After that sentence, I dered todays meeting is over. I will just do what I can. Since if I fail, I wont just get a Game Over screen like in the game.

    T/N: I made a mistake in Luguentz gender. Japanese sentences like to omit the subject so all this time there has been no clear gender pronoun for Luguentz. Because of the sentence not a cute girl character but still popr, I immediately assumed that Luguentz is a woman. He uses the masculine pronoun Ore but in Japanese media like novels, manga, and anime women using masculine pronouns isnt anything strange. I only noticed my mistake after I look at the character illustration and description on the light novel promotional page. Im sorry! I have edited Luguentz pronoun in the past chapters.

    Anyway if youre curious about the character illustration you can visit https://overp.co.jp/narou/824001276/ you can also buy the light novel here: https://.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4824001277

    [1] A famous general from the Japanese Sengoku (warring state) period.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Shingen

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    Two busy weeks of me witnessing the departure of the merchant corps and many meetings with the Crown Prince have passed. In these two weeks, Ive also kept training. Not only Ive trained my spearmanship but Ive also trained the counts knights and orderlies in group fights.

    Other than that, there was big news that recently came to the kingdom. Svurlitz, a town located in a far away country has fallen. The news said it fell due to the demon attack. Thanks to that news the kingdom finally had enough ground to announce the oracle about the demon kings revival to its citizen.

    In the game, Svurlitz is known as the town of the dead. It was a ce filled with hidden treasure. Like a typical game development, The protagonist, Mazell will go there to harvest these hidden treasures. I must say that the demon army is pretty stupid to left the towns without ransacking its citizens houses.

    Returning to the topic of the kingdom, after the official announcement about the revival of the demon king, the renovation of Veritza Fortress has be one of the kingdoms priorities. Because of that all this time my head has been running at top speed to think about an escape & rescue n for the people inside the fortress.

    Half of my headache about the escape & rescue n is caused by a certain marquis.

    <i>Sigh</i> The number one problem is Marquis Knap.

    Oliver Heinrich Knap. Hes a great marquis who at the very least didnt look down on the weak. But hes a muscle brain who understands little about politics. The most troublesome aspect is the fact that he and my father have a hostile rtionship.

    When the oracle was announced to the public, Marquis Knap was immediately appointed as the supervisor of the Veritza Fortress renovation project. He then led a group of knights and soldiers to the fortress. I heard this group is going to be used as additional manpower for the project. Judging by the fact he went to supervise directly at the fortress, he seems to be quite a diligent person.

    But the Marquis is the type of person who wont listen to even the slightest bit of wording from a little brat who is also a son of a noble who has a hostile rtionship with him. Thats why the things I can do now are limited.

    All I can do now is to give advice to the Marquis via the Crown Prince. I also cant do that often otherwise he might get suspicious.

    Well, whatever. I mean I need the fall of Veritza Fortress to happen. Sorry, Marquis. I got no grudge against you but I need you to fail.

    Still, I want to minimize the victim as much as possible.

    I keep squeezing my brain while confirming the current status of the renovation. Because of the Marquiss diligent personality which is both a blessing and a curse to me, the update regarding the status of Veritza fortress renovation periodically reached the capital. Thetest update said that the renovation is about 90%plete.

    The Veritza Fortress in my memory didnt look like it got attacked in the midst of its construction so I suspect the attack will happen simultaneously with the renovationpletion. Come to think of it, I dont think the fortress has any toilet. Its the only aspect that feels medieval. I dont like it.

    ording to my calction, the renovation will probably be done in one week. In preparation for it, I came to make a request to the Crown Prince

    A practice?

    Yes. I would like to do a group fighting practice.

    I answered the Crown Prince with a smile. Today, that butler is also standing silently in the room. Honestly, he looks creepy.

    But well, I cant be bothered by him. After all no matter what the situation, a noble must always keep a business smile. With that thought, I continue my talk with the Crown Prince.

    Of course, I have another reason.

    Sir mean the matter of Veritza Fortress? Ive warned the Marquis that the fortress might be attacked.

    Thank you very much. May I ask how much the Marquis believed your warning?

    I reckon he half-believed it.

    Right. I can imagine he replied to the Crown Princes warning with an empty I will be careful out of politeness. I somehow prevent myself from slumping my shoulders in front of the Crown Prince.

    So today, Sir want to tell me a proposal regarding the Veritza Fortress?

    As expected he immediately know my purpose. Every time I talked to the Crown Prince, he always immediately knows my meaning before I even tell him. Thats why our conversation has always gone fast and smoothly. The speed at which his head is working is no joke.

    I guess reckless royals only existed in a story Ah no, there are various kings of the Angelos dynasty [1], Emperor Wang Mang of Xin [2], and Emperor Huizong of Song [3] (Though both emperors are imperials, not royals)

    I guess thats not important.

    Your Highness, do allow me to speak frankly. I believe if the fortress did get attacked the fortress will fall.

    True. After all the knights and soldiers might be able to fight the demons but themon people who are there asbor forces wont be able to handle the demons.

    The Crown Prince nodded. Also, the number ofmon people in the fortress is higher than the knights and the soldiers so if themon people panic, the knights and soldiers will also panic. Its human nature to panic when their surrounding is panicking after all. If that happened the number of victims will increase.

    The best scenario would be the fortress didnt get attacked, the second-best scenario would be the fortress did get attacked, but we seeded guiding the people inside the fortress to a safe ce amidst the chaos.

    How about making the people take refuge inside the fortress when it got attacked?

    I have no confidence that a panicked army will be able to defend the fortress.

    Youre right. I also dont have that confidence.

    (Info dump warning! click here to skip. Summary: Human brain will only focus on escaping when in a state of panic. They will only receive info about escaping and follow them even if that info isnt good)

    Actually, I think its not just have no confidence but impossible. Whats inside the head of people in a state of panic is only escape. Their brain will stop receiving any other information.

    That means shouting stop and fight! is useless. The best thing to do is just focus on guiding these people to a safe ce.

    Talking about the human brain, I remember the brain can actually recognize voices that are meant to guide them to safety. Is this some sort of superpower of the human brain?

    Though the problem is the brain will instinctively trust that voice even if its false. For example, if people in a state of panic heard a voice like please follow me to escape! they will follow them even if that person ended up guiding them to a cliff. Ah, I let my thought wander.

    [Info dump end]

    I also believe that there is a danger other demons might attack themon people that have seeded in escaping the fortress and are on their way to take refuge in the capital.

    I see. If that happened, it would be hard for them who are not soldiers to resist.

    Though usually in a game, these kinds of people always managed to safely reach the ce of refuge. How did they even do that?

    Of course, the possibility that my army that will be stationed outside the fortress bes the one that will get attacked by the demons exist.

    If that happened, how will Sir cooperate with the army inside the fortress?

    My army has more or less received battle training so I believe they will be able to handle such an attack. It would be even better if the army stationed inside the fortress cane and aid us.

    I see. An army onlyposed of soldiers that can fight without themon people wont copse easily.

    That is my hope.

    Though, If the demons decided to split their army and attack both my army and the escaping refugee that will be a problem, but I think that scenario wont happen. Because my prediction is that in order to pressure us, humans, the demons will focus their army on taking the fortress.

    Theres also a possibility that the demons will attack my army after attacking the fortress. If that happened I n to save as many people as possible before escaping myself.

    Its best if the fortress did not get attacked but I reckon if the demons are nning to attack the fortress now is the best time.

    I understand. What about the possibility that the demons will attack the fortress sometime after the renovation is finished?

    It exists but in that case, I believe the army stationed in the fortress will be able to handle it themselves.

    The truth is I think that even if that happened the soldiers and knights who are all mob wont be able to handle the demons. After all, the fortress did fall in the game.

    Still, at the very least I believe the army will be able to put a better resistance since after the renovation is finished there wont be anymon people who act asbor force left in the fortress. Thats good for me since I want to minimize the number of nonbatant victims.

    But wont the demons aim to attack after the renovation has finished in order to put pressure on us? It would mean they seeded in making a fortress full of soldiers fall after all.

    If that happened we ought to rejoice. Though the training will be futile nomon people will be a victim. Still, I believe it will be better for us to prepare for the worst.

    Right. If the fortress actually falls, the amount ofints from the citizen would be terrifying.

    Well, I can imagine that. Especially for people like the Crown Prince who is in the position of government. Adding to that there are still people who looked down on the demon army. Most of the nobles in the royal pce with the exception of the Crown Prince and Laura are like this.

    In order for the kingdom to be able to gather its power to fight the demon army, it needs to take rough action against these kinds of nobles. When I began to think about how many nobles are going to be the victims of the rough action my stomach began to churn. But the kingdom has no choice since if it left these nobles alone they are going to be a hindrance in the kingdoms battle with the demons. If that happened, the number of victims will increase.

    But Your Highness, I think receivingint is far better than letting the knights and themon people died.

    I agree. Its better if the fortress didnt get attacked but we still need to prepare just in case.

    Youre correct, You Highness. Thats why I want to get your permission to deploy the army in the name of training. Though that armys priority isnt to defeat the demons but to help people escape because the fortress will definitely fall.

    I also got a confirmation from the Crown Prince that even if the fortress got attacked the kingdom wont be able to give reinforcement.

    Your Highness, there is also another thing that I wish to consult.

    Speak.

    T/N: I smell another war iing.

    [1] Ruler of Byzantium. Generation of Angelos dynasty is said to be a bad ruler /r/AskHistoriansments/e6erq8/how_did_the_angelos_dynasty_rule_byzantium_for_so/

    [2] One of the Chinese emperors. One source I read said he was most controversial emperor and Ive also read that he was traditionally considered the greatest tyrant in Chinese history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Mang

    [3] Said to be an ipetent ruler but known for his love of art and Taoism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Huizong_of_Song

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    I departed the capital to a in thats located between the Veritza Fortress and the capital as a centurion. On a weekday. Yey! Finally an excuse to skip ss to battle. Not exactly a safer choice isnt it?

    The in Im going to is a nameless in in the game but in this world, its called Hildea in. Another differencepared to the game. I suppose the developer doesnt want the game size to be too big by putting unnecessary data.

    I departed with a 300 men regr army. Though I said regr army its stillposed of knights and orderlies. ording to my arrangement with the Crown Prince, this army is deployed in the name of training. The training period is 1 week.

    (Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary: Even an army of only 300 men needrge amount of supply like food, weapons, armors, rain gear, and snow gear)

    Even though 300 men army might seem small, the number of supplies needed is quiterge. Lets say we give 1 piece of bread per person for every meal. That means for 3 meals/day we need 3 pieces of bread and a total of 900 pieces of bread/day for the entire army.

    For a week that means 6300 pieces of bread. If we also count cheese, meat, and wines, the number of foods alone is already big.

    Adding to that the horses feed, and if the army has supply corps or officially transportation corps then you also need to feed them. Then, since the people of the transportation corps are generally bad at fighting, you also need to prepare a team of guards for them. Those guards also need to eat.

    The amount of food alone is already enormous. Other than food an arm also needs weapons, armor, rain gear, and snow gear. Thats why an army is essentially a money leech.

    People who never thought about how to get that much money and manpower wont bother to think about this. Ah, right, I remember there are some idiots in my past life who love to say wont we be able to do anything if we print more bills? this world uses silver and gold coins though not bills.

    [Info dump end]

    Well, thats not important. Whats important is the purpose of this training. The training itself is real, not just a front to help Veritza Fortress. I want the army to train in group battles and I also want to do an area magic experiment.

    If we only looked at the knights and soldiers of this world, then this world can be categorized as a medieval world or at most an early modern world. But the power of area magic of this world is close to the power of modern weapons like hand grenades, napalm bombs, or methrowers.

    Small fry demons in the vicinity of the capital wont use area magic but in the dungeon where the boss is one of 4 Heavenly King then even the small fry will use area magic. I need to prepare in case the armies of the 4 Heavenly King attacked the royal pce.

    In other words, one of the purposes of this training is to prevent the destruction of the royal pce and to minimize the victims against area magic.

    All this time I only thought about how to escape the capital if it gets attacked but since I now have another goal, I need to also think about how to fight.

    Still, creating a way to tackle area magic is difficult. Maybe if the battlefield is an open field or a trench I can do something. Though making the knights dig some trench is another separate problem.

    But what if the battlefield is in the pce? Theres no way the army can dig a hole in the royal pces floor right? Though magic nullifies other magic, a.k.a counter magic did exist but the number of human mages that can use it pales inparison to the number of demon mages.

    In the past week, I burned my brain cells to think of a way to handle it. I researched the magic system of this world and consulted with both great mages of the royal court and the kingdoms influential people.

    The Prime Minister even put an expectation on me, saying that if I seeded then it means I have contributed to the advance of the Bain Kingdom. I just hope His Excellency stops putting that kind of expectation on me. Its not like I was doing it for the kingdoms advancement either.

    Then, I wish to begin the experiment.

    Alright, Ill be counting on you all.

    Mage Fogto is the name of the person who first said to begin the experiment. Hes a member of the royal courts mage division and a young but excellent mage. Though they call him young hes about 10 years older than me. No, it was me who was too young.

    Count Cres George Shandel is the name of the person who answered Fogto. The Count is in his mid-forties. Hes a quite handsome man. No! Im not envious in the slightest!

    As for me, Im here as a centurion but since the men I led, the Zeavert army is considered an expert in group fighting (Though I very much want to deny it) so they be the core of the whole army.

    My title is a centurion but the number of people I actually led is only 60, not 100. The 220 men out of remaining 240 men areposed of the subordinate of Count Shandel and other nobles.

    10 out of the remaining 20 men are members of the royal court mage division with various levels of ability, while thest 10 men are civil officers who work as Battlefield Secretary Officers here to record what we are doing.

    The team of 10 mages faced the prepared marked in ground and shoot their offensive magic simultaneously. The sound of impact, the sh, and the st told us the fact that the attack has reached the marked ce. The sight ofpletely destroyed mark is quite something.

    In this world, even if the mages used the same magic there is bound to be a difference in the spells power and this also happens even if the same mage uses the same magic.

    This randomness might be one of the games faults. Besides me whos filled with thought are Count Shandel and his aide, Viscount Grellman. They both nodded while looking at the destroyed mark.

    The spell has a splendid destructive power is it not?

    Yeah. The mage mustve studied quite a bit.

    Count Shandel answered Viscount Grellmans question and I also nodded along with them. But my real evaluation of the magic is just not too bad. Of course, it has destructive power. It was better than my crude magic.

    But inparison to the magic used by the hero party, I feel like it isnt r enough to fight the demon army. Im the only person who knows that fact though.

    Still, I might be wrong as my judgment is only of the level I feel its might be weaker than the magic of the heros party . I also dont really remember the exact strength of the games opponent so I dont have enough ability to precisely appraise the level of these mages.

    This is the time that I wish I have some kind of cheat ability.

    As I was hoping for the impossible, the secretary officers finished putting another mark.

    Start the second experiment!

    Mage team, prepare!

    Every unit, go to your position! Prepare the magic tools!

    I also raised my voice. The experiment itself isnt anything difficult. A bit of mistake is fine as long as it didnt exceed the already calcted margin of error. As for arge-scale experiment, if theres a chance it will be der.

    Everyone is already in their position!

    Activate the magic tools!

    Magic tools activationplete!

    People who surrounded both the mage team and the mark activated the magic tools simultaneously. Most magic tools are just normal magic tools used for daily activity. Well, our only concern when gathering the magic tools is their amount so thats normal.

    It does look like a funny sight. I mean, soldiers carrying magicmps that are used at night are normal but soldiers carrying magic tools that look like clothes iron, and magic tool that uses magic stone to release heat that looks like a portable stove?

    Shoot!

    With an order from the Count, the mage team shoots the same magic as before in the direction of the mark. Once again, an explosion urred but this time both the sound and the st are considerably weaker than before.

    After the smoke cleared up, the sight of the mark that is a bit worn out but still keeping its original shape filled everyones gaze.

    Ah

    Its a sess.

    Unbelievable

    Surprise, admiration, and dumbfounded voices filled my ears. Some of the voices belonged to the knights who stared at the iron in their hands. Its dangerous so I hope they didnt forget to turn the iron off before touching it.

    A further experiment is still needed but it seems like my hypothesis is correct.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    When I was researching what magic is the first thing that came to my mind is the mana recovery potion. The existence of a mana recovery potion itself is strange.

    Even if your mana is 0 as long as you drink the small and light mana recovery potion, you can recover enough mana to use magic that can decimate a group of enemies. In a game, its a convenient item.

    But in the reality, even if you argue that thew of energy conservation might not apply in the world of magic, its still strange. If the mana recovery potion has that much mana inside of it, why drink it? Why not just throw it to your enemy? It can cause much more destruction.

    After that, I began to wonder. Maybe the reason why the potion needs to be drunk is that the mana inside it needs to be converted into another kind of energy first? Like gasoline?

    Unexpectedly I began to feel that perhaps this train of thought is right. In other words, maybe there are 2 types of mana.

    The rtionship between the two mana might be like the rtionship between a smartphone and the inte. One type of mana is the electricity that provides energy to the smartphone. Without it even if you have a smartphone, its useless as you wont be able to ess the inte with a dead smartphone.

    Then, without a tool like a smartphone, the inte is just a bunch of useless signals. You cant use just the signal to ess information right.

    If I think of the mana inside the potion as electricity inside the battery of a smartphone, then the other type of mana is like the inte signal.

    Or another example would be the mana inside the potion is a body mana and the other type of mana is nature mana. The nature mana can only shows its power by going through the body mana. The mana recovered by the potion is body mana. That means the potion is like an external battery.

    Just like how an inte signal needs to go through a smartphone to be converted into information, maybe nature mana also needs to go through body mana to be converted into fire and snowstorm.

    In this case, the role of ss and skills would be like the smartphone OS and application that can turn that into a specific and more efficient path. Thats why for the wielder of [Spearmanship] like me when we use spear our fatigue is drastically decreased.

    As for which act as an OS and which act as an application I need more experiment to find out. Well, that can be der.

    Since I already have this hypothesis, I began to wonder again. Inte will be slow when many smartphones are using it simultaneously in a certain small area, how about mana?

    If many mages in a certain small area activate magic at the same time, will the speed of magic activation, a.k.a download speed be slower? Or will the magic activation fail midway like when you get awork error message when trying to ess the inte on a busy server?

    In order to test that I created this experiment where many people use random magic tools simultaneously in order to consume as much nature mana in this area as possible. Well rather than consume, maybe the word waste is much closer.

    And the result of the experiment is that magic can be activated but its powers fall considerably. Its probably like when you seeded in essing a website with a busywork but the image in that website failed to load.

    That means theres a limit on how much the core of magic, the nature mana you can use simultaneously in a small area. As for whether that limit is the same everywhere or is there any ce that has denser nature mana, that needs more research.

    The downside of this discovery is the fact that it also affects the magic used by our own allies. Theres also a possibility that if you continue to waste nature mana there might be a point where you cant activate any magic.

    As for the merit of this discovery, is that we now know that theter a magic is activated the bigger it receives the influence ofcking nature mana. Its proven by the fact that despite offensive magic obviously should have consumedrger nature mana than activating magic tools, the rate of weakening of the effect of offensive magics is considerably higher than the magic tools.

    Most importantly, magic tools can be used by anyone even if they possess no mana. To prevent the opponent to use any magic, all you need to do are either increase the number of magic tools or create a magic tool that can waste arge amount of nature mana.

    Theres a need to do more research on the effect of wasting nature mana on a skill. At least I think theres no need for a field experimental study like this for that research.

    Then, ording to the game knowledge, the amount of nature mana present in one specific ce isnt much. Because if it is, the hero party can win by using saturation tactics[1].

    Maybe the reason why the hero party only has a few elites that can use magic is so they can use their power to their full potential.

    I also researched past demon outbreaks and found that demons that use magic in a demon outbreak are few. Even if the demons can use magic they will only use simple magic, not big-scale offensive magic. It makes sense considering the number of demons present in an outbreak.

    Thats why I thought just maybe this nature mana waste tactic is a key to solving the future attack on the capital event.

    The royal pce does have a barrier protecting it but In the game, it still got destroyed so I have no intention to rely on the barrier.

    Rather, relying on the nature mana waste tactic will be much better since all 4 Heavenly Emperors, including the Heavenly Emperor that will attack the capital, are magic-type opponents, while the 3 Generals are physical type.

    Unfortunately, a magic tool capable of using up all nature mana in its surrounding didnt exist. Despite that, this rather underhanded tactic is still a ray of light in the darkness for me since the opponents are being that cant be defeated by normal means

    I need to think and research how to make this tactic usable in future battles,

    A splendid idea, Viscount Zeavert.

    I agree. It was truly amazing.

    Count Shandel and Mage Fogto came to me and praised me. Here, I need to obediently ept their praise.

    Thank you very much. I am rather d that everything has gone so smoothly.

    This is a great discovery. With this, we just need to throw a magic tool that can exhaust the surrounding nature mana to an enemy mage troop to make their magic considerably weaken.

    Fogto-san, the battle against demons is right in front of us so why are you more concerned about countries disputes?

    I guess thats just how politic is, eh. Though even if we do as Fogto said, Im sure the opponent will be able to create a simr thing in no time. Historywise, a weapon that is sessful in Country A will immediately be created by Country B

    Thats natural since Country B already have an example that they just need to copy. Unless a genius like Archimedes creates the weapon. In that case, recreating it will be difficult.

    For me, Im more interested in knowing the name of the craftsmen who sessfully brought weapons from Archimedess design to reality. I wonder if those craftsmen created it after understanding the principle behind it. Its unfortunate that the name of these craftsmen isnt well known.

    We need to create a disposable magic tool that can exhaust nature mana in the surrounding.

    Yes. I will immediately send a research proposal to the kingdom.

    Im curious where they nned to use that sort of magic tool but I wont ask. Its better for me if a magic tool like that is created as soon as possible so I can use it. I dont have any ability to actually create it.

    But I am curious. All this time, the subject of the firepower of magic falling in a group battle has never been brought up?

    Unfortunately, no. In the first ce, no verification has been done so no one has realized it.

    Fogto-sans answer convinced me. Without having a hypothesis like mine, theres no way the mages even bother to verify it. Plus in a real battle, the decrease in damage brought by the magic can also be attributed to the opponents armor and their defensive magic so it must have been hard to tell.

    Not to mention in a midst of a life or death battle who have the leisure time to verify it? I have felt in the recent demon outbreak how much stuff you need to do on an actual battlefield.

    I also understand if they said that they never thought of using not the equipment but tools and not to defend against magic but rather to obstruct it.

    All this time, equipment must be the sole way used to handle magic attacks.

    Anyway, since we have finished the experiment I wish to start preparing for the group battle training.

    Ah, thats right.

    This training is also important so dont forget it, Count.

    T/N:

    [1] a military tactic in which the attacking side hopes to gain an advantage by overwhelming the defending sides technological, physical, and mental ability to respond effectively

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    After putting the various magic tools aside, the group finally looks like a proper army again.

    The n after this is to start the group battle training but actually, I dont know how military training is done in the modern world. Im just an office worker, not a former JSDF[1]member. I also cant give them the training menu of  something boot camp?[2] I forgot the program name.

    I remember having a friend who is a survival game maniac. I should have listened better to that guys story. As an indoor person, Im not interested in outdoor activities like survival gamesWait in the past, Am I really a shut-in?

    Lets just seal that dark memory, tie it to a weight stone, and sink it into the Marina trench. I just need to focus on giving themand to the troop. Though the content of themand is the same asst time. I told them to make a 5 man team.

    Once again, I was forced to notice how much the knights of this world emphasized their strength. Maybe because they are a knight? A weak knight isme after all.

    This time though I need to let them get used to fighting as a group. Their future opponent, the demons will only see them as food. If the knights tried to look cool by fighting alone, they, their parents, and their siblings will end up in demons stomachs.

    So group fighting means moving as a group and defeating your opponent as a group right?

    That is correct. It is better to fight against the demons as a group since there is no chance that the army will get caught.

    Right here is it. One of the reasons why one-to-one battles are so prevalent in this world is because one of the knights main ies is ransom money. Yeah, RANSOM MONEY.

    In a battle between countries catching the opponents nobles or knights and asking for ransom money is one of the knights main ies. Especially for the knights who have nond of their own. Really, arent they partially bandits that just didnt outright kill?

    Since catching them is much more profitable, the knights rarely did a group battle as they feared one against many battles might kill their future ie. They will use every means to catch their opponent.

    There are many cases where a knight loses their fortune and ended up in debt to pay for their own ransom money. If gambling is the number 1 reason a knight loses their title, thein paying their ransom is number 2. Of course, knights wont lose their titles just because they are caught, but often time their debt bes so enormous that they have no choice but to sell their titles as a knight. This is how the usual battle between knights end.

    In a battle with demons, you have no way to negotiate your life if you go captured.

    I wonder if negotiation is really impossible? It should be, right? If negotiation is possible then the kingdom wont have to go through this much trouble. Now that I think about it is the demon kings reason for invasion told in the game?

    For now, thats not important.

    So this is the target?

    Yes. As the targets wont attack back, everyone can focus on learning how to cooperate in a group battle. Though I hope no one attack the horses.

    Of course, no one will.

    The targets is a bundle of tree branches tied together to the horses tails. The target is as thick as a human body. The n is to make these horses run, creating a moving target.

    I was hoping to create the targets with straws but since theres no straw I have to be satisfied with these bundled tree branches. Anyway, I never know that a horses tail alone is as thick as a human arm.

    By the way, the people who make these targets are the people of the Zeavert army. They will also be the ones that ride the horses. These guys look happy to be exalted as elite. I just hope when the training starts, they wont bully the training knights too much.

    20 horses faced the training knights. The training itself is simple. The training knights only need to stab these bundled branches that are tied to the horses tail.

    .

    At least, thats what I told the training knights. As for whatever the training is really that simple Hehehe.

    After a g is raised, the 20 horses started to run. The bundled branch on their tails kicked up more dust than my expectation. In just an instant, a cloud of dust is raised on the battlefield and the training knights lose their vision.

    Its much more conspicuous than I expected.

    It looks like arge army running on the battlefield.

    I was also surprised by the amount of dust. Unexpectedly, using those targets on dry ground is this effective. Now, if a group of soldiers chased the horses, people might go blind because of the dust.

    The horses run toward the sides of the training knights and the knights started to move toward the horses, resulting in Pure chaos.

    Hey, be careful!

    You need to aim at this guy, not that guy!

    Whoa!

    Some ended up rolling on the ground after being pushed by others, some swing their weapons recklessly causing them to hit their teammates. Wow. There are even people who crashed with each other. Good thing they use blunt swords for this training.

    Beside me Count Shandel and the others are dumbfounded.

    Its much more chaotic than my expectation.

    This is what will happen if youre used to one-to-onebat.

    This is the scary side of a group battle. Chaos will happen if the teammander didnt give clear instructions about who to attack.

    But the teammanders who are used to one-to-one battle will only instruct by shouting attack here! or attack there! causing confusion and misunderstanding among the team members. Adding to that, many team members will just do as they please. A clear recipe for disaster.

    To make the knights who have the most confidence in themselves understand the importance of executing the teammanders order precisely, not just by their feeling, I set them up to mess up on purpose.

    After all, the knights of this trust one-to-one fight too much. I wonder if its because this world is originally a game? And well this isnt important but arent the Zeavert knights having too much fun bullying the training knights?

    This much should be enough. I raised the signal to stop the horses. All of the training knights including the counts subordinates who are covered with dust returned with dumbfounded looks.

    Next. The Zeavert knights are going to show you how you should do it. Zeavert knights, give your horses to the others.

    People will learn if you show them, tell them, let them try, and praise them [3]. They must now understand the necessity of observation. From here on is the real start of the lecture about the group battle.

    The kingdoms military power has grown with both the way to tackle are magic and the group battle under it. I have to work at least this much because I dont have any cheat otherwise, I dont dare to fight the demons.

    T/N:

    Hi! Nisarah is here (Again :v) We have finally opened a Patreon for this novel, so this chapter is a Patreon openingmemorating gift! If you guys want to support us you can hop on this link: /fleeting1 This is all for todays announcement. Thank you for all of your support! Nisarah, out!

    [1] Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) is what the Japanese army is called.

    [2] Referencing Billys Bootcamp. The loss weight exercise program was developed by Billy nks and be a pop-cultural phenomenon in Japan.

    [3] This is a quote by Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Navy Admiral, themander in chief of the Pearl Harbor attack.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    Several bonfires are burning brightly under the night sky in the camp. Everyone including me took a rest around those fires. Its tiring to be surrounded by old men though.

    If it wasnt for the various noble training Ive done ever since my memory of the past life came back, I wouldve copsed.

    Sir Welner, you are really a hard worker.

    You tter me.

    You see mister, I will die if I dont work hard. Whats bad about working hard to survive?

    I need to work hard to have enough power to protect myself. I also need to work hard to train others since you cant survive alone in this world. Really, the games main character that can do everything alone is too much of a cheat

    By the way, the knights group battle training is continuing. In the past two days, theyve been focusing on hit the dummy training but from today on they will be focusing on getting a real-life experience by hunting demons in the vicinity of the capital. The training is done under the protecting the safety of the capital banner but depending on how you look at it the training can also be said to be arge-scale demo hunt.

    I dont have any sympathy for the demons that are going to be hunted. Or rather, the demons wont try to attack a party with over 100 people right? Or will they? Thinking about it made me worried about the merchant corp.

    As for the mage team, after they finished writing a report to the capital by pulling an all-nighter, they joined the knights in the group battle training. Cooperation between knights and mages will be important for future battles. After all, fighting as knights alone will be differentpared to fighting in an actual war where there will be mages present.

    This night camp is also a part of training as everyone is busy discussing the formation and alternating to keep a night watch. Thus, the night continues.

    The system of creating a battle formation in the night camp for a one-to-one battle or a war between countries is simple, but for war with demons where flying-type demonic beasts might attack is tricky.

    This is the kind of time when a know-how manual written by past people who had experience in fighting the demon king wille in handy. The problem is this sort of manual is all obsolete. Its like reading a military manual from the Edo Period [1]. There are too many things in the manual that was written based on some i think this is good without proper research and experiment.

    Thats why one of the purposes of this night camping is to discuss applicable things that can be done at a night camp in a war against the demons.

    The attack from the sky is going to be a problem.

    Right. Building fence might be useless againstrge flying-type demonic beasts.

    Building walls during camping is also impossible. Plus, a wall wont hinder flying demonic beasts.

    We need to think about how to bring the anti-demon barrier with us.

    After experiencing night camp, everyone noticed that there are too many holes in our defense. Its impossible to perfectly protect ourselves from attack but having too many holes in our defense is also not good. Every time we moved the camp from one point to another, everyone noticed additional problems. No one can stay put and ignore them.

    In this kind of discussion staying silent will lead to others thinking of you as useless and belittling you so from time to time I also joined the discussion.

    The biggest problem is probably if the enemy attacks us with area magic when we were camping. If you put aside the chance of winning by fighting with a few elites, the hero partyposition of only a few elites makes sense. After all, its easier to defend against area magic if you only need to protect a few elitespared to if you need to protect an entire army.

    .

    Unexpectedly, there is a thing that the game is right.

    Well, in the game magic that can seal your opponents magic more or less existed. If Im not mistaken Laura used it. But its magic used during battle. I dont know if that magic can be used in a ce like this.

    Even if it can, I doubt the magic canst for a whole night. Magic that can prevent encounters with random enemies also existed in the game but that magic also wontst for a long time.

    Apparently, the barrier in the capital can also prevent weaker monsters to enter the capital but its not something you can bring along with you. If only the magic tool that created the barrier is more convenient to use.

    In the end, the thing we can do to defend ourselves against night attacks is limited. That makes sense. If a medieval army that still relies on horses, swords, and spears fights a modern army that uses hand grenades and machine guns the medieval army will be trampled.

    Not to mention that the magic used by the actual army we need to fight is even more destructivepared to average hand grenades. You also cant use themon starve tactic used in siege since before the opponent starved, their magic will destroy us first. Area magic is cheating. Adding to that our opponents are more adept at fighting.

    Our current situation is like a group that has nothing but wooden swords is forced to fight a fully equipped modern army, and that modern army is the one that attacked the group. If not for the demons pulling their punch we will already be doomed.

    This battle isnt something we can win using cheap tricks. One of the few ways I think might be able to increase our winning rate is to increase the number of mages and priests we have. After that, we can only increase our vignce.

    I need to think of ways to win, something crazy that can turn the table. As I held that thought while participating in the discussion suddenly the outside be noisy.

    I have a report.

    What happened?

    Viscount Grellman asked in the ce of the Count. In a sense, the answer to the Viscount question is something Ive expected.

    A pir of a blue-green colored me can be seen from the direction of Veritza Fortress I have asked the scouts if they saw wrong but they said they really saw it.

    Theres no need for that guy whos in charge of the night patrol to say anything more because Count Shandel stands up.

    Wake everyone up! We will begin a preparation to march to the fortress!

    His Highness has privately warned me to be careful of the Veritza Fortress. Viscount Zeavert, Sirs army has the most number so I would like to ask them to be our vanguard.

    Understood.

    Everyone who is in the midst of the discussion stands up with a pale face. So it has started. The relieved feeling of everything going ording to my memory might be proof of my cowardice.

    Viscount. When you arrived at the fortress dont attack. Just observe from the outside. Dont recklessly charge in.

    I shall do so.

    Our action is something that has been decided during the meeting with His Highness. Even if it isnt, I know without a doubt that a reckless charge will only make it harder to control the battlefieldter on.

    The executive of this army all rushed out from the main camp. Of course, including me. To think that the attack on the fortress is done in the middle of the night like this. In the game, I only know that the fortress fell. Im d I asked the Crown Prince to prepare some kind of signal before.

    (Info dump warning! Click here to skip. Summary: The signal fire used by the fortress is created by using wolf manure, copper, desant, and several other ingredients that can produce a lot of smoke, then warped it using a bag made by cow innard. The blue-green color is the copper chemical reaction. The desant is created using the slimes core.)

    The reason why the wolf character is used on the signal fire[2] is that one of the ingredients of the signal fire is wolf manure. The blue-green color that the patrolling knights sawe from the chemical reaction of the copper Ive mixed into it. As for the chemical form of the reaction, I dont know.

    I designed it so you only need to burn the bag to create the signal. Other than wolf manure I also added several ingredients that can produce a lot of smoke when burned and grounded the copper. I packed the mixture in a bag made using cow innard and added desant so the signal fire will stay dry. I give it to Marquis Knap via the Crown Prince

    After the bag is thrown into the fire, it will shoot up a green-blue colored me because of the copper chemical reaction. Fire is easy to create with magic so I didnt think about how to ignite the bag,

    Im sure His Highness has also told the Count about the signal fire. Thats why he immediately knows that its an emergency.

    By the way, desant in this world is created using a slime core powder. The powder absorbs moisture around it. If you scatter it on a wet footprint created because of rain the footprint will disappear. If you scatter it on snow, it will make the snow bubble like boiling water at the ce you scattered it. That sight is pretty scary.

    [Info dump end]

    Well, lets put that aside.

    Everyone, wake up! We will march toward Veritza Fortress!

    With this, the battle of supporting characters will start.

    T/N:

    [1] from the 17th century-to early 19th century

    [2] the kanji for signal fire ( has a wolf character on it

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    On our way to the Veritza Fortress, we realized how big the battle was inside the fortress. We now can see several pirs of fireing from the direction of the fortress. You can hear the fire sounds quite clearly even if loud sounds areing from the fortress.

    If the noise that can be heard outside of the fortress is already like this, I dont want to imagine what happened inside the fortress.

    The people inside the fortress also started to move. With a loud bang, the drawbridge started to fall. Simultaneously, the wooden double door also opened. With this, the people inside the fortress can get out and cross the canal. I dont know if they did all of this because they knew reinforcement ising or because they simply want to escape.

    Not long after, a sea of people rushed out of the fortress. Judging from their outfit, they are notbatants. It also doesnt seem like Marquis Knap let them out to fight.

    Cut the chain!

    Yes!

    Someone! Bring me an ax!

    If there are any intelligent demons inside the fortress, they will try to pull up the bridge. If that happened, its not only going to trouble the people escaping the fortress but also will trouble Mazellter on.

    Thats why in the name of emergency the bridges chain should be cut so it bes a fixed bridge. I cane up with as many excuses for cutting the chain as I wantter.

    The escaping people are guided by Viscount Davraks troop using torches. Interestingly, people choose to go to a brighter ce. Viscount Davraks troops burned more torches the farther it was from the fortress. This is because once humans eyes are ustomed to the light, they be unable to see their dark surroundings.

    Guiding the nonbatants and cing them around thebatants make the rank inside thebatant be confusing so unexpectedly striking a bnce between the two is difficult.

    After the nonbatant is far enough from the fortress, its the turn of Baron Bavraks troop to calm them down and take care of them.

    Baron Bavraks troop sure gets the shorter end of the stick but I will have them endure it.

    Augens troop go to the right side of the bridge! Barkeys troop, you guys go line up on the left side of the bridge! Prepare the crossbows!

    Yes!

    The first shoot will be done under my order! Everyone, match my words!

    Understood!

    If Max has arge build, then Augen has an average build and average height while Barkey is someone who has a sharp impression and is taller than Max.

    Max didnte with us so these two became themander of my troop in his ce. Both of them are in their thirties but Augen is older and has more experiencepared to Barkey.

    Even though Augen is older than Barkey, he has a young spirit. Augen is one of the knights who seems to be having fun bullying the training knights at the group fighting training while Barkey is more of a cool person.

    Somehow I have be used tomanding people older than me. Technically Im the older one if you also count my previous life. Though the fact that I constantly had stomachaches didnt seem to change.

    Ready

    Another wave of people who are probably part of thebor force for the renovation came out of the gate. Behind them are shadows of beings that didnt seem to be humans.

    The me constantly burned inside the fortress makes it so I can only see a silhouette, but I know from the game that our opponents are skeleton warriors and living dead. As expected, this is their battlefield.

    Shoot!

    Following my signal, more than twenty arrows rained down on the demons. Crossbows are great because even if youre not used to firing them, their uracy is still high. It might be strangeing from the person who ordered the troop to shoot crossbows but Im a bit surprised that arrows worked on skeletons.

    On the other hand, I can also hear some surprised voicesing from the troop.

    That the corpses and skeletons are moving?

    Its the first time I actually saw them

    Calm down! Look, they can also be defeated with our weapons!

    After Augen said that, he proceeded onmanding the orderlies to reload the crossbows. The orderlies hurriedly executed his orders. I guess this is fine. Though the troop is surprised they are not afraid.

    This is how normal people would react. Despite having heard of the oracle about the demon king revival, until they saw demons theyve never seen before with their own eyes they will still feel that the revival is far from their reality.

    All this time only demonic beasts have appeared in the vicinity of the capital but starting from this incident at the Veritza Fortress many types of demons will start to appear.

    If I dont remember it wrong, thest boss of the battle at the Veritza Fortress is one of 3 Generals, Dreax. He was one of the weakest bosses to the point that the small fry that appeared in thetter half of the game are all stronger than him. I wonder how he even bes one of the 3 Generals.

    Still, the revived 3 Gatekeepers of the 4 Doors are pretty tough. To the point I want toin to the developer that revived enemies should be weaker, not stronger. Speaking about revival I remember that the defeated 3 Generals will also revive in the game, though the 4 Heavenly Kings wont.

    Anyway, this isnt important but why do the people here use German names but call monsters using English names? Thats a mystery.

    Lets return to the battle. As people kept rushing out of the fortress, I contacted Fogto-san to ask for the mages help. Fortunately, he came almost immediately. Must be because the mage team is just waiting while supporting the refugee.

    I heard you wish to talk to me?

    Thank you foring. There is something I wanted to ask the mages for help with.

    I said I want the mages to go to the right side of the hinge so the doors wont close. Fogto-san seems to be surprised by my request. Well, thats natural.

    Wont this be troubleter?

    If there is an intelligent demon inside the fortress, it might shut the door to trap the remaining people inside. If that happens the people inside will get massacred so its better to just destroy the hinge to prevent the escape route from being sealed.

    Its a sound reason but theres actually another reason why I want the hinge to be destroyed. I want to make it easier for Mazell and others to go inside the fortresster. In the game, getting inside the enemys base is easy but in reality, I dont know.

    Logically, I dont think the demons will easily let us enter their bases. I wonder if the reason why the protagonist easily entered the demons bases is that the demons again pulled their punch. I mean, from the game standpoint its a hassle to make every protagonists battle in the demon bases an infiltration mission.

    I understand.

    I will make sure that the report says this is done under my order.

    To further convince Fogto-san I said I will take all responsibility. Not that I have any intention to throw the responsibility to the mages.

    With that, the mages focused their magic to attack the hinge. An explosion urred and one side of the door became nted but the door itself didnt fall off. After that, my troop shoots out another round of arrows. Fogto-san saw how the battle unfolded and showed a doubtful expression.

    They didnte out from the fortress.

    Maybe theirmander ordered them to take control of the fortress from the inside.

    I also feel its strange but I thought that the demons just wont step out of their field like in the game. I wont say that here though.

    Or maybe, in reality, the inside of the fortress is the limit of Dreaxs control of the demons. As I was thinking about that, several people once again rushed out of the fortress. They look like knights ah I got a feeling that they are troublesome people.

    If my feeling is right I will just throw them to others to handle. For now, lets focus on helping everyone escape.

    Hey, you guys! Whos yourmander!? Wheres he?

    After they crossed the bridge, one of the knights arrogantly shouted those words at us. I wonder if that young guy with good physics that dressed neatly in the middle of this group of knights is theirmander.

    We are a Zeavert troop but our highestmander is Count Shandel. If youre looking for him, hes over there.

    Barkey answered that rude guy calmly, while Fogto-san was dumbfounded. Must be because these guys attitudes arent like people who just escaped.

    With the face as if saying we had no business with mere underlings the group of knights left us and went to the main camp.

    Um

    We will go and support other refugees. Augen, Barkey, prepare the crossbows. Its time for us to change with the other troops.

    Yes!

    Understood.

    I ignored Fogto-sans confused look and continued to prepare to intercept the enemies. In reality, the Zeavert troop cant be the only troop that keeps intercepting the enemies.

    I still need to think about the perfect timing to change with the other troop so my brain is overloaded. Lets just push off the troublesome people to others.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33

    *3rd POV

    Its natural for everyone to gaze coldly at the young man who shouted give memand of the army! as soon as he entered the main camp.

    Do you people have no intention to save my father who is still in the fortress!? I am the eldest son of Marquis Knap, Mangold Goslich Knap!

    This army has been entrusted to me. They have no reason to follow the order of others.

    Count Shandel answered the angry demand of the eldest son of Marquis Knap, Mangold, calmly. Of course, it only makes Mangold even more furious.

    This is a chance to earn the great merit of protecting the fortress! Yet, you wish to just stand still!? You coward! Shameless!

    Courage is different than recklessness, Mangold-dono.

    It was the Counts sarcasm to call him <i>dono</i> rather than Sir. For the Count, there is no need to show manners to the person who also has no manner.

    As a military house, its natural for the members of Marquis Knaps house to be overbearing but they will still mind their manner as a noble. But this son of Knap house seems to be mistaking his own ability and his familys ability.

    Rather than calling it a surge of impatience because his father is still inside the fortress, it was more of arrogance.

    Count Shandel thought that this mans attitude and calmness is no match to Welner von Zeavert who is more than five years younger than him.

    Of course, the Count has no way to know that Welner is only calm because he knows that the fortress will fall.

    As the Count re-evaluates his assessment toward Welner to <i>I see. This is why he got into His Highness good grace</i>, Mangold in front of him kept shouting.

    Since the Count had gotten sick of this troublesome man, he told his subordinate to bring the document box. He then pulls out a document from that box.

    What is that!? Why are you bringing out that useless thing!? How dare you, a mere count, not listen to the words of a marquiss heir like me!

    This is an official document from His Highness the Crown Prince that stated I am themander of this army.

    It was a cold word that must have poured cold water onto Mangolds head. The face of Mangold and the Marquis knights that didnt stop him changed.

    I dont know if they cant stop him or they didnt stop him but whichever is it, these guys are useless. is Count Shandels cold evaluation of the Marquiss knights.

    Please exin to me why despite this document that is written directly by His Highness existed, must the army follow Sirs order?

    WellThatsIn the first ce why

    What Mangold wishes to ask is probably why did His Highness even take the trouble to write that kind of official document and In the first ce, why is there an army conveniently ced here?

    The Count let out a big sigh. At any rate, he no longer has the intention to amuse this dumbfounded group. The Count nced at his knight.

    Escort them out.

    Yes.

    In a far more violent waypared to the word escort the Counts knight expelled Mangold and his subordinate. While shaking his head the Count returned the document to the box.

    It seems that Marquis Knap failed to educate his son. Still, I wonder if His Highness has foreseen this situation, thats why he sent this document?

    I reckon His Highness prepared this document in case the Marquis wishes to take control of this army. After all, the Marquis is not the type of person that will ept his defeat obediently.

    Viscount Grellman answered the Count with a tone as if he was amazed. In the long years the kingdom has stood perhaps some people will still think this incident is a mere coincidence. Still, this is too cruel.

    If the oracle of the revival of the demon king is true, the kingdom cant just stay still. Both the pce and the Crown Prince have started to move. The Crown Prince must have known there was a chance that the Veritza Fortress would get attacked and he used it.

    Both the Crown Prince and Count Shandel didnt think to go as far as eliminating Marquis Knap.

    Still, theres a need to make the nobles that have no sense of the iing danger realize. Ironically, the person who has the least sense of danger is Marquis Knap. The pce sends Marquis Knap to the fortress with the purpose to give a rough wake-up call to these nobles.

    In this aspect, you can say Welner and the Crown Prince were both known to have the same idea.

    But theres no doubt that Marquis Knap is a loyal man.

    I truly hope that the Marquis can escape safely.

    But the difference between Welners thoughts with the thought of the Crown Prince and other nobles of the pce is that thetter can also use the Marquiss failure.

    It will be good if the Marquis can get off his high horse after this incident. Even if the Marquis died in this incident, it would mean that the pce has seeded in chipping away the power of the influential nobles. No matter what the oue is, theres no disadvantage for the pce.

    Thats why you can also say the nobles in the pce are still somehow underestimating the revival of the demon king.

    T/N: This kinds of 3rd POV chapters are always interesting since I can see the thought of others like the kingdom, the crown prince, etc of whats happening in the story. Kind of the behind the scene chapters

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    While sending the refugees (Most of them arebor forces but there are also some injured knights and soldiers) to the rear I kept giving out orders.

    Some people are too tired to walk after running from the fortress while some people are too injured to walk. I cant just leave them be.

    Plus, no one can stay calm when all they can hear is the cry and scream of the injured. It will also affect our morale.

    Thats why for the refugees who cant move I ordered our people to carry them. It takes so much time and energy. Among the people that cant move, some of them wear armor so its impossible to let one person carry them all. If lucky, two people can carry one of the armored refuges, and most of the time we need 3 people.

    Adding to that, I also need to arrange for other people to transport the medical supplies. Im busy so its better to leave the arrogant young master to the higher-up.

    We spend time supporting the refuge, taking a rest after changing with another troop, then supporting the refuge again. Like always my throat started to hurt.

    I heard many sergeants in the army have a low voice. I wonder if its because they shouted too much and caused their vocal cords to be thicker?

    Anyway, I continued to support the refugees. We got here in the middle of the night but from the back of that mountain, I see a thin stripe of sunlight. Now, the number of peopleing out of the fortress has decreased so I ask Augen.

    So, how is it?

    We are approaching our limit.

    As expected.

    I nodded at Augens answer. Arrows are disposable weapons. We went out in the name of training so we didnt bring too many arrows. The mages along with Fogto-san have also started to show their fatigue.

    As I was thinking that this is probably our limit, a figure came from the fortress and walked to the other side of the bridge. Even though most of the me inside the fortress has been extinguished, our side is darkerpared to the fortress so I can only see a silhouette. That silhouette wearing a robe is

    Gah!

    Welner-sama?

    Everyone retreat! Put some distance with the bridge!

    This time I have no time to exin. I ran first and the other followed me. We have gained some distance to the bridge.

    Even though some soldiers are not from the Zeavert troop, they made a surprisingly smooth retreat. Perhaps because of how exhausted they are they just naturally follow mymand without thinking. Maybe its also because my voice carried some pressure.

    Right after our retreat, a swirl of me appeared on our side of the bridge. Many of us jumped in surprise because of the sounds of the explosion. Some surprised voices are even close to a scream.

    Thatwas?

    Its magic. Is everyone safe!?

    We are fine!

    Fire magic. I remember. That creature is the ck Mage. In the game, he was the boss that guards the stairs to the third floor in the Veritza Fortress. Hes a boss that will constantly shoot out area magic.

    The painful memory of getting beaten up by that guy because I thought a lone enemy. Thats rare is now resurfaced. It was in the game though.

    Then, even I who have game knowledge cant predict the thing that happened after that.

    Oh. Someone among you has good intuition.

    It talked?

    A surprised voice can be heard from my surroundings. Ah, thats right. Except for Mazell whos fought a devil, not many know that some devils can understand human speech.

    Wait a minute. That guy is also a devil? Not just a boss that appeared in the game?

    Without knowing I was surprised inside, the ck Mage continued to talk with a mocking tone.

    I havee to say that we shall postpone the death of you people who have survived this far. It is the kindness of one of the 4 Generals, Dreax-sama. Hurry and convey this word to yourmander.

    Right. The boss is Dreax. If Im not wrong, Dreax is a living armor. The reason why I remained calm is that I have confirmed that one of the games knowledge is right or perhaps I attempted to escape reality.

    The ck Mage must have had no interest in the humans reaction, as he returned to the fortress with an evil smirk on his face.

    These are your souvenirs.

    <b><i>(Gore warning! Here to skip.)</i></b>

    Along with his words, several figures of people came out of the fortress. Wait. can they even be called people? The rightmost figure didnt have its right arm, while one of them walked staggeringlyUrgh!

    HHis body

    Its almostfell off?

    Thats right. The knights and Fogto-san have also noticed it. One of those figures, his body is almost separated into two around the chest part.

    Thats why it walks staggeringly because if it breaks its bnce its upper body will fall off. Its like a grotesque magic trick no, its closer to a scene straight out of a stter movie.

    Theres Marquis Knap among those figures. No, saying there <i>was</i> Marquis Knap is more correct. After all, the figure of Marquis Knap that walked slowly toward us only has half of his head.

    First, Im sure no one among those figures is a human. Theres no way a human can walk while dragging half of his internal organs. There are also dragging sounds from the human that crawled toward us with only his upper body. All of those figures have empty eyes as if the messengers of death are approaching us.

    <strong><em>[Gore end]</em></strong>

    Everyone stiffened and didnt move. No, we <i>cant</i> move. Some orderlies vomited. I wont me them. I also want to vomit.

    Do not fear. Did I not say that we shall postpone your death?

    The ck Mage talked with us as if to scorn us. I can hear him but I cant process the meaning of his words.

    Gazing at us with empty eyes, the group of humans slowly crossed the bridge and walked staggeringly until they were right in front of us and fell to the ground. What reached my nose and coiled around my body is not only the smell of blood but also the smell of some other things.

    No one moves. Not the body of Marquis Knap, not us.

    Convey Dreax-samas words to your king. Next, we shall attack your castle.

    Leaving only that sentence, the robed figure returned to the fortress. Even though our enemy has gone, we are still frozen in that ce.

    T/N: Urgh Another nasty chapter to trante. Made me remember the chapter against demonic beasts with the depiction of blood and internal fluid. Im not good at gore. I also feel like I want to puke. Adding to that I read this chapter twice. One is for understanding it, and the second is for tranting it. I will also need to read it for the third time for editing. Urgh Its almost 11 and I hope this chapter didnt appear in my dream.

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    With a pale face, we reported the earlier scene to Count Shandel, and he and his mens expressions changed. After that, we collected the corpses of Marquis Knap and his men and immediately left the fortress.

    We are walking at top speed to the capital while still keeping our vignce to demonic beasts attacks. The refugees are all ced in the middle of our rank. Everyone barely speaks. I dont think the fall of Veritza Fortress is the only reason for this silence.

    Among the people who have seen that scene, some looked lifeless. I never thought there woulde a time when I feel the clear difference between the game and this world like this.

    Because we walked while carrying the injured and encountered demonic beasts on our way, we only arrived at the pcete at night.

    The Count and Viscount Grellman went to report to the King as soon as we arrived. We cant exactly just disband so we spend the rest of the night tending to the injured and confirming the damage done to the army.

    The next morning at the pce, in the room where His Majesty, The Crown Prince, and all ministers are present, Fogto-san and I are exining the details of the situation at the fortress.

    The truth is I dont want to do some exnation as I dont want to remember that incident.

    That is all.

    Good work.

    Right. You sure put our mind and body through hard work. I dont want to do this ever again.

    People who heard our exnation all show different expressions but none of them show good expressions. Thats natural. Rather, I am surprised by Fathers calm expression.

    Sir Welner, Sir Fogto, both of you may return. First, let us mourn for Marquis Knaps death.

    Ah, thats right. His Highness called us with Sir+given name because this is the royal court. I just returned from the battlefield so its a bit strange to hear that. Well, His Highnesss words sure saved us so we both left the room.

    Just before the door waspletely closed, I nced inside from the crack of the door and saw Count Shandel among the people inside. I guess since the Count is themander of the army he didnt get excused like us.

    My stomach hurts.

    Me too.

    I blurted out aint and Fogto-san chimed in with a bitter smile. Somewhere inside my head, I must still think this world is just a game.

    It never crossed my mind that a nameless boss that only appeared in the beginning stage of the game can give me this much impact.

    A nameless boss, huh. In other words, hes a mob just like me.

    Sir Welner, While thinking to verify my hypothesis, Fogto-san who is also in deep thought suddenly talked to me. Somehow, his tone is different.

    Yes?

    I truly admired Viscounts foresight.

    Pardon?

    Huh? Whats he talking about?

    Did he misunderstand something? Without caring about my bewildered face, Fogto-san continued to talk with a respectful expression.

    I have to admit that until yesterday, I have been thinking there is no need to hurry in the development of countermeasures for area magic.

    Ah, I got it. There are barely any demons who can use magic in the vicinity of the capital after all.

    If it was inbyrinths though, adventurers had probably encountered enemies that use magic. Still, they wont feel any sense of crisis like death is approaching them. At most, they will think ah, a mage, thats a bit dangerous.

    It was only after I saw the inhuman scene yesterday that I deeply felt the danger of area magic.

    I see. After all, there are probably more than 1 or 2 future opponents that will use area magic.

    In the game, even the ck Mage is only the Veritza Fortresss dungeon random encounter. Ive encountered opponents of his level so many times to the point I got sick of it.

    That mage said their next target is the royal pce. I now understand how urgent it is to create a countermeasure for area magic.

    I understand what you are trying to say. So creating a countermeasure against area magic is even more urgent than your imagination.

    The notion that its urgent didnt even cross our minds until yesterday.

    Ah, so thats why he said he admired my foresight. I do think its a bit of a problem for me, the one who has that foresight to be the slowest one to understand his meaning though.

    If not because of you, Viscount, we will only be at the stage where we will prepare to research how to counter area magic.

    Your praise is excessive. I am merely a coward.

    Thats my thought and its the truth. Im a coward thats just afraid to die.

    They did say cowardice will give birth to wisdom. The fact that Viscount epted your cowardice alone is already splendid.

    Please cease your praise.

    Its embarrassing to be praised like that by an older person who is also a royal court mage you know. Plus, I cant say this is an idea based on my foresight. Its just something I came up with because I know about the game.

    Being humble is not my thing so Fogto-san, please stop staring at me with the eyes as if to say I need to be humble.

    The countermeasure against area magic is something that we, the mages, will need to use all our ability to create.

    Fogto.

    After Fogto-san finished his words, a voice from the side suddenly called him. Its a man wearing the royal court mage uniform who is around the same age as Fogto-san.

    Hes a man that radiated the aura of a calm elite, like a typical smart character in a game. sses will look good on him

    Puckler. What happened?

    I want to hear your opinion.

    The man gave me a slight bow when he saw me and continued to talk with Fogto-san. Their conversation is full of terms that I dont understand. A magic wave that didnt exist in other tools? Whats that?

    My apologies, Sir Welner. I need to go to theboratory now so let us part here.

    I understand. Then, I hope we will have a chance to meet againter.

    Please leave the development of the anti-area magic tools to us.

    I shall do so. Thank you.

    After that, we separated. Fogto-san and Puckler-san keep discussing while they are walking. Im d they have be serious about developing a countermeasure against area magic. I have no choice but to rely on them for this after all.

    Even if I return to the mansion Father wont be there and I also dont feel like returning to the academy so lets take a walk first.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    <b><i>(Info dump warning! Click here to skip)</i></b>

    Summary: The royal pce in this kingdom is divided into 3 areas, public areas, office areas, and private areas. Nobles and knights can freely stroll the public area. There is an outer garden, za, salon, the knights office, the soldiers training ground, and the knights horse track.

    The office area is where governmental and political-rted affairs take ce. There are government offices, a courtyard, a dance hall, high-rank nobles exclusive salon, the knights headquarters, and the mages researchbs.

    The private area is exclusive to royalty. There are the Crown Princes pce, the pces for retired royalties, the mansions of the various concubines, the inner pce, and the royal familys treasury.

    I dont know if every pce in this world is like this but, in this kingdom, the royal pce is divided into 3 areas. They are public area, office area, and private area.

    Theres no officialw for this division, but when youre moving between these 3 areas the guard will ask for your identification.

    The first is the public area. Its called the public area because the nobles and knights that came into the pce had rtively more freedom to walk around this area. Theres an outer garden located in this public area. If youre a noble, no one will scold you if you take a walk in this garden.

    There are also several other facilities in this public area. First is a za. Its a pretty vast za thats usually used for events like military parades. Then, there is also the knights office, the soldiers training ground, and the knights horse track.

    Meetings between nobles are also held in this public area so here, theres also a salon used for the nobledys tea party.

    The second is the office area. Like its name, the office area is where many governmental affairs are done. This is the area where the King or the Prime Minister will discuss their conspiracy<i>ahem,</i> I mean a ce where they will discuss politics. In a sense, its number one on my list of ces that I dont want to get close to.

    This office area also has government offices and a courtyard. Its called a courtyard, but its size is actuallyrger than your average house. The courtyard in the office area is usually used to hold tea parties that have a thick political entanglement or to hold secret meetings with important people. This courtyard is also the ce where I and Mazell talked to Laura.

    There is also a dance hall and a high-ranked nobles exclusive salon here. The reason these two ces are here is that events held in these two ces are often deeply entangled with the kingdoms politics. The knights headquarter and the mages researchbs are also located here. Im sure the basement prison is also located here.

    Thest is the private area. This is the area where only royalty can enter. This is where the inner pce is located. In the kingdoms history, some good-for-nothing kings shut themselves in this private area and never came out. The current king isnt like that though.

    By the way, generally in this world, one husband has one wife but it isnt umon for a man in a high position to have some concubines. I can say concubines arent rare among nobles.

    Anyway, the private area also has the Crown Princes pce and pces for retired royals. Sometimes, concubines will also receive mansions from the kings that are located in this area.

    I heard that the royal family treasury is also located here. Its something along the lines of the countrys possession is the Kings possession.

    <b><i>[Info dump end]</i></b>

    I sat on the bench in the public areas garden and let out my voice. I act like an old man? Well, I am an old man on the inside.

    While basking in the sun doing nothing, I sort out my thoughts.

    This time, Im most concerned about the ck Mage. In the game, the ck Mage is only a random encounter monster without any line.

    A character thats not even in a supporting role in the game is capable of doing something like <i>that</i> in reality. I really need to change my perception of this world. Its better for me to think that the game is based on this world, not the other way around.

    Next, Im also concerned about my actions. Regardless of my skill and ability, the result of my actions can bring influence to this world. In other words, depending on my actions I can change the result. Just like what I did to the Crown Princes death.

    That means its fine for me to think that I can change the result of the attack on the royal pce.

    Lastly, theres one problem thats always bugging me. Names.

    Obviously, the people of this world have their own names but many times I passed them off as being nameless.

    For example, I dont know the name of the owner of the weapon shop or the workers of the bakery. This is not that differentpared to my previous life. I mean, theres no way I remember the name of every stranger I met.

    The problem is the names of this worlds important people. People who, as someone who had lived and grown up in this world I should remember their names but for some reason, I didnt.

    Like the Crown Prince and the Royal Grandson. As a noble of this kingdom, I should have known their name, yet I only knew their name after the demon outbreak incident. Now that I think about it again, thats strange.

    Another example, I remember the name of this kingdoms second princess, Laura since she appeared in the game but I cant remember the name of Lauras elder sister, the first princess. Even though as a noble I shouldve heard about her name.

    My current guess is theres some kind of detachment between my memory of the game and my cognition as someone who had lived in this world. If thats really what happened, then why?

    Um

    I looked in the direction of the voice and became flustered.

    Your Highness! Pardon my discourtesy.

    I didnt notice the Royal Grandson is here because I was in deep thought.

    Ah, no, its fine, Viscount Zeavert.

    Why are you in this kind of ce? While asking that in my head I bowed to him and he returned my bow. I always thought about this since I met Laura but arent the royals in this kingdom a bit too humble?

    After that, I stand up and let the Royal Grandson sit on the bench while I stand in front of him. The gaze that I felt, is it Prince Ruwens hidden guards?

    Your Highness, pardon me for asking but is there something you need me for?

    Ah, no. I just want to talk to the hero of the recent demon outbreak.

    I almost blurted out who do you mean by hero? <i>Fyuh</i> That was dangerous.

    I feel honored by your praise, but I am not great enough to be called a hero.

    But whileughing, Lord Father said you have the character of a hero.

    Crown Prince, your son seems to have taken your joke seriously. Spare me the hero title and just give it to Mazell.

    Though Its rude to keep negating the Royal Grandsons words.

    At that time, I was unable to go to the frontline. I kept thinking about how great it would be If I had the courage like you, Viscount.

    What are you talking about, Your Highness, youre 10! The reason why I thought a 10 years old kid going to the frontline is strange might be because of my memory of the previous life.

    Wait, now that I think about it, its not unprecedented for a young kid to go to a battlefield. I mean, Minamoto no Yoritomo[1] had his first campaign when he was 13 years old. If its only to let the child see the battlefield on the sideline, then younger than 13 years old is fine. Theres a case like Kikkawa Motoharu[2] but hes an exception.

    When I was around your age, Your Highness, I was a scaredy cat.

    Really?

    Yes. Feeling fear is natural, Your Highness. Once you get used to something, you will naturally feel the courage.

    Though its a problem if you ended up loving war, Your Highness. Still, as expected of royalty. He didnt feel it was strange for him to be the only one who was sitting while talking.

    But someone once told me the battlefield did not suit me.

    Your Highness, theres no need for you to pay attention to what others say.

    Though I say that, its true that this little prince can pass off as Lauras younger sister if he dresses up like a woman. He will definitely grow up to be a beauty. I wont say that right in front of his face though.

    I had once heard the story of a man who was nicknamed princess when he was young but became a famous general when he grew up. That is why, Your Highness, there is no need for you to worry.

    Well, Chosokabe Motochikas [3] princess nickname wasnt because of his appearance, but he <b>was</b> nicknamed little princess so I didnt lie.

    Is that true?

    Yes, it is. Only results matter. That is why, Your Highness, you merely need to prove them wrong.

    Im technically in the same generation as him so why did I even tell him this kind of thing like an adult, is what I thought inside. I feel somewhatplicated.

    RuYour Highness, you are here, As I was thinking about something like that, a lovely child-like voice called His Highness.

    The person who almost called His Highness by his name is a girl about the same age as His Highness. Unlike His Highnesss blond hair, she has ck hair. When she noticed me she gave me a skillful curtsy like an adult.

    Pardon me for interrupting your conversation. I am Rosemary El Schramm.

    Thank you for your politeness. I am Welner von Zeavert.

    A noble courtesy must be returned with a noble courtesy so I returned her curtsy with a gentleman bow. I will ignore the fact that Miss Rosemary almost bit her tongue when she was talking.

    I often heard rumors about you, Viscount-sama.

    You tter me.

    Lets just answer it like that. But Schramm, huh. I remember its a marquis house. Still, to see a ten years old girl acting like this, as expected of nobles. Her family mustve drilled the nobles manner into her from a very young age.

    Since she almost called His Highness by his name, they must be quite close.Lets just leave it at that.

    Viscount. I apologize as we were in the midst of talking.

    Not at all, Your Highness. I also just remembered I have another appointment.

    Since His Highness bowed to me he must have a prior appointment with Miss Rosemary. It didnt feel like His Highness disliked Miss Rosemary so I must be the third wheel between them.

    We bowed to each other and separated. The sight of a blond boy and a back-haired girl getting along while they entered a building as I looked back is quite pleasant.

    At the same time, that sight makes an unknown feeling fill my heart. Miss Rosemary didnt appear in the game but as expected in this world, the Royal Grandson also has his own rtionship.

    If the Royal Grandson died at the demon outbreak, will that girl cry? If at that time I just ignored everything and ran away Even if I did that technically its not my fault that the Royal Grandson died right?

    Will that girl die when the capital got attacked? If an attack happened right now will those two be lifeless corpses? Where will theyy? What sort of expression will they have on their deathbed?

    When a man that didnt care about the news of childrens starvation in the newspaper, saw a child that didnt have enough money to do his surgery on television, he immediately tried to gather money for that child.

    It was a story that Ive heard many times in my past life. Thats how humans are. The impression of what they saw is strongerpared to numbers. People move because of a story, not numbers.

    Thats how it is for me too. When I think about the demons attack on the capital, what crosses my mind isnt about how many victims it will cause but rather, the image of those two children dying. Is it hypocritical for me to not want that image to be a reality?

    So what if its hypocritical?

    It might be hypocritical but I will definitely change the result. Its better than doing nothing while having goodwill. Is this the kind of time they said to show a bitter smile? As I made an excuse to no one, I walked out of the garden and left the pce.

    Plus, I also managed to investigate what I wanted.

    T/N: I always thought of the pce as the only ce where the royal family is living . I never knew that there was even a public area in a pce. Thought stuff like office area always popped off here and there in a medieval fantasy setting stories, but its the first time I heard something like public area where nobles can freely walk around.

    [1] the person that founded Japans first shogunate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_no_Yoritomo

    [2] Son of Mori Motonari, a famous general in the japan segoku (civil war) period. His first battle is at the age of 10 or 13. Some sources differ.https://sengokujidai.org/characters-and-ns%E3%80%8C%E4%BA%BA%E7%89%A9%E3%83%BB%E6%B0%8F%E3%80%8D/busho-j-to-r%E3%80%8C%E6%AD%A6%E5%B0%86%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7%EF%BC%88a-r%E3%80%8D/kikkawa-motoharu%E3%80%8C%E5%90%89%E5%B7%9D%E5%85%83%E6%98%A5%E3%80%8D/

    [3] A famous warlord in the Sengoku period. Young Motochika is given the nickname little princess because of his gentle nature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dsokabe_Motochika

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    After leaving the pce, I returned to the mansion, then I went to the capitals relief station. Its a ce affiliated with the church where the injured people from the Veritza Fortress incident are now receiving their treatment.

    The number of people we rescued from the fortress reached 3 digits but most of them are nonbatants. There are only several dozen knights. Can I say this is because of Marquis Knaps devotion?

    By the way, the knights and nobles have their own treatment facility. As for why they have separated facilities and whats the difference between the two facilities, you can probably guess.

    In the game, a night at an inn is enough to fully recover your injuries but I guess that wont happen in reality. This is also one of many differences between the game and reality.

    Or maybe, the reason why the hero party can recover just by spending a night in an inn is that the God of this world just favors the hero party? Though it is strange for someone to recover from their injuries by only spending a night in an inn unless you have a recovery potion.

    Anyway, I went to the relief station to gather information from the people there. The sight of the relief station makes me remember that some nobles said they lost because their opponent is about 30% stronger than them. After all, losing to a weaker opponent will make them lose face.

    Wee to the relief station. What brought you here?

    I am Welner von Zeavert. I wish to talk to the people who were injured at the Veritza Fortress incident.

    I see.

    Here is a donation for the relief station.

    I handed the receptionist a bag full of money. This is the reason I returned to the mansion first beforeing here. No matter what I did, I will receive better treatment if I show some sincerity first.

    Thank you very much. Then, please follow me.

    The receptionist guided me to a room of people with minor injuries. I mean, I cant talk with heavily injured people who are groaning in pain right now.

    Im Welner von Zeavert. No need to mind your manner.

    I stopped the people who were going to stand because a noble came. I also dont want to do a troublesome thing like manners.

    Sorry foring here without notice. There are several things I need to ask you all.

    Please feel free to ask.

    I ask them about the enemies appearance and their number. I also ask them about one of the most important questions, the internal structure of the fortress. I feel bad for making them remember the unpleasant incident but collecting information about the enemy is important.

    I will be able to find out about the fortress interior just by looking at the fortresss blueprint but there might be some changes done by Marquis Knap that only the people who were in the fortress knew. Plus, I dont know if the kingdom will allow me to take a look at the blueprint.

    I also ask them about where the doors are ced, where the demons attacked before the doors can be installed, and which rooms be temporary storage rooms during the renovation.

    My conclusion after hearing about their answer is that the type of demons that appeared in the incident didnt differ much from the game. As for their strength, I also dont know.

    I created a rough map of the fortresss interior ording to all their answers. This map might be incorrect if the demons decided to erge some doors or make some changes to the fortress but I dont think they will do something like that.

    But this rough map is differentpared to the map of the fortress in the game. Probably because the games map is based on the fortress when it was supposed to be used by people, not based on a fortress that just finished its renovation.

    ording to the rough map, the fortress has toilets. One of them is located in the northwest corner. This is good. Though I doubt the demons will use the toilet

    Sorry for troubling you all. This is a gift for your trouble. Keep our conversation a secret, ok?

    I handed out silver coins to every person in the room. This should be enough to cover their medical expenses. I heard the kingdom will also give them some money but I doubt it will be enough to cover the entirety of their medical expenses.

    The money is also a bribe so they can keep our conversation a secret. Its going to be troublesome if patients from other rooms swarm me for silver coins after all. Its for my own self-defense.

    It might be easier for me to get information if I gave them the money first before I asked them but doing that might put unnecessary service to their information. Their information might be unreliable.

    I wanted to double-check the information I got by asking from the patients in another room but mid-way, I stopped my track. I see a familiar person or rather a familiar character treating the injured.

    Right. It isnt strange for that guy to be a member of the hero party in this time period. Wait. That means I need to stop him from leaving. With that thought in my mind, I approached him.

    Excuse me. Will it be alright if we talk for a bit?

    I have just finished treating this patient so, of course, That man with great build and gentle expression answered me. Yeah, its definitely him.

    Hes Elrich Kluger. One of the members of the hero party.

    Elrich Kluger is a monk, a rare job among many games that existed at that time. ording to the game setting, hes a monk in the midst of his training journey. He can both heal and fight so hes a big help in the early part until the middle part of the game.

    After Lauras mana became stronger, she can use attack magic so Elrich became a heal-focused character. His intermediate level of healing saved me many times in the game so I was grateful to him Well, that doesnt matter now though.

    My name is Welner von Zeavert.

    I introduced myself a lot today. If this world had business cards, mine would be all out [1] This is what would happen if you went to a ce for the first time.

    My name is Elrich Kluger, a monk on a training journey.

    I see that you have treated the injured. As one of the nobles of this kingdom, please allow me to extend my gratitude.

    He was surprised by my bow. I guess he was surprised because I didnt act like a noble and I also didnt act like someone my age.

    Please, no need for gratitude. Still, pardon me for saying this but

    I do not act like my age?

    Or maybe I dont act like a noble. I know that. Technically Im an old man inside so I did act like my age a.k.a like an old man.

    Well, personally, I have a good impression of you.

    Thank you for saying that. By the way

    I ask him things like the situation of the injured and the shape of their scars in session. Knowing both of these things can help identify the weapons that the enemy used and things we need to be careful of when facing the same enemies. I also asked him many things that I need to know and noted only his frank opinion.

    I see. Thank you. You have been a big help.

    I am happy to be of help. Anyway, as expected its trouble for the fortress to get taken.

    Yes, well, it has been quite a bit of a problem.

    Since the information is bound to be leaked, I told Elrich about Marquis Knaps death or rather about the Marquiss situation after his death. Elrichs expression quickly bes warped.

    So he said their next target is the capital. You cannot remain calm after you hear that even if you wanted to.

    You are right. I have never expected the demons to do such an inhuman act.

    After I said that, Elrich became silent. Good reaction. Now, I hope he will take my bait.

    If it is alright with you, may I hear the story in more detail? I might be able to offer you my help.

    Yes! He took the bait! Thats what I think inside but I cant show it here. Well, its not like I have any confidence in my acting skill so I just opened my eyes wide as if I was surprised.

    I will be grateful if you are willing to help but will it be fine?

    Yes. I cannot just do nothing after hearing your story.

    As expected of a member of the hero party. Hes a diligent person. Its a good thing for me though

    I understand. Sir Elrich, have you decided where to stay for tonight?

    I have reserved a room at an inn for tonight.

    I see. Well, it is already quitete so I wonder if Sir Elrich will be willing to talk with me againter? If you do not mind, I also hope you can meet my friend.

    I will be happy to. Then, let us meet againter.

    Good. With this, I can definitely make him meet Mazell. I was relieved inside but I try to not show it on my face.

    In the game, After he saw how most of the knights were dead because of the demon outbreak, Elrich stopped at the capital. He wanted to do something in the stead of the knights. Thats where he met Mazell.

    But since we won the battle against the demon outbreak, Elrich loses his reason to stop at the capital. Im scared that many things might just fall apart if I let Elrich just continue his journey so I must stop him at any cost.

    If theres an invincible force that will force the game storyline on its right track no matter what happens then Its fine even if I dont do anything but Ive just realized how dangerous it is to put too much trust in the fact that this world is a game.

    I returned home with these thoughts in my mind. Then, when I got home I was surprised by Fathers words.

    Welner. I know its abrupt but you need to take a leave from school again tomorrow because I need you to lead soldiers.

    Huh?

    How did things be like this?

    T/N: Money move the world :V

    [1] A Japanese worker carried a holder full of business cards. They will give it when they introduce themselves to a client.

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    Im a bit bewildered by Fathers sudden words. Why and how did I suddenly have to lead soldiers?

    Um What do you mean?

    Ah, my real thought slipped out [1] Well, Father didnt seem to mind so I guess its fine. Our talk is probably going to be a long and troublesome talk since Father urged me to sit. For now, I sat on the couch.

    Father sat in front of me and a maid poured us tea then she left the room. As if recing the maid, Norbertes in and stands in front of the door. They are being pretty cautious. What exactly has happened?

    Father. Please tell me what exactly has happened.

    Its something that hasnt been announced. Though, the announcement will probablye soon. Fathers super serious expression and sigh, while he said this to me, made it hard for me to refuse. Did he do it on purpose?

    Thats what I think but Fathers next word makes even me who has the game knowledge surprised.

    Triot got destroyed by the demons army.

    Hah?

    Triot is the Bain Kingdoms neighbor. Its national power and area are far lesser than the Bain Kingdom so its more of a satellite nation.

    In the game, the ce where Triot is located is nothing but vast emptynd with no towns or anything. The first time I went to the Triot of the game, I remember wincing because of how far you needed to walk on the vast emptynd until you finally reached a town.

    I thought Triot didnt appear in the game simply because no game events take ce in Triot but it seems like Triot didnt appear in the game because it has already been destroyed.

    How is the situation there?

    The demons attacked their capital so their king, political leaders, and knights were almostpletely annihted. The citizens of Triot escaped the country with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

    Almost?

    There are some people whose life or death remain unknown but ording to the report, their chance of survival is low.

    Its the sight of our capital in the future. Thats what I think but of course, I wont say that here. I also didnt feel like joking around.

    So, what is the connection between Triots incident and me leading soldiers?

    The refugees from Triot areingor rather theres been an indication that arge number of refugees from Triot wille flooding to our kingdom.

    Well, they cant live in a destroyed capital after all. I can imagine the scene of the number of refugees snowballing as the Triot citizens that live in towns and viges near the Triots capital also abandoned their homes and rushed to our kingdom.

    Since even the Triots knights are all annihted no one will be able to maintain the public order in Triot. Not to mention the enemies that just killed all of the knights mighte knocking on your door next so, of course, everyone will run away.

    Did the kingdom n to ept those refugees?

    If possible, no. But its going to be a problem if the refugees create a riot on our border so we have no choice but to ept them.

    I agree.

    As expected, even the kingdom isnt cruel enough to let them be demons food. Im sure theres also a typical reason like we dont want to let the demons taste humans flesh Though I havent heard about cases like demons multiplying because they kept eating humans. Still, its not like we can experiment with that.

    As for the troublesome stuff that came with epting the refugees, that is for the higher-ups to think. Anyway, since now I know that the kingdom is nning to ept the refugees, that means the reason Father asked me to lead soldiers is

    So you want me to lead soldiers to guard and watch the refugees. But, why our house?

    I understand the soldiers are needed to pressure the refugees so they wont cause trouble. I also understand that soldiers are needed to protect the refugees in case they are attacked by demons. What I dont understand is the reason our house must be the one that leads the soldiers.

    In a sense, Fathers reaction is easy to understand.

    The territory that borders the Triots capital in our kingdom is the territory of Marquis Knap.

    Oh

    Ah, thats right. The Bain Kingdom and Triot have a friendly rtionship, so the border is pretty peaceful. Thats why Marquis Knap was chosen to be the supervisor of the Veritza Fortress renovation project.

    That means the marquis knights who are supposed to be taking care of the refugees are absent. Adding to that, the head of Knap house died.

    So the eldest son is the current head of the Knap house?

    No, he didnt be the head of Knap house.

    Ah, because of the recent incident.

    Ive heard the eldest son of Marquis Knap, Mangold Goslich Knap did something stupid like yelling at the Count in the Veritza Fortress incident. Because of that, other nobles evaluation of him became ridiculously low. Even I think his action is in stupid.

    Furthermore, I also heard the evaluation of nobles that long supported Marquis Knap toward his son is something along the line his mannerism and political sense has some problems, yet hes a brave man a.k.a hes musclebrain. So it seems like his stupidity isnt some recent news. If the refugees that just lost their country are left in that guys hand I cant imagine the disaster it will cause.

    I guess thats why he was relieved of the responsibility to handle the refugees.

    Then, who is the current head of Knap house?

    As it was an emergency situation, Marquis Knaps younger brother became unofficial family head.

    Will the eldest son just sit back and ept that?

    He wont.

    Whoa. Father just said that without any hesitation. As expected of a noble.

    Sir Mangold will remain in the capital while Marquis Knaps younger brother will bring the surviving soldiers and knights of the Knap house, and the injured citizens of Marquis Knaps territory back to their home. The knights will then be put in charge of maintaining the territorys public order.

    I see. So just separate him from his forces to prevent that eldest son from causing trouble. Really, just how much did that eldest son mess up for him to be treated like this? I must be careful so I dont end up like him.

    I understand. Since the marquis knights will be busy maintaining the public order, the job to escort the refugees falls into other hands.

    Thats right. Of course, our house isnt the only one that gets this mission.

    Thats good then.

    So my main mission is more of taking care of the demons that might chase the refugee rather than guarding the refugees. I dont know how much damage the Marquis Knaps knights have suffered but perhaps this job is still too heavy for them, thats why it ended up in othersps.

    The reason why the Zeavert count house is chosen to be one of the noble houses that will take care of this job is that we areparatively free and we are good at working with others.

    I got the feeling I know how the kingdom treated the Zeavert house since it gave us the most troublesome and the least profitable job. I guess since our house isnt a duke or a marquis house its hard for the kingdom to give us big jobs that need many people toplete.

    Who is the person in charge of this escort duty?

    Its Duke Seyfert.

    Ah, Duke Jeff Artig Seyfert, that old general. He was His Majestys cousin from his mothers side. the former general of the capital. In other words, he used to be the person that was in charge of protecting the capital. I feel that Ive seen him from a distance.

    I heard a rumor that said he refused a ministry position offered by the King saying he likes to be directly on the field rather than in the pce so he continuously sat on his position. Hes an entric that didnt act like a noble but hes still an important person.

    At first, I thought it was a bit strange for the kingdom to go on its way and pull back a veteran who was no different than a duke who had retired from public office. But after thinking about it more, it makes sense. Because the job will also require you to check Marquis Knaps territory, it might cause a problem if another Marquis was chosen. Thats why a duke is a perfect person for this job. Not to mention, Duke Seyfart also has blood rtions with His Majesty so people will listen to his words.

    Plus, the person in charge also needs to investigate Triot, though not to the point of investigating the total power of demons in the heart of Triot. But at least, he needs to be able to investigate enough to make a decision on whatever is fine to continue letting Marquis Knap alone handle the border with Triot. In that sense, Duke Seyfart is also a perfect person to be appointed as the person in charge.

    I understand. Still, our house is sure to be used quite a bit.

    This is all thanks to a certain son of mine that keeps impressing His Highness.

    Father, I hope you didnt say that while having a bitter smile. I also dont know how the situation became like this. Its good that at least we wont be working for free. Obeying the royal family might be a nobles duty but I wont be able to keep doing it if the royal family didnt give anypensation.

    Im d that the King isnt a foolish person that thinks he can use people as he wishes just because hes the king. In the game, not only did the King just leave everything to the hero, but when the capital got attacked he didnt even protect the capital and ended up bing a person who lives and death remains unknownWait, this worlds king is the same as the games king right? So I shouldnt have much expectation of him, right?

    I stopped thinking there since it will be a disrespect to the King if I continue or rather, I just dont have any time to be thinking about that. I need to hurry up and make my move.

    T/N: No, Welner you have MC plot armor so you wont be like Mangold. Its interesting to see that Welners Father is kind of tired of Welners excellence.

    [1] Its hard to trante it into English but here Welner uses casual Japanese he usually uses when he is thinking to himself, not formal Japanese he should have used with his Father.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    Even though I understand Fathers words, to have the situation change this much its troublesome. I also have my agenda after all.

    Thankfully, the preparation of the army, or to be more specific, the preparation of the Zeavert troop has been done by Father. I also had Nobert hire many scouts from the Adventurers Guild.

    Ifter on, demonic beasts attacked the refugees it would cause panic and casualties. Its better to fight them before that happens so thats why I need people that can scout our surroundings. Its best to leave the job to the professional.

    I also need a map so Ive sent a servant to the pce to create a copy of the map. I need the kingdom to at least be willing to let me have a copy of the map otherwise Ill be troubled. I know a map is a military secret but this is also a military job you know.

    Then, I sent a messenger to Mazell to call him to the mansion. Its best if Luguentz can alsoe but even if he doesnt Mazell alone should be enough.

    Mazell is still living in the dorm so its easy to get hold of him. Thats great. If he has started his journey it will be hard to contact him. I need to do something about it but I dont know what. I mean, its not like this world has smartphones.

    I read the list that contained the required arms and goods needed by the Zeavert troop. I want to have a secretary. I never had a secretary in my past life, but then, Im not as busy as I am now. Its fair for me to want a secretary right. I know technically Im a student so Im just a kid but still

    While Iined about this in my head, Mazell finally arrived at the mansion. He brought Luguentz with him. Thats great. I heard it was Mazell that went all the way to bring Luguentz here

    Im really curious why you called me out at this time.

    My bad. Sorry to you too, Luguentz.

    Nah, its fine.

    He said that but he came here with a sword strapped on his waist. Is it his habit as an adventurer that be constantly on a battlefield? On the other hand, Mazell is wearing light equipment. I dont know which of their outfits ismon in this world.

    The maid, Ti-san, poured us some ck tea and left the room. Both Mazell and Luguentz are probably no longer strangers to her. I gulped the tea to quench my thirst. The tea snacks that have been prepared for today are cookies.

    Mazell also drinks his tea while looking straight at me.

    So, what happened?

    Triot got destroyed by the demons army. This is still a secret though.

    A loud nk sound resounded in the room. It was the sound of both Mazell and Luguentz putting down their tea cup to its saucer.

    What did you just say?

    Thats why there are going to be refugees from Triot flooding into our kingdom. I need to go to meet them.

    I calmly replied to Luguentzs astonished question. Oh please, I also dont know the details so can you stop ring at me.

    Mazell looked at me with a serious expression.

    If Welner is going to be sent out, then its true right?

    Yeah. The problem is I dont know how long I will be away. Thats why I called you here.

    Originally, I nned to introduce Elrich to Mazell but since now I dont have time I have no choice but to let him meet Elrich on his own.

    I met a person that seems to be reliable. Both of you are not good at using healing magic right?

    At least for now. In the future, Mazell will also be able to somehow use healing magic. After all, omnipotence is one of a heros or rather a protagonistsmon plot device.

    I can use a bit of healing magic but not to the point I can say Im good at it.

    Seriously?

    Thats a surprise. That means Mazells current level is higher than my prediction. I turned my gaze to Luguentz and he silently shook his head. I dont know if that means Luguentz cant use magic at all or he just cant use healing magic. Well, whatever.

    Anyway, I met a person who can use healing magic and he also looks like hes quite strong so I want both of you, Mazell, to meet him. I shouldve gone with you but as you know, I cant. Thats why I want you to meet him by yourself.

    Alright. If its someone you rmended, Ill try to meet him.

    Though Im d you easily agreed, Mazell, arent you a bit too reckless? I guess a good person who easily trusts others is the personality of a typical protagonist of a game. Even in the game, there was no instance that Mazell doubted the information he got in a town. Yet, he never got into a bad situation because of that. Is it another one of the protagonists plot armor?

    His name is Elrich Kluger. This is the inn where he currently stayed. I will also send a notice to him that you wille.

    Got it.

    Im going too.

    Thats fine. I was just about to ask you to do that, Luguentz.

    Its great that Luguentz is also willing to go. As for the details, I will just leave it to them. Theres one other thing I want to discuss with Mazell. This thing is also important.

    Ill arrange it on my side and Ive also told Norbert and my father about this. if the merchant corps returned to the capital before I did, you can do as you like with the weapons and armors they brought.

    Huh?

    Strangely, Mazell and Luguentz are in unison. Is my world that strange?

    Youre not saying that you will give all of them to Mazell right?

    Thats exactly my meaning though.

    Welner, is that really fine?

    With a confused expression, both Luguentz and Mazell asked me. Well, I n to give them all to Mazell from the beginning.

    I didnt let them purchase those armors and weapons for decorations, you know. As for me, I just need a spear. If I need more equipment I can just buy themter.

    Since my skill is [Spearmanship] swords are useless to me. Well, I can use them to a certain level since theres a swordsmanship lesson in the academy. My grade in that lesson ranked in the bottom half or about the middle of the ss though. Im no match for Mazell.

    Plus, the equipment I had the merchants corps gather is a sample for the kingdom. Its better for me if that sample can prove its usefulness. If theres a problem with the equipment, in reality, theres no other choice but to shove them into the warehouse but if theres no problem then making a skilled person use it is the best.

    If youre bothered by me giving them to you, lets just say I let you borrow them. For me, the stronger you two be the better.

    Ive always wondered With a baffled expression painted on his face, Luguentz started to talk.

    Why are you willing to go this far?

    I dont understand what things Ive gone this far but if youre talking about the equipment, then a personal reason would be because Mazell is my friend.

    This isnt a lie. Maybe its because of something like charisma but Ive never felt unwilling to help Mazell. Now that I think about it, everyone is friendly to the games protagonist. Many characters were willing to help him without anypensation.

    In the game, no human has ever deceived the protagonist. He also never got arrested for intruding and ransacking random peoples houses. Thetter should be a crime though. Although in real life he didnt go around ransacking peoples houses.

    I wonder if theres an invisible force that influenced me in this world that was formerly a game. I mean, I kept helping Mazell like the characters in the game.

    Publicly, helping Mazell is something that His Highness has requested, though Ill still help Mazell regardless.

    As for me?

    I feel like I can trust you and its better to have as many people as possible that can fight with devils.

    I wont say its my investment so you guys can defeat demon king The word investment isnt even widely used in this world. Plus, I didnt lie when I said I helped them because Mazell is my friend and Luguentz is my friendspanion.

    Youre a good person like Mazell, With an expression that I cant tell if what hes saying is praise or not, Luguentz added.

    I feel like youre saying that its unexpected for me to be a good person.

    Im not as good of a person as Mazell. All of my actions are done because I want to survive. I can say that Ive done it because of my noblesse oblige as an excuse but saying that to Luguentz is a bad move.

    While I was still troubled about what other excuses I could say, Mazell looked straight at me and said, Let me borrow them then. Someday I will return the favor.

    Yeah, Ill let you borrow them.

    Dont worry about that, Mazell. Because someday you will bring me the demon kings head.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    *3rd POV

    Mazell and Luguentz were both escorted out of the mansion by a butler. Then, without actually meaning to, they both looked back to the mansion simultaneously and sighed.

    That guy, hes strange.

    I think theres a better description for him but well I understand your meaning and I agree.

    Mazell answered Luguentz muttering with a bitter smile. Even as his friend, it was still hard for Mazell to keep up with Welners thoughts.

    That was reasonable. Welners way of thinking was based on the game scenario, his experience as a Japanese, and the fact that this world was an otherworld. Furthermore, all his actions were done to destroy his future death gs.

    From others perspectives, it looked like Welner did not think about the advantages, disadvantages, losses, and gains of his action. The basis of his action was apletely different set ofmon sensepared to themon sense of this world. It would be hard for others to understand his actions.

    Is that how all high and mighty nobles acted?

    Or perhaps, thats how a real genius acted.

    If Welner heard Mazells words, he would probably spat out his tea in surprise. Welner himself was aware that he was just a mediocre person, not some kind of genius. Welner was also aware that he was far from how normal nobles would act.

    But from the perspective of Mazell and Luguent, thats not true.

    This is something that Welner did not know. The devil who is the mastermind behind the demon outbreak left a chilling threat to Mazell and Luguentz as it died causing them both to think that the knights had suffered big damage.

    Yet, when they hurried up and returned, they found that the damage suffered by the knights was far less than their imagination and they heard it was all thanks to Welner.

    Mazell couldnt help but be surprised as Welner had crushed the devils ploy.

    After that, Mazell also saw how Welner skillfully prepared maps and people for the merchants corps expedition and he saw the Veritza Fortress fall as Welner had predicted. All this time, Welners judgment has never missed.

    As they both did not know about the games story, perhaps their misunderstanding is only natural.

    Its hard for me to keep up with him but since he called me his friend, I need to do my best.

    Haha, you sure are going through a hard time.

    Hearing Mazells determination, Luguentzughed lightly. Welner has always thought he will never be a match for Mazell, the protagonist, but the fact is, Mazell himself kept working hard to keep up with Welner.

    In the first ce, the reason why Mazells level is surprisingly high lies in Welner himself. It was a result of Mazells effort so he wont be left in the dust by Welner. If someone else can peek at their thoughts, they will probably beughing.

    First of all, we need to think about the person we will meet tomorrow.

    Right. Im curious about what kind of person he is.

    Though he says that, Mazell is confident that its going to be fine since Welner is the one that rmended that person. Seeing Mazells confident face, Luguentz teased, If youre a woman you will already fall in love with Welner.

    Hmm I wonder? Im sure I wont fall for his face though.

    Luguentz smiles bitterly when at Mazells serious answer. Mazell didnt realize that and continued his words, But well, he has poprity among girls you know.

    AhWell, maybe?

    Personal valor was highly valued in this world. Thats why when Welner just started to enroll at the academy, titles such as The son of Minister of Ceremonies and The heir of a Count house wont make others think highly of Welner. But now, others evaluation of Welner haspletely changed.

    The words that Welner fought bravely against the demon outbreak had spread. After that, his aplishment in the Veritza Fortress incident as the tacticalmander has given him the reputation of being an excellent young general among the knights. That reputation has also spread to the general public.

    Adding to that, Welner has the peerage of vice count given to him by the royal family. That means the royal family has recognized him as the official heir of the count. Theres also a rumor that hes liked by the Crown Prince. Frankly, the words that Welner was an attractive partner for engagement has continuously spread rapidly.

    Ironically, Welner didnt know about his fame. After all, hes recently been too busy to attend the academy so he never heard these things.

    After that, we need to confirm this thing Welner handed to us.

    As they were leaving, Welner gave them a drawing of the Veritza Fortress interior, along with the word The merchants corps was still on their way to return It was a very simple drawing but that must be because its just a rough draft. Well, this drawing alone was enough to conclude that Welner didnt have the slightest bit of talent in drawing.

    To understand the drawing, they need to do something close to deciphering code but it was something Welner gave them so confirming the drawing uracy as much as possible wont hurt them. The three of them knew that the drawing was supposed to be a national secret but none of them mentioned it.

    Welner is always obsessed with drawings.

    Now that I think about it, thats true.

    It might be the influence of Welners knowledge that this world used to be a game, but Welner is always obsessed with drawing (map). This was also something that people of this world found strange.

    The people of this world used drawing as something like a blueprint, but they didnt have the concept of using drawing as a means to understand so you can say that Welners obsession with drawings was strange. After all, this world didnt have drawings that are close to satellite map or surveyed map

    Well, I dont really care since its fun.

    I feel that Welner will say <i>why are you having fun!?</i>

    After Mazell says that, they bothugh and continue to walk in the night. The next day, they meet Elrich Kluger and decide to form a party with him.

    T/N: Misunderstanding continues. Its funny to know that Welners drawing is so iprehensible that reading it is like deciphering a code

    Hey, sorry for thete release I was sick. My GERD acted up then I caught a fever. All better now though still feel dizzy.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    The next day, I went to the pce early in the morning. Usually, I will be attending the academy around this time but I cant skip this meeting so I dont have any choice.

    I feel like I worked harder in this lifepared to my past life where I was a working adult. Well in this life, my boss is the royal family so who knows what will happen to me if I didntdont do my work. Compared to my past life where there were people who didnt do anything but still get their sry<i>ahem</i> lets stop there.

    Viscount Zeavert has arrived.

    Let him in.

    The pces guard announced my arrival and then opened the door after I was permitted toe in. This is the procedure. Today I will be having a meeting with knights in a room exclusively used for discussing military affairs.

    Still, the pce is huge. There are also meeting rooms exclusively used for discussing financial affairs and for discussing judicial affairs. I dont think the pce is this huge in the game. I guess creating a huge ass pce is a waste of data, plus as a yer having a uselessly huge map is also annoying.

    I am Welner von Zeavert.

    You may sit.

    Duke Seyfart is probably in histe sixties, or he might already be in his seventies. His appearance fit the image of a stubborn old man in the rumor but I can see the trace of his handsome figure when he was younger.

    Besides the Duke, theres Count Engelbert, his current second inmand. The Count is probably around his forties. Different from his stern appearance, I heard the Count is a rather calm person. Hes also handsome and is an excellent person. Frankly, Im bad at handling people like him.

    There are around 30 chairs and 30 sets of meeting materials prepared in the room, including civil officers share. For a meeting about military affairs, this is a lot. Will the problem of refugees also be discussed here?

    In any case, Im d a youngster like me isnt thest person that came to the meeting room. I sat on the lowest seat while secretly sighing in relief.

    There are many civil officers that are busy walking around the room to prepare the meeting material but there are also some children of elementary school age in the room. These children are heirs of various noble houses.

    They have no right to speak in the meeting, but they still participated as secretaries or as servants. This kind of thing also happened in other meetings such as financial affairs meetings or diplomacy affairs meetings. They are here for a kind of practical training.

    Not only that, but they are also here to learn about the manner of speaking and the correct order of speaking in a meeting. After all, its easier to understand these kinds of things when you see them yourself. Before I enrolled at the academy, I also participated in several meetings like them. Its close to how students of military academy be orderlies to gain actual experience.

    Other than studying politics and diplomacy, young nobles from a count or higher house also need to learn manners like this, so we have many things to do other than enrolling at the academy. Despite that, idiotic young nobles still popped out. Is it because they are pampered by various privileges that nobles have?

    It seems like everyone has gathered, In the pce surrounded by many chairs, Duke Seyfart says so.

    It seems like while I was lost in my thought, everyone had gathered. We all stand up, put our right hand on our chest, and bowed lightly. This should be enough since it isnt His Majesty that attended the meeting.

    Personally, I quite liked this kind of salute in my past life. With that thought in my head, Duke Seyfart waved his hand and everyone sat down.

    As usual, my surrounding is all people older than me. Well, Im Fathers representative and age-wise, its not unnatural for Father to be here.

    Well then, Im sure everyone here had heard that Triot was destroyed.

    Is that really true?

    One of the nobles that sat in the upper seat asked the Duke. In this part of the meeting, generally, the people seated further than the middle like me have no right to speak. Its not like I will just silently listen the whole time but now is the time when I need to listen to the higher-ranked people.

    As there have been reports about refugees entering the kingdoms territory, that news is definitely true, answered Count Engelbert. It seems like Count Engelberts position is like the chief of staff here.

    Of course, not only do we need toprehensively discuss how to handle the refugees, but also the state of Triot, how to protect the peace at the border, how to maintain the public order, and how to prepare for a possible attack. Unfortunately, we dont have much time, continued Count Engelbert calmly

    At first nce it might look like everything that needs to be discussed ording to the Count is the same but in reality, they are different. A discussion regarding the state of Triot also includes a discussion about preparation in case theres a second wave of refugees, a discussion about how to protect the peace at the border includes a discussion about trouble brought by the current refugees. Technically Triot no longer existed but we still need to use diplomacy.

    As for maintaining public order, it includes things like how to take care of the groundless rumor among our citizens and to protect the refugees from bandits. Bandits will gather in a ce with plenty of prey. They love to make use of the chaos for their own benefit.

    The best order of priority will be first, preparing against any attack and maintaining public order. As for discussing the state of Triot, the country itself had been destroyed so skipping that is fine, then protecting the peace of the border can be done in tandem with preparing against possible attack.

    This kind of priority needs to be decided and maintained. Understanding that requires you to properly experience the meeting yourself so do your best, young nobles!

    Technically, Im also one of the young nobles though.

    First, let us talk about the number of refugees. After putting together the information we have, the total number of refugees including men, women, young, and old are around 5000 people or possibly more.

    The room bes noisy. I was also surprised. 5000 people? Thats too many.

    <b><i>(Info dump warning! here to skip.</i></b>

    <b>Summary: If 5000 people of refugees arepared to a roman army legionposed of 6000 people, then the amount of grain needed a day is around 8000 kg and water is around 12 liters. If you include warhorses, cattle, and carriage horses, the amount of food per day is about 18000 kg. Then there are also other necessities like medical supplies, tents, rain gears, cooking utensils, alcohol, firewoods, winter gear, tools like saw and nails, and consumables like arrows. Magic bags did exist but even that is limited since its a rare item.</b>

    <b>You also need to calcte the excretion of urine produced by 5000 people of refugees, around 5 tons per day.</b>

    <b>This is all calcted based on an adult need in an army, for the refugees, it will be around 70-80% of this.)</b>

    If I looked at this world as a game world, 5000 people might seem not too many but in reality, it is a huge amount.

    Even if I said that it might be hard to imagine that number so lets make the Roman army an example (They really love to make a system for everything). A legion in the Roman army isposed of 4000-6000 people. For it to be dispatched an enormous amount of provision is needed.

    Lets say this legion has 6000 people. First, the amount of grain needed is 18000 pounds. Its a Roman pound so converting it to a kilogram will be about 8000 kg. After that is water. If we say that an adult will need 2 liters of water per day, then the amount of water needed in total for 1 day is 12000 liters. This is the minimum amount. It will increase depending on the season and the climate where the legion will be dispatched. Plus, usually, the legion will bring a surplus of water so the total amount of water is probably around 15000-18000 liters. This is not including food and water needed by the horses and the cattle. If we included that, that number will easily increase 2 times.

    Adding to that if the legion has cavalries, then the amount of food and water will increase. The total amount of food including the food for cavalries horses and for the horses and cattle that will bring the provision, there will roughly be an additional 40000 pounds or 18000 kg of food. All of this is to be consumed in just one day.

    Thats right. One day. Food for 6000 people for just one day alone is about 8 tons. Its the same weight as 40 or so water-filled drums. That much food will be gone in just one day.

    If the legion is dispatched for 10 days, that will be 80 tons of grains. Thats as heavy as a D51 steam lotive [1]. Just food alone is the same weight as a lotive that can carry humans, horses, and cows. Just the food.

    (T/N: A steam lotive built by the Japanese. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JNR_ss_D51)

    That 3000 tons of grains for a year. The amount was so huge that even I who have the memory of my past life cant begin to imagine it. 6000 tons. Theres even a ship that weighs that much.

    Not only food and water, but the legion also need medical supplies, tent, rain gears, cooking utensils, andmon groceries frankly, also alcohol. Tablewares is each soldiers responsibility but stuff like a cooking pot is something the legion needs to provide.

    After that, in preparation for the time when theres no firewood the legion needs to bring some firewoods, and winter gears, depending on the season. Also, in case a bridge suddenly copsed tools like saws and nails are also needed. The legion also needs to bring consumable things like arrows and medicines.

    Then, the supply also needs to include nkets. 6000 nkets. If 1 nket is 1 kg then its 6 tons additional provision. The legion also needs to prepare extra nkets so things used by injured soldiers wont be used by healthy soldiers. For a long-term dispatch mission, then horses carriages, and oxcarts to transport the provisions are also needed.

    Essentially, theres no battle where the country wont think about needed provisions. Only idiots will think something like no need to bother about provision! Plus, horses eat more than humans.

    When I began to think about provisions, it was a mystery how Hannibal [2] feed his soldiers during the Second Punic War [3]. Theres no supply line considering he fought deep in the enemys territory so how did he feed tens of thousands of soldiers? Its a mystery of military history.

    (T/N: General and statesman whomanded the force of Carthage, settlement in modern Tunisia, against the Roman republic.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal

    Three years of war between Carthage and Rome

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Punic_War )

    Really, how did he do that? I mean his army barely piging. I really want to know his trick.

    Magic bags did exist in this world even but even it has limits. Rather, the capacity of magic bags that I know isnt that big. In the game, some random armors can fit in a magic bag, is that the reality correction?

    Maybe magic bags with enormous capacity existed but I dont know. Even if that is true, this type of magic bag must be a pretty rare item. Its not something you can freely provide to an army.

    Its rare for even normal magic bags to be supplied to an army since they are also rare items. I also want one.

    My thought deviated. For now, since the provision is not for an army but for refugees, then theres no need to think about food for horses and cattle. Still, problems like the amount of clothing and medicine needed didnt disappear. Then, theres also the problem of where to put 5000 people? The capital is surrounded by castle walls so they cant prepare enough space to host 5000 people.

    Theres also the problem of their excretion. Theyre living being so of course they need to go to a toilet.

    An adult will excrete about 1-1.5 liters of urine per day. To keep it simple, lets just use 1 liter. 1 x 5000 is 5000 liters, 5 m3 or 5 tons.

    Thats the amount of urine excreted by the refugees every single day. That amount is not a joke. Urine is also one of the sources of diseases.

    Of course, theres no way that all refugees are adults. All of this is just an approximation. Still, that doesnt mean the number of excretion and supply will decrease by half. At most, it will decrease by 20-30%

    <b><i>[Info dump end]</i></b>

    A group that will consume that much food and excretes that much urine is currently loitering around the borders. I can understand that if the kingdom didnt make any move soon, it will be a huge problem. Even if the kingdom doesnt want to, it needs to handle them. Its definitely not the number of people that can be handled by just a marquis territory.

    Furthermore, theres a possibility that the 5000 number of refugees will increase in the future. My head hurt. Though I just feel a headache, the bureaucrats that handle finance will probably feel they want to escape reality.

    Are all refugees farmers?

    No, there are also townspeople who lived in the Triots capital.

    Damn. The intensity of my headache just increased 2 times. Taking care of people that can work and people that cant is different. Even though just taking care of women and children among the refugees is already troublesome enough.

    Its not something I need to think about though. Im just Fathers representative. My job is only to think about how to sessfullyplete the mission of guarding or rather escorting the refugees.

    How many people among them are injured or ill?

    It is definite that not all of them are healthy, but we didnt know the detail.

    Well, of course. I dont know if the notion of gathering data on something like that even existed in this world. I mean, people here are generally muscle brains.

    Still, if there are sick people among the refugees theres a chance that a pandemic break out wait, does this world has a health control system to prevent pandemic?

    Im curious about that but now is still the time for the higher-ranked people to talk. Its a troublesome rule, but talking one-to-one just like Ive done with His Highness is tiring. Be it a group meeting, or a one-to-one meeting, both have them has huge merit and demerit that its troublesome.

    T/N: I want to experiment using paragraphs then note rather than the usual footnotes way, which one do you guys think is better?

    Anyway, I want to talk a bit about my GERD. Feel free to skip this if you want. Usually, my GERD is only a minor inconvenience. I just cant eat and drink spicy and sour stuff, kind of like an allergy. But when it acted up, it can be real nasty. The hardest thing for me is the sleepless nights. There were times I cant sleep because my stomach and my chest feel like its burning. I remember crying because I just want to have some sleep but I cant. When this happens, usually it will be either the acid kind of died down by itself or my body cant handle waking anymore so I fall asleep. It can take hours though.

    Other than that, there was also a time when I had my body trembling and my head spinning, I even fell down like a person fainting, I just didnt lose my consciousness. At that time it was hard for me to sit up because when I tried to, I feel like the world is spinning and I fallen down again. Thankfully, it was only that one time and it never got that bad again. As for now, the GERD has mostly died down. a little tips for me who had GERD, dont eat too much spicy food. I heard eating too many spicy things is one of the predominant reasons for GERD and other stomach acid rted problems. Ive eaten too many spicy things back then, so I cant eat any now

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42

    As I was thinking, the topic in the meeting switched to where the refugees will stay.

    The current n is to create camps in the capitals surroundings.

    Then?

    There is currently another meeting in a different room to discuss that, but it looks like it is going to take some time until the meeting reaches a consensus.

    Well, everyone is quite greedy.

    Duke Seyfarts words make the people in the room let out a bitter smile. In this world, an additional poption means additional power. Thats why as long as the number of refugees is eptable, all nobles will wee the refugees as their citizens with open hands.

    The problem is that the number of refugees is just too high. Any territories that epted them need to provide support until they can earn money for themselves. The nobles only want to ept a certain number of refugees, since having too many refugees in their territories will only be a burden. So currently in the other meeting room, the nobles must have felt conflicted.

    The nobles in the other meeting rooms are probably in the midst of fierce discussion over how many refugees will be epted by their territories. The refugees will be split up as stuff like human rights for the refugees didnt exist in this world. Though Im pretty sure consideration for a family to be moved to the same territories exists.

    Other than the number, the nobles might also be fighting over the quality of refugees that wille to their territories. Every noble wants to have refugees with a certain qualification, like a former merchant or a former government official toe to their territories. In this world, people who can read and calcte are precious. Other than merchants and officials, as long as they didnt demand luxury, the nobles must also want craftsmen toe to their territories.

    Unfortunately, just like in my past life, people with this kind of qualification are far fewerpared to normal people.

    So until a formal decision is made, the refugees will be temporarily living in the capitals surroundings.

    If thats the case, then getting food and water for them will be a problem.

    It seems like we have no choice but to draw the water from theke on the top of Krumsche mountain.

    Theres been a n to do that but the problem is the mountains terrain is just

    Krumsche. A name Ive never heard before. Im not the only one thats confused, as another nobleman in his forties raised his hand and asked, Pardon my interruption but, what sort of n are you all talking about?

    Ah, Count Vogler, you didnt know about it. On top of Mount Krumsche, northwest of the capital, Theres argeke that has good quality water.

    Not all nobles know about ces around the capital. After all, there are nobles who have territory near the border. I dont remember Count Vogler but perhaps his territory is near the Knap Marquisate.

    Duke Seyfart nonchntly gives Count Volger an exnation about Krumsche. The Dukes exnation must also be directed to other nobles who know nothing about this.

    The Dukes exnation is quite simple. Northwest of the capital, theres a small mountain named Mount Krumsche and theres ake on top of that mountain. Theres talk to make thatke into a source of water, but the problem is between the capital and Krumsche theres a mountain basin with a deep crevice on it.

    It was to the point that a suggestion to just create agriculturalnd near the capital, rather than carrying water to the capital popped out. Its still just a suggestion though, not a n.

    In my past life, big metropolitan cities were all built near a river, but for some reason in this world, towns arent built near a river. Despite the fact that towns that were built near a river have easier ess to drinking water and easier way to transport goods. After all, the water route can carry more goods in less time. Maybe the reason why towns in this world have no problem despite not being built near a river is that this world originally was a game world?

    Well, thinking about that now isnt going to help me.

    If its only the crevice we can still transport the water by building an aqueduct. The problem is the basin.

    I see. How deep is the whole basin?

    From the area where the crevice is to the upper ground of the mountain, the depth is about the same as a childs height.

    While Count Engelberts answer made COunt Vogler nod in understanding, I feel unconvinced. Its just as deep as a childs height, isnt it solvable?

    Because of that thought, by the time I realized I had raised my hand.

    Viscount Zeavert?

    Ah, um I cannot be certain until I see the terrain myself but I might know a way to solve that problem.

    Everyone turned to me. I feel like I was eyed by a predator, just like a frog in front of a snakeNah, this isnt the time to think about something like that.

    UmMay I be allowed some time to prepare for my exnation?

    Of course. Then, while waiting for Viscount Zeaverts preparation, let us move to other topics.

    After I got permission, Duke Seyfart lightly nodded. Duke, please stop looking at me with an expression as if youre trying to find out what kind of prank your grandson is trying to concoct! Age-wise, I can pass for the Dukes grandson though.

    For my preparation, I called the young nobles that are gathered in the corner. I draw tools that I need for the experiment and ask them to prepare them. I guess it cant be helped that they gave me a strange look.

    This experiment would be much easier if stic bottles existed in this world.

    A whileter, a ratherrge ckboard and tools that I needed for the experiment were prepared. The meeting then paused. Its also a perfect time for the people in the meeting to get some break as they saw my experiment.

    The experiment tools I requested are nothing grand. Just two wine bottles with the bottom cited off, and a tube to connect both bottles so I can transport water. I fixed the tube to the mouth of both bottles to connect them.

    After this, I only need several wine bottles filled with water then I can begin the experiment.

    (<em><strong>Info dump warning! here to skip.</strong></em>

    <strong><em>Summary: The tube is made using the gut of demonic beasts named stone crawler thats been soaked in vinegar for 30 days. Its tough and stretchy so better than a rubber hose. Stone crawler is a pretty strong demonic beast and the tube itself is also used for watering so the tubes supply never meets its demand.)</em></strong>

    By the way, the tube is made from the gut of a demonic beast called stone crawler thats been soaked in vinegar for 30 days. Its tough and stretchy so its a perfect material for creating a tube, its even better than a rubber hose.

    But stone crawler is a demonic beast thats hard for beginner adventurers to hunt so this tube is quite rare. I heard its also a tube used for watering. There are manymissions to get this tube submitted to the Adventure Guild but the supply never matched the demand. Since its not something you can create by yourself, thats not strange.

    This tube has 2 drawbacks. First, unlike rubber hose, it cant be joined together so its length is limited to the original length of the demonic beasts gut. Second, knowing what it was made from makes me feel disgusted when using it Lets not think about the second one.

    <strong><em>[Info dump end]</em></strong>

    You hold this one while you hold this one.

    I had an adult civil officer hold one bottle, while a child noble held the other. I asked both of them to hold the tube on the mouth of the bottles firmly so it wonte off.

    That child looks nervous. I mean he received the gaze of nobles and generals of this country so he must feel scared. Sorry for putting you through this.

    I will start the experiment.

    I have no intention to dilly dally. I also feel bad for that child so lets just start.

    I poured the water carefully into the bottle in the civil officers hand. When the bottle was filled with water, I stopped.

    The sound of water resounded as itnguidly flowed inside the tube. Before long, the tube that reached the floor was fully filled, and the water climbed up the tube to the wine bottle in the boys hand, overflowing it.

    Small voices of surprise can be heard throughout the meeting room.

    As you all have seen, when the tube that connects the bottles ispletely filled, the water will flow upward in an attempt to make both sides of the tube have the same height of water. I think this principle is to draw the water.

    I drew a rough drawing on the prepared ckboard. As expected of the chalk used in the pce, the quality is good. Lets just forget the material it was created.

    What I draw is a deformed drawing of Japans Tsujun Bridge [1] I dont really know its size so my drawing looks like a childs scribble but thats fine as long as It gets the meaning across.

    (Note:Archbridge-shaped aqueduct in Yamato province. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ts%C5%ABjun_Bridge )

    When the aqueduct is filled to the brim with water, in an attempt to make the water level of this hole where it enters and this hole where ites out, the water will flow upward.

    The surroundings be noisy. Well, its just the inverted siphon principle taught in school, but thats an understandable reaction for people who didnt know about that. Since it seems like this principle is unknown in this world no one here has ever seen it.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    Some people still have their eyes glued to the experiment tools, but since I feel bad if the officer and the boy kept holding the heavy bottles filled with water, I signaled both of them to put away the tools, then asked the people in the room to shift their attention away to my drawing.

    Um Since now we have a way to transport the water from Mount Krumsche, the rest is rtively easy. We just need to hurry and create an aqueduct. Using a wood pipe is fine since we only need it tost until the ce where the refugees will go is decided.

    Can we draw the water from theke to the capital while maintaining its exact volume? ask Count Engelbert with a face full of interest.

    I would say that maintaining the exact volume will be difficult and there might be some loss. As for the details, it will be better to consult it with an aqueduct specialist.

    Wont sand piled up inside the aqueduct?

    Yes, it will. I have a solution for that, though we will need to create a stopper. On this side

    I marked the lowest point on the bridges drawing.

    We need to create a hole to drain the water. The hole will normally be closed by the stopper but once in a while, the stopper will be opened so the sand and mud inside the aqueduct will be washed out along with the water.

    I see.

    The sight of watering out of the hole on the Tsujin Bridge became a tourist attraction, but originally the hole was created for this purpose. Count Engelbert that asked me nodded in understanding and his eyes moved to Duke Seyfart.

    I see. Sir Welner, where did you learn this?

    Ah, um When I was a child, I identally discovered it while ying, I hesitantly answered the Dukes question.

    Technically. Its not a lie. I learned about the inverted siphon principle as part of my mandatory education, so I did learn it when I was a child. Then, half of my science experiments at that age are no different than ying. Yup. Not a lick of a lie.

    Anyway, Im not a specialist in this field so can all of you stop asking too many questions!? Its just something that I thought maybe that can be used on the spot!

    You,e here.

    Probably without noticing my inner turmoil, the Duke nodded. He then called one of the civil officers that were standing near the wall. With a nervous expression, the officer wallet to the Dukes side.

    Go to His Majesty, Minister of Works, and Director of Waterways. Ask them to set aside some time for this afternoon.

    As you wish.

    Huh?

    Sir Welner, I would also like to ask you to set aside your time for this afternoon. Will that be fine?

    Of course, there will not be any problem.

    Thats the only answer I can give but why? Huh? Just what is happening here?

    After that, the meeting regarding the refugees continued. Then, the officer that was ordered to bring the Dukes message earlier, returned hurriedly. He approached the Duke and conveyed something to him with a low voice. The Duke nodded.

    I was the one that asked for their time on short notice so I cantin. I will go immediately. Sir Renwardt, take care of this meeting.

    Yes, sir.

    Come with me, Sir Welner. Let the two that helped with your experiment earlier bring the tools and follow us.

    Understood.

    So Count Engelberts first name is Renwadt. While I was having that realization in my mind, the Duke stood up, so other nobles also quickly stood up and bowed to the Duke. The Duke and I then left the room.

    Somehow, the experiment bes a big deal, I dont know whats what anymore. <i>Sigh</i> I want to go home. After walking through the corridor, we arrived in front of another meeting room. I looked back. The officer and the boy that followed us looked at me with the expression as if they also wanted to go home.

    Thanks for your hard work. Im Seyfart.

    We have been waiting for you. His Majesty is inside.

    Uh-huh.

    When the Duke talked with the guard standing in front of the meeting room, the guard bowed respectfully and opened the door. Obviously, we wont knock on the door ourselves.

    I am Seyfart. Let me express my deepest gratitude for your willingness toe here despite the short notice.

    Yes. Weve been waiting for you.

    His Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince, Rademacher the Minister of Works, and Gebhardt the Director of Waterways have been waiting for us inside the meeting. It feels unreal to be meeting this many bigshots, to the point I feel calm.

    Your Highness, I didnt do anything so can you stopughing while looking at me!?

    Your Majesty, first please take a look at this discovery of Sir Welner.

    Urghmy discovery you said? Im not even a scientist. Im fine with iming the game knowledge as my own but if its a discovery or an invention of scientists in my past life, I feel like a thief.

    Perhaps misunderstanding my bewilderment as something else, the Duke told the boy and the officer to prepare the experiments. Poor boy, the gaze of His Majesty and His Highness made him look frozen solid. Im really sorry. I will give you some sweets as an apologyter.

    As the water inside the tube climbed up, the Minister of Works, Director of Waterways, His Majesty, and His Highness all showed surprised expressions. It looks like an inverted siphon is a really unknown thing in this world.

    But the pce has fountains. If an inverted siphon is unknown, whats the principle behind those fountains?

    So its taking advantage of how water will seek its own level. But to use it to make the water itself move His Highness who identified the principle in a nce is as amazing as always.

    What is the maximum height difference between the lower and upper part of the aqueduct?

    I have never experimented with that so I do not know. But the pipe might not be able to handle the pressure if the height difference is toorge, I hesitantly answered the Director of Waterways question.

    Thats for sure.

    Half of it is a lie, sir. I learned in science ss that theoretically the maximum height difference is 10 meters. But things created using this principle have at most 7-8 meters of height difference. Its true that Ive never done an experiment with that height though.

    I cant tell this detail. I mean for something I imed discovered when I was ying as a child it will be strange if I know too much detail.

    I have not seen the actual terrain, but I believe it is enough to make the water cross the crevice and the basin.

    That is true.

    Is it just me or is there something else hidden behind that word? While questioning that, the Duke gives permission for the officer and the boy to withdraw. Ah I also want to leave.

    Well then, Your Majesty, May I?

    Yes.

    After the Duke received His Majestys permission on something, he turned to me.

    Sir Welner. Keep what you hear from now on a secret.

    Yes.

    Huh? I feel like Im going to get pulled into some troublesome thing.

    The truth is for the past few years there has been a water shortage in the capital.

    My feeling turned out to be right. Thats a surprise. A water shortage in the capital? Thats the first time I heard about it!

    Though I failed to keep my poker face, I want someone to praise me for not yelping in front of His Majesty and His Highness.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    As this was the first time I heard about the water shortage in the capital, I was surprised to the point I failed to control my expression. Its fortunate that no one pointed out my expression here.

    As I was feeling relieved, Duke Seyfart continued his exnation,  You see, the water supply cant keep up with the poption growth. But it will be an embarrassment for the government if they are unable to provide water for the citizens so all this time the government used mages and magical tools to the extreme so the citizens didnt notice that the capital is short of water.

    Even with that, its still hard for the poor and the people that live in the lower ss districts to get any water.

    Then, His Highness added, We need to protect the face (1) of this kingdom so getting water to the noble houses and trade points in the capital where foreign merchantse and go is the priority. As such, many nobles didnt notice anything. Though your father, knows about this.

    (Note: face here means dignity.)

    Ah, since as the Minister of Ceremonies, Father knows how important the kingdoms face is. I see. Its true if the news of the capitals water shortage reaches the ears of the merchants, the news will spread to other countries. Wait, does that mean Im no good since I dont notice anything!?

    This water shortage has been one problem for the kingdom to ept the refugees. If 5000 people worth of water is given to the refugees even only temporarily there wont be any water left for the citizens of the capital.

    Really, it would be better to just hurry up and throw the refugees to the nobles.

    Your Majesty, your words are too blunt! Anyway, the reason that His Majestys face is bright is that he finally found a way to solve the water shortage.

    Still, to think that I never noticed that the capital had had a water shortage for years. I deeply feel myck of knowledge. Even if its something that the kingdom purposely tried to hide, as a noble, I shouldve realized that something is amiss.

    Thats enough reflection. Its not the time for me to feel down.

    Minister of Works, research the maximum height difference that can be applied to Viscounts Zeavert technology. You will not have time to sleep for a while.

    As you wish. I know that I will not be getting any sleep, Your Majesty.

    Your Majesty, do you know that your words infringed the employees rights? Well the right itself didnt exist though. Working until youck sleep might bemon in this world, since the knights Ive interacted with before also seem to not be getting enough sleep, especially when they are busy discussing military affairs.

    His Highness continued His Majestys words, Director of Waterways, create an aqueduct drawing n that incorporates Viscount Zeaverts technology. No need to change the aqueducts basic structure. Complete the n in 3 days,

    Understood.

    3 Days!? Thats my initial reaction but after thinking about it more, thats not unfeasible. The Director only needs to draw some modification since the capitals water and sewage system is alreadyplete. The technology of the water system of this world is pretty good after all.

    You need a precise calction to build an aqueduct. That calction depends on the length of the aqueduct, especially if its a gravity-flow water system aqueduct. Even in Rome, its hard to create 10 km with 2 meters height difference, so creating a drawing n to build an aqueduct from Krumsche to the capital from scratch in 3 days is partially impossible. But as the Director seems to be confident inpleting His Highnesss order, the research to transport water from Krumsche must have been going on for quite a while.

    Its best to leave this kind of thing to the specialists so I wont interfere, or rather I hope no one asks me to interfere.

    Still, I wonder if the water shortage is more serious than I thought. Because of the tax yields, the kingdoms know the number of the poptions but since the data about the family registry isnt open to the public so I dont know the rate of poption growth in the kingdom.

    Viscount, I wish you can offer this technology to the royal family. Of course, you will receive properpensation.

    In short, hand it over to us. No, maybe its closer to present it to us. I do understand their position. In order to keep the power bnce, the royal family wont want a single noble to monopolize this kind of convenient technology. Before long, Im sure other countries will copy it though.

    In this world where patents didnt exist, you cantin if others copied your work. But its a different story if your work has a license from the royal family. This kind of work cant just be recreated as you please. Plus, the wordpensation is quite tempting not to mention that if its the royal family then it is easy for them to take away the technology by force

    From now on I need to make preparations for the future. I can just think of thepensation as a budget, a.k.a my temporary ie for the sake of those preparations. HmmYup. Its more beneficial for me to just obediently hand it over to the royal family.

    I humbly ept your kind offer.

    Thank you, Viscount. Duke, be prepared for a change in the number of people that will be deployed for the refugees.

    Yes.

    Good work, you two. You both may return.

    Thank you very much.

    Because of Dreax, the kingdom cant just decrease the number of people that protect the capital so it makes sense for the number of people that will be deployed for the refugees mission to be the one that is being decreased instead.

    With His Majestys permission, I and Duke bowed once and left the room. On our way through the endless corridor to return to the meeting room for military affairs, the Duke suddenly says, <i>sigh</i> its troublesome for the number of people to decrease in this kind of mission but what can I even do

    Pardon me, is it alright if I offer a suggestion?

    Hm?

    I conveyed my n simply to the Duke. I think that it might be hard for the knights of this country to ept this kind of n, yet, after putting his hand on his chin while thinking for a moment, the Duke nodded.

    As the situation is quite urgent and the knights that will be the center of this mission are knights from the various noble houses, not the kingdoms knights, I can consider your suggestion. Submit it in an official proposal letter to me.

    Understood.

    Well, the kingdoms knights are probably going to be the guard for aqueduct construction, so who else but the nobles knights can be deployed? Its a good thing if my suggestion can be epted. Though that also means I will burn the midnight oil tonight to write the proposal.

    Since this is a good opportunity, though it might be a rude question, I asked the Duke about how the fountains in the pce are operated.

    The fountains used a magic pump to rise up.

    Unexpectedly, it was done by brute strength.

    Its one of the royal court mages duties to pour mana into the 38 magic pumps that are used to pump water from the underground water wells to the entire pce, once in the morning, once in the afternoon as well as checking if there are any abnormalities to the pumps.

    The daily job of the royal court mages is unexpectedly boring I guess its not like they trained their magic 24/7.

    Also, it seems like the reason there are almost 40 different pumps working together is that the waterworks system used to pump water for daily activities like cooking orundry can be differentiated from the waterworks system used for the inner pces and the garden. I mean its going to be a problem if one pump malfunctioned causing the water in the entire pce to stop flowing or to overflow.

    In the case of the overflowing, apparently, it was caused by the imbnce of mana distribution. This will happen once in a while when several magic stones are used in the same ce. I never knew that. It seems like my knowledge about magic stones is stillcking.

    Theres this story thats not widely known. It was said that in the past, a king beheaded a person in charge of the pce water system because the pces courtyard was submerged in water and one of the kings favorite concubines precious flower beds was submerged along with the courtyardThats not aughing matter!

    What the heck is this scary dark history of the royal family!?

    Other than pumps, the royal court mages are also responsible for the magicmps that are used throughout the pce.

    Duke, you seem to be having fun telling that to me. I mean the unexpected twist of the glorious royal court mages boring job is kind of funny. I think my impression of them showed in my face. Just how manymps did the mages have to check every single day?

    Including the sparemps andmps that are used for the night patrol, there are about 100mps.

    Whoa

    Is my face that easy to read? Its kind of creepy so Duke, can you not answer my question before I even asked it!? Anyway, to think there are that many magicmps in the pce, no wonder the trade of magic stones in the Adventurers Guild is booming.

    I wonder if the legendary Babylon sky garden also has magic pumps and mages The number is so unreal that I ended up thinking about apletely unrted thing. But wait, if this worlds battery, a.k.a magic stones disappeared can this world even survive?

    Just thinking about that makes me feel tired and I dont even want to know these things!

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    800 infantry and 200 knights surrounded 5000 refugees. The number of infantries and knights apanying us today is only half of its original intended amount. Most of the kingdoms military personnel are deployed to protect the aqueduct construction site.

    The army is only half of its intended amount, but the amount of food needed is still enormous. Not to mention, the whole army is dressed in full armor as a deterrent so the refugees wont cause any chaos.

    But this army suffered a problem unique to an army that escorted refugees.

    As expected, our movement is quite slow.

    We have normal people along with us, so what else can we do?

    Even considering the fact that there are women, children, and elderlies that were formerly normal townspeople, our pace is still quite slow. This must be what they call walking at a snails pace.

    Even the horses look bored.

    No need to force yourself, but as we still need to make some progress on our journey dont ck off either.

    The sick can get into the carriages. But the number of our carriages is limited. Make sure that you all use the carriages only when you really cant walk.

    These are what the soldiers told the refugees. But in this ce where all kinds of people gathered, the kind that loudlyined saying we are the victim! You should help us more! did exist.

    These kinds of people might desert us and be thievester on so we need to be careful. As such, in the name of persuading them, the soldiers surround them while threatening them. What? Thats an infringement of their human rights? As Ive said before, stuff like human rights didnt exist here.

    In the first ce, who will want to follow the selfishness of the minority in a situation where we might get attacked by demons at any time? This is the kind of time when the kingdom needs to show its might. Yup. I really have be used to this world.

    It seems like the Dukes decision is correct.

    Well, is that what they call the elderlys wisdom? Sir Frank seems to be quite troubled though.

    Feeling full of pity, I replied to Max. I recalled the predicament suffered by Frank Pablo Knap, the younger brother of the deceased Oliver Heinrich Knap, and the current Marquis Knap.

    Actually, there were nobles among the refugees but they were all left in the Marquisate Knap because they are the so-called important sources of information regarding Triots situation

    The kingdom needs to give them a treatment that wont cause any inconvenience in their daily lives is also another reason that was brought out for leaving them in the marquisate but the truth is they are abandoned there because they keptining while they were still traveling with us. The new Marquis must be having a headache now.

    By the way, several units of soldiers and knights totaling 50 people were also left in the marquisate. They are people that came from houses that have some kind of rtionship with the Knap house, like its rtives. They stayed in the marquisate as a reinforcement.

    Before Max could reply to my words, a flute sound resounded and everyone became tense but we still didnt stop. Not long after, a soldier turned back and walked toward me.

    Report! We discovered 2 Gluttony Bats and 1 Tusk Worm, both were exterminated by the party, Iron Hammer.

    Got it. Continue to stay alert.

    Understood!

    As the soldier returned to his rank, I breathed out in relief and Max grinned.

    It seems like the n worked out well.

    Yeah, Im really d.

    Usually, in an escort mission, people will take a defensive stance. But I choose the opposite. I picked the offensive stance by letting scouts search our surroundings for any demonic beast or demons and had the adventurers kill them on sight.

    From what I know, this n isnt some novel thing in my previous life. Its no different than U-boat, surveince aircraft, and minesweepers used in world war. It is just the U-boat bes demons, surveince aircraft be scouts, mercenaries and adventurers be minesweepers and destroyers.(1)

    (Note:U-boat is the German submarines used in the world war, minesweepers are warships used to remove naval mines, and destroyers are warships used to escort and protectrger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group.)

    As for our current formation, its like this. The refugees are surrounded by normal soldiers from all sides, the adventurers and mercenaries surround the normal soldiers so they can immediately kill any enemies thate before they reach the soldiers, and the scouts are keeping watch on the outermost side of our formation.

    If the scouts discover any demonic beasts or demons they will blow the flute and the closest adventurers or mercenaries parties will go to kill the demonic beasts or demons and then return to their position. Thats the basic job division.

    There will be additional money on top of the daily sries if the adventurers or the mercenaries kill demonic beasts or demons and they get to keep all the body parts. Steal kill is forbidden, and if anyone broke this rule they will be put on the night watch for 2 days straight. Since its an exhausting punishment up until now no one has broken the rule.

    Once in a whileints like why use adventurers and mercenaries even though there are knights here!? popped up but we shut thoseints by saying weck manpower because of the aqueduct construction project.

    The adventurers, mercenaries, and scouts are officially part of Zeaverts army since no nobles want them to be part of their army. Its the problem of pride. The military houses are especially headstrong regarding protecting their pride.

    For me, its a good thing since I dont have to bother to exin the details to others. Im actually surprised that the Duke approved this n. Well thanks to this n, the actual Zeaverts army soldiers and knights are fewer than others though.

    As I was thinking, a cavalryman came to me and said, Message from the Duke. We will be camping tonight at no 36.

    Ok.

    No 36 is one of the suitable grounds for camping on this highway. Its unexpectedly hard to find ces suitable to camp so the kingdoms have noted which ce is suitable to camp beforehand. As there are several ces and its a hassle to name each of them a number code is given. Tonight, we will be camping on no 36 ording to the n.

    <strong><em>(Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>You need to think about water sources, space to sleep, and ways to handle excrement in order to decide if a ce is suitable to make a camp, thats where the military engineers rolees into y. There are 2 groups of military engineers. Group 1 traveled with the vanguard. Their role is to set up the camp by dividing it into a sleeping area, kitchen, headquarters, and toilets as well as to decide where to build fences. They are also responsible for checking and managing the road in case of rain and checking the bridge if the army needs to cross the bridge. Military engineers with surveying ability. This group of military engineers is often the first target in a war because they can also survey a ce suitable for making a trap or making an ambush.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Group 2 traveled with the main army. Their job is to create fences, and toilets, set up the headquarters, create a ce to throw trash, and create canals, and an earthen wall. Canals and earthen walls also act as deterrents for future deserters.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>If there is no suitable ce to camp, then they have no choice but to camp randomly but that puts a burden on the soldiers, thats why maps and knowledge of the surrounding area are important. This time the army is traveling on a familiar highway so problems like this probably wont happen)</em></strong>

    The night camp for a group in this world isnt exactlyfortable. Water sources, spaces to sleep, and ways to handle excrement are among the problems that need to be considered when deciding to camp. Especially excrement. Poorly handled excrement might be a source of diseases.

    Ironically for a group like mine thats not an army in the middle of a long battle voyage, whether the pce is easy to defend isnt included in the consideration of is the ce suitable for a camp. Thats why for defense purposes we still need to create simple fences and canals. You never know when the demon will attack us.

    Thats where the military engineerse to y. They are divided into 2 groups. One group is traveling along with the armys vanguard. This groups role is to set up the camp including dividing the regions into the headquarters, kitchen, toilet, and sleeping ground. They also need to decide where the sturdy ground is suitable to build fences. Because of these roles, military engineers with surveying abilities are ced in this group.

    In the case of rain, this group also has a duty to check and maintain the road in front of the army, and if the army needs to cross a bridge they also need to check if the bridge is strong enough. They have important responsibilities. In this world where there are no modern weapons, this group of engineers is often being targeted first in a war. It will be trouble for the enemies if this group can find a suitable ce to make a trap or to make an ambush after all.

    When we arrived at no 36, the first group of military engineers had just finished dividing the camp so the second group of military engineers that were traveling with us led the soldiers to dig the ground to create canals and used the piled-up soil to create a simple earth wall. They then continue to set up the tent for the headquarters, dig up the ground from throwing trash, and for the toilets.

    The fences and canals are not only a defense mechanism but also a deterrent for potential deserters so its important to create them properly.

    It takes more than an hour to build even the simplest camp and usually it takes a little less than 3 hours. An hour is all we need to just build the fences but we also need to think about countermeasures in case a fire happens.

    We need toplete the camp before sunset. So the hassle of being deployed in an army isnt only the journey but also stuff like this.

    I guess war in the Sengoku era that was depicted in the media in my previous life was always over in a sh because the producer didnt understand the time needed to build the camp. Frankly, the speed of the army and the distance it has crossed isnt that important.

    If there isnt any suitable ce for camping, then we need to camp in random ces long before our stamina is depleted. In reality, the calction about the speed of the army and the distance we have crossed is nothing more than a prediction. Not to mention the distance we managed to travel also depends on the days weather.

    Thats why a map and knowledge of the surrounding area are important in this kind of march with a group. Without them, the army will end up forcing the additional burden of making a camp in an unsuitable ce for the soldiers. The soldier might not be able to get any sleep at night if this happened and it will cause big trouble.

    This time we only traveled inside the kingdoms territory so problems like that probably wont ur. The highway is a road often used by the people of Marquisate Knap so the kingdom is very familiar with it.

    <strong><em>[Info dump end]</em></strong>

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46

    Under the night sky, rubbing sounds can be heard throughout the camps. Its the sound of the soldiers scrubbing their armor.

    <em><strong>(Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary:</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Running in a group like this army march will cause the armys armors and weapons to easily rust because of the humidity thats why the soldiers and knights do maintenance on their armors and weapons every single night, including the cavalry. Nobles like Welner will have their armors maintained by orderlies)</strong></em>

    When a group of people is running together the sweat and breath will cause the surrounding humidity to rise. This is something that people who are members of the running club in school in my previous life must have experienced. The rise of humidity can cause people to feel faint even if theyre only walking.

    In the case of an army march, its even worse. Especially because in the army, people are wearing metal armor.

    Armors are more or less made using iron. It will collect dust while the wearers are walking. Dust contains moisture. Adding to that, the armors will also be bathed with sweat that contains salt in it.

    The result? Its simple. The armor will easily rust. It might sound unbelievable but in this kind of circumstance, the armor can rust in just 1 day.

    Thats why the everyday night routine of the knights and soldiers is to do maintenance on their armor. Of course, their weapons also need maintenance but as the tool that can protect their lives, their armors are the most important. If they didnt do maintenance on their armors then it might cause problemster on.

    As for the breastte? It also needs maintenance because if rust appears on the armor that has contact with their hips it will have a huge effect on the soldiers movement. The rust might even spread to their undergarment and if left alone it might lead to ulcers. No matter which part of the armor, the soldiers need to rub them and oil them to prevent rust.

    As a noble, I am lucky since I can just have the orderlies polish my armor but thats not the case for the normal soldiers. For them, they need to polish their armor themselves every single night so its quite a hassle. The cavalries have it even worse. They also need to do maintenance on their horses saddles, harnesses, and hoofs. Well, the maintenance of horses is the job of stable boys though.

    Despite all of the hassle of maintaining armors, no one everins. Of course, they wontin, their armors will directly affect the chance of their survival on the battlefield. As for maintenance of the weapons, its equally important but since armors have moreplicated shapes so the maintenance will take a longer time.

    By the way, there is one piece of armor that is the bane of both the soldiers and orderlies. That armor is chainmail. The reason? Well, I dont think I need to exin it.

    <strong><em>[Info dump end]</em></strong>

    As I was thinking about how it is the nobles privilege to make others do the maintenance, I arrived in front of the headquarters tent.

    Please convey the message that I, Welner von Zeavert, have arrived.

    Please wait a moment.

    The protocol (That I ignored back at the demon outbreak incident) when you want to enter the headquarters is to convey your arrival to the guard, and wait for the guard to confirm it with the people inside.

    Pleasee inside.

    Thank you for your hard work.

    I replied to the guard thats wielding a spear and has a bigger buildpared to me. This guard is older than me so I cant be arrogant but at the same time, I also cant be servile since Im a noble so its difficult toe up with words to greet him.

    Excuse me, it is I, Welner von Zeavert.

    Come in.

    Only after being permitted did Ie inside. Other executives have already gathered here. Even though it was because I have a duty that I need to finish first, I still feel bad for being thest to arrive. Im d that the people here didnt seem to mind that.

    Viscount, you worked hard. How is the camp?

    It is quiet there, I give Count Engelbert a short answer.

    The duty I was talking about is to patrol and inspect the entire job. Today is my turn. It was a pretty tiring job to tour the 6000 people campground. But the people in camp might make light of us if the patrolling officer isnt one of themanders.

    I guess its bearable since I dont need to do it every single night.

    Isnt there some hidden trouble in the camp?

    I guess all hidden trouble has been eliminated by kick the sand with one hind legs (1) punishment.

    (Note: an idiom means not only betraying the person one is indebted to but also causing even more problems. If you know an English equivalent, please tell me in thement.)

    Viscount Kauffeldts answer makes everyone here, including me, smile bitterly. I mean that punishment is really

    <strong><em>(Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Woman of the night often sell their service but thats trouble for the army since they cant let the people that are already exhausted at noon also spend their stamina at night so the army decided to punish the people that buy and sell the service. Those who reported buying and selling the service will be given reward money enough for a family to eat for 2 months.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>The punishment for the culprit is clean the toilet. They also need to gather ashes from kitchen and bonfires, trash, leftover animal fodder, animal waste, and nts and throw them all into the holes of the toilet before covering the holes. Then, they also need to clean the wooden board covering the toilets. The smell will cling to them to the point that the next day they wont be able to enjoy food properly and will receive stares from their surrounding. This punishment cause incidents to only happen in the first 4 days of the journey.)</em></strong>

    The hidden trouble here is mostly disturbance of public morale, especially with the woman of the night. Usually, as they did it out of their own free will its a proper upation but in this kind of time where we need to travel a long way, their action brought nothing but trouble.

    This might sound ridiculous, but since the distance we have traveled at noon is already quite short we cant let people also spend their stamina at night. Its a valid reason since we cant have a tired army in the situation when we dont know when and where we might need to fight the demons army.

    Tobat the disturbances of public morals, we promise to give anyone that informs us of such activities a huge amount of money as a reward and punishment to the culprit.

    We had given the reward money, enough to feed a family for 2 months in front of the masses.

    Because of that fellow refugees have been on alert for other cases of disturbances or public morals incidents. The power of money is really amazing.

    As for the punishment, its quite severe. Named kick the sand with one hind legs this punishment will be given to both the seller and the buyer of the service, even if the buyer turned out to be one of the soldiers in charge of the night watch.

    This punishment is to clean up the toilet. Though cleaning up the simple toilet made by digging holes on the ground and then covering it with a wooden board might sound easy, as it was a toilet for 6000 people the amount of work needed is enormous.

    The toilets here also include the toilets used by horses and oxen. There are 200 warhorses and a total of 400 animals. The culprits need to collect the animal excretion as much as possible and then throw it inside the toilet holes.

    After that, they need to gather ashes from the bonfire and cooking fire of the entire camp then also throw them into the toilet holes. Gathering ashes feel suffocating but they also need to transport them.

    Lastly, they also need to gather leaves, grasses, and the leftover animals fodder and throw it into the toilet holes along with garbage, ashes, and nts before finally covering the holes. They also need to clean the wooden board covering.

    Not only is this job tiring physically but the awful smell will cling to their body. Im sure they wont be able to enjoy anything they eat the next day. No one will ever want to do this punishment for the second time.

    But the most terrifying part of this punishment is what will happen the next day after theyplete the punishment. As the awful smell clings to their body, they will receive sharp stares from their surroundings. The mental pressure is no joke.

    On the first 3 days of our journey, there were still people buying and selling the service but after thest report on the fourth day, no one ever attempted to make another incident. It must be because the word of the punishment has spread. I see this punishment is quite harsh even to the standard of professional soldiers.

    <strong><em>[Info dump end]</em></strong>

    Before they went to sleep, I heard the soldiers pray half-jokingly that someone will cause the incident.

    Normally, this dirty toilet job is given to the soldiers on rotation. Thats still the case even if someone did cause the incident since the amount of toilet job is too much for just the culprit toplete.

    Despite that, since the culprit is being punished, the harshest part of the toilet job will be given to them. Thats why the soldier prayed every night for someone to cause the incident.

    Baron Kretschmer, how is the situation in the rear?

    There has been no attack from Triot and there have also been no deserters.

    Baron Kretschmer, the man who has a physique that didnt lose to Max, answered. He radiated the feeling of a great general. As someone thats being entrusted to the armys rear by Duke Seyfarth, he must be quite a capable person.

    Count Vogler, how is our logistics? Next is the turn of Count Vogler, themander of the logistic division. It was a really important post. If it was me I would have a stomachache.

    The food and medicine provision for no 28 and no. 22 have arrived. ording to the report from the escort, there has been no anomaly with the transport. As for the provision for no 18 and no 15, they are in the midst of transportation from the capital. They will arrive in 3 days. The public order near our nned campground has also been maintained. Luckily no rain has fallen recently so the condition of the road is also good.

    Good. Viscount Zeavert, how was the situation of our enemy when we were still marching?

    First, regarding the appearance rate of the demons

    My turn. As themander of the adventurers, mercenaries, and scouts the Duke will of course ask me this question. I had already created a list and data using based on the reports that I got.

    Thismander meeting is held every day. I agree its a necessary meeting but its tiring. Then if we need to cross a bridge on our journey the next day, the meeting agenda will include a discussion about how to cross it safely so the meeting will be longer.

    Then theres also a discussion regarding price negotiation of water, food, and firewoods. Today we are using boiled river water but if theres a settlement nearby, we will use their well water.

    Unexpectedly, firewoods are one of the things that cost us the most money. We need enough for thousands of people so just using branches we found on our journey isnt nearly enough. Theres even a time we disassemble the woods used to build fences, letting them dry for a few days, then use them as firewood.

    The army also needs to make a report regarding consumable things like food (Including shoes, the rate of shoes expenditure is terrifying) and then submit it to the pce. The pce will then cover the cost, but since the receipt didnt exist here, if there are any expenses you missed then you pay it from your own pocket.

    To avoid a dispute about money, expenses that were used for the army and for the nobles need to be clearly divided. I guess its true that a third of the pay received by Roman soldiers is used for consumable things like shoes. I have the feeling the ountant in charge of the armys finance will be seeing numbers even in their dreams.

    In the games, you only need to think about food and inn expenses. The real world is harsh,

    In my case, my main job isnt to think about money but to gather information. When adventurers or mercenaries reported to the Zeaverts army camp, they didnt just get their reward but they also needed to provide information about the kinds of demons that appeared and how they defeat the demons.

    The knights and the soldiers of Zeaverts army will also be present to hear the information told by the adventurers and mercenaries. After all, the knowledge will also be useful for the army to judge if theres any danger or not.

    There is also the problem of how to handle the injured and the sick, checking the amount of supplies left, giving an appreciation to the people that make an achievement, and punishing the people that break rules. I leave some of these jobs to my second inmand, Max. Im going to faint if I did it alone.

    I also have my personal works like creating data based on appearance rate and distribution of the demons. I often stayed upte at night to do this. I have a mountain of jobs. I didnt just leave everything to my subordinate and then y around!

    I feel bad for people who be the second inmand of an idiotic noble Their job must be enormous.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47

    Traveling from the capital to the border to meet with the refugees took us just 4 days since we were in a hurry, but its been more than 20 days since we left the border yet we havent arrived at the capital. Our pace is quite slow since we need to adjust our pace with the refugees.

    Including the time spent in the Knap Marquisate to gather information regarding Triot, its been a month since I left the capital. Can I keep up with the lessons at the academy when I return

    As for finance and stuff, I stopped thinking about it. Its only going to make my head and stomach hurt if I dont. There are professional ountants so lets just leave it to them! Im not shrinking from my responsibility. Yup, not at all.

    It will take us just a few more days until we reach the capital. To be able to finally see the end of this arduous journey makes me feel relieved. I still cant rx though.

    The threat of demons and demonic beasts, most of them were being taken care of by the adventurers and mercenaries. There were few times when the demons and demonic beasts reached the rank of soldiers. In those times, the shoulders killed them in an instant. After all, killing the demons and demonic beasts was originally the soldiers job.

    The external problem has been neatly taken care of, while there has been no big internal problem among the refugees. This is because the refugees with enough energy to cause trouble like fights in the midst of our long journey were all given heavy manualbor. This way no one has enough energy to cause fights.

    Not to mention, people with that much energy are already quite rare. I mean, they all have been walking for 20 days straight. Its a blessing that at least the weather in the past 20 days has been sunny. I thought that as I was looking at the sky.

    The many regtions, mediations, and simple court trials have also helped to maintain this peace. Though I know its hard to create a proper mediation n on the spot in case theres a fight. Fortunately, amander meeting will be held when theres big trouble in the army so I can just throw the responsibility to resolve them to the adults.

    Other than that, the threat we have given to them has also been effective. We make a simple threat to kill anyone thatmit murder or assault women. The threat is announced in front of lined-up heads of demons and demonic beasts that were killed by the adventurers and mercenaries though.

    For normal people, just 1 demonic beast is already terrifying. But then they were threatened in front of heads of kobolds, goblins, and various other species of demons and demonic beasts thats been made into a skewer using a spear. Of course, no one dared to cause any problem.

    On top of that, I also used the simple method of tampering with their meals. Under my order, the meals that will be given to the people who had a fight with others are given less salt. It forces them to walk half a day with a mineral deficiency. Obviously, they wont have enough energy left to fight.

    So even the old method has its own use.

    As usual, I participated in themanders meeting in the evening. By the way, the Duke always has his dinner after the meeting, so themanders all follow suit. The Duke said I should eat after all the soldiers have eaten so theres nothing I can do about this.

    The old duke sure is healthy.

    It seems like for now, there hasnt been any big problem.

    Yes, and It is also a relief that there has been no disease outbreak.

    To be more precise, because we shoved medical herbs and potions to people the second they seemed sick, there has been no problem regarding disease. After all, it will be even more difficult if we move after an outbreak has happened.

    Potions are pretty expensive, so in order to prevent the refugees from getting used to luxury, we purposely made potions with a nasty taste. We told them that good medicine tastes bad. The price for these potions will be paid by manualbor. The refugees need to be prepared to work more in exchange for the potions.

    I heard that the aqueduct is already 80%plete, said Duke Seyfart.

    That was quite fast.

    I thought Im the only one that was surprised but it looks like everyone is also surprised. The kingdom must have put the aqueduct construction as one of the urgent projects. I guess there are some magics that can rece heavy equipment in this world. Still, I wonder if construction work using magic can be said to bepleted by human effort.

    Apparently, a huge quantity of harrek was used.

    Oh, so that is why the construction went this fast. The royal family seems to be going all out, Baron Kretschmer nodded seriously.

    The Dukes exnation convinces and surprises me at the same time.

    <b><i>(Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary:</i></b>

    <b><i>Harrek is simr to roman concrete. It was created by mixing demonic beasts named killer rabbits tooth that has been baked and destroyed until they be powder with sand. Killer rabbits aremon mid-sized demonic beasts but since harrek is created only by its small teeth, gathering enough teeth to make harrek is pretty hard, hence harrek is expensive. The killer rabbits skin is hard so its used to make soles rather than clothes)</i></b>

    Harrek is, to put it in a simple term, this worlds concrete. Its not ordinary concrete. Its concrete that can set even underwater so its close to roman concrete. Its light, can set fast, and wont leak so its really useful

    Its also sturdier than concrete so if something is randomly built with harrek it might cause problemster on. Its color is close to white so it also looks beautiful. In short, its a perfect construction material.

    The problem with harrek is the avability of the material used to make it. While the roman concrete is created using Mount Vesuviuss volcanic ashes as one of its ingredients, harrek is created using teeth or I should say fang of a demonic beast name killer rabbits.

    Though the killer rabbits themselves are amon demonic beast, collecting a sufficient amount of teeth to create harrek is difficult. Even though killer rabbits are considered mid-sized demonic beasts the size of their teeth is still small after all.

    The time needed to destroy and bake the teeth until they be powder, then mix them with sand is also long. Thats why harrek is an expensive building material. Its not only time-consuming to create, the killer rabbits meat can be eaten so many just brought the meat while ignoring their teeth.

    By the way, the killer rabbits skin is hard (even though they are just rabbits) so its not a popr choice for making clothes. Usually, the skin is used to make soles. No material wasted, huh.

    <b><i>[Info dump end]</i></b>

    Currently the Adventurers Guild might be swarming withmissions to hunt killer rabbits.

    Probably.

    Everyoneughed.

    At that time it was just a joke. But the second we arrive at the capital, we wille to know the fact that the price of rabbit meat has copsed. Just how many killer rabbits have been hunted!?

    <b><i>(Info dump warning! Here to skip. Summary:</i></b>

    <b><i>Dinner usually consists of salty soup, baked things that resemble bread, and dried meat. The meat will be grilled or made into soup. Theres also cheese and dried fruit. There are only a few vegetables that have been brought as provision so the logistic division will frantically buy vegetables when theres a settlement nearby. Its also forbidden to pick mushrooms without the guidance of specialists since a long time ago, someone unknowingly cooked poisonous mushrooms and poisoned several units. Since the food here isnt delicious, hunting for edible demons or demonic beasts is one of the soldiers important missions.)</i></b>

    After the meeting, we have dinner. Usually, the dinner will consist of a rather salty soup, a baked something that resembles bread, and meat. The meat is dried meat and it usually will be grilled or will be put into the soup. Theres also cheese and dried fruits.

    As for vegetables, there are only a few vegetables in our provision. Thats why the logistics division will frantically buy as many vegetables as possible when we pass by viges or towns. After all, Eating the same thing every day might affect our morale.

    As a side note, its forbidden to pick mushrooms without specialist guidance in the army. This is because a long time ago, a person unknowingly picked a poisonous mushroom and cooked it, causing several units of soldiers to retire from the frontline.

    This world also has hard bread. It wont mold so its perfect food for long-distance travel. The problem is the hard bread, like its name, is really hard since it was made only for the sole purpose of long preservation. Its something that I will only eat if theres no other food left.

    In any case, you cant call the food here as delicious, even as ttery. In the headquarters, we also get alcohol but the amount is not much. I can even say that hunting edible demons are one of the soldiers most important jobs.

    <b><i>[Info dump end]</i></b>

    The dinner in the headquarters is more for exchanging information betweenmanders. Its a pain in the ass if theres someone I dont like here, but thats not a problem for me.

    Today, there is no notable incidents (encountering demons and demonic beasts and small fights among refugees are no longer counted as a notable incident)

    I was just walking to return to my tent after finishing dinner when a messenger called me from behind, Viscount Zeavert. My apologies for bothering you, but please return to the headquarters.

    Got it.

    I need to return even if I dont want to since its probably ordered by ourmander-in-chief. I followed the messenger to the headquarters. When I arrived in front of the headquarters, I met Count Vogler. I see he was also called back here.

    Hello, Count.

    We just parted earlier, but hello you too, Sir Welner.

    Both of us exchanged an awkward greeting with a bitter smile. We were called back on our way to return to our tent, so showing ourints on our faces like this its fine, right?

    Since the Count is also called here, it seems like the problem isnt about the adventurers or mercenaries.

    I wonder why we were called here.

    There might be some trouble from Triot.

    That might be true.

    We were wrong. The real reason is far more shocking than that.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    Every singlemander here (Its kind of strange to be called amander at my age but whatever) is bewildered.

    Some show a sour expression, some show surprise, but Im pretty sure inside they all thought What the hell is he thinking!?

    This situation happened because of an urgent message from the capital. ording to that message, Mangold, the eldest son of the deceased Marquis Knop created a huge mess. Id met him for a second so I dont have any good or bad impression of him but now my impression of him has gone toward the very bottom.

    Because the mess he created is just too much.

    Leading mercenaries to attack Veritza Fortress?? Is he an idiot!?

    I agree with the Viscount.

    Ished out and Baron Kretschmer responded without missing a beat. I know that guy must be upset because his uncle took the title of the Marquis but isnt at least half of that his own fault!? It seems like even in this world you cantmunicate with idiots.

    Count Engelbert, Viscount Kauffeldt, and Count Vogler remained silent but they nodded in agreement. Im sure that everyone else also agreed with me.

    Even when his father was fighting with the Marquiss knight, he still got defeated, but now he wants to try to attack the Veritza Fortress only with mercenaries and his close aides? That is nothing but recklessness, said Count Vogler while shaking his head.

    But does the royal family not notice his n?

    It seems like he just ran amok without a proper n. The royal family knows that he exhorted the noble of his faction for money, but they must have thought that he wanted to use that money to negotiate with the royal family regarding the Marquis title, Count Engelbert answered Viscount Kauffeldts question.

    Then he used that money to hire an army of mercenaries? Creating an army without the kingdoms permission is treason! The nobles that gave him money must be panicking right now.

    The Duke actually crossed his hand and stayed silent while observing us. Thats scarier!

    Not to mention, the royal family has many things on their te.

    I guess that is true.

    Currently, the royal family is handling 3 projects, guarding the capital against a possible attack from Veritza Fortress, building an aqueduct, and taking care of the refugees. The aqueduct project was squeezed in at thest minute though. The royal family split their manpower to guard the aqueduct construction site, so the number of knights that remained at the capital was unable to stop Mangold. Thats not my fault, right? Or maybe this is the work of the games correction?

    Rather than that

    Will this incident stimte the demons in Veritza Fortress to attack the capital?

    It might do, Once again, it was Baron Kretschmer that responded to me.

    Count Engelbert also nodded with a bitter expression, so I think everyone here is also anxious about that.

    While I was thinking like that, the Duke unfolded his hand and gazed at us.

    We currently stillck information. But as there is an army of more than 1000 people here, we might be called back to the capital.

    Everyone including me nodded.

    The Duke then continued,  Still, we cannot abandon the refugees, as such we might have to split the army into 2. One will hurry and return to the capital, while one will continue to escort the refugees.

    That should be the best.

    After all, if we left the refugees here without any soldiers to maintain them, they might cause trouble.

    Its a hard decision. If the capital sends us a message to return, we need to send soldiers to hurriedly return to the capital, while also letting some soldiers continue escorting the refugees. Even the duke looked troubled.

    In the end, it was decided that my army which is handling scouting and exterminating the demons and demonic beasts will continue to escort the refugees along with Count Voglers army. I dont have anyints about this decision. Still, isnt there a bit too much twist in the event!?

    Well, thats what happened so I want to hear everyones opinions.

    After I returned to my tent, I silently gathered the leaders of the adventurers parties and the chief of mercenaries parties to ask for their opinion. Of course, I told them to keep this incident a secret. At first, everyone was shocked by my story but not long after, several people finally reacted.

    Even if there are some idiots among mercenaries, I dont think anyone will ept that kind of stupidmission.

    As an adventurer, my thoughts are the same as yours. Sane adventurers wont ept this kind of recklessmission.

    A sane noble also wont give out this kind of recklessmission.

    I blurted out, and everyone let out a wry smile. They must feel this incident was so ridiculous that they cant evenugh. Originally, its not a reaction that they will show to a noble like me, but I guess I also never acted like a noble around them.

    The whole time weve been traveling, Ive acted carefreely around the adventurers and mercenaries, so the number of people that kept acting respectfully because Im a noble has considerably decreased. Max is still pretty respectful though, probably because thats just his character. I just hope their rxed attitude toward me is not because they underestimate me.

    Anyway

    If thats what you both think, I be curious about what kind of people epted that guysmission. Do any of you guys have an idea?

    The first thing that I can think of is people who are willing to do anything for money. Maybe the people from the backstreet.

    Backstreet. Thats a softer way to call the slum. No matter which world it is, a slum that many criminals mighte from exists. Still

    But wont the people of backstreet avoid fighting with demons even more?

    Thats what I dont understand. If they are strong enough to ept amission like this, wont they be adventurers, rather than remain in the slum? While it might be true that bing a criminal in the slum is easier and will bring more money, bing an adventurer will make you have more standing in society.

    But thats as far as I can specte with just this. I mean, its not like all people that live in the slums are criminals.

    They might not be apanying him until he reached the fortress.

    ?

    I dont understand what one of the mercenaries chiefs means.

    He meant that they might be apanying him halfway, then abandon him.

    Whoa, thats dirty.

    I see. Stuff like escorts leaving their clients after they got the money ismon, so him being abandoned by the mercenaries halfway is usible. That wont happen if he properlymissions the mercenaries via guild but he didnt. The people he recruitede from who knows where, so for their character to also be rotten is quite possible.

    But if he really gets abandoned, wont he die? This scenario is still just a possibility though.

    I understand. Are there any other possibilities?

    Is there any possibility that it was not the mercenaries, but rather the soldiers from other noble houses that followed him? Ask one of the adventurers leaders.

    I thought about it a bit, then shook my head.

    Thats probably impossible.

    Because of the aqueduct construction project and escorting the refugees project, the nobles military forces are currently divided. Thats why I dont think the nobles will lend their already thin military force to Mangold. Plus, the nobles also knew about what happened when I went to the Veritza Fortress before, so they must know that sending their men to the fortress is no different than sending them to death.

    They already suffered loss from the demon outbreak incident, so I dont think they take the risk of losing more men.

    Though this world used to be a game, its now a reality. In reality, it will take several years to raise even 1 soldier.

    Covering the loss of skillful manpower isnt an easy thing. I know exactly how hard it is to work with unqualified personnel. In my past life, I have had the experience of a boss who just hired random people to fill in the spot after a qualified employer quit because he was dissatisfied with the sry Now is not the time to think about that!

    By the way, the first training done by soldiers isnt about how to use weapons, but about how to walk. After all, soldiers that cant even arrive at the battlefield are useless. Thats why new recruits will train until they can walk 30 kilometers in 5 hours fully armed. Thats the minimum. Only after that will they train to use weapons. Well, thats not important now.

    Anyway, there are probably no nobles that will lend their men to do a reckless mission like that. Probably. Most certainly. No one will, right? I hope Im right.

    After that, I continued to listen to various other opinions, but in the end, we failed to reach the proper conclusion. I guess we dont have enough information.

    The problem now is we dont have enough information.

    I now realized that there are many different kinds of nobles.

    I smiled bitterly at one of the mercenaries words. A noble like me that will merrily drink with the adventurers and mercenaries while sitting around a bonfire is an exception among nobles, but I need to emphasize that a stupid noble like Mangold is also an exception.

    I guess theres nothing I can do about mercenaries dislike toward nobles because the nobles constantly look down on them. I need to be careful so that the mercenaries dont dislike me too.

    I more or less understand the situation. So what we need to do hasnt changed, right?

    Thats right, but be more careful when the army split up.

    If the army split up, the defense line against the demons and demonic beasts will get thinner and the pressure we give to control the refugees will also weaken. Because of that, anyone might get nervous. Though all of this still depends on the future situation in the capital. I just hope nothing bad will happen to the capital. It will be good if we can increase the pace of our journey, but thats impossible.

    In the worst-case scenario, I might also consider splitting the adventurers and the mercenaries.

    T/N: I made a mistrantion about camp, the word I thought to mean the defense formation of the camp actually means encampment so Im going to edit a few chapters.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    After I disbanded the meeting, I talked with Max. As expected, if all experienced military engineers left us, camping at night will be more difficult.

    I guess we can only have the refugees to help us.

    Yes, that will be the only choice we have.

    After exchanging nces with Max, I can only sigh.

    This is all that damn idiots fault.

    Im allowed toin at least this much, right?

    Even though Marquis Knap is a member of a different faction than Ingo-sama, he was not a fool. To think that his son is this bad

    The reason why Max chooses to stop there is probably that hes a knight. Its taboo for a knight to criticize a noble with a peerage, though both I and Father didnt really care about this rule. Despite his bold appearance, Max is quite sensible in this kind of rule.

    How about getting the Dukes permission to send a messenger to Ingo-sama?

    Right. I can do that.

    Asking Father for more information is one of the things that I can do. I should let one of the scouts go to the capital.

    It would be best if nothing happened until we arrived at the capital.

    It will be even better if that bastard, Mangold, just died in a ditch.

    Technically that bastard is my superior. Both of us are vice-count, but hes a marquis son and hes also older than me. Still, theres only Max and me here so it should be fine for me to say this. Max also nodded and didnt say anything anyway.

    You dont need to tell the soldiers about this yet, but do make sure that none of the soldiers are sick.

    Understood.

    Also, I want you to find the central figure among the refugees.

    I will ask the opinion of the soldiers, adventurers, and mercenaries for that.

    Ill be counting on you.

    I will leave these things to Max and will go consult with Count Vogler about other thingster. Especially regarding protecting the transportation corps and how to handle the refugees from now on.

    Recently, there have been refugees that think that demons around here are weak. Well, since all demons are killed by the adventurers and mercenaries, they didnt get the chance to actually fight the demons. Though its also true that this is the area where the game just started so only weak demons will appear here.

    Still, it will be troublesome if any of the refugees get injured because they underestimate the demons. Its also going to be trouble if any of the refugees desert us and be bandits. Come to think about it, in the games do bandits get attacked by demons? Hm I dont know. I guess I dont need to think about that.

    Its better for me to think about a more useful thing. As I was thinking about various means to handle the demons, an idea suddenly came into my head.

    If Im not mistaken, the army in Veritza Fortress is an army of death, right?

    In some aspects, an army of death is probably easier to deal withpared to demonic beasts. I mean basically, they only attacked anything that moved, while demonic beasts have their own wisdom or instinct. Wait, does that mean

    I can use that?

    I blurted out that without thinking. This idea is useless to tackle my current problem, but its a shame to just throw it away.

    Hm It will be better if I hurry and consult other people regarding this. There might be many holes in this n that I didnt notice myself after all. Ho-Ren-So is important (1)

    (Note: Ho-Ren-So is a Japanese business abbreviation for Hokoku, Renraku, Soudan its like a Japanese business mantra. The English trantion is Report, Inform, Consult. Its memorable because its a homonym for the Japanese word for spinach)

    After drawing a rough sketch, I left my camp and went to the headquarters.

    After waiting for a couple of hours, I finally got to meet the Duke. He must be busy. The sight of the Duke moving his pen as he finished a mountain of documents greeted me the second I entered the headquarters.

    I put my hand on my chest as I give a military salute to the Duke. Its like a simple version of a gentleman bow, or rather its quite impossible to do a gentleman bow while wearing metal armor, so I naturally did this instead. The duke gave me a light nod and said, Sir Welner, have you run into any trouble?

    There has been no trouble. I am here to ask for your permission and to offer a suggestion.

    The Duke gave me a puzzled look. I first asked for his permission to send a messenger to the capital.

    I dont mind, but I want you to also share the information you will get with me. After all, it will be better to have as much information as possible.

    Understood.

    Of course, I will, its not like Im nning to have a secretmunication or something. In any case, Im d that the Duke gave me his permission.

    Other than that, I also have the suggestion in case our enemy attacks the capital

    Hm?

    The reason Ive made a drawing beforeing here is that its troublesome and difficult to exin my n with words. Duke, pardon the dirty drawing, thats the inks fault, not mine. This world only has ck ink after all, plus a drawing of military formation is bound to be dirty. I spread the drawing on the desk and started my exnation. Im sure with this step-by-step exnation, the Duke will understand.

    After I finished the exnation, the Duke looked at me strangely.

    I understand your exnation. It is quite an interesting n. Sir, did you think of this n by yourself?

    Yes, though there might be other battles who had used this n previously.

    The truth is I know very little about this worlds military history. Most people of this world are basically muscle brains so most military records of this world only contain information about which war we won and which war we lost.

    This n is just something I based on a battle in my previous life. Its also just a theoretical n since I never used it on an actual battlefield. Still, I believe that this n might work for the battle against the demons of Veritza Fortress.

    The demons in Veritza Fortress are moving corpses. I believe that even the devil that leads them isnt a military specialist. That is why I thought perhaps they will be having a hard time handling an unexpected situation.

    You have a point. Alright. I will send this n of yours via messenger.

    Thank you very much. But, will it be possible to say that this n was created by you, Duke?

    Why do you want to do that?

    Well, if this n is sent under the name of a youngster like myself, I worry that it might be discarded.

    Im just a student, and my position is only as my fathers representative. Im worried that people will ignore this n.

    Hm But you will lose the credit for it, will that be fine with you?

    If this n gets discarded before it can be used, then it will be useless.

    I see, so you mean that eliminating our enemy is more important. Alright, I will send this n under my name, but even with that theres no guarantee that it will be epted.

    Of course, I understand that.

    Its fine as long as people will listen and dont just ignore it. If the n is actually epted and will be used on an actual battlefield Im sure themanders there can make the proper adjustment. I dont have the duty or authority to make adjustments myself anyway.

    Still, I guess Im lucky to be noble, at least I can still deliver my n to the capital. It will be impossible if Im an adventurer. If Im a mercenary maybe it will also be possible if Im a veteran mercenary?

    While thinking about that, I left the headquarters. My next destination is Count Voglers camp. Since hes my superior, I need to be the one thates to meet him. I feel like all the walking makes my legs almost give out.

    T/N: I identally deleted the entire chapter when I was editing it. Good thing undo button exists.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50

    Trantor: Nisarah  Editor: Fleeting, Nisarah

    It has been 2 days since it was confirmed that the demon of Veritza Fortress will attack the capital. In the situation where the kingdom was back to the capital, not a wall, the army led by Crown Prince Huber started to move.

    As expected, an army of death did not tire. They kept advancing regardless of day or night

    Still, they only have infantry so they are quite slow. The battle will probably start tomorrow morning.

    The military advisor was Count Shandel, the person who became the leader of the area magic experiment corps back when the Veritza Fortress got attacked. He was one of the Crown Princes trusted retainers and also one of the people who had the most knowledge regarding the demon army in the Veritza Fortress.

    Its hard to judge if The fact that their enemies, the army of death, were slow was a blessing or a curse. Though it was also thanks to it that the kingdoms army was able to choose the timing of their battle. They choose the dawn, which is the most perfect time to fight the groups of moving corpses. No matter what, they must not battle the army of death at night.

    How is our supply?

    Everything has been prepared, including 15 days worth of supplies.

    How is the situation with the enemies?

    Our enemies areposed of skeleton warriors and living death. There has been no change to their movement speed.

    Thats all? What an amateur.

    Though the army of death wont tire, they have weaknesses. Compared to the demonic beasts that they were used to dealing with, living deaths were slower. The living deaths were even slower than humans. As for the skeleton warriors, they had wits but their endurance was far weakerpared to the living deaths.

    If the enemies were nning to make use of the army of death as a proper army, then the enemies needed to take into consideration their weaknesses and make a suitable n, but there has been no sign of them doing so. It seems like the enemies were nothing but a mix of individual demons without any trace of unity. At this moment, Hubertus was sure of his armys victory.

    Alright. Lets start the war council. Gather everyone.

    Yes!

    After they received the Crown Princes order, messengers under Count Shandel split up to gather the armymanders. It did not take a long time for everyone to finally gathered.

    Ironically, this time, The usual eager nobles from the military faction were obedient, while the usual obedient nobles from the civil faction were eager.

    The military faction was silent not because of fear, but rather because the reckless action of the son of their former leader, the deceased Marquis Knap, was seen to be the main cause of this battle. Of course, they did not dare to be as brash as usual.

    On the other hand, the nobles of the civil faction were eager because there was no way they could let the demonsy waste on thend surrounding the capital. It was a simple, yet reasonable reason. Usually, the Crown Prince needed to work hard in order to skillfully handle the two factions but this time, after experiencing the demon outbreak incidents and the capitals defense battle incident, the nobles from both sides were rather behaved.

    That was why the fact that the nobles of the military faction were obedient was perhaps a blessing for the Crown Prince.

    Everyone has gathered.

    Good work. Then, I shall exin the battle tactic that will be used tomorrow morning.

    The Crown Prince immediately got to the point. In a meeting for discussing battle tactics, there was no need for him to give a long formal speech. The Crown Prince left for the battlefield with a feeling of strong conviction to prevent the capital from being overrun by the demons. With his previous experience in the demon outbreak, the Crown Prince was also careful not to let his guard down.

    There has been objection to deploying an army outside of the capital wall, and there has also been a choice of going to the battlefield yesterday, but the kingdoms executives decided that a day of preparation is needed.

    After all, the army needed to exterminate the enemy before sunset. Fighting an army of death in the evening is a foolish thing to do. Thats the consensus that the kingdoms executive has reached before.

    This was the basis of the current war council. The Crown Prince exined the battle tactic that will be used, and voices of surprise rose up.

    Well, what a creative idea.

    I am not sure if this tactic can be used in every battle, but at least I believe it can be used for this one.

    Is it you, Your Highness, that thought of this tactic?

    Marquis Norpoth, who, just like in the battle against the demon outbreak, will once again y a part in this battle raised the question. The Crown Prince answered with a short Its Duke Seyfart that thought of this n

    I see! As expected of the Duke.

    He has a flexible mind despite his age.

    Enoughment. Lets work on the details for this n.

    The council proceeded to discuss the enemys movement, the arrangement for the army, the appointment of variousmanders, and various signals that would be used on the battlefield. Everything that must be discussed needs to be discussed now. After the discussion was over, the Crown Prince gave an order for everyone to do maintenance on their own weapons and armors, after that he dered that the council was over.

    The next day, the curtain for the battle finally opened at the Hildea in, near the capital.

    Haha. To think they daree out, how foolish.

    The ck Mage, Bellis, who stood almost at the center of the whole demons army,ughed scornfully as he saw the human army that was stationed outside the capital.

    In a certain sense, Welner was right about the fact that the demon army had pulled their punch. After all, most demonic beasts were stronger than average human soldiers, and their number far exceeded the number of human soldiers. Not to mention, the army of death wont tire.

    There was no way they could lose, that was what was inside Belliss mind as he gazed at the army of Bain Kingdom.

    Well, they can struggle as they wish as even those humans will be nothing but a part of Dreax-sama army.

    Bellis ordered his army to advance. At that moment, a dragging sound, a sound of bones hitting each other, and various other sounds that would not exist in a normal army can be heard. The putrid smell of several thousand corpses will without a doubt make normal humans throw up.

    Mmm, what a pleasant aroma.

    Yet Bellis did not feel disgusted by this smell. He rather felt ecstasy as he stood in the midst of the putrid smell of corpses. For a devil like Bellis, the smell of corpses was pleasant. Coupled with his confidence about his victory, Bellis feel like he was going on an excursion, rather than a battlefield

    It was this overconfidence that made Bellis not investigate the situation of his enemy, as he merely gave orders to his army to advance. It was what willter cause his fall.

    Not long after the sun rose, the center of the kingdoms army and the army of death shed. The kingdom army has created a convex formation, while the army of death has created a uniformed line formation.

    The center of Bain Kingdoms army advanced, then stopped in front of the army of death to form a formation.

    This center was mostlyposed of young infantries. They may not have much experience, but they were the most energetic. They might hold fear for the skeleton warriors and the living dead, yet they were not cowards that will run in a battle.

    Start the attack!

    Push!

    The ones that led the center were the new Viscount Krank and Viscount Mittag. In the battle against demons outbreak, both families lost their family heads and important vassals. This time, the kingdom lent them many young hoplites[1] and spearmen to lead.

    (Note: Hoplites are infantries that use spears and shields)

    The way the two viscounts fought was the extreme opposite. The new Viscount Krank, Avant Simon Krank, was good at group fights. He first divided the dead army into several groups before annihting each group with his own men.

    On the other hand, the new Viscount Mittag, Vojtek Raved Mittag, was someone who perhaps could be a great general given time. He fought in the frontline using his mace and shield whilemanding his men.

    Viscount Mittag was filled thirst for vengeance for the death of his brother, the previous Viscount Mittag. He and the new Viscount Krank knew no fear as they aggressively killed the enemies. It was to the point that the vassals of the two young viscounts were having a hard time holding their lord back.

    Dont be impatient. Our role is only to hold the enemy while slowly retreating. Our time to counterattack willeter.

    Baron Kupfernagel, the person that led an army between the two viscounts, calmly gave hismand. The experienced Baron Kupfernagel was aware that retreating here is an integral part of the tactic. He can be said to be the highestmander of the vanguard.

    Since he was just a baron, the number of men directly below him was few, yet he had participated in the retreat battle at the Veritza Fortress and had also been training in group battle tactics. He was one of the people that the Crown Prince regarded with fierce trust.

    The army of Count Shandel supported the center from behind, and the elites from the Royal Guard were on standby behind Count Shandels army. The formation will not easily copse, no matter how hard the army of death tries. On the contrary, the army of death was forced to advance following the rhythm set by the kingdoms army.

    The center of the kingdoms army was slowly retreating, but its two nks did not fall back. Gradually, the center armys convex formation became a concave formation. Slowly yet surely, the center of the army of death began to lean to the center and gathered there.

    Then, the center and the vanguard of the kingdoms army stopped, causing the formation of the army of death to mirror a bad drawing of an isosceles triangle. At the same time, the nks of the Bain Kingdoms army started to move.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    The kingdoms right nk is led by Marquis Norporth. The Marquis belonged to the military faction, but he was a cautious man. That was why the Crown Prince always trusted him. Even now the important job of being the right nkmander was entrusted to him.

    This is the time. Give the signal to the 1st division!

    Yes, sir!

    After receiving the order from Marquis Norporth, the cavalry started to move. Before long, the sounds of horses hooves shook the ground, and the sound of battle cry resounded. A ck lump of cavalry pushed the left nk of the army of death and crushed them.

    The destructive power of cavalry is affected by the speed of its charge, that was why cavalry needs enough distance from the enemy to be the most effective. Yet, due to the fact that the cavalry soldiers were wearing full armor on top of the horses, a too long distance would rather tire the horses, causing the speed of the cavalrys charge to fall.

    That was why themanders ability to make use of the terrains topography and conditions was important in order to make a sessful attack using cavalry. Only experiencedmanders like Marquis Norporth will be able to do so. Even the Crown Prince nodded in awe as he observed the battlefield from the headquarters.

    Not long after, the left nk also attacked the enemy. This nk was led by Marquis Schramm.

    Marquis f Helmut Schramm is a rare noble that belongs to the neutral faction. At the same time, he was the royal familys future maternal rtive as his daughter was engaged to the Royal Grandson.

    That engagement was perhaps the result of political machination, but it was a good decision as the engagement resulted in him being able to keep his distance from both the military and civil factions.

    Just like Marquis Norporth, Marquis Schramm was an experienced noble with excellent ability in military art. On this asion, he splendidlymanded the 2nd division of knights to crush the army of deaths right nk.

    This was when the army of deaths fault of having no intelligence became tant. The soldiers of death merely have the instinct to attack living beings, as such, they begin to abandon their posts and start to chase after the knights of the 1st and 2nd divisions.

    In addition to the army of deaths leaving their posts, the difference between the movement speed and the reaction speed of the skeleton warriors and living death also caused The army of death to lose any semnce of unity in their movement.

    2nd and 3rd group! Start moving!

    After their enemys movement became disordered, Marquis Schramm judged that this is the time for the kingdoms army to slowly retreat, as such, he gave the order.

    The 2nd group was mostlyposed of infantries. The speed of their charge was low, but their flexibility in a battle was high. The infantry unit of the 2nd group led by Viscount Davrak attacked the army of death that had been chasing the knights from the sides.

    Viscount Davrak was a noble who also participated in the retreat battle at the Veritza Fortress. He was also the person that collected Marquis Knaps corpse. He was one of the nobles of the military faction and was very confident about his own battle prowess.

    Continue!

    Viscount Davrak brandished his axes as he stood at the helm of the infantry. With merely one swing, a skeleton warrior was obliterated. Before the remaining army of death was able to react, he charged into their rank and obliterated the enemies on his path.

    A bitter, another infantry unit of the kingdoms armys left nk, led by themander of the 2nd group, Count Muhe followed the Viscounts unit to charge at the enemys rank, and they both began to mow down the enemys right nk.

    Do not falter! If we dont defeat them here, the capital will be trampled!

    Viscount Davraks shout resounded across the battlefield. As the rtive of Marquis Knap, Viscount Davrak needed to y an active role on this battlefield.

    But even without that, it was true that the Viscount fought very skillfully to the point that after this battle was over, he would receive the Crown princes praises.

    On the other side, Marquis Norporth has also given the order for the 2nd and 3rd groups of the right nk to move. The leader of the infantry unit of the 2nd group is Viscount Degenkolp.

    Originally, the Degenkolp house belonged to the civil faction. At the time of the demon outbreak incident, Viscount Degenkolp gave only a few soldiers to his younger brother and sent him to the battle in his stead. As a result, the Degenkolp house did not have any significant contribution to that battle. It was instead the Zeavert house that also belonged to the civil faction that took all the glory.

    The Degenkolp house and the Zeavert house belong to the same faction, but Viscount Degenkolp still feels apetitive spirit with Count Zeavert. This time, the Viscount gathered his force and participated in this battle with the purpose of getting back his familys honor

    Surround them! But there is no need to rush. Its fine to defeat them one by one!

    Though Viscount Degenkolp belonged to the civil faction, that did not mean that he was a coward. As the soldiers of Viscount Degenkolb kept defeating the living deaths and skeleton warriors on the frontline, themander of the 2nd group of the kingdoms right nk, Count Harfolk, led his soldiers to keep pushing the army of death to the center.

    The army of death has no intelligence. They move via their instinct. Their instinct dictated them to rush toward ces that have living beings. They cannot tire, but they were not invincible. As the kingdoms army kept pushing them from both nks, their rank fell apart. Slowly, the kingdoms army guided the army of death to gather at the center, while preventing the soldiers of death from being able to work in a group.

    After that, the 3rd group from both nks of the kingdoms army went around the 2nd group and attacked the rear of the army of deaths both nks.

    The centerpieces of the 3rd group of the kingdom armys right nks were the men of both Marquis Norporth and Marquis Schramm. But all cavalries were given to the 1st group, and the 3rd group also had split some of their men to the 2nd group, as such, the number of remaining soldiers in the 3rd group was simply insufficient, even though their soldiers were all of high quality.

    But their mobility was nothing short of excellent. After all, their main job was to attack the rear of the enemys nk. All soldiers of the 3rd group wore light equipment, unlike the heavily armed 2nd group.

    Since mobility was the most important trait needed by the 3rd group, the experienced mercenaries and adventurers were put into this group.

    This is the first time I had this kind of battle

    Well, this kind ofrge-scale battle is rare after all.

    The mercenary, Oliver Gekke, who just returned to the capital along with the merchants corps 3 days ago wasmissioned by Marquis Norporth to join this battle

    It was natural for a famous mercenary like Gekke to bemissioned to join this battle since he was in the capital.

    The person that talked with Gekke was his old friend, Luguentz Lazer. Luguentz wore a conspicuous new armor and sword. He was in the midst of battle, yet, he looked quite rxed.

    You also have to be careful, Mazell.

    I am fine with this much.

    Beside Luguentz and Gekke was Mazell. He too wore a set of new unfamiliar equipment. As a student, Mazell has no obligation to participate in this battle, but he himself wished to help the capital that has fallen into a crisis, as such, he participated in this battle as a newly registered adventurer.

    Rather than himself, Mazell was actually more worried about the boy beside him.

    Dont force yourself, Feli.

    I know!

    Feli also participated in this battle. In short, all members of the mercenary corps have returned safely along with the new equipment. Mazells group borrowed the new equipment from the Zeavert house. They were able to gain the Zeaverts house permission to borrow the equipment because one, they said Welner wanted them to use it, and two because they promised to take all responsibility.

    It was also thanks to Gekke and Felis persuasion. Gekke said, These boys are better at fighting than your average soldiers, so you can let them use the equipment with ease while Feli said  Big Bro will definitely let us borrow them! Felis words especially held a strange persuasive force.

    Please do not worry. I will help him.

    I apologize for your troubles.

    Elrich, then one that had been helping Mazells group to train while the Zeaverts army was away from the capital, reassured Mazell and Mazell replied to him with a bow. Elrich too was wearing a new set of equipment. Mazels group was especially conspicuous among the army.

    Well then everyone, lets go.

    Dont let your guard down.

    With that, the 3rd group which wasposed of the Marquiss soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers went around the 2nd group and attacked the rear of the army of deaths nks almost simultaneously. Without any time to react, the soldiers of the army of death were obliterated.

    Then, the 1st and 2nd divisions of the kingdoms knights that had been destroying the enemys nks joined forces to begin another attack.

    T/N: Hello, Nisarah is here! So since my uni starts tomorrow, the release schedule will be moved to Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Anyway if you find any mistakes or confusion in this chapter (Since a war chapter is honestly harder to trante) you can mention them in thement.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

    What the hell is thisHow did this happen!!??

    The mage Belis cannot understand the sight in front of him.

    The Crown prince was right about Belis being an amateur. Belis did not have any experience in leading an army. But for Belis that should not be a problem. After all, in the world of demons, the stronger one will definitely win.

    In a one-to-one battle, the living dead and the skeleton soldiers have superior strength and staminapared to human soldiers. As for endurance? That was not even a question! The number of soldiers in the army of death was also superiorpared to the human army. There was no way he could have lost.

    Yet after the kingdoms cavalry destroyed the army of deaths two nks, and the kingdoms soldiers attacked the rear of the army of deaths two nks Belis stopped understanding what exactly happened in front of him. He also had no time to try to understand as the situation in front of him kept changing.

    When he realized it, his army which was supposed to have the superior number was surrounded by the kingdoms army. As the kingdoms army kept pushing its army from all sides, Belis was lost. He did not know what kind ofmand he should give in this kind of situation.

    Since the soldiers of the army of death did not receive anymand from Belis, they kept blindly attacking any living beings. They were forced into a situation in which they did not have enough space to dodge as the soldiers of the kingdoms army destroyed them one at a time.

    YYou bastard! <me Storm>!

    While Belis was thinking for the first time that his soldiers around him were a hindrance, Belis chanted a spell and shot the area magic toward the kingdoms army in front of him. Where Beliss magic exploded, shrieks and groans of pain can be heard.

    A Mage!

    Thats where he is!

    Archer squad, shoot!

    The entire army already knew what had happened at the Veritza Fortress, that was why every soldier knew of the possibility that area magic might be used in this battle. At the very least, no soldiers would run away at the sight of area magic. Though not being able to decrease the damage was quite painful for the kingdom, allmanders knew that the current priority was to kill the mage as soon as possible.

    After the soldiers pointed out where Bellis was, Baron Kupfernagel ordered the archery squad to fire their arrows in that direction. One by one rain of arrows fell on the ce where Bellis was standing. Though mere arrows will not be able to kill Bellis, he was unable topletely ignore the damage that will build up either.

    Not to mention that when the living dead fell due to the arrows striking, other soldiers of death would fill the hole caused by the living dead making the rank of the army of death even more chaotic, and it caused Belliss movement to be restricted.

    The sound of arrows flying and the physical damage caused by them when they hit Belliss body made him able to only have a grasp on his close surroundings. Though in the first ce, Bellis has no ability tomand an army.

    On the other hand, there was one group among the group of mercenaries and adventurers that attacked the rear of the army of deaths two nks.

    Huff

    With just one swing of his sword, Mazell bisected the living dead in front of him and he continued to attack a skeleton soldier. Beside him was Luguentz. He too cut a living dead that swung a huge sword with merely one swing.

    This sword is really sharp.

    I have to agree.

    While fighting, Luguentz let out a sigh of amazement and Mazell replied to him. Mazell now understood why Welner told him to just use it, or rather he was half grateful and half amazed by Welner who easily let him borrow this kind of amazing sword.

    A little further for them, Feli cut the skull of a skeleton warrior to pieces. The adults around him let out a gasp of surprise. Mazell and hispanions were probably the only people here who were not surprised by Felis feat.

    Oh, you are quite skilled.

    Youre skilled too, uncle!

    Elrich, who Feli called uncle, let out a bitter smile. Yet, he did not fix Felis way of addressing him, as he kicked a living dead strongly causing it to stop moving.

    For a monk who was in the midst of training, Elrich was quite skilled in fighting. He was the only one among Mazelspanions that did not borrow weapons from the Zeavert house, yet that does not mean that he has fallen behind Mazell and others. With just his fist and kick he repeatedly returned the moving corpses to ordinary corpses.

    If Welner was here, he would probablyment well, this is not too bad After all the weapons held by the current Mazell and hispanions were weapons that originally appeared in the middle stage of the game. For them to use those weapons in the beginning stage of the game like this was already quite excessive.

    But in the eyes of the soldiers, this group who killed one enemy with just one strike has no choice but to stand out.

    Along with these four that destroyed arge number of enemies in the vanguard, the mercenaries group led by Gekke was able to skillfully energy the crack within the enemys formation. Then, the knights that rushed from behind used the group battle tactic and sessfully cut the number of the enemy, making the army of death suffer even more damage. It did not take long for the enemys rear which suffered a pincer attack topletely copse.

    There was no such thing as fear in the mind of the soldiers of death, yet, after one part of their rear copsed, the entire army of death started to be chaotic. Right after the copse of that rear, Mazell and hispanions heard a deafening explosion-like sound from the distance. It was the sound of countless arrows raining down on one part of the army of death.

    The enemysmander is at the ce where the arrows are concentrated! Aim there!

    Yes!

    Dont let him get away!

    Because of these voices, all soldiers turned their feet to Belliss direction. As a result, the soldiers of death that were standing between Bellis and the kingdoms army werepletely obliterated. Things like being lost in momentum certainly existed, as the fear of the army of death that rooted in the heart of some soldiers haspletely disappeared.

    Like a surging wave, everyone that has confidence in their skill, be it the kingdoms soldiers, the mercenaries, or adventurers turned their weapon to the direction where the arrow rained down.

    Y..You BastardHowHow did this happen

    It looks like thats the boss.

    Yeah.

    The sturdiness of the soldiers of death backfired. The soldiers of death that kept moving with arrows stuck on their body acted as a mark for the kingdoms soldiers to find Bellis.

    Among the kingdoms soldiers that swarmed toward Bellis, Mazell and Luguentz kept destroying the soldiers of death that stood between them and Bellis and in mere seconds they sessfully reached Bellis.

    Why! Why did things be like this! Why

    The soldiers of death that surrounded him made it hard for Bellis to run. Bellis wanted to put up ast resistance, and yet he was unable to do so. He was unable to grasp the situation around him, and he was unable to understand what he could do.

    Bellis desperate shout was easily cut off by Mazell with one swing.

    The enemymander has died!!

    The adventurer killed the mage!

    Exterminate the army of death! Leave no one alive!

    Yes!

    After the news of Belliss death reached his ear, the Crown Prince ordered that without any hesitation, and the soldiers let out battle cry and started the extermination battle. It was only when the beautiful sunset dyed thend that all soldiers of death stopped moving.

    Thus, the battle of Hildea in which was feared by the kingdom ended with the kingdoms overwhelming victory. The voices of the soldiers that praised the Crown Prince, Hubertus, resounded.

    As for the main culprit that brought the legendary battle of Cannae [1] to this world, Welner

    (Note: Battle between Carthage (modern Tunnisia) led by Hannibal vs Roman empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cannae /watch?v=xjnck2XvuPQ&t=1141s )

    Ah, so the merchant corps has safely returned to the capital.

    That is correct. I have heard that your esteemed father was amazed by the equipment that was brought back by the merchants corps.

    He was rubbing his chest in relief after hearing the message of the merchant corps safe return.

    From the messenger, Welner learned that there were some injuries among the merchant corps but no casualties. He also confirmed that the appropriate remuneration for this sess was already paid. After Welner also got his desired information about the situation in the capital, he put down the report regarding the merchants corps and turned his attention back to the refugees escort mission. While listening to the report from the scouts, Welner gave them the order to keep their vignce for tonight.

    Without knowing about the battle of Hildea in, Welner was swamped with his own work. It was onlyte at night that Welner once again turned his attention to the report of the merchant corps journey.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    The next morning after the messenger from my father came, themanders gathered at the headquarters. We have breakfast with the Duke while giving our own report to the duke.

    There was a battle near the capital. Apparently, our kingdoms army was victorious. I will share the details while we are eating.

    Duke, can you stop dropping that kind of bomb!? Look what youve done! Everyone is so surprised that they are leaning forward like that!

    Well, we cant be surprised for long. The duke immediately asked for the regr reports, so Viscount Kauffeldt gave his report on the situation around the camp. Perhaps being really curious about the duke bomb everyone seems to be more high-spirited than ever. Well, obviously this will happen.

    By the way, my report is about the demand of refugees. Not all of them though. Since If I listened to all demands both my mind and the armys goods stock wont be able to handle it.

    Some people told me their demands with expressions that seemed to say You will definitely listen to my words, right? They might feel that they told their demand in a one-on-one conversation with me but for me, I was forced to listen to the demand of several people.

    Well, no matter how earnestly they told me what they wanted, the arm didnt have any capacity to grant all their wishes. Talking to the refugees about their demands made me feel about how humans are creatures that think that they themselves were the most special.

    After everyone finished giving their report, breakfast finally was brought in. Todays breakfast is the usual something simr to bread that was created by baked wheat, and somewhat salty soup. We also have cheese here. As for the drink, its diluted vinegar.

    Every one of these foods is made with the intention to preserve them for a long time. The soup is salty because theres pickled dried meat in it, and the vinegar will take a longer time to spoilpared to water. Well, normal alcohol will also take a longer time to spoilpared to water but we cant have themanders drunk.

    Sometimes, the breakfast will also include dried fruits but today theres no dried fruit. Well, we will reach the capital in a few days so thats not a problem.

    After being victorious, did His Highness lead his army to retake the Veritza Fortress?

    He did.

    After listening to the dukes exnation, Baron Kretschmer asked a question to confirm the situation. The Baron seems to regret the fact that he was unable to participate in the battle. Well, I guess he really is a military man.

    Im also surprised when I heard that after His Highness exterminated the enemy, he went to attack the Veritza Fortress. But I understand his reasoning. Especially from the military standpoint.

    If it is to protect the capital, both the military faction and the civil faction have no other choice but to lend their soldiers, but to retake the fortress? Thats a different matter. If His Highness chooses to disband the army after seeding in the battle to protect the capital, then create another new army to retake the fortresster on, then there will be some people who disagree with creating an army to retake the fortress. The mission to retake the fortress will be more of a political problem, rather than a military one

    But currently, the army has just achieved a great victory and due to His Highnesss extermination order, the number of enemy forces has decreased significantly. The kingdom armys morale is also sky high due to the victory. Compared to that, the enemys number and morale are at rock bottom. I understand that currently is the best time to try to retake the fortress.

    Still, His Highness sure is going all out while Im thinking like that, the Duke shoots me a strange look. Why?

    Right. I heard it was Mazell-kun that killed the enemysmander.

    I almost sprayed my soup. Looking at me like that, the dukes eyes areughing. Ah, hes doing it on purpose.

    Ah, that hero?

    Just likest time, he got another great achievement.

    While hearing the conversation between Count Engelbert and Viscount Kauffeldt, I became more curious about another matter.

    ording to the Duke, the battle happened 3 days after the merchant corps returned from the capital. I only got the information about the merchant corps safe returnst night, but the Duke got the information about the battle just 1 day after the battle was finished. It might be because the information about the battle is higher in prioritypared to my information about the merchant corps, still, both pieces of information took time to reach us. In the future, this kind of timeg between the incident and the information might also happen.

    Plus in the future when the influence of the demon army has strengthened, it might be even more dangerous for the messenger to use the highway to ry information since unlike the capital and the pce, the highway didnt have any anti-demon barrier. It mighte to the point where it bes dangerous for even a knight to use the highway.

    Killing the enemys messenger to disrupt their flow of information is something that often happens even in battles between humans. In the battle against the demon army, this can be done semi-automatically as the demons will just attack all humans, including the messenger, on sight. If we didnt have any way to maintain the flow of information, wouldnt we lose the momentum of the battle against the demon?

    Since the reason Triot didnt make an appearance in the game is that it was destroyed by the devils, it might be safe to assume that other towns and countries that didnt appear in the game were also destroyed. If this is true, then information bes more and more important.

    A simple solution like making a signal fire cant be used to fix the problem in information flow. I mean if a signal fire is used outside of a town, then the wandering demons might attack it. That means the kingdom needs to have soldiers guard the signal fire to keep it safe. But that would be a waste of our soldiers. The problem with using signal fire is that in the war with demons we dont know when demons will attack us.

    Even if <i>that</i> item existed in the game, theres no money to buy it. Or rather, that item isnt sold out in the game but realistically speaking that kind of useful item might be sold out in reality. I dont know.

    I didnt notice the Dukes gaze on me while I was lost in my thoughts. I feel like I need to fix my habit of being lost in my thoughts.

    In the end, it took us a few days after that breakfast with the Duke to arrive at the capital. When we arrived at the capital, we headed the refugees to another person thats in charge of helping the refugees in the capital, and the job was finished. At least, for now.

    Thinking about the mountain of jobs that the person needs toplete after being put in charge of the refugees in the capital does make me feel sympathy, but I dont have the authority to do anything about it and I also dont want to invite trouble to myself by helping.

    I mean Im still swamped with my own work. I need to give the payment to the scouts and adventurers that I hired, need to make a list of goods used on our journey, and need to make a chart based on the appearance rates of demons on our journey. Part of my job is helped by Father and Fathers butler, Norbert.

    By the way, since I went on the refugees mission on behalf of my father, I used the office next to my fathers office in the pce to finish my work. Since Im working in the pce, Im wearing formal attire. The office Im currently using is originally meant for my fathers aide. Though technically as a vice-count, I <i>am</i> fathers aide.

    If its work regarding the county then I can do it in the mansion, but since this time its military work given to me by the royal family, I need to finish it in the pce. Since I included The money used to hire the adventurers and the mercenaries in the budget n I gave to the kingdom, it will be paid by the kingdom, so its considered a government expenditure. But the additional reward for the adventurers will be paid privately.

    The most troublesome thing about this is to get the bnce between the expenditure and the money the kingdom gave us. Its going to be a problem ifter on, people said I took some money for myself.

    As Im groaning while keeping my feather pen running, I received a message from my fathers secretary that my father called me. The secretary looks old, but I guess since hes the secretary of the Minister of Ceremonies he needs to be an experienced person. I probably still have a lot of mistakes in the budget report but I just went to Fathers office next door first.

    I entered the office after giving a bow. As Im technically Fathers aide right now, I need to keep my manner as a noble. Father looked at me with a bitter smile and said, I want you tomand some people again tomorrow.

    Father, you do know Im still a student, right?

    I tried to refuse this sudden job, but Im pretty sure its useless. Thats the downside of having peerage. When nothing is happening, nobles with peerage can receive money without doing anything but once an incident happens, we will be really busy since the kingdom will use our ability to the limit.

    Still, judging by Fathers expression, I dont think its a big incident this time.

    I understand your meaning, but this time you will be able to watch a quite interesting thing from a special seat up front.

    Special seats?

    We seeded in retaking the Veritza Fortress.

    Woah, as expected of His Highness.

    I heard it was Mazell-kun that defeated the enemys general, Dreax.

    Whoah

    This time I let out the voice. But now that I think about it, I dont know if the fact that it was Mazell that defeated Dreax, the big boss of the Veritza Fortress, is a coincidence or the games correction.

    His Majesty said that we need someone to control the citizens excitement in the triumphant return of our army.

    So my job is to prevent an ident from urring when the army returns. I understand.

    Neither I nor my father knows that at this time, the citizens are already excited when they heard the news of the armys triumphant return. This is all the fault of the messenger. I know that youre excited about the fact that we won, but cant you keep your mouth shut!!??

    The person in charge for tomorrow is COunt Engelbert, so listen to the Counts order. I will prepare what you need.

    Understood.

    I bowed. Thus, Ive epted the royal decree via my father. I need to increase my speed in finishing the documents.

    Well, since its my friend Mazells return even without this job I will wee him. Since It will be hard to publicly wee him tomorrow, I want to finish these documents as quickly as possible to meet him after the return ceremony.

    T/N: What happened after this, you can read it in the first chapter. Also we will be editing the old chapters from now.

    <em><strong>If you like the novel dont forget to leave a review on Novelupdates here</strong></em>

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54

    The merry-making ended yesterday. Today is the time I attended an official business as a noble. Though I said its an official business its not some kind of meeting.

    I shall appoint all of you as knights.

    We are deeply grateful for Your Majestys generosity. Once again, allow us to swear our loyalty to the crown and to this country.

    Today is the knights appointment ceremony. The ceremony is held on the day the first king rose to the throne something simr to the foundation day in my previous world. Its just a holiday for themoners, but for nobles like me, its a day when we all must attend this ceremony. Some promisingmoners might also attend the ceremony, but there are usually only 1moner family that attended. This time theres some exception though.

    I heard there was a n to postpone the ceremony because of the battle to retake the fortress, but the battle ended before the ceremony started so in the end, the postponement didnt happen. I dont know if its better for the ceremony to be postponed or not.

    His Highness the Crown Prince is standing beside His Majesty, and Father is standing beside His Highness. Well, this is a ceremony so it falls under Fathers jurisdiction. As for me, since I just became a vice count Im still just observing the ceremony but next year I might also need to aid Father.

    I thought that theyre going to be appointed one by one.

    Well, thats how a knight appointment ceremony is depicted in the story.

    In many story books, the usual scene of a knight being appointed is depicted as a person kneeling and then the king will put a sword over his shoulder to appoint him or her as a knight.

    But in reality, the knight appointment ceremony is more of a graduation ceremony for the apprentice knights. Thats why the kingdom might need to appoint tens of people at once. The procedure might differ depending on countries but generally, the appointment ceremony is done in bulk.

    Plus the sword used in the appointment ceremony like this is also not light. If the king used the sword to appoint dozens of knights in session, his hands might fall off. Thats why the king only needs to put the sword on a representatives soldiers, while the rest of graduating apprentice knights only need to kneel behind the representative.

    I remember that in my past life, the ritual of the king putting a sword on a knights shoulder dated back to thete mediaeval age when knights had be obsolete. The reason this kind of ritual existed is so the obsolete knights can have a taste of the remnant of their prestige through theatrical performance. Since the knights have yet to be obsolete in this world, for this kind of ritual to exist in this world means that the creator of this world created it pretty half-baked.

    Along with ourrade, our shieldpanions, we swore by our swords to dedicate our loyalty to our king.

    We swore.

    After the representative dered the oath, the other apprentice followed suit. Then, the ce is filled with apuse. I and Mazell also apuded. Then, Mazell asked me with a low voice, What are shieldpanions?

    The knights that were appointed in the same ceremony as you are called shieldpanions.

    I guess its simr to the sakura of the same period[1] in my past life. If the sword in the oath symbolised the vertical rtionship between the knights and the royal family, then the shield symbolised the horizontal cooperation rtionship between knights. From now on, the rtionship between those knights will be as close as the rtionship between brothers.

    (Note: this is a phrase thate from a japanese military song, it meansrade from the same military school)

    The role of shieldpanions isnt included in the official job description of the knights. Their role is like an informal social security system. For example, if a knight that died in a battle left a widow and/or orphans, then the shieldpanions will all support their daily livelihood and their orphans education.

    The one most benefited by this system is the kingdom since the kingdom doesnt need to pay the dead knights pensionahem!

    As such, in this kingdom <b>a knight and a noble</b> , <b>a noble but not a knight</b> and <b>a knight but not a noble</b> are all possible. Since a student cant be a knight, Im one of <b>a noble but not a knight</b> so I dont have shieldpanions.

    Mazell also says he doesnt have intention to be a knight, while Im already a noble. It will be hard for me if I want to be an apprentice knight now. Thats why now I just need to focus on being noble by amassing my own connection.

    When amoner bes a noble, he faces a lot of trouble. He doesnt have any connection with other nobles, he needs to learn the troublesome manner, and he also needs to deal with the jealousy from other nobles. Commoner bes a noble and then he lives happily ever after is something that only existed in a fairytale.

    By the way, theres been a talk for the kingdom to confer a peerage to Mazell for his achievement in defeating Dreax, but His Highness stopped the talk.

    Publicly, His Highness stopped the talk by saying hes still a student but in reality since I was conferred a peerage as a student, it shouldnt be a problem for Mazell too. If Mazell came from a noble house, Im sure the kingdom would give him a peerage.

    The real reason is, ording to His Highness, If he got a peerage then next he will get an engagement, and many more in other words, it was because His Highness feared that many things would end up tying Mazell.

    His Highness asked me to I hope you convey this well to Mazell-kun but Mazell himself didnt want to be a noble so he was happy to not receive any peerage. Back then, didnt you say that Im the only person who willin when he gets a peerage? Looks like you also do!

    Theres going to be a banquet party with the newly appointed knights as the main characters. As the son of the Minister of Ceremonies, Im going to work as the aide of the head staff of the banquet so I doubt there are going to be many instances where I need to show my face in the banquet. As for Mazell, after promising to meet me tomorrow he returned to the dormitory.

    The staffs have their own problems. The kitchen is especially busy. After all, its going to be an embarrassment for the royal family if there is no food and wine on the tables, so everyone needs to grasp the perfect timing to rece the foods and wines on the table before it ispletely empty. Once in a while, there is going to be someone who feels unwell in the middle of the banquet so we need to think on how to handle them. We also need to be prepared to answer any question at the banquet.

    Everyone is busy, simr to when theres a wedding reception party at home. This is Fathers job as the Minister of Ceremonies so it cant be helped.

    Well, it is my job to coordinate the timing of rearrangement of the foods on the banquets table as Fathers aide. The table will end up being empty if we only bring the new food when all the food on the table is taken. We also need to take the distance between the banquet hall and the kitchen into ount as they are quite far from each other. All in all, I need to grasp the perfect timing to prevent the table from being empty.

    I spent the morning attending the ceremony, while I spent the whole afternoon helping with the party and the cleanup. Its exhausting but technically this is my original job as my fathers aide, not leading an army. When the evening came, 2 knights visited me in my room. Ah Im busy.

    I am Cres Gauther Schunzel and he is Vk Birol Neurath.

    It has been a while, Welner-sama.

    It has been a while, Sir Cres, Sir Vk.

    I ended up repeating Sir Cress greeting. The Schunzel house and Neurath house are both rted to the Zeavert house. Not closely rted to the point I can call them cousins, at most I can call them a distant rtive. Thats why both of them are not strangers to me. They are older than me though.

    From today on, both of us are assigned to be under Viscount Zeavert.

    I look forward to working with you.

    Got it.

    So they were both assigned to be my subordinates. Max, Augen, and Barkey are my fathers subordinates so unlike them, Neurath and Schunzel will be directly under mymand. When I inherit the count title in the future, both of them will probably upy simr positions to Max and others.

    Even though Im still just a student, as long as Im a noble, there will be many instances where knights will be put under me. Since officially viscount is higher ranked than knights and orderlies are even lower ranked than knights. Thats why I need to change the way I speak ordingly[2]. Im sure both Neurath and Schunzel understood that, thats why none of themined about the fact that I changed the way Im speaking with them.

    (Note: Welner was talking with a polite Japanese when he first greeted Cres and Vk and changed to casual Japanese after he heard Cres and Vk are appointed as his subordinate.)

    I dont have any work to give to you both now but theres something I need to speak to both of you so, probably in two days

    Understood.

    Then, will it be fine if wee to the mansion the day after tomorrow at the morning?

    I want you toe here, but we will talk in the pce.

    I understand.

    Yup. My stomach hurt, again. Its kind of nervous to have people older than me as my subordinate. Though I guess Im kinda used to it now. When we start working, Im sure I will forget the fact that they both are older than me. Im d that at least they are people of my generation, not some 40 years old men.

    For now I need to be careful so they dont die in vain because of my order.

    After Neurath and Scunzhel left my room, I continued to sort the information that I have. Then, a new visitor came to my room. Its Frenssen, the butler that apanied the merchant corps. I dont know why he came here.

    The Master has ordered me to be your aide, Welner-sama. It will be a pleasure to work with you.

    Huh? Frenssens words surprised me

    Its so sudden. But I understood after I heard the details from Frenssen. It seems like Father gave me a full-time aide because as someone who entered His Highnesss good grace, Father predicted there are going to be many times I need to move independently in the future.

    Im surprised, but at the same time Im grateful. Because Im sure Fathers prediction will be right and Im going to have more jobs piled up.

    The main reason Im busy is that Im doing a job that I dont have to do, but If I dont do it Im afraid that the royal family might kill me. Im just a simple coward.

    Ok. From now on, Im going to be counting on you.

    Please take care of me, Welner-sama.

    If my brother is still alive, he and Frenssen will be in the same generation. He might have been my brothers aide candidate. Though if my brother is alive, Im going to be nothing but spare heir. If that happens I dont know if Im going to have a better life or not.

    While thinking about that, I told Frenssen about my business tomorrow and also asked him about a thing that Ive been curious about.

    Mazell and hispanions will be here tomorrow morning, so I want you to also be here.

    As you wish.

    If hes here tomorrow, I dont have to give extra exnation to him.

    Another thing. I dont need you to do this immediately, but can you investigate Mangold, the deceased Marquis Knaps son?

    Investigating Sir Mangold?

    He went missing when I was away from the capital. I want to know what he did before he went missing.

    Yes, sir.

    Im curious about what kind of people he led to attack the fortress, what kind of equipment he and his people used, and everything that Magold did while he was at the capital so I want Frenssen to investigate it. I just need to sit and wait for his report.

    Tomorrow, I need to exchange information with Mazell and hispanions.

    T/N: We tried to trim down the infodump a bit to make them into reasonable length, rather than using the skip button. Please give us your feedback in thement.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    The early morning next day. The sky is clear. As expected the punctual Mazell brought hispanions here on time. I, the person that actually lived in the mansion, is the one that camest. I was fighting with the documents untilte at night.

    After everyone has assembled, the maid Tiru pours us tea since its still early morning even though Ive eaten breakfast. This is Elrichs first time tasting this tea, but it seems like he liked it. As for Felix, he, as always, kept adding sugars into his tea.

    Well done, everyone.

    You too, Welner.

    The n and the equipment you told us to bring really helped us.

    You were spot on when you suggested that entering the fortress from its toilets would be the most discreet way to proceed.

    Frenssen is also present here, so I introduced everyone to Frenssen. After that I asked Mazell, Luguentz, Elrich, and Feli who had made a contribution to recapture Veritza Fortress to share their experience.

    Feli said he just casually joined the battle in Hildea in and Veritza Fortress whileughing. Only Elrich is convinced by Felis words.

    That being said, in the game Feli is supposed to join Mazells party after the battle in Veritza Fortress so theres a slight discrepancy between the game and the reality. Well, thats not a problem. For now, I need to verify the specifics of the battle first.

    Im d I can help. As for the equipment, you can use it for now . Also there are some things that I need to verify

    What I wanted to verify is the appearance of that idiot, I mean, that eldest son of Marquis Knap, Magold. I thought he might be among the soldiers of death that fought the kingdoms army in Hildea in, but apparently no one has seen him in that battle

    I thought someone would definitely see him or at least his corpses in the Veritza Fortress.

    At least, I dont think I saw someone wearing noble-like clothes.

    Yeah, me too.

    I also told them his physical features (Ive only saw him for few seconds so I also cant provide too much detail though) but no one here saw someone like him. But then again, its impossible to expect Mazells party to have seen the face of every single enemys soldiers in the battlefield.

    That guy, is he dead or alive?

    Is he bothering you that much? Mazell asked me.

    Yeah, I got a strange feeling about his disappearance.

    I actually wont be bothered about him if he was confirmed to be dead like a fool he is, but the fact that even his corpse cant be found is strange. But well, since I had already entrusted Frenssen to investigate this, I can put this problem forter.

    I will investigate this on my own. Now, lets hear your story.

    Ok.

    After saying that, I listened to their story about fighting at the Veritza Fortress. As expected, Dreax is a living armor. Because of that, they apparently had a bit of struggle.

    Rather than Dreax, I was more interested in the Veritza Fortressss dungeon mid-boss..

    So there was another mage in the fortress?

    Not only did we find that there was another mage, we also found that in total there were 3 devils, excluding the Demon General.

    I frowned at Luguentzs remark. 3? There were only 2 random encounter monsters in the Veritza Fortress dungeon.

    While seeing me lost in my thoughts as I tried to recall the game, Mazell said, One of them was killed in the Hildea in battle and another one was killed in in front of the stairs leading to the third floor of Veritza Fortress.

    This part is the same as the game. The difference is the third devils. It seems like right before entering the lord of Fortress Dreaxs room, Feli heard Dreax say, When that timees, please help me.

    What? That kind of scene didnt exist in the game, or rather, how can Dreax, the honorable Demon Generals, request someone for help?

    No wait, maybe Dreax was asking for help from his subordinates? I mean I also often asked Max and other peoples help. But thats still strange. From what I know, all 3 Demons Generals are haughty. For that kind of Demon General to be asking someone for help?

    It seems like theres been a drastic changepared to the game that I knew. Maybe it was because Felix joined Mazells party earlier than the game? I dont know. Is there any more differencepared to the game? Lets find that out first.

    But when you entered the room, there was only the Demon General, right?

    Actually, there were also two skeleton warriors and one living armour guarding the Demon General. None of them can converse.

    So that part is the same as the game. Hmm that means there was another devil that escaped from that room. No, since this mysterious devil didnt participate in the battle, I cant really said he escaped

    Got it. Have you all reported this to the pce?

    Yeah, weve done that.

    Although it might be useless to think about that mysterious devil, trying to remember about it wont do me any harm. This world has gradually deviated from the games story so I should be extra careful.

    Anything else?

    Hmm Ah! We found a ck gem.

    I was the one who found it! Said Felix with a smug face.

    Hm ck gem?

    The same ck gem that you found in the possession of the demon outbreak (Stampede)s mastermind?

    Yeah, though the shape was a little bit different.

    That ck game is also something I never found in the game. Does that mean theres really something in this reality that causes all these changes? If so, what?

    Whats it like?

    Hmm It was about this big.

    Mazell gestured with this hand. So the ck game is about 2 times smaller than a fist. Its prettyrge.

    The whole gem is ck. It gives out this kind of bizarre and unpleasant feeling.

    Bizzare, huh. Can I take a look at the actual gem?

    Sorry, weve already turned it into the kingdom.

    I see. Thats a shame.

    It will be better if I can see the gem myself. Well, theres no need to rush. I can just send a request to the pce to see it.

    Elrich has been silent in the whole conversation, but he finally said, By the way, I heard there is something you wish to show us?

    Ah, right. Let us talk about that next.

    I always reflexively talk with Elrich politely [1] How should I put it? He always exudes the air of an amazing andpetent man.

    (Note: Welner always uses polite Japanese with Elrich, even in this conversation, while before when he was talking with Mazell he used casual Japanese.)

    T/N:

    Hi, everyone, Nisarah is here! So I have some information regarding sundays announcement of info dump trimming:

    We will not be trimming down any information which is remotely important to the storyline so please dont worry. I mean, I, personally, also liked the info dump (Otherwise I wont tranting this novel, right?) and I also think that the info dump is one of the charm of this story,

    The reason why we made a decision to trim some info dump is because we are currently facing a very issue because of infodumps. Unlike website, we cant provide skip buttons on patreon as patreon doesnt offer that function. In other word, if someone is reading on patreon and wants to skip the infodumps, s/he cant do that. We are trying to strike bnce between both types of readers. We have even purchased the LN of this novel and used that as a guide to trim down the infodumps. We will keep the info dump heavy feeling of this novel, but at the same time, not letting it be overwhelming. While In all senses, this change is going to increase our workload in many way (especially our editor Fleeting and Nyx, praise editor-sama!) but this is the best we can do. Let us know what you think. Thank you.

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    I signalled Frenssen to fetch a blue box. Inside of it are items purchased by the merchants corps. Some items will be pretty useful to me since they are simr to the items in the game.

    I retrieved one item. It might be better to test it first before we all use it, but well this item works in the game so it should be fine, right..?

    This is the thing that I want to show..

    What is that?

    Ah, I remember! Isnt that one of the items the merchants brought in some town?

    It seems like Feli recognized this. Its the Skywalk. Its a keychain-sized pair of adventurer shoes decorated with feathers. Its amon design in my past life.

    Though I hope Feli remembers the name of the town, not just <i>some town</i> since Felis memory of town names is important for my n.

    So what is this? Mazell ask with a curious tone

    Its a magic item that can be used by a party.

    Maybe not many people know about this item. Its true that when I was ying the game and Im still in the royal capital, the tutorial to use this item didnt exist.

    So, how do you use this item?

    Usually it will be used by a party or a team, but I think it can be used as an individual too.

    In the game, Laura the High Priest and an old Wizard named Uwe will also be part of Mazells party. But here, the two of them have yet to join the party and in their ce, theres me and Frennsen so it shouldnt exceed the maximum number of people this item can move.

    For our first time, I think going to Hafen town will be fine. After telling Frenssen to hold the box securely, I give a Skywalk to Feli.

    Feli, hold this and think about Hafen town, then say to Hafen

    I dont really understand why you want me to do that, but sure. <b>To Hafen</b>.

    Right after Feli said that, the surrounding space became distorted. In the game, both the moving and the sound effects are the same as an old anime so it gives out a cheap feeling. I feel kinda sick since my semicircr canals are being shaked.

    By the time we finally regained our senses, the whole group was standing right in front of Hafen town. Yup, it worked.

    Hey, what in the world is this!?

    Luguentz said that while staring at me. Well, thats an understandable reaction.

    Lets enter the town first. Its going to be troublesome if demons attack us here.

    Right. But you will exin everything <i>thoroughly</i>ter, right, Welner?

    Oh, even Mazell speaks up. Well, of course he will, huh. Still, I can conclude from this that Mazell didnt know about Skywalk. I wonder if he will buy my exnationter.

    Frenssen took care of the gatekeeper. Our cover story is that we are a noble apanied by his guards thats in the middle of travelling incognito to y. I think that Frenssen is also confused like Mazell andpany, but he still remained calm enough to talk with the gatekeeper. Surprisingly, Frenssen might be quitepetent.

    Come to think of it, we were teleported to a secluded ce. Im d. I mean, if a group of people suddenly popped out of thin air, wont it cause a ruckus?

    Now then, shall we listen to your exnation?

    Dont look at me like that.

    We entered a bar and ced a simple order. When the food was finallyid out on our table, Mazell and Elrich were ring at me while Luguentzs expression was practically like interrogating a criminal.

    This item is called Skywalk. It cant be acquired in the capital. I think you need to buy it from towns far from the capital.

    Ah, I see!

    Out of the blue, Feli extended his arm and said this. He also said, <i>Oh, it disappeared because it was a single-use item!</i> I guess it literally disappeared like in the game.

    Just like Feli said, its a single-use item. As you have experienced, its an item that uses magic to transport you to any ce youve been to in an instant.

    Wait, that kind of thing actually exists!?

    Frenssen gasped in surprise. Hmm even though Skywalk cant be purchased in the capital, it is still strange for even people that served a noble house to not know of its existence. I should investigate this matterter.

    I also dont know the principle behind it. It was apparently a relic of an ancient kingdom. Using it is simple, as you all have seen earlier.

    It <b>is </b>simple to use but I didnt know this kind of thing existed

    As if asking, <i>where did you learn about this item?</i> Mazell looked at me. Well, Ive prepared an excuse for that.

    When I was investigating the ancient kingdom because of the equipment that I wanted the merchant party to buy, I discovered this item.

    I see.

    Mazell looked at the remaining Skywalks in the box fixedly. Other than the Skywalks, theres also a medicine bottle that looks like potion, but is not a potion. Should I also exin about it?

    While I was thinking like that, Elrich, who was also looking at the box, turned his attention toward me.

    Could this power be a national secret?

    I dont think it is.

    At the very least, Ive never heard about this item from people in this world. Though, I have to agree that it was strange for items that no one knew how to use to be so expensive.

    Maybe the seller just sold it with a hefty price because its a premium item that could only be acquired by excavation? Even if thats the reason why these items are expensive, the fact that all vendors in all towns sold this item with the exact same price is also strange. In the past, I didnt get bothered by this because it was a game.

    Maybe only people of certain professions have the knowledge about how to use this item. Well, even if thats true, it didnt matter. All that matters is that this item is useful.

    Even if these items are national secrets, it should be fine for you all to know how to use them, especially for the sake of the future.

    What do you mean?

    Mazell asked me doubtfully. Well, I knew that in the future they will be pulled into a lot of hassle.

    Now that all of you have fought the demon army and Mazell have even killed a Demon General, Im sure that in the future you will all be pulled into a political affair.

    I guess thats given.

    Luguentz seemed to have understood, and Elrich nodded.

    Although His Highness seems to have no intention to shackle all of you using politics at least for now, it doesnt mean other nobles wont try to.

    I still dont really understand.

    I shrug my shoulders in response to Mazells words.

    What I mean is that in the future there might be a noble that wants to shackle all of you using politics. If that happens, you can use this to run away to another town.

    Hahaha, I see!

    Laughter escaped Felis mouth. After that, Feli turned to me with a serious expression.

    Big bro, does that apply to me too?

    Yes. From the perspective of nobles, you are part of Mazellspanion. Plus, I also have a request for you, Feli.

    A request?

    For now, only Feli and Frenssen have gone to various towns. But since Frenssen is no expert inbat, only Feli would be able to help Mazells party in their journey.

    On top of that, Feli was originally supposed to join Mazells party after the Veritza Fortress incident. I will brush off the fact that he had joined earlier than he did in the game.

    Youve been to many towns so I want to ask you to help Mazell and the others in their journey.

    Cant they just use this thing to travel to all towns Ive visited so I dont have to apany them?

    Feli is right. Thats possible but the problem is

    You can buy 3 swords in the capital with one of these.

    Eek

    This thing is too expensive. Actually, the amount of gold and silver coins I gave to Feli when we first met wouldnt be enough to buy even one of these. In the game, the amount of money given to the heros party by the king was also not enough to buy Skywalk. The games king is too stingy.

    One other problem is that theres a chance that the current Mazells party wont be able to defeat demons that appeared in far away towns. The report from the merchant party said that the appearance rates of demons have increased. In the future, the appearance rates of demons might increase even more.

    Currently, I cant let Mazells party go to far away towns unless its an emergency. After all, the cheat that Mazells party has right now is just the party members, my knowledge of the game, and equipment. I doubt the overall strength of the current Mazells party can handle stronger demons in far away towns.

    Thats why I want you to apany them to visit various towns as their guide, Feli. I will also appreciate it if you can share any information or unusual stories youve heard on the journey with me.

    I understand.

    Feli and Mazell agreed without any fight, but it seems like they noticed the fact that I didnt trust their currentbat capability. Originally, I thought they would get angry about that.

    In exchange, I have a request for you, Welner.

    Sure. Whats it?

    I also feel indebted to you so I dont mind hearing your request.

    T/N: we will be changing merchant corps -> merchant party. Also, if youre curious on what happened next, try to visit our patreon here with chapters freshly out of oven!

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    My first request is about Feli.

    Me?

    Feli looked surprised and so was I. But then Mazells next line strikes me as very typical of him.

    I heard that Feli is from an orphanage. So, while he is traveling with us, can you take care of the orphanage, Welner?

    Got it.

    I said without hesitation. Ive also been thinking about doing that. Come to think about it, I wonder what happened in the game. Im curious since the orphanage didnt appear in the game.

    It looks like Frenssen also wants to say something to me but for now, I choose to ignore him.

    My next request is about Luguentz-san and Elrich-san. They were cooperating with us out of their free will, but

    Got it. I will employ them. I will alsopensate them for their help so far.

    Well, I dont know if it is fine for me to decide to employ them, but Im prepared to even fight my father to do this. In the game, they cooperate with Mazell free of charge, but they will be going on a life-threatening journey. To let them do it for free is absurd. Its only right that they arepensated.

    Considering it this way, the games setting was pretty unreasonable. Aside from the diligent Mazell, only the royalty, Laura, has a reason to cooperate with Mazell for free. No, maybe Uwe, that old man too?

    And well I have another request, but its fine if its not possible

    For Mazell to hesitate that much, I wonder what this request is about.

    If its about the academy, their side will, of course, take care of the problem for you, you know?

    No. Well, Im concerned about that too, but thats not what I meant.

    Come to think of it, In the game, people seem to ignore the fact that a mere student is going on a journey to save the world, but will that be the case in reality? I dont know.

    The fact that the teachers in the academy didnt say anything was also strange. I wonder if in the game, the kingdom secretly made a move so the academy cant do anything. I mean, in the game, it was not clear if the kingdom valued Mazell, or was simply using him. After all, it is also true that a human that might win against the Demon King is a threat to the country.

    Not to mention, in the game, all people that mightin about the fact that the kingdom let a mere student try to save the world had died, not in reality though. That means now, some people might be wary of Mazell.

    If that kind of person exists, I need to be careful. I would never have dreamed of being bothered by court maneuvering at this age. Where should I begin to take a measure?

    While I was brooding over such a thing, Mazell made an unexpected request.

    Could you please contact my family?

    Huh?

    I was abruptly pulled back to reality, but what did he mean? Well, I know he has a family, but why did Mazell ask <b>me</b> to contact them?

    You can contact them yourself, you know.

    No, well, you see, my family and I have a bit

    Big bro Mazell, How about using this shoe to go to your hometown?

    Felis suggestion caught me by surprise. I hadnt thought about that. The Skywalk can only be used to go to the ce youve been before and Alea vige is Mazells hometown. Theres no way he hasnt been to his hometown.

    Still, to think that Feli calls Mazell a big bro. Did he call him that in the game? I dont remember. Well, anyway

    Hes right. Do you want to give it a try?

    Ah, um, yeah

    What? Are you in the middle of a quarrel with your parents or something?

    I listened to the indecisive Mazell with genuine wonder. I dont remember there was that kind of setup in the game.

    Thats not it. I just wondered if they are worried about me

    Oh, I guess parents will be worried if their son who was just a normal viger a few years ago ended up fighting with demons. So Mazell is saying that his parents havente to terms with that.

    I guess human drama wasnt included in the game story. That makes sense since the yers wont want human drama in an RPG game.

    Especially since the protagonist was the yers themselves. Even if the protagonist had his own story before the yers yed as him, it was going to be a hassle for the developer to exin that. It was also going to take a lot of memory, so the developer needed to cut off that part of the story.

    Then, how about you go now? I still have more Skywalks.

    Skywalk is really expensive, but being stingy here would be a mistake as a human being.

    Right, I will go.

    Welner-sama.

    When I was about to hand a Skywalk to Mazell, Frenssen interrupted me. I dont think it was because hes worried about the money While I was thinking like that, he ended up saying a pretty important thing with a calm tone.

    If a person were to vanish suddenly in a bar, people would panic.

    Ah. Youre right.

    Hes right. In the game, nobody cared about that, but that wont be the case in reality. I had been careless. I forgot this is reality.

    I believe the mansion also falls into chaos when people notice we vanished.

    Ah

    I also didnt think about that. Since I doubted that just an exnation would convince Mazells party, I nned to make them experience the effect of Skywalk. Though I have to confess that I was also nning to y a little prank on them.

    Youre right. Lets go outside first and return to the capital. Sorry, Mazell.

    Nah, dont worry. Lets return first.

    It seems like Mazell is relieved. Yup. Mazells response is strange. I dont think he was telling the truth. Its rare for this guy to hide something. I should be careful.

    But ultimately on that day, after sharing some Skywalks with Mazells party, the matter was somehow swept under the rug. The Skywalk can only take you to the entrance of a town so I need to go to the mansion on my own. When I arrived at the mansion, there was a slight uproar. Yeah, yeah, I was wrong.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    I told Frenssen to investigate Mangold this morning, while I went to the pce. How long have I been absent from the academy? I guess I have to ept the fact that Im going to return to the academy after the Demon King is defeated.

    If not because of the sudden summon from the pce, I shouldve been in a meeting with Neurath and Schunzel.

    I am Welner von Zeavert.

    Sir Welner has arrived.

    After I informed the guards of my arrival, they announced it to the room. After that, I was given permission to enter and the guard opened the door.

    Your Highness, I, Welner von Zeavert, have arrived.

    Thank you. Please be at ease.

    His Highness the Crown Prince Hubertus has summoned me so I have to postpone all of my ns for today. This is the harsh part of working for the court.

    Duke Seyfart is also present in the room.

    First of all, allow me to extend my gratitude for your hard work.

    No, it is all thanks to everyones hard work.

    Its true. The difficult jobs were being taken care of by Duke Seyfart and Count Engelbert, while the physically demanding jobs like scouting and fighting with the demons were being taken care of by the scouts and the adventurers. In that sense, it was all thanks to everyones efforts.

    The duke had told me that the battle n was your idea. It was a brilliant n.

    The idea might be brilliant, but I do not think I can execute the n by myself.

    Im not trying to be humble. For me tomand more than 100,000 soldiers is out of the question. I never evenmanded tens of people in my past life, let alone 100,000. I didmand some people in the Stampede but that was because I was desperate.

    If anything, I was amazed that the Crown Prince and the military officers were able to implement the n that was based on my vague memory on an actual battlefield.

    Sir is quite humble.

    <i>Im not humble, Your Highness.</i> I said to myself with a wry smile. It would be rude if I kept denying His Highness words. Really, dealing with this kind of situation is tiring.

    Thankfully, His Highness didnt press the issue any further. He shifted the subject of our conversation.

    The weapons presented by the Zeaverts house are excellent. Everyone was astonished. If those can be purchased at a moderate price, I would like to acquire a number of them right away.

    That is something you ought to talk with the guild, Your Highness

    Yup. I decided to shift the responsibility to the guild, but the Crown Prince threw me a probing gaze.

    Are you fine with that? The Zeavert house will profit if I buy the equipment via them.

    I doubt my house would need such a profit.

    My priority is to ensure that all military personnels in the capital are equipped with high quality equipment. My house will need to arrange more funds if the kingdom decides to buy the equipment via us. However, we have already spent a lot of money for the refugee escort mission, so we need to properly manage our liquid funds.

    Its true that my house will gain profit if the kingdom decided to buy equipment via us, but thats an economic bubble. We will be able to gain profit only until Mazell defeats the demon king, about 2-3 years ording to the game. After that, the bubble will burst.

    In short, its bad for our economy in the long run. Moreover, doing this will sour my houses rtionship with the Commerce Guild and the Bierstedt Company.

    For the long term, I believe leaving this to the specialists will be better. I dont know about Fathers opinion though.

    Ah, and about the refugees, things have settled down for now. The construction of the aqueduct is also progressing satisfactorily. The aqueduct should be able to operate before the dry seasones.

    That is fortunate for us.

    The topic changed suddenly. The fact that the royal family did this much in just a month is really impressive. Apparently, this is the result of the kingdom using the royal mages to their limit. As expected, the engineers in the capital are quite capable.

    But we have another issue. We dont know where we should move the refugees.

    And we also dont know how to transport them.

    Said the Crown Prince, followed by the Duke. I think this transportation problem must be the reason why a military man like the Duke is here.

    While the Duke and you were away from the capital, the circumstances around the kingdom changed. The most prevalent change is the fact that the appearance rate of the demons has increased.

    An increasing number of the nobility are saying that if they have enough money to take care of the refugees, they would rather spend it on defence of their own territories.

    Ah. Well, thats understandable. After all, epting refugees into your own territory is risky. You need to keep spending money to take care of the refugees until they are able to take care of themselves.

    Nevertheless, We cant simply shelter them in the capital forever.

    That is right since for now, the refugees are just baggages

    Oh, wow, hes blunt. But hes right. We need more money to take care of the refugees.

    We might need to issue a loan for a war fund.

    What do you mean?

    Crap, I said that out loud. The Dukes question made me break out in cold sweats. But it seems like the duke has no intention to me me or anything, he is genuinely curious.

    Over the past month Ivee to know him, I understand that the Duke is a sly person. Maybe he knew the meaning of my words, but feigned ignorance. But well, so be it.

    Ah, about that

    I am not angry, just say it.

    The Crown Princes urge eliminates my possible escape route. Even if I want to exin it, The tax collection system, social circumstances, and basic economic power of this world ispletely different from my previous world. I dont think words like <i>bonds </i>or <i>securities</i> even existed in this world.

    My only choice is to use a really simple term to exin it.

    To put it simply, the country will be going into a debt.

    The country will take debt?

    The word debt might be a little off putting, but it simply means that the country will issue a loan agreement to individuals or groups. For the first few years, the country only needs to pay the interest.

    I exin it in a simple way but to tell you the truth, I also dont really know the details on how government bonds work. I can remember more about wartime bonds issued by Rome in the Punic Warpared to the government bonds.

    Now that I think about it, even in the BCE, Rome had a simr system of bonds so I guess introducing this system to this medieval world is fine.

    At any rate, I have introduced a really basic system of governmental bonds here. His Highness and the Duke let out a light sigh.

    Your idea is crazy but its quite novel. No, maybe its better to say that your idea is novel but quite crazy?

    I think thetter is more correct.

    I dont think they are being cynical. The notion of bonds in this world is probably too novel to the point it can be called crazy.

    However, if we cant secure the source of funds to repay the debt, no one will lend us any money.

    That is right. That is when the country issued this loan agreement, the country will need to increase taxes so it can pay the interest.

    To top it all off, the loan must be returned when the expiration date hits. Extending it even once would lead to a credibility dispute. This is after all a society that is akin to the Middle Ages. It is feasible to throw ones weight around, but once that is done, credibility will never be gained again. When that turns out to be the reality, the distrust from the people will straight away develop into a ruling concern.

    The loan also needs to be paid by the due date. If not, the country will lose the trust of the creditor. In this medieval time, you might be able to use your status to write off the debt, but if you do that, no creditors will ever let you borrow their money again. This kind of distrust among creditors might spread to the ordinary citizens and it might be a problem for the government.

    Really? Will that happen? This world has demons so its possible for a country to say<i> we will protect you from demons so just shut up and listen to us!</i> Does that mean its possible for a countrys existence to be sustained by demons?

    Come to think about it, the ancient kingdom was destroyed by the demon king in the past yet the entire humanity wasnt exterminated, but why? Maybe because this world was a game so the game developer didnt really think that through? Or is there another important reason?

    I almost became lost in my thoughts again but since I was in front of the Crown Prince and the Duke I forcibly pulled my focus back. Then, the Duke started to speak.

    The public will criticize us, right?

    Ah yes. Its necessary for us to convince the people that we will be able to return the tax to its original amount, without limiting what the citizens can buy. However, if we lose to the Demon King, we will have nothing left.

    Humans cannot beat natural disasters. Thest words I said might be too brazen but thats my real thought. For some reason, The Crown Prince and the Duke tensed with surprise when they heard my words.

    I see. Indeed, you are right. The sight of those Triot refugees will convince anyone that we need to raise the taxes.

    Huh?

    The idea to put the country into a debt is crazy but the fact that if we do nothing our country might end up like Triot is a convincing reason to implement your crazy idea. Its also true that we need more money to fight with the demon army. The sight of Triots refugees still remains vivid in peoples minds, so this is the best time to implement your idea.

    No, thats not my meaning. It seems like I just created a huge misunderstanding.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    Lets move to another subject.

    The Crown Prince initiated the conversation this time. Of course, Im just a listener.

    This has yet to be announced, but the kingdom had decided that half of the students in your academy will take a leave of absence.

    Half?

    Yeah, half of the entire school including the nobility department, knight department, magic department, and other departments. This is because the kingdomcks manpower.

    Ah, even if we won the war we still have some casualties. Its not easy to fill the hole caused by the casualties. Of course, the kingdom currentlycks manpower.

    Though the student might not be professional, they can still help with simple things. For example, the kingdom cant send the students of knight departments to the battlefield but it can still deploy them as guards that maintain the public order of the capital. In that case, wont I and Mazell, who are both students, also be given that kind of easy work?

    By the way, students of the knight department are only apprentice knights after they graduate. They need to gather more experience as apprentices for a few years before they can be official knights. Apprentices who didnt have suitable skills to be knights usually be knights in their mid-twenties and vice versa.

    Lets talk about other departments next. First nobility department. Actually, the department name is just an old relic from where the school was founded, in reality, the students of the nobility department will study things rted to national policy like politics, administration, and diplomacy.

    Next is the mage departement . Like its name, the mage department is to rear the next generation mage. By the way, priest magic can also be learned in this department. Things rted to faith as a priest are taught in the church but magic for the priests practical use is taught in this department. I mean its not like you can use offensive priest magic in a church, right?

    If nothing happens, Laura will also enter this mage department. But since its Laura were talking about, I wont be shocked if she graduates by skipping grades.

    There are other departments that I barely have any connection to like the art department, the medical treatment department, themerce department, the engineering department, and the servant department. This academy is pretty grand, right?

    By the way, the noble heirs and their assistants need different skills so no matter which department they are in, they will be taught noble manners.

    The literacy rate of the people here is not high despite the existence of such a grand academy, which is strangely the medieval part of this world.

    Even the children of nobles families, with a few exceptions, will be working together with their families for our country.

    The noblesse oblige, huh? Is this why Schunzel and Neurath ended up as my subordinate? No, I dont think so.

    And ordingly

    Yes

    The hero, Mazell-kun, no, Mazell, will also be taking a leave of absence from the academy.

    A sudden chill ran down my spine. So this is what he is after. Before other noble houses (probably including the Zeavert house) sessfully chained Mazell, the royal family gave him freedom and simultaneously the royal family prevented the other nobles from doing anything regarding Mazell since he was <i>requested by the royal family</i> to fight with the demon army.

    This way, it would be more difficult for other nobles to randomly invite Mazell to their mansion. In short, the royal family implicated half of the academys students for Mazell.

    Using authority to achieve ones goals without hesitation is how royals will do things, I suppose.

    Yes, I understand. I will pass the message on to him.

    Do so.

    Up until now, I was only the contact person between Mazell and the royal family, but from now on, I am officially working under the royal family. Though personally I will keep supporting Mazell. Talking about Mazell, the royal family will probably summon him tomorrow so I should tell himter.

    Also, can the country give an officialpensation for the herospanions?

    Can they be trusted?

    Mazell himself seems to trust them, and I, personally, also believe they can be trusted.

    I understand. I will set aside a budget for thepensation of the herospanions.

    Relief flooded inside me as His Highness epted my offer smoothly. Mazell was also concerned about thepensation. Still, to think that His Highness has already taken care of what was originally my job, to protect Mazell from nobles. Is His Highness just too smart, or is it me whos just too slow?

    I will also give you a few days holiday, after that I n to assign you to be the guard at the aqueduct construction site.

    This time, it was the Duke that talked. Well, I understand that guards are needed to protect the construction site, but this means I will be doing another military-rted job. I want toin, but I cant do that here, can I?

    Speaking of which, is the aqueduct itself fine?

    Yes, we somehow have enough barriers stones.

    Barrier stones are stones used in some towns, viges, and bridges to repel demons. Its a simplified version of the capitals anti-demon barrier. Since the aqueduct itself is far from the ground, it seems like just installing the barrier stones on its piers is enough to protect the aqueduct from demon attack, at least for now.

    But despite being a simplified version of the capital anti-demon barrier, these barrier stones need to absorb surrounding mana for the whole 10 days to be activated. Also, barrier stones work against wandering monsters, but it doesnt work against stampede-level demons.

    For the demons, the effect of these barrier stones might be akin to them walking in a pitch ck forest, hence they wont get close to the barrier stones unless someonemanded them to. Its not a perfect solution, since Triot, who probably also used it, still got destroyed. If we are only talking about the effectiveness, the anti demons drug that will make you not encounter any wandering monster in the game is probably more effective than the barrier stones.

    Still, having barrier stones is better than having no protection, so the barrier stones are often used in settlements and encampments. Also, it is used in viges in rural areas where guards are scarce. I now understand why in the game there were viges that werent destroyed having no properbatants and were located in the middle of a high level demons zone. It must be because of these stones.

    Well, using barrier stones will be able to minimise the needs of guards, so we can use the manpower to do other things.

    It is as you said.

    Another ce that needs more manpower is the Veritza Fortress. Though we seeded in recovering the fortress, understandably the fortress was damaged in several parts and its difficult to say if we can still use it as a fortress. But that doesnt mean we can just abandon it. If we did, the fortress might end up bing the bandits nest this time. Thats why we need someone to monitor the fortress. I dont know who or how the fortress will be monitored, since this isnt my or rather the Zeaverts houses job.

    A realisation suddenly dawns on me, making me utter the following words.

    Couldnt barrier stones be ced at the gates of Veritza Fortress as well?

    If we could gather enough stones, then yes, I suppose it will be possible.

    Because of the Dukes questioning looks. I exined my idea.

    If weck manpower, I was wondering if we could just employ Triots refugees to clean and repair Veritza Fortress.

    At present, the refugees are camping on the outskirt of the capital, but continuing doing that might cause them to be attacked by demonic beasts and the like. That kind of thing would not likely take ce if the refugees were inside the fortress. The children and the elderlies who are incapable of fighting can be moved to the fort, and they will be asked to work while staying there.

    I was thinking that we can have refugees who have enough physical strength work at the outskirts of the capital, whereas refugees who arecking physical strength can be assigned to clean Veritza Fortress.

    Plus, we would be able to prevent the refugees from rioting by separating and cing family members in different ces. The capital needs to provide rations, but that would be better than the refugees rioting or bing the kingdoms illegal upant. Politicians would find it desirable to minimise unpredictable elements in the vicinity of the capital.

    What work will the refugees do on the outskirt of the capital?

    How about building an orchard?

    After I said that, the Duke looked at me with a strange gaze. To tell you the truth, any work is fine. Mazell will defeat the demon king in a few years, so all we need to do is to prevent the refugees from rioting by giving them work.

    Just like what happened to the Roman wheatw [1] if the kingdom gives food to the refugees for free, then in the future the kingdom will also need to give food to the poor capital citizens for free. That will obviously put a strain in the kingdoms economy. Thats why we need to make sure the refugees work to earn their keep.

    (Note: The ancient roman have aw to distribute their staple food, wheat and eventually grain to 200,000 male citizens. Originally thisw was just an emergency measure to feed a growing number of indebted and dispossessed citizen-farmers.)

    But the remaining problem is what work should they do?

    I think there will be a surplus of water once the aqueducts construction is finished so we will not have to worry about water requirements for the orchard. Moreover, we would be able to enjoy the fruits from the orchard even after the refugees were gone. Even if the trees failed to bear fruit, they could at least be processed into firewood.

    If we let the refugees farm, for example, things wont be this simple. A farm needs to be tended year after year. Compared to that, bluntly, fruit trees can grow on their own ord and even if the tree didnt bear any fruit after the refugees are taken in by the nobles, there is still a use for them.

    If the refugees will stay in the outskirts of the capital for a long time, its true the kingdom will need to think of aplicated n, but the refugees will only stay in this kingdom for a few years since Mazell will defeat the demon king. I know that, but I cant exin this to His Highness or to the Duke.

    If we want refugees to create a farm, then we will need to have someone instruct them and also arrange farming equipment. However, we can let them manage the orchard themselves to a certain extent because it is easier to nt and water fruit trees.

    The reality may not be that simple, but the burden of a supervisor for an orchard is probably lowerpared to a supervisor of a farm. Right now, weck manpower so we should try to cut the number of needed people in this sector as much as possible. Thats why I suggested the refugees build an orchard. Its definitely not because I have an obsession with orchards or fruit in general!

    In any case, the kingdom needs to make sure that the food we give to the refugees is earned, not given for free.

    Regardless of what we will make the refugees create, it wouldnt be a terrible move to send about half of them to Veritza Fortress.

    Guards are necessary, of course. If a demon attack killed the refugees in the fortress, it would provoke an outbreak of fury against the kingdom among the refugees.

    I keep silent as His Highness and the Duke are exchanging such conversation. Since the demon didnt recover the Veritza Fortress in the game, I assume it will be alright, but I cannot be certain that the situation will follow the game. So taking a measure in case the situation deviates from the game is necessary.

    I will regard this as a suggestion. Thank you for your efforts, Sir Welner.

    Yes, please excuse me then.

    Oh, my stomach hurts again. Talking with them is truly nerve-wracking. If I was an idiot noble, I wonder if I wouldnt need to suffer like this. Arent I too young to be constantly having a stomachache because of anxiety like this!?

    T/N: One thing led to another so Im moving out on Sunday. Wish me luck.

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60

    After Welner left, Crown Prince Hubertus looked at Seyfart.

    What do you think about him?

    Well, if I had a granddaughter, I would consider him as my grandson inw candidate.

    Hubertus let out a bitter smile at the Dukes line. The son, daughter inw, and the grandchildren of this granduncle of his had all died in an epidemic. Human fate was truly unpredictable.

    Originally, for the sake of continuing his family line, he should have adopted a son to seed him, but Seyfart himself respectfully declined to do so and even proposed to return the Duchy to the royal family, hoping only for a pension until the death of his elderly wife.

    Welner and Seyfart may be alike in theirck of greed.

    What is your opinion, Your Highness?

    He is still young, but hes a promising man.

    Indeed.

    Huber had seen Welners ability inmanding a troop, his ability to precisely judge the situation at a war, his ability to make quick decisions, as well as his ability to draft creative ns as such Huber judged that Welner was a promising man.

    Furthermore, his series of actions, such as his countermeasure n against area magic and his aggressive approach to mowing down demons when escorting refugees, demonstrate his flexibility and willingness to execute his n.

    After all, any nobles could obtain information on high quality equipment, but not all nobles will bother to prepare their own merchant party to buy the equipment and even offer it to the royal family. Other students might be able to draft a n like Welner, but since Welner was also capable of executing his n, Hubers evaluation of Welner was quite high.

    On top of that, he also didnt have an intention to use his n for his own benefit. This also made the Crown Prince as one of the people that govern the kingdom to like Welner even more. Had Welner himself heard this, he would probably have stressed that it was a misunderstanding.

    As for me, I liked hismitment to his job..

    For the noble of the royal capital, escorting refugees was a rather unspectacr job, and it would not be strange if a young noble that took the job will do it half assedly. Yet, from Seyfarts point of view, Welner was diligent in doing his job.

    After all, when the content and objective of a job were clear, the most important thing was how serious the person did the job. It can even be said that Welner sessfully passed the Dukes hidden test. It may be undeniable, though, that this was the influence of his workaholic Japanese side.

    Also, the various reports of the demons appearance rate submitted by Welner acted as reference and evidence of the fact that the the demons appearance rate has increased. Even now, a countermeasure n against the increasing demons appearance rate based on the information presented by Welner was being discussed at the meeting before the king.

    Another reason for Seyfarts high evolution of Welner is that he always prepares and submits <i>easy-to-understand</i> diagrams and data.

    I wonder if this was the result of the counts education.

    I dont know but I do feel that his abilities are great to the point that I feel it is a shame that his older brother has died.

    Simply put, they both thought that if the Counts eldest son was still alive, they would have been able to bring Welner to their side. They both exchanged nces nonchntly. After a while, a smile formed on Seyfarts face.

    His proposal seems a bit shallow, though.

    You cannot expect <i>that </i>much from him, considering his age.

    I suppose so.

    Welners proposition to create a government bond was astonishing. Considering that he even had a grasp on the concept of the necessity of additional financial source to repay the debt, Huber and Seyfart judged that Welners way of thinking was far more maturepared to his age. However, they did not know thatpared to Welners actual mental age, his proposition was rather rough.

    After a short silence, Huber started to speak.

    But creating an orchard? I wonder what his intention is.

    During this campaign, Sir Welner had experienced the effect and benefit of fruits and dried fruits. On top of that, the situation from now on will change.

    In a normal war, it might be impossible for the kingdom supply line to bepletely cut off. However, the war this time was against the demons. The kingdom might need to maintain the state of being in a semi battlefield all year around. There was a chance that in the future the capital with its consumptive citizens would face ack of food. In that case, creating an orchard might be beneficial for the future.

    Watching Hubers nod, Seyfert strokes his chin with a smile.

    I do not think gauging someone like that is a good hobby, Your Highness

    Its a habit.

    Huber smiled wryly.

    Hubers evaluation of his father was that he was neither a wicked king nor a foolish king, but he was hardly an outstanding military man. Politics was a matter of thinking for a long term benefit, whereas military affairs needed the ability to make quick decisions. Huber did notice the fact that his father has no aptitude to be a military man. Huber trusted Duke Seyfart more than his father if the matter was rted to the military. That was why he called the Duke here.

    You called me here because <i>he was still young and inexperienced so I hope you can take care of him</i> or something along this line, right?

    It would be a waste to let the jealousy of a random noble destroy his talents so Duke, please help him.

    As you wish.

    Both Huber and Seyfart were aware that it is the duty of elders to nurture the youth. Though in Seyfarts case, it might be more of a <i>protecting an excellent disciple</i> kind of feeling.

    Welner himself, of course, waspletely oblivious to his thought, but for Welners father, Count Zeavert it was a situation in which he could let out a wry smile.

    T/N: For some reason, the scene of the Duke and the Crown Princeughing evilly while pushing jobs to Welner appeared in my head when I was reading this chapter. Ganbatte, MC!

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    I felt relieved after I left the room. I think there was something I wanted to confirm with His Highness, but I forgot what that was. Must be because I am taking care of too many things recently.

    <i>I know that I have no cheat. Thats why I need to get help from many people. I envy the heros ability to solve everything by himself, but I cant help what I dont have.</i>

    With these thoughts in my mind, I headed back to my office and found Neurath and Schunzhel waiting for me inside wearing the knights uniform with a different colourpared to the uniform Worn by the Kingdom Knights. None of them wore armour though.

    By the way, most knights uniforms in this world have the same design but in different colours. The 1st division of Kingdom Knights wore the blue colour while the 2nd division wore the green colour. The red colored uniform is for the nobles knights with a family crest on the armband that indicates which family the knights belong to.

    Then, there are also ck uniforms for the Royal Guards and the white uniform for the Protectors of the Inner Pce. By the way, the Protectors of the Inner Pce are also known as the White Dragon Knights. There are many female knights among them. This makes sense since they served as the escorts for the queen and princesses.

    Sorry to have kept you waiting.

    It is fine, sir.

    Please do not be bothered by such things.

    Well, its not like I had them waiting while standing to attention. Rather, they are quite rxed so I guess being a bitte didnt cause them too much difort. At any rate, I let them sit on the couch for visitors, then I sat across from them. There are many things I need to confirm with them.

    Once more, I apologise for the dy. By the way, both of you, tell me the information you got.

    The revival of the Demon King is probably widely known by now and Mazell probably became a total celebrity because of the recent parade, but I dont know what else is happening. It would be a great deal of trouble if there were any discrepancies from my game knowledge.

    When ites to their fighting ability, it seems that they are both knights befitting their age. I suppose we can try to have a sparter on. But based on what Ive heard, theyre probably stronger than me in sword fighting.

    Since they both will also be apanying me as my escorts on the battlefield, Father must also have taken ount of their fighting ability before choosing them.

    ording to the information I got from the two of them, it seems like when I was out of the capital, there were noble knights who actively hunted demons in the area surrounding the capital, but there were also knights returning to their lords territories. There were many nobles bringing their knights to return to their territories with their children and grandchildren under the excuse <i>wanting to protect their territories</i>.

    I guess there are many different kinds of people among the nobles. Protecting their houses is the nobilitys main priority. To be frank, Im not surprised by the fact that there are families that dont care about what happens to the capital so long as they can keep their own territory safe.

    I wonder what the situation of the nobles is like in the game. Did they focus on defending their territory due to the destruction of the Kingdom Knights? or on the contrary, were they forced by the kings decree to lend their strength to the capital?

    At least, it seems that none of the nobles made any suggestion to surrender to the demon army.

    The Veritza Fortress incident must have left a deep impression on them.

    Neurath added to Schunzels words. Hmm, judging from their actions, It seems Schunzel is the type of person that speaks after thinking while Neurath is more the type that speaks ording to his feeling and instinct.

    Maybe because unlike in the game the Kingdom Knights are still going strong thats why there has been no unrest among the citizens. At least, on the surface. The recent festival may cause anxiety to rise in their hearts, but not to the extent of revealing it on their faces. Though that being said, perhaps because of the increase of the demons appearance rates, some products are running low on the market.

    Affordable weapons are beginning to be in short supply. Perhaps the citizens are purchasing them with self defence on their mind

    Though those kinds of weapons are useless for fighting demons.

    Imented on Neuraths line with a straight face. The <i>affordable weapons</i> Neurath was talking about are the kind of weapons used by apprentice adventurers. Maybe that kind of weapon can work against the weak demons before the demon kings revival but now, that sort of cheap weapons are useless especially since the wielder is the untrained citizens.

    Well perhaps they purchased those as a kind of protection charm

    Well, that could be true.

    Normal citizens carrying weapons is bad for public order. But telling people who are afraid to dismiss their fears will also be difficult. Well, I should just tell the people in charge of public order to be more careful.

    I heard in the knights cafeteria that the price of some vegetables has been skyrocketing.

    I also heard that its now harder to acquire medical harbs.

    The skyrocketing price might be the reason.

    No matter which world you are in, the citizens of capitals tend to be consumptive.

    This worlds food preservation technique isnt high. Something like ice houses exist, but I doubt that alone is good enough to do a perfect food preservation. In fact, I was surprised when I saw vegetables that have been frozen by magic were sold in still frozen state. For the citizens of the capital, fresh vegetables are a valuablemodity. As the appearance rate of the demonic beasts goes up, the roads which the capital uses to bring food will be dangerous. This might be thergest problem in the capital.

    The same applies to medicinal herbs. The recent demon outbreak probably consumed a lot of herbs that were effective for wounds, but with the increase of demons appearance rates, ces will be more dangerous causing gathering the medical herbs be much harder than before. The increase of difficulty in gathering them will naturally result in the increase of their price.

    I suppose managing safety on the highway will be an issue soon enough.

    It will, most probably.

    Even up to now the highway has never been perfectly safe, but from now on the highway will be even more dangerous. The merchants will now have no choice but to hire adventurers and mercenaries for their protection. That means, the possible military forces of the capital will be scattered. I think thats not a good thing.

    In other words, the capital will face a shortage of military forces in the future. The kingdom might have to cut the military force in other areas to supply enough military force for the capital, and it will make the areas that have their military forces cut be dissatisfied. Well, thats the problem for the kingdoms higher ups to think, not me.

    Still, there is nothing we can do even if we keep thinking about it.

    Thats also true.

    Schunzels words brought me back from my sea of thought. I am just an heir of a count house that has a peerage of deputy count. My right to meddle in this kingdoms politics is virtually zero. Though for some reason, I seem to have His Highnesss favour.

    (T/L: It feels like deputy count feels better than vice count so I will be using it from now on.)

    But if nothing big happens, the demons will attack the capital so I should do everything I can to maintain the public order in the capital.

    Well, just offering some suggestions to the higher ups wont cost us anything. Tell me if there is anything else you both notice.

    Yes.

    I understand.

    Actually, offering suggestions to the higher ups did cost me something. If I kept offering an idiotic suggestion to the higher-up, their evaluation of me will fall. If I offer a proposal, I also need to at least secure enough budget.

    Well, thats that.

    I just remembered a ce I wanted to visit. Will you twoe with me?

    Its unlikely that theres a big development in just one month, but I still want to check.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62

    I brought the two of them to the Royal Mages Research Laboratory. The exterior resembles a spiral tower, but the inner structure is said to be moreplex. Its straight out of fantasy.

    Well, I guess there are many structures in games that make you feel like saying, <i>How the hell did people build this!?</i>

    For instance, there were isted rooms that seemed to be floating in the air. There were even more bizarre structures in the dungeon. I wonder if those structures were created with magic.

    To begin with, neither Royal Mages nor research institutes appeared in the game, so thinking about them is useless. Still, the construction method of thisb itself is mysterious. It is so curved that it would be more believable if its created by using aluminium or something.

    At the entrance, the guard questioned my name and title. I gave them and asked the guard to call Fogto-san. Even the gatekeeper of theb is an armed soldier. Well, it could be for visual impact. After all, anyone carrying a weapon feels dangerous. By the way, I barely saw any mages among guards, maybe thats because of how few mages there are?

    That being said, we are in the royal pce. I doubt there will be many suspicious people here, so thats maybe why the rare mages wont be put into guard duty. In that light, it may seem like the guarding duty is useless, but I guess the pce has some consideration to still put guards like this.

    Pleasee in. He will be waiting for you in the silverboratory on the third floor.

    Thank you.

    After greeting the guards and asking for the exact location of the silverboratory at the entrance, I make my way up the stairs. Since I barely visit the magesboratory, its a new experience for me. Despite theboratory itself being inside the pce, the atmosphere here is different from other ces. This ce radiated an academic-like feeling.

    It seems like the Silver in Silver Laboratory is referring to the colour of the tes on the door. The Doors design here are the same, what differentiates them is the colour of their tes, such as red or white. When we see the silver te, Neurath knocks on the door, then we wait for a response from inside before opening the door.

    Long time no see, Sir Welner.

    It has indeed been a long time.

    Yeah, its been a long time since I saw him when we reported the incident in the Veritza Fortress to the pce. Even so, Fogto-san was smiling at me, saying, <i>I have heard about your busy schedule.</i> Yup. Damn handsome man.

    He led us to a spacious room. It seems like this room isnt hisb. Though I called it ab, this ce isnt filled with strange looking jars, but rather is filled with chairs. This ce is more like a group meeting room in a scienceboratory where researchers can doplicated calctions, draw some diagrams, or debate their views.

    How is the progress of area magic countermeasuresing along?

    I cannot say that it has been smooth, but we are starting to get a sense of the direction were headed.

    After that, Fogto-san exined some technical knowledge to me. Something about an efficient method of gathering mana and how to keep the gathered mana from being wasted, but I honestly have no idea what hes talking about.

    I am not even a student of the magic department to begin with and Ive also been particrly neglecting the school for a while. To put it bluntly, I am unskilled at anything that doesnt involve knowledge from my past life.

    Cant the magical power be stored somewhere?

    Perhaps it would be possible if we had arge enough magic stone. However, it is difficult to experiment with magic stones as they break once their original magical power is exhausted.

    I see.

    Unexpectedly, Schunzel is keeping up with the conversation fairly well. That reminds me, the game didnt have anyone use offensive magic items. I believe some items could be categorized as tools to use magic, though. The staff of sweltering heat, for instance. It was convenient to use since it wont cost any MP, but its only effective to fight demons until the mid stage of the fame.

    Right. The conversation made me remember something. Let me ask Fogto-san about it.

    Speaking of which

    Is there something else you are curious about area magic countermeasures?

    Ah, no, its not about that.

    I remembered about the drop item that Mazell mentioned, the ck gem. If Im not wrong, it was being researched by the mages. I wondered if he had any idea about the item, which I had no memory of at all.

    Oh, you know. Come to think of it, you were also close to the hero.

    Fogti-san told me that the mages are indeed conducting research about the gem here, but he was not involved in that research. Well, it makes sense that one person wont do all the research.

    How about I ask Pckler?

    I would like to keep Mazell updated on the progress, too, so could you please do that for me?

    Of course.

    I followed Fogt-san who agreed to my request to anotherboratory. Thisb is probably where the research on gem is being conducted. But really, what the hell is this building? Its inside is actually so different from the outside.

    While I was wondering about that, Fogto-san knocked on the door.

    Pckler, are you there?

    Hang on a second.

    Not long after a muffled voice sounded, the door opened and a slightly familiar face came from the inside of the room. He will look good with sses Ah! I also saw this guy back when I was reporting about the Veritza Fortress incident to the pce. We didnt talk or anything, though.

    What is it, Fogto?

    Ah, this is Viscount Zeavert.

    His eyes fell on me and I gave him a bow. His eyes were icy. Did he feel irritated because I interrupted his research?

    If you have any findings about the ck gem, I would like to know.

    So thats what this is all about.

    He nods at Fogto-san before turning to me. I am not good with dealing with this kind of smart type, but nevertheless, I cant help but notice the way he stares at me.

    My name is Roger Pckler. This is my first meeting with you, Viscount Zeavert.

    Pleased to meet you, Sir Roger. I am Welner von Zeavert. These are my subordinates, Schunzel and Neurath.

    Sir Pckler bows to both of them as well. Following that, he turned to me and spoke. He seems strange, but Fogto-san didnt seem like he noticed anything so its probably just my feeling.

    I am sorry you had taken the trouble toe all the way here, but I have not been able to progress very far with the research. Besides, I have a visitor at the moment.

    Excuse me for that. Lets talk about it another day.

    Since the expression on his face and his demeanour suggested that we were not weed, we decided to leave at once. It looks like Schunzel and the others want toin , but I silenced them with a gaze. After we were some distance away from theb, Fogto-san bowed to me.

    I apologise, Viscount Zeavert. He wasnt so unsociable before.

    Please dont mind it.

    I dont like his cold attitude, but its not something worth getting angry with. I dont feel good about it, though.

    To be honest, I have some questions regarding his attitude.

    Neurath said this, and to be honest, I have also felt the same. I wonder if his cold attitude was because he had a visitor when he was busy, or he didnt like me because Im part of the civil factor, or he didnt like the Zeavert house, or he has something against me personally.

    Frankly speaking, all of these reasons are troubling for me. Im also not an innocent person. Furthermore, there are certainly people that kept their distance from the nobles just because they are from amoner family. I dont know his reason for giving me that cold attitude, but if I forced my way to talk to him, his feelings toward me might worsen.

    Well, I cant let Fogto-san know that I thought of his colleague like this, so Ill consult with Neurath and Schunzelter on. It would be good if I can get the development of the gem research via Fogto-san.

    Afterward, I was able to ask for information about the magic used in the production of magical tools and equipment. Although there was not much to be learned directly, it was wonderful to find out that they are earnestly working on countermeasures against area magic.

    That being said, we have a time limit. The countermeasure needed to bepleted before Mazell defeated the 3 Generals and 2 of the Four Heavenly Kings. I hope that we make it in time.

    T/N: Hi, everyone. We have a sad news to announce today. You may not know that we were barely breaking even our costs for this novel tillst month. However, we lost half of our patreon at the start of this month, meaning that we are going to start incurring losses. This was also the reason we put so much efforts in editing the chapters. We were hoping that more readers will support us on patreon so we will not have to reduce release rate. However, things did not go as nned. This month is almost over but we did not see even one new patreon. We will no longer be able to release 3 chapter per week in our current. We will be reducing it to 2 chapters per week. We have made new patreon goals. If we manage to reach them, we will increase release rate again.

    <strong><em>If youd like to support us, then you can hit the patreon button below or here</em></strong>

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    After finishing all my work in the pce, I returned to the mansion and then left again along with Frenssen. Unlike my Father whos a minister, someone in my position can return home in the evening as long as I finish my work. At least in this aspect, working at the pce is good.

    If my brother was alive, maybe bing a government official would have been a good path for me.

    Where are we going now?

    Ah, to check out the Adventurers Guild and the orphanage.

    You mean Feli-donos orphanage?

    Thats right.

    Come to think of it, Frenssen has been travelling with Feli for a fairly long time along with the merchant party. Maybe thats why his voice softened when he mentioned Feli.

    There are various things I need to do, but first of all, I need to visit the Adventurers Guild. I need to finish the most time consuming work first, thats the basic thing about manpower management. If I push the most time consuming workter just because its troublesome, I will end up with a ton of the workloadter on.

    Oh, Welner-sama. Are you here to give us another trouble?

    Trouble? I gave you a proper job with a proper payst time.

    Well, yourst job was quite troublesome.

    You, who became drunk for 2 entire days at the celebration party after we returned to the capital, have no right to say that!

    After showing up at the guild, a familiar face approached me right away. As I was chatting lightly with the adventurers while heading toward the inside of the guild, Frenssen smiled bitterly. I admit that my behaviour isnt noble-like. Whatever. I feel morefortable like this.

    In fact, I know the trouble I have caused them when we were escorting the refugees, so Ive done everything I can to give them the bestpensation and proper respect.

    When there was a vige nearby in the middle of our journey, I would use my own money to treat the off-duty adventurers and mercenaries to some alcohol. Praise the reward I received for the aqueduct n!

    After working with me for a month, both the adventurers and mercenaries know my character well. They even spread the words such as <i>There are both good and bad employees among the nobles but you wont regret taking the job from the Zeaverts house</i> so I have a good reputation in both guilds. Anyway, its a good thing for me.

    It has been a long time, Viscount Zeavert.

    Yeah. I want to put a request or rather, I would like to ask the adventurers to run an errand for me.

    In front of such a charming receptionistdy, my speech bes more respectful. Well, I <b>am</b> a healthy guy so I want to look good in front of ady. I definitely have no other intention, Yup, none!

    An errand?

    Yes, to Alea Vige.

    Mazells family operates an inn in his hometown. Thats how it is in the game, but Id like to make sure its also true in reality. Mazell asked me to contact his family so Im going to do that along with giving his family an update about Mazells condition here.

    If it is Alea Vige, how about we go?

    From the side, one of the members of Iron Hammer, a party of adventurers who just happened to be standing beside me chimed in. We worked together before on the refugee escort mission. Since all their members are close to my age, we were able to talk casually and get to know each other quite well.

    Im thankful if you can do that, but is it really fine?

    It is fine. We are nning to go there for a job anyway.

    He exins the reason simply. I see. Since my job is a simple errand, they can do it whilepleting their other job.

    We got a job to escort the pilgrims to Finoi. The pilgrims are going to Alea, so we can do your errand while we are in Alea.

    Ah, thats perfect.

    The receptionist and I exchanged a brief word about the reward. Although the Iron Party said that its fine for me to give them a lowermision fee since they are just doing my job on their way, I cant do that because Im a noble. Its a hassle but I need to maintain my face as a noble. If word spread that I had bargained with an adventurer, other nobles would question the financial stability of the Zeaverts house.

    Well, the usual approach in this scenario is to raise the amount of the reward by adding extra tasks to my simple errand like an investigation. Its true that I will also need them to investigate something anyway.

    Thats why I want you to deliver this letter containing an update on the situation here to Mazells father at the inn in Alea and these souvenirs.

    Though I say <i>souvenirs</i>, its just a bottle of alcohol for Mazells father and clothes from the capital for his mother and his two sisters. The souvenirs are light so the adventurers wont have any trouble bringing them plus its not something greatly precious so Mazells family will easily ept them. Since I never met his family, I chose a design thats probably a safe choice for the clothes. I hope my sense of style isnt wrong to call these safe choices.

    In the rural area, new clothes are expensive, but they are probably less expensive than essories so the Mazell family wont be burdened by it. By the way, the clothes are all sized.

    One more thing, could you also check out the situation inside the vige?

    I do not mind but why?

    Well, thats what I wanted to know.

    Mazell was strangely hesitating to contact his family himself. That bothered me, but I dont know why he did that. So I requested the adventurers to check on the situation in the vige since maybe it was rted to the reason Mazell hesitated. Thepensation I offered is within the reasonable range so the receptionist easily approved mymission. Im relieved.

    You dont have to go through the guild for thismission.

    I gratefully epted the receptionistdys kindness. I also told her, I will put up anothermission to the guild shortly.

    I did this because the guilds main ie is from themission fee. If I keep putting upmission without going through the guild, Im going to sour my rtionship with the guild.

    Its not because Im bewitched by the receptionistdys beautiful smile. Definitely not!

    After finishing the matter in Adventurers Guild, I went to an old building on the edge of the capital. To be blunt, the building looks more like a slum for the poor. It was once an inn, apparently.

    Or rather, why was there an inn so far away from the gate? Isnt the inn a bit shady? Though since the inn is already out of business, it must be unprofitable.

    Most orphanages in this world are operated by churches, though there are also orphanages operated by noble families, various guilds, and even privately run by rich people. Of course, there are different reasons for each group of people to run orphanages.

    For the churches, its apparently to help the poor. For the nobles, its often for prestige. For guilds, the reasons differ from one guild to another.

    In the case of the Commerce Guild and the cksmith Guild, it will be to raise a candidate for their assistant. For the Adventurers Guild, the orphanages are built to raise the orphans left by adventures that went MIA.

    The orphanage will provide care and food for the orphans since it <b>is</b> an orphanage, but for me who has memories of my past life, the lives of orphans in the orphanage here are still pretty harsh.

    Who is this?

    My name is Welner von Zeavert. I believe youve been told about me by Felix.

    Wee.

    An elderly woman came out in response to my knock seemingly on guard, but upon hearing my name, she let me in. Is there something going on here? If it was a cliche, then this was the scene where I, a viinous man, would havee here to harash a beautiful young woman.

    Its still a half-cliche. Thats my thought after hearing her story. Apparently, they are about to be evicted due to and lease dispute on thend where this building is located. However, it seems that they are evicted with a proper reason, not because of some kind of ill will.

    By the way, the name of the elder is Arnate. Though the two arent rted by blood, Felisst name must be Arnates name, right? This story reveals a glimpse of the connection between the two of them.

    But there are numerous people in this house, and I can hear footstepsing and going from the second floor. Will the floor copse? Frenssen looks up at the ceiling with concern from time to time.

    When the previous owner was alive, there was no financial support but still

    It seems that the previous owner of this building was the employer of the elderly woman and that owner also has a public bath house business. There are several public bathhouses in the capital but the public bathouse of the former owner is apparently located in the craftsman district.

    Although the previous owner didnt give any financial support, that owner also never demanded rent for this ce so she somehow managed to barely take in and raise the children here.

    Though recently the owner of this building and the public bath houses have changed, and the new owner felt that the public bathhouse business didnt fare well, so they decided to use this building and itsnd for another purpose. This is a ssic example of a situation that has gone worse gradually but still

    Public bathhouse, huh?

    <i>The deterioration of business might be because of the water shortage in the capital.</i> I thought, but since the shortage was a secret, I cant say that here, so bluntly said another one of my thoughts.

    But judging by the location of this building, I doubt the current owner can turn this ce into any profitable business.

    That is my thought as well.

    The elderly woman seems to be distressed. I guess its like the saying, poverty dulls the wit. In the first ce, it was probably because this building was cheap that the previous owner allowed her to use it as the orphanage.

    While musing about this, I feel a gaze. Frenssen was turning to the side, so I followed his gaze and found a lovely girl in tattered clothes, peeking at us through the half-open door.

    U-Um

    When her gaze meets mine, the girl nervously walks into the room. This is our first meeting, right?

    Um, thank you very much for the medicine.

    Huh?

    At first, I didnt understand what she said. But, I would like to praise myself for my quick memories.

    Are you the girl that Feli was talking about?

    Y-Yes. My name is Ilse.

    So, this is the girl that Feli said was ill. In terms of age, she is a little younger than Feli. In my former life, she would have probably been in the upper grades of elementary school or so.

    Dont sweat it. Feli also helped me a lot.

    Um, is Big Brother Feli all right?

    Dont worry, hes fine

    At any rate, he is a member of the heros party, so he should be fine. Thats my only basis for this answer, but in a situation like this, I have to express it with confidence. I shouldnt make her worried.

    Perhaps reassured by my answer, she bowed to me with a relieved expression and exited the room with a toddling sound. Haha, she looks like a small animal. She makes me want to protect her.

    When I returned my attention to the elderly woman, she looked apologetic. No need for that look, maam. I wont be angry just because she interrupted us.

    Shes an adorable girl. Is she Felis younger sister?

    No, I dont think they are rted by blood.

    Apparently, the reason she cant say for sure is that they were both abandoned as babies. Well, they certainly didnt resemble each other very much. Feli and IIsas appearance are quite different.

    Still, I can understand why Feli felt so indebted to me when I helped her.

    But this is troubling. I seeded in persuading Father to support the orphanage in the name of Zeavert house, though I received his fierce re. To think the orphanage is involved in and dispute with the other side having the actualnd right If its regarding thew, Father is quite strict.

    Just supporting the orphanage will be manageable, but since the support is done on the name of the Zeavert house, the actual owner of the orphanage building will definitelyin to the Zeavert house. Their side has the right, so if I want to protect the orphanage, I will need to help the owner of the public bathhouse with their financial trouble. I cant do that.

    Hmm? No, wait. Isnt this an opportunity to shove all my trouble to others?

    For now, I will just give this donation. I will be back soon.

    Pardon? Ah, Yes.

    The elderly woman looked confused about my sudden action, but I ignored her. I only have a rough idea now, but Im sure its a good idea. The issue is the budget. Anyway, after I return home, Ill work out the budget.

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    I made a detour to the dormitory to meet Mazell before heading home. I exined to him that his party will be an official Demon King Extermination Team under the direct control of the royal family and the country will finance their activity, including paying for Luguentz and others expenses.

    As of now, everything is going smoothly for me but its that Crown Prince. I got a feeling he will be nning something behind-the-scenes.

    Having an idiot superior will give me a headache but having a superior thats too smart makes me have a stomach ache.

    I see. Thank you for helping us.

    No worries. Personally, I will help you as much as you want, you know.

    Thanks By the way, since Im probably going to travel, what do you think I should be careful of?

    Hmm

    Thats an awfully vague question. Well, I know the scenario of the game, but I cant reveal my knowledge of the future, plus there are some discrepancies between the games scenario and reality. Somehow, I got a feeling that relying on my knowledge of the future would be dangerous.

    First, I think you need to properly gather information from the citizens of a vige or town once you have decided to make that ce your base. The locals know the best after all.

    In the game, event and dungeon information is generally obtained from the citizens of towns and viges. Besides, in this medieval European-style world, the means of information andmunication are poor. Thats why no one knows a ce better than the locals.

    As for traveling and exploring dungeons, it would be wise to listen carefully to Luguentzs advice. He is, after all, a veteran adventurer.

    Yeah, I know that.

    The truth is, there are many things that you can only learn from experience, like what you need to be careful of during your journey. I also didnt know in detail about what sort of thing you need to be careful of when camping. Only a veteran like Luguentz will know these kinds of things.

    Other than that, well, dont be stingy in the usage of the consumables you have.

    Consumables?

    Antidote, potions, and stuff like that. You will die a fools death if you die just because you feel it is a shame to use them.

    Right.

    From what I remember, the games poisons are quite terrifying. It would be better if I emphasised to them to be extra careful with poison since resetting the game is impossible in reality. Would an item that can prevent instant death be enough tobat the poison in this world?

    The only other advice I can offer is to adapt your fighting style to the opponent.

    Adapt to the opponent?

    Use your opponents attribute to your advantage, like using a water element weapon against fire element enemies, or using a physical weapon for magic type opponents. Remain calm and determine the best way to fight your enemies.

    I see

    Its an impossible thing for me to do. My only skill is spearmanship, so Im going to have a hard time dealing with enemies that are strong against physical attacks. If I meet an enemy with physical damage nullification, I can only escape. Fortunately, such enemies dont show up around the royal capital, though.

    Still, my words sound like a straight out of a game mechanic exnation. I dont like this feeling, as if I was forced to oblige to the game by using this exnation.

    Well, if anything happens, you can consult me. I will do everything I can.

    I am counting on you.

    I almostughed at my own words. In the game, Mazell managed to do things even without my help. He was, after all, the protagonist. Still, having someone to consult andin to was a good thing, and unfortunately Mazell didnt have that kind of person in the game. I wonder if ordinary adventurersin to their party members. Wait, in the first ce, what sort of people are ordinary adventurers?

    The game never depicted the life of ordinary adventurers. Once again, I was reminded of how iplete the game world was. There is something strange here. But even if I try to think here, I wont find the answer.

    First, I suggest using Hafen Town as a base to test your skills, after that you can go to the Great Temple Finoi.

    From my vague memory, I can remember thats how things went in the game. Well, there are dungeons along the way, so they wont go straight to Finnoi. Once they collected some information in Hafen, they will be able to find out about Triam Cave

    Talking about Finoi made me remember Laura. I wonder if shes still in Finoi hmm Since I met her in the pce before, I doubt she is in Finoi. Well, I dont really know.

    Am I being paranoid this time?

    I understand. I will do as much as I can.

    Right. And dont do any stupid thing that will lead to your death in the middle of the journey.

    Ill be careful.

    With a wry smile, I reached out my hand to Mazell who said so. Mazell also extended his hand and shook it.

    Then, Im going back.

    Understood. Good luck, Welner.

    You too, Mazell.

    With a smile and a wave of my hand, I leave Mazells room. Perhaps I can say that Mazell has now officially embarked on the route of the game. I dont think he will need my support for the adventure part from this point onward.

    In contrast, Im in the situation where I dont know what will happen until the attack on the capital event happens. Plus, even though the reality has deviated from the game, if the attack on the capital event actually happened, it will be me, not Mazell, who will be the one most likely to die.

    But

    Who cares what the scenario writer chooses?

    Hmm?

    Nothing.

    When I met up with Frenssen who was waiting outside the dormitory, I involuntarily blurted out something that earned a suspicious gaze from him. But it was my sincere feeling. In any case, since this world has already deviated from the original scenario anyway, Ill at least try to achieve a happy ending.

    I wonder if this is also Mazells influence. When a person puts that much faith in you, it makes you feel restless if you dont do the best you can. Is this what is called the effect of the protagonists correction? Either way, though, it wont make a big difference what I do.

    If an average person puts in effort, results will be as impressive as azy genius.

    When I return to the mansion, I receive a brief report from Frenssen. There has been no progress on the investigation about Magold, but thats within my expectation. Or rather, I dont expect to learn anything in just a day.

    Anyway, help me for a bit.

    Hm?

    I have to write a proposal to the country through my father.

    Understood.

    Since creating a budget alone is out of the question, I have no choice other than to figure out a way to involve other people in the nning process. Well, for better or worse my ultimate goal is to stay alive. I dont care even if I have to share my profits and gains with others.

    More importantly, being the son of a noble is a blessing by itself. Thats what I realised today at the orphanage. I suppose I could just think of it as getting the help of others in exchange for them taking my profit.

    Still, creating a proposal is a real hassle. Pen-and-ink writing requires drafting because you cant make mistakes. On a wooden board, you have to write the proposal, erase it, and think about the context so that it is legible and the meaning is not misinterpreted, while also being mindful of not being disrespectful.

    I have topile all of these things into a final proposal that I submit on paper, which is very tedious. It would be helpful if an assistant is present to help me because it would be problematic if I overlook something by doing it on my own. There is no presentation software like in my former life. To begin with, since there is nomon format for proposals, they are sometimes dismissed outright just because the higher up said your format is wrong.

    The quill pens that use ink look stylish, but its pretty hard to use. Its troublesome to put it in the ink each time.

    Actually, this world has ballpoint and it uses magic power to produce ink. The only problem is that the magic stone is attached to the end of the pen, making the pen overall unbnced. Or in other words, its difficult to use. On top of that, its also pretty expensive.

    Well, whining about that is useless.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65

    Team 3, Team 5, go around from the left!

    Yes!

    Using gs and gold drums, I ordered the teams in front to obstruct the demons movement. the ground here is a bit hilly, its not to the point of obstructing our movement

    Having detected our presence, the group of hunter wolves charged toward us. Eight of them, huh? Well, thats within my expectation.

    Stayposed and work together with your group to defeat the enemies. After the enemies are defeated, Ill leave the rest to each groupsmander. Leave the demons in the middle to me.

    Understood!

    Lets go!

    As I advance to stand in front of them, the hunter wolves bear their fangs at me. On the other hand, I pause to catch my breath. Then

    Push!

    Hahh!

    You ba*t*rd!

    When the demons entered our attack range, everyone moved in sync and thrust their weapons against the demons. With just a swing of my de (or rather, my spear) I seeded in killing an enemy.

    As expected, this warriors spear that was only avable in the intermediate stage of the game is enough to kill any foe in vicinity of the capital. After all, in the game, this weapon was usable even in the Poisa Dessert, a stage even further than the Counting Star Tower.

    Next to me, Neurath is also killing the demons single-handedly. Schunzel seemed to be in a bit of a bind and it was only after the rest of his team joined in that the enemy was taken down. Well, different demons need different ways to be defeated, so I guess this much is good.

    Anyone injured?

    Everyone is unharmed.

    All right, make sure to retrieve the magic stone.

    Yes.

    Taking out the magic stone is the work of the orderlies. As for the knights, it seems like they stayed alert without me reminding them. Good. They finally be used to battle like this.

    The other day, well, technically it was about two weeks ago, I submitted my hastily drafted proposal to Father. My father said <i>You even try to poke your nose at this kind of unnecessary stuff.</i> with an amazed but tired expression.

    Even so, Im d that he also said, <i>I will submit the proposal under our family name.</i> After all, the weight of a proposal created by a counts family and a single viscount is like heaven and earth.

    And now, Im in the middle of <i>protecting the aqueduct construction site</i> job

    But, well, just standing around while guarding is bori<i>ahem</i> I mean its time inefficient so I decided to use demon hunting as a battle exercise.

    Currently, the knights of Zeavert house are divided into 4 major teams. The first team, under mymand today, is a mobile force that actively hunts demons. The third team, led by Augen, is patrolling the vicinity of the aqueduct. The fourth team, led by Barkey, is on night shift tonight.

    The second team, led by Max, who was on the night shift the other day, is on vacation today. The knights worked in a rotation schedule. Tomorrow is my teams turn to patrol the vicinity of the aqueduct.

    It seems like the phrase <i>falconry is an effective training for warfare</i> said by.. Oda Nobunaga or Tokugawa Ieyasu I forgot which one but anyway that phrase held some truth. Stuff like knowing whether your voice reaches your far awaymander or whether your instructions are getting through can only be attained through experience.

    There are many things I can learn bymanding arge number of people in this kind of vast field. Like the timing of cooperation between the cavalries and infantries, thats something that I can only learn by experience. For a student like me this mission serves as a perfect training.

    I have nopassion for the demons that are being used as educational materials. Still, I remember the demons always have some tendency to attack people but I noticed that tendency has be stronger and the demons have be more frenzied than before. Is this the effect of the Demon Kings revival?

    By the way, we wont receive any reward by attacking demons like this since the demons didnt exactly invade the construction site but we are free to use the materials we got from hunting demons as we please. I dont know if I should call the kingdom stingy or magnamious for this treatment.

    Regarding the proposal about the refugees that Ive offered to His Highness before, about half of it was approved while the other half was rejected. On this asion, Im grateful for the fact that some people from the refugees and slums are participating in the activities as support for the patrol team. The issue is that a certain number of the refugeesck sufficient battle skill but are burning with an excessive desire to fight because they want revenge. Until they familiarise themselves with the situation, I have requested the Adventurers Guild to assign them to patrol the area with an adventurer escort. Since we currentlyck manpower, having a reserve force is a great advantage.

    Well, this is the oue of providing them with a decent meal for a few days and then telling them that they have to work if they want to continue to be fed.

    Having been served bread, soup, and side dishes for a couple of days only to be told that from tomorrow you can only have a bowl of thin barley porridge if you did nothing, but if you are willing to work, nice food and a ce to work will be provided, will motivate them to work. After having regained their strength with a satisfying meal, people would be more enthusiastic to work.

    After all, no one wants to work while being exhausted.

    Other than that, I saw some elementary construction work, like fences and mud walls in the vicinity of the capital. Though, I dont know what the kingdom nned to create. Other than that, the kingdom has also gathered the refugees excrement in one building to create fertiliser. Theres also a n to gather the excrement from farming animals like cattle and horses.

    Although making fertiliser from excrement is actually extremely strenuous work, the job itself is safe and they pay well so some people are beginning to take on this work. Within a few years, the excrement might be saltpetre.

    Talking about saltpetre, Ive abandoned the idea of creating gunpowder and guns which is supposed to be the staple of isekai cheats quite early on because of theck of sulphur.

    This world has volcanoes but they are located in the vicinity of Demon Kings castle. Theres no way I can bring miners to a ce with tons of fire giants, a type of demon that needs an entire group of knights to defeat. In the first ce, its hard to approach the Demon Kings castle. If I search extensively, I might find a sulphur vein somewhere else but for now I dont have enough time.

    Since there is no point in asking the impossible, nor is there a guarantee that I can create a proper gun with my knowledge, giving up sooner is better. If Im still alive after the demon king is in, Ill give creating guns another thought. Though with so many things I need to do I feel like Im going to forget about it.

    Welner-sama, we have finished retrieving the magic stones.

    All right, we should hunt a few more hordes while patrolling.

    Yes.

    Plus, this demons extermination job is also beneficial for my training. I had grown strong to some degree. Perhaps my level rose a bit during my recent battle against the outbreak. That being said, I <b>never</b> want to experience another battle like the outbreak.

    Even though it might be impossible for me to reach the level of Mazell and his party, I still want to be a bit stronger. Thats one of the reasons why Ive been actively hunting demons.

    Fortunately, my equipment is excellent so its easier for me to kill the demons. Im thankful that Mazell and the others chose to wield swords instead of spears. If possible, I would have equipped all the members of the Zeavert army with this level of equipment, but I dont have enough money to do that. I mean its impossible for me to even provide the entire Zeavert army with the good quality but normal sword like the one on my waist, let alone the high quality equipment.

    Other than that, this demon hunting is also a perfect chance for me to train my horse riding. To tell the truth, because I dont have the rted skill, Im not that good at horse riding. Mazell with his omnipotence [Hero] skill might be better than me in horse riding.

    However, during the entire one month long journey to escort the refugees I was riding a horse so like it or not I became ustomed to horse riding. Well, I can only do basic things. Im still not good on stuff sprinting with the horse. I guess if you train in something for like 8 hours a day every day you be pretty ustomed with it.

    And this demonic beasts hunt is where I practise the movements such as sprinting, abrupt stopping, and turning back the horses. Even though I now have a bit of experience in horse riding, its still challenging. Caesar, who can ride around freely on a bareback horse without using stirrups and saddles, is the crazy one.

    Pondering such things, I move around and patrol the area where demons are likely to appear so that I can hunt them while studying the terrain around here. Well, I dont know if the knowledge of the terrain here will be useful. Still, I guess having some knowledge wont hurt.

    From the distance I saw the aqueduct thats in the midst of construction. The fact that the construction progressed this far in a short time is astonishing. It seems like the processing technology of stones is rather advanced in this world, huh?

    Welner-sama.

    Yeah, I also noticed them.

    A bunch of hyena bats, huh. Dealing with them takes too much time and effort, so the hunt efficiency is not very good. I have to suck it up though since exterminating the demons itself is part of my job.

    Deploy Group 4 and Group 6 to the right. Have Group 3 and Group 5 take a wide detour. Well cut off their retreat route first.

    Understood.

    Group 1 and Group 2, prepare your crossbows.

    Yes.

    After watching the messenger run off, I also prepare my crossbow. Im not good at archery, but with a crossbow, I cannd a decent shot no matter how bad my actual skill is. Still, theres something on my mind.

    Flickering lights sh in the corner of my vision while I aim and breathe. This is an experiment inmunication using a mirror. But ss is expensive and Morse code doesnt exist in this world so I have to think of other ways to send signals. I used an experimental sheet chopper as a mirror since anything goes as long as it can reflect light. The tool is a prototype though but at least it can be used to send a were ready signal.

    Both nks have given us the signal.

    Fire!

    Fire!

    At my signal, myriad arrows flew. A few of them are direct hits. Even though they hit, some of the enemies were still going strong. I knew it. Anyway, thats good enough for now.

    Charge! Kill them before they fly too high and escape!

    Yes!

    Simultaneously, with the iing arrows, the right nks Group 4 and 6, which had been charging forward, were the first to meet the enemies in battle. After that under my leadership, Group 1 and Group 2 also rushed to the battlefield. Looks like we can defeat them before they escape.

    Following this, another three groups of demons are eradicated. Collecting the magic stones and materials may need more time. Also, the horse that was supposed to lower the reeking materials was in an extremely foul mood. I must request the stable boy to calm the horses downter.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    As the evening approached, I entered the lodging that had been constructed outside of the town castle and took a deep breath. Because there are several noble houses thats involved in this protection of the aqueduct research project, there are several lodgings built in this area.

    Actually, theres a n to develop the lodging into a proper residential district for the workers after the aqueducts construction is done.

    Since even the workers family will be permitted to live there, they wont be forced to leave their family to work. This ce will be more or less simr to the corporate housing district in my previous life. The design of this ce is pretty unrefined but thats not important. What I want toin about is rather

    I have heard that Count Audenried said that this <i>five-home system</i> could be utilised for managing the slums as well but

    (Note: Five-houses system is a system in which five households will be grouped together. All members of the group will be held responsible for good conduct of all of the other members, including responsibility for crime and for non-payment of taxes.)

    I disagree with that. The system will be just a formality if we implement it in too many houses. That beat the purpose of creating it in the first ce. Moreover, we will also need arge amount of manpower to check if the system is implemented properly.

    Thats understandable.

    Plus, this system is more centred around monitoring than management. It will work with workers since we provide them jobs. They will have no choice but to ept it. However, the same cannot be said for the slums. We will only be monitoring them without giving them anything. No one wants to be monitored.

    I will pass your words to Ingo-sama.

    Actually, the reason why I proposed this method was because its faster than creating a family register and requires less manpower since the group members will monitor each other. In their current situation, this is the best choice for at least a short term.

    Another reason why this system is a perfect fit for the current situation is that the workers involved are refugees that have nowhere to go. They will be desperate to ensure that none of their family members will be implicated in any crime perpetrated by others. After all, they would find it extremely hard to survive if they got evicted by the kingdom.

    Whats problematic is that for some reason, this five-houses system has been made one of the residency requirements for refugees if they want to work on agriculturalnd near the royal capital. There is widespread discussion about extending the system beyond refugee management to the interior of the capital.

    Im not an expert in civil administration and Im also not an Edo period historian so I hope they stop asking my opinion.

    Still, since <b>I</b> was the one who proposed this system, I have a responsibility to give my opinion when asked. Argh I shouldve listened to Father and not meddled in this kind of thing.

    Come to think of it, I wonder why both here and the army used a group of <b>five</b>, not any other number.

    Is it because 5 is really a limit for someone who didnt have any leadership training to lead? Like, more than 5 is difficult for ordinary people of ancient time that cant read, write, or calcte? Well, I guess thinking about that is useless.

    Welner-sama, this is the report about the thing that you have asked me to do.

    Oh, thank you.

    I checked the report that Frenssen had brought to me. The vour of the tea I brewed myself isnt consistent. Today, the vour is too strong. That reminds me, I cant find coffee in this world. Is it because of the climate?

    While mulling this over, I flip through the stacks of reports.

    More mysteries have arisen about Mangold. He had definitely met someone in a bar before he caused the incident. As for who Mangold was meeting, that is still a mystery.

    Even though Magold has fallen from grace, he is still the son of a Marquis so normalmoners wont be able to meet him but the investigation of this mysterious person led to no avail. Well, this kind of result is within my expectation. Ive also requested Frenssen to do various things.

    More than that, the most puzzling thing is the number of people Mangold was leading. Outside of the capital, people apparently saw dozens of people following Mangold, yet there are no rumours of the disappearance of that many people from inside the capital.

    Just to be sure, I also investigated the noble families, but it seems that there are no families that lost that many people. Then, where did he gather all those people? On top of that, theres also the mystery of no one has ever witnessed them leaving the capitals gate. It seems like the royal family is also investigating this strange situation.

    Even Frenssen seems to think that Mangolds situation is suspicious and is now being very proactive in investigating Mangold. Lets just say theres a need for further investigation and leave the rest to Frenssen.

    Father has agreed to hire refugees that know how to read, write, and calcte to teach at the orphanage. Of course, Father probably nned to take any promising children under his wing.

    On the other hand, orphans are also offered jobs. Though the job is just sweeping the street, nothing tooplicated. The knight department students are now leading the orphans to pick up trash and other tasks. The intention is to elevate their reputation, but thats not the only reason.

    He who does not work, neither shall he eat. The children are being given jobs and paid a sry. For now, no one has interfered with the childrens job since no one wants to be the jerk.

    As for the other purpose, its far from being achieved. However, since <i>that</i> isnt something that can be done in an instant, we just have to keep doing it.

    This ones still a struggle.

    Well, it is something that no one ever heard before, so that is only natural.

    I requested the craftsman in the craftsman district to do two things for us. Thanks to Duke Seyfarts influence, the craftsman smoothly cooperated with us to do one of the two tasks. I dont know where the Duke got the news though, maybe from Father?

    Well, I suppose the Duke, who is a military man, would be fascinated by the research on high-performance bows.

    Somehow, bows in this world jump in rank from ordinary wooden bows to magic bows. No, there are also short bows and longbows, but If elves existed in this world, there would have been many kinds of bows.

    So, I proposed something called aposite bow. In my past life, I suppose it would have beenmon to create it after cing a wooden board between boards made of long and thin processed animal bones, tendons, metal, or that kind of thing.

    Unlike normal bows, its range and destructive power are superior. However, such bows are more difficult to pull and more care is needed in storing them.

    More importantly, Im also curious about what kind ofposite bow can be created using the material from the demonic beasts. Drawing the bows would probably be extremely difficult, but I think it would also be quite powerful.

    The research about the best materials to create the bow is left to the creativity of the bow maker, though. Fortunately with the Dukes influence, we were able to collect many materials.

    If they seed in creating theposite bow, maybe they will be able to make the next item probably. Ive given the rough drawing to the craftsmans so it should be fine though I <b>am</b> concerned if the craftsmen can understand my drawing.

    Did the craftsmen also struggle in creating the sphere?

    They said they are having difficulty in striking the perfect bnce.

    Well, theyve probably never made anything like that before.

    The equipment worn by the people of this kingdom will slowly be equal or even superior to what Im currently wearing. But for now, the nobles are demanding the people in charge of buying the equipment, including the Commerce Guild and the Bierstedt Company, to sell the ancient equipment to their house first.

    However, only purchasing the ancient equipment obtained from outside the capital might lead to a loss of business for the workshop thats been making equipment in the capital. Therefore, I had those workshops sell old armours at a low price and have them melted down and made into something else  a metal sphere.

    At present, two types of metal spheres are being made: one with the size of a golf ball and the other with the size of a baseball.

    The size of the sphere must be consistent, and the sphere must be something that wont break easily. Otherwise, I wont be able to use them. I know that Im being too perfectionist in my order but I hope it will be done in time.

    Well, as a side effect, the craftsmen that are stressed because they kept doing work they are not used to have begun to frequent the public bathhouses near the craftsman district, probably to rx.

    Even <i>that</i> bathhouse must have been busy taking care of their new customers and to find a source of water because of the water shortage so they wont have any time to bother the orphanage. Technically, I didnt interfere.

    The Iron Hammer has returned safely?

    Im d. If not for the current circumstances, I really want to meet them immediately. If they are present in the capital when I get the chance to return to the capital, I will ask them for more details That was my n but I frowned when I read the report.

    Fressen, whats this all about?

    The reason isnt clear.

    Mazells house is being ostracised in Alea Vige? I dont get it. I cast Frenssen a look, urging him to continue.

    Its an inn, so they make money from people outside of the vige, but it seems that the vigers have refused to sell food and many other things to them.

    They even discreetly asked the Iron Hammer if they could spare some spices and salts for them. Why? The game never depicted this kind of scene.

    Is it a logistic problem?

    No. All the vigers that Iron Hammer had asked for details acted as if the inn had some problems.

    Hmm? Why? I mean they <b>are</b> the family of the hero, right? The mystery somehow has increased. Perhaps I should urgently hear the details from the members of Iron Hammer.

    They are adventurers so they might wander off somewhere if I dont immediately go to meet them, so

    Frenssen, lets take the next day off

    Excuse me, Welner-sama

    All of a sudden, a high-pitched voice resounded from outside the door. I recognized the voice, so I signalled to Frenssen to open the door. A knight rushed in. Wait, isnt he a knight under Fathersmand? What is he doing here? Did something happen?

    Sir Kittel, right? Did something happen in the capital?

    His Excellency, the Prime Minister, has issued the emergency dispatch order!

    What?

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    Emergency dispatch order is not as powerful as the emergency royal decree. Still, its an order to gather the countrys top ranked people to discuss how to dispatch the knights and the nobles military power to the frontline as fast as possible. Only the Prime Minister and the Minister of War can issue this order other than the royal family.

    If Im not wrong, even when the demon outbreak (Stampede) happened the emergency dispatch order didnt get issued. In the history of the Bain Kingdom, this order has only been issued a total of 3 times one of that times was when a rebellion happened in the kingdom. In short, the situation in which this order is issued is extremely rare.

    I exchanged gaze with Frenssen. What exactly just happened? Probably because of themotion, Max and several other people came running here. That makes me finally awake from my daze.

    Welner-sama, what happened?

    I also dont know. Ive heard about the emergency dispatch order being issued just now. Kittel, please exin.

    Kittel dropped a bomb on us, the people who are responsible for Zeavert houses military affair.

    A report about Valeritz being destroyed by a devils army has just reached the kingdom. Currently, an emergency meeting is being held in the capital.

    I, Max, and Augen let out a gasp of surprise. Barkey remained silent but Im sure he was as surprised as us. It was a genuinely unexpected situation.

    Valeritz is a town in Fleethem County and the heart of Fleetheim. The town scale is the same as the base of the Zeavert House, Zeaburg. Valeritz never made an appearance in-game, so theres nothing really special about the town but its considered a mid-sized town in this kingdom. The number of knights that Fleethem County house is probably not that different from the number of knights that the Zeavert house has so Valeritz isnt a town that will fall that easily and yet

    What about Count Fleethem? What happened to him?

    Currently the information we have is quite vague so the situation of the Count remained unknown.

    Judging from Kittels answer to Barkeys question, the chance that the Count is still alive is probably slim. Well, we will probably know soon if hes still alive. Count Fleethem is a member of the civil faction so hes Fathers ally but I didnt remember his face so I didnt feel worried about him. I just feel that the whole situation is still unreal.

    Its probably useless to ask Kittel for more information since he probably rushed here as soon as he heard the news.

    I understand. Is father currently in the meeting?

    That is correct.

    Since Father is currently in the meeting as the representative of the Zeavert house the only thing I can do is do my best as Fathers deputy and the on-site leader until further order.

    Got it. Kittel, return to the capital and tell my father that Im waiting for his instruction.

    Yes, I will immediately do so.

    Barkey, tonight, the fourth team dispatch will be canceled until we get further orders from my father. Max, Augen, the second and third teams will be on standby in the second sortie formation. As for me, Im going to prepare a document about the patrolling procedure in case we need to leave this ce and return to the capital. Frenssen, you help me.

    Understood.

    We wont be able toplete the second sortie formation until we finish forming our rank but at least we will be able to prepare the equipment we need to use. Technically we can immediately go to the capital if we form the first sortie formation but we didnt do that because we need to wait for Fathers instruction first. Still, its not good to keep on edge.

    Max, Neurath, Schunzel, tell the first team to form the second sortie formation. After that, observe them and if theres any problem with the first team, Neurath and Schunzel, I leave the judgment to solve it to both of you.

    While enduring my stomach ache, I appointed Neurath and Schunzel as temporarymanders of the first team in my absence. Both of them are also expected to be the leader of my subordinate in the future when Im absent so this is an opportunity for them to gain some experience.

    If were talking about gaining some experience, arent I the young student whos supposed to gain some experience? Really, I guess being a noble in this medieval society isnt a good thing. Lets just throw the leadership of the entire Zeavert army to Max!

    As you wish.

    Welner-sama, what do you mean by patrolling procedure document?

    Its a record of our patrolling procedure. I mean, the worker will get confused if the patrolling route and such keep changing, right?

    Its just a record of bridges and otherndmarks that served as a division of patrol area and can determine the route of the patrol to a certain extent. Unfortunately, I wont be able to include how many hours a patrol willst since the clock isntmonly used here. Theres nothing I can do about this.

    I see. To think you even thought of creating something like that.

    Well, I dont like doing stuff just by relying on your previous experience.

    If we create a manual for every job just like what the Romans did, then even an amateur will be able to finish the job. I mean, you dont need any originality for a patrolling job, right? The people that patrol just need to report to their superior if they found any problem in the midst of their patrol.

    If I have more time I also want to create a manual on how to train the people in slums and the refugees to be the assistant of the patrolling officer, but now I have more important things to do.

    The fact that this kind of training will just rely on the experienced of the training without any kind of manual did bother me since this world is essentially filled with people who have muscle-brain. Well, thinking about that is useless.

    In order to prepare for any emergencies, I make sure to bring the box containing a potion-pike item and the blue box with me. It will be best if I wont need to use them but I got a feeling I will need to use them in the future. Really, I dont know just what will happen in the future.

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68

    The atmosphere feels tense even here.

    This lodging is a refugee camp Well, its just what I decided to call this ce, not its official name. This refugee camp is now filled with people doing the night patrol. Im sure that the news about Valeritz has also reached here.

    I dont think an hour has passed since Kittel left. If I include the time I spent wearing my armor, its probably been around 30 minutes. I can feel my senses sharpen to the point that I can clearly hear the sounds of faraway horse hoovesing closer. This must be because I am extra alert now.

    It seems like theres no need to wait. Frenssen, go get Max and others.

    Yes.

    After that, I stepped outside the lodging. Not long after, a horse stopped in front of me. It was Kittel.

    Good work. So, what are Fathers instructions?

    All members of Zeavert houses army that are currently on the mission to protect the aqueduct construction site are to depart to Badea Vige on the outskirts of the capital and join the knights there.

    All members?

    That is correct.

    Does that mean the kingdom wants to throw away the safety of this aqueduct construction site? Hmm most probably another army will be stationed here tomorrow to protect the construction site. However, we are ordered to depart immediately, not after the recement has arrived. That means this mission must be very urgent.

    Its true that the reaction speed of kingdom knights and noble knights which are in battle ready situations is much higher. So, the kingdom wants to gather as many noble knights as it can in the fastest time possible.

    However, will the chain ofmand be fine if everything is done in so much rush?

    Ah, Max and others have arrived. Next, I just need to ask for the details from the leader of this operation after we join the kingdom knights.

    Got it. Max, Augen, and Barkey, we will immediately depart. We will travel throughout the night so that we can reach there in the morning. Frenssen, I will leave the handover of construction site protection duty to you.

    Everyone immediately rushed to their teams and the orderlies lit up the torch. We do have magicmps but were saving them forter. After all, if theres rain, then we can only use magicmps to light up the surroundings.

    The orderlies ce the saddle on my horse. Maybe because weve been dispatched to the battlefield several times, the orderlies have be quite skilled at their job.

    Depart! Keep your eyes peeled open for a demon attack!

    The sound of the horses hooves pierced the night sky. The sight of the armors reflecting the light of the torches was mesmerizing as if it were a scene of a fairytale.

    Well, Badea Vige isnt that far. Its about a half-day walk from here. Even if we are being extra vignt while marching there, reaching there isnt that hard. Fortunately, we didnt get attacked by demons en route.

    I am Welner von Zeavert.

    Please,e in.

    When I reached the headquarters, I was immediately let in. Usually, there will be an inspection or at least the guard will confirm with the people inside before letting me in. So the situation is so urgent that they dont have time to do that, huh?

    Pardon my intrusion.

    Ah. Sir Welner. Youve arrived.

    Ah, its Duke Seyfarth and beside him is the Minister of War, Uve Freimut Schindler. To think that the one and only Minister of War will be here.

    I apologize for beingte.

    No, you got here quite fast. Sorry for saying this even though you have just arrived, but I need you and your army to immediately depart.

    Excuse me, Minister Schindler? I just got here! Currently, Im trying really hard to make sure that my dissatisfaction isnt shown on my face. I wanted to blurt out aint but the Dukes frown toward me stopped the words in my throat. I ended up throwing a question instead.

    Is it another stampede?

    I think its not a stampede, but we are still not sure. The one thing were sure of is that werete in responding this time. 2 weeks ago, the demons sessfully attacked Perlea Vige.

    It took me a bit of time to recall Perlea Vige that the Duke is talking about. Its a vige located in the upper part of Detmold Mountain Range. This vige also didnt appear in the game.

    I think the Perlea Vige was annihted, but we wont know for sure until the messenger from Valeritz arrives.

    After hearing the ministers words, I began to think about types of monsters that often appeared around the Detmold Mountain range in the game. If I didnt remember it wrong, the mountain range is where the Man-eating Lizard and mountain crocodiles often spawned, right?

    It seems like the herd of demons went to Valeritz and after that, they went in the direction of Denghan

    I see the chronology of Valeritzs fall. But judging from the ministers words it seems like the demon just destroyed Valeritz and left, they didnt upy it.

    Wait a minute. Denghan didnt appear in the game but Ive heard that it was a vige where pilgrims on their way to the Great Temple will take a rest, just like Alea Vige. That means

    The enemys goal is Finnoi?

    Yes. As expected, Sir is sharp.

    The enemys goal is the Great Temple Finnoi. That means we are currently on the prelude of the event where Belice, one of the three Demon Generals attacked the Great Temple Finnoi where Laura is staying. The game only gave an exnation that the temple was suddenly attacked. I see this is how the entire event actually went down.

    Lets make sure Im right.

    Is Her Highness the Second Princess at the temple?

    Yes, she is currently staying in Finnoi.

    Yup. That confirms it. The center of this kingdoms faith and the kingdoms second princess is about to be attacked by the enemies that just destroyed Valeritz. No wonder the kingdoms army is in a rush.

    I do not recall that there are any roadsrge enough for arge enemy to pass through near Denghan.

    Yes, youre right.

    In the game, the road leading to the Great Temple is a vast grasnd and about halfway through the grasnd until the temple, its a forest. At most, theres a small road used by the pilgrims. Nothing close to the road usable byrge armies existed there. As I continued to dig through my memory, the minister spoke again.

    Thats why the army will be split and go through different routes to Valeritz. We will take care of the required supply. I want Count Zaverts army to take a different route and head to Valeritz as fast as possible.

    That means we will meet up with the rest of the army once we arrive at Valeritz.

    That is correct.

    Hmm using another route means we will be taking a detour. I shall do as you say, then.

    Since the kingdom knights will take the main road to Valeritz, there wont be enough space for the noble knights on the main road so the army will be divided, eh?

    Then, we of the Zeavert army will immediately depart to Valeritz using the westward route.

    Yes, Ill be counting on you.

    Oooh to think the Duke will be counting on me. I need toplete this mission perfectly then. I immediately returned to where the Zeaverts army was stationed and shouted with a loud enough voice so everyone could hear.

    Everyone, listen up! Our enemys destination is Finnoi! We will now depart to Valeritz at full speed.

    I just need to stall the time until Mazell arrives to save Laura. Even with the kingdoms knight destroyed in the game, Mazells party was able to save Laura, not to mention in the current situation where the kingdoms knights are intact. It should be fine.

    Well then, lets do what I can now. Im worried that there are going to be some changes from what I know, so I need to see the game scenario unfold right in front of my eyes to calm myself. I just hope that everything unfolds just like the games scenario.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    The sound of horses running through a narrow road under the night sky reverberated in the forest. I dont care about what will happen to the demonic beasts since we trampled their habitat but I do feel bad for the forests wildlife.

    When the horses breath started to get short due to umted fatigue, the entire army decided to stop their march.

    We will start recing our horses. Everyone resupply your water!

    Dont eat any solid food! Drink only vinegar water until we arrive at our destination!

    Max and others gave orders to their team. Even for me, this is the first time Ive ever been in this kind of high-intensity march so I had to check with Max and Augen to make sure that there has been no problem.

    The reason why we forbid eating any solid food isnt because we want to torture the army or anything. Its because the solid food in this world is allposed of really tough food. Since our current priority is mobility, having this kind of food in our soldiers stomachs will only cause trouble. If only, softer solid food like bananas was here

    As for drinking vinegar water, thats because just like in my previous world, this world also believes that drinking vinegar water is good for relieving fatigue. Though the reason why the vinegar water here is pretty strong is because people of this world like it strong.

    As for changing horses, thats amon practice in an emergency. Changing the warhorse with carthorses that have unloaded their luggage can reduce the burden on the horses. Making the horse run without any burden like cargo makes them feel less fatigued so we can use several horses in a rotation.

    The army usually carries tons of cargo so this practice will only be done when the army gets an order to march at a full speed like today.

    Order to march at full speed means we will be forcing the army to march as far as possible. The army under this order can even cross 60 kilometers in just a day.

    Compared to that, a normal army march will cross about 25-35 kilometers in a day. Thats around half of the march at full speed. This kind of army march isnt something I will want to do unless theres an emergency since even though Im riding a horse, not running with my feet, my butt and thighs will still hurt. Not to mention itsmon for the infantrymen to be deserters when doing this kind of army march.

    To make sure that no infantrymen in the rear deserted the army amid the march, Barkeys team was traveling with them along with the wagon and carts. Thats where our supply of consumable items such as arrows and simple food was also located. We only have a minimal supply though.

    For infantrymen who really cant walk anymore, Barkeys team will shove them into the wagon just like any luggage. Theres a chance that these infantrymen will be attacked by a wild beast or demonic beasts before Barkeys team has the chance to pick them up though.

    That means theres a chance for the army to have casualties before we even fight. Thats why this kind of full-speed march isnt something I want to do every day.

    The Koku stick has burned out.

    Got it.

    The Koku stick is what we call the incense stick in my previous life. The incense stick here isnt the incense stick with a good smell or something like that. The incense stick I am referring to is the one used in ancient China to measure time.

    Since the length of the Koku stick is about the same, the time needed topletely burn them all is about the same. Thats why we can measure time using it. This, of course, can only work if the right incense ingredients are used. If you botched the recipe, you could end up with incense powder that wouldnt burn correctly.

    The stick is created by using a body part of a demon named Eater Flower. The advantage of this stick is that it wont be affected by the humidity. By burning several sticks that have roughly the same length we will be able to count how much time has passed.

    Mechanical clocks are far too big to be brought to the battlefield. Sand clocks existed but since ss is expensive the price of sand clocks is also expensive plus it can break quite easily. Thats why this incense stick like a koku stick is the best choice to tell the time on the battlefield. Its only w is that it obviously wont be able to be used in the rain.

    After everyone has checked their shoes and shoces, we will resume our march.

    Yes. Rest is over! Everyone, mount your horses!

    After Max shouted like that, everyone immediately mounted their house in a unison. I feel like Im the slowest one to mount here. Officially, Zeavert house is part of the civil faction, but I feel like somewhere along the way, we ended up bing simr to the house of the military faction.

    With mixed feelings inside, we continued our march toward Valeritz.

    In the end, we arrived on the outskirts of Valeritz in the evening the next day. Still, we seeded in cutting what normally is a 3 days journey into just a day. Good work, everyone.

    I instructed the soldiers to rest, while I led Neurath and Schunzel to themand center of the kingdom knights to greet them and also to discuss my armys provision. It seems like the 2nd division is the one that arrived here first.

    The strange thing here is that the knights didnt enter Valeritz but chose to remain here, in the outskirts. Maybe Valeritz was so badly destroyed to the point there are no ces where anyone can take a rest.

    At that time, thats what I thought.

    I, Welner von Zeavert have arrived.

    Ah, yes, Viscount Zeavert. Please,e in.

    Maybe because themand center is a simple camp, I was granted entry quite easily. This is nice. With that thought in my mind, I entered the headquarters.

    I am Welner von Zeavert.

    Viscount Zeavert, youve arrived.

    You arrived quite fast.

    Are they the captain and the lieutenant of the 2nd division? Both of them are either in the same generation as Father or even older. They look quite tired. Well, thats reasonable.

    Our infantry will arrive a bitter though.

    Youre marching here in a rush so that much is fine. Lieutenant, give the viscounts army simple food and provision.

    Yes, sir.

    Oh, this is great. Unlike us who were using a small road, the 2nd division used the main road; they must be able to bring a proper supply corps along with them.

    You see, the current situation is far worse than our prediction.

    Are you perhaps talking about the situation in Valeritz, sir?

    For a moment, the ce falls into silence. Not long after, with a bitter face, the captain opened his mouth.

    It wasnt a pleasant scenery but you might have to take a look around Valeritz on your own, Sir

    I..I will do so

    I dont know what exactly is happening here but for now, lets just nod. After that, I wille to thoroughly regret my decision.

    Urgh

    ThisHow should I describe it

    After saying that, both Neurath and Schunzel were speechless. I, too, dont know what to say after seeing this scene. The things that were probably the castle walls are now just a pile of stones. Theres no sign of people Hell, theres not even any sign of life. How to describe it its like this entire ce has just suffered from an air raid.

    And the worst part is that stuff which makes me think that it would be a bit better if I at least saw it during the day

    The smell is also terrible.

    Its probably been a few days since Valeritz became like this so theres nothing we can do about the smell.

    As I was listening to the conversation of the two, I gazed at the scene in front of me. Crumbled war, the burning remains of houses, and various household items scattered on the road. Along with a ckened and dried sea of blood, meat and bones.

    If its only a creature of the size of a rat, then the demon can swallow them whole. But on the contrary, if the demon eats a bigger creature, they leave some remains just like the scattered pieces of blood, meat and bones I am currently seeing. No one knows if they belonged to dogs, cats, horses, or humans.

    No wonder the 2nd division choose to stay outside of Valeritz. The current Valeritz not only will make you feel sick physiologically but it might also be the source of infectious diseases. With Valeritzs current state, it will be better to just burn this entire ce to the ground. Its no wonder that the Count is still missing.

    Now, the group that caused this kind of atrocity is heading to Finoi. Seeing this scene makes Dreax look gentle. I might have underestimated the demon army.

    Continuously seeing this scene might make me feel sick. Lets return.

    Yes.

    Yes.

    I sigh as I see a small shoe with just an ankle inside of it at the corner of the road. This isnt good. I feel depressed but at the same time I can feel anger boiling inside of me. Though the thing Im angry with isnt here.

    Damn it. I shouldve understood that this is not a game, but I still felt nauseated when I saw that scene. I dont want to be a person that feels perfectly calm while seeing such a massacre though.

    With a rather pale expression, the three of us made our way to return to the Zeacerts army encampment. When we were just short of reaching the simple encampment, an unexpected voice stopped our track.

    Ah, Big bro!

    Feli!? Why are you here!?

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    We cant talkfortably while standing outside like this, so I brought Feli to the camp. I also called Max and several other people toe here to hear Felis story. Unfortunately, Barkey hasnt reached the campground yet.

    Neurath and Schunzel gazed fiercely at Feli probably because he called me a noble, big bro. I need to talk about this to Feliter, but for now, lets hear what he wants to say.

    Its been a while. Why are you here?

    Big bro Mazell said <i>Welner is probably going to arrive in Valeritz soon.</i> so he asked me to stay here to be a messenger for you.

    So its that punks doing.

    I blurted that out with a sour smile. I dont know if he trusts me or if he just has way too high of expectations for me. Theres stuff I want toin about, unfortunately, the person himself isnt here.

    Anyway, wheres that guy now?

    Hes in the Great Temple Finnoi. After we seeded in repelling the first wave of the demon attack on Finnoi, I came here alone.

    WHAT!?

    Max, Neurath, and Augen raised a surprised yelp in unison. I stayed silent, not because I wasnt surprised but because Im lost for words. Why the hell is Mazell in Finnoi!?

    In the game, Mazell was supposed to appear when Finnoi is already destroyed and Laura is facing off with one of 3 Demon Generals. Currently, Finnoi is still intact so why is Mazell already there?

    Tell me the details.

    Alright. You see

    Felis story can be summarized as follows. Mazell and his party were leveling up in a ce near Gouberg. They were gathering information about nearby dungeons when they heard the rumor that Valeritz was attacked by demons.

    Luguentz said, <i>Judging from the time the rumor surfaced, even if we went there now, it would be toote.</i>

    Thats why even though Mazell was unwilling, they decided to not head to Valeritz. I agree with Luguentzs assessment but Im more surprised that Mazell epted Luguentzs words.

    After that, the situationpletely changed as Mazell suddenly noticed a critical thing.

    <i>Come to think of it, Welner said that we should put Finnoi as our target for the time being.</i>

    I did say that. Wait, is that why they went to Finnoi?

    Then Elrich said, <i>Ive been to Finnoi before so we will be able to go there immediately.</i> And thus, Mazell and his party went to Finnoi and told everyone there that Finnoi would get attacked by demons.

    The people of the Great Temple were skeptical, but Laura believed Mazells words. Ah, right. Unlike in the game, in reality, Laura already knows Mazell.

    Laura ordered for the temples defense to be strengthened, she said it was just in case. Thats why the guards of the temple barely have enough time to prepare themselves before the demons attack.

    I guess since Elrich is a monk, it wouldnt be strange if he went to Finnoi before. But then again, in the game, the hero party shouldve AH!!

    Skywalk! In the game, Skywalk can only be obtained in the town that was unlocked after the yers cleared the Counting Star Tower. Thats why when the Finnoi incident happened in the game, the yers didnt have Skywalk.

    But now, Mazell and his party have Skywalk and Elrich has gone to Finnoi before so they can use Skywalk to arrive in Finnoi before the demon army did. To think that giving them Skywalk has this much effect.

    Well, since we seeded in knocking back the demons first wave of attack, we decided that someone needs to convey the situation in Finnoi to you.

    Thats why youre here, huh, Feli.

    I managed to give Feli a response like that, but the situation was changing so rapidly that I couldnt keep up.

    In short, currently, Finnoi is still fine?

    Yeah.

    Welner-sama, this

    Ah, Augen. Can I trouble you to give the news that Finoi is still fine to the people of the 2nd Division?

    Yes!

    Augen left the tent. I have so many things to think about that I feel like my head is going to burst. I groaned. Then, with a strange expression, Feli said, Big bro.

    Stop calling me Big bro. What?

    Well, maybe Im being too sensitive but I feel like there are a bunch of strange people in the Great Temple.

    Strange?

    ording to Feli, there is a strange group of people among pilgrims and the peddlers that are taking refuge in Finnoi currently.

    Well, they were traveling in a light outfit even though demons have been appearing more frequently recently. How to describe it They were smiling when I talked with them but I felt like their smiles were fake.

    Maybe their strangeness is something that only scouts like Feli can notice. Feli also told me that after Mazells party seeded in repelling the first wave of the demon attack, this group seemed to be asking around about Mazells party.

    Um How should I exin it I feel like they were not asking around just because they were curious about the amazing people that just saved them

    It seems like Feli has also talked about it with Mazell but Mazell was hesitant in taking any action while the cautious Luguentz told him to be careful around them. Hmm since I havent seen them directly, I cant really judge.

    Like, <i>who is he</i>, or <i>where is he from</i>? They also asked about the rtionship between Big bro Mazell and the Princess.

    I felt an rm go off in my head. Wait, what did I just notice?

    Lets remember the game scenario. In the game, Finnoi was taken over by the demons and became no different than a dungeon. Then, in the Great Temple, the protagonist interrupted the confrontation between one of the Three Demon Generals, Belice, and Laura.

    When Laura confronted Belice, what did he say? Hmm I think he threatened Laura to do something to the hostage if Laura resisted? That means Belice has enough intelligence to take and use hostage.

    Still, would the group that massacred Valeritz even bother to take hostages? I dont know but if were talking about the worst-case scenario

    The Trojan Horse!!

    (T/N: It is a trick or stratagem that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected ce.)

    Yes!?

    Feli yelped in surprise because of my loud shout. Well, Maz and others are also surprised. I guess anyone will be surprised since this world didnt have the words Trojan Horse. For them, I just uttered some iprehensible words. Anyway

    The strange people Feli was talking about are probably aiming to cause strife inside Finnoi and secure hostages during the chaos. Maybe they even aimed to open the temples gate from the inside.

    But what if they judged that it would be difficult to open the temples gate from the inside? What will they do once they know that the hero was there, protecting the temple? What will they do once they gather the information about the hero? I mean the fact that Mazell was from Alea vige isnt a secret.

    My priority was literally flipped once I noticed what the worst-case situation is.

    Feli. Theres something I want you to do, but it will be dangerous.

    Welner-sama?

    I ignored Neuraths voice and entered the camp. I took the blue box that was ced on a shelf in the corner of the camp. Inside it are potions and magic items that Ive had the merchant party buy. I havent tested the magic items so my n might be a huge gamble.

    I took 2 medicine bottles and a Skywalk from the box. I only had 2 Skywalks so with this, I have 1 left. I had enough time to test the magic items and resupply them yet I didnt do that. I was too careless.

    What is that?

    This is called anti-evil medicine. It can prevent demons from approaching you for a fixed amount of time.

    In the game, this medicine will make it so the yer wont have any encounters with demons for a fixed amount of time. Neurath and Schunzel were surprised by my exnation, but for now, I decided to ignore them.

    The problem is I dont know why and how this item prevents encounters with demons. Maybe it will make the user unable to be detected by the demons? Or perhaps it will give some kind of divine protection to the user so the demons hesitate to approach the user?

    There might be a chance that if the demons noticed your presence before you use this item, the demons will still attack you even after you use it. The Great Temple is in danger because of the spy but I cant go there now since I have another urgent thing to do.

    Sprinkle the anti-evil medicine on your body and use the Skywalk to return to Finnoi. I will give you two so, after arriving in Finnoi, sprinkle the other on the ground around you. You should be able to buy some time if you do that.

    Feli listened to my words with a serious expression. Just like Mazell, I think you need to learn how to doubt other peoples words. Well, its not like Ill gain anything by lying here though.

    This mission is quite dangerous. Using the Skywalk to go to Finnoi will mean that Feli is going to be transported outside of Finnoi. Until someone opens Finnois gate to Feli, he will be surrounded by demons. Alone.

    I dont think I can handle that kind of dangerous situation but Feli easily nodded his head. As expected, the members of the hero party had a lot of nerve.

    So after I return to the Great Temple, I just need to catch the suspicious people, right?

    Yeah. Use the Zeaverts name to arrest them and throw them in prison. But do it with Mazell and others, dont do it alone. Use force if they resist.

    Got it.

    The enemys aim is probably Laura. Tell Mazell to strengthen the defense around Laura.

    Okay. What are you going to do, Big bro?

    I have an emergency.

    After seeing my expression, Feli stopped talking. He poured the anti-evil medicine on his head, said Bye. <b><i>To Finnoi</i></b> and disappeared. Max and the others are stunned.

    Welner-sama, that

    Ill exinter. Max, Ill appoint you as the armys temporarymander and Augen as the lieutenant. Wait for the 2nd division instruction here.

    Welner-sama?

    Not only Max but also Neurath and Schunzel looked confused. However, I dont have any way to exin it to them.

    The fact that our enemy is one of the Three Demon Generals, Belice, and the fact that hes a sly demon who nned to use hostages are both something that only I know.

    If I told them about this, Im going to be bombarded with many questions that I cant answer like, <i>how did you know that?</i> So even if I wanted to, I cant exin this to anyone.

    For a second, I thought maybe this is what people call loneliness but well, thats not important.

    Neurath, Schunzel, sorry for troubling you both but I need you toe with me. Bring along 10 horsemen and 26 healthy horses with us. Also, prepare some potions.

    YYes!

    What are you nning to do?

    This is going to be a vition of military discipline, but I couldnt care less. As for the Great Temple, it will probably be fine for a while since Mazell is there.

    We are going to take a few elites to Alea Vige. Mazells family is in danger.

    T/N: Lets y a game! Count how many the words Welner-sama appeared in this chapter! Put your answer inment! Oh and next week chapter will be pushed back to Friday, Saturday, sunday, cause of my midterm

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71

    Once this is finished, I guarantee that you will be able to sleep as long as you want so for now keep going!!!

    Yes!

    Show them the pride of knights!

    Yes!!

    Even though I didnt exin anything, everyone followed me withoutining. Neurath also gave them encouragement. Im really sorry for forcing you all to do this. The horses also seem to be exhausted. Im sorry horses but please hang in there a little bit more as our time is really precious now.

    Its been almost a day since we left Valeritz in the middle of the night. Since weve also just arrived in Valeritz after an entire day of march, weve practically been staying up all night for 2 days now. Even counting my previous life, this is the first time Ive been this reckless.

    Maybe the reason why the knights and I can handle this much burden on our bodies is that this world was a game. The existence of the potions also helped a lot since we can use potions to recover our stamina. Well, because of that our supply of potions is now running thin. We also need to leave some potion in case someone gets injured.

    I wonder how much time we have left. The enemy had gathered information about Mazell, learned his origin, and told it to the demons outside of the Great Temple. It was probably only after that Feli left the Great Temple and told me the story. Were one step behind.

    I can only pray that the information that our enemy gathered in the Great Temple reached Belicete.

    Actually, what I did is a clear vition of militaryw. I left my army with a few elites even though Im themander. I passed the responsibility of themander to Max but still

    I have no choice. Currently, Im the only person who knows the location of Alea Vige even though I only know the direction to Alea Vige and its rough location. But thats better than nothing. In the current situation, if I want to reach Alea Vige in time, I need to do whatever I can.

    Because using the main road is a big detour, I used the path that cut through the forest. Well, I dont know if I made the right choice. Damn it. If only at least Iron Hammer was with me. Not that I can make Iron Hammer magically appear here byining.

    In the first ce, theres no guarantee that the Iron Hammer is in the capital. What would I do if I used the Skywalk to go to the capital and found out that Iron Hammer wasnt there? Not to mention I didnt know the maximum number of people that can travel using Skywalk. I dont know the number of enemies so I have no choice but to at least bring some people along with me. If I had some cheat ability, I would have been able to confront our opponents alone but I dont. I am just a normal person. I need to bring my allies.

    While taking small breaks and changing our horses in between, we kept going. By the time we got out of the small path onto a hill, it wasnt sunset but sunrise. In the game, I remember Alea Vige is somewhere around here.

    In the game, things like uneven roads with hills and slopes didnt exist, but of course, they exist in reality. That is why we cant keep going at the same pace. Fyuh I think I need to calm down a bit plus the horses need to rest so lets take a break here.

    Just a little bit more! Lets change horses here and

    Welner-sama!

    Suddenly one of the knights pointed to the direction across the hill. The second he pointed it out, I knew that something had happened there. After all, I can see the crimson me burning brightly in that direction.

    Lets go!

    Make sure to follow us.

    It was Schunzel, not me, who gave the order. I was single-mindedly going in the direction of the me. Everyone seemed to understand that it was an emergency. As expected of the 10 hand-picked knights, they all safely arrived at the Alea Vige.

    The number of demons here isnt enough for them to be called a demon outbreak but the situation of the vige is as chaotic as if it was attacked by a demon outbreak. Houses went up to me and vigers were running around trying to save their lives. I dont have time to calmly assess the situation.

    Protect the vigers first! We can put out the fireter!

    Yes, sir!

    Neurath, take two people with you and go left. Schunzel, you go to the center. Dont fight one-on-one with the demons! Two people follow me to the right!

    I cant waste my time waiting for their answer so I immediately dismounted and ran. Using a horse in the midst of the chaotic vigers will only slow me down.

    If the viges structure is the same as in the game, then Mazells house will be located near the viges main entrance. But since we entered the vige from the side entrance, Mazells house is rather far.

    After moving inside the vige for a while, I began to notice that the structure of the vige is roughly the same as it was in the game, but there are more viger houses herepared to the game. Or maybe it will be better to say that the games vige has way too few houses. I always wonder how the heck did rural viges in RPGs even function as a vige with only 5-6 viger houses.

    Piss off!

    I pierced an enemy with one strike. This is the time when Im grateful that I have [Spearmanship] skill. Even someone of my ability can fight better than your average knights or soldiers as long as I use a spear. Plus my spear is a weapon thats going to still be usable on the stage after the Counting Star Tower. Using it on the enemies that appeared in the Great Temple Finnoi stage is overkill.

    Great Temple Finnoi, huh? As I stabbed the second demon in its neck, I began to assess my surroundings. Belices subordinates in the game are reptile-type demons and the demons in my surroundings including the Alligator Warrior I just killed are also all reptile types. As expected, this attack is done under Belices order.

    Since it looks like the demons here are weaker to me in a one-on-one fight, I can safely increase my pace. I needed to hurry since I saw mes rising up in the direction of Mazells house. I do feel bad for the two people that are following me though.

    Even the armor that I wore is something that I can use up until the middle point of the game. The advantage of my armor is that its easy to move in. I ran leaving the two knights behind me in the dust, took a turn near a store, and finally, I saw them. A person lying on the ground whos covered by another person and in front of them a demon holding a curved sword.

    I gathered the strength in my feet and used the weight of my armor to my advantage to leap. Dark blue blood sshed onto me as the tip of my spear pierced the demons stomach.

    Due to the remaining momentum of my leap, I fell forward but thats fine. After all, I made it on time.

    Are you alright? Do you have any injuries?

    I put my foot on the demons corpse and extracted my spear. Turns out that the two people I saw were a man covered in blood who was lying on the ground, and a woman, probably his wife, who embraced the man while using her body to protect him. What a brave woman.

    Looking at the woman more closely, she is Mazells mother. Theres no CG depicting Mazells mother in the game but she looks simr to Mazell and she is also wearing the clothes I gave her before so theres no doubt shes Mazells mother. I never thought that the clothes that I gave her would be something that would make me able to identify her.

    <i>But she sure doesnt look like a woman who already has a son of my age. She looks young and beautiful.</i>

    That silly thought crossed my mind for a moment before her words pulled me back to reality.

    TheyThey took My daughter..

    What!? Which way did they go??

    ThaThat way

    Her trembling fingertip pointed in the direction outside of the vige. Damn it!!

    Treat their injury and protect them!!

    Leaving behind that instruction to the two knights who finally caught up to me, I ran off. Since I havee this far, I will definitely seed!

    T/N: Sorry for the wait! my mid-term finally ended!

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72

    <b><i>Mazells sisters POV</i></b>

    <i>What happened? Why am I here?</i>

    These two questions crossed my mind when I first woke up as I tried to move my body but to no avail.

    I remember being abducted by a non-human creature but I dont know why. I can see many feet on the ground but I cant tell how many people these feet belong to.

    The ce where they hit me when I resisted was still throbbing in pain.

    I know that Im currently outside the vige and Im being carried on the shoulder by someone. But the second I tried to think about what was going on, it was like a mist covering my thoughts.

    Dad and Mom were seriously injured. I wonder if they are fine.

    Even since a person wearing a hood touched me I can barely gather my thoughts. Just what has happened to me?

    After running through the bushes for a while, they stopped in a ce quite far from the vige and threw me to the ground. Ouch.

    Around here

    The time

    They are saying something Are they talking to each other? I dont know.

    The heros.

    Yes, Im sure shes

    Ouch. I think my hair was pulled to lift my head.

    Make her drink

    Using her body

    My mouth is forced open and a stone-like something is slowly getting close to me. Whats that

    .and thats the end of this girl

    resurrection of

    Huh? End? Am I going to die?

    No! Mom Dad I wont be able to see them again

    Bigbrother.

    Immediately after I muttered that, I heard a thud and I fell forward.

    ***

    <b><i>Welners POV</i></b>

    As I ran, I noticed something. The direction Mazells mother was pointing at is in the opposite direction of Finnoi.

    That means their destination isnt Finnoi but then where? Think! In the game, whats in that direction

    .The Counting Star Tower!

    Currently, the Counting Star Tower is still the demons den. There is also no human settlement in its surroundings. That means if shes brought there, only the hero party is strong enough to rescue her.

    For better or worse, they were running through the bushes so they left a lot of trails like broken branches and trampled grasses so following their track isnt difficult. However, if I just kept chasing them, I dont know if I could even catch up to them.

    If their destination is really Counting Star Tower, they will need to go around the vige. Rather than continue chasing them like this, it will be better for me to take a shortcut. I ignored the scratch on my cheek caused by a branch and kept running.

    She must have gotten kidnapped right around the time I arrived in the vige. The enemies probably dont think that they are being chased so they will hopefully lower their guard. As long as I dont give up, I will make it in time.

    After running for a while, I found freshly stomped grass. I saved a few minutes using the shortcut! Im lucky that the moon is shining brightly tonight so the road isnt pitch dark.

    Then I finally spotted them. A robbed figure is lifting a girl by her hair. Maybe shes unconscious, thats why she isnt resisting. The girl and the robbed figure are surrounded by 3 other figures. Two of them look like they are swordsmen. I dont know about thest one since hes wearing a hood.

    The other hand of the robbed figure is approaching the girls face. He must be nning to do something bad to the girl. Without stopping my track, I raised my spear

    REACH HIM!!!

    [Spearmanship] skill exists in this world but [Javelin] skill doesnt exist. That means [Spearmanship] skill must also include the ability to throw a spear. The design of a <i>throwing spear</i> or <i>javelin</i> is different from the normal spear. Im taking a bit of a gamble by throwing a normal spear but it seems like it went well.

    The tip of my spear precisely pierced the robbed figures face and he fell backward. The girl caught by his hand also ended up falling with him though, so I need to apologize to herter.

    I drew my sword, rushed to the confused hooded figure, and shed at him. Swordsmanship isnt my forte but since my sword is of high quality, it easily shed through the hooded figure. Blood or rather bodily fluid sttered on the ground.

    It seems like I failed to kill him with that strike, but if I try to attack him again, I will leave a huge opening on myself.

    Thinking so, I just kicked him far away from the girl. I heard a groan simr to a frog being stomped but I ignored it.

    The remaining two figures also drew their sword and attacked me but I dodged them reflexively. This must be the result of my training. For now, its good as long as they didnt try to attack the girl.

    I felt that the movements of these two were strange but I dont have time to think about it. I closed the distance and punched one of my enemies in his face with my hand that was still gripping the hilt of my sword. Then, I swung my sword to the side. Fighting with my fist reminds me of my school days.

    Sparks fly as my sword hits the sword of myst opponent. I used the momentum of the blow to move to a position where I can protect the girl behind me. The guy that I punched earlier stayed silent. Its best if he was unconscious. Im not that good at using swords so I want to reduce their fighting force as much as possible.

    I smell a rotten smelling from the hand that just punched my opponent. Wait, the rotten smell?? The face of the creature I just punched was finally revealed as the moonlight shone on him.

    WWhy are they here!?

    Dead Swordsman. They shouldnt appear here. No, wait. They did appear as rare monsters in the Counting Star Tower in the dungeon unlocked after the hero defeated Belice. Does that mean these guys arent Belices subordinates?

    But the demons that attacked the vige are reptile-type demons that appeared in the Great Temple dungeon so they should be Belices subordinates. Something is going on here.

    Though puzzled, I kept swinging my sword. When one received my sword, the other attacked me. Damn it. They are undead so hitting their face is useless. Whats done is done though.

    Im using a sword, not a spear. I also didnt bring a shield, and am now facing 2 opponents at the same time. This is tough.

    The battle continues with me attacking my opponent and dodging their strikes. Sparks flew and crisp sounds resounded as my opponents swords hit my armor.

    Argh.. damn it! Fighting two rare monsters with my bad swordsmanship with this tired body, are you kidding me!?

    5 strikes, 10 strikes, 15 strikes, sparks flew as our swords kept shing. My hands are going numb but I kept attacking without faltering. I parried any thrust, and when a sword was swinging down at me, I twisted my wrist so that I could break my opponents stance. I must say that considering that Im fighting two-on-one, Im putting up a great fight.

    When I focus my attention on one opponent, the other will immediately rush to me so I must pay attention to both of them. Its mentally taxing. Gradually, Im being pushed back and my sturdy armor is the sole reason I havent gotten any injuries yet.

    But stamina-wise Im definitely at a disadvantage. Maybe I should bait them by showing an opening on purpose. I might get injured, but at least, I can also cause them to suffer damage As this thought crossed my mind, I heard a faint voice, like a roar.

    I quickly swung my sword, turned around, and then let go of my sword. I grabbed the girl who was still lying on the ground with my left hand, grabbed <b><i>it</i></b> with my right hand, and moved away from the ce.

    Immediately after, a thunderous roar struck my ear followed by shock waves and heat hitting my back.

    With the girl still in my arms, I rolled on the ground while distancing myself. Ouch. I saw the guy I kicked earlier standing up and pointing his palm toward me. So, hes a Lizard Magician. The earlier attack was probably fire magic.

    Hes a reptile demon so is he Belices subordinate? Well, that doesnt matter though.

    Right after I stopped rolling on the ground, the Dead Swordsman rushed at me. I can understand their reasoning, but they yed a bad move. While enduring the pain in my back, I found a ce where I can stabilize my foothold and aim properly.

    The reason why my body moved right after I saw the Dead Swordsman rushing over here must be either the result of my training or the effect of my Skill.

    <b><i>sh</i></b>

    My spear pierced the armor and torso of the Dead Swordsmaning from my right side and went through its back

    Yup, this is more of my style.

    My back hurts but I can handle it. I grinned as I readjusted my grip on the spear.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73

    As I stand up, I sweep my spear sideways. Obviously, a spear is more deadly when you use it to thrust but the momentum of sweeping it sideways is also quite big because of the centrifugal force. As a sideway sweep consumes more stamina, it will be a waste of stamina if you miss the target. However, with my current distance and position, I dont think I need to worry about that.

    The quality of this spear is really good so I was able to stab the side of the skull of the Dead Swordsman that got its torso pierced earlier with ease. After that, I leave the reach of the other Dead Swordsmans sword by taking a half-step back.

    In this kind of open field, the spear has an advantagepared to the sword. Well, since my enemies have a mage, the advantages and disadvantages cancel each other out.

    No, honestly, I might be at a disadvantage but Im not stupid enough to feel depressed here. If I lose my fighting spirit, Im going to lose this battle. Keep your mind calm and focused.

    I take a quick nce at the girl. Her eyes are open but they seem unfocused. I wonder if its because shes confused or they have cast some kind of debuff magic on her. Im scared that shes going to hit her head if I identally throw her to the ground. Come to think of it, shes Mazells younger sister so shes younger than me. I think shes about 1 or 2 years younger?

    Her face is slightly dirty or rather this isnt the time to be observing her face! For the time being, Im d that she isnt moving around because of the panick.

    Come!!

    The two Dead Swordsman rushed toward me, I dont think its because they understood my word though. Their target is my left hand which is holding the girl. Yup, death soldiers are idiots.

    I want to take care of them before the Lizard Magician joins the fight.

    While still facing forward, I jumped to the back.

    As I predicted, Dead Swordmen stepped forward to close the distance. The distance I gained by jumping to the back is longer than their stride. Furthermore, I know my opponents aim  girl.

    When I didnt move, the opponents reacted by stepping forward, entering right into my striking range. I immediately dropped the girl down and swung my spear sideways using both hands. Because I put my full strength into that strike, I ended up leaning a bit forward.

    Pieces of rotten meat fly as the end of my spearnds squarely on their face.

    Without any dy, I followed up with a full strength stab on their heads. I fixed my stance and raised my spear in the direction of the mage.

    Now, its only you and me.

    I smiled, but the truth is Im half bluffing. I mean Im fighting a mage whose specialty is a long-range battle. We have a lot of distance between us and, to make matters worse, Im even exhausted. If he decided to abandon the n of capturing this girl alive and tried to kill us both instead

    At this point, I cant afford to make him know that Im bluffing so I held my spear brimming with confidence. Then, he asked, Who are you?

    Isnt it a basic manner to introduce yourself before asking others names?

    So this guy is also a devil. Im a bit surprised that he can speak but I guess it makes sense. If Dreax has devils subordinates, it wont be strange if Belice also has some.

    What surprises me more is the fact that he can grind his teeth. So lizards can grind their teeth? Is it because hes a devil? Well, even the fact that devils can grind their teeth is something I just discovered now.

    Ill give you a deal

    Huh? I nked out for a moment. A devil offered a deal? With a human?

    Well, using the word give is pretty arrogant. It was as if I had no choice but to ept it. Well, lets ignore that for now. I never thought that a devil would propose a deal with a human. I keep silent as I still cant wrap my head around it. The lizard continues, Ill let you and that girl go alive. Just leave this ce.

    I refuse.

    I answered without any hesitation.

    Im sure my answer is right. I dont know why but it seems that this guy wants me to leave immediately. That means I have a lot of advantages here.

    You wont regret it? Im saying that Im going to spare your life.

    Youre talking as if Im alive thanks to you.

    Slowly, we both started to move. I want him to get into my spears striking range but thats going to be difficult. After all, Im going to fight while protecting this girl so my movements will be hindered. On the other hand, that guy must also know that he was going to be at a disadvantage if he entered my striking range, but for some reason, he didnt create more distance, as if he didnt want to get too far from here.

    Maybe he thinks that if he tries to gain any more distance, hes going to leave an opening for me to throw my spear at him. But I think thats not the only reason. I can feel him slowly guiding me away from here.

    I seem like hes trying to lead me away from something, but what? At first, I thought that he wanted to separate me from this girl but he offered to let me and this girl leave so thats not it.

    He has a reptilian face plus my only source of light is the moonlight so I cant tell where his gaze is directed to. Just what is he trying to get me away from?

    Both of us are looking for an opening to make a move but this tense moment didnt continue for long. In a way that benefited me the most, the bnce between us broke.

    Welner-sama!!

    Are you okay?

    Dont let him escape!

    To Neurath and Schunzel that appeared from the bushes, I gave an order as my answer. The Lizard Magician immediately turned away while the two closed their distance.

    Their swords shed at the lizard from both sides. Unfortunately, maybe because the quality of their weapons iscking, they failed to kill the lizard. He turned to them to fight back but what he was doing is the same as showing his opening to me.

    TAKE THIS!!!

    I threw my spear with all my might but he dodged it at thest moment so my spear only managed to pierce his thigh. He red at me, but you know Mr. Lizard, you should pay more attention to whats in front of you.

    Neurath and Schunzel closed into the distracted Lizard Magician and pierced him with all their strength. The Lizard Magician splurted out blood and copsed on the spot.

    I almost copsed because of relief, but right at that moment, the girl suddenly started to il like being hit by an electric current so I immediately reached out to check her. It seems like the Lizard Magicians death lifted the debuff magic that was cast on this girl.

    I once again picked up the girl in my arms.

    Welner-sama. Are you alright?

    I only got some light injuries.

    I answered the worried Schunzel with a tired voice.

    Thank you foring.

    We heard an explosion, so we rushed here.

    So thats how you found me.

    To think that the Lizard Magicians magic ended up saving me. Whatever the reason is, I almost died so Im thankful to them.

    Actually, I really want to just sleep here but I cant since the girl that remained silent the whole fight was gripping my sleeve tightly with her trembling fingers.

    She almost got kidnapped by demons so, of course, shes scared. Until she calms down, I cant leave her alone and sleep.

    Neurath, Schunzel, check the belongings of those two. The swordsmen can wait.

    Yes, sir.

    I pointed at the corpses of the robbed and hooded demons with one hand and lightly patted the girls back with the other. Im wearing a mental gauntlet right now so my pats might be a bit rough, but well, I cant do anything about that.

    Welner-sama, theres nothing that seems important among their belongings.

    I see.

    U..Um

    The girl that was resting in my arms raised her trembling voice. It seems like she wanted to say something. Me, Neurath, and Schunzel looked at her.

    That that guy held something in his hand.

    Something?

    Yes. He tried to force me to swallow it.

    I exchanged gazes with Neurath and Schunzel. Something that the Lizard Magician was trying to make her swallow? Is it poison or something? I dont know but Im curious. The trembling girl and I proceed to approach the Lizard Magicians corpse together.

    Once I looked at him closely, I realized that he was a ck Mage, though a different one than the guy I met at the Veritza Fortress. Why is a ck Mage here? In the game, I dont think ck Mage appeared here.

    While I was frowning, Schunzel said, Welner-sama. Theres something that has fallen here.

    What is it?

    Its not a magic stone.

    A ck gem that radiated an ominous feeling was lying not far away from the Lizard Magician. Its definitely not a magic stone.

    Maybe this thing is the reason why the Lizard Magician didnt run. Now that I think about it, when we fought each other I got a feeling that he was trying to lead my attention away from this direction.

    Neurath, Schunzel, just to be safe dont touch it directly. Scope it up along with the soil around it and put it away in some clothes.

    Yes, sir!

    I think touching it directly is fine but being careful wont hurt. I mean this thing is a devils belonging so its probably nothing good.

    Other than this thing, I cant find anything that seems important.

    Ok, lets go then. Ah, please bring my weapon and their swords along with us.

    In the game, the sword dropped by Dead Swordsman is a pretty rare piece of equipment. Its basically useless for me though.

    We were about to return to the vige after Neurath picked up the 2 swords when I noticed something. This girl, shes barefoot. This world doesnt have the custom to take off your shoes other than when youre going to bathe and sleep so her shoes probably fell off somewhere. I dont have any choice then.

    If you dont mind the fact that Im not a dashing prince, I will carry you on my back..

    Ahumbut..

    Neurath, Schunzel, protect our surroundings.

    Understood.

    I dont have enough stamina to carry her like a princess so she has to be satisfied with this. I carried the girl without waiting for her answer. I cant let her wear the dead demons shoes. I doubt she would want to plus its dangerous since who knows their shoes might be cursed. Well, the game didnt have cursed shoes, but at this point, a lot of things have deviated from the game so its better to be safe than sorry.

    She was acting reserved at first, but she gave up not long after. Now, shes obediently being carried on my back. She looks shy though.

    By the way, I wonder how bad the injury on my back is. I can feel a prickling pain, but I am not sure whether the magic has managed to destroy my armor. I need to check itter.

    Mom!! Dad!!

    Lily!!! Oh, thank God!!

    Are you alright!?

    On our way back, we didnt suffer from any demon attack. When we finally arrived in front of the inn, the girl ran to her parents. I see. So, Mazells little sister is called Lily. It was the first time I heard her name. I dont think the game ever mentioned her name.

    Near the family that hugged each other while crying are my knights that surrounded the destroyed inn. They seemed to be relieved when they saw me.

    Sorry for making you all worried. Please give me the report.

    Yes, sir. We seeded in eliminating all demons inside the vige. We have yet to confirm that all fire has been extinguished, but for the time being the vige should be safe.

    The most senior knight answered me. As expected for someone that Max rmended to me, hes pretty calm. He must have done a pretty good job in my absence.

    What about the injured?

    Some vigers are injured but we are still in the middle of confirming the total number of people. The injuries of the innkeeper have recovered, and his life is no longer in danger. We used all our potions. As for us, 2 people suffered minor injuries.

    Thank you for your report.

    Please, raise your head!

    I bowed my head out of habit and the knights were panicking. I know that as a noble, and amander to boot, I cant easily lower my head. However, this time, they were dragged here because of my recklessness so I need to do at least this much.

    UUm Thank you for saving her

    When Mazells mother is about to bow, Neurath and Mazell suddenly be alert. Its not because of Mazells mother. In the direction, they are both gazing, theres a wrinkled old man who brought several male vigers rushing towards us.

    As I began to wonder if that old man appeared in the game, the old man pointed to Mazells family and shouted, ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!

    Excuse me??

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74

    For a moment, I wondered if my ears were ying tricks on me. Technically, hes right since the demons attacked this vige to use Mazells family as a hostage but how did he know that?

    Ignoring me, the old man continued to shout at Mazells family like condemning criminals.

    We became powerless when the demons attacked the vige because you let Mazell go to the capital!

    The heck

    I, no, not just me but Neurath, Schunzel, and the rest of the knights were also speechless. What is that logic?

    Isnt Mazell a [Hero]!? If he was here, we couldve made him fight! The vige was destroyed because you let him go to the capital!

    The vige head is right! If Mazell was here, we could have let him fight!! We should not have allowed him to go to the capital!!

    Its your fault that the vige is destroyed!

    They ignored us and continued to berate Mazells family. I could hear what they were saying but it was so idiotic that I became stunned. I lost my chance to interfere.

    Careful!!

    Dad!!

    What- Those idiots started to throw rocks!! When the injured Mazells father got his shoulder hit by a fist-sized rock to protect Lily, I panicked.

    You all stop!! Stop them!!

    Yes, sir!

    The knights returned to their senses and rushed to get between us and the angry vigers. Because of that, they directed their anger toward us.

    You might be knights but youre outsiders so shut your mouth! This viges chief is <b>ME</b>! My words are absolute here!

    Ah, right. People like him who truly believed that their wishes were above everything else also existed in my previous life. People like the president of a ckpany or a corrupt local government leader.

    (T/N: ckpanies in Japan arepanies that exploit their employees with poor working conditions like forcing them to work extreme hours with below minimum wage and no overtime pay.)

    Wait, Mazell is a person that came to the capital under the royal familys wish. If youre the vige chief, you shouldve received the exnation, right?

    Mazell is from this vige! Its only natural that he lives in this vige! He shouldve worked for the sake of this vige!

    The chief is right! Mazell belongs to this vige! It was you who let him leave!

    As I listened to their selfish demands, I began to get angry. I now understand why Mazell hesitated back then. Its not that he doesnt want to meet his family. He just doesnt want to return to this vige.

    In my previous life, I heard that sometimes a person that sits in power for far too long ends up bing stubborn but I never knew it could get this bad.

    They probably thought that our silence meant we were scared of them so the vige chief continued, If you guys understand then get out of our way!

    Hes right! Get out of our way!

    If you understand then hand those traitors to us!!

    If I handed them over to you, what are you nning to do?

    Maybe he misunderstood my question as an agreement so the chief answered in an extremely arrogant voice, Of course, we will punish them. Right, everyone!?

    Right!!

    Then, a young man raised his ax. Thats not a battle ax so its probably an ax for woodcutting. Are you seriously going to fight us with that?

    Even if theyre traitors, they still have their own use so at most I will give them injuries that will scar them for life

    I wont and have no intention to let that sadistic old man continue his words.

    With a speed faster than any of my previous battles, I thrust my spear and break the handle of the woodcutter ex that the young man is holding in front of his chest. But I still have my self-control so the spear only created a hole in the young mans clothes.

    *Gasp*

    With a pale face, the young man staggered a few steps back and slumped to the ground. The vigers went silent. Really, I understand that your vige was just attacked so you guys are blinded with anger, but dont you realize that youre trying to pick a fight with an armed group? Not to mention that arrogant attitude of yours. You do realize that acting like that against knights is punishable under thew, right?

    I looked toward the knights to silently give them the message that Im going to stop holding back but it seems like I dont need to do that. They all look as frustrated as me, so yeah, I will stop holding myself back.

    WhaWhat are you..

    SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

    I cut off the old mans words with a shout. Since the outbreak, Ive been constantly shouting to give my orders to the army so Im confident that I can make mere vigers cower with just my shout.

    Youve all crossed the line! My name is Welner von Zeavert! By the grace of His Majesty, I have been allowed to proim myself as a viscount!

    A noble!?

    I can see blood draining from the faces of these idiotic vigers. I guess since I look young and dirty they never expected that Im a noble. They probably thought that Im just a normal knight. Well, thats not my fault.

    Even if I was just a normal knight, their attitude has still crossed the line. Nobles have the right to punish themoners, thats thew. Well, it is an obsoletew which is very rarely imposed now. Since they shouted get out of our way to me, a noble, I have the right to punish them right in this ce.

    But as much as I wanted to, I wont punish them here. In the first ce, I vited militaryw bying here so I will get into trouble if I, whos not supposed to be here, punished others. Still, Im going to make sure these vigers understand <i>thoroughly</i> that their attitude has crossed the line.

    I turned my body toward Mazells family. Oh,e on, dont act scared like that. I might be a noble but I wont eat you, you know?

    Well, lets ignore their reaction and do what I want. I went on one knee, a posture of the highest respect that should be shown to the royal family.

    !

    I can feel everyones surprised gaze but I dont care. I mean, its a show. As a noble, I can put on a convincing show. Then, with a loud enough voice so that vigers can hear me clearly, I said, Honorable members of the Hearthing family, it is the first time we have met each other. I am Welner von Zeavert who by the grace of His Majesty has been allowed to proim myself as a viscount.

    This was no different than what I said to the vigers earlier, but the next words are the important one. I strengthened my voice.

    As the noble of Bain Kingdom, do allow me to express my deepest gratitude for the great contribution of your son, Mazell Hearthing, in recapturing our kingdoms stronghold, the Veritza Fortress.

    I can hear the surprised voices of the vigers even from here. Im not finished.

    His contribution in defeating the general of the Demon Army who has, unfortunately, in His Excellency Marquis Knap has also received the highest praise from His Majesty himself. Although due to His Majestys consideration of the fact that hes still a student, his reward of a peerage has been temporarily suspended.

    HisHis Majesty has..

    The..The King praised

    AA peerage?

    Oh I can hear the vigers stifled voices. I wont stop though.

    His Highness the Crown Prince has also put great expectation upon Mazell-dono and has personally instructed me to help him.

    Im not lying. Its true that the Crown Prince has great expectations of Mazell and he had asked me to help him by <i>cooperating with him</i> although it was <i>cooperating</i> by helping him get away from nobles. Well, its not my fault if anyone misunderstands the word <i>help</i>.

    I nced at the old man who looked pale. Of course, he would. To berate the family of a hero who received praises from the King and expectations of the Crown Prince is the same as pping the royal familys face.

    I thought that at the very least the news about Mazells achievement in the Veritza Fortress shouldve reached here but I guess that this kind of people would only hear what they wanted to hear. Though now, Ive stuffed their eardrums forcefully with facts.

    From the looks of it, this incident has unfortunately caused your house to be burned down. As His Highness has instructed me to help Mazell, under the name of the Zeavert house, I would like to invite the honorable Hearthing family to stay in the capital temporarily.

    In other words, <b><i>I will ask the Hearthing family about the treatment they have received in the vige and the news of that treatment will reach the ear of the royal family</i></b>, or to be more precise, I will tell the royal family about it.

    I think I heard some of the vigers screaming but why should I care?

    Its true that its the job of those in power to protect the citizens as long as those citizens are good. However, these vigers have clearly gone too far. Their words border on treason. I admit that because of my fatigue andck of sleep, I currently dont have a good temper.

    The patriarch of the Hearthing family is injured. There must be at least a cart in this vige. Go take it under the name of Zeavert house.

    Yes, sir.

    Lets use our spare horses to pull the cart. I will bring the horses here.

    Neurath and Schunzel both moved fast. It seems like both of them have long since treated the vigers as air. Me too though.

    Um Viscount-sama

    Mrs. Hearthing. Please check if there is anything you wish to take along with you among the ruins of the fire. I will let 2 knights apany you.

    Y..Yes..

    Leave the heavy lifting to us!

    The knights also moved. The knights probably have some kind of goodwill toward Mazell that has defeated the general of our enemy, Dreax and after seeing what the vigers did earlier, they must dislike the vigers.

    Im tired but I think its best for my mental health to leave this vige as soon as possible. We will leave tonight, though I feel bad for Mazells family since Im going to let them camp outside. I just blurted out a bunch of stuff that these vigers can be killed for doing, but I didnt n to do so. Well, Im surely going to leave them hanging though.

    I get a feeling that shitty old man is saying something but Im going to pretend I dont hear anything.

    T/N: Can I just torture and then kill the entire vige?

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    We left the vigete at night and kept traveling until we reached a creek. We stopped there to get some water and, of course, rest. I dont think my body can take it anymore. Still, we need to keep an eye on our surroundings so we split the sleeping time between us.

    We dont need to go hunting since some demonic beasts attacked us. We killed one Trident Boar and two Killer Rabbits. The meat of one Trident Boar is enough to feed 15 people. To be honest, I am really excited since we can finally eat our fill and take much needed rest.

    Mazells parents offered to do the butchering and cooking of the rabbit meat. As knights and I dont know how to handle raw meat and we also didnt bring any orderlies with us, I decided to take their offer. I guess, as a noble, this was the ce where I was supposed to tell them to do it before they offered but whatever.

    As Mazells family operated an inn, they had great experience in cooking. The game didnt have that kind of detailed exnation. In the first ce, there was no hunger or eating system in the game.

    The stupid vige chief didnt appear in the game and there was also no description of Mazells family being isted in the vige. Whats with this discrepancy I wonder? Well, its not that important so lets put that off forter.

    During the night, we took turns resting and tending to our injuries. The sun has already risen. Its been a while since I got a proper 3 hours of sleep. In my 2 lives, I never had this kind of harsh schedule, but Its fine since I saved Mazells family in time.

    Last night, when I checked whether I was injured or my armor was damaged, I found a burn wound on my back but my armor was fine. Thats strange. I wonder if magic has a stronger effect on body mana than physical objects. It may exin why my back was burned but my armor was fine. I need to do some experiments to confirm this.

    Well, I was so tiredst night that all I could think of was <i>I want to sleep!</i>. I was in no mood to analyze magic whatsoever.

    Excuse me, viscount-sama, I brought you a drink.

    As I was thinking, someone called me so I turned around. I was dumbfounded.

    Right. Mazell was handsome and his mother was beautiful. I did think something like <i>His entire family has good looks!</i>. Still, I was surprised by how cute Lily-sans clean face is under the sunlight!

    If the game developers had made a CG depicting this girl, the fandom might have riot.

    Viscount-sama?

    A..Um Thank you.

    I think I managed to pretend to be calm. I took the cup that was found in the remainders of the burned inn and drank the content quickly to hide my real thoughts. A slight sweetness spread in my mouth. Come to think of it, Its been a while since I drank something other than water.

    Its delicious. Thank you.

    Im d you like it.

    She smiled softly as if relieved. Damn, the damage of her smile is quite something! Shes probably the archetype <i>girl with a healing smile</i> character. She must be the inns poster girl.

    Not long after, Mazells parents approached us. It seems like the knights have taken over their job of distributing the cooked meat. I dont know what to talk about with Lily, so perfect timing!

    Viscount-sama, I am truly grateful

    Um can you please stop calling me viscount-sama?

    I cut off Mazells fathers words. Sir, you know, my earlier <i>I am a great noble!</i> like attitude was just an act. I dont think I can bear it if I need to keep up that attitude in my everyday life.

    The truth is I have always been thinking that I do not deserve my position due to my young age, so please, stop calling me viscount-sama. Not to mention, I do not think that I deserve your respect as I have made a mistake and need to apologize to you.

    No, sir! You have done nothing that you need to apologize for

    No. I made you and your family leave the vige.

    At that time, I waspletely mentally and physically exhausted so when I saw vigers behavior, I ended up exploding. I could have handled the situation better. You sure regret it when things are done.

    But Mazells father shook his head with a bitter expression. Is that expression because of his consideration of me being noble or is it because up until now hes been forcing himself? I dont know.

    No, leaving the vige might be better for us.

    When I asked him why, he said that he was made to take <i>responsibility</i> for letting Mazell go to the capital against the vige chiefs will by doing forcedbor. Seriously?

    Since Alea Vige is remote to the point that there are no towns near it, the vige chief may feel like he can do whatever he wants. To be honest, I thought that he would show some restraint as Alea is a vige that the pilgrims stopped by on their journey, but no, I was wrong. I need to make sure to report the dictatorship of the chief to the kingdom.

    Ah, I have forgotten that I have yet to introduce myself. I am Ali Hearthing, this is my wife, Anna Hearthing, and my daughter, Lily Hearthing.

    It is pleasant to meet you. Once again, I am Welner von Zeavert. I am Mazells friend.

    Actually, as a noble, I shouldnt be this respectful tomoners like them but I want them to stop giving that overly respectful attitude, so I purposely pointed out the fact that <i>Im your sons friend, and were the same age</i>.

    Thank you for the gifts you have given us before.

    Ah, yes but I would like to apologize for only greeting you now

    <i>I apologize for the shabby gifts</i> is something that I almost blurted out. Thats what I would have replied with in my past life as a Japanese, but considering my current position, I cant exactly do that.

    (T/N: When Japanese give gifts, they have a habit of saying <i>I apologize that it is a shabby gift</i> or something along that line no matter what kind of gift it is, even if the gifts are he expensive.)

    In this world, when nobles hold a banquet, normally, they give the leftover food to themoners and themoners ept it happily. Its not strange to seemoners or to be more specific, the poormoners gathering in the back gate of a noble thats holding a banquet in hope of receiving the leftover.

    Although Ive gotten used to scenes like that, I still cant think of it as normal because of my past life memories. Well, that doesnt matter here though.

    I should have asked Mazell more about the situation of his family.

    I said that with a bitter smile.

    Viscount-sama

    Please stop calling me viscount-sama.

    I almost added <i>I beg you</i>. The image of my acting must be very memorable for them. Lily-san let out a smallugh and answered, I understand.

    My brother mentioned you, Welner-sama, in his letter. I have always wished to meet you.

    Mazell did?

    That guy didnt write anything strange, right?

    Yes, he mentioned that he has a very reliable best friend. Even from just his writing, I can tell that you are a good person.

    Im honestly happy that he said that were best friends. But when I meet himter, I should tell him, <i>Dont let your best friend, whos a noble, be embarrassed by giving your family a cheap gift!</i>

    It seems like three of them understood my embarrassment from my expression and started tough warmly. Im d that their stiffness is finally gone, but Im still somewhat unsatisfied.

    Will you be willing to tell me the story of my brothers life in the capital?

    Mazells life story? Well, you see

    That guy is an honor student with excellent grades who barely behaved badly in school but I can understand their concern as a family. As I was remembering some <i>interesting</i> stuff that happened in the past, I started my story.

    T/N: So there were 2 things that Ive had an internal debate about this novel but I decided to just let all of you, the reader, to decide!<ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li><ol><li>Sir and Sire vs just sir</li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol></li></ol>

    I dont know if anyone noticed but Ive been using the capital <strong>Sir </strong>and <strong>sir</strong>. The <strong>Sir</strong> is referring to the <strong>Sir</strong> title like <strong>Sir Welner</strong>while <strong>sir</strong> is what I added to make the conversation seem more polite like <strong>Yes, sir</strong>. Ive thought of just making it <strong>Sire and Sir,</strong> so its <strong>Sire Welner</strong> and <strong>Yes, sir</strong>or I should just ditch the capital and no capital and just use the usual Sir, so, what do you think?

    2. Welner von Zeavert vs Welner Von Zeavert

    When I started to trante this story I assumed Welner name is <strong>Welner von Zeavert</strong>but as the story progress and many nobles full name was revealed I noticed that Welner was the only person with<strong>von</strong> in his name so maybe<strong>von</strong>was actually his middle name so it should be<strong>Welner Von Zeavert</strong>? but Ive been using<strong>Welner von Zeavert</strong> for a long time now which one do you all think I should use?

    Hit the link to choose!

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    T/N: Before the chapter start I got 2 announcements for you guys!<ol><li>The result of the poll hade out! ording to the result, we will stick to <strong>Welner von Zeavert</strong>and <strong>Just sir</strong> for future chapters.</li></ol>

    Its kind of funny since, in the end, nothing will change (ahahaha) so I guess you guys love my trantion that much, huh. The joke choice I put on the Welner full names poll also got more vote than the actual one lol.

    2. The conventional trantion for <b></b> and <b></b> is <b>Duke</b> and <b>Grand Duke</b>. However, if I have used those conventional trantions, the exnation about the difference between the western duke and Japanese duke and the nobility system in Western countries and China in chapter 14 would not make sense in English. So, Ive been using the terms <b>Prince</b> and <b>Duke</b> instead. But now since chapter 14 has been edited and I want to avoid the confusion of <b>Prince peerage</b> and the <b>Royal Prince</b>, starting from this chapter, Ill use the conventional terms <b>Duke</b> and <b>Grand Duke</b>. From now on, <b>Duke Seyfart</b> will be <b>Grand Duke Seyfart</b>.

    Tldr: We will use<strong>Welner von Zeavert, Just sir, Duke, and Grand Duke</strong>for future chapters.<strong>Duke</strong> and<strong>Grand Duke</strong> rece<strong>Prince</strong>and<strong>Duke</strong> so <strong>Duke Seyfart</strong> will be<strong>Grand Duke Seyfart</strong>.

    Thats all from me. Enjoy the chapter!

    While eating, I told Mazells family about Mazells life in the capital. The story is from my own POV but all of them listened with great interest probably because they are Mazells family. I guess its simr to listening to the story of your sons life when he was studying abroad.

    .Thats what happened. Now, Mazell holds the record for the highest mock battle win rate in the academy with 45 wins and 1 draw. These 45 wins include the mock battle he fought with the teachers.

    That 1 draw was a battle with you?

    Nah, its not. Im no match for him.

    If we fought now, even if Mazell just used a tree branch while I used a real spear, I probably would still lose.

    I see then, how did he get that 1 draw?

    Well, it has an interesting story behind it.

    It was a story that became a legend in our generation. It happened when we had just enrolled in the academy. We were gathered in an outdoor training area to do a mock battle to test our skills. Mazells opponent was the third son of some noble. He was not exactly weak, but if they fought fair and square, Mazell would still win.

    At that time, both of them had readied their swords. Then, the second the referee teacher shouted <b><i>Begin!</i></b>, bird droppings fell onto Mazells opponents head making the whole ce fall into silence.

    Then, everyone burst intoughter. Mazells opponent stiffened and didnt move. I remember that Mazell was showing a really troubled expression which seemed to be saying <i>what should I do now?</i> Thats the first time I saw Mazell with that kind of expression.

    The teacher announced the match as a draw and told Mazells opponent to go wash his head while holding back hisughter. Mazell epted the teachers judgment with a wry smile. And thats how he got his 1 draw record. Considering his abilities, its probably going to be his only match that ended as a draw in his entire student life.

    Anyway, everyoneughed back then.

    The Hearthing family who had been staring at me also started tough. Good, justugh. They just left their hometown in such a bad situation, so I have been feeling that they are quite tense. Its a good thing that they look more rxed now.

    Not long after I told the story, Neurath approached me so I threw the remaining meat in my mouth and turned to him.

    Welner-sama, everyone had finished eating.

    Good. Whats the state of the horses?

    I believe they had plenty of rest.

    Alright then.

    I told the Hearthing family to start preparing for our departure and then called the knights here. Since I finally had some rest, my brain started to function again.

    We will be traveling with a cart so our movements will be slow. Thats why I want two people to go first and report our situation to the main Zeavert army.

    Understood. How about sending Vili and Firat?

    Yeah, thats fine.

    Everyone here is the skilled knight of the Zeavert house so Im fine with anyone. Other than that, there is also another important matter that I want to talk about.

    I said to Vili and Feirat, After you guys finish your report, I want you to tell Max to report what we have experienced in Alea Vige to the suprememander and my father who is in the capital.

    Its that vige chief were talking about. He might spin some lies to his story and then lodge aint to the capital, so we need to tell the capital about how rotten that vige is first. After I report the matter to Father, he will handle the rest.

    Its human nature to judge the information that cameter byparing it with the information that came earlier. If the information that arrives first contains some outrageous things, then the information that arrivedter will be perceived as an <i>excuse</i>. Thats why in a trial the people that are suing have an advantage. In other words, we need to act fast to deal with people that put their own interests above everything else like the vige chief. Otherwise, he might seed in creating the impression that we are in the wrong to the people in the capital.

    After listening to my exnation, Vili then said, Then, how about we go straight to the capital after we finish our report? and I agree without any hesitation.

    I give you permission to use a magic item. After you report to the suprememander, go to my office. Theres a storage box there. Open it, take out a shoe-shaped item from it, and say, <b><i>To the capital, Weinzierl.</i></b>

    U..Understood..?

    Keep the effect of the magic item a secret. Ill also write you an official permit to use the magic item. Wait.

    Vili and Feirat look confused. I havent exined about Skywalk to them so their reaction makes sense. After all, there are a limited number of Skywalks so I dont want too many people to know about them. I also want to confirm the reason why the existence of Skywalk isnt widespread.

    I dont have paper so I tear up a cloth and carved it with a pen made using wood, then bite my thumb until it bleeds and use the blood to create a thumbprint on the cloth. With this, the piece of cloth bes a temporary official document.

    In my worlds medieval europe, there were ring stamps but this world didnt have them. Maybe I can make a profit if I sell ring stamps here?

    Were going to head straight to Valeritz. Tell Max to arrange a team to escort the Hearthing family to the capital. We will meet them on the way.

    As you wish.

    If possible, I want them to head straight to the capital from here, but they need escorts, plus theres also the problem of food. If its the adventurers and mercenaries, they can just hunt demons for food on their way to the capital but for normal people like Mazells family thats going to be hard.

    Since they are only four people, they probably can somehow survive by just eating wild grass on the way but thats too dangerous. They definitely need an escort.

    On the other hand, the possibility that the kingdom army is still staying in Valeritz is low. They probably headed to the Finnoi already. We dont know their exact location so its faster to just meet them on the way.

    If I knew that this would happen, I would have bought more Skywalks. Well, there is no use in crying over spilled milk now. The trouble with Alea Vige is an unexpected variable. By the way, Valeritz has be a ruin but I wonder if the Skywalk can still be used to travel to ruined Valeritz?

    The rest will follow me to escort the Hearthing family. After we meet up with Maxs escort team, the Hearthing family will head to the capital with them.

    We understand.

    Really, sorry everyone for dragging you here and there.

    Anyway, with this, I used up all of my Skywalks. I want to replenish them somehow. Lets ask Mazell to share some with me when he gets them.

    After 2 days of hunting demons, exining the situation to everyone, and listening to Mazells childhood story, on the early morning of the third day

    Welner-sama!

    Ah, youre fast.

    I was a bit surprised when I saw a group with a carriage approaching me. They are led by the knight on a horseback. He was the second groupmander on the construction site guarding mission. The entire group isposed of the members of the 1st and 2nd group of the construction site guarding mission.

    Im d that every member of the group is someone I knew so theres no chance for a bandit to sneak in.

    My apologies for making you wait, Welner-sama.

    Sorry for worrying you, but lets talkter. I wanted all of you Sire to escort the Hearthing family to my father in the capital.

    Understood.

    How is the frontline?

    The kingdom army attacked the demon army that invaded the Great Temple Finnoi from the rear. The battle has remained in a stalemate for a few days.

    Whats the situation in Finnoi?

    Its safe and sound, sir.

    I sighed in relief inside. It seems like Feli finished his mission safely. And well, its a bitte to ask this but I am still going to ask.

    In the end, who was chosen as the suprememander?

    Its His Excellency, Duke Grunding.

    Woah. The head of the current queens maiden family? A big shot! Thinking about whats going to happen when I return to the main army I just hope that Im only going to end up with a lecture.

    Come to think of it, hes Lauras maternal grandfather. Aha, there are definitely personal feelings involved here. I remember that he was also never depicted in the game.

    Who else are participating in the battle?

    I regret asking that. Well, participation of the kingdoms knights, 1st and 2nd division, Marquis Norpoth, Marquis Schramm, and a mage unit isnt surprising. Then, theres this. A total of 17 armies of different count and viscount are also participating in this battle Just how big an army is the kingdom is nning to create? WIll our supplyst?

    Its going to be dangerous if this battle bes dragged out.

    Just the other day, Grand Duke Seyfart has brought the supply corps to the camp.

    Ah, I see.

    The supply corps also needs to eat, right? Well, the kingdom has probably thought that out. In any case, this means including the nonbatants like porters of supply corps, the army easily exceeds 30,000 people!

    The kingdom never dispatched an army as huge as this in the game or rather theres only the hero party in the game. The story has changed so much that I dont know how to react.

    I guess the fact that Mazell and his party was already in Finnoi when this army was dispatched was rather a blessing since if theyre not in the middle of siege battle in Finnoi, the nobles will definitely make some troublesome request to them.

    In any case, this means I need to go exin myself in front of this many big shots. My stomach hurts. Well, Im the one in fault for leaving the camp without permission though.

    Got it. Im going to Finnoi so please take care of the Hearthing family.

    Yes, sir.

    I said my goodbye to the Hearthing family and exined to them that I need to return to report and return to my post. Im d that they understand.

    Welner-sama, please be careful.

    Thank you.

    Lily-san seemed to be worried about me so I answered with a light smile.

    Wait. I got a feeling that somehow its been a really long time since anyone was worried like this about me?

    Ah, damn, I think I just noticed something I hope I didnt. It seems like the jobs that the kingdom has given to me are pretty ridiculous. If its in my past life, the kingdom might get sued for forcing their employees to work long hours with below minimum wage.

    T/N: I never thought it will take just a bird drooping to make our omnipotent hero get a draw in his battle record lol.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    Welner von Zeavert has arrived.

    Let him in.

    Pardon my rudeness.

    I feel like Im in a court. Well, its close actually. This hearing is practically a military court. At that time, I had no other option than leaving for Alea Vige immediately, but it did vite the militaryw so now lets be obedient here.

    At any rate, I brought some <i>souvenirs</i> a.k.a evidence so I dont think Im going to get the death penalty.

    When I entered the camp, Duke Grunding red at me with a terrifying expression while Grand Duke Seyfart beside him showed his usual expression. Well, he came here as the person that led the supply corps but, as expected, a Grand Duke is a Grand Duke so he sat in one of the highest seats at the table.

    (T/N: Japanese have a rule of order of seating depending on the persons rank.)

    Duke Grunding is an old man. Well, he had a powerful aura befitting the suprememander though.

    The captains of the 1st and 2nd Division are sitting on the left and right side each. The rest of high ranked nobles starting from Marquis, the captain of the mage unit (probably), and counts are all here.

    Most counts here are probably younger than Father. They seem to be in their thirties or mid-forties, the age people are most thirsty for achieving. Though the knight captains, the marquises, and the captain of the mage unit are older.

    Viscount Zeavert, let us hear your argument first.

    Right to the point? I was prepared to hear some berating first though. Then, is it fine for me to assume that everyone here understood my situation?

    Yes, sir. Then let me start with what happened.

    I proceeded to exin what had happened as concisely and objectively as possible. If I immediately mentioned my self-defense here, they would think that Ive done something I need to feel guilty of.

    So that is what had happened. As for why I decided to take action

    Now, I exined the reason for my action. My exnation contains my subjective opinion since I need to tell my opinion to justify my action. I didnt do anything suspicious though No, I think I did. I mean, <i>having the memory of my past life,</i> in a sense, is quite a suspicious thing.

    Well, no one is going to believe me even if I tell them about my memory so whatever.

    You swear that all your ims contain nothing but the truth?

    I have sent a messenger bearing my report about my actions to the capital and the Hearthing family is also in the capital. Please send a message to the capital to inquire about it. Until you get your confirmation, I will not mind being put into prison.

    This was actually a veiled threat. <i>Im a deputy count, a noble with peerage. If you treat me as a criminal just based on your doubts, I will get back to youter.</i>

    Well, my threat shut him up.

    Why didnt you just escort the Hearthing family here?

    That is because I have seen the ruins of Valeritz. I judged it would be unwise to show that scenery to normal vigers.

    Not because of your desertion attempt?

    In the name of my family, I swear that I have no intention to desert.

    Several nobles said malicious words like that to me, but I didnt get angry. Im a bit surprised by how calm I am. Maybe Ive spent all my anger in the Alea Vige.

    The meaning of <i>swearing in the name of my family</i> is that I swear by putting the honor of all Zeaverts family ancestors in line. The oath in the name of your family is an oath second in importance only to the oath to serve the king.

    You could have just told others the circumstances and asked them to go.

    As I have exined earlier, even though I rushed to the vige immediately after I realized what might happen, by the time I reached there, the heros family was already in danger. I admit that I am at fault for moving without authorization but I dont think that my decision at that time was wrong.

    Didnt you also have the choice to ask for assistance from other armies?

    At that time, there was only the 2nd Division in the main camp and it was unclear when or where we would meet up with the rest of the army. And then, we also did not have enough food to go to the vige with arge number of people.

    Somehow the people of Count house and below are being really persistent. Ah, I see! Its ssic <i>the nail that sticks out gets hammered down</i>.

    Im more than happy to keep <i>ying</i> with them but Im afraid that the <i>fire</i> might spread to the Mazells familyter so lets y it safe here.

    Compared to when I was criticized by the ckpanys president because his <i>microscope-like eyes</i> found a little misalignment in my presentation, this is nothing. Well, in the past, I never thought that this kind of experience was going to be as useful as it is now.

    Is it true that you encountered devils in that vige?

    It is only a guess that they are devils, but the chance of that guess being true is quite high. I also discovered a strange stone when I killed them.

    Show it to us.

    Schunzel handed the bag containing the ck gem brought along with the soil to someone who was probably an orderly. When the bag is opened and the gem is revealed, the Grand Duke and the leader of the mages unit showedplicated expressions. But why?

    After that, I held my fort against another flood of nder disguised as questions. I finally spent all my patience and wanted to retaliate when these questions started to change into obvious harassment, but then, the Duke butted in.

    Let us stop here. I understand Sirs im. For now, you may leave.

    Yes.

    With the boss I mean the Dukes words, my questioning finally came to an end. Huff Im tired. Lets obediently leave.

    I would like for the Grand Duke, the two Marquises, the two knight divisions captains, and the leader of the Mages unit to remain. The rest please return to the frontline to prepare in case of an enemys attack.

    Duke, but

    It will be harder to talk with too many people. Or perhaps you cannot trust the people that will remain here?

    OOf course not!

    I heard a noblesint was immediately shooted down as I left the headquarters. After that, I went to the tent next to the headquarters.

    Hah Im tired. I let out a breath after sitting on the ground. I probably wont be dered innocent. What I did vited the militaryw after all. I wonder what kind of punishment I will get.

    <b><i>3rd Pov</i></b>

    After confirming that they had left, the Duke sat down again and let out a sigh. He then proceeded to gaze at the people that had remained in the headquarters and said, What is the opinion of Sirs about Viscount Zeaverts action?

    I judged that the viscount has no intention to desert the army

    The first person that answered the Dukes question is the 2nd divisions captain, Hindermann. The first time he and Welner met was when Welner arrived in Valeritz a few days prior but Hindermann has always held Welner in high esteem.

    At the Stampede, the Viscount himself took the most dangerous position, the rear, and his action also saved many of our kingdoms men. I do not think he is a coward who will attempt to desert the army.

    Perhaps, this time he truly had the intention?

    Marquis Norporth said, but it was not out of malice. His tone suggests that he purely wished for confirmation.

    He tends to move without authorization but I dont think hes a coward. His attitude earlier was also quite confident. It was this countrys blunder for not paying attention to the heros family. We can even consider his action as a military achievement.

    The captain of the 1st division, Vilsmaier, responded to the Marquiss question. He didnt have any particr good or bad rtionship with Welner. He simply stated his judgment.

    The Marquis answered, He certainly has a tendency to move without authorization. and this might now be amon perception of Weiners character.

    Even though hes young, he was quite calm. Maybe he acted calm because he truly has done nothing worthy of our suspicion? Hindermann asked

    He was <b>too calm</b>. He has clearly made the mistake of moving without any authorization.

    Marquis Schramm refuted Hindermanns im. The captain of Mage Unit nced at the silent Grand Duke before finally saying, I still need to investigate it but the Viscount has perhaps earned for himself a considerable achievement.

    What do you mean?

    To answer the Dukes question, the captain of the Mage Unit pointed to the stone that Welner had brought.

    This stone appears to be the same as the one that has been recovered during the stampede and the Veritza Fortress incident.

    Well

    The Grand Duke finally opened his mouth.

    I have seen the stone that was recovered after the death of the general of the Veritza Fortresss army and it looks exactly like this stone.

    A smallmotion arose among everyone in the tent. The Grand Duke still had aplicated expression.

    Then, the person he killed was a demonmander?

    Thats hard to believe

    Thats not what I meant. In any case, captain of the Mage Unit, I want you to safely transport this stone to the capital for an investigation.

    Understood.

    The captain of the mage unit bowed his head respectfully and proceeded to take the stone for safekeeping. After that, Marquis Schramm asked, Putting the matter of this unknown stone aside, I would like to talk about what action should we take concerning the viscounts act of leaving his post.

    The fact that he saved the heros family can be considered an achievement but he did leave his post without authorization. Grand Duke, what do you think we should do to him?

    No one in the tent imed that Welner deserved severe punishment. The Grand Duke stroked his chin and answered the Dukes question, Hmm Well

    T/N: The war ising again.*dramatic drum*

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    Trante: Nisarah  Editor:Fleeting

    In the end, I got a pretty light punishment. The knights that followed me only got a <i>Dont do something like this again!</i> kind of scolding and the army didnt even put our punishment in the official record.

    As for me, I got a scolding, a fine, and 3 days in military prison. I was free from all work so I spent the first 2 days sleeping like a baby in the prison. Honestly, this feels more like a reward than a punishment for me.

    By the way, if a noble gets fined, they can pay it after they return to the capital. However, in the case of normal soldiers, their fines are directly deducted from their sry. Its something of small discrimination.

    Thats all for my punishment. As for the rest, I was told to <i>make it up by fighting diligently in the war.</i> Damn muscle brain world.

    Well, the problemes on thest day, the third day. I let out a sigh. I got a feeling that today might get recorded as my dark history. I dont know if the term dark history existed in this world but thats more or less what I felt.

    (T/N: Dark history means your embarrassing past that you wish you had never done.)

    Since Ive been stuck here these days, I feel really itching to work, especially since I got a lot of news about the situation in the frontline from Max and others that came to visit me.

    Unfortunately, even though visiting was allowed, bringing something for me was forbidden so I was forced to eat the not-so-delicious food of the prison. However, Im not in a position toin about it so I endured it.

    By the way, it seems like while I spent my time just eating and sleeping in the prison, the second group of supply corps arrived in the camp. Though even with the additional supplies, the army still had to manage supplies carefully.

    Although I didnt have any intention of escaping, two guards constantly guarded the prison. Those two always look bored so I talked with them from time to time. ording to them, even now, the situation in the frontline is still at a stalemate.

    On the early morning of the third day, right around the time the shift of the current guard ended, Neurath and Schunzel visited me with grim expressions on their faces. I wonder what happened.

    Thank you foring all the way here. Did something happen?

    No, the situation in the frontline didnt change.

    Both sides are still in a stalemate. I will exin everything in detail.

    It seems like in this world the Great Temple is located in the middle of a high mountain thats why. I guess that makes sense since in the game the destroyed Great Temple looks like it was buried on a high mountain. Because of this terrain, the battle has been concentrated in front of the temples entrance since its hard to breach the temple via other ways.

    Any attack from the surrounding mountains?

    For now, there is none.

    Among the 3 Generals, Dreax is undead so hes a bad match with the priests. All 4 Heavenly Kings are magic-type so they are also a bad match with the priests defense magic. As for the other 3 Demon Generals, Avadorus is a Giant so hes not suitable for entering a building to capture someone. I now understand why the demons army chose Belice, the reptile-type devil, as the leader of their army this time.

    However, currently, the hero, Mazell, and his party are guarding the temples entrance. Even though the current situation is differentpared to the game, with Mazells partys current level and equipment, its going to be hard for the demon army to defeat them. Thats why the current situation is stuck at a stalemate.

    But for the situation to still be a stalemate <b>even after the main army has arrived</b> is strange.

    Currently, our army is surrounding the enemy in a half-moon-like formation. They also build earthen walls and fences, so it seems like the army is nning to fight a long battle.

    I dont understand. Its true that the individual battle power of demons is superior to our soldiers but how about our number?

    Our number is superior to the demon army.

    ording to them, marquises and the knight captains didnt bring any ve soldiers with them since they already knew how powerful the demon army was. However, some nobles didnt know about it and brought arge number of ve soldiers with them.

    So they brought arge number of unskilled soldiers just to bloat up the size of their army in this kind of situation?

    But bringing unskilled people to the battlefield means sacrificing the armys flexibility.

    You are correct. Furthermore, therge number of soldiers means we also need arge number of supplies.

    That sucks.

    I sighed and identally let out my real thoughts at Schunzels words. After that, Neurath continued.

    And the first impression of the demon army also greatly affected the morale of our army. You see, the general of the demon army is a devil that seemed to be a Dragonewt.

    In this world, a Dragonewt is like a higher evolution of Lizardmen or a Sahagin. It walks on 2 legs and can use weapons. It has intelligence but its face looks like a dragon so theres barely anything that is close to human in its appearance.

    (T/N: Sahagin is a fish-like creature that can walk onnd in the Final Fantasy game.)

    When fighting against a Dragonewt, you need to be prepared for casualty even when you are a group of high ranked adventurers or knights. So, it is naturally dangerous for normal soldiers to fight Dragonewt.

    Compared to that, Lizardmen or Sahagin only pose a threat to ordinary humans. In theter half of the game, demons that looked like Dreax and Belice appeared as random encounter monsters. These monsters are also quite strong. I cant tell this to Neurath and Schunzel though.

    ording to the witness, the Dragonewts height is twice that of a normal human and its physical strength is also far stronger than ordinary demons.

    So hes almost as big as a Giant.

    In the game, Belice was weaker than the small fries that the yer randomly encountered in theter half of the game. The resurrected Belice was as strong as the resurrected Dreax though.

    Wait a minute, did I tell Mazell about the fact that the 3 Demon Generals will resurrectter Hmm, I dont think I did. Its not important information in the current situation but I should tell himter on when I get the chance.

    As I thought, Neurath continued his story.

    In the first battle, a part of our army suffered considerably and even now some of our soldiers still feel fear.

    Suffered how?

    Basically, an ignorant noble looked down on Belice and recklessly attacked him to get military merit but ended up being eaten.

    Eaten?

    Yes, from what I heard that noble got eaten literally. One of his arms was cut off first then the demon started to eat him from his abdomen.

    What the

    So he was eaten, right in front of the entire kingdoms army? That guy wore leather armor?

    I know that some nobles prefer to only cover their vital points with metal armor and then wear leather armor to protect the rest of their body because its easier to move in leather armor than in metal armor. Some nobles even purposely wore grandiose armor to stand out. Well, thats up to the taste of each person so I wont dwell on that here. As for me, I prefer to wear simple armor.

    From what I have heard, this noble cried and shouted for help full of pain and fear as he was eaten alive starting from his abdomen. That scream and the sounds of this noble being chewed until not even his bone is left strike fear in the surrounding soldiers and it makes their rank copse.

    Well, that seems like a normal response.

    Its probably like watching the movie scene of a dinosaur eating a human alive but live. Watching that kind of thing is probably really terrifying. To make matters worse, the one being eaten and killed was noble, so he was one of the armymanders. It makes sense for a part of the armys formation to copse.

    It seems like the morale of some soldiers hit rock bottom after they saw the demons that attacked the copsed part of the army formation eat both the injured and the corpses of theirrade.

    But on the other hand, there are also some soldiers that are filled with a desire to take revenge for their eatenrades. Theres a considerable amount of difference between the will to fight of soldiers in the army.

    Thus, even though the soldiers of some nobles have low morale, they still cant retreat. Huh The movement of the entire army bes slower because of their different amounts of morale. Even if the most people of this world are muscle-brained, the will to fight definitely differs between normal soldiers, knights, and ve soldiers.

    Even if the people burning with a desire for revenge can calm themselves down, there are still people with no desire to fight. These people frustrated the motivated nobles but, you see, when someone is receiving a <i>You make me frustrated</i> attitude from others, they tend to be even more stubborn.

    This is the ring weakness of a hastily assembled army. If this army has more time to prepare, themander can take their time to choose people that are truly motivated to fight and bring only them. But since this army is hastily assembled with the intention of just gathering as many people as possible, the will to fight between each member of the army will definitely be different.

    However, it seems like everything is mostly going ording to my prediction.

    T/N: A war build up. I liked this kind of chapter since it exined the logic and stuff behind the situation in a war in detail

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    After I listened to their story, I sighed. Then, Neurath continues, Well, if the enemy begins to aggressively attack the Great Temple, then our army will probably begin to take an offensive stance.

    You meant to say that our enemy wont be able to just turn a blind eye to our army?

    Yes sir. After all, the nobles in the frontline arent cowards, so the armymanding officers have the desire to fight. Theres even an incident where a noble needed to be surpressed because he was too eager to fight.

    As expected the entire army all thought that we cannot let Finnoi fall to the enemys hand, Schunzel added.

    Listening to their story makes my head hurt. Doesnt this mean that the onlymon goal of our army on the frontline is to prevent our enemy from moving freely?

    This army is <i>amazingly</i> chaotic. The fact that this armysted this long despite the fact this army was hastily gathered together was quite something.

    It seems like the Dukes n is now halfplete. The problem now is just how long we can keep the situation in a stalemate.

    Pardon?

    Neurath and Schunzel looked at me in confusion. Ah, right, I skipped too many steps. Unlike them, Id been stuck in this ce for thest 2 days so I had plenty of time to think. Or rather, I was <i>forced</i> to just think because I had nothing to do.

    Ill exin it step-by-step. First, you both remember the state of Valeritz, right?

    Yes.

    I will never forget it.

    Yes. Every living being including the citizens of Valeritz was devoured. That means, unlike the Dreaxs men, the reptilian demons need to eat.

    The enemies need to eat but because they are currently surrounded by our army, they cant go hunting for food.

    Coupled with that, I doubt that there are any herbivores among our enemies who can live just by eating random grasses. Technically, the enemies can also eat the soldiers of the kingdoms army to survive but no one will let themselves be eaten without putting up a fight.

    This means that our enemies also suffered the problem of not having enough food. Maybe the reason they ate all of the kingdoms men on the frontline was simply because they were hungry.

    So that means this stalemate also hurts our enemies provisions.

    But the problem is Finnoi. Since its the Great Temple, they probably stocked some emergency provisions but how long will itst?

    Moreover, since its a temple, there will be many priests who are not ustomed to war so theres a possibility that if the siegested too long then these priests will shout something like <i>Hurry up and save us!</i> and that mightpel the kingdom army to do some reckless and dangerous stuff.

    The n to drive our enemies to death with hunger is fine but as you know our army also has a lot of people.

    In the frontlines, there are many nobles who are too eager to fight. Other than having muscle brains or being motivated because they are following the Prime Ministers emergency dispatch order, they are probably eager because our enemies aim is Finnoi.

    The rtionship between the temple and the royal family isnt bad but that doesnt mean that there are no conflicts at all. Im sure that one of the reasons why the kingdom and the nobles decided to help Finnoi is to make the temple owe them a favor. After all, if theres a gue outbreak in the future, you need to rely on the temples Holy Magic.

    Theres actually another reason that I can think of but since its still just a guess, I wont mention it here.

    Our enemies might have hunted for some food on their way to Finnoi but they have probably eaten all that food by now.

    After all, they are an army with enough appetite to leave Valeritz in that kind of state so Ive no doubt that on their way to Finnoi they have eaten every living thing they came across.

    By the way, before I met up with the main army, I had also checked the state of Denham Vige and, sure enough, I found that every living thing in that vige had been eaten.

    As for whether the demons might eat each other, I dont know. In the eyes of humans, both the wandering demons and the demons of the demon army are the same but I dont know if, in reality, they are different and have internal conflicts among themselves just like the humans have conflicts between different countries and different nobility sses even though they are all the same human.

    In any case, our army is an army gathered hastily so obviously we dont have enough time to gather enough supplies. Adding to that we cant hunt demons for food and the closest town that normally will be able to provide additional supply, Valeritz, is already destroyed.

    It wont be funny if our army ended up being the one that starved because of our own strategy. I bet His Majesty and His Highness are currently really busy.

    His Highness too?

    His Highness didnte to the frontline this time. Thats proof that hes really busy right now.

    After all, usually, the Kings job is only to give orders. The ones who probably took care of the military supply, diplomacy, and confirming the safety of the territories of nobles that lost all its soldiers are probably His Highness and the ministers of the Ministry of War. I doubt they can afford to leave the capital now.

    Rather, the fact that the army canst this long even with theck of supplies is really amazing. As expected, maybe His Highness is a genius?

    Diplomacy?

    Finnoi isnt only <i>the Great Temple</i> of our kingdom.

    Finnoi is like the Vatican in my previous life. Pilgrims from other countries also came to Finnoi. Slowly but surely the information about the current state of Finnoi will reach other countries. His Highness and the Ministry of Foreign Affair are currently probably working their butt off to keep this information from leaking.

    Come to think of it, howe Alea Vige remains that small, considering the number of pilgrims it receives every year? Im suspicious about where that shitty chief spent the money that came from the pilgrims.

    Once other countries learn the current state of Finnoi, they will probably show intention to send their army to help. But as you know, the current situation of our army is pretty bad.

    In this world, most of the time, its customary for an army to offer food and other supplies to the reinforcements. In other words, if other countries send their army to help Finnoi, its <b>our</b> army that needs to offer <b>our</b> food and supplies to them. However, our army is already facing ack of food and supplies.

    Sharing the alreadycking supplies and food with others might cause our army to copse and since this is a battle involving religion, it will be impossible for His Highness to keep refusing the reinforcement offers from other countries that used <i>we also want to protect the sacred ce of our religion!</i> excuse.

    And more than anything else, this is the chance for other countries to make the Bain Kingdom owe them a favor. Use us when they can, make us owe favor when possible, and be our enemy when its advantageous, thats just how diplomacy is. In diplomacy, no matter how good or bad the personal rtionship between the leaders of 2 countries is, their national interestes first.

    Even Pax Romana was only possible because at that time the stability of Rome brought the most advantage to its surrounding countries.

    (T/N: Pax Romana is roughly 200 years of peace without any war that was achieved by Rome in 27 BC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana)

    In my opinion, we have at most 20 days to end this war. If only theres a way to settle this war within that time

    When I said that, one of the pce guards burst out inughter. Huh? Why?

    After the two guards noticed my confused gaze, they took off their helmets and their face made Neurath and Schunzel frozen in ce. They are both very familiar faces to the three of us.

    Now you understand why I said the Viscounts view is unlike a teenager, right, Duke?

    Well, Im not an actual teenager.

    Yes. I now understand how he was able to make our army victorious in the battle of Hildea in.

    Grand Duke Seyfart and Duke Grunding, why are you both here dressed as prison guards!?

    T/N: What will you do if your superior disguised themselves to observe you? If it was me I will probably run away XD better than being given additional troublesome work!

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    Schunzel and Neurath retreated back as Duke Grunding and Grand Duke Seyfart walked closer to me. I tried to give them the official bow but the Grand Duke stopped me.

    This is an unofficial meeting so you dont need to do that.

    Even if you say that, it is only going to make me more ufortable, you know Duke? Though I still needed to obey him so I just gave them a simple bow.

    You dont look too surprised.

    I am surprised, sir.

    As the Dukemented on my behavior with a stern face, I replied. Though rather than being surprised by their sudden appearance, I was more surprised about how bad the situation has be since they both even came here incognito. It seems like my guess is right.

    So, what is sirs take on <b><i>that thing</i></b> that you have yet to share with your subordinates?

    Regarding <b><i>that thing</i></b>, I believe that it will be best to respect Princess Lauras wish.

    The Grand Dukeughed again at my immediate answer while the Dukes expression turned sour.

    Youre sharp.

    Duke, if you said that with that kind of expression it didnt feel like praise at all. In any case, since this is an unofficial meeting, Im probably allowed to ask an impolite question, so lets confirm my guess.

    Pardon my question if it seems rude but are there many people who participated in this war aiming for Her Highness?

    Yes, there are quite a lot of them.

    I sighed inwardly. In the past few days in the main camp, I noticed one strange fact about the noblemen that participated in this war.

    All of them are either suitable age for marriage with Laura (10 years of age-gap marriage ismon among nobles so even a guy in his 30s has a chance) or are old enough to have sons that age. There are no in-betweens.

    In other words, they wanted to use this war to promote themselves or their son as Lauras marriage candidate.

    The people of Count house and below must think of me as their or their sons rival in getting Lauras hand in marriage thats why they were so persistent at my questioning. <i>Sigh</i> how annoying.

    One other reason why His Highness didnt or rather <i>cant</i> receive the reinforcement of other countries must also be because its going to be troublesome if they asked for Lauras hand in marriage in exchange for their help.

    At first, this armys objective is to save Finnoi but somewhere along the line, the objective of the members of the army bes twisted. With a little bit more twist, this war might be a good enough plot for a soap opera.

    Sir, youve met Laura before, right? So what do you think of her?

    She is beautiful but she is far above my league.

    Im a bit surprised that the Duke just called her Laura. It looks like the Duke is here as her grandfather. In any case, this whole topic is definitely something that is impossible to talk in an official meeting. Is that why they came here secretly for an unofficial meeting?

    SighIf only everyone knew their ce like you, The Duke replied my answer with a big sigh.

    Duke, though its true Im no match for Laura but isnt your word a bit too much? This guy is he actually a doting grandpa?

    In any case, I wont get in the way of Laura and Mazells love so Grand Duke, can you erase your wicked smile!? and Neurath, I can see that you are trying to hold back yourughter!

    Anyway, I want to ask you a favor regarding this matter.

    A favor, sir?

    Duke, dont you mean order not favor? Even if<b> its </b>a favor, it was a favor from a duke to a viscount so its basically an order. What kind of crazy stuff will he ask me?

    I want you to produce enough results in this battle to convince everyone.

    Pardon?

    That favor is far beyond my imagination. No, wait, you both came all the way here disguised as guards just for that!?

    So basically you want to chase out the bugs that surrounded Her Highness with the pretext of <i>even Viscount Zeavert with that many achievements didnt ask for that kind of thing so who are you to ask </i>sort of thing?

    To put it bluntly, yes.

    What the heck are you asking me for, Duke? No well, I wont do something like asking Laura as a reward so I understand why he asks <b>me </b>but still

    Since if I was called directly to the headquarter people might specte, thats why you both came here for an unofficial meeting disguised as guards to ask me to rake achievement while putting an attitude that I have no interest in Her Highness, is that correct?

    Yes. In exchange, we will also include your achievement here in the judgement of your unauthorized leave.

    This is absurd

    I blurted that out while holding my head. Its actually really rude to speak and act like this in front of the Duke but he didnt scold me or anything. I guess he also understands how absurd his request is. Still, it wont cure my headache.

    The Grand Duke finally stoppedughing and said,  I apologize for causing Sir a great deal of trouble for asking this request but you see this problem has a great deal of politics involved.

    Politic?

    As it seems like Sir didnt have the same intention as them, I will tell you. Everyone who brought arge army here has lost their qualification as Her Highnesss husband candidates.

    Thats dangerous information. I immediately turned to Neurath and Schunzel.

    Neurath, Schunzel, keep what you hear here a secret. If it ever leaks out Ill kill you both myself.

    Y..Yes!

    Both of them replied stiffly. After hearing all of this even both of them seem to be able to grasp the current situation.

    Neither Duke nor the Grand Duke said anything regarding my words to Neurath and Schunzel. After all, they both are my subordinates so they are my responsibility. If what we talked here leaked somewhere from them Ill also receive punishment. After confirming their firm expression, turned to the Grand Duke.

    Everyone?

    Yes. Everyone. Have you heard that Her Highness is historys highest-ranked saintess?

    Yes, I have heard about that.

    To be more specific, Ive heard it in the game.

    Good. Then, You know that there are several people who can receive an oracle, right?

    Yes.

    The game set Laura as the highest-ranked saintess but I think the person who advised the kingdom to appraise Mazells Skill because that person got an oracle wasnt Laura.

    If it was Laura, she will try to meet Mazell herself after receiving an oracle to appraise him, but in the game, their first meeting was in Finnoi so its probably not Laura.

    A person received an oracle that Her Highness child will rise into the high position. Even Her Highness didnt know about this oracle.

    (T/N

    Neurath and Schunzel gulped. As for me, Im not that surprised because I know the games ending. That oracle might be referring to how Laura will marry Mazell and of course since Mazell at that time is the king, Lauras child has risen into the high position

    This oracle didnt appear in the game but thats understandable since it was probably a top secret that only the highest-ranked nobles knew. Most nobles probably dont know about this oracle.

    As I sorted the information I just got in my head, I asked for confirmation.

    So thats why everyone that brought arge army here lost their qualification.

    Yes. Since we cant let people who think of this war as an opportunity rise into a high position riding the coattail of Her Highness future child.

    Rising into a high position, huh? Thats too vague. Nobles with peerage are already in a high position so to rise above thatit might seem far-fetched but people might think the high position here is the throne.

    Theres even a possibility that if a greedy person that knew this oracle became Lauras husband or father-inw, he might raise a rebellion in an attempt to make the oracle reality. Though actually, an oracle isnt absolute plus theres no oracle that exined important stuff like the demon kings strength.

    This oracle can be pretty dangerous. The high position here can be interpreted as the throne so extremists among the royal family members might think of killing Laura and if the Crown Prince though that the high position is the throne he might think of locking up Laura to prevent her child for taking the throne form Prince Louwen.

    But no one can also refute the fact that a high position can also be interpreted as prime minister, duke, or something around that level. Its still bad to let families of greedy nobles have influence at the level of a Prime Minister though.

    The oracle talked about Lauras child so there are actually a lot of other possibilities. If its a daughter she might be a queen or it might even refer to Lauras adopted child and a lot more. With this many possibilities, even the royal supremacist might try to take advantage of Lauras marriage.

    As an oracle that predicts the game ends, this oracle is correct. But for the people of this world that knew nothing of the game story this oracle is too vague. That might be why it was kept a secret.

    By the way since the child in the oracle is Lauras child that means he or she will be the Dukes great-grandchild. By the time they were born the Duke has probably died though. I also need to take into ount how the Dukes heir felt regarding this oracle and theres no slightest bit of mention regarding the hero here. Is it just I or this oracle is filled with malice?

    Come to think of it, if I think more carefully there wasnt any exnation in the game about why the demon wanted Laura. In the past since it was a game I just thought Laura was being targeted because she was a beautiful princess amon game troupe but what if thats not the reason? What if the real reason has some kind of connection with this oracle?

    Theres a lot of curious mystery but lets forget about that for now. Long story short the dispatch to this war was also intended to be some sort of screening for greedy nobles but the number of people brought by these greedy nobles in their armies was farrger than the kingdoms expectation thats why we currently have ack of food.

    But I think there might be other reasons why the nobles will try to vie for Lauras hand in marriage other than their greed. I mean, shes really beautiful. Did the royal family be so numb to good-looking people that they forgot this simple fact?

    As someone who was born into the royal family, she wont be able to marry just because of love. She also needs to think about how her marriage will bring benefit to our kingdom.

    The Duke continued. Thats a sound argument but I bet theres a ton of the Dukes personal feelings mixed into his request too. Laura might be the princess and the saintess but hes also the Dukes beloved granddaughter so I understand why the Duke wont let scum who thought of the danger of her life as an opportunity to be her daughters future husband or inw.

    Even if Sir only has the same achievement as other people I will do something to push the idea out so theres no need for Sir to be pressured. Ill pay enoughpensation and Ill also put Sirs position into consideration so would Sir please be willing to grant my favor?

    Rather thanpensation isnt it more like hush money? Did I even have the option to refuse here

    I understand. I will try my best

    Can I cry?

    T/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the dy. Ive been sick for almost a week, im cured now so heres your dose!

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    After I had gotten all the information I needed from Duke Grunding and Grand Duke Seyfart, they both returned to the headquarters posing as Neurath and Schunzels subordinates. I prayed that they would also get a stomach ache. AHAHAHAHA.

    No, I knew that praying stuff like that wouldnt help.

    The two people who reced the Duke and Grand Duke as the prison guards looked normal on surface but once I looked more carefully, I could tell that they had a different bearing than normal soldiers. They were most likely the direct subordinates of either the Duke or the Grand Duke.

    By the way, the military prison for normal soldiers was just a cage above a cart but the military prison for nobles was inside a building or tent. The tent was actually quite sturdy too since it was made from a demons skin. It was much sturdier than the tent used by normal soldiers.

    The reason why a sturdy tent was used was also to prevent the prisoner from escaping since, in a war between countries, this kind of military prison would also be used to imprison the nobles of other countries.

    As Iy down while looking up, I sighed. Really, just whose fault was it that I got involved with this kind of trouble Wait, in the game, the kingdom knights were annihted so the priority of all nobles was to protect their territory and they didnt have any time to care about courting Laura.

    Meaning since I was the one that prevented the destruction of the kingdom knights everything was my own fault? Damn, I wanted to cry

    Well, it was not like I could change the past.

    I took a deep breath to clear my mind.

    The trigger that made Laura join the hero party was the partial destruction of Finnoi but now since Finnoi was still safe and sound, I couldnt count on that trigger anymore. Other than this trigger, I needed to fulfill a condition for Laura to join the hero party. That condition was for me and Mazell to get the highest contribution in war only with the cards I currently have. That was pretty hard.

    If Mazell didnt get recognition then Laura might not be allowed to join the hero party. I couldnt let that happen not just because my friends future love life would be impacted but also because there were events that the hero party wouldnt be able to clear without Lauras help. For better or worse, they were both currently in Finnoi so at the very least they probably had be friends. I hoped so.

    On the other hand, if I didnt get recognition then some other nobles might be Lauras fiancee candidate and that might make Laura have to stay in the capital or in that potential fiancees territory for an introduction. That also meant Laura wouldnt be able to join the hero party.

    Of course, even if this condition was fulfilled, it was going to be useless if we lost this war. In the game, the hero battled one on one with Belice as he saved Laura but that was going to be pretty much impossible in reality. I mean, Belice was definitely surrounded by his army so Mazell couldnt cut through the entire army and then fight one-on-one with Belice without being bothered by his soldiers.

    I also needed to make sure Belice died here. If we won but failed to kill Belice here, Belice might rearrange his army and then attack the capital. I couldnt let that happen.

    Long story short, I needed to defeat Belices army and kill Belice here while making sure that I and Mazell be the 1st and 2nd ranked contributors in this war. Crazy.

    While sighing, I checked the cement of the army on both our and the demons side. If, for example, Finnoi was the joint pin of the paper fan, then the demon army was ced at the fans stick while the kingdoms army was ced at the outer side of the fan where the paper and clothes were usually located. Fortunately, because of the terrain, our enemy wouldnt be able to attack from the outside of this <i>fan.</i>

    Finnoi was located in the mountains, the demon army near the in, while the kingdoms army was located on the border between the forest and the in. With this positioning, wouldnt we be attacked from both sides once the forest demons were respawned?

    (T/N: Just in case you forgot, the forest demons were killed in the demon outbreak incident.)

    Maybe that was actually Belices aim? Our number was superior but once the forest demons respawned and attacked us then our number might be equal to demons. If that happened, the soldiers would be forced to fight one-on-one with demons. They wouldnt be able to win since a one-on-one fight with a demon was dangerous for even a knight.

    Even with our current advantage in numbers, Belices direct subordinates were definitely stronger than normal demons and yet the demon army didnt take an offensive stance against our army. Maybe the reason for that was they were trying to buy time until the forest demons respawned? I didnt know but it was highly possible. Still, would the demons food supply actuallyst till then?

    Anyway, currently, our army was half encircling the demon army with the cavalry and the 1st and 2nd division of the kingdom knights positioned in right and left nks. There was nothing wrong with this arrangement but maybe because there were a lot of people in the army, the formation looks stretched out.

    This world didnt have goodmunication devices. There was also little to no unity in the army since one side was motivated not to defeat the demon but to court the princess while the other side had no will to fight because of the crushing defeat in their first attack. Furthermore, the allied nobles regarded each other as a rival for Lauras hand in marriage so they would definitely try to pull each other down secretly.

    <i>Sigh</i> what should I do?

    Comining was useless so I needed to think. I couldnt find ways to break the stalemate by only focusing on our shorings and being frightened by our opponents advantage so I needed to think about a way to use our advantage to attack the enemys weakness.

    After all, my time was limited. Time waits for no one and it definitely wouldnt wait until I thought of a way to ovee our weakness.

    What was our advantage? Hmm Number. No matter what, there was strength in superior numbers. Then, what was our opponents weakness? Hmm AH!

    I got up and sat cross-legged then began to sort my thoughts. There was onemon thing between Belices line in the game, the tone that the demon in Veritza Fortress used on us, and the attitude of the Lizard Magician that kidnapped Lily-san. They all seemed to <b>look down on humans. </b>You would never think the people that you looked down on were trying to lure you into a trap.

    In the game, the map of the Great Temple was unlocked just as the yer defeated Belice. That meant Belice didnt have any subordinates that acted as his second-inmand or anything like that. I only needed to focus on killing Belice then.

    If possible, I wanted to carefully n this strategy until the minute details but I didnt think there was time for that. In any case, Id got confirmation from the Duke that we could contact the people in Finnoi.

    I was d that we couldmunicate even during a siege like this. I also heard that we were supplying food to Finnoi using magic bags. In any case, as long as I could tell people in Finnoi about my n, it could work. Probably.

    With this n, it would be Mazell, not me, that bes the number 1 contributor in this war but that was fine. Or rather, that was better. Although the Duke said that he would be my backing, I didnt know if he would keep his word. No, to be more specific, even if he <b>did</b> keep his words, as a mere viscount, I was still afraid about how other nobles who aimed to marry Laura would retaliate against meter.

    On the other hand, Mazell was someone with the rmendation of the royal family so with a good follow-up, he would be fine. I only needed to make sure that I and Mazell got the number 1 and 2 contributors in this war. Which one of us was the number 1 and which one was number 2 didnt really matter.

    I need to consult with either His Excellency the Duke or His Excellency the Grand Duke tonight. Im sorry but can you make a trip to tell them?

    I talked to the guards who were silently watching me mumbling on the floor. They both nodded and then one of them left his post. I knew it. They were either the Duke or the Grand Dukes direct subordinates.

    That night, using the <i>gift</i> of a soldiers uniform that the Grand Duke gave me via the prison guard, I left the prison and met both the Duke and the Grand Duke to exin my n. Fortunately, I had all the tools necessary to carry out my n stored in my blue box. After answering a few questions from both of them, I returned to the prison.

    Now my n was in motion and the rest depends on the situation in the frontline tomorrow. How was I going to earn achievements urgh my stomach hurts.

    Tomorrow, when I get out of this prison, I would eat only soft things like wheat porridge for a while<i> Sigh</i>

    T/N: Hi, Nisarah here! So Ive been using present tenses for 1st POV chapter since chapter 1 but I changed it to past tenses in this chapter for grammatical reasons (kudo to Fleeting, mr. editor!) So I wanted to hear your opinion about which is better, past tenses or present tenses? Here to vote!

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    <b>3rd POV</b>

    Early the next morning the kingdom army changed to an offensive stance.

    The 1st division of the kingdom knights who were positioned in the leftmost nk moved first.

    Riding their horses, the 1st division moved by taking advantage of the mountain range to slowly chip the number of the demon army while avoiding being surrounded by demons from both sides.

    Dont go too deep! Remember our aim is just to chip away our opponents number!

    Vilsmaier ordered his man while carefully observing his opponents movement. Not long after, Vilsmaier saw the huge shadow from the distance.

    We will retreat <b>now</b>. Tell the Mage Unit to send the signal. Dont try to fight <b><i>that</i></b>. Dont let anyone die!

    Following Vilsmaiers order, the Mage Unit shot a huge fireball to the sky, and with the support of the Mage Unit, the 1st division started their retreat.

    Seeing the huge fireball in the sky, the 2nd division at the right nk started to move.

    The 2nd division used the momentum of their horses to attack the demon armys frontline to thin its force. They moved in the direction of the entrance of the Great Temple as if they were nning to enter it.

    Dont forget that we are only pretending to aim to enter the Great Temple!

    But captain, we might actually be able to enter the Great Temple using our current momentum.

    The knight standing beside the captain of the 2nd Division, Hindermann, interjected but Hindermann shook his head.

    If we, the 2nd division, entered the Great Temple, the food supply in the Great Temple wouldntst.

    Even though the Great Temple is in front of us, we cant enter

    Because the demon armys strongestbatants along with theirmander Beliuce were currently heading to the 1st division, the 2nd division mowed down demons in front of them with quite an ease. Of course, demons kept resisting.

    However, it was futile resistance.

    Captain!

    Hes here! Fire the fire arrows!

    As a response to his subordinates alert, Hildermann ordered to shoot fire arrows. Following his order, the knights at his side skillfullyunched the fire arrows while still on horseback. Then, the 2nd division began to retreat rapidly and by the time Belice arrived, they had already retreated quite a distance away.

    Shortly after Belice arrived at the ce sprawled with the reptiles demon corpses, he heard a battle cry from a distance. It was the noble army stationed next to the 1st division that started their attack far from where Belice was currently standing.

    With a furious look on his face, Believe turned away and headed to where the noble army was.

    <b>Welners POV</b>

    Welner-sama. Is this really okay?

    Yeah. What we need to do first is to instill the confidence of <i>we can defeat these demons!</i> in the soldiers.

    Well, that wasnt the only purpose of this strategy though. I turned my face to Max.

    You canugh.

    No, its fine sir. I had plenty ofughs before.

    Max, this is where you should say <i>I dont dare tough</i> or something you know.

    Although I said that, if I saw other men wearing a freaking white dress with sandals just like what I was wearing now, Id alsough. Ah, I could feel the wind on my toes.

    I was wearing this outfit as part of my punishment because I left my post without authorization. Women in my previous life might get angry if I said that they were weak but that was how women in this world were perceived as. This was the era where men looked down on women. Female adventurers and knights existed though.

    Since women were considered weak in this world, wearing womens clothes like this was like saying <i>im weak</i>.

    Calling a man weak in this muscle-brain world was an insult so that was how wearing a womens outfit became a punishment. I was also prohibited from riding a horse. I traveled on my feet and became the center of attention among the soldiers.

    Though my actions were judged as a not desertion attempt, I still left my post without authorization hence this punishment. How to say it the curious gazes around me were painful. To make matters worse, I still needed to dress like this tomorrow.

    But at least I was still alive. If I was found guilty of a desertion attempt, I would have gotten a death penalty or at best I was going to be forced into a suicide mission.

    Still, if this kind of punishment was given to other military men, like the many old men with a beard in this army, the sight would be quite. <b><i>amazing</i></b>.

    There were many kinds of punishment in the army. There was whipping, canning (though the cane used was more like a branch than a cane), night watchmen, not being given meals, then demotion.

    The demotion here meant that you would be demoted from your position as amander of the army of your own house and be a member of other noble houses armies. Since this was the punishment, you would be worked to the bone by your newmander.

    Even if the demotion only happened to just themander, thatmanders entire army might receive the same treatment so this punishment was only given when someonemitted a pretty heavy crime. When someone got this punishment, the after-effects were often pretty terrible. There was even a case when a demotedmander along with his entire group of knights died because they were deliberately sent on a suicide mission.

    Then there was also the punishment of not being given a meal. Actually, people who got this punishment <b>did</b> get their meal but they were only given tasteless stuff like wheat porridge and water and no meat. Because soldiers needed to move around a lot on the battlefield, being given only porridge as your meal was pretty harsh.

    All of these punishments were pretty harsh in their own way but well, they <b>were </b>punishments. Being imprisoned or forced to pay fines were miles better than any of these punishments I thought.

    Oh.

    Thats whistle arrows, right?

    As I was thinking, I heard a sharp sound of wind from a distance. It was the sound of a whistle arrow, a type of arrow simr to the Kabura arrows in my past life. I liked its sound but I rarely got the chance to use it since whistle arrows were only used to create signals. What a shame.

    After the sound of the whistle arrows, a battle cry could be hearding from the direction of the 2nd division. The noble armies in that area probably started their battle. If I wasnt wrong, that was where Count Harfolks army was stationed, right? I heard that the Count participated in the Hilde in battle so he probably understood when to retreat.

    My strategy was pretty simple. This army had no sense of unity even among themanders. Plus the battle line was too long horizontally so getting instruction from one side to the other was going to take quite a bit of time. That was why rather than forcing the army to move in unity, I chose to just let individual armies move separately.

    Normally, doing something like this would be pretty dangerous since an individual army was weaker than a united army so they might get destroyed but in this war, our enemies didnt have anymander other than Belice. The individual armies located farthest from Belice would attack the demon army, and when Belicees closer, they would retreat and use long-range attacks instead. Then, the individual armies on the other side wouldunch an attack on demons since they were now the farthest side from Belice. Rinse and repeat.

    The nobles wanted to show off as much as possible in this war so when Belice was far from them, they would attack aggressively causing the demon army to suffer greatly.

    This strategy worked because our opponent didnt have cavalry and Belice was hard to miss even in the distance as he was so big.

    If our opponent wasnt an army but just a group, it might be possible even for non-soldiers to use this strategy. But using this strategy to fight an army was pretty hard even for soldiers.

    Moreover, when Belice wasnt present around them, the demons tended to just fight individually, not in a group, so it was more advantageous for us. Though the cases where many fought individually rather than in groups also applied to us.

    Well, I could think of thatter. For now, lets focus on exhausting Belices patience.

    T/N: AHAHAHA our MC crosdressed! I wanted to see it in a person. Anyway ording to the poll result, I will use past tenses from now on, and sorry for the dy!

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    <b>3rd POV</b>

    It had been 2 days since the kingdom army had been taking an offensive stance. Just like before, one part of the army killed demons while Belice was away. As soon as Belice got closer, they retreated.

    There was one time when Belice decided to head toward the kingdoms encampment instead but the encampment was fully prepared for a long-range battle to the point that there were soldiers who threw stones at him. Belices movements were hindered and the 1st division took that chance to head toward the gate of the Great Temple causing Belice to have no choice but to chase the 1st division.

    Due to this strategy, the kingdom army had never truly faced Belice and his elite subordinates. Therefore, despite the war raging fiercely with casualties piling up, both sides had not suffered any considerable decrease in their fighting force.

    On the third day, the kingdom armypletely shut themselves in their camp. The demon army waited for any movement from the kingdom army but to no avail. What the kingdom army did that day was only to secretly hunt the respawned demons in the forest.

    On the fourth day, the kingdom army started to move again. They attacked the demons and then retreated when Belice came closer like what they had done in the first 3 days. Nothing changed even on the fifth day.

    On this day, the third wave of supplies came from the capital. With that supplies and the supplies the kingdom army had received from the surrounding noble territories, the kingdom army can finally stop worrying about the supplies, albeit only temporarily.

    On the sixth day, the kingdom army once again shut themselves in their camp.

    On this day, a heated discussion arose in the kingdom armys military council. Some nobles pushed for the army to keep fighting on this day but Duke Grunding shut them off by saying that he will advise the King to punish anyone that disobeyed his orders.

    In the meantime, some nobles along with the Zeavert army were in the midst of a group battle training using the respawned demons in the forest as their opponent. This training waspletely voluntary.

    Later, Welner said, Its fine if you think of me as a rival but you need to be sly enough to steal your rivals technique, you know.

    On the seventh day, the kingdom army returned to the frontline. On this day, the demon army suffered a heavy loss for the first time. The cause was Belices absence from the frontline.

    Perhaps, Belice was thinking that it would be useless even if he went to the frontline, but his decision spelled a disaster for the demon army. As soon as the kingdom army realized that the demonmander was absent, the entire army immediately rushed to attack and sessfully dealt a devastating blow to the demon army.

    This was where Marquis Norporth showed his excellence in war tactics. He ordered the 2 young and valiant nobles, Viscount Krank and Viscount Mittag, who due to their achievements in the Hildea in battle were finally allowed to lead their own army, to attack a group of the demon army from the front and in the meantime ordered another troop to move in order to iste that group off from its army. After that, the Marquiss elite troops rushed to the isted group and killed them. All these steps were done skillfully under the Marquiss order to the point that Grand Duke Seyfart sighed in amazement.

    On the eighth day, Belice returned to the frontline and the kingdom army returned to using their old tactic. This made Belices frustration reach its peak.

    ***

    The night of the eighth day

    Belice chewed his food without hiding his furious expression. Perhaps being intimidated by his expression, other demons didnt dare to approach him.

    Belice was truly frustrated. The thing that displeased him the most was the absence of the Lizard Magician, Gareth.

    Belice had never been good at using his head. After all, the most important thing for demons is strength, not the brain. As such, he left the duty to form all ns regarding the attack on the Great Temple to Gareth.

    All this time, Gareths n had never gone wrong. All viges and towns he encountered on his way had been easily destroyed just like Gareth said. As such, Belice heldplete trust in Gareth.

    Gareths n only started to go awry when Belice reached the Great Temple. At that time, Belice thought that his army would be able to conquer the Great Temple even without his help as such he didnt participate in the battle. However, that decision allowed the hero along with the people in the Great Temple to shut themselves in the temple.

    The walls of the Great Temple were reinforced with the same strengthening magic that troubled the demon army in the era of the ancient kingdom and even with all his power, it would take Belice 10 years to destroy one of those walls. This was where Belice miscalcted.

    In the era of the Ancient Magic Kingdom, the Great Temple was akin to a fortress. The strengthening magic cast on its walls was able to withstand the attacks of ancient demons as such the Great Temple had been treated as special. In this era, the people with priest-rted [Skill] would be able to earn the gods protection no matter where they were, so the temple was nothing but the center of faith.

    In any case, when the first attack to conquer the Great Temple had failed, Gareth, who ordered his subordinates to infiltrate the temple to gather information, told Belice that he had a n to lure the hero out.

    Gareth also imed that his n would make another demonmander, Dreax, owe him a favor. Adding to that, Belices army had just been attacked by the kingdom army from the rear at that time so Believe decided to approve Gareths n.

    The Lizard Magician, Gareth, advised Belice to buy some time by making the battle against the kingdom army into a drawn-out battle until Gareth secured the heros weakness. After that Gareth left the Veritza Fortress along with Dreaxs men that were temporarily active in the capital of Weiss Kingdom.

    (T/L: I dont know if this was a typo since Weis in Japanese only has one letter difference from Bain. It can also be a new kingdom with the name Weiss.)

    However, since Gareth had left, Belice had not received any update from him. Moreover, all these days the kingdom army immediately ran away when he came close, causing Belice to be roaming futilely on the battlefield.

    As he gnawed on the body of Alligator Warrior, Belice felt that he could no longer contain his irritation. In human terms, it could be said that Belice was stressed out.

    To demons, even the corpses of theirrades were food. However, by actually eating them, it could also be said that the current Belice was reduced to having no other choice but to eat the corpses of his men.

    Damn it

    Belice muttered. The reptilian demons that walked on their 2 legs around him lowered their heads. Their expressions didnt change but inside, they were all frightened.

    His subordinates weak attitude further poked down on Belices nerves. At this time, Belice had no one to advise him as such he made a decision based on his emotions.

    I cant take it anymore. Gather everyone!

    Belices shout gathered all of his subordinates. They looked frightened and that caused Belice to almost lose his temper but he barely managed to suppress it.

    Humans wont be able to fight for 3 days straight. They dont have enough stamina.

    As the kingdom army had been fighting for 2 days and took a days rest 2 times now, Belice was confident that humans would take a rest again tomorrow. Belice would never think this confidence of his spawned due to the fact that he looked down on humans.

    Tomorrow, we will lead the way to that damned building humans call the Great Temple. You all must follow!

    The demons responded to Belices order with cheering. The sounds of cheering in the middle of the night were quite eerie.

    ***

    As he had dered, Belice led his army to the Great Temple in the early morning the next day. The army was full of reptiles such as crocodiles, lizards, and snakes who were all big enough to swallow a human head.

    They kicked up clouds of dust as they rushed to the Great Temple. Yet, the temple stayed quiet.

    <b><i>Kriek</i></b>

    When Belice arrived in front of the Great Temple, the temple gate opened.

    Belice was surprised. He saw a short hooded figure inviting him into the temple andughed. <i>The human inside must think they wont be able to win</i>. That was what he thought as he ran to the temple, leaving his army outside. Belice almost hit his head on the low gate ceiling but he knew it was going to be troublesome if he destroyed it here so he lowered his head.

    Perhaps because of the cloud of dust, Belice was the only person that noticed that hooded figure.

    Belice only focused on his front and the hooded man was far smaller than him as such he did not notice when he passed the hooded man, the hooded man threw something in the direction outside of the gate.

    <b><i>Thump</i></b>

    The container of anti-demon medicine broke as it hit the floor, causing the medicine inside it to spread.

    Due to his huge body, when Belice ran, he created a considerable amount of gap with the rest of his army. The anti-demon medicine spread in that gap and caused an invisible wall that made the rest of the Belice army hesitate to proceed. For a brief moment, the demon army came to a halt.

    The next moment, countless arrows and magics rained down on Belice.

    With a roar, Belice flung all the arrows and resisted the magics with his body. In the meantime, the temples gate was shut. Now, Belce was trapped in the temple, alone.

    Caught you.

    !

    Belice swung down his massive sword in the direction of that voice but his sword was repelled. Belice was astonished.

    Behind the closed gate, Belice heard the scream of his subordinates alongside the sounds of arrows and magic. He turned back and saw a man holding a gigantic sword, standing with his back to the gate and smiling condescendingly at him.

    Ive been pretty frustrated too so lets do it with a bang!

    It was Luguentz. The man next to Luguentz took off his robe with an annoyed look and then smiled.

    Big Bro Mazell, if we lose after all of this, we wont be able to face Big Bro Welner.

    I know.

    It was the [Hero] Mazell that repelled Belices sword. On his right was Elrich. Laura, who persuaded the people that it is safest beside the hero, stood on his left.

    Facing Mazell, Belice felt an unknown emotion raging inside of him. His face twitched slightly, a behavior unfit for his position as the demonmander. Unable to ept the fact that his sword was repelled by a mere human, Belice roared and rushed to Mazell.

    Mazell narrowed his eyes. He readjusted the grip of his sword, then calmly and softly dered.

    Demonmander, this is your end.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    Wed been tense since early morning but once we saw the arrow being fired from the direction of the Great Temple, everyone raised their voice.

    Its the signal!

    The demonmander had entered the trap!

    Our army started to rush out toward the demon army. The demon army resisted us but they were clearly confused. Using our superior momentum, we seeded in pushing the demon army back despite the difference in our pure battle power.

    The demon army looked really differentpared to the past battles. So this was how big of a difference momentum could make, huh?

    Schunzel looked in the distance while pointing his palm out and said, It looks like we have the upper hand.

    Of course, we will. You know, I didnt make the army run and fight for days for nothing.

    In one part of the battlefield, the Zeavert army was also fighting but they were quieterpared to other armies. This was because I had instructed Max, Augen, and othermanders of the Zeavert army to control the momentum of their soldiers.

    <i>We cant go all out yet</i>, I thought to myself as I observed the battlefield.

    But really, did these demons not realize that raising their voice in the middle of the night like yesterday was the same as announcing, <i>we are going tounch a great attack on you tomorrow!</i>

    Were they stupid or what!? I guessed the fact that this kind of consequences didnt cross their heads was indirect proof that they looked down on humans.

    What is the rtion between the army running around these past few days and the current momentum?

    Well, it got to do with the soldiers mental state.

    As I observed the battlefield, I briefly responded to Neuraths question.

    In the past few days, Belice was running around the battlefield while leading the demons main force because of that the kingdoms army only needed to fight slightly weaker demons.

    By making the kingdom army repeatedly fight the slightly weaker demons, I seeded in leaving an impression on the soldiers that a demon army without theirmander wasnt scary and could be defeated! Thats how the army became motivated again. Impression could be quite a scary thing, right?

    Victory is the best way to eliminate fear, even if its only a small victory.

    I see so

    What I did was simply to change their perception of <i>Belice and the demon army are scary!</i> to <i>Belice is scary but the demon army is not!</i> since erasing the perception of <i>Belice is scary!</i> was impossible.

    Even I was scared of that huge monster let alone normal soldiers. If I saw him getting closer from a distance, I would also want to run away! It was a good thing that Belice was moving around while leading the demons main force. Otherwise, I would have probably needed to think of a different n.

    Its like fighting the nomadic horsemen, huh.

    Pardon?

    Nope, its nothing.

    I replied to Schunzels question. The situation of the demon army was very simr to the situation of the northern tribes in China. They were all armies whose strongest became themanders.

    These kinds of armies were pretty dangerous if they had theirmander but their chain ofmand was usually pretty slow so ces far away from theirmander were weaker. That was what I aimed for. I let the army attack these weaker points to shave away at the demons fighting force. As for the details of the attack and stuff, I let themanders of each army decide.

    Even without the presence of theirmanders, these kinds of armies would put up a fierce resistance because they were afraid of theirmanders punishment if they were found to be backing off. However, their resistance was unorganized, reducing its effectiveness to the bottom. This was the state of the current demon army.

    But I chose to still hold the Zeavert army back because I knew what a desperate army was capable of. It looked like I was not the only person who thought of this since the momentum of the kingdoms army was also quite controlled. Was it the wisdom of old age of Duke Grunding?

    There was actually one army that looked a bit more fierce than the others. I recognized their crest. Viscount Davrak was swinging his battle axes while leading them. I heard the Viscount was someone who had fought valiantly in the Hildea in battle. I now understand where he got the name of the fierce general. If I fought him, I would definitely lose.

    By the way, the terms fierce general and brave general are often thought to be the same but they were actually different. Fierce general was a term for someone who led the battle while wielding the weapon and defeating the enemies while brave general was a term for a general who had bravery and was excellent inmanding their army. That was why Kisho Yoshinaka got the title of brave general even though he had never killed famous generals. The phrase There are no weak soldiers under a brave general was actually referring to the soldiers themselves, not the general.

    (T/N: Kiso Yoshinaka or moremonly known as Miyamoto no Yoshinaka is a famous Japanese general that lived in thete 1100s. bat general given to a leader of a small unit. This term was simr to fierce general butbat general led fewer people. But by the Sengoku Period, the 3 words started to be used as synonyms for each other. The passage of time often changed the meaning of words.

    Keep calm and dont force yourself to fight!

    Work together to kill them one by one!

    Just do it like your training!

    On both sides, Augen and Barkey were shouting at the soldiers. Honestly, I dont think they both needed to do that but I guess they were both just too excited. To get excited when a battle was right in front of them was just the nature of a warrior, was it?

    UOOOO!!!

    And you, Max! Why the hell was the actualmander of the Zeavert army fighting on the frontline!? Being lively was a good thing but still Well, at least, he was better at doing the desk work so I would give you a lot of workter, Max. Be prepared.

    As for me, I was observing the situation on horseback and didnt participate in the battle. Horseback was surprisingly pretty high, 150 cm and even 170 cm for arge horse.

    Though the horseback wasnt as high as the pool guard chair I could still see a lot of things from here. Sitting on horseback also made you an easy target to snipe though. Good thing this world didnt have a gun yet since arrows were a bit easier to handle.

    Welner-sama, does something matter?

    Both of you. What do you think about this battle?

    My words caused Neurath and Schunzel to re-observe the situation on the battlefield. The soldiers and knights of the Zeavert army were fighting relentlessly against demons like the Lizardman and the Alligator Warriors on the battlefield.

    We were pushing the demon army back but some demons kept fighting even though their bodies were riddled with arrows. Damn. These guys were really tough.

    I think our side has the upper hand.

    I think so too

    I know. Thats not what I meant

    So they both didnt notice? Or maybe <b><i>that</i></b> was normal here since this world was formerly a game? I dont know. I fell into my thoughts and before I could say anything, the situation suddenly changed.

    Listen, oh, brave warriors who fought the demons!

    Suddenly an old mans voice resounded throughout the battlefield. Judging from his tone, he was used to talking in front of arge number of people so he must be an important person. Well, even the so-called great Supreme Priest was only a weak unit though.

    Because the old mans voice can be heard throughout the battlefield, I wonder if he used some kind of voice amplification magic. I never heard that that kind of magic existed but maybe the Great Temple had to give sermons and stuff to arge number of believers so they had it.

    The leader of demons who attacked this sacred temple had been vanquished by the hands of a brave young man!

    The atmosphere immediately became tense. Did Mazell seed? If it was the temple guards that killed Belice, the old men would say the temple guards rather than brave young man.

    Behold! This is the end of the malicious demon!

    After that sentence, something was lifted above the temples gate. It was something big being held up by I think spears? <b><i>That thing</i></b> was pretty big so 3 spears held it up. It was too far so, for me, it looked like a soybean being lifted up with 3 toothpicks.

    The second <b><i>it</i></b> appeared, the demons became restless. That sealed it. That thing was definitely Belices head.

    For a second, I thought that demons had better eyesight than humans but this was not the time to think about that kind of stuff.

    Zeavert army! Charge!!!

    OUUU!!!

    CHARGE!!!!

    When they saw that our enemies had be restless, everyone must be itching to fight with their full power so my order essentially became the trigger that released their desire to fight.

    The Zeavert army <i>swallowed</i> the rows of demons and other armies followed suit but our army definitely held the strongest momentum.

    After all, the Zeavert army was holding back when everyone was fighting with their full power so we had more stamina left than other armies. This was the time I had been waiting for.

    On the other hand, the demon armys morale immediately copsed after they saw the death of theirmander. This was the army that only managed to maintain their morale because of the fear of theirmander so the death of theirmander immediately freed them from their fear so they finally could run away if they wanted to.

    This was the situation that happened too often in the history of my previous life.

    This time, I also participated in the battle. Using the momentum of my horse, I stabbed the throat of the demons that were in front of my way. Maybe because of my Skill and excellent weapons, just with this move, I saw the knights and orderlies in my surroundings be more motivated.

    Kill them one by one!

    Lets attack them from the right!

    Even without me saying anything, everyone did a good job in the group fight so It looked like they have gotten used to it. I had Neurath and Schunzel on my left and right so I could fight even the toughest opponent without any hesitation.

    Neurath and Schunzel would finish any opponents that I failed to kill so I just focused forward, thrusting any demons that I came across, drenching the soil with blood. Using a spear on the horseback was pretty difficult so I was d that I got some training back at the aqueduct guarding mission.

    The gates of the temple opened and the hero party came from the inside. Good timing. I saw that Luguentz was also in the temple. He was used to the battlefield so he would be a reliable ally here.

    Well split the demon army by cooperating with the military force inside the temple. Send Maxs troops to the front!

    Yes, sir!

    Max still looked energetic so leaving it to him should be fine. I stopped my horse to calmly observe the state of the war. Max and his troop movement had caused a part of the demon army to copse.

    On the other side, Viscount Davraks army had pushed the enemy further to the back. It seemed like the demons wanted to run as long as they were given a chance, just like the demons in the outbreak. We wouldnt let you run, though.

    Tell Augens troop to hold enemies on our left nk to prevent them from getting behind us. Barkey. Your troop will follow my troop to rush to the temples entrance!

    Yes!

    We would break through from the center. I needed to stand out here and this was the shiest move I could think of.

    Since weve seeded in half  surrounded the demon army  if we broke through their center, the demon army would be finished.

    The enemies on our right nk are already on the brink of copse so ignore them and focus only on your front! If we seed in breaking through here, our enemys formation will copse!

    Yes, sir!

    In my previous life, it was a war logic that in the war that happened in the Sengoku Era or before that era, the army that half-encircled their enemies or the army that seeded in breaking through their enemys center then proceeded in destroying their enemies rear from the center usually won.

    By the way, war logic was an umon word even in my previous life. It basically meant the principle of war. Although I also dont know the detailed exnation of the words <b><i>war logic</i></b>, if I had to guess, it meant finding the winning pattern of war and trying toe up with ways to guide the battlefield into the winning pattern. That was all I know, I mean I wasnt a linguistic expert or a war expert.

    I wasnt going to think about the details since this pattern would change depending on the armys morale and the speed of the chain ofmand in the army. What I needed to do here was to give the impression to my allies that <i>with this one move, we will be able to crush our enemy!</i>

    While breaking through the enemys ranks, I let out a smile as I saw a familiar face standing at the head of the group that rushed out from the temple.

    T/N: The battle against Belice is slowlye to end!

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    A victory celebration was held yesterday and today in the Great Temple. A Great Temple CG didnt exist in the game so it was the first time I actually saw the Great Temples interior. I must say, as expected of the Great Temple. Its interior was amazing. The well-calcted cement of lights and stained sses in the temple created a solemn atmosphere.

    In a sense, a victory celebration held in the Great Temples chapel was rarer than a celebration held in the pce. Duke Grunding, Grand Duke Seyfart, Supreme Priest, and Princess Laura stood on the stage. This ce was as luxurious as the pce. I felt out of ce here.

    However, this ce was rather empty because there were still people extracting the magic stones and incinerating corpses outside. The soldiers and orderlies needed to work a bit more.

    Because I was amoner at heart, I felt sorry for them. I wanted to treat them to something good but that would be impossible now. Our supplies were barely enough so I needed to wait until we returned to the capital.

    By the way, Alligator Warriors could be eaten. However, it would be psychologically impossible for me to eat the demons who had probably eaten other humans.

    Other than its meat, the Alligator Warriors skin was also useful as a material to create armors and shields. Armors created by using Alligator Warriors skins were tougher than normal leather armors but they looked like silly crocodile costumes so only mercenaries and adventurers wore them. As armors, their performance wasnt bad though.

    Generally, war spoils like the demons skin needed to be submitted to your superior in the army first, then that superior would return it to you as bestowment. The superior could also buy the war spoil at a fair price or the owner of the spoil could also ask his superior to buy the items.

    The superior could refuse to buy the spoil or buy it at a cheap price but doing that would affect his reputation so usually, no one would do that.

    Come to think of it, one of the Dead Swordsmans swords was a pretty rare item at the current time so I have to buy it from Neurath and Schunzel, and then give them an additional sry bonus. But there was only 1 sword, what should I do with it?

    I dont need a sword and the swords used by Mazell and his party were betterpared to the Dead Swordsmans sword. Should I just give it to Father as a souvenir.

    With the number 1 contribution in this battle, Mazell Hearthing! Step forward!

    Yes!

    As I thought aboutpletely unrted stuff, the ceremony continued. At the Dukes call, Mazell stepped forward. He then dropped to one knee at the bottom of the steps and bowed his head. That guy wasnt even a knight so how could he look so perfect in that stance?? Was it because he was the protagonist?!

    No one can dispute that you have the most contribution in this battle as you have splendidly in the demonmander. The kingdom would like to reward you for your aplishment. Do you have any requests?

    If youd allowed me to, I do have a request.

    I could hear countless whispersing from the nobles. These nobles must be thinking<i> what is he nning</i> or something along that line.

    Speak!

    I am amoner and I was brought up in a humble household. As such, the fact that the Great Temple and its surroundings had been devastated by this war and yet I cannot do anything pains me.

    He sounded earnest, probably because it was actually his true feeling. As the one who advised him to ask for this reward, I feltplicated.

    That is why with all due respect, I would like to ask for a mary reward and donate all of it to help the victims of this tragedy.

    The countless whispers I heard before immediately turned into countless gasps of surprise. No noble here probably expected Mazell to ask for this kind of reward.

    Splendid idea! I understand your wish. My house will provide the budget. An utmost effort to restore the Great Temple and its surroundings to what it had been before will be made under Sirs name.

    Thank you for granting my request.

    Since the Duke easily mentioned that his house would help, that meant that the Duke was serious about his earlier request to me. Damn. In any case, I think this was the end of Mazells reward.

    With this, if anyoneined about Mazells reward, that person would be offending both the Duke who approved the reward and the Great Temple which received the reward as a donation under Mazells name. In this country, offending them both was no different from suicide.

    Moreover, the amount of mary reward wasnt specified. Of course, the Duke also had his own pride so the amount wouldnt be low, but the most important thing was that Mazell didnt specify any amount so no one could call him excessive or selfish. At most, people could call Mazell a hypocrite or make some malicious rumor about him but doing that would be like telling the world <i>Im jealous of the hero!</i> and others would probably criticize or humiliate that person without me doing anything.

    Next, with the number 2 contribution in this battle, Welner von Zeavert. Step forward!

    Yes!

    Oh man, I was getting nervous, though I tried to keep a calm face and walked to Mazells side. I then bowed. This was the difference between a noble like me and amoner like Mazell. I only needed to bow while Mazell needed to kneel. The only time a noble like me needed to kneel in an award ceremony like this was when the King was present. This was tant discrimination.

    I was curious what Mazell would think about this tant discrimination so I turned my eyes to him and saw him smiling. I guess that he didnt really care, huh? It was fine even if you were bothered with this, you know, Mazell.

    Viscount Welner von Zeavert, the n that you made in this battle and your contribution in exterminating our enemies are both praiseworthy! We judged that you had received the proper penalty for your action of leaving your post without authorization. As such, the kingdom would like to reward your achievement.

    Thank you very much.

    Perhaps some may wonder, how about the rest of my achievements like saving Mazells family? But you see, acknowledging someones military achievement was actually a bitplicated.

    The barrier between what could be acknowledged as a military achievement and what couldnt was thin. Half of it was my fault though.

    Everything I did in Alea Vige was not considered as part of this war. Other than that, some things such as <i>breaking through the enemys center</i> would be considered as Zeavert houses achievement, not my own achievement so Father would be the one who would get the praise just like what happened in the demon outbreak.

    On the other hand, the n was considered as my own personal contribution to this battle. Prettyplicated, right?

    The armymander had the authority of giving the appropriate rewards and punishment for what a person did on that specific battlefield, but only a higher-ranked person, like His Majesty, had the authority to give the reward for contribution made outside of the battlefield like my battle in Alea Vige.

    That was why the Duke specifically said <i>this battle</i> when praising my and Mazells achievement. That was also the reason why Duke only mentioned my n in this battle and how I bravely fought on the battlefield as my achievement. Still, as expected of a noble. The Dukes words reward my achievement could both mean regarding only my achievement in this battle or rewarding all of my achievements, including what I did outside of this battle that affected this battles oue.

    If someone else who couldnt read between the lines heard the Dukes praise, that person might have thought that all the work done in Alea Vige was useless. However, in my case, I understood the Dukes sentiment of <i>I cant praise you for that here</i> so I had no intention toin.

    Usually, for the second-ranked contributor in the war, themander would offer some reward and the contributor would just gratefully ept it. However, this time because of the Dukes request, I needed to put on a little act which we decided in yesterdays discussion. We also discussed Mazells reward yesterday.

    I will allow you to make a request this time. What do you want for a reward?

    Then, do allow me to put forth my request. I have recently sent a n regarding countermeasures against the demon army to the kingdom. I hope Your Excellency can cooperate with my n.

    What sort of n is it?

    It would be better for Your Excellency to look at it yourself in the capital. I do not need a reward here but I hope Your Excellency would be kind enough to arrange a budget and skilled craftsmen for me.

    In fact, I needed some craftsmen pretty urgently so let me use this opportunity. It should be fine to ask for this much, right?

    Sir is fine with just that reward?

    There is no greater reward than being able to help this kingdom to win against demons!

    Grand Duke, sir, I know that my acting sucks but couldnt you control your expression a bit more!? Your attempt to hold back yourughter was so obvious!

    Very well. I will see the n that you are talking about when we return to the capital. I will also prepare a sufficient budget and write a letter of rmendation so Sir will be able to recruit as many craftsmen as you need. Then, I will arrange a separate reward to be given to the Zeavert house once we return to the capital.

    I am eternally grateful for Your Excellencys kindness!

    I bowed, and this act was now finished. The 1st rank contributor requested his reward to be donated to the war victims and to restore the Great Temple while the 2nd rank contributor requested a budget and skilled personnel for the sake of defeating the demons. Zeavert house would receive a separate reward but that was the Dukes suggestion, not my own request. With all of thesebined, the 3rd rank contributor and below wouldnt be able to request excessive rewards.

    However, if the reward was too small, it might affect the soldiers loyalty, but that was the Dukes problem to solve, not mine. The royal family would have an internal discussion about Mazellter.

    I honestly had mixed feelings about this. I felt like the Duke was an evil mastermind and I was his aplice.

    The location might be the Great Temple not the pce but it was still an award ceremony. There would not be any party but the ceremonial stuff like thanking God for His blessings would still be held. I might not believe in God but some soldiers did. If a rumor like themander of the Counts army doesnt believe in God! appeared it might affect the soldiers morale.

    Unlike my previous world, Gods miracles existed closely with the citizens in this world so I was the one that was a heretic. I mean, God clearly existed in this world but I didnt believe in Him. On the other hand, relying too much on God would create a separate problem. Bncing between believing and not believing was pretty hard.

    Ah, these things wereplicated. My head started to hurt thinking about it. When will it end

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    After the battlefield memorial ceremony (or whatever it was called) ended, I was called into one of the rooms in the Great Temple. Fyuuh Finally, we could have a rxed chat.

    Big bro! Its been a while!

    Stop calling me that. Anyway, Feli, you did it.

    The second I entered the room, Feli greeted me cheerfully and I responded to his greeting with a wry smile. <i></i>I bumped my fist with Mazell who was also in the room.

    As expected, I can count on you, Mazell. Thanks.

    Nah, I should be the one to thank you for your advice about the rewards.

    Even if Mazells sess in killing Belice might be a part of the games correction, if he had really failed to kill Belice, my n would have gone down the drain so it was only right for me to thank him.

    In the room, there was also <b><i>that</i></b>person present Ah, wait, let me start by greeting the two other men in this room.

    Luguentz, Elrich. Its been a while.

    You sure did a great job of baiting that stinky bastard to the trap.

    He is right. Thanks to you, the n seeded.

    I felt embarrassed by their praises. In any case, I gestured to two of them that they didnt need to mind their manners. Next up, I turned my attention to the person who had been bothering me. I mean, why was Laura here?

    Your Highness, the Second Princess, may I ask the reason you came all the way to this ce?

    You do not need to call me as such, Sir Welner. Please, be at ease.

    I knew that she would say something like that but still, how could I be at ease when she was radiating that regal aura?

    Lets just maintain a basic manner with her, not excessive to make her feel ufortable but not rude either. I asked for Lauras permission to sit in front of Mazell and after she said yes, I sat down.

    Elrich skillfully prepared tea for me. I thanked him and took the tea. All the ceremonial procedures since this morning had made me tired. After I took a sip of tea, Laura started the conversation.

    First of all, please allow me to extend my gratitude for your help, Sir Welner.

    No, I did nothing.

    That was why please stop bowing your head! This time, I let my guard down, causing us to lose the initiative to the demons so I honestly felt that I did nothing great. However, Laura shook her head.

    I heard that those demons aim was me. If Mazell-sama and hispanions did not arrive in time, I dont know what my fate was going to be

    No, since Mazell was the main character, his plot armor would have probably kept you safe even if I did nothing. In any case, just like in the game, Laura still used <b><i>sama</i></b> to call Mazell but they seemed closer than before, probably thanks to the siege. Good.

    I needed to wait until the next event if I wanted to hear Laura get rid of <b><i>-sama</i></b> in Mazells name. I didnt think I would be able to witness that event myself though. Well, that was not important now.

    Then, the people who saved you are Mazell and hispanions, there is no need for you to thank me.

    You are being too humble. If you have not warned Mazell-sama to be on guard against Finnoi, he might not have made it on time, you know?

    I told Mazell to make Finnoi his destination since I knew that Laura would be his nextpanion so the whole Mazell saved Laura in time was just a huge coincidence. I couldnt say that here though.

    Still, it would be impolite to keep denying a royaltys words. Lets just change the subject here since I had another important matter to talk about.

    I shall gratefully ept your gratitude then. In any case, Mazell, I need to apologize to you.

    Huh?

    Mazell looked confused after being suddenly apologized. Knowing that he didnt know what happened in the Alea vige, I exined it step by step.

    Welner Thank you.

    I dont deserve your thanks. Sorry for not being able to do anything sooner.

    Mazell thanked me but I felt that I didnt deserve it. He entrusted his family to me but I let his home get destroyed by fire and let his sister almost get kidnapped.

    Whoa, Laura stayed silent but her expression was really scary. At least, I was d that she wasnt mad at me. Unlike Laura, Luguentz opened his mouth.

    After that, what happened to that vige chief?

    I dont know. Since I needed to rush here, I decided to just let him be.

    Why didnt you do anything?

    The battlefield was more urgent. Those idiots surely pissed me off but defeating the demonmander was more important.

    Cant you be more severe to them?

    I understand your sentiment but I only have one body so I prioritized the demonmander.

    I didnt think that punishing them would be a good move. I didnt have any hobby of punishing people and giving people punishment was actually prettyplicated.

    Nobles did have the right to punish rudemoners but if thatmoner was a citizen of another nobles territory, punishing thatmoner was the same as pping that nobles territory. That noble might even question you whether there was really no other way than to punish his citizen and you could even get a notorious reputation of having a short temper.

    In any case, it would be better if you stopped talking to me as if you would have beaten them all to a pulp if you were there. Elrich was silent, but I got a feeling that he would have said far worse things than me if he was the one that confronted the vigers.

    Dont worry, Im not nning to leave them alone for long. Im sorry for not doing anything earlier and causing your family to fall into danger.

    Welner, Im going to be a viin if I me you for that.

    Mazell gave me a bitter smile. You damn good guy. Are you actually a saint, not a hero? And, Your Highness, why are you mumbling I will also.. to Father..?

    Come to think of it, Laura could be yful but she was really scary when she got angry. In the game, there was a scene Ah, lets just pretend I didnt hear anything!

    So my family is currently in the capital?

    Yeah.

    Well, I needed to move them out of the capital before the attack on the capital happened. Luckily, I knew a perfect ce to send them to. I could just make a reasonable excuse and send them to participate in Veritza Fortresss renovation. Ah, right, there was another thing I wanted to ask.

    Feli, what happened to the suspicious people you told me about before?

    Ah, those guys?

    When Feli was meeting up with Mazell and his otherpanions, the anti-demon potion Feli used was still in effect. So the second they entered the room where the suspicious pilgrims were, suspicious pilgrims began to feel immense pain. Their fake skin cracked and broke, revealing their true identity. Anti-demon potion actually worked like divine protection, huh?

    The demons panicked a bit when their true identities were revealed. Fortunately, they didnt kill anyone. After that, Mazells party battled those demons and that battle was also the reason Laura became close to them.

    It was really dangerous.

    The second they noticed that their disguise was exposed, they tried to take Laura who was coincidentally also in that room as their hostage.

    Your Highness, I am sorry for that.

    No need to apologize. It was only an ident.

    But Mazell protected Laura. Anyway, was it fine for you to casually call the second princess Laura? Well, he also called her that in the game though. I let out a bitter smile in my heart.

    By the way, Sir Welner, what do you think we should do after this? (Elrich)

    Hmm I think

    In the game, the heros party went to the Alea Vige to level up, then they conquered the Counting Star Tower. However, after the recent events, would Mazell still be willing to go to the Alea Vige? No, he probably wouldnt. At least, if it was me, I wouldnt.

    Well, I also needed to investigate why everything became vastly differentpared to the game but for now let me see the games information about Alea Vige was

    Your Highness. Do you know a person named Uwe Almsick?

    Of course, I know about him, but where did you hear that name?

    Well, from the game. He was thest member of the heros party. He was the teacher of the current king, an old man called a legendary great mage. He suddenly disappeared a few years ago. His character design was obviously influenced by Ga*dalf. Well, the game wasunched back when Lord of the Ri** was the craze.

    Lets ignore that borderline copyright infringement for now. In the game, he learned about the demon kings resurrection a few years ago so he went to investigate this matter on his own but only the upper echelons of the kingdom knew about this. In the current timeline, the kingdom must have lost contact with him.

    Like any typical game, when he entered the heros party, he became a level 1 character even though he was called the Great Mage. Moreover, although he was an old man, he had a short temper. In the game, there was a scene where he attacked the demons who remained in the ruined capital with his magic and killed them. For an event involving some random demon mobs, it was rare that the human actually won.

    I happened toe across the information about where the elder wasst seen.

    I took out the map Id bought and opened it on the table. Both Laura and Elrich looked surprised. Elrich must be surprised because it was the first time he saw a continent map, not because of my awful drawing right? I knew that I had zero talent in drawing

    Here. This is the tower where I heard he wasst seen. There are a lot of demons in this ce so maybe he went there for research. Perhaps it would be good to head to this ce next.

    Hmm

    Laura probably knew that Uwe disappeared to prepare for the demon kings revival. The kingdom lost contact with him so she and the kingdom must be worried by now. If my memories serve me right, an ancient magic device was on the verge of going berserk so Uwe went to stop it, that was why he was currently stuck.

    But really, the damage of the scene of Laura tilting her head to think was too powerful! As expected of the main heroine.

    It is true that Teacher might be able to give us good advice so looking for him would be a good choice.

    So things were finally proceeding ording to the games storyline, I was d. Now, they needed to get to the top floor of the Counting Star Tower to get the astrbe that would guide them to Emdea Ruin where that old man Uwe was. Well, I couldnt tell them this though.

    Lets go to that tower then.

    I will also go. I am the only person here that knows the Teachers face, right?

    The same conversation as the game, right in front of my face! Though I was worried if her grandfather, Duke Grunding, would allow her to go.

    Well, lets stop thinking about that and leave everything to fate! What I did was escape reality, you said? So what?

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    After a bit of tea break, we continued the information exchange.

    I asked Mazell, By the way, I heard that you found a ck gem again?

    If you mean like the gem I found after battling Dreax in the demon outbreak, then yes, I found another one after defeating the demonmander. (Mazell)

    ck gem was the biggest mystery here since it didnt exist in the game. Ah, I almost forgot to tell them that I also found a ck gem.

    The ck gem you found before is still in the midst of investigation in the capital. Actually, I also found a ck gem in the Alea Vige.

    Really?

    Because of Felis interjection, I gave everyone a short exnation. I didnt know what the heck this ck gem was and why there was a ck mage in the Alea Vige. I was curious though since the Alea Vige event didnt happen in the game.

    I submitted the gem to the Duke so I dont know what happened to it next.

    We submitted our ck gem too.

    Mazell darted around and Elrich and Laura gave him a nod.

    Supreme Priest-sama said that he felt an unknown mana from the gem.

    I also felt the same. That thing is dangerous. I had also told this information to my grandfather.

    Hmm Well, even if you said that, I didnt know anything about the ck gem, you know? Though I also got an unpleasant feeling from the gem. In the first ce, why did you all consult me about this? Did you expect me to know everything?

    I cant say anything for sure since I didnt have a chance to investigate them. I will look more into it once I have time.

    Please do so.

    My words were meant for Mazell but Laura ended up being the one who responded to me with a serious face and a bow. As I had said many times before, please dont bow like that!

    Since the historys highest ranked saintess was so concerned about these gems, there was definitely something fishy about them.

    Well, these gems were originally devils possessions so it would be more strange if there was nothing wrong about them.

    Do you have anything else to talk about other than the gems?

    Even if you ask me that

    I didnt know what answer I should give to Luguentzs question. I still didnt know the current situation in the capital, so I couldnt talk about the capital here. Ah, right!

    Actually, I used up all of my Skywalk so if you happened to get someter, can you share some with me?

    Okay.

    Mazell gave me an immediate reply! Sorry for troubling you. It might be good for me to give them a hint about what would happen next.

    I am feeling concerned about the fact that demons could disguise themselves as humans and sneak into the temple.

    Yeah, it is really concerning.

    Elrich nodded. The temple must also be upset about this since wicked beings actually seeded in infiltrating the sacred temple despite the barriers that they erected in the temples vicinity.

    In the first ce, since demons would be able to even break the mighty barrier in the capital, it wasnt a good idea to rely on barriers too much.

    There might be other demons lurking disguised as humans so you better pay attention to the rumors you hear in the towns.

    Right. It looks like we wont be able to rx in towns from now on.

    I dont think the demons would constantly attack you in the middle of the town though.

    I replied to Luguentz while feeling strange. It seemed as if I missed something, but what? Hmm lets put that feeling aside for now and continue the conversation.

    Be careful when you hear about a person who changed suddenly, but no need to be overly cautious.

    Thats fine?

    Yeah, but dontpletely let your guard down though.

    In the game, the protagonist would hear information about <i>the personality of the mayor of that town changed suddenly</i> before he and his party finally found out that the town mayor in the rumor was actually a demon disguised as a human.

    I remembered that when the hero part reached the inn in the rumored town, the usual inn soundtrack yed and the screen immediately jumped to the battle scene. The hero party probably got attacked in their sleep.

    Since it was a game, when the battle happened, the hero party were still wearing their armor and weapon but who would actually sleep with their armor and weapon in reality? Well, that didnt matter now though.

    I said earlier that the demons wouldnt <i>constantly</i> attack them in the temple, but that didnt mean that the demons would only <i>attack them once</i> or <i>there were going to be only one demon</i>. Im sure that there would be more than one or two demons disguised as humans.

    For example, the refugees. I highly doubted that the refugees knew all of their fellow refugees names and faces so there was a chance that a demon might be disguised as one of the 5,000 refugees. There was also a chance that there were demons disguised as humans among the travelers, merchants, and the adventurers who visited the capital.

    In the game, Mazell was absent from the royal capital when the attack happened so I didnt know how the capital fell into ruin. From what I remember, the refugees didnt rebel in the game but I also didnt know if they actually rebelled when the game Mazell was away from the capital.

    Wasnt the situation actually really bad right now? Someone urgently needed to investigate whether the demons had infiltrated the capital, the refugee camp, or anywhere else. Although it may seem that we had a lot of time until the attack on the capital, considering the amount of time needed tounch an investigation of this scale, the actual time we had left might be tight.

    Welner?

    Ah, sorry.

    Mazell called out to me when I suddenly stopped saying anything. However, I didnt want Mazell and everyone else to worry so I put on the best poker face that I could.

    I remembered something, so I ended up being lost in my thoughts. In any case, Ill be counting on you guys for the rest.

    Although I wanted to investigate this matter as soon as possible, I didnt have enough authority to do so. Wait.

    I didnt have enough authority? Why did it feel strange? There had been a lot of ns that I thought of but didnt have enough authority to implement them so not having enough authority wasnt something new. Did I miss something? Lets slowly think about what I had put aside step by step.

    Ah! So that was it! That was the reason Ive been feeling something was wrong all this time! I couldnt help but to click my tongue.

    Your Highness.

    Y..Yes? May I help you?

    Laura was surprised when I suddenly called out to her, but her expression immediately turned serious. I just clicked my tongue in front of a royal so I hoped she wouldnt get mad for it. In any case, I need to urgently report my findings.

    May I trouble you to set up a meeting with His Excellency the Duke as soon as possible?

    I was d it was still not toote.

    T/N: In case any of you guys didnt notice or forgot, for a while now, Welner has constantly felt and said I think I missed something, I think there was something strange or something around that line and finally we would about to find out about whats been bothering him!

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    In the end, after I returned to the Zeavert armys camp, I gave Lauras letter to Schunzel, who in turn submitted it to the Duke.

    I was finally granted a meeting with Duke. Laura could have just told the Duke in person, but if she did that, it would have put the Supreme Priest in a bad position. Laura did tell the Duke about me wanting a meeting via the Supreme Priest, though. Thanks to Laura, I got to meet the Duke today, not tomorrow.

    Princess Laura Louise Weinzierl, Welner von Zeavert, and Mazell Hearthing have arrived. (Welner)

    Please wait a moment. (Guard)

    I became the one who reported our arrival to the guard. Laura was a princess, so unless she was the one who was being summoned, she would never report her arrival herself. She would have an orderly or someone in that ss report her arrival for her.

    As for Mazell, although he had the support of the royal family, he was still just amoner. Therefore, unless it was some emergency or Mazell was the one being summoned, he would not have the authority to report our arrival.

    That was why I ended up bing the one who reported our arrival. By the way, even though we were going to meet a Duke, Laura as a princess had a higher rank than the Duke, so that was why when I reported our arrival I called her Princess. Since my rank was lower than the Duke, I just stated my name while I said Mazells name thest since he was amoner.

    This kind of etiquette was really annoying.

    I apologize for making you wait. Please,e in.

    The guard was being respectful because Laura, the princess, and me, the viscount, were here. If it was only Mazell, he probably would straight up say, Come in!. Being a guard could be pretty troublesome too, huh?

    I entered and gave a bow. Whoah. Even Laura seemed to be surprised. Other than Duke Grunding, there were also Grand Duke Seyfart, the 1st and 2nd division knights captains, the Supreme Priest, the captain of Mage Unit, Marquis Norporth, and Marquis Schramm present.

    It was a full gathering of armymanding officers! This was better for me. Actually, they were all apanied by their own adjutants and guards, but here, their adjutants and guards would probably be treated as thin air. That was just how a noble meeting was.

    Your Excellency and all honorable personnels, thank you very much for your willingness to spare some of your precious time toe here. (Laura)

    It was a perfect time since we were also in the middle of a talk. (Duke)

    It was Laura who opened the conversation. In this kind of setting, the speaking turn was important. In private, they were grandfather and granddaughter, but in public, they were a princess and a Duke, so Laura, who had a higher position, talked first. The Duke answered next despite his position being lower than the Supreme Priest and the Grand Duke because he was actually the one we asked for a meeting.

    Huft.. The etiquette was really annoying.

    A talk?

    Let us talk about thatter. I heard that there was something urgent you need to talk to me about?

    Yes. The Viscount will exin the details.

    Yes. Do allow me to exin.

    It was finally my turn. I bowed once and started my exnation. Because it was urgent, I jumped right to the core of the issue and skipped the mboyant words needed for etiquette.

    I dont have any tangible proof, but I think that the capital is currently in great danger. As such, I would like to investigate the situation in the capital as soon as possible.

    For a moment, everyone became silent. A whileter, the Duke finally spoke out.

    Why?

    I will exin it step by step. As you may already know, demons managed to infiltrate the Great Temple by disguising themselves as humans.

    Yes, I am aware of that.

    The Supreme Priest replied in a hurry. No, I didnt mean to me you or anything.

    We cannot simply assume that other demons will not be capable of doing the same thing. No, it would be better for us to assume they <b>can do</b> it.

    Since a demon disguised as a human had actually appeared in the game.

    Continue.

    Do all of you sirs know about the incident where Viscount Goslich Knap brought several of his people to attack the Veritza Fortress?

    I asked this since I thought that the Supreme Priest might not know about it, but it looked like I was worried for nothing since the Supreme Priest nodded.

    I hadunched an investigation into it before and found that there was a witness who saw Sir Mangold leading tens of people outside of the capitals wall.

    I had also heard about that. From the information I had gotten, the walls guard witnessed the scene when he was patrolling.

    The 1st division captain, Vilsmaier, said so. So that was how the witness saw Mangold. I wanted more detailed information, but for now, lets put that off forter.

    However, I had heard no story about many soldiers, adventurers, or mercenaries disappearing. I tried to investigate it in more detail, but the result was the same. There were also no witnesses who saw Sir Mangold and his people leave the capital. Therefore, who exactly were the people being led by Sir Mangold outside of the capital was still a mystery.

    Everyones expression changed immediately. As expected, no one here was stupid. When I told Mazell and hispanions about this possibility, they were also shocked.

    With the tone of wanting confirmation, Grand Duke Seyfart asked, So you want to say that they can be demons?

    Yes, or rather, I believe demons had reced them.

    How Mangold got so many people to follow him wasnt important. The problem here was that many people had disappeared, but the adventurer guild, mercenary guild, and even the capitals census officer noticed nothing.

    There was one usible exnation for this. The second they left the capital, the demons disguised as them reced them. If that was what happened, then the fact that no one noticed their disappearance made sense.

    In the first ce, there were many people who went in and out of the capital. If some people left the capital saying that they wanted to go on a trip, meet an old friend, or take a long vacation, no one would bother searching for them. Heck, no one would probably even think that they had, in fact, went missing.

    If my guess was right, that would mean that there were currently tens of demons freely roaming in the capital with weapons. This was dangerous. Adding to that

    Previously, Sir Mangold had borrowed soldiers from the nobles of Marquis Knaps faction. There is a possibility that these soldiers have been reced by demons disguised as humans. That would mean that there is a possibility that demons are roaming freely among nobles.

    In the worst-case scenario, these demons might enter the pce as a nobles guard. Of course, there was also a possibility that the demons could only copy the appearance, not the memory so a simple test would make them get caught and there was also the possibility that the pce had a barrier so the demon wouldnt be able to get in, but here, we need to assume the worst-case scenario.

    But I heard that the capitals gatekeepers didnt see Sir Mangold or his group, said Marquis Schramm.

    We can trust the gatekeepers word <b>if</b> they are humans.

    My tone might be a little too rude but it was possible. Eliminating the witnesses was a basic course of action. If after killing the gatekeepers, they were then reced by demons We couldnt trust them anymore.

    So you are saying that Sir Mangold and his group were used by our enemy?

    Yes. That was a guess I made based on my impression of Sir Mangold.

    Based on how arrogant Mangold was, he would feel that their identity, aim, and such didnt matter as long as they were obedient. That bastard was the type of person who thought people following his order was the most obvious thing in this world.

    There was also a possibility that Mangold himself had also been reced by demons, but it was impossible for me to know the exact details now. Come to think of it, Mangold met up with an unknown person several times before, right? This unknown person was also suspicious.

    In any case, I doubt Mangold was still alive, so lets offer a prayer for him.

    The fate of the people who followed Mangold was also a mystery. If the demons gathered them, using some random excuses and then drugged them or used magic to make them lose their consciousness, the demons would be able to easily bring them outside of the capital.

    The incident with Lily-san was a good example. The demons used debuff magic on her, which rendered her helpless. Maybe demons did simr things to the people who followed Mangold.

    In the game, magic which gave a confusion debuff causing our enemies to attack their allies existed. Come to think of it, equipment with a confusion curse also existed in the game. The value of the equipment was higher than the magic, I think.

    In any case, the demons suffered an unexpected defeat in the demon outbreak. Maybe that was why this time they wanted to carefully n their moves and that was how they came up with a n to send some demons disguised as humans to the capital.

    Surprisingly, there were many humans who barely knew anything about the surrounding people, causing them to not notice any abnormalities. Even in my past life, stuff like <i>enemy soldiers infiltrated your camp</i> existed.

    Plus, the capitals guards didnt know that our enemies could disguise themselves as humans. Even if they noticed that a person had be unsociable recently, the thought that he was a demon disguised as a human would never cross their mind.

    By the way, this world didnt have a tradition to pray for the souls of the dead. People of this world believed that once a person died, they would enter Gods trial. If they got a verdict of being a good person, they would enter the divine world. If they got a verdict of being an evil person, they would be the demons food in the demon world. I didnt know if this would actually happen, though.

    The difference between this world and my previous world was that the usage of sacred magic by the Shinto priest was a clear evidence that God did exist in this world.

    I see. So you meant to say that they have be someones doll for a long time now. Its true that such a possibility existed.

    Its really an emergency. Good job for noticing it, Sir Welner.

    I just hope everything is just me overthinking it.

    The Duke and Grand Duke nced at each other and nodded. Then, they both turned to the two knight captains.

    Under the name of Duke Grunding, I order the captains of the 1st and 2nd division to select 10 people under yourmand to send a letter to His Majesty.

    Understood.

    The messengers from the 1st division will use the main road, and the messengers of the 2nd division will use an alternative road. Make sure the letter reaches His Majesty!

    Yes!

    Duke, please wait a moment.

    The Mage Unit captain interrupted the Duke. He nced at Mazell for a moment, then redirected his gaze to his back. After that, a person who was probably his adjutant ced a box on the table. There seemed to be a paper stuck on it. Was it a seal or something?

    We should check this as well.

    The Mage Unit captain opened the box and there were two ck gemsying inside it. One of them looked like the one I picked up at Alea Vige. Was the other one the gem that Mazell found after killing Belice?

    I remembered I got an ominous feeling when I picked up the gem at Alea Vige, but now that there were two of them, I got an even worse feeling. This strange, anxious feeling I got when looking at them was hard to exin.

    Duke Grunding and the rest also had the same expression as me except for Mazell. He had aplicated expression on his face. I rarely saw him with that kind of expression.

    As I had exined before, there were several people who lost their minds after they examined these two gems.

    Lose their mind?

    The Dukes words felt more like a confirmation than a question. The reason he asked that question was probably so that the captain would exin the details to us.

    Among the people who had exined these gems, several of them showed behavior as if they had lost their rationality.

    They didnt just show disgust or difort?

    Their behavior was closer to a fascination or possessiveness toward these gems.

    The Mage captain answered Grand Duke Seyfarts question. Since the Supreme Priest also nodded, did that mean the priest who examined these gems also showed the same behavior? I couldnt understand how someone could be fascinated with these ominous things.

    Sir Welner, you were the one who picked up one of these two gems. Did you or any of your people who had seen the gem show a simr behavior?

    No. Well, I did not stare at the gem for a long time or carefully examine it, so that might be the reason.

    Maybe because I felt the gem was ominous, and I was also physically and mentally tired, so after I got the gem, I just left it alone in its bag.

    Neurath and Schunzel also didnt show any strange behavior.

    Is that so? How about you, Sir Mazell?

    Before I answer, may I ask another question?

    Usually, you would get scolded as being rude if you answer a question with another question, but the Mage Unit captain nodded, perhaps because of Mazells grim expression.

    But Mazells next question left us all in a further confusion

    Why is that here?

    T/N: A rare cliffhanger! Anyway, I remember someone was wondering in thement why Mangolds name kept popping out so here is your answer!

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    I was sure that no one here expected Mazells question. Representing our confusion, the Supreme Priest asked, What do you mean?

    The ck gem on the right side is the one which mypanions and I picked up after defeating the demonmander in the Great Temple.

    Although the shape of the two gems was a bit different, I honestly couldnt tell which one was the one Mazells party had got from defeating Belice and which one was the one I brought from Alea Vige. Maybe the reason why different colored clothes were ced below the 2 gems was to differentiate them.

    As I thought about this, Mazell continued.

    The ck gem on the left side was the one which mypanions and I picked up after defeating the demonmander in Veritza Fortress.

    WHAT?

    The ce immediately turned silent and the one who broke that silence was Duke Grunding.

    Are you sure about that?

    Yes, sir.

    Right. Mazells memory was so good that he never forgot something he heard once.

    Sir Welner, are you sure that you picked up this gem in the Alea Vige?

    Yes. I have already reported everything I know about this gem.

    I answered Grand Duke Seyfarts question without any hesitation.

    There was only one exnation for this situation. Someone smuggled the ck gem out of the pce and gave it to the devil that I met in the Alea Vige.

    Understandably, the face of the captain of the Mage Unit looked pale. After all, if the ck gem was really smuggled out of the pce, he would be held responsible.

    The face of the Duke, the Grand Duke, and the two knight captains looked grim. The Supreme Priest advised to close the box for now since staring at it for too long might cause some of us to lose our rationality.

    Just what exactly happened here? Did I miss something? Amid my confusion, Laura started to talk.

    Supreme Priest-sama, for now, I would like for us to organize all the information we currently have.

    That would be for the best. We might have missed something important.

    Yes, then, lets do so

    The Duke immediately replied to Laura and the Supreme Priest nodded and picked up a pen.

    First of all, the ck gem Mazell found after killing Dreax in the Veritza Fortress somehow ended up here when it was supposed to be in the middle of an investigation in the magesboratory. I was sure that the Duke already knew this.

    The person in charge of the gems investigation was chosen directly by the mage captain and the mage captain also guaranteed the persons character and ability.

    Mazell suddenly asked the mage captain another question, I would like to confirm whether the ck gem from the Stampede is also in the midst of an investigation by the royal mages?

    Of course.

    Are you sure that the ck gem is currently in theboratory?

    It was a rude question. After all, asking that question meant that he doubted the royal mages. However, it was a reasonable question in the current circumstances. It would be rather strange to assume that this ck gem was the only one that had been smuggled out of the pce.

    The mage captain replied with a voice full of hesitation, In the current situation, it would be difficult for me to answer your question with <i>I am sure</i> but Sir Puckler, the one who is in charge of the gems investigation, is definitely trustworthy

    Sir Puckler?

    I blurted out that name. Yes, that was his name. He was an unpleasant person that I had met once once?

    Wait. At that time, I remember he felt strange, but why? What did he say at that time? Hmm.. he said This is my first time meeting you. but that should be our second meeting.

    Fogto-san also said He wasnt so unsociable before. Yes, <b><i>before</i></b><i>, </i>not <b><i>usually</i></b>.

    If Sir Puckler had actually been reced by the demon, then he would be able to smuggle the ck gem out of the pce. Just by the circumstantial evidence, he was our prime suspect.

    Sir Welner, whats wrong?

    I didnt have any evidence but

    Since the Duke asked me, I need to answer. He probably asked me because he noticed the change in my expression. It seemed like my poker face had crackedpletely. What I had was only a suspicion without any evidence but in the current situation, it would be better for me to talk about it.

    Plus, I thought that it was better for me to be the one that said it here. What Mazell had said was just an obscure suspicion but what I wanted to say was nder, a problematic statement, since I didnt have any evidence.

    If the result of the investigation showed that Sir Puckler was innocent then I would be the one that bears the consequences, not Mazell. That was better for me since I couldnt let the rtionship between the hero and the mage unit deteriorate. As for me, I have many ways to recoverter.

    I think Sir Puckler is a bit suspicious. Actually

    Since Laura looked at me for a second with a gaze as if she wanted to say something, she probably understood the meaning of my action. I didnt mind being the one who would take all the burn so Mazell, you just need to focus on defeating the demon king.

    It will be for the best if everything is merely my groundless fear. However, just in case, we shouldunch an investigation.

    I could not directly tell everyone here that the personality of a person who had been reced by a demon would change because I only knew this from the game and didnt have any evidence to support it.

    Therefore, I just told them about our strange conversation and Fogto-sans words. I carefully chose my words so it would look like I advised them to be careful around him, but I didnt use him as a demon. Since he was our only suspect now, my request to investigate him would be granted. Probably.

    But honestly, I didnt know if I should hope for my suspicion to be proven true. If my suspicion was proven true, that would mean that the demons could even infiltrate the rank of the royal mages but if it was proven to be false, that would mean that I had ndered Sir Puckler and our rtionship would be sour.

    Either way, the result would make my stomach churn. However, if my suspicion was true, things would be far worse than me getting a stomachache.

    As I expected, some people here showedplicated expressions but in the end, the mage captain nodded.

    I understand. In the current situation, it would be better for us to be safe than sorry. I wouldunch an internal investigation about Sir Puckler.

    Thank you very much.

    I bowed my head again. Well, if this was only my overthinking then it would stain my honor. To be fair, even if that happened, I was sure that I would figure something out!

    I would have to contact Father and warn him to be careful. Then, I would also need to send a letter to tell Frenssen to submit all results of the Mangold investigation to the pce via Father.

    Still, I didnt know if I should be happy about the fact that Father was a civil officer. On one hand, because my Father was a civil officer, he stayed at the capital with weaker protection since all of our Houses armies were stationed here, but on the other side, chances of devils attacking my Father were very low because devils thought that power was everything and my Father was puny civil officer in their eyes. I didnt know if I could call this a blessing in disguise.

    After this, the Duke and the others were kept busy by reports, meetings, and stuff. It seemed like Laura had something else to discuss with the Supreme Priest and the Duke though.

    In any case, it looked like the investigation would begin even before I returned. That was good.

    As the tension began to leave my body, I finally noticed how out of ce I was in the groupposed of the hero, princess, dukes, and captains. I ended up writhing alone in the night. I have to make sure I dont carry this attitude tomorrow morning.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    The next day, the 1st and 2nd divisions, the Mage Unit, Duke Grunding, and Marquis Norporths armies returned to the capital first, so I saw them off. As for Mazell and hispanions, I separated with them at the Great Temple.

    Even though Mazell and hispanions were worried about the capital, they decided not to return to it. After all, if the heros party returned to the capital, the demons disguised as humans may be even more cautious.

    Were going to leave now. Welner, take care.

    You too. I will be waiting for the demon kings head.

    I and Mazell bumped our fists, producing a crisp sound. We often did this when we were still in the academy.

    I shook hands with Luguentz, Elrich, Feli, and Laura, then mounted my horse. From now on, Mazell and hispanions would face even more difficulties. I could only pray for their sess and safety.

    However, for some reason, I felt that since it was Mazell, everything would be fine. Was this feeling caused by the games correction or because of Mazells character? I didnt know.

    By the way, after Laura talked privately with Duke Grunding, the Duke allowed her to apany Mazell. I was d.

    I heard the Duke couldnt refuse because both Laura and the Supreme Priest insisted. Laura said that she wanted to repay Mazell for saving her life while the Supreme Priest said that the temple would like Laura to help Mazell as the temples representative since Mazell had given them funds to restore the temple.

    For some reason, the Supreme Priest also ended up supporting Laura, but that wasnt my fault, right? It must be the result of the games correction. Yeah, definitely not my fault.

    As for the matter of Skywalks, Mazell would send them to the Zeavert house as soon as he got some surplus, so I would just wait. I didnt have the budget to buy them myself.

    I also told Mazell that I could arrange a meeting with his family if he wanted to meet them, but heughed while telling me that he wasnt worried about his family, since he knew I would definitely keep them safe. That guy was too good for his own sake.

    By the way, I heard it was Feli who maintained the contact between the Great Temple and the Duke back when the Great Temple was stuck in the siege war.

    I never thought that Feli was skilled enough to secretly go back and forth between the temple and our main camp without alerting the demons. I might have underestimated his ability.

    I also heard that the duke offered Feli to work for him. I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my throat when I first heard about this, but fortunately, Feli refused. With the Duke having to allow Laura to go on a dangerous journey and him being refused by Feli, I kind of felt like I forced him to draw the short end of the stick. Sorry, Duke.

    The majority of the nobles armies would be returning straight to their territories. Some of the nobles brought all of their military personnel to this war, leaving their territories unguarded, so they wanted to return as fast as possible. Plus, they would have kept eating the main armys already thin food supply if they had stayed longer, so it was rather good that they chose to leave.

    However, the ones who returned straight to their territories were only the nobles armies, while the nobles themselves apanied us to the capital, along with several of their direct subordinates because they needed to greet and report to His Majesty. This was an unwritten rule.

    Returning to their territories without meeting His Majesty first would be considered extremely rude unless there were some emergencies in their territories.

    A dayter, the Zeaverts army, along with Grand Duke Seyfart and Marquis Schramm, started our journey to return to the capital. The journey to the capital would take around 10 days if we marched straight with no rest, but this time, we were pretty rxed. The injured people were left for treatment in the Great Temple, so we didnt need to hurry.

    Well, because I had some time to spare, I went to observe how the transport corp worked and I was pleasantly surprised. They were properly organized and their work was really efficient. ording to the Duke, His Highness had made great reformations in how the transport corps worked in just a short time. That prince was a real genius.

    For this war, the budget for all military equipment and the sries of knights and soldiers came from the country. The country would entrust the money to nobles and the nobles would be the ones who would actually distribute that money to the knights and soldiers. Of course, nobles could take some of this money for themselves, but Father and I would never do such a thing. I heard in my worlds medieval period, some nobles got rich by doing that kind of thing.

    It was also possible for the noble houses to use their own money to give additional rewards to excellent personnel. I wanted to do this to the knights who apanied me to the Alea Vige and I also want to give a special bonus to Neurath and Schunzel. I needed to get Fathers approval first.

    On our way, we stopped to rest on Denhan and Valeritz, and held a memorial for the deceased. A part of our group got a mission to clean up the 2 ces, so they stayed behind. All the members of the Zeaverts army continued the journey to the capital though.

    In any case, what I could do now was only to pray that all the victims could rest in peace. At the same time, the terrifying thought that if I failed to save the capital, the pce might also be like Denhan and Valeritz haunted my mind.

    However, I tried my best not to show that worry on my face. I was forced to chase away that thought when I saw a cavalryman approach Neurath. After Neurath and the man talked with each other for a while, Schunzel approached me.

    Welner-sama.

    What happened?

    The main army in front has received this from the Count.

    I sighed as I read the letter. It was impressive that the investigation was being done this quickly, but it was still distressing to know that the suspicious people were really walking freely in the capital. Even if we could <i>take care </i>of these suspicious people now, I doubt the demons would give up on their attack on the capital. So, it was safe to assume that the attack on the capital would definitely happen.

    To be fair, I was curious about the reason demons attacked the capital. In the past, it was just a game event, so I didnt bother to brood over it.

    Still, I doubt I need to deal with suspicious people directly. The capital was protected by royal knights and guards. The royal family probably wouldnt want to use any noble armies since they needed to provide additional rewards to make them move and not to mention they had just ordered the noble armies to take part in the Finnoi defense battle.

    In any case, both His Highness and Duke Grunding were pretty impressive. They could get this much information in such a short time and they even went into the trouble of sending it here from the capital. The capitals information department seemed to be also quite skilled.

    Neurath. Can you please call Max and others here?

    Yes.

    As I watched both of them leave on a horseback, I sorted out the things I needed to do when I arrived at the capital. Fortunately, I got my hand on a skilled stonemason and carpenter back when I was guarding the aqueduct construction site. The Grand Duke had also introduced me to skilled craftsmen, so I didnt have to worry about producing the bows.

    (T/N: Several chapters back, Welner talked about making craftsmen createposite bows)

    What was left was to get skilled cksmiths or metal casters. Other than that, I needed toplete the document about the orphanage and observe the progress of the areas magic countermeasures. It looked like I had many jobs.

    Id just returned from the Finnoi defense battle, so I probably wouldnt have any military-rted job for a while. The aqueduct construction sites guarding mission would likely be handled by a different group. The royal family had probably thought that they had overworked the Zeavert army, so for a while we wouldnt get any mission. Probably. I hope so.

    Alright! Lets finish everything before the attack on the capital event! As I was thinking like that, Max and others arrived. First of all, we have a lot of things to deal with after we return.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    Max and the others rode their horses here and gathered around me. It might bete for me to say this, but I was d they were fine. I gave a signal with my hand so they put a little distance between us.

    Welner-sama, did you call for us?

    Yeah, I want to give all of you some instructions.

    Instruction?

    I knew that a lot of my instructions had been pretty problematic, especially since the incident in Alea Vige, but could you please stop looking at me like that!? This time I had no n to go on some reckless mission!

    After looking around and confirming that only Max, Augen, Barkey, Neurath, and Schunzel were there, I whispered, As soon as we return, a military operation will be conducted in the capital. The kingdom knights and the capital guards will be the one who will conduct this operation directly, not us.

    A military operation?

    We are now almost certain that the demons have really infiltrated the capital.

    Hearing my answer to Maxs question, everyone was surprised. Well, this was an obvious reaction. I mean the information about the demons infiltrating the capital wasnt something that would be talked about openly so it made sense that none of them knew.

    First of all, as I said before, this military operation would mainly involve the kingdom knights and the capital guards. We cant just butt in and earn some achievements.

    I understand. (Augen)

    If that is the case, what should we do then? (Barkey)

    I already had a n for us. Still, the current situation was very uncertain. In the worst-case scenario, arge-scale civil war might break out in the capital. I still didnt have detailed information about the operation so I need to prepare for every possibility.

    For now, I can only give rough instructions since making too much movement might hinder the operation and I also dont have any detailed information about the operation. First, Max.

    Yes.

    Take several of our elites with you and go to the pce to protect my father.

    Understood.

    Max bent his huge body and bowed to me. Well, he was Fathers retainer so, of course, I would entrust Fathers safety to him.

    Augen. In case something happened, I would like to entrust you with the safety of the families of our knights and soldiers.

    As you wish.

    Barkey, you will take care of the safety of orderlies, servants, and every other member who serves the Zeavert family. If the two of you need to arrange anything toplete this job before we return to the capital, contact my father and give anything you need to me in writing.

    Yes, sir.

    The number of people who served a noble family was quiterge especially if you also included their rtives. Their safety was the responsibility of the noble family they were employed with.

    That was why if a noble family copsed, there would be many people who lost their job. Once this happened, many families would lose their breadwinners and be turned upside down in just a night. Nobles who didnt care aboutmoners wouldnt bother to think about this kind of thing, but I couldnt help but be concerned.

    Neurath, Schunzel.

    Yes.

    Sorry, but this time you guys wont get any shy work. I want you to make sure that Mrs. Arnates orphanage I told you about before was safe. Do you remember its location?

    Of course, I remember.

    Please leave that to us.

    After knowing what Feli was capable of on the battlefield, they must have understood why I gave them this job. In any case, I was d they were epting my instruction withoutint despite the fact that Feli was being pretty rude to me by nobles standards. I guess after they saw how that shitty vige head acted, Felis rudeness seemed to be nothing big.

    How about you, Welner-sama? What is your n?

    I will take care of the mansions security. If anything happens, contact my father for instructions. if you cant reach my father,e to me.

    Understood.

    How should we contact the Count about our n?

    I will contact him directly. If my father gave any of you other instructions, prioritize it. Just let me know if you have made changes ording to my fathers instructions.

    Yes, sir.

    Originally, Father should be the one who gave this kind of instructions, but currently, the entire army was under mymand. That was why I decided to instruct while emphasizing that Fathersmand took priority over my own. If I didnt make the chain ofmand clear, it would lead to mimunication.

    Ill ask my father to make arrangements in the capital. Augen, Barkey, use Neuraths house as your base of operation.

    Yes, sir.

    With this, in case they lost contact with both Father in the pce and me in the mansion, they could use Neuraths house as the thirdmand center. I got a feeling that we were doomed the second we lost contact with Father, though.

    I used Neuraths house because chances of both the mansion and Neuraths house bing a battlefield at the same time was low. They were pretty far, after all.

    Anyway, I need to tell Father about the various instructions I gave here and also ask him to make arrangements to support my n. Ah, I also have to ask Father to take care of the Hearthing family, though I was sure that Father would do that without me asking.

    A few dayster, we met up with the first group on the outskirts of the capital. After that, themanding officers held a secret meeting, though I didnt take part in it. I was only told to make sure to arm my army properly to make them presentable for the victorious return.

    We entered the capital the very next day, fully armed. We walked to the pce amidst the cheer of the citizens, with Mazell at the very front. As for me, I was currently trying my best to control my expression.

    Fortunately, the stars of the show this time, other than Mazell, were the duke and the knights, so I was able to blend into the background. Somehow, I felt guarding the aqueduct construction site would be far easier than being in the middle of a victory parade.

    I felt that someone was pointing at me, but that was probably only my imagination, right?

    To not make myself feel out of ce in the parade, I looked around my surroundings. The guards around the parade were armed pretty heavily, but none of the citizens seemed to be bothered by it. Maybe the operation had already started.

    We proceeded to the pces courtyard and held a military parade there. His Majesty then gave a long speech before finally saying that the victory banquet would be held at ater date. The noble knights were finally allowed to disband and rest.

    So, the fact that important people always gave a long speech was true even in this world, huh? The Royal Guards and the White Dragon knights were here fully armed, maybe because this was a military parade? But His Highness, the Crown Prince and several ministers, including Father, werent here.

    Looking at how the noble knights acted after being allowed to disband, it was clear which family had even the slightest knowledge about the military operation and which family knew nothing. The knights of the Duke, Marquis Norporth, and Marquis Schramm didnt disband but rather left the courtyard in an orderly manner and the Mage Unit stayed. It looked like they were prepared for the fight to break out.

    Amid the disbanding of noble knights, the Zeavert army created several groups, and each group moved separately ording to my earlier instruction. Some knights returned to the mansion with me, while others took a detour to arrive at the mansions back entrance. With this, we could secure both the back and the front of the mansion. A noble mansion was enormous, so it would be impossible for me to guard it alone.

    A festive atmosphere remained in the capital, but overall, the capital was calmerpared to when I was in the middle of the victory parade. Across the capital, there were heavily armed soldiers returning to their post. As I moved, I could only hope that the mansion was still safe.

    By the way, the Zeavert mansion was built with a defensive capability in mind. The storm shutter on the first floor was made of metal, and behind the wooden board located beside the windows on the second floor, there were slits and holes made to shoot arrows.

    Mansions in the capital, like the Zeavert house, also had fences. They werent too high, so if we fired arrows from the second floor, they would reach outside of the walls. But because the fences werent too high, the enemies could climb them.

    The ss was expensive, but I guess only noble mansions had ss windows.

    Of course, all of these defensive capabilities werent built, so that the noble mansions could rebel or something. They were built so the royal family could take refugees in the noble mansions in case there was a coup dtat or any other emergency. It was more of a show of loyalty rather than an attempt to protect the mansions themselves.

    If something happened in the military operation, it would be the first time the mansion showed its defensive capability since stuff like rebellion didnt happen every day. Thinking about what might happen made me feel restless. I needed to calm down.

    With these thoughts in my mind, I entered the mansion. The scene inside made me struck in the ce for a second.

    Welner-sama, wee home.

    Why are you here, Lily-san?

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    Um Welner-sama, do I look strange?

    Probably worried because I was dumbstruck by her appearance, Lily-san asked me this. Well, it wasnt your appearance that looked strange but the fact that you were here! If I actually said that, she would be hurt, so I kept silent.

    There was also one other thing that I kept only in my head. Lily-san, you look really pretty in that maid uniform. I became dumbstruck!

    Ah, no, nothing. Why are you here?

    Ah By the grace of the Count, I am allowed to work here.

    She answered me with a smile. What were you even thinking, Father!?

    I meant working for a noble was a pretty demanding job. Your identity needed to be clear and, in case something bad happened, you had to take responsibility. Of course, some noble houses did employ civilians, since providing a ce of employment for a possible workforce was one of the duties of a noble.

    Though ironically, this providing a ce of employment duty also stemmed from the belief that physicalbor was the job of lower-ss people, not the high and mighty nobles.

    For someone to be employed in a ministers house, you needed to have a certain status. This wasnt done to filter out petty thieves, since losing some valuables was nothing for a high-ranking noble house capable of being a minister. Well, you could certainly receive the bad reputation of having poor eyes to judge peoples character if you got robbed by petty thieves that you employed.

    The reason people employed in a ministers house needed to have a certain status was that there would be a lot of important and confidential documents in a ministers house. That was why usually minister houses would only employ someone with a clear identity, like young nobledies who wanted to learn etiquette or the children of already employed servants.

    To be fair, there were several types of maids. For simple housemaids in charge of cleaning, there was no need to be too picky in choosing them, but Lily-sans outfit seemed to be the outfit of a senior maid. It suited her, but I wonder if it would be okay to give her the position of a senior maid?

    As I had mentioned before, new clothes were expensive in this world, so the servants would usually work wearing cheap clothes that they wouldnt mind getting dirty or ripped.

    The reason why a noble house would panic when they received an unannounced visitor was also because servants needed to change into presentable clothes, which were usually the noble familys old clothes. If the visitor saw the servants wearing cheap clothes in their everyday work, it might tarnish their employers reputation.

    The maid uniform of this world was clearly influenced by the European maid uniform; it was quite elegant. Well, thinking more about the maids in this world would make my head hurt, so lets just stop here.

    In any case, parlor maids like Lily-san were like a receptionist of a bigpany in my previous world. They were entrusted with important jobs like entertaining the guests and would be the waitress at noble parties.

    There were many things I wanted to tell Lily-san about being a maid, but I was reluctant to dampen her spirit, especially after looking at how hard she worked.

    I took off the coat I wore for the victory parade and handed it to Lily-san. She then put the coat on the hanger and brushed it carefully.

    Ill change my armorter. Where is Norbert? I asked Tir-san, who was teaching Lily-san.

    He is currently working in his room.

    Tell him toe to my office.

    Understood.

    If I wanted to know the current state of the mansion, its best to ask Norbert since Father wasnt here. While thinking like this, I entered my office. Inside, Frenssen bowed to me What the heck!?

    I am d that you have returned safe and sound, sir.

    Ah, well, no need for that kind of greeting. Frenssen, what the hell were those?

    I pointed to the mountains of papers on my desk. With that many papers, it was amazing that they didnt copse.

    This is the stack of biographies and portraits of various nobledies. This is the stack of proposals and requests from the Merchant Guild and the Guard, while this is the stack of reports. The sample of things you have requested to create has also been stored away.

    Although I also didnt understand what you meant by biography and portrait, first tell me, what do you mean by proposals and requests?

    The proposals came from the Merchant Guild. They would like to have your opinion regarding various things as you are the one who has gotten the information about the high-quality equipment.

    I dont have any intention of involving myself in that business, though.

    The information about the equipment came from the game. Plus, I didnt know enough about economics to create a business. As a noble, I did get an economics lesson, but it was only the basics.

    Not to mention you need to make constant changes and improvements when you run a business. I didnt have time for that, at least for now. I would think about running a business after the demon king was defeated.

    As for the requests, they came from the people who were impressed by the patrol procedure document youve created. They want you to create a simr procedure document for other sectors.

    Why are they requesting ME to create it!?

    For Gods sake, couldnt you create it yourself!? Well,ining to Frenssen would be useless, though. I guessed people in this world needed a detailed manual to learn something. Did I need to create a procedure for creating a procedure?

    Other than that, there were also invitations from people who wish to get to know you, sir.

    I have enough friends.

    I didnt have that many friends. Father was still the head of Zeavert house while I was just a student. That meant these invitations probably came from people who wanted to get to know me with ulterior motives or people who wanted to use me to get closer to the Crown Prince. I didnt have time to amuse them.

    <i>Sigh</i> how did things be like this? As Iined in my head, the door was knocked. The person outside said he was Norbert so I let him in.

    For now, I should ignore the documents stacked on my desk and focus on Norbert. After all, knowing the current state of the capital and the mansion took priority.

    Welner-sama, I am d that you have returned safely.

    Skip the formalities. Has Father told you about what will happen?

    Yes.

    Good then. For today, no one could leave the mansion. I had made preparations for the servants families, so no need to worry about them.

    Yes, sir. The Count had also made arrangements for the safety of other people affiliated with the Zeavert house with the help of the reliable mercenaries in the capital.

    As expected of Father. In the game, the knights and soldiers were characters that existed only to make the protagonist look good, but in reality, they were experts in fighting and maintaining public order, so it should be fine to leave things to them. Still, I couldnt let my guard down.

    While ncing at the mountains of papers on the desk with a sour feeling inside, I let them move the chair to the lobby. Until things settled down, I would stay in the lobby while preparing for an emergency. With that thought in my mind, I asked another question to Norbert, How is the Hearthing family?

    Under the Counts order, the entire family is working in the mansion.

    Good. I would ask Father about the restter.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    The Azure Knife Inn, where the mercenaries often stayed in the capital, was now quietly surrounded. Its front side was surrounded by the capital guard, while its backside was surrounded by a group led by Baron Kretschmer.

    Despite being a noble, Baron Kretschmer prefers to wield weapons on the frontline. He was a brave man who was highly respected by his subordinates. Grand Duke Seyfart also trusted him deeply. He was one of the armymanders in the refugee escort mission. However, because he mostly interacted with the adventurers during the refugee escort mission, the kingdom left him to guard the capital during the Finnoi defense battle. Truthfully, this decision by the kingdom had disappointed him.

    But now, the Crown Prince had told him the news of the demons lurking in the capital and he was entrusted with the demons extermination, albeit as amander of the support troop. He was itching to fight.

    Have the citizens around the inn been evacuated?

    Yes. With the guise of leaving their houses to see the parade, the citizens have safely been evacuated from their houses to the Eight Guard Station.

    Good.

    While questioning the messenger of the capital guard, the Baron gazed at the inns back entrance.

    As an inn frequently visited by the mercenaries, the style of architecture of the Azure Knife Inn differed from the usualmoner or noble houses. This inn was built with only practical use in mind.

    Whats the result of the investigation?

    No one has seen the owner of the inn for a few days now. As for why, even the merchants who usually brought the ingredients for the inns food didnt know.

    How many people are inside?

    There are about 13 people. The Eagles Nest Inn in the 3rd district and the Drunkards Wind in the 5th district also have roughly the same number of people.

    Noted. Our job was only to make sure no one escaped from this inn, right?

    Yes, sir. In a worst-case scenario, your group was also allowed to kill.

    The Baron smiled ferociously. That being said, raiding the inn was the job of the capital guards, while his group was only responsible for taking care of the people who would try to escape the inn. That was why the Baron secretly hoped for a few people to escape the inn so he could fight.

    Do you have any other questions, sir?

    No, thats all. Good luck on your mission.

    The messenger nodded and left. Baron then gathered his subordinates and split them into several groups. Two groups to guard the sides and a group to guard a little further away from the back entrance. With this arrangement, the Baron would minimize the chance of his enemies escaping. Not long after, shouts reverberated from the inns front side, and the inside of the inn became noisy.

    Guards rarely changed their equipment since they had all used different equipment depending on their duties and the ce they were assigned.

    The gate guards would use long weapons since they may need to stop charging horses intending to forcefully enter the capital. The guards in charge of patrolling the capital used shorter swords with smaller despared to the ones used by the knights. This was because the chances that they were going to fight amidst a crowd of people or inside of buildings was quite high, so they were equipped with weapons that had high maneuverability. They were trained more in thrusting art rather than slicing. After all, most of their fight was going to take ce inside a building and most buildings wouldnt be wide enough to freely swingrge swords.

    Therefore, the job of raiding a building such as the current inn would be handled by the capital guards, who had more expertise in this aspect rather than the noble or royal knights. The Baron could only pray that some enemies manage to escape the inn, so that he could also fight. Although he knew praying for that sort of thing was inappropriate.

    Either the Barons prayer was answered or the enemies were just one step ahead of the guards. Several shadows of beings that were once been humans burst through the wooden storm shutters on the second floor andnded on the street. After Baron confirmed they were werewolves and weretigers, he gave hismand.

    SHOOT!

    Dozens of arrows rained down on werewolves and weretigers. Some of them copsed after being hit by arrows, while the others seeded in cutting the arrows with their ws and escaped. As he was admiring the demons skillful movements, the Baron let out a ferocious smile.

    Charge! Dont let them escape!

    The Baron closed the distance and cut a werewolf with his ive. Using a ive in a cramped inn would be hard, but an open road was a different story.

    The Barons subordinates all had confidence in their fighting capability, befitting the soldiers of this world. Following theirmander, they closed the distance with the demons and a fierce sh unfolded on the spot.

    After a short and intense battle, all demons, including the ones inside the inn, turned into silent corpses.

    Is the front fine?

    Yes. After all, we used the anti-demon medicine provided by the royal family.

    Good, then.

    To tell you the truth, the Baron had hoped he could fight a bit more. This desire was perhaps noticed by his subordinates as they looked at the blood-drenched Baron with troubled expressions.

    It looks like we wont have enough time to help the battle at other ces, Noticing his subordinates expression, the Baron changed the subject of conversation.

    I dont think weve let anyone escape, so not helping the others should be fine.

    While nodding at his subordinates answer, the Baron turned his gaze to the pce.

    ***

    At the same time, a fierce battle had also been unfolding at the Drunkards Wind.

    Themander of the guards in this battle was Baron Dohnanyi. He was a member of the military faction, but he suffered an injury in the battle against the demon outbreak. Although he safely returned from the battle due to his subordinates sacrifice, the Baron had been away from the military scene because he wished to focus on his recovery and on training his subordinates.

    Arge scar he had gotten from the battle against the demon outbreak decorated his face. It was possible to heal that scar using an advanced potion or advanced magic, but the Baron did not do so, iming he would rather use the budget for healing his scar to train his subordinates. The truth of the matter was that the Baron felt this scar was his pride.

    Despite his capability, when the emergency dispatch order was issued, the Baron was instructed to take care of another matter, so he remained in the capital when the Finnoi defense battle urred.

    The Crown Prince did this on purpose. He didnt want to send the nobles of the military faction who had brains butparatively low positions. As a result, many nobles with good fighting capability remained in the capital. For the demons, though, it was a troublesome situation.

    Charge!

    The Baron rushed into the building, leading the elites among his subordinates. Normally, it would have been the guards job to take care of the enemies inside of the building, but this time, the guards were forced to split their force to create a 2yer encirclement to prevent the demons from escaping. After all, this buildings toughness was quite ordinary. It would be easy for the demons to escape the building by breaking the windows or the wooden wall. That was why the Baron chose to rush inside and became the hunting dog that would force the demons to leave the building and guide them into the guards encirclement.

    That being said, ording to multiple witnesses ounts, the Baron himself was clearly full of the desire to fight when he rushed into the building.

    Inside, the Baron sprinkled the anti-demon medicine with his left hand while swinging his sword with his right hand. His one swing cut off the one hand of the mercenary-like man that stood up with an expression mixed with pain and surprise. The man didnt scream and just immediately swung his other hand to the Baron. Noticing that the mans arm wasnt a human arm, the Baron ducked to dodge, then held his sword in a piercing stance and pierced the mans stomach.

    Our opponents arent humans! Dont hesitate to fight!

    In response to the Barons words, the soldiers shed the mercenaries-like demons who had been drinking and eating. A sword cleaved the demons feet, and another sword stabbed their heads. The soldiers who used spears supported the swordsmen from the rear. They attacked their opponents, forcing them to retreat while making sure no one among their allies falls into a one-to-one battle with a demon.

    Nevertheless, demons didnt take the beating one-sidedly and started to fight back. They used their ws to sh with the soldiers swords and used their fangs to chomp the soldiers necks. However, the demons had lost the initiative of this battle and, not to mention, they were currently confused because of a sudden raid. In this kind of situation, the kingdom side held the upper hand.

    After they saw many of theirmanders were dead, the demons started to escape. The second they turned their back on the soldiers, however, they were cut down. Many of them were reduced into porcupines by the rain of swords and spears. It was to the point it wasnt the enemies fierce resistance that troubled the soldiers, but the corpses sprawled around in the building.

    One needed to watch their steps in a battle in a confined space, lest they lost their life. There was this rather amusing story about a soldier who chased his enemy but forgot to watch his step and ended up tripping when the road changed into a stone road, causing that soldier to fall and he was killed by the enemy he was chasing instead.

    Some demons escaped by destroying the wall of the buildings, but they ended up being exterminated by the guards outside. The Guard Captain knew that his side was weaker than the demons, so he ordered his men to use projectiles and long weapons to avoid a closebat fight with the demons.

    ***

    An army led by Count Mhe was stationed on the outskirts of the capital. In the Hildea in battle, the Count was themander of the left nks second team under Marquis Schramm. His appearance couldnt be called handsome, but no one would doubt his ability, be it inmanding an army or as a politician. Marquis Schramm deeply trusted him. The fact that he was trusted as amander of this separate army on the outskirts of the capital was proof of how much the kingdom valued his military experience. Back when the rest of the army was busy with the victory parade, the Count led his army and silently left the capital using a different gate than the one used by the parade.

    The Count was highly regarded for his military and literary talent, but weirdly enough, he was hated by animals to the point there were barely any horses that would be willing to be ridden by the Count. Because of that, he never got the chance of doing jobs that required high mobility. He mostly would be entrusted with a job that would require the ability to protect a base or a job where political ability was needed.

    Your Excellency.

    Youre here.

    Standing on a chariot pulled by two horses, the Count looked at the two people who were running out of the capital and gave a nod. Those two looked like normal capital guards, but their mannerisms and the speed of their runs suggest otherwise.

    Surround them!

    The Counts job was to make sure no demons escaped the Capital. There were only two demons who tried to escape in front of him, but for the Count, the number didnt matter, as he would simply do his best toplete his job. The Counts army formed a team and surrounded the two werewolves who were still wearing guard uniforms and trying to escape. No matter how strong they were, they wouldnt be able to escape the Counts team encirclement as there was too much difference in the number.

    They have been disguising themselves as the gatekeepers and they even got their hand on the gatekeepers identification paper.

    It was a shame that we couldnt capture them alive.

    Well, our priority is, after all, to not let any demons escape.

    In any case, I hope we can kill more demons.

    The Count mumbled as he observed his orderlies extracting the magic stone from the demons corpses. He heard a noiseing from the pce, so he turned his gaze to the pce, but in the end, he saw nothing out of the ordinary as the Count continued his mission. He patrolled the area and waited for the messenger from the pce.

    Demons wouldnt be able to cross the gate because it was sprinkled with anti-demon medicine. The only thing the Counts men could do now was the boring and inefficient work of checking the people that wanted to cross the gate one by one.

    After that, the Count was busy. He was forced to check all people who knew nothing and just wanted to leave the capital and dealing with the demons disguised as humans that actually tried to leave the capital.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    T/N: I was swamped with assignment yesterday. Ipletely forgot to post this chapter. Sorry!

    Baron Kupfernagel and the Guards have taken care of the demons in the Eagles Nest inn. They had 7 casualties.

    The 5th squad of the 1st Division who went to Count Eggerts residence reported that they had subjugated a devil disguised as the Counts knight.

    The 3rd squad of the 2nd Division had sessfully taken control of Baron Stahls residence. The devil that was disguised as the Baron had also been killed. They had 8 casualties.

    Messengers wereing and going to therge conference room in the pce. Various pieces on the capitals map on the table were being constantly moved as the Crown Prince and the ministers exchanged their opinions and gave out new orders. They were nervous, of course, but since they knew the kingdom had the upper hand, none of them looked grim.

    The Crown Prince Hubertus, who had given several instructions in quick session, smiled at Count Zeavert who was standing beside his Royal Father.

    Count, you have an excellent son.

    I am grateful for your praise.

    Unlike Welner, Ingo had a long experience in the royal court, so he wouldnt show his expression easily. Yet currently, he could not hide his bitter smile.

    Exactly. I heard your son was a hard worker, but I never thought he would be this excellent.

    From the other side of the room, Marquis Schindler, the Minister of War,mented so. Inside, Schindler couldnt help but break out in a cold sweat when he thought about what would have happened if Welner didnt introduce the high-quality equipment to the kingdom. The reason there were so few casualties in the Finnoi defense battle and the current operation was all because of the high-quality equipment. Schindler felt it was Welners foresight that allowed the knights of the kingdom to change their equipment to high-quality ones, and Schindler thought highly of Welner for this.

    Not only did he notice that there were demons disguised as humans in Finnoi, he also noticed that there were demons that infiltrated the capital. Count, your son is truly amazing.

    Too much praise might make him arrogant, so please make sure that my son will not hear your excessive praise.

    The Count answered Duke Grundings praise. He stopped hiding his bitter expression because he sensed that both Duke and Marquis were trying to rope Welner into their factions. The nobles were broadly divided into civil and military factions, but the two factions could further be divided into smaller fractions. Listening to their conversation, Grand Duke Seyfart shrugged his shoulders.

    I was wondering where did Sirs son learn the existence of such magic tools? (Seyfart)

    I do not know. My son was interested in both the military and literature, after all. (Ingo)

    A truly promising young man. (The King)

    When the King, who was clearly in a good mood, interjected in the conversation, Ingo bowed lightly.

    Without the anti-demon medicine that Welner had introduced, it would be difficult for the kingdom to tell who had been demons disguised as humans. The second the information about the anti-demon medicine reached the pce, the King ordered the internal affairs officers to buy as many anti-demon medicines as possible.

    Unfortunately, because the kingdom had to move carefully so that the infiltrating demons didnt notice their cover had been blown, the number of anti-demon medicines the kingdom had sessfully gathered was not a lot.

    Nevertheless, the second the kingdom sessfully gathered some anti-demon medicines, the kingdoms upper echelons made several decisions. First, they decided to silently identify as many demons as possible. Second, they nned to use the victory parade as an excuse for the knights to be fully armed without earning the suspicion of the infiltrating demons. There was a possibility of information leak, but the kingdoms officials could deal with those who leaked the information one by one.

    The method used to silently identify demons here was to sprinkle some anti-demon medicine in several ces inside the pce and then identify the people who avoided those ces. After that, the kingdoms shadows would tail them for further investigation, which involved finding out who hade into contact with them.

    The internal government inspector, the stealth force that controlled the kingdoms shadow, the scouts division of both the Royal Guard and The White Dragon Knights, all moved in unison.

    With that, the kingdom seeded in gaining the upper hand against the demons without rming them. The people in charge of this job ended up having to spend several nights without sleeping, literally.

    I also never thought magic tools which allow fast transport existed.

    From now on, if those kinds of magic tools are excavated from the ruins in our kingdom, we must prevent them from being sold to another country.

    I do not think we have any unexcavated ruins left.

    Remembering the precious magic tools that the kingdom had sold to foreign merchants, the Minister of Internal Affair, Aundenried, and Prime Minister Falkenstein sighed.

    The discovery of the use of Skywalks created an uproar among the nobles, especially among the military. The reason the Skywalks werent sold in the Bain Kingdom was that when the Skywalks were excavated from the ancient kingdom ruins that were located in the Bain Kingdom, the kingdom sold them to foreign merchants because no one knew their use.

    Countries which had arge amount of ancient kingdom ruins must have known of their use, but every one of them kept that information as a tightly guarded secret.

    To make matters worse, recently there were no new ancient ruins that could be excavated near the Bain Kingdom. This was extremely regrettable.

    The Skywalks that the kingdom used so they could purchase the anti-demon medicine were something they had gotten from the mercenary, Oliver Gekke, who had stayed in the capital.

    Frenssen told Ingo that Oliver Gekke had traveled with the merchant party so he might have purchased some Skywalks for himself, and Ingo conveyed that information to the kingdom. The kingdom bought some Skywalks, albeit with high prices from Gekke.

    The kingdom sent people to purchase anti-demon medicine and Skywalks using the Skywalks they had brought from Gekke.

    When the messenger asked Gekke why he purchased those Skywalks, Gekke answered, Its that Viscount we are talking about. Im sure he wont buy something useless.

    Some diplomats of other countries who have been stationed in our country probably had Skywalks in their possession.

    And here I was wondering how the information about Finnoi spread that fast. In any case, it was good that we managed to settle the matter in Finnoi swiftly.

    Hearing the conversation between the Minister of Work, Rademacher and Schundler, The Crown Prince and The Minister of Foreign Affair, Equord exchanged nces and let out a wry smile. After all, the work that the two did to prevent any foreign interference in the Finnoi Defense Battle by no means was easy. Both sides, the civil faction and the military faction, thought that their work was the hardest.

    In the future, we need to re-investigate the ancient ruins in our kingdom.

    It will be the best if Sir Welner can take part in that reinvestigation.

    The Crown Princemented after he took a quick nce at the Grand Duke and Rademacher, who were in charge of the ruins, responded. The Minister of Work, Rademacher, first heard Welners name during the aqueduct construction project and once again became interested in Welner after Welner created the patrol procedure. When he saw the patrol procedure document, Rademacher was quite surprised. He was not an idiot. He, of course, knew the value of the procedure. If he could create such a procedure for construction work, the preparation of the construction, the workers management, and the process of transporting materials would be easier.

    As for Aundenried, the Minister of Internal Affair, he was impressed by the bonds and five-home system that Welner had proposed. The idea of citizens monitoring each other was far too foreign in this world. Plus, Welner showed he understood that the five-home system he had proposed would only be effective for a limited amount of time, otherwise, there would be a collision among the people.

    Audenried hadpletely acknowledged Welners ability as a civil administrator.

    Both of them were overestimating Welners actual ability, though. What Welner did was only to randomly use the knowledge from his previous life.

    In fact, it was the kingdoms ministers who were amazing since they were able to put the random, half-baked idea that Welner had into practice.

    Actually, people had started to notice Welner since he created and submitted the proposal about gathering high-ranking equipment to the Crown Prince. Since Welner created a proposal, any upper echelons of the kingdom would be able to see his n. Students of his age would normally be incapable of creating and submitting a proposal like Welner, even if they were also an heir of a noble house.

    For Welner, who was a former office worker, it was only natural for him to create and submit a proposal, but because he was currently just a young student, his action ended up making him stand out among his peers.

    Furthermore, Welner sessfully put his proposal into action and produced a satisfactory result, which garnered even more attention from his surroundings. Others would now constantly evaluate and judge his actions.

    Welner himself was oblivious to this, though, as he was single-mindedly focused on his aim. Not to mention in Welners mind, his actions were nothing strange as a former office worker. Welner seemed to forget, or perhaps he simply didnt realize how impressive his actions were since it came from a young teenager.

    Just as another person was about to open his mouth, a small but clear vibration echoed throughout the room. Everyone fell into silence and not long after, a knight rushed into the room.

    Report! A battle has broken out in the Royal Mage Research Building! The devil there was stronger than normal devils!

    Calm down! We already predicted that a battle would break out there. Tell Vilsmaier to mobilize the knights and the Mage Unit!

    Yes, sir!

    As he was observing Ingo and Duke Grunding, who continued to talk on the side, Huber calmly gave his order. He had prepared double and triple measures to protect the heart of the pce, just in case something happened. Now, Hubers thoughts had shifted to how he would take care of the political issue that would arise after this operation was finished.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    In the end, Father returned to the mansionte at night. Until then, I felt small vibrations in the distance several times, but I was d that there were no reports of trouble or that something happened in the mansion.

    I learnedter that many knights and guards were dispatched for the military operation. Fortunately, the damage to the civilians was small. As expected, the capital guards were quite skilled.

    It looked like themotion would continue for a while since the kingdom needed to clean up the aftermath of the battle and the kingdom also needed to make sure that there were no devils or demons that remained in the capital. These were all something that themander of the military operation and several specialists needed to worry about. Not me, though.

    Well then, since now Father has returned, lets talk to him. Seriously, I got way too many things that I needed to report.

    Welner, youve returned.

    Yes, Father. I am also relieved that Father has returned safely.

    Most things have already been taken care of, so you can rx now.

    Understood.

    As he gave his coat to Lily-san, Father said so and I replied. Max entered the mansion after Father so I nodded to him.

    Father would probably change into his indoor clothes, so I have some time to spare. After Father left the entrance to the inside of the mansion, I turned my attention to Max.

    Thank you for your hard work. Hows the situation in the pce?

    I cannot give you the details, but the pce is safe and sound.

    I frowned a little at Maxs answer. Probably someone who has the rank of the captain of noble knights or equal gave a gag order. Lets just ask for the details from Fatherter than.

    Okay, no problem. Has the capitals atmosphere calmed down?

    From what I had observed, yes.

    Good then. Tell Augen and others to stay alert. If they notice anything fishy within 3 days starting tomorrow, contact me. They can also send me a letter.

    Yes, sir.

    I then gave several other instructions to Max, but half of them were for tomorrow. This world had no electricity after all, so things you could do at night were quite limited. Even walking around the town at night was quite dangerous.

    Since there wasnt any emergency now, there was no need to force anyone to move at this hour.

    For tonight, just finish the bare minimum you need to do, then rest.

    Thank you very much.

    I would leave the details to Max. It would mean that Max needed to work a bit more, but it was better to leave it to him who was used to the job. If someone like me who barely knew anything did it, I might create a mess.

    Plus, I didnt have the time. I still have many things I wanted to ask Father.

    ***

    After a certain amount of time, probably enough for Father to change his clothes and have a cup of tea, I was called to his office.

    I had also used that time to change from my armor. I told Frenssen to clear the desk and take care of my armor, then headed to Fathers office.

    First of all, thank you for your hard work, Welner.

    I only did what I had to do.

    Father looked tired. Well, I guess today was a hell of a day for the officials. Without a doubt, the military was busy today, but even Father, who was the Minister of Ceremonies, must have been busy dealing with the foreign affairs with the Minister of Foreign Affair.

    Tomorrow, you need to go to the pce in the early morning. His Highness said he wanted to discuss several things with you.

    Just me alone?

    Yes. His Highness said we wished to speak with you alone first.

    I understand. Then, let me give you a simple report about today.

    Sure.

    It looked like Father knew about what His Highness wanted to discuss with me, but he didnt tell me anything. That meant whatever it was, it must be highly ssified, so I needed to go to the pce to talk with His Highness. I got a feeling that I would be roped into some troublesome things again.

    I put this matter in the back of my mind for now and focus on my report. I told Father about the situation in Valeritz, the incident in Alea Vige, and the war in Finnoi. Really, how could these many things happen in just a month? And Father, what was with that bitter expression?

    Several people, including Duke Grunding, told me they envy me for having an excellent heir like you.

    That was probably just empty ttery, Father.

    In this life, I just happened to get a cheat code called the memory of my past life. In terms ofbat power, I wasnt a match for Mazell while in terms of intelligence, there were people like the Crown Prince and many others who were far smarter than me. I only have my memory of my past life and the memory of the game. As for my work efficiency, that was the fruit of the knowledge and experience I had gathered in my previous life.

    Or rather, I didnt want to get too close to Duke Grunding since I had experienced just how reckless he could be. When I thought so, I realized something and asked Father a question.

    Since when did you start hearing that kind of ttery, Father?

    The messenger informed me you were the one who created the n in Finnois defense battle. The ttery probably started around the time that news spread.

    Did the nobledies biography and portraits start to arrive at the mansion around that time, too?

    Yes.

    Mr. Messenger, just what kind of thing did you say in your report that things be like this!? Well, the messenger had the duty of reporting exactly what he had heard. Despite that, I want toin! I needed to make a lot of preparations for the eventual attack on the capital, so I didnt have time to attend a nobledy tea party!

    I have many things I n to do, so I want to refuse the nobledies invitations as much as possible.

    Ever since stuff they call prototypes has started to arrive in the mansion from craftsmen, I know that theres something else you want to do. What exactly are you nning?

    It will be hard for me to exin it with words, so I am nning to bring the things to the pceter. That is why, Father, I hope you will be there as the representative of Zeavert House.

    When the timees, I will definitely go.

    If this world were still a game, I could have just brought the thing tomorrow when I go to the pce but in reality, if I wanted to bring an unknown thing to the pce, a third party needed to investigate the thing and then gave me permission first. This was the rule created in order to prevent assassins from bringing weapons to the pce.

    Well, the official procedure to get unknown things to enter the pce was only to get it checked by either a knight or an official, so its quite simple. The problem was I havent had the chance to see the prototype myself, so I didnt know if it was good enough for me to show it to others.

    Other than that, I also want to ask about the Hearthing Family.

    Like, why are they staying at our house, right? To put it bluntly, it was His Highness that wanted them to stay here.

    His Highness did?

    It seemed like the royal family sent a messenger to interview the Hearthing family about what had happened in the Alea Vige. After the interview was finished, the royal family, or specifically, His Highness the Crown Prince, decided that the Hearthing family would stay at the Zeavert Mansion for the time being.

    It was decided that they would stay here for the time being because of political and diplomatic reasons.

    Political and diplomatic reasons

    I muttered in reply, then fell into thought for a while. Ah, I see!

    The game didnt put politics into consideration. The protagonist and his party could freely cross countries as though there were no borders, they could freely enter the pces of other countries, and they could leave without even saying anything to the immigration officer after they finished the game mission. Even in the medieval era, doing these kinds of things would be impossible, but well, it was the game after all.

    But in reality, it would be impossible for someone to be that carefree in journeying across the countries. First, if the hero party went to visit a country that was having a hard time fighting against demons, the country would obviously want the hero to stay in itsnd for as long as possible.

    However, forcing the hero party to stay with force would be impossible. Laura, this kingdoms Second Princess, was one of the members of the hero party, so trying to harm the hero party was the same as dering war with the Bain Kingdom. Not to mention, Mazell himself was ridiculously strong. For the current Mazell, I think even a group of 10 random guards wouldnt be a match.

    Since using force was impossible, the next step they would attempt was to tempt them with rewards. This was where it got tricky. Its hard to refuse the reward that was given as a show of goodwill even though it was obvious the people that gave the reward had an ulterior motive. However, since Mazells family was in the capital now, he could refuse the reward with an I will consult it with my family first excuse.

    As for the reason why Mazells family didnt just stay in the pce, it was because there would be idiots that would im that the royal family of Bain Kingdom was holding the heros family as hostage.

    Then, people would try to take advantage of that situation. Maybe some family would say something like Since it looks like making the heros family stay in the pce will invite misunderstanding, how about letting them stay at my house?. Letting the Hearthing family stay at the church was also a viable choice, though.

    If the heros family stayed at Zeavert House, the situation would be different. It was impossible for just one noble family to end up tying the hero down and, most importantly, if anyone dared to say my family was taking Mazells family as a hostage, Mazell himself would definitely get angry. I didnt know how angry he would be, though. Well, he probably wouldnt just explode on the spot. The important thing here was that the person who took care of Mazells family must be Mazells personal acquaintance.

    At the same time, the royal family probably also thought they could arrest both the Hearthing family and the Zeavert family, the family of the hero and the heros friend in one fell swoop and ce us in a house arrest or simr punishment when Mazell shows any intention of defecting to another country.

    In short, the kingdom was using my rtionship with Mazell in order to deter him from defecting to another country. His Highness was really merciless if he thought this far. Well, that was just how society works.

    Sigh the world of politics was pretty horrible.

    T/N:My final start tomorrow so just like before next week chapter will be pushed to the weekend! Enjoy the chapter~~

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    T/N: I posted the wrong chapterst night. Here is the correct one

    It looks like I brought trouble to the house. I am sorry, Father.

    I bowed deeply to Father. I predicted my house would get implicated, but I never expected it would be this bad. Father unexpectedly dismissed my apology calmly.

    Remember, Welner. If youre going to be a royal court minister, you have to be prepared for something like this to happen anytime.

    In the situation where we might lose our title and life if Mazell defected to another country, Father was calm. It might be rude for me to say this, but I was surprised by Fathers nerves of steel. Maybe it was because he was a minister.

    Actually, Father, I didnt want to be a minister.

    Plus, you trust Mazell, right?

    Of course.

    I could say this with confidence. Unless the Bain Kingdom did something extreme, Mazell wouldnt abandon it. Though there was a chance that Mazell would go to travel the continent for the sake of killing the demons.

    Maybe because of my assurance, Father nodded and ended our conversation with just Good then. However after hearing the full story from Father, there was something else that I wanted to confirm.

    Father, are we surrounded?

    The mansion of Count Stormer in front of us and the mansion of Viscount Ulner on our right are filled with knights. The mansion of former baron Diehl behind us has been empty ever since he moved after his appointment as the assistant minister in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so Goretzka-dono has been taking care of it.

    They sure did not take any chances

    Our house was well guarded, it seemed. Anyway, was Goretzka that Father was talking about that Goretzka who was the Royal Guards lieutenant?

    The mansion of former baron Diehl must have been packed to the brim with knights. It seemed like the Zeavert mansion had a level of security that other noble houses and even the Merchant Guild would envy.

    If we, the Zeavert house, didnt cause any trouble, it would just end with our mansion having an extremely high level of security but if we did cause any problem, the kingdom would be able to immediately suppress us. Still, Father didnt seem to be nervous or anything. As expected of a noble.

    Just think of it as the country providing us with high-level security free of charge. Ali and Anna would learn to be nobles chefs, while Lily would stay here to learn some manners.

    Understood.

    I understood Fathers decision. Mazells parents didnt go to the academy, so it might be hard for them to learn about the nobles way of doing things.

    Keeping that in mind, Father had them learn to be chefs. Being a chef in a noble house was a respected job. The chefs of a noble house must be someone that the nobles themselves trusted, since the food might be poisoned. That was why chefs in the noble house were considered high-ranking servants and their sry was pretty high.

    As for Lily-san, she was at the age where she could go to the academy to study, but the academy itself was half-closed. That was why she would learn manners here by bing a servant. It was actually prettymon for a nobledy to learn manners by bing a servant.

    But with this, my n to move Mazells family to the fortress before the attack on the capital was disrupted. Mazells family was here because of His Highnesss request, so moving them somewhere else would be hard. What should I do? I never expected things would be like this

    Well, lets think about the solutionter. I still have stuff to do, so I bowed to Father, left his office, then entered my office. Ah, there was a vase with flowers by the window. I didnt notice it before. The flowers werent bad, but I just think the flowers didnt suit my office.

    Good, my desk was tidied. There was nothing on top of the drawer next to the table. No paper, no anything. Absolutely nothing!

    While constantly convincing myself that I saw nothing on top of the drawer, I opened the two boxes that were ced on the table. Inside the boxes was the prototype. It looked just like what I had imagined so lets take a closer look. After this, I still needed to write a request for other things. Ah, Im so busy.

    After checking the prototype, I was nning to write another request but it didnt go well. I held a pen in one hand while scratching my head with the other hand. I heard a knock and replied to it ruefully.

    Pardon my intrusion, Welner-sama. I have brought you te-!

    When Lily-san, who came in with a tea tray, saw the state of my office, she was stunned. Anyone would be surprised after they saw how the floor was sprawled with paper balls to the point it was hard to step anywhere in the room.

    UmThis

    Sorry for the mess. I was having a bit of difficulty with my job.

    I let out a wry smile. I felt embarrassed by my mess. The scene of paper balls that filled the room made me feel like a writer or something.

    Lily-san put the tray on top of the guest table and then started to pick up the paper balls. I hurriedly helped her. It might be unbing for me as a noble to do this, but it was a mess I created. I felt bad for letting Lily-san alone tidy it up.

    We both picked up all the paper balls and then put them in the rooms corner. Since there were too many of them, we couldnt put them inside the trash can.

    Sorry for the trouble.

    Please do not worry about it. Um, I brought you some tea so

    Ah, yeah, lets take a break.

    I felt frustrated since I kept failing, so I needed a break. Lily-san proceeded to pour me tea with a relieved expression. Her movement was fluid. Maybe because she was an innkeepers daughter, she seemed to be used to it.

    Please.

    Thank you.

    I took a sip of the tea. Both the fragrance and the taste were just right.

    It was good. Thank you.

    You are wee.

    A relieved smile appeared on her face. Ah, I felt nervous. I mean, I mostly hang out with male friends in the academy, so I wasnt used to a female throwing me that kind of smile unless it was someone I had been used to like Tir-san.

    In any case, there was something I wanted to ask her, so lets put this thought away for now.

    Come to think of it, Lily-san, you..

    Um, Welner-sama

    When I began to talk to her, she showed me a troubled expression.

    My apologies, but would you please stop using honorific? After all, I am a maid.

    Ah!

    I didnt feelfortable calling Mazells little sister without honorific, but currently, I was a noble and she was a maid of my house. It was true that using honorifics for her might cause some trouble. I understand that, but still, calling her without an honorific was a big hurdle for me.

    (T/N: In Japan, dropping honorifics, especially between a male and female, means you are close.)

    Okay, LiLily

    Yes, Welner-sama.

    Urgh. A thousand-watt smile! Calm down, Welner. Remember, you still have something to ask her!

    Stuff happened, and it looks like youre going to be working here, but are you fine with that?

    Of course! I never thought I could work in this splendid mansion. I am happy that Count-sama asked me to work here.

    I.. I see.

    Everyone has also been very kind to me. Besides letting me study, they also taught me about manners. Working here is a very rewarding experience.

    Im d that you seem to be happy working here.

    Well, usually, being allowed to work for a noble was considered an honor for amoner. I still felt guilty though since I knew the reason His Highness wanted the Hearthing family to stay here. However, Lily-san seemed to be really happy with staying here, so lets stop worrying.

    But Welner-sama, what have you been doing?

    Well, Ive been trying to draw something but I havent seeded.

    There were several metal balls, a partially modified magicmp, a pen, and paper on my desk. There was something that I wanted to draw, but it was prettyplicated, so I kept failing.

    Here. The drawing is pretty terrible, right?

    Um

    Lily-san let out a troubledugh, making me smile bitterly. You could be honest, Lily-san. It was terrible, right? I mean even I, the person who drew it, saw nothing but a jumble of squares, triangles, and curves. Lily-sans next words surprised me.

    May I borrow some paper and a pen?

    Huh? Sure. Do you want to sit down?

    Yes. Then, pardon my discourtesy.

    I was nning to tell her a light joke to change the atmosphere, but unexpectedly, Lily-san took the magicmp and then she sat on the guest chair. She took some of my crumpled paper, spread it on the desk, and started to draw. Whoah!

    Youre good at this

    When there were customers who couldnt read came to the inn, I drew the inns menu and also the location of shops in the vige for that customer. My parents have also often praised me for my drawing skill.

    Her reasoning for her skill made sense, but her drawing wasnt at the level of an amateur! I think she might have a Skill rted to art, like [Painting]. I did not know she had this kind of talent.

    Here, it is finished. What do you think of my drawing?

    Honestly, Im surprised by your skill.

    Her drawing was realistic, like a sketch created by Leonardo da Vinci. You sure couldnt judge a book by its cover. Now, I needed to exin the details to her and then ask her to draw it on proper paper wait a minute.

    Lily-saLily. You can read and write, right?

    Huh? Yes. I sometimes did the writing for the inns ledger.

    Can you do some math?

    I can, Just at the level of being able to calcte the room and meal charge. I am currently learning the moreplex calctions.

    Wait a minute. Someone who could read, write, do simple calctions, and was good at drawing?

    Wasnt this one of the valuable talents Ive been searching for!?

    (T/N: Welner talked about wanting a skilled person as his subordinate/assistant before he met Frenssen.)

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    T/N: Hi, Nisarah is here! So yesterday, I idently posted unedited chapter 104 instead of chapter 96, Im really sorry! It was fixed so please re-read it.

    Um is something wrong?

    Ah, no, its nothing.

    Her serious stare on my face made me blush. Ah, really, the damage of her smile was catastrophic!

    I hurriedly turned my gaze away and began to think. If I could get Lily-san to help with the design process, I could free up some of my time. I had a lot of things to do, so freeing up some of my time was like a dreame true.

    Lily.

    YYes?

    Can you get this amount of the soft bread dough from the kitchen? Use a tray to bring it here, if its possible.

    Bread dough? I understand.

    She looked confused at my request, but I guess my expression told her I wasnt joking, so she immediately left the office.

    Lets wrap it up before she returned. I moved the boxes containing the prototype to the guest table, then I sat on the offices main seat, put away everything on top of the main office table, and started to write. Just as I finished writing, the door was knocked.

    My apologies for making you wait.

    Thank you. Lily, you are still in the middle of learning about many things, including manners, right?

    Um Yes. I have also been learning math

    Can I trouble you to draw something for me in between your study?

    ?

    I took the tray with bread dough on top of it from the confused Lily-san. This bread dough was a recement for y. Bringing bread dough to a nobles office might be problematic, but I think it was better than bringing y. Plus, I didnt know where I could get y in this world.

    I wanted to create a model with this bread dough, since it was easier to exin things with a model. My hands would get dirty from shaping the dough, but it was fine. I have many perfect trash papers that I could use to wipe my hands.

    First, I took some of the dough and then spread it thinly across the tray, creating a te-like shape. After that, I made several dents on the top of the dough te by poking it with my finger. I adjusted the position so it would look like a te with several marks, like dents, when viewed from above.

    After that, I took some dough again and used it to create some balls that have a simr size to the dents, and ced the balls inside the dents. Each dent was deep enough for half of the ball to fit into it.

    What is this?

    Here, let me show you how to use it.

    I ced another tray, which was used to bring the tea, on top of the dough te. After that, I slightly rotated the tray with my index finger and then the tray started to spin. Thus, a small rotary table was finished! I used bread dough to create it so the rotation wasnt smooth though.

    Wow

    Actually, it should have used metal balls and there should be an axis on its center, so it doesnt shift to the side. If created properly, you can even rotate bigger objects with this. Its kind of hard to exin it with words.

    When I took the prototype golf-sized metal ball and rolled it on the table, Lily-san kept staring at it with great interest. Li Lily-sans face was too close!

    Want to hold it?

    CCan I?

    Sure. Its pretty heavy, so be careful.

    When I put it on top of Lily-sans hand, she let out a yelp, but she didnt drop it. After that, she rolled it using both hands, lifted it up, then peeked at it from below. She was like a puppy poking at a new rare toy using her hands and nose to check it before ying with it! Ah, I felt rxed. No, no! Stay alert, me!

    Actually, the history of the rotary tables in my previous life was quite long. The Tyrant Emperor Nero once created a rotatory dining room powered by a waterwheel. It was said that the diners could enjoy the panoramic view of Rome while eating their meals. This wasnt a legend, but an actual historical event that happened in Ancient Rome.

    I heard that in the remains of the rotatory dining room, there was a trace of y in its hole that was used as a lubricant. Whoever designed that dining room must have done a pretty precise calction to make it work.

    I used the same principle as that rotatory dining room, which was to use the metal balls to rotate stuff, but just on a smaller scale. I mean, I didnt think I needed to create something as big as the rotatory dining room.

    (T/N: You can check out what the MC is talking about and what he made in this video.)

    Not long after, Lily-san returned the metal balls to me. After that, while looking at the makeshift rotary table, I told Lily-san about my request.

    I have to go to the pce tomorrow, so I wonder if in the meantime you can draw me an illustration of this te? Please make it so that the illustration shows the metal spheres rotating inside the dents. I will talk to my mother and Norbert to lighten your workload for tomorrow, so you have the time to draw.

    I understand. As for the size of the drawing

    Ah, you dont need to worry about the measurements of the metal balls or such. Im going to exin how it works using these prototypes as a base.

    After saying so, I opened another box. Inside it was a metal te. The size of this metal te was differentpared to the real rotatory te I was nning to create, but I could just exin to the craftsmanter.

    Understood.

    I would also appreciate it if you could draw the earliermp illustration on proper paper. Please make this part of the handle thicker, so it looks more sturdy, and please also make this part triangle-shaped

    Yes, sir.

    I asked her to create drawings of the rotary table, the machines main body, and themp. I felt bad for giving her extra work with this many detailed exnations, but for some reason, Lily-san looked happy.

    Ill pay you separately for the drawing.

    Ah, no! I do not need any payment!

    No, I need to pay you.

    Mother, who was the madam of this mansion, handled all the servants, including the maids. However, drawing for me wasnt included in Lily-sans job responsibility as the maid, so of course, I need to pay her for it.

    There might be some noble houses that werex about this, but not Zeavert house. We were quite strict in this kind of thing, or rather, how could a house be a ministers house without being strict in this kind of thing? Plus, Lilly-sans drawing was really on the level where she could sell it for money.

    Wu

    She let out a small groan. You didnt need to be burdened, Lily-san, because it was natural to pay people for their work. Honestly, with the sry that I received as a Viscount, I could even pay you with my own money.

    Ill tell Norbert about this job, but I hope you can keep what you draw a secret.

    Of course, I will keep it a secret.

    I guess she would have kept it a secret even if I didnt mention it. Anyway, I ended up giving more jobs to her, so lets show her <b><i>that</i></b> as a littlepensation. I passed a paper to her.

    And this, for you.

    What is this? A table full of numbers?

    You see. This is

    I took 2 small dough balls that I used to make the earlier makeshift rotary table and put it on the tray. I took 2 more dough balls and put them next to the earlier 2 dough balls, and I took 2 other dough balls and put them next to the fore dough balls.

    With this, how many dough balls are there in the tray?

    Six, I suppose.

    Then in that table where the vertical space is the number 2, and the horizontal space is the number 3, what number was written between them?

    It is a 6 Ah!

    Yup. The paper I gave to her was the multiplication table. I was surprised when I learned multiplication tables didnt exist in this muscle-brained world.

    This should somehow help her with her study.

    Wow, this is amazing. It is easy to understand. Thank you very much.

    Ah, yeah, no problem. Im d this could be of any help.

    She kept thanking me. I forgot that the literacy rate of this world was pretty low, so even this simple multiplication table would be a great help for a viger. If you went to the slums, you would find many people who couldnt understand written letters or numbers. Still, being admired for something simple like this multiplication table made me ufortable somehow.

    I know that I have asked you to do tiring work, but Im counting on you.

    Yes! I will do my best.

    Im d she seems to be motivated, but it makes me wonder if this kind of positivity was a trait of the Hearthing family or something. After that conversation, I asked Lily-san to put away the bread dough, and I began to pick up the trash on the floor. Now then, lets revise my n for the future.

    I wonder if I should make an abacus in this world. It could sell for a good price That was worth trying, but I didnt have enough time right now. Lets add it to the list of stuff I would try if I survived the demon kings invasion.

    After that, I got aint from Mother via Norbert that if I knew the multiplication table, I should have told her earlier so it could be taught to the servants. I didnt tell anyone about the multiplication table because I thought it was nothing great, but having a table that could show you the result of the calction in an instant was certainly useful. In the almost 20 years I lived in this world, I experienced multiple culture shocks. Todays reflection: I should stop thinking everyone knew what I knew.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    I went to the pce first thing in the morning. I was surprised to see the traces of battle in the pce but what surprised me more was the fact that once you crossed a certain wall in the pce, you would hardly see any trace of battles.

    Although I didnt know who was in charge of the battle in the pce, they sure had amazing skills in controlling information and leadership.

    After I finished the procedure needed to enter the pce in a rather high-paced fashion, I entered the Crown Princes office. While wondering if His Highness had a lot of things to do after our meeting, I bowed to him.

    Your Highness. Welner von Zeavert, at your service.

    Sir Welner. Thank you foring and good work.

    Praise right after we met? Lets be humble here.

    I am grateful for your words, but it was not my achievement alone.

    Im not talking about Finnoi. Im talking about the incident in Alea vige.

    As I looked at His Highness with a confused expression, he started to exin.

    First of all, Imend you for protecting the family of the Hero Mazell.

    Thank you for your praise.

    Mazells little sister vaguely remembered what happened when she was almost kidnapped, so we were able to gain information from her. We were only able to question her because Sir let the Hearthing family return first to the capital. If we did not have her information, the damage we suffered might be worse.

    What kind of information did she have to make you say so, Your Highness?

    ording to His Highness, when Lily-san was about to be fed something, she heard the words [use her body] and [resurrection] but she didnt understand what they meant by [use her body]. I guess, just like her brother, she had an excellent memory.

    The Mage Captain also reported that the ck gem had a mysterious ability to fascinate people who saw it, and there was also a report that Sir Puckler, who was investigating the gem, had been acting strangely.

    Thest piece of information was that one of the ck gems which was supposed to be in the capital was somehow discovered in Alea Vige. Putting all known information together, His Highness had one guess.

    Most likely, the ck gems are the devils soul. The words [use her body] meant that the ck gems can take over or manipte their victim. Since one of the ck gems had been taken out of the capital, we can assume that someone has fallen to its fascination.

    I see

    In addition, I used the Mangold investigations result, which Sir has given us, as a reference, and began my own investigation. I found that the hooded figure who Mangold had been meeting with was, in fact, Puckler, so it all fits.

    With His Highnesss exnation, I finally understood how the Demon Generals in the game were resurrected. So they were the type of enemies who wouldnt die until you didnt destroy their cores. Wait

    If the demon generals revived by taking control of someone elses body if the ck gem that appeared in the Alea Vige was Dreaxs core and if Lily-san had eaten it

    Wouldnt that mean that Mazell would have to fight the Demon General Dreax, who had taken control of his sisters body, in Finnoi or in some other dungeons? In short, Mazell would have ended up pointing his sword toward his own sister!? If I didnt make it in time a chill ran down on my spine.

    I needed to exin the danger of the ck gems to Mazell, but lets keep it a secret from Lily-san.

    Still, I wondered whose body the Demon Generals used to revive in the game? Maybe it was His Highnesss body or maybe the body of the Knight Captain? Was it possible that they didnt die but were captured alive in the demon outbreak (Stampede) event?

    If they were actually captured alive in the demon outbreak, that would mean that the story began to change all the way to when we defeated the demon outbreak.

    Yet another question came to my mind. Just how exactly did the capital get destroyed in the game? Lets assume that when I met Sir Puckler, which means before Laura joined the hero party, demons had already infiltrated the capital.

    In the game, maybe Mazell didnt find the ck gem. But after he left the ce where he defeated the outbreak mastermind, the kingdom should have sent an investigator to that ce and the investigator should have found the gem. But in the end, that gem didnt appear in the game, so perhaps the person who found it might be a demon disguised as a human, which was why they hid the gems existence. If that was true, that means even that early into the game, the demon had infiltrated the capital.

    At first, I thought that the capital was destroyed in the game because of an external attack, but maybe what had actually happened was the capital was destroyed by the infiltrating demons. Which begat a question, why?

    I assumed the event where the capital was destroyed in the game was a convenient plot device to make Mazell a king but if the demons had nned to destroy the capital from the very start and even made this intricate n to do so, the demon must have had a proper purpose to destroy the capital, but what was that purpose?

    I almost began to get lost in my own thoughts, but I stopped. This wasnt the time to think about that. His Highness then continued his story.

    By carefully tracking down the people who had contacted Puckler, we were able to sort out who was suspicious in the capital. Thanks to the hard work of the guards and the knights, the pce was cleaned up yesterday, but

    But?

    Puckler, or rather, the devil who imed to be one of the demon generals, Gezarius, who had taken over Pucklers body might have escaped. One of our men who was greedy for achievements attacked Puckler before the encirclement was finished, causing him to escape. This was a painful mistake.

    His Highness was mocking himself, but what caught my attention wasnt that but the devils name. Gezarius? Who the hell was he? That name never appeared in the game.

    The Demon Generals I knew were Dreax, Belice, and the guy that appearedter in the game, Avadorus. A Demon General named Gezarius didnt appear in the game. Wait a minute

    In the game, before the yer could face the Demon King, they would face a series of boss battles against the resurrected 3 Demon Generals.

    At that time, I thought what the Demon Generals were guarding was the room, not the doors, but what if what they were actually guarding were the doors? Since there were four doors, that would mean there were supposed to be four Demon Generals, not three.

    Maybe there was actually the fourth demon general, but he was cut off from the game because of insufficient memory. If this was true, then Gezarius appearance would make sense, but there were still too many questions that I didnt have any answer to, but for now, lets focus on thinking about the problem in front of me.

    What do you mean by might?

    The encirclementposed of the Mage Unit, the Royal Guard, and the pce guard has certainly given him a close to fatal wound. But after that, he crossed the pce walls to escape and then he disappeared. We also couldnt find the ck gem. Sir, what do you think about this incident?

    We have to assume that he can return to a human form, though I hope this isnt true.

    I agree.

    If he could return to his human form, then it would be almost impossible to search for him among the many humans who lived in the capital. Or rather, he disappeared? Really? Even though, in the game, you couldnt avoid a boss battle with a demon general no matter what you did?

    Did our side suffer any damages?

    Yes. We have a fair amount of casualties and some missing people. We knew Puckler might be a devil, so we kept our guard up around him but we never expected that he, a demonmander, would just straight up reveal himself and go on a rampage in the middle of theboratory.

    Well, since he didnt try to deceive us with his words or anything else, but just straight up went into a rampage, it would be no wonder that we had some casualty on our side. Maybe the demon side had also been cautious ever since they were found infiltrating Finnoi.

    Moreover, ording to His Highness, Sir Pucklers body swelled up and when it looked like it was about to explode, that was when the demon general revealed himself. Your train of thought would stop if you saw that kind of scene. Even the adventurers would be surprised.

    But from His Highness story, I could conclude that with proper preparation, the Knights and the Mages of this world could fight with a demon general. Good thing I could confirm this.

    Wait a minute. A boss ss demon should have his own subordinates, right? Was it that the ck gem didnt disappear with Gezarius, but rather they were secretly taken away to a safe ce by his subordinates?

    I wouldnt go as far as to say he had nned everything perfectly but at least someone on the level of a demon general should have prepared some kind of insurance in case he was found out, right? Maybe there were some devils disguised as humans among the people that went missing in this incident, and they were the ones that took the ck gems. Lets investigate thister.

    Now that I think about it, why the Demon King was revived was also a mystery. I wonder if the Demon King was revived by taking over someone elses body, just like the Demon generals Ah!! stop thinking too much, me!

    Will this incident affect the research about countermeasures against Area Magic?

    No. For better or worse, the researchers were still stuck in their research room when the incident happened.

    So no actual harm was done. As long as the researchers were fine, I could assume that there was no problem with the research. On the other hand, the fact that they didnt evene out with such a bigmotion might mean that the research has progressed little, but I guess I should be happy because the research project didnt suffer any actual harm. Plus, if the research had actually progressed by leap and bound, the research team might have been targeted by the devils.

    Speaking of which, what sort of appearance does the demonmander have?

    He looked like a mix between a lion and a human. He was fast, strong, and the most troublesome trait of his was his great jumping power.

    So that guy was a Lycanthrope. Come to think of it, in the game, the Undead, the Reptipos, and the Giant each had their own demon general, but there was no Lycanthrope demon general.

    (T/N: Ive been trantion Reptipos as just reptile demon. This was the first time the Reptipos name has appeared so I will continue to use this.)

    Wait, that would mean

    Will the area near thend that was formerly Triot be dangerous?

    So you noticed it or rather have you also been investigating this, Sir?

    His Highness looked surprised. Actually, I investigated nothing, Your Highness. In the game, the area near Triot was where Lycanthrope-type demons like the Werewolves and Weretiger often appeared. It looked like His Highness misunderstood me, though.

    I also got the information from the refugees that the area near Triot was where many werewolves often appeared. If that guy is alive, then as Sir has probably feared, he will most likely flee there and is currently building up his force.

    Wouldnt that mean the Marquis Knaps territory, which bordered Triot, is in the most danger?

    Sir is correct, but we cant just send our military force to a nobles territory.

    It would be impossible for Marquis Knap to defend his territory alone but if the kingdom sent a military force and created defense facilities in the Knaps territory, it would cause problems like, would that area where the defense facilities were to be built be the property of the royal family? And who would take care of the food supplies of that military force? Everything would be easier if the Marquis house understood the situation and asked the kingdom for help, but I doubt the Marquis and his vassals would do that.

    In the end, helping Marquisate Knap was troublesome. The kingdom needed to think of the supply, how to create a defense facility, the budget, etc.

    However, it would also be impossible for a noble house to take care of that demon general on its own. <i>Sigh</i> as expected, even trying to help a noble house woulde with many troublesome entanglements.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    His Highness smiled as if he wanted to change the atmosphere.

    If Sir has any good ideas regarding Triot, dont hesitate to tell me. Speaking of which, I heard Sir needs some craftsmen?

    Yes. I need some craftsmen to create some new, or rather, improvised, weapons and tools.

    I was d His Highness didnt immediately demand ideas about Triot and Gezarius, since I needed some time to organize the information. This time, the game knowledge might be useless.

    I would appreciate it if Your Highness would give me some time to think about Triot.

    Sure. I will see you again in 3 days then.

    Thank you very much.

    After His Highness nced to the side, he nodded. I guess nce was to give an order to his assistant, who managed his schedule. Now that one matter was finished, there was another thing that I wanted to confirm with His Highness.

    Incidentally, Your Highness, about the chief of the Alea Vige

    Ah, him.

    His Highness showed me a rare wry smile. I wondered what happened?

    Did something happen to the chief?

    Well, I heard he sent a letter of protest to the pce. I didnt even see it though.

    Yeah, it would be his staff, not His Highness himself, who handled the matter of a local vige.

    My younger sister, Laura, has also sent a letter to His Majesty regarding that incident.

    Wait, what? Didnt the problem just get bigger somehow? I mean, usually a problem of a vige would be handled by the local nobility. This time, the reason the matter of the Alea Vige was handled in the capital was that this matter could affect the royal familys reputation since it was the royal family which supported the hero.

    Now that the matter had somehow made its way to the Kings ear, that vige chief wouldnt just get a light punishment. Of course, I didnt feel any trace of pity for him.

    Laura is usually polite, but she also has afrank side.

    Yes. I had also experienced that side of Her Highness when I talked with her in the courtyard.

    (T/N: Right after the demon outbreak, Welner and Mazell met Laura and talked to her in the pces courtyard.)

    Or to be more specific, I experienced that side of Laura in the game. After all, she was set to be an approachable and friendly princess character in the game.

    Her letter was written with beautiful penmanship and impable grammar, like it was an official document. The letter contained Lauras request for a <i>polite </i>but thorough investigation of the Alea Vige. When His Majesty read that letter, he looked as if he was eating an overripe fruit.

    Her Highness is quite fierce

    As I inadvertently let out a rather rudement, His Highness gave a bitter smile. Good thing he didnt mind it.

    I could imagine the scene of Laura writing a letter filled with <i>polite</i> anger on each of its lines elegantly and full of smiles. Scary. The matter of Alea Vige ended up bing bigger than I expected. I think it was going to be troublesome if I butt in now.

    It seems like I have troubled you with this matter. My apologies.

    This matter is the countrys blunder. Theres no need for Sir to apologize. In any case, what did Sir make the orphans and the refugees do in the capital when you were away?

    Urgh As expected, he knew about it. Well, by the time I returned to the capital from Finnoi, His Highness had already found out who was actually devils disguised as humans in the capital so his investigation capabilities were no joke. I guess it was only natural that he knew about it.

    It wasnt something that I needed to hide anyway so this was a perfect time to exin it and ask for His Highnesss permission.

    Your Highness, to tell you the truth, there has been something that I have thought of for quite some time now

    After I finished my exnation, I returned to my office. I met Schunzel and Neurath there.

    I sent Neurath on an errand and Schunzel to notify a certain person that I would visit himter. After that, I decided to change our schedule a bit today, so we went to the Royal Mage Building.

    Seeing the enormous hole in the outer walls of the Royal Mage Research Laboratory made me let out a gasp of surprise. Unless it was some event, it was impossible for a yer to destroy the building in the game. If Gezarius was the one who created that hole, it meant that his raw strength was quite crazy.

    After asking the guards around theboratory, we found that the person we were looking for wasnt there, so we went to the pces treatment center instead. After we went through the procedure at the entrance, we entered the treatment center.

    The procedure to enter here was quite strict since it would be a problem if someone entered here and ended up harming the nobles and the knights who were recovering. Sometimes, visitors might even need to be apanied by a watchman throughout their visit. Security was important after all.

    Our identity was clear, so we were able to get the permission to enter with no problem. After that, we headed to the room where Fogto-san was.

    Sir Welner, you are here.

    Sir Fogto. I am d to see you.

    I bowed slightly to him. I was d that he didnt seem to suffer any heavy injury.

    Well, I had quite a terrible experience. The entire building suddenly shook and things started to fall from shelves.

    Oh, dear. I am sorry to hear that. I am d to see that you did not suffer any heavy injury.

    I responded while handing the visitation gift that Neurath had prepared for me. I see that the building shook when the outer wall was destroyed.

    I was fine, but I heard the researchers who were researching potions suffered a lot.

    They work with potions, after all. Those things were quite dangerous.

    By the way, ss was expensive, but to tell you the truth, I was more d that the fallen potions didnt cause some strange reaction by being mixed up on the floor. Of course, I wouldnt say all that and would just give a standard answer. Well then, how about I proceed to the main issue now

    Speaking of which, I am sorry to say this while you are injured at all but

    What is it?

    He immediately responded to my words. I guess Fogto-san also didnt think I was here only to visit him.

    Is it possible to make magic stones run out of control, such as by generating heat or sending a st of wind?

    Ever since I heard that the magic pump could run out of control from Grand Duke Seyfart, Ive been curious. Did the pump run out of control because of mechanical failure, or did it run out of control because of the trouble with the magic stone that powered the pump?

    (T/N: The magic pump Welner was talking about was a magic pump that pumped water throughout the pce.)

    Hearing my question, Fogto-san showed a confused expression. He then put his hand on his chin and started to think. If the answer was yes, it wouldnt impact my daily life too much since even if the magic stone which I usually used daily went out of control, it wouldnt cause any trouble since the stone was quite small. Still, knowing this answer might provide me with some insight.

    I have never tried to make magic stones go out of control on purpose, but yes, it would be possible to do it.

    If that is so Will it be possible to do something like this

    After I told him my idea, Fogto-san, Neurath, and Schunzel gave me a look that seemed to say <i>what the hell was this guy talking about!?</i> But I think my idea might have a useter so lets ask to do some research about it.

    After I finished my talk with Fogto-san, I went to the Royal Guard office to meet the captain of the Royal Guard and the lieutenant, Goretzka. I have never met with either of them since I never had a reason to, and yet they weed me warmly. They both were good people.

    I didnt know how to react when they told me about what actually happened when the Royal Guards fought Gezarius.

    Aparantelly, the <i>man who was greedy for achievements</i> that His Highness was talking about attacked Gezarius while shouting <i>I cant let the Zeavert house take all the credit!</i>. If possible, I would be more than happy to give you all these annoying credits or whatnot! They told me to not feel responsible but how could I do that? <i>Sigh</i> It feltplicated.

    I also gave the tablet to the lieutenant, though it was unfinished. It was better if they never used it, but it would be useful if they did. The lieutenant looked at the tablet with a face full of interest. I smelled trouble so I used the excuse <i>I am still in the middle of my experiment</i> and ran off! With that, I spent an entire morning in the castle, finishing my task But why was the pce this huge? Damn, I was tired.

    After I returned to my office, I quickly finished the urgent paperwork first. I still had many ces that I needed to visit tomorrow, so Ipleted the paperwork as fast as possible. Honestly, confirming the location of the ces I wanted to go was more troublesomepared to finishing this mountain of paperwork.

    In between my paperwork, I checked the daily report from the orphanage. The handwriting in the report looked like a worm, and my head hurt while reading it. Just like I thought, <i>it</i> was near the slum.

    After finishing as many documents as I could, I sent a notice to Father, then took an early leave from the office. I chose a scabbard that was usually used by the soldiers, not the ones I usually used, then hung it on my waist. I had things to do today so my wallet felt heavy. I used the Counts houses money for today so I could feel Fathers cold gaze.

    Father nagged me not to returnte. Father, I wasnt a child. I nned to return immediately after I found what I wanted. Starting tomorrow, I was going to get busy since I needed to take care of both military affairs and the affairs in the Zeaverts territory. It wouldnt be funny if the things that happened in the Alea Vige also happened in the viges in the Zeavert territory. I had also proposed to Father that we should review the people in charge of inspecting and supervising the territory.

    This was the sort of time when I felt the heavy duty of being Deputy Count.

    Also, as I walked, I sometimes saw the nobles, servants, and maids that I passed by whispering around me, but I pretended I didnt notice. I didnt think they were spreading some malicious gossip, but I still felt ufortable.

    I thought I might consider locking myself in the territory after Mazell defeated the Demon King.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    After I let Neurath and Schunzel go back, I went to the Adventurer Guild. I was surprised by how lively this ce was. I had been doing paperwork in the quiet office after all so I felt a bit of culture shock when I entered the lively guild.

    Oh! Is it not Viscount-sama? How about a drink to celebrate your safe return?

    Later. My treat of course.

    It has been a while, Viscount-sama. I have heard the rumor about your achievement.

    Please stop mentioning those embarrassing rumors to me.

    Many people approached me in the guild. While avoiding both the adventurers rough congrattions and the sexydies who seemed to be drooling over me, I headed to the counter. Even on my way to the counter, many people were trying to strike up a conversation with me.

    As expected of Viscount-sama. You have be pretty famous.

    <i>Sigh</i> I dont know how things ended up like this even though the war in Finnoi was Mazells achievement, not mine.

    Haha. As your acquaintance, I feel proud.

    Im d to hear that.

    One of them was this guy. Honestly, I was serious when I said it was Mazells achievement, but people didnt listen. Also, how did my acquaintances suddenly increase like that? Unlike the Iron Hammer adventurer team, we were practically strangers!

    Some people who came to talk to me were drunk, even though it was still early, but I mostly ignored them and finally, I arrived at the counter.

    I will get straight to the point. I want to put in a request for a job.

    Thats quite abrupt.

    The receptionistdy gave me a wry smile. Well, I was pressed for time and I was tired, so I wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

    I need to have groups of scouts go out in pairs and investigate something for me.

    Does this request only involve information gathering?

    Yes. I still havent decided on the rest.

    Even though I had lived in this country since I was born, that didnt mean I knew everything about other nobles territories. Not to mention Marquis Knap and my house didnt have the friendliest rtionship.

    The capital had its own defense capability but it would still be a problem if the fourth Demon General cooked something in former Triotnd so I needed to be prepared and for that I needed information. This should be the job of the royal family, but His Highness asked me for some ideas so it wasnt like I had any other choices.

    At the very least, I wanted information about the geography, poption or, to be more specific, the thoughts of the people in that area. If the investigation was done by the people of the Zeavert family, it would create a politicalplication, so I needed the adventurers to do it.

    Geography?

    Yes. I want to know the topography of that area. However, I dont want others to know that it is Zeavert house who is doing the investigation.

    Is it not toote for that?

    Really?

    I felt a pang. Did I look like an evil mastermind that always plots something? I just wanted to survive. To be thought of as some mastermind I felt ufortable. In any case, I hoped this wouldnt lead to a political storm.

    I actually also had something to do in the Commerce Guild, but I decided to put it off forter. Talking to the people of the Commerce Guild would definitely take a long time, I would mostly just listen though. It was just that I still had a mountain of documents I needed to finish <i>Sigh.</i>

    For this aspect, considering the cirction of money and goods and the Guilds position in this world, my past life memory would have little to no use. This world didnt have anti-monopolyws. In fact, it wasmon for a powerful guild to be backed by a powerful nobility house so the business world was tightly connected with politics. I didnt have enough time or energy to be involved with that sort of business world.

    The fact that the Iron Hammer wasnt here was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do about it. After purchasing alcohol in a small pottery jar, I left the Adventurers Guild and went to the Mercenary Guild to leave a message for Gekke-san. It would be best if Gekke-san was somewhere in the capital. I doubt everything would go that smoothly though.

    It was morning when I left the mansion and now when I was finally finished with everything it had gotten dark. I think it was time. On my way, I stopped at a second-hand clothes store and bought some old clothes, an old cloak, and old shoes. It seemed like there were nobles who often disguised themselves for some night activities so the store employees looked at me with ascivious gaze as I walked to a ce prepared by the store to change my clothes. I felt vited. Anyway, I changed my clothes then covered my body, including my face, with the cloak, and left the store. My destination was the slum.

    I had only read about it in the report, so I spent some time looking around before I finally found him. I approached the man who looked like a beggar. He nced at me with his eyes, which were covered by his bangs. I could sense he was being cautious. Maybe because I had been to battlefields several times, I ended up developing a sharp sense for this kind of thing.

    Sir, may I have your blessing?

    Sure.

    I gave him a couple of chopper coins, then I sat beside him. He smelled a bit, butpared to the smell of blood on the battlefield, this was nothing.

    Is there something a matter?

    My name is Welner von Zeavert. I would like to meet your boss.

    The second he heard my name, he started to be openly wary of me. Usually, theres a password for this kind of thing, but I skipped the password part and just went straight to the point, so of course, he would react like that.

    I do not understand what you are talking about.

    Stop ying dumb. Ive figured it all about you and the rest of the red-haired beggars. Normal beggars wont just stay in the same spot every day.

    Children were brutally honest. The report I got from the orphanage mentioned that the children who were cleaning the street saw the same old man in the exact same spot every day. That was how I found it. I mean, who would be cautious with children that picked up trash for money, right?

    (T/N: Welner pays the orphanage children from picking up trash and cleaning the street.)

    I gave him alcohol and continued to speak.

    Theres something I really need to ask you guys for help. I just need you guys to listen, then I will forget everything. I wont cause any problems and I will pay. Ill even leave my sword to you here if you want.

    . Follow me.

    After he looked at my feet, he stood up and left, so I quietly followed him. After a short walk, we arrived at a surprisingly neat building.

    After the man standing in front of the building entrance talked to the man who guided me here, he red ferociously at me. He was trying to be scary, I guess.

    Here my sword.

    Ah.

    It was a sword, not a spear, so even if I carried it inside, there would not be any significant difference in my fighting power, but of course, I wouldnt say that here.

    The inside of the building looked like a bar, but there werent any customers inside. I was asked to wait here for a while. The people inside were probably discussing me. After a while, a man came out and opened a door to a kitchen and there were two people following behind me. You two, at least hide your killing intents a bit, would you?

    As I went further inside, I saw an old man looking at me across a desk. I was expecting a burly man, so I was quite surprised. So this old man was one of the bosses of the slum or, to be more specific, he was most likely the boss of the information guild.

    So you are the young man of the Zeaverts house?

    Yes. My name is Welner. First, let me thank you for your time.

    How do you find out about us?

    Sorry, but thats a secret.

    Half of the reason why I found out about them was my previous life. It wasmon for thieves and beggars to create an organization to help each other in any country. If I used a tabletop RPG term, these guys were the thieves guild. In the future, these guys descendants would probably form something simr to the yakuza or the mafia.

    In any case, although it might be strange for me to say this, I was surprised that you agreed to meet me.

    I heard your name from Feli. Plus, some of our youngsters have been under your care.

    Ive been working with the refugees and people of the slum for the aqueduct construction project, so most likely they have known my name for a long time. I was also sure that there were people who came from the slum among the adventurers and scouts that Id hired, just like Feli. From now on, I should let Feli put as much sugar as he wanted in his tea. Actually, making connections with these people wasnt the reason I worked with people from the slums, but I was d that they became useful here.

    Besides, you dont seem to be an amateur at this.

    The old man said to himself while looking at my old shoes. It seemed like this old man and the man who guided me here earlier were impressed by my disguise. I never thought the scene I saw in a drama in my past life where the character got suspected because of his shoe would be useful like this. You sure didnt know what things would be useful.

    So, what do you want to ask me?

    Im looking for someone.

    I described Sir Pucklers appearance to them in great detail while only mentioning that he was a person who caused a disturbance in the pce. You hide a tree in the woods, so for a human or, to be more specific, a demon disguised as a human, a slum would be a good ce to hide.

    If he didnt appear in the slum, it would be safe to assume that he ordered his subordinate to escape with the ck gems, so the first thing I needed to do was to eliminate this possibility.

    If you find him dead, it is fine, but if you find him alive, you dont need to pursue him. If he is left to his own devices, he will be a danger not only to the capital but also to this slum. Thats the kind of person he is, so I want you to at least find his trails.

    I cant give you an answer now.

    I know, so just inform me when you have found him via adventurer guild. You got a connection to it, right? Ill pay you in advance.

    I took out the considerable amount of money that Id prepared. The old man looked at it in silence before he finally said, I didnt say that I will ept this job.

    If you n to refuse my job, you will say something like take your money and leave. right?

    Youre a strange man.

    I got that a lot.

    People rarely say that right in front of my face, though. I paid in advance to gain their trust since I understood people like them couldnt trust nobles. There were many nobles who also wouldnt even dream of trusting filthy people from scum, so I guess it went both ways.

    Its rare to see a noble who doesnt look down on us. Alright. We will take your job. My name is Bert.

    Welner von Zeavert. Thanks.

    You two, escort Welner-dono. Dont try to do anything to him.

    I wondered if this meant I gained his trust. After my sword was properly returned to me, I left the building. I might look calm, but inside I was nervous to the point my stomach was hurting again. I might have to thank my experience on the battlefield for being able to withstand that kind of exchange. The me who was just a student wouldnt be able to.

    After dinner that day

    Lily-san showed me the drawing she had done, so we were discussing the fine change and corrections to the detail.

    I suddenly received a message from Father that there was a guest who wanted to meet both me and Lily-san.

    We looked at each other in confusion, then we went to the reception room together after I instructed Frenssen to sort out the documents.

    My deepest apology!

    I would like to offer my sincerest apology to the Viscount and to the Hearthing family.

    Um I thought I had never met him before, but I remembered his face. He was a noble who belonged to a different faction from the Father. He came here apanied by a knight. Both of them were quite handsome middle-aged men. Damn. The value of our faces were just too far apart.

    If I was not wrong he was Count Witthoft. So both the Count and his knight, who was probably the Knight Captain of the Witthoft family, bowed their heads in front of me, Father, and the Hearthing family.

    Lily-san and her parents looked flustered. So could the two of you raise your heads and talked with us properly?

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    E/N: Hi, guys. <strong>Please re-read chapter 100 which got posted 11 hours ago.</strong> Because of Google docs bug, whole chapter got messed up in posting. I went to sleep after posting and didnt notice it. I am really sorry. I will make sure such things didnt happen in future.

    Sir Erdogan. Could you first exin the situation?

    Yes, yes, of course.

    Both of them finally raised their heads after Father asked that. So Count Witthofts name was Erdogan. Since he bowed his head not only to me but also to themoner Hearthing Family, I could guess what this all was about.

    Judging from Fathers expression, he probably also knew what was going on yet he asked him to exin. Father was pretty bold.

    By the way, Sir Erdogan and the Witthoft familys Knight Captain were sitting in front of Father and I.

    The Hearthing family, who was also receiving their apologies, were standing behind us since they weremoners. I knew that was just how this world treatsmoners but I still felt ufortable.

    Alea Vige is a part of Witthoft houses territory, but for a long time, I have left territorys management to a governor. I deeply apologize for the trouble that I have caused to the Viscount and to the Hearthing Family.

    (T/N: It was mentioned in the earlier chapter that high ranked nobles would often pay lower ranked nobles to be the governor of their territory as their deputy.)

    It was hard to react when a middle-aged man like him made excuses while sweating. Plus, he was a noble, so I had no doubt that the brains of Mazells parents behind me were currently short-circuited.

    For a noble like him to even apologize to another noble, his superior must have scolded him pretty harshly. I didnt even want to imagine it. Ah I just wanted to be the cloud in the sky so I didnt have to think In any case, the atmosphere in the room turned strange. Father was the only person who remained calm.

    UmDid your governor know about what happened to the Hearthing family in Alea Vige?

    No, wel

    When Sir Erdogan, who answered my question full of hesitation, nced at the Knight Captain, the Knight Captain started to open his mouth. He was probably the oldest here, and he had a fierce face. He looked more like an adventurer or an experienced martial artist rather than a knight.

    However, the image of him lowering himself with that kind of face felt strange. I felt like watching an apology made by an athlete in a press conference in my previous life.

    The Alea Viges chief is actually my father.

    What a surprise. I looked at the Hearthing family behind me. It seemed like Lily-san didnt know about this, but her parents seemed to know since their faces looked ufortable.

    I found out that the Knight Captain, Sir Heiner, was someone from Alea Vige. He left Alea Vige to serve the Witthofts family at a young age.

    I do not mean to boast, but I found that I have some talent in martial arts when I was young, so I have the opportunity to be the knight of Witthofts family and prosper.

    He probably had a martial art rted Skill. Still, amoner bing a noble familys Knight Captain was a pretty unusual story. He must have worked really hard to achieve that, and he must also have garnered envy from his surroundings.

    But my achievements created a delicate rtionship between my father and the governor.

    I see. Since he became the Knight Captain of a noble family despite being amoner, Sir Heiner must have been liked by Sir Erdogan, or judging by his age he may be liked by Sir Erdogans father. Since Sir Heiner was Witthoft familys Knight Captain and was liked by the family head, the governor couldnt treat the Alea Vige chief, Sir Heiners father, strictly.

    It was also possible that Sir Heiner was married to a member of Witthoft Family, though probably not to a direct descendant. I didnt know, and I also didnt want to know. After all, it was a private family matter.

    Then Sir Heiners father, the vige chief, ended up thinking that he could do anything he wanted because of the attitude of the governor, who was the family heads direct subordinate. All of this led to the current situation.

    My father The chief of Alea Vige never dyed the viges tax payment, so I assumed everything was fine. I did not realize that the Hearthing Family had been suffering all this time.

    It was also my fault for leaving everything to the governor. My deepest apologies.

    They both bowed their heads again together. I got the general gist of it. Judging from Mazells parents expressions, it seemed like there was something more to this incident, but at least for now, I think it would be better not to ask about it.

    This is an apology for the trouble I have caused to you. Please ept it.

    Sir Heiner brought a box to the table, and Sir Erdogan opened it. Inside of the box was a bag and a piece of paper rolled into a cylinder. Sir Erdogan took that paper and offered it to me.

    Giving me a paper didnt mean that he had no intention of giving me a gift, but it simply meant that he wouldnt do something vulgar such as giving a noble like me an apology gift directly. This paper also would act as an official apology letter to me.

    But he would have no hesitation to give amoner an apology gift directly, while themoner could only gratefully ept that gift. That bag was probably full of gold coins and he would give it to the Hearthing family as an apology. Well, this was the difference between the treatment of nobles andmoners in this world.

    This is an inventory list for Sir Welner and the bag is for the Hearthing Family.

    What about the punishment given to the vige chief and the governor?

    I had to know that before I could ept it. I clearly conveyed that a vige chief might be just a small-fry for a noble, but I wouldnt let it slide. The one who answered me was Sir Erdogan.

    Of course, they both have been given severe punishment. They both have been given long-term appointments. The vige chief was now a miner assistant in the Mcdare Mine while the governor has been demoted to a stable boy. Other than that, the vigers who have taken part in the violence incident would be appointed in the safety duty position for a while.

    My my, the Count must be furious because their actions forced him to bow down to others. The Count prioritized the Witthoft familys reputation over his own Knight Captain. The Count was probably scolded harshly by his superior over this incident, so he needed to satisfy his superior by giving them both a severe punishment.

    Long-term appointments meant they wouldnt be able to leave their job for years. There wasnt any specific rule for how long they wouldnt be able to leave, but it would be at least 5 years and usually it would be 10 years. In this period, they also wouldnt be allowed to resign. Depending on where you would be appointed, you could be treated like a ve in your new ce. No, ve in this world received pretty good treatment, so you would be treated <b>even worse</b> than a ve.

    The miner assistant wouldnt go to mine to excavate ores but they would be responsible for the miners personal needs like cooking,undry, cleaning, and so on. Officially, they were low-ranking government officials, but they were in a position where they needed to go immediately if a vige chief called for them.

    Plus, from what I remember, the Mcdare Mine was where bandits and major criminals were sent. Being banished might be betterpared to working at Mcdare Mine as a miner assistant. I could imagine the vige chief being miserably pushed around by the murder convicts in that mine. I wondered if he could endure? Or would I receive news of his idental death in the future?

    Being demoted from a governor to a stableboy was also quite a severe demotion. In my previous life, it would be like being demoted from a store branch manager to a normal employee or even worse, since the stable boy typically would live, eat, and sleep in the stable. His position was even lower than a coachman. Plus, a governor would also get a lot of additional ie from tips.

    I felt that Sir Erdogan was actually taking out his anger by giving these punishments to the vige chief, governor, and the vigers. This was like an arbitrary appointment that the Labor Standards Inspection Office would make. Well, the nobility system of this world was at fault for allowing this kind of thing, though.

    As for the vigers, the work of people on safety duty was to maintain the road. For example, if a fallen tree was obstructing the road, then the people on safety duty have to remove it. If not, they would get punished.

    The duty of maintaining the road included the responsibility to keep the road safe by exterminating danger and, in this world, that danger included demons. Unless it was some weak demon, it was really dangerous for just vigers to fight them. They might even lose their lives if they tried.

    Usually, if demons were to appear near a vige, the local government would hire adventurers to protect that vige, but in this case, since the safety duty was made a punishment for vigers, I didnt know what would happen. In a worst-case scenario, the vigers would have to hire adventurers themselves or even need to fight the demons themselves if they didnt have the money to hire adventurers, so it was a pretty severe punishment.

    Also regarding the Hearthing family

    Sir Erdogan smirked and turned his gaze meaningfully to Mazells family, who had been standing behind me.

    The Hearthing family is the resident of Alea Vige, which would make them the citizens of the territory of the Witthoft House. As such, I feel it is my responsibility to take care of them. Plus, I do not want to inconvenience the Zeavert house, so how about letting Witthoft Count house take care of the Hearthing family when they stay in the capital?

    Here it came.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    What he said made sense. Commoners did have the right to move to other nobles territories, but unless there was an extraneous circumstance, like what happened to the Hearthing family, it was rare formoners to move.

    He coated his words with the word of responsibility but his true intention was obvious. He wanted to add a card named the Hearthing family into his hands. Not just getting up when they fall but trying to gain more advantage. Typical nobles.

    I could sense Mazells familys nervousness behind me.

    Are you saying that our family is unreliable?

    Nothing like that, Sir Welner. I was only saying that it was my duty to take responsibility, as our family was at fault.

    Son of the bitch pretended to be pure with that smile. In the first ce, didnt everything happen because of your mismanagement? Well, I understood it would be impossible for a noble family to pay attention to each and every vige in their territory since information transferred very slowly in this world inparison to my previous world.

    However, this and that were different matters! Was being shameless a skill you needed to have as a noble? Or was this shamelessness just a trait of the Witthoft family?

    Still, this guy didnt seem to know anything about the <b><i>security</i></b> of this mansion. Most likely, the state of the mansions <b><i>security</i></b> was kept a secret.

    It would be best if we just ask the relevant people. Hearthing family, what do you think of my proposal?

    So he used his nobility status here. I mean, how couldmoners refuse a nobles <b><i>favor</i></b>?

    I really didnt like how he did things and how he guided the conversation, but what I hated the most was that damn smirk on his face. He really pissed me off. Just when I was about to say something, Father cut me off.

    Sir Erdogan. You are making a proposal to the wrong people.

    Sir Ingo, what do you mean?

    Sir Erdogan red at Father, but Father just calmly took a sip of his tea.

    It was His Highness, the Crown Prince, who entrusted us to take care of the Hearthing family.

    If that is the case, then I will send an official request to His Highness. Both of us are Count, so as long as His Highness didnt object, there would not be any problem.

    Im not finished.

    Father gazed at me as if saying <i>dont interrupt,</i> so I obediently sat down and stayed silent.

    His Highness entrusted us to take care of the Hearthing family, but the person who was really responsible for the Hearthing family while they live in the capital was Grand Duke Seyfart, not my family.

    What do you mean?

    Havent you heard about it? The Hearthing family was actually entrusted to Grand Duke Seyfart, but because the Grand Duke was on the battlefield at that time, His Highness decided to temporarily entrust them to us.

    Sir Erdogans face immediately turned pale. If the guardian of the Hearthing family was the Zeavert family, then transferring the guardianship to his house wouldnt be a matter of trust or distrust, it would be just a simple transfer of guardianship.

    But it would be a different story if the guardian of the Hearthing family was Grand Duke Seyfart while Zeavert family were just the Grand Dukes deputy chosen by the royal family. If Sir Erdogan tried to appeal to transfer the guardianship of the Hearthing family, he woulde across as if he couldnt trust the deputy chosen by the royal family.

    Still, Father, why didnt you tell me about this before!?

    The other day, I also asked Duke Grunding for his help. I thought that there would be some difficulty if my house alone became the temporary guardian of the Hearthing family, but Duke Grunding told me that my house would be fine without his help, but if I needed anything, I could consult him anytime.

    Checkmate. With this, my house even had the support of the Duke, the head of the Queens maiden family, so it would be impossible for Sir Erdogan to do anything now. Even if he somehow persuaded His Highness, if the Duke disagreed, then even the royal family wouldnt be able to do anything.

    In fact, if Father went to consult with the Duke saying <i>I was told that there is a house who is more suitable as the guardian of the Hearthing familypared to the Zeavert house</i>, it was easy to imagine what sort of reaction would the Duke, who said my house would be fine even without his help, have.

    I finally got it. So everything went ording to n.

    Just like how the kingdom fished out the nobles who had ulterior motives toward Laura in Finnoi, this time the kingdom wanted to use this chance to fish out the nobles who think they could take advantage of the Hero, Mazell. That was why the kingdom didnt announce the fact that the real guardian of the Hearthing family was Grand Duke Seyfart.

    The reason Lily-san was made into the parlor maid of the guest room was to announce to other noble houses that the Hearthing family was here.

    That meant Lily-san was made into a bait. Although I was sure that Father and others must have made some arrangement to protect her safety, that still pissed me off.

    As I tried to think calmly, I also realized one other thing. All this time Sir Erdogan was trying to provoke me deliberately, and he almost seeded.

    On the other hand, Father hid the circumstance behind the Hearthing familys guardianship, prepared the consultation with the Duke as an insurance, then waited until Sir Erdogan used his position as a noble as a pretext to use the Hearthing family, before finally striking.

    Moreover, Father had said nothing about the mansions state of <b><i>security</i></b>, so he still had a card to y. I guess this was how nobles fought.

    On the other hand, even though Sir Erdogan finally realized he had fallen into a trap, all he could do now was to regret the fact that he didnt confirm who was the guardian of the Hearthing family. He couldnt even say to anyone that he proposed to Father to move the Hearthing family to his house. After all, his opponents were the Grand Duke and the Duke.

    In short, Sir Erdogan was a puppet dancing on the stage prepared by His Highness and nned by a choreographer called my father.

    The reason Father showed this to me was probably to teach me. Sir Erdogan was made into my <i>practical teaching material</i> for nobility education. It was true that no one had ever taught me about this kind of thing.

    In a way, Father was telling me that I needed to be able to do this kind of thing in the future.

    But I wondered if the Duke helped Father to return the favor for Lauras case. Certainly, if the Zeavert family lost its guardianship against other nobles, we would get the mark of being ipetent, since we werent able to take care of amoner family. This would be a stain to the Zeavert familys honor.

    Or maybe it was Father who took advantage of the fact that the Duke had praised me? Since it would be hard for the Duke to say no to fathers request after having praised me before.

    I didnt know who took the initiative between the Duke and Father, but one thing was for sure, this was all made to teach me. As someone who could even be a minister, Father sure was merciless in his teachings.

    After that, Sir Erdogan and Sir Heiner mumbled something, but in the end, they couldnte up with anything to retaliate against my fathers words, so they left. They apologized for making such a request, though. We saw them off until they left the mansion as a show of courtesy.

    Father. My apologies.

    It was true that Sir Erdogan nearly seeded in provoking me, so even though I wasnt satisfied with Fathers way of doing things, I would still apologize.

    Welner, anger could also be a weapon for a noble. But an anger brought by your incapability of controlling your emotion would be like gripping that weapon on its de barehanded. Learn to control your emotions.

    Yes.

    When I returned to the reception room, I found the Hearthing couple waiting with a difficult expression painted on their faces.

    Count. I apologize for

    No need. But if you prefer going to Sir Erdogans house, I will consider it.

    No. If it is not too much trouble for you, we would like to stay here.

    Ali-san gave an immediate answer. Well, our house was rather fussy about the work of the employee.

    But we were the house of the Ministry of Ceremonies so for us, being rude to others would stain our honor that was why we never treated the employee rudely.

    Father, as a minister, was also financially well-off so the sry for working here was not bad so they just felt prettyfortable here. Plus, from what I saw earlier, the Hearthing couple seemed to have a delicate rtionship with Sir Heiner.

    Come to think of it, maybe in the game, Sir Heiner was killed in the demon outbreak? Because of that, the vige chief lost his backing of <i>a Knight Captain of a noble house</i> and thus his position, and in turn, the people of Alea Vige flipped their attitude 180 after hearing that Mazell saved Laura in Finnoi.

    I would never know if this was what actually happened, though.

    I see, you can ept what Sir Erdogan brought here as an apology.

    Sir about that this amount of money is

    In my previous life, it would be like getting a pile of money that just fell from the sky. But considering the amount of suffering the Hearthing family had gone through because of the mismanagement, I thought this amount could be said to be little. Maybe it was just because my sense of values differed from theirs. Or perhaps Sir Erdogan actually nned to give them more after he roped them to his side.

    Then, how about you take care of it on their behalf, Welner?

    Pardon?

    Why me?

    You just need to take care of it until you can discuss it with Mazell-kun.

    Understood.

    Since Father said something like that, I could no longer refuse. It was true that what to do with this money was something that all members of the Hearthing family, including Mazell, needed to discuss. It wasnt like I was going to embezzle it, so I guess it was fine for me to take care of it temporarily.

    In thetter part of the game, the yer no longer had anything for them to spend money on, so they got a lot of it just sitting around in the inventory. I wonder if by the time Mazell returned, this money would be like a loose change to him.

    Is that arrangement alright for you?

    Yes. Thank you for your help.

    The whole family bowed their heads to me after answering my question. Because of my memory of the past life, I felt ufortable with the parents of my friend acting respectful like this. Come to think of it, most of my friends were nobles, so I always used politenguage when speaking to their parents, just like how I spoke with my friends parents in my previous life.

    (T/N: speaking politely here means Welner was using polite Japanese while Welner always used casual Japanese when talking to Mazells family.)

    It looked like Father also wanted to use the Hearthing family as a practical training on how to treatmoners. I was sure there was more reason than that, but practical training was definitely one of them. I had a nobles sense of value. When I be the head of the family in the future, it would be bad if I created a development n with a ridiculous budget because I didnt understand themoners sense of value. In any case, I remembered Mazell was strangely calm about this kind of thing. He really got the making of an important person.

    So here, Father must be trying to tell me to remember how most people would react if they were given this amount of gold. That Father of mine sure didnt waste any opportunity.

    Then I will temporarily take care of it.

    Yes. I will leave it to you.

    After I gave my answer, they looked relieved. Really, why were these people trusted me unconditionally like this? On my way back to the office with a slight stomach ache, Lily-san, who was following behind me started to speak.

    Thank you very much, Welner-sama.

    No need to thank me. I didnt do anything.

    Rather than helping, I almost lost control of my emotions, but Lily-san showed me a small smile and continued.

    You might think like that, Welner-sama, but I was happy that you got angry for us. I was also happy that we did not have to leave here.

    I didnt know how to react when she told me that. Well, I guess this ce was prettyfortable for them, plus it looks like something ufortable happened between the Hearthing couple and Sir Heiner, so they must not want to go there. As for what happened, I wouldnt ask.

    Ah um. If you said so, then. In any case, from now on, I will be counting on you again.

    Yes!

    She answered me with a face full of smiles. Since things had be like this, I had no choice but to prepare.

    T/N: Hello, Nisarah is here! So there is actually one thing Ive been thinking to change, so I would like to ask everyone opinion about it.

    Because theres no equivalent for honorofic like -dono or -san, I decided to not trante Japanese honorific but I always feel strange when I paired english noble title with japanese honorofic, so Ive been thinking of tranting only honorific that will be paired up with english (e.g: Viscount-sama -> Lord Viscount) or just forgo it all together (e.g: Viscount-sama -> Viscount), but what do you all think?

    Tldr: Should I keep japanese honorofic when paired with english title or not?

    Vote here!

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    Husband. How was he?

    Because I used Lily, I saw his rare angry face.

    In his room, Ingo, who had changed into light clothing, answered his wifes question whileughing. Hearing her husbands response, udia sighed.

    That child is going to have a hard time because of that personality of his.

    Well, that kind of personality isnt exactly unheard of among nobles, but I just didnt expect my son to have it.

    People like Welner, who were strangely unconcerned with their own achievements and reputation, existed among the noblemunity. They would often end up bing dilettante (lover or admirer of art).

    By nature, nobles were rulers who were involved in political administration. Nobles who were uninterested in this field were known as <b><i>entric</i></b> among the noblemunity. If these <b><i>entrics</i></b> had a degree of insight and understanding of art, they would even be an important patron of art.

    However, as one could guess, entrics had a low reputation in the royal court.

    In a sense, he was quite an unlucky child.

    Yes

    Both of them looked at each other with painful expressions on their faces. Their sons personality was perfect for a second son who would assist his older brother in leading the family, but the current Welner was the next head of the family.

    For a normal person, ack of greed might be considered a virtue, but for the next head of a noble family, it might as well be considered a w.

    From his parents point of view, there was an extreme mismatch between Welners abilities and achievements and his self-esteem and evaluation of himself.

    Even the experienced Ingo couldnt keep up with Welners creativity. On top of it, his son could also execute his creative ideas, yet he had low self-esteem and never sought reward for his own creative ideas. Ingo couldnt understand why.

    Welner was at the age where he should be more proud or even be conceited because of his achievements, and yet he didnt. It was as if Welner was an <b><i>artist</i></b> who would be satisfied as long as hepleted his piece perfectly.

    In fact, Welner appeared to have no greed because he knew he might die. Welner thought that fortune, fame, or influential position would be useless if he died in the attack on the capital event. As such, he didnt bother chasing them.

    However, Welner never told anyone his true thoughts as such people only saw him as someone with no greed.

    To be fair, although Welner was not someone with no greed, he didnt have any ambitions as a noble, so he wouldnt understand this thinking of nobles and it would also be impossible for other nobles to understand him.

    But Ingo also noticed that even Welner had an exception.

    But that Welner will put in efforts and will be serious if its a matter concerning other people, just like what he did in the hero Mazells case.

    In reality, many nobles who were dilettantes were also like that. Rather than supporting the already well-known artists or musicians, they wouldnt hesitate to support an unknown artist that they judged to be talented and who created works that satisfied them. As a result, the talent of the artists they had chosen would blossom and their art would make a trend of that era.

    However, as Ingo saw it, Welner had no talent in art, so he knew his son wouldnt be suited to be an art patron.

    Above all, noble families that belonged to the civil faction were often underestimated in this world. The attitude of Count Erdogan was a good example of it. Despite having the title of Count just like the Zeavert family, he acted as if he was superior. It wasmon for nobles of the military faction to take the same attitude as Count Erdogan toward the nobles of the civil factions.

    Even though Welner, who was also a member of Zeavert house, had a great reputation as a military man, it wasnt umon for an individual to take ten years and more before he could change the perception of his family. Until that time, Welner would be seen as a lower rank and other families would even try to exploit Welnersck of greed for their own convenience.

    Ingo understood that in order for Welner to be serious in political administration, he needed a reason. That was why Ingo epted the royal familys proposition of using Lily.

    While it was true that the method he chose was influenced by his own thoughts as a noble, he didnt just choose Lily on a whim. Ingo chose Lily because she was a person who saw Welner as himself, not as a noble, and had an influence on him. Ingo believed a person like her was what he needed to change Welner. At the same time, he also used this chance to give his heir the experience he needed to be a future Count.

    His method was proven to be a sess. From what he knew, Welner might hate someone, but he never got angry at anyone. The fact that he got angry at Count Erdogan earlier was a sign of a positive change.

    When he first brought Mazell here, I was wondering just what exactly that child was thinking.

    Even though Mazell had the Skill [Hero], he was just amoner, so it was natural for udia, a Countess, to think so. After all, Welner brought Mazell to the mansion and introduced him as his friend before the whole chaos of the demon kings resurrection took ce. At that time, udia even thought that Welner brought Mazell to the mansion because he wanted to make Mazell into his knight.

    Ironically, udia was now the most sought after figure in high society because of her sons connection with the hero.

    Welner has great luck in making rtion to the point that if the person who stood at the top wasnt the current Crown Prince, he might be perceived as a threat. By the way, how is the Hearthing family?

    I cant say that they have gotten used to the life in the mansion, but they are working hard.

    Inside the nobles mansion, madams were usually considered more influential than the family head. All servants in the mansion were basically under themand of the madam. As such, udia, the madam of this mansion, was also in charge of training the servants, including training the members of the Hearthing family.

    However, when her husband asked her to also train the members of the Hearthing family on how to <b>use</b> servants, she was quite surprised.

    Ill be counting on you.

    Of course, I will take care of it, but why do we need to go this far?

    It wasnt a question out of malice or sarcasm, but a pure curiosity. Ingo replied to that question with a smallugh.

    Did you forget? The ceremonies regarding knighthood and conferring peerage were also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Ceremonies.

    The news of the royal family ordering people to look up on a precedent of how amoner family would be treated after they were conferred a noble peerage had, of course, reached the ear of Ingo who was the Minister of Ceremonies. Ingo didnt ept the role of the Hearthing familys temporary guardian or the job of finding out noble houses that had ill intention toward the hero for free.

    In the future, the hero Mazell, who had killed two Demon Generals, would be conferred a peerage and his family would be a noble family. Who would the new noble family with no ties to any other nobles in the royal court rely on? The answer was simple. In short, this was an opportunity for the Zeavert family.

    udia gave a wry smile at her husbands reply.

    Husband You are also a bad person.

    In the history of this kingdom, there is no good person who became a minister.

    Well, my son is a good person though, Ingo added as heughed.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    A few days passed as Ive been doing paperwork in the pce. Father was busy with his duty as the minister, so he threw all military rted paperwork to me. Honestly, everyone seemed to have forgotten that I was still a student.

    Recently, Father had been busy preparing for the purification ceremony. Many battles had urred in the royal capital these days, so the purification ceremony ormonly known as exorcism, would be held.

    I didnt know if the ceremony would actually purify something, but at least holding this kind of ceremony would calm the citizens mind.

    I wasnt doing this alone, though. Half of my paperworks would be taken care of by either the Augen and Schunzel pair or Barkey and Neurath pair. The two pairs would take turns helping me with my paperworks. Augen and Barkey were new, so I paired them with Schunzel and Neurath so they could learn.

    In any case, I made all my subordinates work overnight in Alea and Finnoi, so I had to give them some vacation soon. As for me, I was working with Max as my assistant. When there was something I didnt understand, I would either ask Max or just directly have him take care of it and double-check itter. I meant if I insisted on doing everything by myself, I would never finish.

    They were prioritizing paperwork rted to money which would be given to the family of the soldiers who died in the battle and the money which would be given as a treatment fee to the soldiers who were injured in the battle. After that, paperwork rted to the reward for the knights who gained achievements in this battle was also being prioritized. After all, a proper reward was important.

    Other than money for the knights and soldiers, there was also paperwork for treatment money for the knights and soldiers personal horses that became injured in the battle.

    Next up was the paperwork for the payment of the supplies to the merchants. I needed to be extra careful in creating this since it wouldnt be funny if we lost our rtions with merchants because of some mistake in the document. As for whether the document I would send to the merchants was easy to read or not was a matter forter. On the other hand, sometimes the merchants would try to rip their customers off when their customer purchased some supplies on the battlefield, so I also needed to carefully check the prices.

    The most troublesome thing regarding the payment document was that even if merchants were clearly ripping us off, they would try to use us of being cheapskates nobles if we didnt want to pay what prices they were asking for. You needed to find a middle ground when this kind of thing happened. Though most of the time merchants that did this would be immediately put into the deny list.

    Damn. Its a pain in the

    Purchasing something amid the battlefield would often be done on a spur of the moment, so almost all payment rted documents were written quickly andxly. Sometimes there were even payment documents which were written on random things just like how I wrote a permission document to use the Skywalk on a piece of clothes before.

    By the way, it was most troublesome when the person buying the supplies ended up not returning alive from the battlefield. After all, once that happened, no one could verify the sellers words, so we needed to do a long investigation. Sometimes, investigation could take several days just for one case.

    I also made a n to deal with the countys internal affairs while listening to the exnation of one of Fathers longtime assistants. It involved reevaluating the countys governor, safety management, securing tax revenues, confirming the result of recent court trials All troublesome stuff.

    The word taxes in the medieval period was often associated with the taxes for crops and othermodities, but in reality there were other taxes too, like tax for using the waterwheel to grind the wheat or tax on the construction of a bread oven. The type of tax collected would differ from one territory to another. For a territory where wine was made, there was even tax for the tools used to squeeze the grape.

    To put it simply, I needed to check every document carefully. This should be the job of a governor, but since I also wanted to reevaluate the governor, I checked them myself andpared them with the governors report to see if governors did their job properly. My work saw no sign of ending.

    I worked in the pce all day and only returned to the mansionte at night. Even at the mansion, I continued to work. This time, I read the daily report from the orphans who worked for the towns beautification. Well, rather than read, maybe deciphering would be a better word because their writing was just atrocious.

    The knight apprentices and the guards also gave me reports, but the report from the children was the most time consuming to read. At this level, it was more of a paper filled with some secret code rather than a proper report. However, since the information in this report might be useful, I forced myself to decipher them under the light of themp.

    I was the one who came up with the idea of making the children create a daily report to help them practice writing, but I never thought that idea would bite me on my back like this. Frenssen was also working with me to organize the childrens report by day and by district, so I had an easier time reading them.

    Welner-sama. I brought you some tea.

    Come in.

    Pardon my intrusion.

    I heard Lilys voice from outside, so I let her in. I felt bad for making her do this at this hour. Mother had instructed me and Frenssen to judge Lilys ability in pouring tea, so we watched carefully as she was pouring the tea.

    Please.

    I nced at Frenssen, who nodded his head silently. It seemed like Frenssen judged Lily had passed the test. I then took the sip of the tea.

    Its good.

    Thank you for your praise.

    Its superb, you know. Tea poured by her before was already good and now it was even better. Lilys tea was far betterpared to the one I poured. Usually I just randomly pour the tea and wait until it barely changes color before serving it. So well, my tea brewing skills were pretty bad. In any case, I hope there was also a coffee. Nothing beats a cup of coffee when you stay up all night to work.

    After that, Lily also poured tea for Frenssen, then she looked at me curiously.

    It is already thiste, but you still have more work?

    Yeah. There is stuff that I need to finish as soon as possible.

    I sincerely think it would be better if you find more people to help you with your work, instead of just me.

    I couldnt refute Frenssensint. When I urgently left the capital to go to Finnoi before, Frenssen ended up working on the paperwork alone. So the amount of paperwork Frenssen had finished all this timebined was probably more than what Ive finished.

    As I wasining about writing in my heart, Lily looked at the daily report in Frenssens hand.

    The 3rd cksmithday,mercial district, 8th vertical, 5th horizontal, after lunch, the third row of the road, in front of the vegetable stall, there were holes in the road that would fill up with water when it rains does this mean the road in that area was bad?

    She could read it!?

    As Frenssen and I exchanged a bewildered look, Lily looked at us with a confused expression. Frenssen finally asked, You can read this?

    Yes. Some pilgrims who came to the inn had a rougher handwriting, so this much wasnt a problem for me to read. In fact, I think the writing here was cleaner, so it was easy to read.

    That was when I realized the reason Frenssen and I were having a hard time reading the orphans handwriting was actually simple. We were just not used to it. Both of us had been reading things intended for nobles so we were used to the beautiful and neat writing.

    On the other hand, even though Lily could read, she was amoner. She might even have read something on the level of writing carved on a random wooden board, so she was used to the handwriting that we, the nobility, considered bad.

    With a serious expression, Frenssen turned to me.

    Welner-sama. How about asking Lily to help us?

    But

    We still need to check the stall arrangement in themerce district. If we keep reading the daily report at this pace, our work will never finish.

    I couldnt refute Frenssens words. Well, it was my fault for piling up work. Lily looked at me with a puzzled expression, then she asked, Stall arrangement?

    Ah, right. Lily, you are still unfamiliar with it.

    Well, it was normal for Lily to not know about it. After all, in a noble house, it was always the merchants who came to visit the mansion to sell their goods. On the other hand, only a few merchants would go to a vige like Alea, so stall arrangement was not needed.

    Normally, inrge towns, there were specific ces where traveling merchants could set up their temporary stalls. However, merchants needed to follow certain rules in order to do so which included following a certain schedule. The exception of this rule was when a merchant had signed a contract to open a permanent stall with the guild.

    In the early morning when the sky was still dark, almost all the stalls sold bread. Commoners and some nobles who had baronage or viscount peerage would buy the bread they needed to eat for their entire day. Of course, bakeries also sold bread.

    Then, when the morning bell was rung, roughly around 8 a.m in my previous life the morning session would begin. The stalls would stop selling bread and change in selling tools necessary for travel like metal utensils, and bags. As for food, there was meat and cheese.

    When the noon bell at 12 oclock rang, most of the stalls would change their goods into vegetable, meat, and all other cooking ingredients.

    Other than cooking ingredients, the stalls would also sell ready-made food. Well, kind of side dish stores for themoners. Stalls that sold ready-made food would usually buy the ingredients they needed in the morning, cook them, then sell it in the afternoon. Unlike in my previous life, the darkness of the night time here was pretty severe andmps were expensive, so people would stop working in the night time and start working again when the sun rose.

    Of course, it was possible to buy any of the stalls items from stores, but stalls naturally sold the items cheaper because of lower fix costs and taxes.

    The ces where the stalls were set up would be divided by blocks and the merchants would periodically rotate between these stalls. There were prime locations where many customers would flock, like near the gate. It would be a problem if just one merchant monopolized such locations, so all guilds that would sell their goods in the stall decided which guild would get which stalls beforehand.

    This rotation was actually a test of guild strength and influence. A weak guild might end up having to sell their goods in deserted stalls every day.

    I heard all guilds would gather every year to decide that years stall schedule but I didnt know all the details. It was said that thepetition for prime location stalls was so intense that people would sometimes die. I would not tell Lily about this, though.

    Thats why even if the daily report said which stall it was referring to, the stall would have a different merchant selling their goods depending on which day and which time slot it was.

    I see um I simply need to read these out loud, right?

    The second she understood my exnation, she jumped right into work, huh. Well, I wasnt in any position to say this, but it was already thiste, you know, Lily.

    Then Lily will read them. I will make a clean copy of the report. Welner-sama, please confirm the report and recheck them.

    Understood.

    Frenssen!

    S<i>igh</i> no one listened to me here. Well, I guess I didnt have any other choice but to ask for Lilys help for today, but I should apologize to herter.

    T/N: Hello, Nisarah here! the result of the poll was keep it! so from now on I will keep the honorific paired with english title as it is (e.g Viscount-sama). Also, today I want to share an illustration of LN volume one.

    This is Welner and Mazell right before the battle against the demon outbreak. Welner was the guy with long hair.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    A few days had passed since I asked for Lilys help in deciphering the daily reports and today was finally the day I would demonstrate the weapon Ive had craftsmen make in front of His Highness, Duke Grunding, Grand Duke Seyfart, and my father.

    As for information Ive got from refugees and orphans who went to pick up trash in the town, Ive submitted it to the kingdom via Father. Ah so sleepy

    I wasnt good at using a bow so I borrowed one of the capital knights archers. I decided to use the knights training ground as the ce for the demonstration but

    So what are you nning this time? (Duke Grunding)

    Well, it is just a little modification of an existing weapon so I hope everyone here does not have too high of expectations.

    Why were there so many spectators? I promised the Duke to show him the weapon. As for the Grand Duke, I asked for his help in gathering the craftsmen, so I also expected him toe and watch the demonstration, but what was with the rest of the crowd? Even Royal Grandson and Royal Guard Captain were present here! Todays event wasnt a big deal and yet seeing the amount of spectators Urgh my stomach hurt again.

    I felt tired even before starting the demonstration. Well, lets just do it. Finally, I took out the bow. I was the one that requested the craftsmen to make it but to think they actually seeded. I was impressed.

    I see. So that is the short bow that Sir has requested the craftsmen to make. (Seyfart)

    With that size, you could even use it while riding a horse. (The Crown Prince)

    True, the size of the bow made it look like the typical short bow but this was more powerful than a normal short bow since it was made using the body parts of the demons. In any case, should I say as expected of His Highness? He immediately noticed it.

    I handed it to His Highness via his knight. After that, the bow was passed around until it reached the Grand Dukes hand. As the Grand Duke stroked the bows spiral pattern, he asked me, So it was a horn that was being sandwiched between the two woods And it was wrapped with leather?

    I also used tree bark.

    If I didnt cover them with leather, the weapon would lose its shape in different humidity levels. I heard that wood and bones (well, horn was also bone) had a different rate of expansion in different humidity levels so if I didnt wrap them with leather and just used an adhesive directly, the bow may break in some situations. Of course, the leather would also increase the bows firepower.

    The bow was passed along to everyone that has been watching the demonstration before it finally returned to my hands. I gave the bow to the archer and asked him to shoot toward the prepared metal armor in the distance. The arrows flew toward the metal armor and pierced it. Judging from the surrounding knights reaction, they seemed to have noticed how that bow sounded different from a normal bow.

    Then, a surprised voice could be heard.

    This is aposite bow made using demons body parts. As everyone here has already seen, even though the bow was the size of a short bow, its firepower wasparable and even surpassed a longbow, but the archer also needed to be very skilled in order to be able to use this bow.

    A short bow but as powerful as a longbow I see. But theres more, isnt it?

    Yes. You can think of this bow as a set weapon with this.

    As an answer to the Captain of the Royal Guards question, I took out a small quiver.

    I see. So Sirs aim was to create a weapon that had the same power as a longbow with excellent maneuverability.

    That is correct.

    He sure was quick to understand. Archaeological finds and art indicateposite bows had existed since the second millennium BCE, but their history was not well recorded, being developed by cultures without a written tradition. Composite bows may have been invented first by the nomads of the Asiatic steppe. Later, they were soon adopted and adapted by civilizations who came into contact with nomads.

    Arrows were consumable and you needed a lot of them to fight in a war. It was said that a skilled archer could shoot 10 arrows in a minute. That means just in a minute, the already limited arrows supply would decrease by 10. Therefore, you needed to have a reserve corps nearby that would resupply arrows. Lets say there was a unit with 1,000 skilled archers, that means you needed to supply 10,000 arrows just for a minute battle.

    Training the archers and preparing the sufficient amount of arrows was difficult. Carrying arge amount of arrows across the battlefield would also be difficult so a short, easy to carry arrows would be better for war. If we could improve the mobility of arrow supply, I believe that the use of arrows in a war would increase.

    But in the current state of the kingdom, I never expected the kingdom to create an archer cavalry unit since it would cost a lot of time to rear this kind of unit.

    Its a simple modification but its quite good.

    But if you only wanted to make these, why did you request additional craftsmen?

    I had the additional craftsman I had requested make a different thing. This is the model.

    I opened the other box and pointed at the crossbow-like things inside it. Then, I had Neurath and Schunzel raise the box with the weapon inside of it. I couldnt let this one be passed around like thatposite bow since it was pretty heavy. The knights might be able to lift it but His Highness wouldnt be able to.

    It looked like everyone understood that the body of this crossbow was more sturdy than a normal crossbow with just one look. I mean, the body of this crossbow even had a metal te on its top.

    Please use this one too. It is heavy so please be careful in lifting it.

    After I said so, a well-built knight started to flex his arm muscles in order to set up the bows string. That scene made the audience gasp in surprise. This thing was heavy because it had aposite bow made by a demon body part attached to it. I needed to do at least this much for it to have the firing distance I wanted.

    As expected, I needed a cranequin to operate this bow. Unfortunately, I didnt know the mechanism behind the cranequin so I couldnt reproduce it. If only I could just make a small version of what was used to operate the ballista in the castle wall and implement it on this thing

    Anyway, I set one of the metal balls I had prepared before on its string. A voice questioned why I put a metal ball rather than an arrow, but this thing wasnt made for the purpose of shooting arrows.

    I asked the knight to shoot. The metal ball then was shot toward the metal armor. When it hit the metal armor, the armor was thrown backward. Even though the sense of bnce of using this thing would be differentpared to the sense of bnce used to shoot an arrow, this guy actually hit the target on his first strike. He most likely had some sort of Skill. Lets not provoke him in the future.

    As I was thinking like that, the Duke opened his mouth.

    Its an interesting weapon but why didnt it use arrows? Using metal balls would shorten its range.

    This weapon was designed for closebat. I designed it based on my experience in fighting the demons in the battlefield.

    The humans in this world werent any different than the humans in my previous world. They felt pain and shock when being hit with an arrow. Someone with a weak mentality might even lose his will to fight and desert the battlefield after being shot with an arrow. But even though humans here were very real, the demons in this world were exactly the same as the demons in the game.

    Demons fighting capabilities wouldnt decrease even when they were seriously injured with their life barely hanging on a thread. That was the case with the Lizard Magician I encountered in Alea VIge and in Finnoi, I saw a demon still fighting even with 2 spears stuck on its body. I doubt this phenomenon happened because the demons were lost in anger. Most likely, they simply had a different perception of pain.

    While fighting the demons who had this kind of capability, the killing ability of the arrow was useless. After all, demons would still attack even when a spear was stuck on their body. But using metal balls was different. I pointed to the metal armors that had fallen after being hit with the metal ball.

    Like everyone here has seen earlier, the advantage of this metal ball crossbow was that it would break the enemys bnce when hit.

    If the metal ball hit the enemys head, it could stun or even kill the enemy in an instant but even if it didnt, it would cause a knockback effect like the earlier demonstration. Even a thrown stone looks pretty scary, so these metal balls also have a pretty dangerous visual effect.

    Above all, the demons could repel arrows but it would be almost impossible for them to repel a high speed small metal ball. If they tried, their arm would be damaged instead. This was a weapon designed specifically to fight the demons that have a little sense of pain and a high vitality.

    Either way, a maximum range of weapons was different from the practical range in the battlefield. A bows actual effective range in a battlefield was probably around 50 meter max. Only a well trained, skilled archer could shoot farther than that. In warfare, it was better to let a group of soldiers rain down arrows or to let them shoot arrows from a close distance or in other words, arrows were the best to use when the target was easier to hit.

    It looks like it was also possible to shoot javelin or me bottles using it.

    I have yet to experiment with that, but it would be possible. Other than that, it will also be possible to use it like this.

    I showed them Lilys drawing that had already added the exnation I put before. Then, voices filled with surprise rang throughout the ce.

    So you are going to make it into the size of a small ballista then put it on a chariot.

    Then this mechanism below it it could turn. You are going to make it capable of shooting in all directions.

    Yes. Although I believe that it will still be impossible to use it while running.

    The basis of this weapon was the Carroballista used by ancient Rome. The n was to mount this weapon on a two wheeled or a four wheeled chariot, then bring it to the battlefield, thus a projectile weapon stronger than bow would destroy the enemys line. You still needed to aim plus its heavy so I didnt think it would be possible to operate this weapon while moving on the battlefield. The user also needed to prepare the metal balls spare and load it on the chariot together with the weapon. Because of it, this kind of tank-like design was the best choice for this weapon.

    If I just mounted a Carroballista on a chariot, I could still create a strong projectile weapon but it could only fire in one direction since considering the demon speed, changing it into another direction would be impossible. That was why I chose to use the rotating table here.

    Plus, something the size of Carroballista could throw the metal balls over in a long distance. If it was the size of a handheld weapon, it would be difficult to do so. Probably. I hoped so. But I wondered if I used demon body parts as material I could create a handheld size of this weapon No, its too scary to imagine this thing as a handheld weapon so lets stop here.

    Actually, I didnt know if something like Carroballista actually existed in this worlds history, at least Ive never seen it. Even if it did exist no one actually used it and it was then forgotten.

    Actually, you could transport a ballista in this world with a magic bag but since this world valued personal fighting power above all else and all soldiers want to take their enemy as a hostage, improvement in a projectile weapon was neglected.

    I had always noticed that this world was inconsistent just like the case with projectile weapons. Maybe because magic existed in this world? Many things could be done with the help of magic so people stopped to think?

    I think that the reason gunpowder didnt exist in this world was that alchemy didnt develop in this world Wait I felt like I missed something

    Well, lets put that off forter. I was in the middle of my exnation so I shouldnt let my thoughts wander off. What was in front of me was more importantpared to the history of the past. To fight against the demons that would attack the capital, I needed at least this much firepower.

    If we consider the event in the Finnoi as the early stage of the game, then the capital attack event happened in theter stage of the game. The knights with their highbat ability might be able to fight demons but I wanted the normal soldiers to be able to be deployed atst, when the enemy line had already copsed to some extent. Plus, I also had some concerns.

    I also need an axis that is capable of withstanding the firepower of this weapon.

    You should be able to make something like that using the demon body parts. With this, we could stop the opponent on their track then rain them with arrows.

    Its true that Ive never considered the demons immense vitality before. It was a quite interesting weapon. I think this weapon is worth researching.

    While I was lost in my thoughts earlier, for some reason usage and improvement of this weapon became a hot topic among the audience here. I was d that this weapon didnt get outright rejected. Then His Highness, who was reading the exnation paper, seemed to have noticed something and turned his head to me. Honestly, this guy was way too sharp.

    T/N: I remember someone was wondering about what Welner will use the rotating table for in thement, and here is the answer!

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    As everyone here continued their discussion about the weapon, His Highness opened his mouth.

    I understand how the weapon works. Sir Welner, you want to mass-produce them, right?

    Yes. If it was possible, I hope the kingdom would be able to provide them to the capital knights and pce garrison.

    I wanted this weapon to be put into practical use as soon as possible. That was why I said this and yet everyone looked at me strangely while Father was smiling bitterly. DId I do something wrong?

    For the capital knights and the pce garrison, not for the Zeavert family?

    Although I know how the weapon works, I dont have any confidence that my family would be able to use them to its full capability.

    Bows were weapons especially hard to use. A person needed a long training to use them properly on the battlefield. In fact, it was said that the uracy of throwing rock was higherpared to shooting an arrow if the soldiers were untrained. The Zeavert family had never intensively trained archers because it wasnt needed. Now, we didnt have enough time to train archers from scratch.

    Crossbow and bullet crossbow (one that throws metal balls) were easier to usepared to normal bows, but I still judged that it would be impossible for the current Zeavert family to use them efficiently.

    Sir, you dont have any greed.

    With an expression as if he had given up, Grand Duke Seyfartmented so.

    Grand Duke, you were wrong. Because I was born as a noble in this life, I didnt have to work hard to get what I wanted, unlike in my previous life. Maybe that was why my desire for materialistic things had decreased, but I still had greed. I wanted to eat delicious food and drink the best alcohol. Wasnt that considered greedy?

    I did understand where the Grand Duke wasing from. This world was a world where power was valued above all else so I understand that if the people of this world got their hands on an amazing weapon they would monopolize it so only them and their family know how to produce it.

    However, my priority now was practicality. The military strength of the Zeavert house was only a small part of the capitals military strength, so the Zeavert house alone wouldnt be able to protect the entire capital. That was why I felt it would be better for me to give this weapon to His Highness so he could use it to strengthen the entire army. It looked like His Highness also understood my intention.

    Alright then. I will ept this. I will consult with the Duke and arrange for the metal caster you mentioned here too. Thank you for your hard work today.

    Yes, sir.

    AUm Excuse me

    While I was bowing to the Crown Prince, I heard a small voice from the side. Ah, it was Prince Louwen, the Royal Grandson, who has been watching me intensely from the side.

    Prince Louwen, is there some problem?

    Ah, no, I just want to ask you about what happened at Finnoi

    The people who looked at our conversation all showed an ufortable face. Ah, I see. Ive also been scolded about <i>that</i> by Lily.

    So Um What I want to ask is

    First, would you be willing to listen to my request, Your Highness?

    My question made the Prince dumbfounded. It seemed like he didnt realize it himself. Cutting him mid-sentence was a bit rude, but I had no other choice here.

    Your Highness, a royalty should not use that kind of tone with his subject. I am your subject. All you need to do is to order me as you deem fit.

    (T/N: Louwen used polite Japanese with Welner here, thats why Welner said this.)

    Huh? But

    This time, he hesitated. I guess he wasnt raised like royalty. I never knew that. In the game, he was only mentioned as a victim of the demon outbreak and I also didnt have any interest in the affair of the royalty.

    When your esteemed Father, His Highness the Crown Prince, talked to His Excellency the Prime Minister, he had ordered His Excellency despite the fact that His Highness was younger than His Excellency. I hoped Your Highness would also be able to talk like His Highness the Crown Prince.

    Ah, Um

    He still looked troubled. I should find a middle ground here.

    If Your Highness still finds it difficult, how about you practice it with me?

    Practice?

    Eventually, Your Highness would be in the position where you will need to give orders to many people. As such, it would be best if you practice now.

    I understand.

    He finally nodded. Well, he would get used to it, eventually. Though, it would be a problem if he became too bossy in the future. I doubt that would happen. Looking at his personality now and his environment, I highly doubted he would grow up to be a tyrant or a foolish king.

    Alright. Then Viscount, tell me about the battle in Finnoi. I heard our enemy got yed around by you?

    (T/N: Here, Louwen switched to a kind of imperative Japanese, like the one used by The Crown Prince.)

    Who the heck said something like that!?

    I did not y around with them, Your Highness. I simply gave them what they wanted.

    What do you mean?

    A taste of victory, Your Highness. Be it human or demon, when they feel that victory is already in their grasp, they will let down their guard. I simply made use of that mentality to lure them into the trap.

    Well, the trap only seeded because Mazell was there. I wondered what would happen if Mazell wasnt there Since we had already seeded, lets stop thinking about a hypothetical gloomy situation!

    Is that how it is?

    Yes. Not only in a war, I believe that in all other aspects the moment you thought you had achieved victory was the most dangerous.

    The ancient people said, tighten your helmet when you win and I agree with that Wait a minute. Using that logic, now when we had just achieved victory against the infiltrating demon was the most dangerous moment for us.

    With that realization in my mind, I looked in the Crown Princes direction and he nodded. We had a silent consensus.

    I see. So you purposely made your opponent let down their guard.

    That is correct.

    As I was talking with the Royal Grandson,His Highness and the rest of the crowd silently left the training ground. Well then, should I also be prepared

    After talking with the Royal Grandson for a while, I returned to the office, but Father still hadnt returned. I decided to kill some time by sorting the paperwork and what was this? Letter asking if I had some time to spare? Ah, well, lets just tidy it up too.

    When Father finally returned to the office, he gave a kind of indescribable expression.

    First, good work with the prototype thing. However, thanks to that proposal you asked me to submit, I was bombarded with many questions.

    I am sorry for your trouble, Father, and thank you very much.

    I bowed to Father. Then, I saw he seemed to have something else that he wanted to say to me.

    Is there anything else you want me to do, Father?

    That should be my question. What exactly do you want to do?

    That was pretty sudden. What I wanted to do Survive, I think? To be honest, all I had in my head for now was how to survive. I couldnt just tell this straight out to Father.

    Come to think of it, this might be a good time to give out some hints to people here that the capital was going to get attacked. While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard father sigh. His expression was a mix of a bitter and disappointed expression.

    Well, fine. Prepare yourself, Welner.

    Pardon?

    What did he mean by that?

    But Father didnt answer my question. He just went to the stack of paperwork that I had organized earlier and started to inspect them. I was confused, but in the end, I decided to leave. I bowed to Father and returned to my office.

    Honestly, just what happened earlier?

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    Trantion: Nisarah   Editor:Fleeting

    My work was finally finished in the evening. After I confirmed I didnt have any additional work, I left the pce with Neurath and Schunzel. Both of them have been with me since morning helping me carry the prototype.

    By the way, Father, a minister, left the pce riding a carriage with the Zeavert family crest on it, but I felt morefortable walking, so I decided just to walk. The carriage that Father was riding in was like this worlds version of a bulletproof car used by important people in my previous life. The carriage was a necessity for Father, who was a minister.

    Such carriages were made using the demons body parts, making them very sturdy. Some of them had a ss window as a status symbol, but as long as the window shutter was let down, even an arrow wouldnt be able to break it. Keep in mind that this world didnt have guns.

    While I was thinking about this, a familiar face approached us. Ah, he was one of the scouts that I hired back at the refugees escort mission. I motioned to Neurath and Schunzel that they didnt need to be rmed.

    Viscount. It has been a long time.

    Yeah. Im d to see you here.

    He gave me a normal greeting, but since he took his time to greet me, there must have been something else he wanted to tell me. Just as I was about to ask, he whispered into my ears, I have a message from old man Bert.

    Ah, so youre also a person from that side.

    It seemed like that old man Bert had quite a wide range of connections. I wondered if he also had a connection to some strange ces. Well, I could investigate thatter. The fact that he sent a person to directly give me the information rather than doing it through the guild must mean that the information was quite important.

    Lets talk over a drink. My treat.

    I will dly ept that offer.

    I motioned to Neurath and Schunzel to follow us, then we entered a bar. I gave the bar employee a small tip in exchange for a table in a more secluded ce. We then ordered some drinks and snacks.

    It seems like youre used to doing this.

    Back when I was a student, I often skipped sses to drink in a bar like this.

    I responded reflexively, bute to think about it, I was actually still a student, so saying <i>back when I was a student</i> was a bit strange. Well, lets not dwell on this.

    When the alcohol and snacks were finally served, we toasted just for appearances sake. I then put the snack into my mouth. I heard this snack was actually a nt-type demons body part. Its appearance was like a peanut but it tasted like corn, so I always felt strange when I ate it. Well, only a person with a memory of my past life like me would feel like that.

    So, what kind of message did old man Bert give you?

    The man you are looking for we found his body.

    You mean you found Pucklers corpse?

    That was quite unexpected.

    When I mentioned Pucklers name in a rather loud voice, Neurath and Schunzel exchanged zes at each other with startled expressions. Although I did say <i>if you find him dead, its fine</i>, I never expected him to actually be dead.

    Tell me the details.

    Of course.

    ording to him, Pucklers corpse was found wearing tattered clothes and his body was full of wounds.

    There were a lot of strange wounds on his body. Some of those wounds were almost healed.

    Hmm then?

    It wasmon for Lycanthropes to have a high vitality in a fantasy setting, but I didnt know if the Lycanthropes of this world were also like that. At least from what I know, the Werewolf and Weretiger in the game didnt have a high vitality. I really had too little information about Gezarius since he didnt appear in the game. Honestly, why was a hidden character like him on the enemys side? Why couldnt he be on my side?

    As Iined in my mind, the scout continued his exnation. It seemed like Puckler didnt have anything but his ragtag clothes when he was found and the only wound that was close to the fatal wound was a hole found on his chest.

    A hole?

    Yes. And that hole wound was also strange.

    Apparently, Puckler was found with his hand covered in blood as if that hole in his chest was something he created himself because he wanted to gouge something out of his chest. Dont tell me

    Was he holding something in his hand?

    No. But from the state of his corpse, it seems like some time has passed since his death, so even if he was holding something when he died, someone else might have taken it with them.

    Did he actually gouge out that ck gem from his own body? Then, someone else found that gem, became fascinated with it, and Gezarius took over that persons body. I never expected that he could actually change his body like that. I let my guard down.

    But if that was actually what had happened, it would be almost impossible for me to find him. He might be in the capital, or he might have already escaped using his new body. There were just too many possibilities.

    Welner-sama, this is

    Yeah. Schunzel, sorry, but can you go and give this information to Father?

    Please wait a moment, Viscount. I have one more thing to tell you.

    When Schunzel was about to leave, the scout interrupted, so I motioned Schunzel to stop.

    Alright, lets hear it.

    When I said this without any hesitation, he gave me a strange look. Why? Werent you the one that called us to stop?

    Do you not doubt me?

    Nah, who would give fake information in this kind of timing?

    I answered his doubt with a casual tone on purpose. I thought, for now, its better for me to speak with this kind of tone, rather than in a nobles way of speaking. The man replied to my question with a bitter smile.

    Well, you are right about that. Alright then, actually

    Woah. So things became like that, what a surprise. I needed to discuss this with many peopleter but for now

    Schunzel. Go and tell Father about everything you heard here.

    Yes, sir.

    Neurath. You go back to the mansion and tell the butler, Norbert, about what you heard here. Tell Frenssen if Norbert wasnt in the mansion.

    Understood. Welner-sama, what will you do then?

    I will return to the mansion after going to the Adventurer Guild and Mercenary Guild first. Once I return, I will have a meeting with Father and others. Ill tell you two about the content of the meeting tomorrow.

    I understand.

    Those bastards gave me additional work even though I was already busy, so I didnt have any obligation to hold back here, right?

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    For the next few days, the capital seemed to have returned to normalcy on the surface but behind the scene, the clean-up after the demons infiltration event was still going on.

    The kingdoms officials had also been busy with their own work. There had been several events that happened in the capital. One of those events was new Marquis Knap, who had been holed up in his territory, finally visiting the pce. Both Count Zeavert, Ingo, and his heir, Welner, recently had also been busy going in and out of the pce.

    On an ordinary afternoon, a guest visited the Zeavert mansion.

    Greetings. I am Rafed, an ore merchant. I have been doing business with Count Bachem and today I came here in the hope I will also be able to do business with Count Zeaverts house in the future.

    Thank you for taking your precious time toe here, Rafed-sama.

    Lily, who was the parlor maid, greeted the guest in the guest room. In a noble house, it wasmon for the person who was greeting the guest to change depending on who was the guest. A maid would greet a first-time guest while the butler would greet an important guest. This time though, Norbert, the mansions butler, was standing behind Lily. Norbert was here to evaluate Lily, not to greet the guest.

    The man who introduced himself as Rafed had a rather ck appearance, but the lights in his eyes hinted at the fact that he was constantly assessing his surroundings. He then took letters from his pocket.

    These two are a token of an acquaintance from me. This is for the Count, while this one is for his heir.

    Thank you very much for your kindness. I will make sure to deliver them.

    Lily received the letters and handed them to Norbert. Both letters were the inventory lists while the actual items brought by his subordinate were ced in the corner of the guest room. For security reasons, the items would not be brought further into the mansion until they were checked. That was the rule.

    Norbert then left the room with the inventory list in his hands in order to check the items. Seeing that Norbert had left, Rafed walked closer to Lily and whispered, And I also have something else to tell you, Miss Lily. This is about your brother.

    My brother?

    Lilys face was painted with surprise.

    Yes. I havee across news that Mazell-dono has defeated a demon disguised as a lord in the neighboring country, Letga. Afterward, he and his party went to ruin in Poida Dessert and then they went missing, Said Rafed, with a serious expression that waspletely different from his earlier ck appearance.

    A ruin?

    That is correct. I have some connections with Letga because of my trade rtionship with Count Bachem. That was how I hade across this news.

    II see

    You must be worried about him. If you like, I could tell you the details.

    As if wanting to press Lily, Rafed continued his words. With a nervous expression, Lily nodded.

    Will it be fine if I brought my parents along to hear about the details?

    Of course, I do not mind.

    However, unfortunately, my parents are currently outside of the mansion They will return this evening at the earliest.

    Rafed pondered for a while before nodding.

    In that case, how about we meet in the back of the mansion when the evening bell rings? Of course, with your parents too. From there, we will then go together to afortable ce for talking.

    II understand. Then, I will leave the mansion from the backgate in the evening.

    Please do. Also, although I understand that you might be worried since this is news concerning the disappearance of the hero, I think it will be better to keep it a secret for the time being.

    II will do so.

    I will see youter then.

    Once again returning to his ck appearance, Rafed left the mansion while being escorted by Lily and Norbert. When Lily returned to the mansion after escorting Rafed, she talked to Norbert and Norbert nodded.

    I understand. Then, be careful on your way.

    Yes. Please contact them.

    After receiving permission from Norbert, Lily immediately went to the third floor with a magicmp and mirror in her hands. She then entered her room which was located in the back, took out a note from her drawer, and began her preparation.

    When the light of the dusk began to cover the capital, Rafed stopped his carriage and waited a little distance away from the Zeavert mansion with the coachman.

    Seeing three figuresing out from the mansions backgate, Rafed chuckled inwardly. He and the three figures were wearing clothes usually worn by the citizens so they didnt stand out.

    My apologies for keeping you waiting.

    It is fine. Did you tell the Count about our meeting here?

    I did not tell the Count directly but I did leave a message.

    I see. I have prepared afortable ce for talking so please get in.

    Lily opened the carriages door and hesitated after seeing a robust man sitting inside.

    All of you are members of the heros family so I have prepared a guard. Please dont be rmed, With a smile on his face, Rafed reassured Lily.

    I I understand.

    Speaking of which, what did you bring?

    Ah, this is

    Lily showed Rafed what she was holding. It was a perfume bottle made of ceramic. Since the ss was expensive, the perfume bottles used by nobles were sometimes made using ceramic. Of course, this kind of perfume bottle was still a luxury item.

    Welner-sama gave me this.

    I see. It looks like it is quite important for you so hold it with care so it will not fall.

    Of course.

    After such an exchange, the three obediently entered the carriage. Rafed then closed the carriage door and firmly bolted the lock from the outside. The carriage did not have any window so no one could tell who was inside and the passengers could also not tell who was outside. After confirming that the carriage was fine, Rafed sat beside the coachman and gave him a signal.

    The carriage then started to run slowly.

    After a little time passed, suddenly a man, who was walking staggeringly, walked to the middle of the road from the side. The coachman, who almost ran over the man, yelled, What are you doing!? Its dangerous!

    You ask what I was doing? I drank, of course!

    Seeing the man, who was seemingly drunk, nonchntly sit down in front of the carriage, the coachman yelled again.

    Do you know that this is the carriage of Count Bachem!?

    Hu..uh?

    The man acted as if he didnt hear anything, then, several other men hurriedly approached and they picked up the drunk man.

    Sorry! Looks like this guy drank a tad bit too much!

    Were really sorry!

    Shut up and just get out of the way!

    In response to the coachmans words, they stepped aside carrying the drunk man with them. The carriage then swiftly took off as if the people inside were in a hurry to go somewhere important. With a low voice, so the coachman did not hear him, one of the men that was carrying the drunk manughed sarcastically.

    Hah. A high and mighty Counts carriage he said.

    We confirmed the message. Lets go.

    Roger.

    After exchanging that conversation, they, including the <b><i>drunk man</i></b>, walked in the direction of the pce as if nothing had happened.

    On the other hand, even though a minor incident happened, both Rafed and the coachman judged that they should still follow the n. As the coachman led the carriage to circle around the capital, the night fell and they arrived in the warehouse district where there were no people nearby.

    Rafed made a preparation to light the magicmp and the coachman took out a Skywalk.

    Just like that, the group along with the carriage disappeared from the capital.

    After recovering from a somewhat dizzy sensation, Rafed and the coachmanughed as they turned on themp and checked their surroundings. The coachman shook his head and started to speak.

    The problem now is the fact that the gate is closed at night.

    No need to worry. We have made some preparations so we can leave from a side entrance though we cant bring the carriage with us. Losing a carriage or two is not a problem.

    Still, they were currently outside of the town walls so they never knew when the demons would attack them. As the light of themp swayed, more than 10 figures wearing hooded cloaks appeared from the forest. They took out their weapons and surrounded the carriage.

    Rafed and the coachman got off the carriage and smiled at the group.

    Everything went well. Well then, <i>esteemed</i> family of the hero, if you obedientlye out of the carriage, we wont harm you.

    As if in response to Rafeds words, the carriage shook. Hearing a thud, Rafed smiled and tried to approach the carriage in order to unbolt the door but then

    <i>nk</i>

    One of the people who surrounded Rafed threw a ceramic bottle toward the carriage and as it came into contact with the ground, it broke. With an annoyed look, Rafed turned toward the people that surrounded him.

    What are you doing?

    Well, I was just being careful you know.

    Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Rafed unintentionally raised his voice.

    Wwho are you!?

    You should introduce yourself first before asking for someone elses name is what I want to say but anyway

    Although his tone was rxed, the unknown man held his spear and gave a small fearless smile. The coachman who recognized the unknown mans face gasped in surprise.

    My name is Welner von Zeavert. Well then, how about you return Lily now?

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    Almost at the same time

    In one corner of the capitals noble district, several figures had gathered. They were all dressed in different clothes and they also seemed to belong to different noble ranks but strangely, their unrestrained bloodlust was the only thing that they shared inmon.

    Because the girl has disappeared, the mansion must be in an uproar now. We should be able to lure out the person called Welner that Gezarius-sama was talking about if we attack the mansion and kill everyone inside one by one starting from the young ones.

    Right.

    Well, they all will die in the end.

    I remember Welners face. Dont eat their faces, so we could confirm that he has died.

    They all had the appearance of humans and yet the way they acted was far from human, as they finally decided to throw away their disguise. They walked until they could finally see the Zeavert mansion and rushed toward it. They were not affected by the darkness of the night.

    Lets go!

    When the person leading them finally revealed himself as a werewolf and was about to jump over the wall, a shrill shriek resounded. Surprised by the sound, the rest of the figures stopped their track.

    Then, arrows rained down, from the mansion of Count Stormer located in front of the Zeavert mansion and from the Zeavert mansions second floor. The devil who was supposed to be making a surprise attack ended up being overwhelmed by arrows.

    At first, the sounds of the devils angry shouts could be heard but before long, those angry shouts were reced by screams, and eventually, only the groans of despair could be heard.

    Keep calm and shoot. They wouldnt be able to escape.

    The person who was calmly giving orders from the Zeavert mansions second floor was Count Muhe. Muhe came to the mansion by posing as Ingo in the Zeavert familys exclusive carriage. He was entrusted with leading the reinforcement that came from the mansion of former Baron Diehl which was located behind the Zeavert mansion and he was also themanding officer on this battlefield.

    Viscount Krank was also present in the Zeavert mansion. He sessfully entered the mansion by posing as Welner. His role was to guard the back of the mansion just in case, but it seemed like he would not have any chance to shine.

    The butler of Zeavert mansion, Norbert, approached Count Muhe and offered him a cup of tea.

    Please enjoy, Count.

    I will. Thank you.

    After taking a sip, Muhe breathed a sigh of satisfaction with an impressed look. Then, Muhe asked Norbert, Our enemies must have been constantly watching the people leaving and entering this mansion so how were you able to contact us?

    It was thanks to Welner-samas idea.

    By reflecting the light of a magicmp using a mirror, a code containing a simple message could be delivered outside. After all, the reflection of the magicmp was still bright enough to be seen outside of the window in the daytime. The table containing the key of the code had been delivered to the Royal Guards before and the people of Zeavert mansion also had this key.

    (T/N: Welner delivered a table to the Royal Guards lieutenant in chapter 99. This is not referring to the rotary table.)

    The mansion of former Baron Diehl which was currently under the custody of the lieutenant of the royal guard was located behind the Zeavert mansion as such it was possible for Lily to use a mirror and magicmp to send a message to that mansion.

    After receiving Lilys message, the knights in the former Baron Diehls mansion discreetly sent messengers to various ces. With that, the message reached Ingo, Welner, The Crown Prince, the Royal Guard, and the Pce Guard in the pce. Receiving the message, the arrangements were made in order for everyone to be able to move swiftly ording to n.

    Although this was the first time Muhe was entrusted with themand of a reinforcement, Muhe didnt feel his job was difficult. After all, the n regarding what would be done if someone came to seek out Mazells family using Mazells name had already been decided since the night of the day Welner showcased the prototype weapons. All Muhe needed to do was follow that n.

    Although I did not expect that devils would appear.

    Even His Highness and Sir Welner didnt have any definite proof that devils were still lurking in the capital but if they were, both of them said that now would be a perfect time for the devils to make any moves.

    Muhe responded to Norberts words. In fact, the n was made just as a precaution, but the scene in front of Muhe proved that there was no such thing as being over-prepared.

    The reason why Muhe of all people was chosen to lead the reinforcement was that Muhe had little to no rtionship with the Zeavert house. Crown Prince Huber even considered the possibility that people who were close to Welner were being watched by their enemy so he chose Muhe.

    And Count Muhe himself perfectly executed the Crown Princes order. On this day, all devils who were hiding in the capital werepletely exterminated.

    But Count, you did something quite bold. (Norbert)

    The effect of the caltrop when used on a stone pavement was tremendous. The clean-up would be a hassle though. (Muhe)

    Muhe hadid out caltrops on the stone pavement of Zeavert houses mansion beforehand.

    In fact, he even used the excuse of the Count wasing homete in order to ensure that unrted people didnt visit Zeavert house during this time. Of course, if he still failed to protect the Zeavert mansion after all these preparations, he might lose his position was something that Muhe knew but didnt say.

    Considering the fact that the caltropsid out by Muhe near the mansions fences sessfully obstructed the Werewolves, the hassle of cleaning them up after was nothing much.

    After the battle ended, Muhe also gave instructions to throw torches on the road in order to make sure that there were no survivors.

    I wonder what is the situation on the other side, While throwing a torch, Muhe mumbled.

    At the same time in the mansion of Count Bachem

    Suppress them! Kill anyone that resists!

    Count Witthoft led the knights of his house to attack the mansion of Count Bachem. The Counts knights were disarming the confused knights and servants of the Count Bachems mansion and from time to time, the knights of Witthoft house used the handle of their weapons and their fists to knock down the people of Count Bachem mansion.

    Baron Kupfernagel who was apanying Count Witthoft, Erdogan, looked at the Counts rough way of dealing things with a bitter smile.

    I dont know what has happened but His Highness is also quite evil.

    The rtionship between Witthoft house and Bachem house wasnt particrly good but it wasnt too bad. Yet, the Baron saw the Counts face turn pale when the Crown Prince ordered him to take control of the Bachem familys mansion, <i>who had plotted against the heros family</i>, with a <b><i>sincere</i></b> smile, so the Baron also understood that the Count had also done <b><i>something</i></b> himself.

    However, even if it was under the order of the Crown Prince, once the news of how fiercely Erdogan attacked the Count Bachems mansion spread, the Witthhoft family would have a capricious standing in the royal court in the future.

    A man, who appeared to be the leader of the Witthoft familys knights, was wielding his weapons on the battlefront. From his bearings, he seemed to be a young nobleman. The baron guessed that he was most likely the Counts heir. Remembering the rumor of the heir in the royal court, the Baron could guess what was going on, albeit only from one aspect.

    The Witthofts were a family of military men and Count Witthoft also constantly boasted about his sons military power in the royal court. But recently, his sons achievement in the military pale inparison to the achievement of the heir of the Zeavert house. Because of that, either the heir or the count himself or perhaps both must have held some resentment toward the Zeavert house.

    The situation of the Witthoft familys domestic economy wasnt good, a thing thatmonly happened to the noble house of the military faction. Because of that, the Count was nning to marry his son to the second daughter from the Fleethem house, a noble house that belonged to the civil faction. ording to the rumor in the royal court, the Counts aim in marrying his son to a daughter of Fleethem house that belonged to the civil faction was the dowry.

    But Valeritz, the heart of Fleethem County, was destroyed by the devils. This was a painful and unexpected blow to the Count as the destruction of Valeritz meant that the Count had lost his possible future financial supporter.

    On the other hand, because of their trade with Lestga, Bachem houses financial situation was pretty good. But in terms of reputation and merit in the military aspect, Bachem house basically had nothing. In this country, that would make others look down on the Bachem house.

    Zeavert and Bachem were both Counts household, but while the heir of the Zeavert house was known as a capable military man, the Baron never heard anything about the heir of Bachem house, so it was quite easy to imagine how the members of Bachem house felt inside.

    The Bachem house and Witthoft house both had some bone to pick with the Zeavert house, as such, it was highly possible that Count Bachem had offered some kind of deal to Erdogan.

    Because the Crown Prince mentioned <b><i>the heros family</i></b>, it was quite possible for the Baron to guess the behind the scene circumstances of this battle.

    So Count Bachems motive must be jealousy toward the Zeavert house. Then, that jealousy was used by someone else. Although, I think Count Bachem must have never expected his <b><i>partner</i></b>, Count Witthoft, to stab him in the back. (Kupfernagel)

    But for the Baron, a feeling of pity toward the Bachem house wasnt needed. While instructing his subordinate to be careful so they didnt start any fire in the Bachem mansion, the Baron kept carefully observing the battle situation.

    Later on, Count Bachem was arrested in his own chamber with his upper body naked. The Count was arrested together with a dancer from Lestga. The Baron was the one that ordered the dancer to be arrested when the dancer was trying to escape via the window.

    As for the heir of Bachem house, he escaped from the backgate when Count Witthoft was attacking the Bachem house and was arrested by the guard who had been waiting for him. The heir was apparently trying to go Lestga embassy.

    You impolite imbecile! I am the heir of Bachem house!

    How can you not understand that is exactly the reason why your action cant be forgiven?

    Your Excellency, Grand Duke Seyfart?

    The heir looked up and saw Seyfart walking toward him along with his bodyguards. When the guards who arrested the heir wanted to bow, Seyfart stopped them. I still dont know which one was puppet and which one was the puppeteer, but that would be something I would be able to find out in due time. Although that information is no use for me, Seyfart said with a cynical tone.

    You..Your Excellency that

    His Highness the Crown Prince is furious. Prepare yourself.

    The heirs face paled at the Grand Dukes words. A statement like that from someone who had a position of a Grand Duke meant that there was no need for the guards to hold back. With an attitude as if they would not care if they had to break the heirs bone if he resisted, they took him away.

    At this time, Seyfart actually expected the Count to escape so he stayed in the mansion and helped to block the road. After all, it would be troublesome if the Count used his position to force his way through to escape. Never in his wildest dream did the Grand Duke expect that when the sun had gone down, the Count would be found in his room with a dancer. The Duke shrugged his shoulders with aplicated expression when he first heard this news.

    Your Excellency.

    Good work. Hows the situation?

    Seyfart, who witnessed the heir of Bachem House being taken No, being <b>dragged</b> away turned his head toward one of the guards that called him.

    We have received confirmation that Count Zeaverts mansion is safe. The ambassador of Lestga has also been taken into custody.

    Hooh, the ambassador didnt try to run? He would be able to run to his own country if he used that magic tool.

    While putting his hand on his chin, Seyfart nodded, then he asked the guard, Any other thing?

    One of the secretaries of the Lestga ambassador has revealed himself as a winged devil.

    Then?

    The devil has been exterminated by the second squad of the First Division.

    After thinking for a while, Seyfart shook his head.

    We can assume that the ambassador doesnt know anything about the devil. It seems like there is also discord in the Lestga. Well, thats for the Minister of Foreign Affair to worry, Seyfart muttered, then he looked around his surroundings.

    Right at that moment, a low, long howl of a beast filled with hatred and humiliation shook the capital. The pce and the capital became tense but nothing happened in the end. Just like the n, the Bachem family was thrown into the underground prison as a sinner.

    Later the same night, under the order of the Minister of Foreign Affair, the homes of Lestga people in the capital were put under surveince and the Lestga people were put under house arrest.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    W..Welner you said!? Why are you here!? The man named Rafed shouted. I could imagine what kind of expression he had now.

    Because I was here before you of course

    Just as I was about to say are you an idiot?, the coachman tried to escape but ended up being beaten with swords still in their scabbards by my allies who had surrounded the carriages. Did he really think he could escape in this kind of situation?

    I guess I only need one person to get a testimony.

    Yyou bastard!

    Anyway, thank you foring here since now I could beat you up myself.

    I also had deployed people to other ces so no matter where they went, the result would have still been the same. Still, I never thought that Lestga would actually make this kind of move.

    In the game, after the heropleted his mission in the Lestga, the country was never mentioned again but it looked like the country had a lot of hidden agendas in this world.

    How did you find out?

    I dont have any obligation to answer that.

    Actually, I found it out by coincidence. If that guy didnt tell me that people from Count Witthofts house, Count Bachems house and the Lestga Embassy kept meeting each other in the middle of the night, I wouldnt know.

    But because Count Witthoft only messed up with the Zeavert family, not with Lily, they got away with just a warning. I wondered what would have happened if that wasnt the case?

    In any case, it seemed like even the servants of the Bachem family had the habit of ying around Really, did they think that money was water or something? The prostitutes information gathering abilities were amazing Using alcohol and women, we smoothly gained information from the servants of the Bachem family. I must repay old man Bert for this informationter.

    What about the soldiers of my country?

    Well, they arent here. Thats all you need to know, right?

    I knew that when you use Skywalk you would be transported to somewhere deserted so of course, I had also expected our enemies to ce some soldiers beforehand.

    When I consulted His Highness regarding this matter, he prepared arge amount of Skywalk for me and then he had a diplomat of our country, who had been to Lestga before, take me there with a Skywalk. That was how I was able to get here.

    On that day, I had also confirmed where I would appear when I used the Skywalk to Lestga and also where our enemy could ce their soldiers. The reason I asked Lily to buy time until the evening was so I could take care of the enemys soldiers first.

    Though while I was waiting for Lily, an unexpected situation arose so I was quite nervous.

    I wondered how many Skywalks we ended up using to finish our preparations and how much they cost Well, since Count Bachems property would be confiscated by the kingdom, would the kingdom end up profiting from this incident?

    In any case, this Rafed guy mentioned <b><i>my country</i></b>, did that mean that he was a spy from Lestga from the very beginning? Also, he was deceived but he didnt even realize it. I didnt have any obligation to exin it to him though.

    Rafed <i>(I didnt know if this was his real name)</i> red at me fiercely. Being stared at by a fat middle-aged man wasnt scary at all, you know. I took one step toward him and he took 2 steps back. He nced at the carriage behind him, then his expression hardened.

    Wait! I have hostages here. The heros family is inside the carriage with my knight!

    Ohwow how scary

    If he didnt think that his opponent would have some preparations against that, he was either just an underling or he just wasnt used to rough stuff like kidnapping. Well, I could find that outter. Torture was eptable since criminals in this world didnt have any human rights.

    Lily, are you alright?

    Yes. I am fine.

    Lilys voice sounded muffled because she was inside the carriage but she seemed fine and Rafed looked surprised.

    How?

    You know Lilys face because you have met her before but how about her parents? Did you bother confirming that the two of them are really her parents?

    An apprentice chef was usually working in the back so only merchants who hade to Zeavert House a lot would know his face. They thought Lily was a viger so they could fool her easily. Thus, they didnt bother checking her parents faces. They underestimated Lily too much. This was the result of them looking down onmoners.

    Just in case, I even asked Norbert to investigate if some strangers had recently seen the Hearthing couple. I had also investigated all merchants of the Commerce Guild who have a rtionship with the Zeavert house via Mr. Bierstedt.

    A little problem with this n was when the female knight who decided to be a stand-in for Lilys momined by saying, <i>is she really her mom, not her sister?</i> It was true that Anna-san, Lilys mother, could pass off as Lilys sister. She looked way too young.

    Well, that wasnt important now. It seemed like Rafed still wanted to say something but I was getting tired of hearing his nonsense so I mmed the handle of the spear in my head to the side of Rafeds head. I was holding back so this attack wouldnt kill him but I hoped to at least seed in breaking a bone or two.

    While ncing at Rafed as he was being taken away by my allies, I opened the carriages door bolt. The magicmps inside of the carriage made me able to see Lilys relieved face so I felt d. I then turned to Ali-san in the carriage and bowed to him.

    Lieutenant Goretzka. Thank you very much for your assistance.

    No need to thank me like that. Viscount, you are someone I have high expectations for the future.

    When I first formed this n, I never expected that the lieutenant of the royal guard himself would volunteer to y the role of Ali-san. I was flustered and even persuaded him that we could search for someone else, but Goretzka-san himself said he wanted to go to a battle once in a while so I relented. This world was surely full of muscle-brained people.

    Goretzka-san kicked out the man who was lying on the ground. Whoah he was merciless. That guy, I think his body was twitching?

    Still, its true that poison is quite effective for kidnapping someone.

    He has poison with him?

    When I looked carefully at the man who had been kicked by Goretzka-san, I saw a small knife, probably a hidden knife, lodged in his thigh. Ah, that knife was coated in poison, huh?

    Among the poisons you could extract from the demons body parts, there was paralyzing poison. The diluted paralyzing poison was also used as anesthesia for a surgical treatment. It was avable for purchase in the Adventurer Guild. In the game, there was also a kind of poison that could kill the hero if left alone. The poison on that knife was not that sort of poison.. probably.

    The tip of the knife almost pierced through the back of the thigh. It looked like these two didnt bother holding back.

    As I was thinking, the female knight threw something out of the carriage. Those weredamn. Did they actually n to go that far against amoner who couldnt even fight? No wonder they both got this angry.

    There were 3 restraint tools used for criminal ves hidden behind the backrest. From the very beginning, this man was waiting for an opportunity to use them on us.

    I didnt train so softly to the point I will give an opportunity for a mere knight to use those things on me.

    The female knight spat out, to which Goretzka-san responded. That man just had the worst opponent. There was no way a normal knight would be able to defeat Goretzka-san, the lieutenant of the royal guard. The female knight was here more as Lilyspanion since she would feel awkward being together with just Goretzka-san plus having anotherbatant in this kind of situation wasnt a loss.

    With the knight who was sprawling on the ground, Rafed, and the coachman, we had 3 prisoners. Perfect. I gave a signal with my gaze to our allies who were surrounding us to restrain the 3 of them with these restrain tools for criminal ves, then after we got off of the carriage, I approached Lily and said, Sorry. Werent you scared?

    I am the one who said I will do it. Furthermore, everything happened ording to your n, Welner-sama.

    She must have been nervous, yet she still smiled. I felt relieved too so I unintentionally patted Lily on her head.

    To tell you the truth, I was troubled about what I should do about Lily when I formed this n. Unlike the Hearthing couple, Lily was a parlor maid so her face and voice were already known among the guests that came to the mansion, so it was hard to find a substitute for her.

    Plus, I didnt know if disguise Skills or magic existed in this world and I also didnt know how much our opponent knew about us. Using someone to pose as Lily would work if our opponent was someone who had seen Lily for the first time but if not?

    But then, when I exined this n to Lily, she said she was willing to do it herself. I was pretty flustered when she said that and I tried to convince her not to do so but she kept insisting. The people around me also persuaded me, saying that I had no other option and I only needed to do this one time. In the end, I reluctantly relented.

    I also made preparations for any other possibilities. For example, there was a possibility that they would go to Witthoft County or Bachem County rather than to Lestga so I asked His Highness to send some knights to both ces.

    I didnt send the Zeavert knights since both Witthoft House and Bachem house were also nobles of this kingdom. Plus, Zeavert knights might be monitored by the enemy, so I thought the current arrangement was the best. Still, thinking about how many people I owe some debt to now made my stomach hurt again.

    By the way, I never knew that even though Lily looked obedient on the surface, she was actually quite stubborn.

    Miss Lily was quite calm earlier. It seems she really trusts you a lot, Viscount.

    Ahum

    Why did you say something like that, Goretzka-san? How should I react now? I was d that no one from the Zeavert House was here Suddenly, I felt a chill on my neck.

    Lily, go inside the carriage. I think we need to do onest act before we return.

    Y..Yes, sir.

    Lily obediently went into the carriage and the allies who were surrounding me immediately spread themselves around the carriage without me needing to say anything. Amazing, they sure were used to it. Goretzka-san and the female knight also took out their weapons from the magic bag. Just by looking at their stance, I could tell they were different from any typical soldiers. In fact, I wasnt confident that I could win against Goretzka-san even if he wasnt wearing any armor.

    At any rate, I had already expected that they woulde to attack us again.

    If there were too many of them, we could escape using the Skywalk but if it was possible, I wanted to finish them off here.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    The tree surrounding us rustled and monsters came out from there. They were Pigman holding a huge club, several small-sized demons holding knives, andstly moving mud.

    Orc, Gnoll, and Mudman, huh. (Goretzka)

    I will exin the details afterward, but we had fought them before. I think that there is someone else who has been pulling the string without us knowing. (Welner)

    I readied my spear while telling this to Goretzka-san. The one problem I was talking about was this. I came here before Rafed arrived so that I could take care of the Rafeds allies. However, when I arrived, I found those soldiers had all been exterminated by these demons.

    Making Rafed bring Lily here must be part of the masterminds n. The question was, did Lestga know about these demons, or not?

    I could ponder over thatter, for now, lets focus on defeating these demons. Goretzka-san and the female knight took a position where they could protect each other, while the rest moved into a position where they could fight together while protecting the carriage.

    We already predicted this will happen, and I had already warned all of you about it, so stay calm.

    Understood!

    The one who took themand was Gekke-san, who Ive been indebted to in the demon outbreak incident and in the refugees escort mission. As for the rest of our allies, they were mercenaries. They looked calm. As expected, veteran mercenaries were used to fighting demons.

    The Gnolls saliva was dripping out of his mouth while he was looking at us as if we were only delicious prey for him. This looked kind of simr to a scene of bandits drooling when they saw the riches and women of a caravan which they were about to rob in the movie.

    As for the orc, he had a pig head. He was short and ugly, exactly like the Orcmonly seen in any video games. Here, the orcs were famous for being tough demons.

    I wondered if they also loved to attack women, like the setting of orcs in many video games in my previous life. Well, I never heard about orcs only attacking women or anything like that in this life. They did attack humans like all demons in this world, though.

    As for Mudman, in the game, they were usually known as a type of zombie, but in this world, they werepletely different from zombies. They were ssified as humanoid demons made of mud. Despite their looks, physical attacks could harm them. I was thankful that it was at least the same as in the game.

    Also, apparently, both Orcs and Gnolls werent ssified as Lycanthrope here. Honestly, I didnt understand how this worlds demon ssification worked since Kobolds also werent considered as Lycanthrope here.

    In the game, Orcs and Gnolls were the subordinates of one of the 4 Heavenly Kings, Egibigor. Mazell and his party would probably face him right now. Both Orcs and Gnolls were among the nobles who would attack the hero party when they were resting in an inn, and they were also Random Encounter monsters in the dungeon where Egibigor was the boss monster.

    The inn attack event and the dungeon where Orcs and Gnolls existed were both located in the Lestga. This Rafed guy was also from Lestga. Putting the two together, most likely Egibigor was the real mastermind in this kidnapping, although I didnt have any evidence to prove this. Well, Egibigor would be killed by Mazell in the future anyway, so it didnt really matter.

    HiHieeeek!!! Demons!!!

    Ah, the coachman had woken up. Seriously, I wouldnt be responsible if you got attacked by the demons because you made that kind of scream.

    The Orc and Gnolls started to rush toward us. It looked like they didnt even bother to create any n. They sure looked down on humans.

    We were prepared to fight them, so rushing to us blindly like that was a stupid idea. The Mudman also moved, but he was way too slow. I think I could easily separate the 2 demons from him and kill them one by one. Lets take care of the Orc and Gnolls first.

    Rather than escaping, I chose to face off with the fast Gnolls first. The Gnolls held rusty weapons that were bigger than a knife but shorter than a sword. It looked like their weapons were also coated with something, so I avoided getting too close to them. This was where the longer reach of a spear was most useful.

    While confirming the position of my allies, I swung my spear to the side to prevent the Gnolls from getting too close. I swung my spear wide to intentionally create an opening. One of the Gnolls took the bait and attacked the opening I just created. I avoided it by backing off to gain more distance and then stabbed that Gnoll. Seeing that, another one tried to attack me but he failed since the female knight came from the side and killed him.

    The next demon that came to me was the Orc brandishing his huge club. As I watched his movement, I ducked and swung my spear to cut his foot. A spear had a longer reach than a club, though it would be perfect if I had a ive instead of the spear.

    The Orc fell backward after being hit on the foot. Talking about attacking the feet, I wondered if the Orc also had some kind of Achilles heel? Well, I didnt think the word Achilles heel existed in this world.

    As I was thinking about apletely unrted thing, the two mercenaries around me rushed to the Orc that had lost his stance and then quickly retreated after attacking him. The hit-and-run strategy was used for this kind of tough opponent. After all, if you carelessly continued to fight close-quarterbat with tough demons like Orc, you might get hurt by the Orcs counterattack.

    When the angry orc tried to regain his stance, I swung my spear and stabbed his other leg. The Orc once again lost his stance, so together with the two mercenaries that used swords, I pierced the Orcs torso. Fighting with these guys was sofortable since their movement pattern was very rigid.

    Also, this might not be the best time to mention it but the Orcs body odor and breath stink.

    Then I quickly checked my surroundings. Goretzka-san and the female knight ughtered one demon after another. Thebination of those two was way too OP. Then, there was another groupposed of 2 swordsmen and a spearman, just like our group, that killed a demon. Lastly, there was one person who managed to kill a demon all by himself.

    That one person was Gekke-san. Since Gekke-san was the friend of one of the members of the hero party, Luguentz, I knew he must be strong, but seeing it myself once again was surely different. The members of the mercenaries group under Gekke-sansmand were also skilled, so I could rely on them.

    In any case, since I didnt think we could lose in this kind of situation, I would just focus on killing the demon in front of me. As for the Mudman, he was the easiest opponent to use the hit-and-run strategy on, so I would ignore him for the time being.

    Just as I was thinking that, I felt another presenceing from the forest. I immediately backed off in order to protect the carriage. The next moment, something came flying in my direction with tremendous speed.

    I didnt know if the target was me or the carriage, but for now, I chose to cleave it rather than thrust it so I could see what exactly was this thing. When the tip of my spear was about to hit the thing, it rose at a sharp angle to avoid it. This thing was very nimble.

    I looked up and finally found that this thing was a winged demon. The winged demon stopped in midair, thenunched himself in the direction of the carriage. I was guessing that he wanted to destroy the carriage or steal it, but what he did was a foolish move.

    The carriage shook and Lily let out a small scream while the winged demon let out a loud pained yelp. Damn, the people from Lestga might find us, so could you tone down your scream!?

    The winged demon wouldnt be able to do anything to the carriage since I had the anti-demon medicine thrown on the carriage earlier. I did that just in case Rafed and the coachman were devils. For a human, what the winged demon felt might be like mming your hand into a pot of boiling water.

    I approached the fallen winged demon and pierced him from behind with my spear but he didnt die. I guess killing him with a single blow was impossible. The winged demon jumped and tried to fly away, but you know, the length of the spear could also be used to drag down my opponent.

    I made a half-spin to use my body weight to drag the winged demon down and seeded. As the winged demon that hit the top of the carriage rolled down, Goretzka-san and the female knight attacked him. Did Goretzka-sans sword just pulverize the demons head

    As expected, the winged demon was a Gargoyle. In Egibigors dungeon, he was a demon that would move first among other demons. He was nimble and could fly, so he was a pretty troublesome opponent.

    Welner-sama, theres another one up there!

    Lilys warning made me look up. There was another Gargoyle who rushed to me fast and soundlessly. At the same time, I had a bad feeling, so I jumped backward.

    A hand appeared in the pce where I was before. So, the Mudman camouged as the ground. Phew That was dangerous. Since the carriage was right behind him, the Gargoyle suddenly changed the direction of his attack toward me. With that speed and distance, I couldnt dodge.

    So, I chose to thrust my spear toward the iing Gargoyle instead. Since the Gargoyle didnt decrease his speed at all, the spear directly pierced his mouth and came out through the back of his head, after that, Goretzka-san stabbed the Gargoyle from behind. As for the Mudman, the female knight had already taken care of him.

    By the time I pulled out my spear from the Gargoyle with difficulty, the battle around me had already finished. I had to do maintenance on my spearter. Although I didnt manage to do anything much in this battle, Lily was fine. That was all that mattered to me. I guess I didnt have to use my insurance.

    Viscount, how did you feel?

    I do not feel that good.

    I answered Goretzka-sans question. It would be bad if people from Letratga found us here because of Gargoyles earlier scream. Plus, I didnt think we could handle the rest of the Four Heavenly Kingss subordinates since some of them could use magic. Honestly, the group of demons we had defeated could be considered the small-fry among the Four Heavenly Kingss subordinates.

    In the game, Gargoyle was a monster that the yer would encounter in the dungeon, not in an open field like this. Ah, well, demons that shouldnt have appeared in Alea Vige also appeared, so I should get used to this kind of difference from the game.

    It would be troublesome if an even stronger enemy, especially like the Minor Demon appeared here. That guy could fly and even used magic. Our casualties would increase if that guy kept firing off area magic while flying. We didnt prepare any projectile weapons, so fighting the Minor Demon here would be a huge problem. That was why I thought we should return now.

    In the game, only opponents that could be reached by the sword would appear in an open field like this. I was somehow jealous of that. But I felt like I missed something Well, lets think about thatter.

    We will withdraw. Prepare the Skywalk.

    The demons body parts and the magic stones would be wasted

    Illpensate for the rewardter, so bear with it for now.

    After I responded to one of the mercenaries, Gekke-san nodded. The body parts of the demons we defeated during the day would be enough for the evidence. Lily was also safe, so this was the time for us to retreat.

    Then, <b><i>To the capital</i></b>.

    As for asking for Goretzka-san thoughts? That wouldnt be needed. This guy would probably just agree with my word, anyway. Since we had decided, we used the Skywalk to go to the capital.

    Outside of the wall, we met up with the Iron Hammer, who had been waiting for us just in case something happened. It was alreadyte, so I asked the female knight and Iron Hammer to escort Lily back to Zeavert mansion.

    In the capital, we parted ways with Gekke-san and the mercenaries. I gave them the money for drinks after promising that I would give them the rest of the paymentter.

    Then, I and Goretzka-san went to the pce to report. I had deployed people to various ces, so if I didnt withdraw them quickly now that everything had finished, it might cause unwanted trouble. As for Rafed and the others, I handed them all to the pces guards.

    In the pce, I and Goretzka-san were invited into a meeting room. Father and His Highness were already inside. We then proceed to give our report. My report mostly contained something like everything went ording to our n then I also asked His Highness to withdraw his people from various ces.

    I had also received a rough exnation about what had happened in the capital from His Highnesss subordinate and I was told that the details would be shared with me at ater date. After that, I was finally able to leave the room with Father. Phew

    When we were in the hallway, I bowed to Father.

    I apologize for the trouble.

    No need. Good work.

    The reason why I apologized to Father was all rted to politics. The country wanted to make sure that after I saved Lily, we wouldnt run off to another country.

    To do that, under the guise of having toplete many tasks in the pce, Father was taken as a hostage in the pce. Of course, the Hearthing couple, along with the people in the Zeavert mansion, were also hostages. The main mission of two people that acted as a stand-in for Lilys parents was to protect us, but they were also there to monitor us.

    Because I knew the kingdoms intention, I purposely asked people from outside of the Zeavert mansion to be the stand-in for Lilys parents. I never expected the royal guard lieutenant Goretzka to volunteer, although I was pretty sure that his words of wanting to go to a battle were somewhat true. I wondered if Goretzka-san was currently giving a detailed report in the pce.

    If not because of those bastards doing this kind of thing, I wouldnt have to think about this sort of headache inducing political stuff.

    My schedule for tomorrow afternoon would be visiting various people to offer my gratitude. I would tell Frenssen to make the list. After all, the order of visits would be important.

    I learnedter that not long after we left, the soldiers from Letga and the demons ended up meeting each other in that ce and they had a huge fight resulting in casualties. Fyuuh Good thing we left that ce early.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    Hello, Nisarah is here! So I once again hope to ask the readers wisdom!<ol><li>The center of the religion in the novels world is called the Great Temple Finnoi but in the novel, both temple and church is used interchangeably. So I was thinking of just using temple to avoid confusion, but what do all of you think?</li><li>Ive always tranted<strong> </strong>as<strong>demon</strong> because:</li></ol>

    1. their leader is <strong>demon king</strong>

    2. in the earlier chapter, Welner mentioned monster without using the <strong> </strong>kanji so I assumed <strong> </strong> and monster were different species

    But in chapter 111 Welner mentioned a demon named<strong>Minor Demon </strong>so Ive been thinking of changing <strong> </strong>into monster or tranting  <strong>Minor Demon</strong> into another words, or just kept both but what do you all think?

    Tldr: Should I change all <strong>church </strong>into<strong> temple</strong>and<strong> demons</strong> into <strong>monster </strong>or not? vote here!

    The next day, I was stuck in this meeting room in the morning. Even His Majesty was taking part in todays meeting, so it was pretty important. I was only standing silently in the corner, though. I was only attending todays meeting because I was told that I had to attend no matter what, not because I particrly had something to say.

    The first agenda of the meeting was the award ceremony. The highestmander of the Finnoi defense battle, Duke Grunding, was granted the mining right of the Zarsden Mine. From what I remember, the mining right of the Zarsden Mine originally belonged to the Bachem house, so the royal family lost nothing by giving that mines rights to the Grunding house.

    No matter who held the mining rights, the amount of taxes that should be paid to the kingdom remained the same, so the kingdom as a whole would also lose nothing. Plus, the Zarsden Mine wasnt located in the Grunding Duchy, so it would be easy for the royal family to monitor it. The only advantage Duke Grunding would have by having this mines rights was that his ie would increase.

    On the other hand, this announcement would also act as a warning to other nobles, a kind of announcement that the Bachem house would be punished for its action.

    Next, Ingo Fati Zeavert. The work that Sir has done is worthy of praise. As such, in addition to the reward money, we would also allow Sirs family to have an ornamental frame on the family crest.

    Surprised gasps filled the room after His Majesty finished his words. For me, though, I was trying my hardest to hold back my bitter smile. The royal family was too cheap.

    It was said that once people had enough food, clothing and money, they would start chasing honor. This was exactly the case for nobles. There were even some noble houses that would even put their family honor above the life of their own family head.

    And in this muscle-brained world, military honor was considered more valuable than somend in the eyes of the people of the court. Our ancestors sure did a good job making people think of honor like this. After all, it would cost the royal family absolutely nothing to give honor.

    In my previous life, the subject of the nobility family crest was prettyplicated. Its design involved the history and the characteristics of the members of that house. You needed far more than one book to exin all that.

    But perhaps because this world was originally a game world, the subject regarding the nobility crest in this world was simpler. In one word, the nobility family crest was proof of the family origin, just like the Kamon in Japan. The nobility family crest didnt even appear in the game.

    (T/N: Kamon is a Japanese family crest.)

    Long story short, family crests existed in this world, so wearing random family crests wasnt allowed. What I think was unique to this world was that no family crests depicted mythical beasts like Dragon or Griffin. I mean, in my previous world, they were considered mythical beasts, but here, they were a real enemy of humans.

    The old noble family used animals or nts as their crest, while the younger noble family used objects like musical instruments or weapons as their family crest. The newly emerged noble family often used simple patterns like stripes or polka dots as their family crest.

    The difference between the family crest didnt mean that older noble family houses always had more influence in the courtpared to the emerging ones. There were several emerging noble houses that had a huge influence on the court.

    The frame that surrounded the nobles family crest was something that reflected their standing. No frame meant the family was an honorary noble family, monochrome frame meant the family was a normal noble family, and gold and silver frame meant the family was a superior noble family.

    Lastly, the decorated frame was the highest-ranked frame. Giving the right to use the decorated frames to the Zeavert family meant that the royal family acknowledged the Zeavert family as the top-ranked family among the Count houses. But that was all. There was no additional benefit to having this frame. Ah, no there was one. Your seat arraignment in the banquet would change what a useless benefit.

    Those who think of it as important would be ted to have the right to use decorated frames, but unfortunately, I wasnt one of those people. I mean, other than the so-called honor, the crest frame was practically worth shit. Furthermore, the nobility around me would be observing and judging me more harshly because of this crest, so for me, having it was more of a curse than a blessing.

    That was why, dear honorable nobles, would you all stop looking at me with those gazes!? Although no matter how much I disliked it, I would wear that family crest in the future.

    After that, other noble families were also given various rewards. Then suddenly, the air turned cold.

    We will now announce the families that would receive punishment. First, Knap Marquis House.

    Yes!

    The current Marquis Knap, Frank Pablo Knap, stepped forward. He then kneeled and lowered his head. I personally think he was more of a victim here, but since his nephew, Mangold, caused the battle to be waged in the capital, others wouldnt be satisfied with letting the Knap Marquis house go without any punishment.

    One of Sirs family members gathered soldiers without the royal familys permission and caused damage to many other noble families. Head of Knap house, do you have any excuse!?

    No, I have no excuse!

    The devils that entered the capital because of Mangolds action caused some noble families to lose their most skilled knights and worse, some noble families even lost their family heads. So the royal family had to punish them here.

    But I still felt sorry for the new Marquis Knap. After he got the Marquis title, all he did was to stay in his territory to rebuild the Knap house and take care of the refugees from the former Triot who came sporadically to the Knap Marquisate.

    If that is the case, we would give the Knap family a suitable punishment. The current Knap Marquisate would be confiscated and we order Sir to rebuild the former Fleethem County. The position of Count Fleethem would remain, but as the head of Fleethem remained missing, the position would be left vacant.

    The room became noisy again. Essentially, Marquis Knap was ordered to rebuild ruined Fleethem County, including the half-destroyed Valeritz, on his own.

    In addition, the Knap houses territory was reduced by arge amount to the point that a random Count House would have more territory than the Knap house. This was a quite severe punishment.

    But I felt that the royal family did well by deciding on this punishment. With this, the Knap Marquisate was now a territory under the direct control of the royal family, so they could now build a defense facility to prepare for Gezariuss attack with no hindrance. However, this one benefit wasnt something I could announce to the public now. The kingdom reaped a lot of benefits with this decision.

    Then

    His Majesty mentioned about 20 noble houses of various sizes. They were all noble houses that the devils had sessfully infiltrated. They were the victims of Mangolds plot but they have to receive punishment for letting themselves be used by the devils.

    Still, since this many noble houses became the victim of Mangolds actions, it was no wonder that the royal family decided to severely punish the Knap house.

    Originally, we should have given punishment to all houses that we had mentioned before, but as the number of the houses wasrge and we have acknowledged that many of them were only unwillingly being dragged into a conflict, we have decided to give Sirs a chance.

    As His Majesty said that, a map sorge to the point it could be mistaken as the wall tapestry was brought out. It was the map of the capital and I recognized most ces marked on it. In any case, how big would a demon need to be to produce this kind of demonskin paper?

    As Sirs could see, this was the map of our capital. The ces marked on the map were ces where there were some problems with the roads stone pavement, or some renovation was needed.

    The locations marked on the map were the locations that were mentioned as having various problems in the daily report of the orphans and the refugees who were cleaning the street. I made a list of those locations and submitted it to the kingdom on the same day as the prototype weapons demonstration. A public facility that wasnt mentioned inside my list was also marked on that map, though.

    If Sirs could repair the ces marked on this map using Sirs own money, we will not mention the matter of the punishment in the future. Of course, the record of Sirs family ever receiving punishment would also be erased. Furthermore, we would also allow a namete for the person responsible for the renovation of a certain ce to remain there.

    As soon as His Majesty said that, many nobles immediately raised their hands and actively offered themselves to take part in the renovation work. The nobles reaction was quick.

    We are pleased by everyones eagerness, but for this renovation project, we have one condition. Sirs must hire the capitals citizens and the refugees as the workers for this renovation project.

    No one was dissatisfied with that condition. Everyone was fired up as if they were fighting for a precious seat. It was getting chaotic here.

    As I was watching the situation in front of me that exceeded my expectation, His Highness looked at me with a smile hidden in his eyes.

    The royal familys decision to do this was killing more than 2 birds with one stone. First, rather than giving the noble families disgrace by giving them punishment, the royal family gave them a chance to carve their names in the capital. For the noble families that value honor, this was a great gift, rather than punishment.

    Second, this renovation project would ease the citizens hearts. The citizens didnt care where the money for the renovation came from. What they cared about was the fact that the royal family cared for them, so this project was a good opportunity to overwrite the citizens bad memory of the capital almost breaking into a civil war.

    And the most important thing was that the economy would move with this renovation project. The basis of the economy was to make the money circte.

    It was hard to make the money circte properly because of the demon king invasion and the attack in Finnoi. However, if the nobles money were spent on doing this renovation project, the money would end up in the peoples hands, who would in turn buy goods and with that, the economy would start to move.

    In addition, this renovation project provided job opportunities to the refugees, so the renovation project could also be one of the countermeasures against the problem of refugees. The refugees would use the money that they earned via the renovation project to buy goods in the capital so the economy would move again. The renovation project could also provide job opportunities to poor people. Not to mention, by working in repairing the stone pavement, anyone would also be able to gain some experience as a mason, so even poor citizens without any education could finally gain some work experience.

    There were many other benefits.

    Well, the prices of consumable things, especially food, might rise, but since the royal family currently had a lot of financial leeway now, everything should be fine. I mean, the royal family didnt have to spend any money on the renovation project.

    However

    His Majestys cold voice overwhelmed all the people in the room. This might be rude, but maybe because my impression of the king was <b><i>someone who threw all his responsibilities to the hero</i></b>, I never thought that the king could make that kind of voice.

    Count Bachem, who is not in this room, would be excluded from this renovation project. We will announce our decision regarding Count Bachem in the future.

    <b>Decision</b> was a roundabout way of saying <b>punishment</b>. For His Majesty himself to say this word meant that Count Bachem would receive a severe punishment. Understandably, His Majesty seemed to be really angry at Count Bachem.

    Still, I was curious. Did the Bachem family was used by Lestga while their only aim was to bring Lily to their own territory, or did they plot to bring Lily to Lestga from the very beginning? I didnt have enough information to find that out.

    We will also divide the former Knap Marquisate into several parts, and will appoint people to act as governors in our stead. First, Viscount Welner von Zeaver.

    HUH??

    I was surprised because my name was suddenly mentioned while I was lost in my thoughts.

    We will officially appoint Sir as Viscount, and as a governor under the royal family. Sir would be in charge of Anheim region of the former Knap Marquisate.

    I will humbly ept the order!

    I deserve praise for barely being able to react. I got a feeling that my manner was strange today Ah, I didnt know. My head was nk.

    How did this happen??

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    The result of the votes hase in! With just 2 vote difference, the change temple into church option won and with a 24 votes, the keep demon and Minor Demon option has won! Thank you for your votes!

    I am probably the first person who became a viscount and a governor despite still being a student.

    Dont put on that kind of bitter expression.

    While looking at my face, Grand Duke Seyfartughed. Grand Duke, this wasnt a funny thing!

    After the meeting finished, the <b><i>honorable</i></b> Grand Duke invited me to lunch. He told me I didnt have to mind my manner here, so I threw all my manners out of the window and let out myint without any restraint.

    In the noble society, generally this kind of meeting with your superior was an attempt to appease me, who was dissatisfied with the superiors decision, but I was sure that the Grand Duke would also test me here.

    As you know, Your Excellency, Anheim is a territory that directly borders the former Triot region.

    Right. What do you think about the reason of decision for appointment as the new viscount and as the governor of Anheim?

    At least, I understand there is a <i>front</i> reason and <i>a hidden </i>reason for my appointment.

    I thought there might also be a <i>middle</i> reason directly between the <i>front</i> and <i>hidden </i>reason, but lets not think about that now.

    From Sirs point of view, what is the <i>front</i> reason?

    Here came the test. That Grand Duke, while I was feeling dejected here, still had time to ask for another ss of wine. Judging from their bearings, the people around us were most likely not waiters, but knights.

    My appointment as an official Viscount was a reward for my achievements in Finnoi. As for my appointment as the governor of Anheim, it was something that the royal family did to appease the nobles dissatisfaction toward me.

    Though, I thought the promotion was more of a reward for all of my past achievements, not only for my achievement in Finnoi. But in order to also pacify the nobles who were dissatisfied with me, the promotion came hand in hand with my appointment as a governor of Anheim.

    After all, Anheim was a territory located on the border, so being appointed as the governor there meant I was being chased out from the capital to the border. So, my appointment was virtually a demotion.

    Actually, being appointed as an official Viscount as a Count heir was a really good reward. Even when I would seed my father and be a Count in the future, I would still receive my sry as an official Viscount until I died. For me, it would be like receiving a pension for life.

    In fact, this <b><i>pension for life</i></b> was often the reason why some Count families were richer than others. The family head of those rich Count families umted achievement in their youth that made them being appointed as a Viscount. Because of that, they would receive the Viscount sry for the rest of their life. Well, there were also cases when the family head, who had the Viscount title, died and the family ended up falling into debt because the heirs were unable to adapt to a sudden halt of the Viscount sry.

    Normally, a newly appointed Viscount needed to employ servants and knights, so the budget for that was also included in the viscount sry. However, in my case, since I was already the heir of a Count family, I didnt need to do that, so the whole employment budget went into my pocket.

    The money I would receive <b><i>each month</i></b> would be roughly equal to 1 million yen in my previous life. Frankly, it still didnt feel real. Although I was sure that how I would spend this money would be watched, as for by whom, I wouldnt mention it here.

    (T/N: One million yen is about US$7646.46)

    But Anheim was a pretty unprofitable region. Because Triot was already destroyed, I wouldnt be able to do any trade with Triot. All in all, I was sent to a <i>not-so-good</i> location.

    I remember that when my appointment as Anheim governor was announced, some nobles looked at me with sympathy. There were also those who looked at me with a satisfied gaze, though. Ever since the battle in Finnoi and the incident with Gezarius, I already knew that many nobles saw the Zeavert house as apetitor, though I couldnt care less.

    By the way, it was an unspoken rule that the territory lord and its governor could pocket  of the goods cirction tax in their region. That was a huge amount, more than enough to make a living. That was whypetition over being governor of a territory with a lot of good cirction was really fierce. After all, money woulde pouring in even if you didnt really do anything.

    There was also a tax for using bridges to transport goods besides the goods cirction tax, so for governors who wanted to umte wealth, trading with other countries and other territories was important. It didnt matter to me, though.

    Its true that many feel jealousy andpetitiveness toward Sir. Quite a few of them have even madeints to His Majesty and officials in the pce.

    Is that even my fault, though?

    In addition, Duke Grunding thinks highly of Sir, so Sir is also viewed as a powerful rival for those who wanted to get Princess Lauras hand in marriage.

    That sort of thing is just a nuisance for me and thats not even my fault!

    I Immediately added that without even thinking, and the Grand Dukeughed. Grudgingly, I threw the meat on the te into my mouth. All of my actions just now were a vition of noble manners, but who cared about that?!

    After I had finished chewing, the Duke asked me again, How about the <i>hidden</i> reason?

    The <i>hidden</i> reason was the Demon Generals, Gezarius.

    The Grand Duke probably knew about Gezarius and the reason why the people here were all knights was so we could talk about Gezarius freely.

    Because Gezarius had escaped to the former Triot region, the kingdom needed someone who could handle him there. However, the kingdom hadnt announced about Gezarius existence to the general public, so the kingdom couldnt send a famous general or arge army there.

    That was where I came in. The kingdom needed someone who could hold Gezarius at the bay until the reinforcement from the capital came and they judged I would be capable of doing exactly that.

    In addition, I thought the kingdom also wanted me to act as bait. Because Gezarius was more likely to attack the ce where I was, the other ces could rx a bit.

    I knew I was beingpletely used, but I would ept it because it could at least prevent the capital from being attacked by a Demon General and Heavenly Kings in session.

    In the event I seeded in defending Anheim until the reinforcement from the capital came, I would be called back to the capital with the excuse of <i>look, hes talented so it would be a waste to let him rot in Anheim!</i> No one would object to my return. After all, if anyone still objected, they would bebeled as being a jealous person.

    If the opposite happened and I failed to defend Anheim, the royal family would persuade the nobles with <i>his opponent was a Demon General so it couldnt be helped</i> and would call me back to the capital. The reason the kingdom didnt announce that my opponent would be a Demon General was so they could use this excuse.

    As for what would happen if I died in the battle with Gezarius I didnt bother to think about it. I didnt want to and had no intention of dying. I would focus my attention on how I could defend Anheim.

    Both His Highness and I have no intention of letting Sir die. I just hope Sir can believe me in this.

    Of course, I will.

    I wasnt afraid of the kingdom letting me die, not because I was confident of my value or anything but because of my rtionship with the hero, Mazell. If I died, Mazell would get angry and this could put the countrys future at risk.

    The kingdom also had another hidden agenda for sending me to Anheim, that was to <b><i>show off</i></b>. For me to win against Gezarius, I would need the reinforcement from the capital. That was to say, I <b><i>needed</i></b> the Capital Knights.

    On the other hand, if I lose Anheim to the Demon General army, the Capital Knights would retake it. With this, the citizens of the kingdom would know that the power of the Knights and the royal family was needed in order to protect the kingdom. In both cases, my role was to be a stepping stone for the Knights and for the royal family.

    Other than the kingdoms hidden agenda, I had another problem. This time, I was appointed as governor in the capacity of an official Viscount, so I couldnt bring the knights of the Zeavert house with me. I could take Neurath and Schunzel, but Max, Augen, and other knights of Zeavert house were out of the question.

    The kingdom probably did this on purpose so that after I had finished my battle with Gezarius, no one could use the excuse that I did it all with the help of Zeavert knights. Although I understood this intention, the fact remained that I was suffering from ack of staff.

    Of course, the royal family would provide me with some knights and soldiers because I was appointed as a governor of the royal familysnd, but these knights and soldiers would be people who would follow me because <b>I was a governor</b>. Who knew if they would stay with me in a desperate life and death situation?

    Adding to that, my future neighbor in Anheim, Knap house, had a poor rtionship with the Zeavert house. After all, inymans terms, I was a <b><i>brat</i></b> who took away the position of their <b><i>former boss</i></b>. The citizens might not understand anything, but the local mid-level official would treat me with a neutral attitude at best, and no one would support me. I would need to do a defensive battle in these circumstances. Urgh my stomach hurt.

    I will help you, although I cant do it directly. There is also another person who will be helping you.

    Thank you for your kindness.

    I see. The Grand Dukes words meant His Highness would also be supporting me from the shadows. I wouldnt be reserved in using all that <b><i>help</i></b> then. If the kingdom wanted to use me for its hidden agenda, I would have the kingdom cough out all that I needed.

    I would submit the things that I will need for a siege battle at ater date. Other than that

    Still, this situation was quite ironic. I couldnt help but chuckle bitterly inside. If it was a few years ago, being appointed as a governor in a rural area would have made me jump in joy. As a governor of a rural area, the chances that I wouldnt be in the capital when the Heavenly Kings attacked the capital were high. If the worst thing happened, I could just lock myself in that rural area to survive, even if I became poor.

    But right now, leaving the capital, or to be more precise leaving my precious people in the capital made me anxious. If the worst thing happened, I would surely me myself, constantly thinking that if I were in the capital, there must be something that I could have done.

    If Mazell was currently fighting with the first Heavenly King, I should still have time to spare. The real countdown for the attack on the capital would begin when Mazell defeated the third Demon General and the second Heavenly Kings.

    I needed to return to the capital by then, so I would do anything to drag Gezarius out. I would fight with anyone who got in my way.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    I took a deep breath to calm myself. I had another problem to fix before I could focus on the defense battle. I would ask the kingdoms help via the Grand Duke to solve this problem. It wouldnt be fair if I was the only one who had a hard time, right?

    Other than that, I would like to borrow some people.

    People?

    The Grand Duke answered me with an amused look. This guy, was he actually ying with me?

    As I do not have enough experience to be a governor, I want to ask for an assistant.

    Actually, there was another reason why I asked for an assistant. No local officials would listen to a leader who was just a student who hadnt even graduated. If I were a local official, I also wouldnt. Even the officials appointed by the royal family who were ordered to assist me would most likely do their job half-heartedly.

    So, I had to create an image that someone who was more senior than me was monitoring the work of the local officials behind the scene.

    I dont think my subordinates will be the best choice to be your assistant Alright. Ill find someone else for you.

    After all, the Grand Duke was a member of a military faction, so for a <b><i>governor assistant</i></b> a.k.a someone to rein the local officials, a person from the civil faction would be better.

    Please do so. Also, I would like to borrow some people who could act as military instructors. It would be fine even if these people are already retired.

    Hmm I see what youre nning.

    The value of a soldier in the medieval period was differentpared to the value of a soldier in the modern period. The Medieval period was a time where the agricultural revolution was still ongoing and of course, the industrial revolution hadnt started yet. I mean, even shoes here were still handmade. The poption in the medieval period was notrge, so it was a time where the army would have a harder time replenishing their soldiers. Even maintaining the equipment which would be used in war was hard work.

    The reason it wasmon to capture your opponent and get ransom money from them instead of killing them in a war between countries was because human resources were scarce. So all countries had a tacit understanding that it was better to resolve the individual battle with money rather than with lives. For the countries, this method might even be better than some bad peace treaty.

    What was required of the soldiers in this medieval era was understanding the order and choose the best method to execute that order on the spot. An army that would blindly follow theirmanders order was just a second-rate army.

    But as someone who was still a student, I didnt have any confidence to be able to even train a second-rate army. Forcing myself to do what I couldnt do would not end well and frankly, I also didnt have any time to train an army.

    Since I couldnt do it, I just had to throw the responsibility of training the army for this defense battle to others. In a defense battle, training soldiers was more important than training knights and the person in front of me was the formermander of the Capital Defense Army. He probably had the most experience in training soldiers for defense battles than anyone else in this country.

    I understand. Ill find some people for you.

    Thank you very much.

    I needed to look at the state of Anheim first before I could ask for various other supplies that I would need for the defense battle, so I wouldnt ask for the supplies here. Rather, I thought asking for people who could precisely grasp what supplies Anheim was currentlycking was more important, so I would ask the Grand Duke to just prepare some more people for me. Lastly, there were also a few things that I needed to tell the Grand Duke.

    I also have a few other favors that I would like to ask Your Excellency.

    What is it?

    First, please strengthen the defense of the capital.

    While I would be gone, I hoped the kingdom could strengthen the defense of the capital. Actually, the proposal about the creation of new equipment and the road maintenance was all in preparation for an attack on the capital. If the road was in a good condition, the evacuation of the citizens and the movement of the army inside of the capital would be more smooth in case of emergency.

    But maybe it would be more efficient if I didnt submit any proposal and just exined what I wanted.

    Why do you ask that?

    My first reason is because the purpose of the devils infiltrating the capital is still unknown.

    Even now I still didnt know why the devils infiltrated the capital. It was possible that they wanted His Majestys life but it was also possible that they had apletely different objective. I didnt have enough information to guess the reason. In the current state of events, I felt I could no longer tell myself that the infiltration event was merely part of the game scenario.

    There must be an important reason why the devil would go to such a length to even infiltrate the capital. As such, I think it will be unlikely for them to give up because they failed once.

    Hmm I see.

    It might be too hasty for me to say this. But, since the devils failed to attack the capital from the inside, they will most likely try to attack it from the outside now. As Your Excellency knows, the demon army has always relied on their superior number and superior individual strength so it was quite possible for themander of the demon army to think that attacking the capital from the outside was a usible choice.

    So youre saying that theres a chance that the demon army will attack us once again. That makes sense.

    I felt a bit suspicious since the Grand Duke epted my reasoning way too easily. Maybe, the kingdoms upper echelons or the kings closest people already knew the devils aim in attacking the capital, whatever it was an object or a person.

    At least it seemed like the Grand Duke and the kingdom were already aware of the possibility of a second attack on the capital, although I didnt know why. It was probably a state secret so I wouldnt pry. It was a state secret so important that the kingdom didnt even tell the hero in the game. I didnt want to get involved with it.

    Please also take care of Mazells family.

    That goes without saying.

    Well, the kingdom would take care of Mazells family even without my words. After all, if something happened to Mazells family, the kingdom wouldnt be able to face Mazell and the kingdoms reputation would also take a hit.

    I will submit the official proposal document at ater date. Also, If Your Excellency has time, I would like to consult about something elseter.

    Alright. Ill be looking forward to it.

    <b><i>Ill be looking forward to it</i></b>, he said, did he think this was a fun holiday or something!? Even though I was fighting my stomach ache here. Urgh the meat made me feel nauseous.

    After lunch ended, I went around the pce to give my greeting. I still needed to visit the Adventurer Guild, Mercenary Guild, and old man Bert to thank them, but that had to wait until I finished all my work in the pce. I really hoped I had another body right now.

    The former Marquisate Knap was divided in 3 areas and a governor was appointed for each area. The divide was made based on the 3 towns in the marquisate. Anheim, where I was appointed as a governor, was located closest to the border with the former Triot region.

    Of the remaining two, the central town area was assigned to Viscount Grellman. In the Veritza Fortress battle, the Viscount was Count Shandels aide and the count was His Highnesss close aide.

    In short, the viscount was someone from the Crown Princes faction so if I think positively, he was my supporter. He could also be someone who was ordered to monitor me Ah, no, lets just think positively. ArghMy stomach was hurting again.

    Thest area was assigned to Baron Zabel, a person I didnt know. I had to quickly finish my work and greet the two of them today.

    For now, I wanted to know more about Anheim, so I asked for the official documents regarding it and got a thick book in return. Ah, I missed the paper in my previous life. I mean,mb parchment and demon parchment were heavy. The difference of weight between the paper in my previous life and the parchments here was nothing much when I only had to hold one of them, but there were tons of them in this book so it was really heavypared to books made by normal paper in my previous life.

    Incidentally, the official document was written in a pretty interesting way in this world. First, prepare arge sheet of paper then fold it into two.

    The content of the official document would be written two times, once for each side of the fold. Then both sides of the fold would be signed by the person responsible for creating the document and if necessary, they would be signed by witnesses too. After that, the two sides would be cut creating two documents with the exact same content. One would be the original document, while the other would be the copy.

    The cut would be made crooked on purpose. In case the document was needed as evidence in the courtroom, the copy and the original would be matched first. If the cut didnt match with each other, then the document would be considered a fake document. The concept was the same as tally.

    (T/N: Tally here is referring to a piece of wood with notches to indicate the amount that was owed/paid. The tally will be split into two with the debtor and the creditor each holding one piece.)

    If this was a life simtion game, I would be able to move to the Anheim with just a single click of button, but this was a reality, so that would be impossible. Plus, the one who was having the most difficulty right now was probably the people of Marquis Knap who had to move out of Anheim. They needed to make a list of things that they should bring when they move out and the things they should leave in Anheim.

    Because Anheim was now a region directly under the control of the royal family, a slightest mistake in stuff like how many arrows was in Anheim, how much of it would remain in the Anheim, and how much would moved to the new ces would be considered deceiving the royal family so the Knap house must be extra careful.

    Foods, medicine, weapons, and all other supplies like candles used in the governors mansion, tools for the town walls construction, all of these items needed to be checked and listed. Considering that, I would most likely leave the capital in about 10 days.

    So at this point, rather than remembering all the documents about Anheim, it would be better for me to sort which documents I would leave a copy of in the capital. I mean, I didnt know what would be left in Anheim after the people of Knap house left, so I couldnt make a list of what else I should buy for Anheim.

    Really, how did things be like this?

    As I was skimming through the documents whileining, a strange record suddenly caught my eyes. This I could use it. I still have some time before I leave for Anheim, so lets prepare.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    Its been a day since my appointment and today I stopped receiving the invitation letter to the tea party from the nobledies. Maybe they thought that they no longer had any use for a noble who got demoted, or perhaps they thought I would be busy because of my new appointment, so they refrained from sending a new invitation letter. Either way, I was grateful that the letters had finally stoppeding.

    ording to Father, some stupid nobles offered to take care of Mazells family while I was in Anheim, but Father had dealt with them. Perhaps fishing out these nobles was also the royal familys aim in appointing me as Anheims governor.

    Now, I was in the middle of receiving a report regarding what happened to Count Bachem and Lestga after Lilys kidnapping. His Highness was busy today, so he didnt call me to receive the report but rather, an official came to my office.

    First of all, I have been entrusted with words of praise for Viscounts hard work.

    Thank you for your kind words.

    I thought that <i>praise for hard work</i> was just a formality, but apparently, it was not. What I did ended up making the Bain Kingdom gain the upper hand in diplomatic rtions with other countries. Incidentally, even though he was an official, he was the kingdoms messenger to me, so he spoke politely to me.

    However, since our conversation was more about sharing information than an official report, our conversation was more rxed.

    The fact that the devils have infiltrated our country was a rather embarrassing incident for our country internationally but it turns out, the devils had also infiltrated Lestga.

    Oh, I see Wait, demons also infiltrated Lestga!?

    The second half of the sentence surprised me. Now I understood the demons had also made moves against other countries.

    Lestga was currently in the middle of a session conflict between the First Prince and the Second Prince.

    Oh

    Was the session war so fierce that it was even known to the Bain Kingdom? Only the king of Lestga appeared in the game, but it seemed that the kingdom also had two princes. I wondered if the reason why these two princes didnt appear in the game was the same as why the other nobles of the Bain Kingdom didnt appear.

    From what I heard, the person who pulled the string behind this incident was a close aide of the Second Prince. Because of that, the First Princes faction have also extended gratitude to us, albeit unofficially.

    It seemed like Lestgas newly appointed ambassador was a member of the First Princes faction. The old ambassador was being held responsible for the kidnapping incident.

    I wondered if demons tempted the Second Princes faction to kidnap Mazells family, so that the Second Princes faction could force Mazell to be their subordinate? Maybe they were backed into a corner by the First Princes faction, so they chose this path, hoping to turn the table.

    However, because now it was proven that Lestga had also been infiltrated by the devils, the devils might have also infiltrated other countries. Ah, so that was why he said it <b>was</b> an embarrassing incident.

    <i>Our Bain Kingdom has already eliminated the devils who infiltrated our country. But what about your country? </i>Was it something along that line?

    Yes. All this time, other countries have beenughing at us behind our backs for allowing devils to infiltrate our capital, but now since it was known that the devils have also infiltrated Lestga, other countries have changed their attitude and now have been asking our ambassadors on how we can eliminate the devils and teach them to do the same.

    He might be speaking to me, a noble of his own country, even so, this persons way of exining was quite brazen. I wondered if he was an official who held a high position in the diplomatic field, or if he interacted daily with someone like that. Either way, he didnt seem to be just a normal official. He might be a high-ranking official or a perhaps close aide of a noble.

    In any case, I didnt know his position, so I didnt want to show my hands too much. I decided to seamlessly divert the conversation.

    Is the merchant who called himself Rafed also a member of the Second Princes faction?

    Yes, he is. Well, he begged and cried when he was captured, saying that he did not know that it was a n made by a devil.

    Hmm The Second Princes faction wanted to take Mazells family as a hostage so that they could force Mazell to work for them. However, they were unknowingly used by Devils. Devils original n was probably to take Mazells family from Rafed before they entered Lestga, that was why demons were waiting for Rafed outside of the Lestgas walls.

    Because of this incident, the Second Princes faction fell, giving the First Prince a chance to consolidate his position as the heir to Lestgas throne. On the other hand, our country was able to take advantage of the fact that the member of Lestgas royal family was being used by the devil to gain the upper hand in the diplomatic rtionship with Lestga.

    The kingdom would probably use this incident to negotiate tariff prices or something along that line. Our country had also gained a diplomatic advantage over other countries because we sessfully killed the devils that infiltrated the capital. His Highness and our ambassadors, I think they wouldnt be able to get enough sleep in the future. Poor them.

    How about Count Bachem? Why did the Count of our country cooperate with a foreign country?

    Well, that is a quiteplicated story.

    The official smiled bitterly. Why was your expression mixed with pity?

    The current Count Bachem became a Count after he married the former Count Bachems daughter and his current wife is his second wife.

    Then?

    He had a very good rtionship with his first wife. Unfortunately, his first wife passed away because of illness. After that, Count Bachem remarried, but his rtionship with his second wife was not very good.

    Then, the official continued to tell me that the current Count Bachems second wife was, in fact, the former Count Bachems younger sister! His wife was older than him. Whoah your wife was your father-inws younger sister, who was older than you. I could imagine how weak the current Count Bachems position was in his own home.

    Count Bachems eldest son was the son of his first wife while his second son was the son of his current wife, but his current wife insisted that the Counts second son was the rightful heir, and she had pressed the Count to officially acknowledge that daily.

    Well, that is a quitemon story.

    So, Count Bachems motive was also a family dispute. In any case, was the second son even Count Bachems biological son? Well, since this world didnt have DNA tests, I guess no one would ever know.

    Unable to bear with his wife constantly pushing him, the Count finally left his estate and stayed in the capital with his eldest son. While constantly hoping that his wife would die in an <i>ident</i> or <i>illness</i>, the Count met Rafed.

    Rafed must have approached the Count because he needed someone to help him from inside. Rafed imed to be a merchant, but also seemed to know a lot about poison. I remembered one of his men attempted to use a paralyzing poison back when Mazells family was kidnapped.

    Rafed would make the Counts second wife die a <i>natural death</i> in exchange for the Count helping him to bring the Heros family to the capital.

    That was the reason!? What the hell? No wonder His Majesty was that angry. Ah, no, maybe the Count and his eldest son were constantly facing his wifes assassination attempt, and that was why he took a desperate measure. I mean, the noble families were often chaotic behind the screen.

    Either way, Id like to tell him to not involve others in his own family affair.

    The Count exined to His Majesty that the reason why he did so was because the Hero was capable of killing two demon generals. He was a threat to our country, so for the sake of this country, the count wanted to chase Hero off while also sowing the seeds of political strife in another country.

    What did His Majesty say against that?

    I asked while keeping my poker face perfect and my voice calm. I had expected that someone would someday say something like that against Mazell.

    Well, in Count Bachems case, it was used as a mere excuse and I was sure that His Majesty wouldnt ept that excuse since if he did, that would be like dering to the kingdom that the royal family saw Mazell as a threat.

    His Majesty was extremely angry and said <em>how could Sirs personal opinion be an excuse for Sir to cooperate with another country to kidnap our people?</em> Then, His Majesty ordered for the Count to be thrown into the rat hole.

    Well, that was quite

    I felt sorry for him, even though I didnt want to sympathize with him.

    When hearing the word <b><i>prison</i></b>, the image thatmonly came to mind was a room with stone walls and iron bars filled with several people. Commoners prisons in this world were like that too.

    On the other hand, the nobles prisons were different. A noble prison was more like a private room, although there was an iron bar in its window. Of course, there were also harsh prisons where the prisoners would be chained all day long.But the <i>rat hole </i>was on another level.

    <i>A Rat hole </i>was a prison for criminals with heavy crime. It was about one meter high, 40 centimeters wide, and 60 centimeters deep. It was literally a hole surrounded by stone walls with only a thick board acting as a door.

    As anyone could imagine by the size of the hole, an adult couldnt stand up or even lie down inside of it. Count Bachem must sit while leaning on the wall, and he had to eat and sleep constantly in that position. There was no light inside, so it would be pitch ck at night and there was no bathroom.

    You would definitely get PTSD after you entered the rat hole. If a noble was thrown into a rat hole, I suspect that noble would bang their head to the wall and die an idental death

    The Counts eldest son was put into another prison. Soldiers have also been sent to arrest the counts wife and second son. As for Bachem County, it was currently under the control of the royal family.

    I see. I now understand the situation. Thank you for the information and the exnation.

    Although I understood the situation, I didnt want to get involved. I mean, trial and such was the kingdoms responsibility, not mine, so I thanked him politely and after that, he said goodbye to me and left.

    After he had left, I let out a breath. As expected, someone finally brought up the Mazell is dangerous card.

    However, I was d that His Majesty denied it. Plus I might be able to use His Majestys words.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    The next day, I invited many people to the mansion for a meeting. I didnt expect that my decision to investigate the geography of the former Marquisate Knap before was going to be useful now.

    I asked the scouts that I hired to investigate the former Marquisate Knap toe to the mansion and exin the topography, road conditions, and geographical features of the Anheim region. The meeting would probably go for a while since the number of scouts was prettyrge.

    Despite the long continuous meeting, maybe because they understood my circumstances or perhaps because they had already agreed to apany me to Anheim, Neurath, Schunzel, and Frenssen were constantly asking questions and confirming things that even I had missed.

    By the way, in this mansion, there were rooms designed to keep the voices of people inside from leaking outside, and conversely, there were also rooms designed so the voices inside could be heard in the next room. Not all noble mansions had these rooms though.

    Thetter type of room was created so that soldiers could be prepared in the next room when a suspicious guest arrived at the mansion. If that guest turned out to be a criminal or something, the owner of the house could just say Come out, folks! so that the soldiers would surround the suspicious guest Why did this description sound like noble houses were some kind of mafia hideout shown in the movies?

    In any case, that kind of room existed in this mansion, but I had Lily, not soldiers, listen to us from the next room.

    If possible, I would have Lily stay in this room with us since she was going to draw a map of Anheim based on the scouts report, but it would have been strange to have a girl in a maids uniform stay in the room for a long time plus it was unbing as a noble. Honestly, it was just a pain in the neck.

    Proper contour maps didnt exist in this medieval world. When I exined the contour map to Lily, she showed a somehow understand but somehow didnt understand expression. It may be because she had nevere into contact with one before. I should show it to her by making one.

    Well, there were gradient maps in this world. They showed differences in ground elevation of certain ces using color differences. However, only a few people had the ability to urately measure the difference in ground elevation in this world, and national projects to measure the height of all mountains didnt exist in this world because maps were mainly used for the military. As a result, there were many inurate maps avable which were only enough for everyday life.

    That was why, when people were exining an area for a report, they usually used simple expressions like the hill on the left is taller than the hill on the right or there is a road between the valley on the left and the hill on the right. Because of that, depending on where the person who was reporting stood when he surveyed the area, the directions such as left-right, tall-short, and up-down could be jumbled. Therefore, the person who received that report must be careful.

    There were proper rules for directions for Capital Knights, but the people I asked to investigate the former Marquisate Knap were adventurers, not knights. We couldnt exactly call them againter, so Frenssen and the others had to double-check everything. Really, sorry for the trouble everyone.

    Haaah

    It was tiring

    By the time we had finished listening to the reports of about 20 scouts, we were all exhausted. Lily, who had been listening from the next room, came to our room and poured us some tea even though she looked tired herself. Thank you, Lily.

    Perhaps being considerate of us, the tea that Lily made was lukewarm so we could immediately drink it. We all drank our first cup of tea in one gulp.

    May I have another cup?

    I would like to have another cup of tea, too, please.

    Me too. And Lily, take a break. Enjoy some tea with us too. (Welner)

    Yes. Thank you very much. (Lily)

    Everyone, including me, asked for a second cup of tea. After Lily served our second cup of tea, I took it and sipped the tea while looking at the notes and the rough drawing we had made earlier. Finally, I felt that I had a rough understanding of Anheimsnd.

    Frenssen, is everything that I asked you this morning ready?

    Yes. The wheat has been brought to a separate room.

    All right. After we have some rest, lets go to that room.

    Haaah this was the kind of time when I wanted some choctes and candies.

    After a long rest, we all moved to another room. We cleaned up the room filled with various things and we also brought in a small table that could seat about six people, then we set up arge tray-like board in the middle of the table, andstly, we ced frames around that board to prevent it from falling. Perfect.

    What are you going to do with this, sir?

    Theres something that I want to create. Im nning to create it based on information given by scouts, so if you notice Im making some mistakes, feel free to speak up.

    Without wasting any time, I scooped up the Keite wheat from a bag with a bowl and dumped it directly onto the board. Everyone here was surprised. Well, I nned to just show them all how it worked rather than giving them any exnation.

    After dumping some more Keite wheat on top of the board, I spread it out roughly so it would act as a surface. Then, I dumped more Keite wheat on top of that surface and created a hill and valley made of Keite wheat. Lily was the first person who caught on to what I was nning to create.

    Um Welner-sama, the hill youre making now should be a little higher.

    Really?

    Yes. Because if you create it of that size, it will not match the height of the hill that should be on this side.

    Is this size okay?

    Yes, and this area should be a little higher.

    After hearing our conversation, everyone else seemed to finally understand what we were doing. Frenssens expression changed and he left the room after saying Pardon me!

    Ah, right, the Keite wheat I had here wascking.

    Neurath and Schunzel also started working together with me, and with the notes and rough drawing they had made earlier in hand, they began to make various changes to the board. As expected, it was better for me to directly show them how to do it first, then let them learn by themselves rather than giving them some exnation.

    After Frenssen returned to the room, we worked together to make a 3-dimensional model of the scouts report. With this, I finally understood the detailed topography of Anheim including the mountainous areas, valleys, hills, ces where I could easily hide soldiers, and also roads to take for the army to move efficiently.

    Alright. Were finally finished! (Welner)

    Wow. This really made the scouts report more understandable. (Lily)

    Lily was impressed with my work. I felt ttered by her praise, but you know Lily, this was actually nothing much. You only felt impressed because you didnt have the memory of past life like me. Neurath and Schunzel, who had only known t maps used by the military for their entire life, were dumbstruck as they were gazing at thepleted model. Since maps themselves were rare, three-dimensional topographic models could be called a wonder in this world, so I guess their reaction made sense.

    Lily, could I trouble you to make 3 maps based on this? Its fine even if you take 2 days to finish it. Id also like to see a drawing of the view from this side at this height and a view from that side at about the same height.

    Understood.

    Thank you for your cheerful reply with a smile, Lily. I felt sorry for her because Id constantly asked her to draw for me. I also got a feeling that Mother wouldin soon if I kept asking Lily to draw.

    In any case, now that I could observe thepleted model, it was hard to say that Anheims terrain was easy to defend. I think it would be better to improve the defensive facilities in Anheim rather than relying on the terrain. No, Id rather use.

    Welner-sama, where did you get the idea to make this?

    Hmm? Well, from nowhere. I just wanted to make the report easier to understand for myself.

    I responded to Frenssens question. The information I had was definitelycking, so at least I wanted to make sure that I could use every bit of information I had. I didnt think I would be assigned as the governor of Anheim though.

    Ill create a hazard map of the County in the future..

    Hasard mops?

    Lily replied doubtfully to my mumbling. I really should fix my bad habit of speaking what I was thinking out loud. I mean since this world didnt have a topography model, there was no way it had something like a hazard map Wait.

    Lily, Ill be counting on you for the drawing. Frennsen, dont let anyone clean this room until Lily finishes her drawing. Neurath and Schunzel help Lily when she has any trouble.

    Ye..yes, sir.

    Welner-sama?

    Everyone looked at me with confused expressions because I suddenly spoke without pause, but I couldnt care less about that now. I needed to check that immediately.

    Theres something that I need to check, so Im going first. Ill leave the rest to all of you.

    Without waiting for their replies, I left the room. Then I went to the butlers chambers to look for Norbert. I got a feeling that the maids were looking at me strangely because I was walking too fast.

    Norbert, I need the key to the archive.

    As soon as I found Norbert, I immediately asked him.

    My, Welner-sama, I had heard you were in the midst of your work. Is there anything you need from the archive?

    He must have noticed that I was acting a bit strange, but he answered my question in his usual tone. As expected of Count houses butler. Of course, I had already thought of a good lie to answer this question on my way here.

    As you know, I have been appointed as a governor. So I was hoping that I could use the record of the previous Counts as a reference for my new job as a governor.

    Ah, you wish to read the administration records of the previous Counts.

    He said that while taking out the keychain with various keys. Then, he took a magicmp and we went to the archive together. After we had reached there, Norbert used one of the keys in his hand and opened the archives door.

    Wow. The archive was about an eight-tatami mat room. Not toorge, but was still pretty impressive. Bookshelves covered almost all the walls of the room except for the doors and windows. As expected of the archive of a ministers house. Browsing all the records here would take me a really long time. I should start with the record closest to me then.

    (T/N: 8 tatami mat is roughly equal to 12.4 m / 133.4 ft)

    Then, I will leave first. Please be careful.

    I know.

    By be careful, Norbert was telling me to handle precious records carefully so as not to damage them. Well then, lets start with the record of agricultural administration. I may also need to search the diaries of the previous Counts to find what I needed.

    I didnt really need to read these records in detail, so I just skimmed through the pages. After checking nearly ten books, I was stunned to confirm that my memory was correct.

    Why was there no record ofrge-scale natural disasters in this world?

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    In my entire life here, or at the very least from the time I regained my memory of the past life, I didnt remember ever experiencing any natural disaster. The closest thing to a natural disaster that I had experienced was some poor harvests, but even that wasnt something huge to the point of making the citizens starve. I had no recollection of natural disasters that could wipe out an entire vige like starvation, famine, or floods.

    It made sense for natural disasters like volcanic eruptions to not be recorded in any of the records I had read. After all, even Mount Fuji hadnt erupted in hundreds of years. Theck of earthquakes could be exined as a difference in the geographical features of this world and Japan. Lastly, theck of famine in a decade or so of my life in this world could be just a coincidence.

    But for there to be no storm, flood, or snowstormrge enough to destroy houses in the past hundred years? That wasnt normal.

    There was a slight possibility that Zeavert County was extremely lucky, so for the past hundreds of years, no natural disaster had urred in the county. But if natural disasters had urred in other noble territories, the diaries of past counts would have mentioned it. Yet, I didnt find anything even in the diaries. That would mean no natural disaster had ever urred in the entire kingdom for the past few hundred years. That didnt make sense.

    It was true that there were not many natural disasters in the old RPG games. Even an event like a flood that made the protagonist unable to cross the roads was usually resolved by defeating the boss. Well, I guess, as a yer, I wouldnt want some random natural disaster to stop my progress, so I understood why the developers rarely added natural disasters in the old RPG games.

    But this world was no longer a game world. This was a real world where people lived with nature just like in my previous world, so howe there wasnt any natural disaster in this world? An exnation that <i>it was because this world was a fantasy world</i> didnt cut it.

    Come to think of it, some of the things in this world that I had thought were strange might be connected to this. I put the book away and started to trace my thoughts.

    In my previous world, it could be said that science started from peoples wish to understand nature. For example, astronomy in Ancient Egypt was derived from peoples observation of the stars to determine when the Nile River would flood or when to start sowing seeds.

    Early astronomy relied only on the observation of the position of the stars and, eventually, the idea of measuring and predicting the position of the stars developed, which catalyzed mathematics to develop even more. Simrly, alchemy was how chemistry was derived.

    There was no astronomy or alchemy subject in the academy. I wasnt interested in both of them, so I used to not care if they exist or not in the academys curriculum, but now that I think more deeply, it was strange that these 2 subjects didnt exist. There were only practical subjects like herbology, trade, and engineering in the academy, while for some reason, subjects rted to natural science were barely taught in the academy.

    This kingdom had the technology to build that kind of aqueduct, yet for some reason, the mathematics in this world was very behind. In my opinion, people of this world only knew arithmetics, not mathematics. Maybe the powerful people of this world had a monopoly on advanced knowledge. That was why the people of this world seemed to be behind No, I didnt think that was the only reason Then

    Perhaps demons were the recement for natural disasters in this world?

    Nature was dangerous in my previous world, which was why people tried to understand it, but for the people of this world, nature was just a harmless water, air, and soil while demons were the ones that were dangerous.

    Here, a lot of people died because of demon outbreaks and demon attacks not because of floods and famines. That was why the people of this world neglected natural science and instead focused their effort on magic and magic tools, things that could help them fight demons.

    I had always thought that people of this world were all muscle-brained, but maybe I felt like that simply because the things needed to survive in my previous world and here were very different. In my opinion, being muscle-brained was needed so that the people of this world could survive the demons, as opposed to my previous life where you needed to be smart to understand nature in order to survive.

    But if astronomy didnt develop in this world, why did an astrbe exist in the Star Counting Tower? I remembered the old man Uwe exining in the game that he had discovered it from his research of the Ancient Kingdom Wait

    Talking about the Ancient Kingdom, I remembered the ruins made in the era of the Ancient Kingdom were really sturdy. You needed to know advanced math besides architectural knowledge to build things sturdy enough that it could still stand even now.

    In the first ce, what were dungeons? Not all dungeons of this world were tombs, so to define dungeons as mass tombs wasnt right.

    Then, dungeons were built underground here, but why? Was it because something happened on the surface that made it unsafe so the ancient people built dungeons underground? That something was it a <b>natural disaster</b>?

    What if what we considered dungeons now were, in fact, disaster shelters. The herbs that didnt rot and out-of-this-world equipment that could be found in the dungeon were a survival supply for the shelters.

    If this world actually had the technology to build a sturdy underground facility on the level of the dungeons, then the kingdom should have also considered building another underground facility as one of the countermeasures against the demon army. But the kingdom didnt do that. The underground facility that existed in the kingdom was only at the level of the basement prison and underground mine.

    This would mean the kingdom <b>didnt have the knowledge and technology </b>needed to create underground facilities like the dungeons, even though they could create underground mines. Would that meanthe majority of knowledge and technology of the Ancient Kingdom needed to create the underground facilities were lost, while the little knowledge and technology that had remained were passed down secretly among a small number of people?

    Because of the absence of threats from nature, this world had little to no need for natural science and that was how people gradually stopped learning about natural science. It resulted in this world that seemed to have the same technological advancement and knowledge as the medieval period in my previous life Was that what had actually happened in this world?

    This world had things that could only be created using natural science knowledge, but the people of this era couldnt recreate them. Basically, the people of this era had a fracture of technologies used by the Ancient Kingdom but had lost the method of creating those technologies.

    The history of this world started from the Ancient Kingdom era, then the previous demon king resurrection era, the era of chaos after the previous demon king was defeated, the war period before the kingdoms were formed, andstly the medieval period era that I was currently in. If it was true that only a portion of the technology from the Ancient Kingdom era had remained now, then

    Wait a minute. In the first ce, what exactly was the demon king?

    If my assumption that demons were a substitute for natural disasters in this world was correct, then what exactly was a demon king? If scientific knowledge like astronomy and mathematics existed along with the knowledge of magic in the era of the Ancient Kingdom, was it a coincidence that only scientific knowledge was lost after the demon king destroyed the Ancient Kingdom?

    Also, did the technology that was capable of creating the high-ranking equipment disappeared along with the scientific knowledge?

    What exactly was the demon king? And why did his appearance in the Ancient Kingdom era cause the disappearance of the scientific knowledge and the technology capable of creating high-quality equipment? Was it just a coincidence? Also, was the current demon king the same kind of existence as the previous demon king?

    The appearance of the demon king of this era was called the resurrection of the demon king because that was what the oracle that Laura received said, but to what extent could we believe Lauras oracle to be true? Was the demon king of this era truly the previous demon king who had been resurrected? Or, did these demon kings only share their positions as demon kings, but werepletely different existences?

    Then, howe despite both the Demon Generals and The Four Heavenly Kings being executives of the demon army, the generals got revived in the game but the Four Heavenly Kings didnt? Also, maybe knowing whether the demon king was a position or a specific person could shed some light on my questions?

    Welner-sama, are you there? I apologize for bothering you, but there is something that I need to discuss with you.

    I came to my senses when I heard a voice from outside. I almost got lost too far in my own thoughts. That was dangerous. In any case, the information I had now wascking, so I could only create hypotheses for now. Trying to solve the questions I had with only hypotheses might make me stuck in confusion, so I should stop here for now. Though, I got the feeling that I had touched on some incredibly important facts about this world.

    For now, handling Gezarius was more important, but I would search for more informationter. I didnt know where I could gain information about the Ancient Kingdom and the demon king, though.

    With many unanswered questions in my mind, I decided to leave the archive.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    It was almost sunrise. Smoke rose around us and the bandits were running away. I didnt have any obligation to spare the bandits, so I ordered my men to keep attacking them.

    No need to force yourself to pursue them but as long as it is still possible, take them all down without mercy.

    Yes, sir!

    The first thing I did when I entered the Anheim region was to leave the transport team and go fight the bandits. I mean, it would be hard for me to do anything in Anheim if the roads connecting Anheim to other territories were full of bandits, plus I wanted to evaluate the ability of the knights and soldiers the kingdom had given to me.

    I instructed Sir Holzdeppe, the knight who was the representative of the military officers given to me as a governor, to attack the bandits as I was fighting the bandits with my spear on the frontline. We were fighting with many bandits, but since we seeded in catching them off guard, the bandits couldnt put up any organized resistance against us.

    Although it was normal for amanding officer like me to stand back and watch my subordinates work, I couldnt do that this time. Just like how I was evaluating the soldiers and knights given to me, they were also evaluating me, their new governor.

    To begin with, the difference in strength between the bandits, knights, and soldiers was actually quiterge, proven by what happened in the Jacquerie.

    (T/N: The Jacquerie is a peasant rebellion that happened in 1358 in northern France.)

    Viscount, some of our enemies have started to escape!

    The enemy on which side?

    The enemy on our left side. They seem to be running toward the valley.

    You dont need to chase them, then. Ive already sent Schunzel and the mercenaries to wait in that area, so we just have to wait for Schunzels report here.

    The kingdom gave me 30 knights and 60 infantries. Neurath was attacking the bandits on the right side with 20 infantry under hismand, while Schunzel was standing by in the valley with 20 mercenaries.

    As for the transportation unit, they were waiting for me while being escorted by 5 knights, 10 infantry, and half of Gekke-sans mercenary team. That was more than enough force to kill any bandits that tried to attack them. The officials given by the kingdom and Frenssen were also traveling along with the transportation unit.

    Urghhh!!

    Too weak!

    Perhaps out of desperation, a bandit rushed at me but I repelled his attack and pierced through his torso with my spear. His movements were slower than Gargoyle and his skin wasnt as tough as the Alligator Warriors. I think I could defeat the bandits around this area as long as I didnt let my guard down.

    I originally thought that my evaluation would improve in the eyes of my new subordinates if I killed more bandits. However, all the surrounding bandits had already been killed, so I could not do that.

    Well done, Viscount.

    Its all thanks to the information I got from the Marquis.

    Sir Holzdeppe seemed to have acknowledged me as his superior. That was good. My reply toward Sir Holzdeppes words wasnt me trying to be modest or anything though, since it was true that the information I had gotten from the Marquis was a big help.

    I went to greet Marquis Knap in the capital before I set off to Anheim. I was prepared for the Marquis to be hostile toward me since I was the governor of his former territory, but the Marquis looked at me with sympathy instead. He thought of me as a poor young noble who was being kicked out of the capital despite his excellence because I had offended an influential person in the capital.

    I felt like a student who got a straight C despite his hard work and was being pitied by his teacher. When the Marquis said, <i>Sirs hard work will bear fruit in the future</i>, I honestly didnt know how to react.

    Although because of that, I was able to hear the detailed situation of Anheim from the Marquis and the situation was pretty bad.

    In short, because the Knap house lost quite a few knights and soldiers in the Veritza Fortress incident, coupled with the fact that refugees came to Anheim from time to time, the Knap house was facing a seriousck of staff.

    In the meantime, the bandits who were active in the now-ruined Triot escaped to Anheim to avoid being killed by the demons in Triot. As a result, the number of bandits in Anheim had increased explosively, yet because of theck of staff, the Knap house was unable to exterminate them all. All of this led to these bandits bing unruly and often attacking the vulnerable citizens and the refugees in the Anheim region.

    The Knap house was able to maintain the public order in the town and its surrounding area somehow, but not in the whole Anheim region. Although I was grateful to the Marquis for helping me to gain the location of the bandits hideout along with double checking the geographical information of Anheim, the situation of Anheim was still a headache.

    After hearing about the situation of Anheim from the Marquis, I decided to make my move even though I hadnt taken up my position as the governor of Anheim. I mean, it would be terrible if I battled the demons in an area that had poor public order. It wouldnt be funny if the bandits stole the armys supplies while we were fighting with the demons. That was why I decided to clean up the bandits as soon as possible.

    I had just destroyed the second bandits base even though I hadnt even stepped a foot into Anheim Town, the heart of the Anheim region where it got its name from.

    I was able to catch the bandits off guard because I had spread the rumor that I would send out arge force to exterminate the bandits after I arrived at the town. That was why they didnt think that I would attack them even before I arrived in the town.

    At first, Sir Holzdeppe was one of the people who insisted that I should go to Anheim Town first before exterminating the bandits, but after I destroyed the first bandits base with the mercenaries and told him that he didnt have toe with me if he didnt want to, he changed his attitude.

    I think he just didnt want the mercenaries to take all the credit for defeating the bandits, so this time I attacked another bandits base, mainly with the knights and the infantry, along with the motivated Sir Holzdeppe. I was d that we brought a lot of magicmps here since it made our night surprise attack on the bandit a lot easier.

    Well move to the next location after Schunzel returns.

    Pardon??

    Even bandits werent idiots. Since we had destroyed two of their bases, they would soon notice that we were here to exterminate them. Still, they would most probably think that since we had already destroyed two of their bases, we would now return to the town. So, this would be the best time to destroy another one, even if it meant that I would need to take a bit of a detour to the Anheim town.

    I would just ignore Sir Holzdeppes confused expression.

    Will the official notin?

    Ill hear theirints after we reach the town. So, will Sire with me or not?

    Please let mee with you.

    Well, I was nning to go with Neurath and Gekke-sans mercenary team if Sir Holzdeppe refused toe with me. Anyway, should I order the cavalry to take another way so I could make a surprise attack on the bandits? But if I did that, considering the terrain of Anheim, the cavalry might be useless instead.

    ording to the information I received from the Marquis, our next target created their base in a ce where they would have an easier time robbing the citizens without really caring if the base was easy to defend or not. It would be more trouble than it was worth if the bandits there were to escape because I decided to attack themter.

    If we eliminated this third bandits base, we could ensure the safety of the road that led to the ce where Viscount Grellman was appointed as a governor, albeit only to a certain extent, so there was no reason that I shouldnt destroy them. We might have to take a bit of detour to the town, but we should go and destroy the third bandits base before heading to the town. I should send a message to the town that I would arrive there tomorrow morning.

    I decided on my n as Schunzels team returned.

    Just like what I had expected, we arrived at Anheim town in the morning the next day. Normally, the arrival of a new governor wasnt something that would garner a lot of attention but this time, I arrived in Anheim along with the captured bandits, cavalry, civil officials, infantry, and mercenaries, so I garnered a lot of attention.

    I didnt want to stand out, but by making a grand entrance like this, I would be able to nt an impression that I was not an easy to control puppet governor to this towns influential people, so I had no choice but to enter the town like this.

    Although I felt a lot of attention toward me, I could also feel the townsck of enthusiasm. The town itself probably became more deserted after Triot was destroyed.

    This town, which had the same name as the region in which it was located, bordered the now-destroyed Triot, so it prioritized its defense overmerce. After all, even though Triot had an amicable rtionship with the Bain Kingdom, it was still a foreign country. Anheim Town was a fortress town designed to be able to defend itself if it was attacked by an enemy.

    As a town intended to protect the border, the number of guards stationed throughout it wasrge. Ballistas were also ced on the town wall. From a nce, it looked like there was no need for me to modify the town wall, although I still needed to check it carefully, just to be sure.

    The town guards and the officials were waiting in front of the administrative building where the official business of this town would be conducted. I needed to leave an impression that I was powerful in front of them, so while riding my horse toward the administrative building, I put on my noble mask.

    Thanks foring. Im Welner von Zeavert.

    We have been waiting for your arrival.

    They were appraising me, although carefully, so they wouldnte out as rude. Well, I expected this, and I, for my part, would also not let them take me lightly for being young.

    Good work. First, throw these bandits to prison for me. Their leader will be executed in 3 days.

    Yes?

    One of the officials was surprised, but I ignored him.

    Did you not hear me? Their leader will be executed in 3 days. This territory is now <b><i>His Majestys territory</i></b> and <b><i>I</i></b> am a governor appointed by His Majesty. As such, I will execute them per the rule of this kingdom.

    A Marquis could create rules unique to his own territory, so the procedure for judging criminals here when it was still a part of Marquisate Knap might be different. But now Anheim was part of the royal familys territory, and I needed to firmly make that fact clear.

    I will say this onest time. The execution will be carried out in 3 days. Notify the whole town about the execution.

    While I raised my voice to say this, my surroundings burst out in cheers. Good grief.

    Just like in Medieval Europe, the execution was a form of entertainment for themoners here too. Of course, execution wouldnt be held willy nally just for the sake of entertainment, but there was no doubt that execution carried a value of entertainment for themoners in the medieval period who had too few forms of entertainment.

    Of course, not everyone enjoyed the execution. Lily, for example, wouldnt want to go to execution. Still, the fact that there was a demand for entertainment via execution remained.

    Truthfully, I also didnt enjoy looking at an execution, but here, the executed people were bandits who had been running rampant in Anheim. I had to show the people that I had executed them, so there wouldnt be any groundless usation that I secretly let them escape. Ordering their execution here calmly should also help me manage the territory in the future.

    I need to take a bath before meeting the Pledgers, so lead the way. Show my subordinates their lodging and lodge for the mercenaries, too.

    YYes, sir.

    UUnderstood.

    I gave a signal and entered the administrative building along with Neurath, Schunzel, Frenssen, and Sir Behnke, one of the civil officials. It was normal for the administrative building to have a bathing facility, since there were simple amodations in the administrative building for the visitor that came from afar.

    I could probably only take a simple bath here, though. At most, I would just be able to wash myself a bit with cold water taken from the nearby river. But that was fine. It wasnt like this was the first time I experienced something like this. It was important for me to at least clean myself before meeting this towns important people, after all.

    After this, a new battlefield was waiting for me.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    When the four of us (without Frenssen) entered the conference room, all the geezers in the room turned their gazes at us.

    Most of them seemed to be evaluating me but some of them clearly looked down on me, who was a youngster. Geezers, you think your gazes were scary? I had even faced the Crown Prince and militarymanders because of my arbitrary leave in Finnoi. This much was nothing.

    Greeting. Im Welner von Zeavert, the new governor of Anheim. Pleased to see you all, Sirs.

    Congrattions on your appointment, Viscount-sama.

    The old man who was sitting in the highest seat at the table bowed to me first and the rest followed suit. That guy was probably the Pledgers leader. After all of us finished our introduction, I immediately jumped to the job. I gave a signal to the officials and they started to pass around the portrait I had prepared.

    This is?

    This guy is Mangold. Some of you might have seen this guy before.

    The Pledgers reaction to my words was all different. Some of them took a second look at the portrait while some of them looked in my direction. Everyone here must have remembered the face of Marquis Knap, their former lord, but they might have never seen or have seen but have forgotten, the face of their lords eldest son. After all, this world didnt have any television. For the time being, I would ignore their reaction and continue.

    By the way, this portrait was made by this countrys legal officials.

    As Sirs probably have heard, Mangold has caused many disturbances in the capital.

    By giving us this portrait, are you saying that Mangold is in this town?

    No, thats not my meaning, but he has indeed disappeared, and the most likely ce for him to flee is to the former Marquisate Knap.

    That guy hesitated while saying Mangold, probably because he wasnt used to calling Mangold with no honorifics. After all, Mangold was still the son of the family who had been the lord of thisnd for generations. Although, objectively speaking, there was no reason or benefit for anyone to be respectful to Mangold, breaking a habit that had been passed from generation to generation was still hard.

    I would like all of you to help me ensure Mangold isnt hidden anywhere in the Anheim region, including town. Anyone who is found to be hiding Mangold will be punished ording to the kingdomsw.

    I purposely emphasized the <b><i>kingdomsw</i></b> in order to leave an impression that the kingdom was standing behind me, exactly like the idiom <i>the fox borrows the tigers awe</i>.

    I reviewed the current situation inside of my head while watching everyone whisper to each other.

    Because the kingdom ordered me to fight Gezarius and protect this border from the demon army, I have no other choice but to deal with the regions internal politics first.

    Although I still had questions about the truth of this world, the answer wasnt something I could get by only looking through the record in Zeaverts mansion. I needed to do more deep research to find my answers, but I couldnt just throw away my job in Anheim to do that. Serving the royal court was a hard job.

    I also had suspicions about Gezarius. I think he might have roamed freely in the capital since after I had fought with the demon outbreak, yet what he did in that long time was only to lure Mangold to work together with him. That made no sense.

    Because of that suspicion, I had asked Father to investigate what Puckler did while he was still in the capital. I had a bad feeling that if I didnt take care of Gezarius soon, something terrible would happen. That was why, for now, I had put aside all of my questions about this world and focused my attention on dealing with Gezarius and his army. The road was still long until Mazell would defeat the demon king. My stomach hurt

    By the way, the town governance in this world was done through a group of representatives called the Pledgers Council. The Pledgers Council was an organization where the heads of the various guilds in a town gathered.

    To put it in simpler terms, the Pledgers Council was like an economic organization where the CEOs of variouspanies gathered in my previous life, with the leader of various guilds as members instead of CEOs. The name Pledgers Council came from the fact that its members had pledged allegiance to the King despite the fact that all of its members belong to their own organization.

    For example, if the citizens requested a bridge repair, that request would be first brought up to the Pledgers Council, and after that, the governor and the Pledgers Council would discuss whether that repair was truly necessary. If it was necessary, they would discuss how much of the towns budget should be used for that repair and how much temporary tax should be collected to cover the cost of repair. In this kind of situation, the temporary tax was often in the form ofbor forces, not money.

    The Pledgers Council would also form severalmittees with the members of the council as themittees members and each of thesemittees would be responsible for managing the taxes revenue, financial ounting, and judicial affairs of the town. In case someonemitted an assault crime in the town, two members of the Pledgers Council and four government officials would work together to form amittee that would be responsible for the trial of the assault crime.

    As for the town officials, their position was below themittee formed by the Pledgers Council. Their job was simr to corporate middle management in my previous world. In addition, the captain of the towns guard was usually also a member of the Pledgers Council, and the guard itself was made up of the towns citizens. This was how the governance system in a town usually worked, while the capital had a more structured governance system.

    The size of the Pledgers Council was also different depending on the towns. You could also know what sort of town it was by observing its Pledgers Council. For example, the leader of the Ore Guild would be a member of the Pledgers Council if the town had a mine near it, while for the town that didnt have any mine near it but rather got their tax revenue from farming and rearing animals, then the leader of the Ore guild wouldnt be the member of that towns Pledgers Council.

    What was unique or should I say as expected was the fact that the leader of the Adventurer Guild would be a member of the Pledgers Council of all towns.

    After all, the Adventurer Guild yed an important role in almost all the economic sectors of the town. It was important to have their representative in Pledgers Council to ensure better coordination with other guilds.

    Another unique thing about the Pledgers Council of this world was to only have one religious leader as its member. In my previous world, the same area could have different churches from different religious orders, such as the church of Jesuit or the church of Dominicans, so if something like the Pledgers Council existed in my previous world, there would be more than one religious leader inside of it. However, the church of this world was united. Well, an internal power struggle between the Supreme Priest faction and other factions did exist, but at least on the outside, the whole church was united. Moreover, it wasmon here for a town to only have one church.

    Also, the church of this world worked as both a religious facility and a medical facility, so the head of the church here naturally had quite a bit of influence. I hoped at least the head of the church in this town was neutral to me.

    Incidentally, I heard that you had exterminated several bandits groups.

    Yeah. Its best to take care of what I can do now as soon as possible.

    As the representative of the Commerce Guild, I would like to thank you for restoring the public order on the road. Also, I had heard that the bandits leaders would be executed.

    Correct. As for the rest of the bandits, they would be sentenced to forcedbor.

    In a town that was located in a suburb like this Anheim town, prisons did exist but it wasnt built to be able to keep criminals for a long period, plus the town didnt have enough personnel to guard the prisoners 24/7 for a long period. We also couldnt afford the resources and effort that would be needed to transport all criminals here to the capital that had the facility for long-time imprisonment, so unless the criminal did a truly horrible crime, criminals caught in suburban towns like Anheim would be sentenced to forcedbor.

    They were treated pretty simr to the ves in my previous world. But unlike the ves in my previous world, the criminals facing forcedbor sentences would often be released if their work was good and they had worked long enough. The treatment of theborers that worked in the town was also betterpared to the treatment of theborers that worked in the mines since typically,borers that worked in the mine were criminals who were punished directly by the country because of their heavier crime.

    Though, I also couldnt say that theborers that worked in the town livedfortably. Depending on what work they were assigned to, their life expectancy might decrease.

    Now stated exactly how long a criminal must be a forcedborer. If the Pledgers Council in that town said that the criminal had done enoughbor, then he would be set free. This method of sentencing a criminal to forcedbor without any set deadline might be effective so the criminal could truly repent before they were once again set free. There were also cases where the governor was the one who decided that the criminal could be set free, but <b><i>normally</i></b> the governor couldnt ignore the will of the Pledgers Council to set free anyone that the governor wanted.

    How will the <iborers</i> be distributed?

    I will leave that decision to the Sirs here.

    Well, well, that was quite generous of you, Sir.

    My answer invited some probing gazes from the Pledgers, but some of the Pledgers also sent me a grateful look. Because you didnt need to pay any sries to the forcedborers and you only needed to give them food, many guilds wanted them. There were even towns where the Pledgers Council would send out security forces on purpose to catch criminals to make them into forcedborers.

    But when the Pledgers did this, most of the distribution of theborers had already been decided beforehand. This time, though, I caught all the bandits without the Pledgers help and I didnt use any of the town budgets, so I could distribute theborers freely under the authority of the governor. Yet I threw that chance away.

    There are still many things that I havent understood about this region, so in the future, I would like to make my decision after consulting with the council ording to the order of importance. Let us discuss this order of importance togetherter.

    My decision made some of the Pledgers click their tongues. I guess some of these guys were nning to give the ignorant governor documents that were advantageous for them to stamp, but they wouldnt be able to do that since anything that would require my approval would now need to be brought in front of the council first.

    As expected, I couldnt let my guard down around these guys.

    I still have to check the documents regarding this territorys governance in the past so I want to end the meeting here, but before I leave, are there any urgent things that Sirs wishes to discuss with me?

    There is none. Thank you for your consideration, Viscount-sama.

    The meeting ended with the old man, who seemed to be the most important person in the Pledgers Council, bowing his head to me. I guess this old man was still just observing the situation, so for now, everything worked up in my favor. I guess the first round was my win.

    Before anyone in the Pledgers Council started to say stuff like, Ill teach that young man how ignorant he is!, I would make my next move.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    When I entered the office, Frenssen, who was working on documents, stood up and bowed to me. Considering our rtionship, I didnt think I needed to say empty courtesy words to Frenssen, so I asked him directly, So, what did you find?

    As expected, this region is having a hard time dealing with the refugees.

    Right.

    I sat down in the office chair and let out a sigh. If this was a suspense or mystery movie, this was probably the scene where our conversation would be wiretapped, but that sort of magic didnt exist in this world. Even if it did exist, who the heck would use it to wiretap the conversation of a suburb towns governor? The fact that I had begun to think about this kind of random thing might be a sign of me being stressed out.

    Ah, for Gods sake, why the heck did I get assigned to this kind of ce? I finally could somehow understand why Father told me to be prepared at that time. Ah I wanted a cup of delicious tea. If only Lily was here

    Lily had actually said that she wanted to apany me here, but I refused. I mean, I couldnt exactly take Lily who was the kingdoms <i>hostage</i> to keep Mazell in check with me. Of course, I didnt say this to her.

    I used her safety as an excuse to persuade her to stay in the capital. Well, this excuse was true, though. There was a risk that the capital might get attacked by demons just like in the game, but unlike the game, the Knights in the current capital were still alive, so at least for now, the capital was still a very safe ce.

    On the other hand, Anheim was a pretty dangerous ce. You couldnt call the military force here an elite. The terrain here wasnt easy to defend, the public order was still chaotic, and there would be a battle against Gezarius soon.

    Lily epted my exnation, though begrudgingly. She showed me a face like a puppy who was hurt, so I felt like a viin.

    Is there an archive here?

    Yes, but most of the documents in the archive are documents rted to this regions administration, the trial records, that sort of thing.

    I see.

    As expected, since Anheim wasnt the ce where the Knap estate was located, there were no Knap houses private documents being kept there. The information I could get in this countryside region was limited, so I needed to return to the capital as soon as possible. There was one more thing that I needed to do for me to be <b><i>forced</i></b> to return to the capital With that thought in my head, Sir Behnke, who held the position of my current chief aide, opened his mouth.

    Was it fine to do that kind of thing in the meeting?

    Its fine. I want you to check how the bandits are allocated, like who got the mostborers, and who got the troublemakers.

    Understood.

    I wanted to know the power dynamics of the guilds here. I knew I wouldnt be able to know all of this ces power bnce just by investigating theborers allocation, but at least I might get a rough understanding. I also needed to find out the power dynamics between the town and the surrounding viges in the Anheim region.

    Two main types of viges were built near a town. One was the vige that was built without the help of the town. This kind of vige used to be autonomous, but became affiliated with the town because they asked for the towns protection against demons.

    The vige chief of this kind of vige was usually quite influential and was often a member of the Pledgers Council.

    The second type of vige was the vige built by former residents of the town. Usually, a familys second or third child who somehow lost their job in the town, so they went to cultivate thend outside of the town. The cost of development for this kind of vige was paid by the town, so this type of vige was essentially the towns subordinated vige.

    However, the actual rtionship between the town and the viges was often moreplicated. After all, a vige meant the existence of able vigers who, if united, might be capable of raising a rebellion against the town. For me to know the exact power dynamics between the viges and Anheim town, I might need to survey the viges directly.

    I dont mind if the regions governance goes through the Pledgers Council first. After all, our current priority is to stabilize the public order in the entire Anheim region. Have the officials we brought from the capital identify the problems of this region that existed since it was still part of a Marquisate.

    Understood. Is it okay to not make any major changes to the towns governance?

    Its fine. Im His Majestys governor, so although I could improve the state of the territory to a certain extent, I couldnt make any major changes on my own.

    I see.

    Sir Behnke nodded. Did he just casually probe about my intention toward Anheim?

    In the first ce, my primary aim was to get out of here and return to the capital as soon as I took care of Gezarius. I didnt have any time to make major reforms in Anheim. Well, I would use this chance to test my idea, so I could implement it in the county if it was sessful.

    Welner-sama. Sir Holzdeppe, Sir Kesten, and Sir Gekke are here to see you.

    Let them in.

    With Frenssens reply, the people outside entered the office. With this, all of my current staff had finally gathered.

    Well, although I called them <b><i>my staff</i></b>, my real rtionship with each of them was different. With Gekke-san, although he seemed to evaluate me highly, our rtionship was still a money-based rtionship, so I couldnt ask him to do anything unreasonable. I mean, I already felt grateful because he epted my half-year contract.

    Gekke-san brought a total of 60 mercenaries here. There were ountants, healers, and even cooks, among the 60 mercenaries. In addition to that, Gekke-san and other mercenaries were also strong, so I was d that I couldpletely use the mercenary team as abat force without needing to spend additional human resources and money. Since Gekke-san was now my employee, I called him Sir in public.

    As for the cost of hiring Gekke-sans mercenary team, I charged all of them to the kingdom. I might be called brazen, but I didnt care since, for the current me, additional infamy was actually helpful. Although I got a re from Father, after I had exined my reason, he reluctantly agreed.

    As for Sir Holzdeppe, he was the representative of the military personnel that the kingdom had lent to me. In this world, people like him were called <b><i>appointment chiefs</i></b>. Normally, when a well-established noble was appointed as a governor, he would bring his own military force, but in my case, I was just a young noble heir, so I didnt have my own military force to apany me.

    However, it would stain the kingdoms honor if they let me go to Anheim with no military force, so for appearances sake, the kingdom lent me some people. In addition, since the people of this world were muscle-brained, I could be sure that the military personnel that the kingdom gave me were skilled to a certain extent.

    Of course, I was sure that Sir Holzdeppe knew about the demon general, but the knights and the soldiers under him might not know, so I have to build trust with them as much as possible.

    Then, there was also Sir Kesten, who was the military instructor that Grand Duke Seyfart sent to me. Sir Kesten was probably older than Father. He looked old enough to have retired, but his physique still looked good. Hisbat ability was definitely on the level of active military personnel. I would probably lose if I fought with him. He also seemed to be a person who I could trust to lead the troop I was nning to make. I think the Grand Duke had chosen him with that in mind.

    Most likely because the Grand Duke had already told Sir Kesen something about me, he was quite friendly with me from our first meeting. The Grand Duke lent me 5 other instructors excluding Sir Kesten, but he was the best among them all.

    Then, there was Sir Behnke, the representative of the officials I had been given and effectively my vice governor. I didnt know who he was, actually. Father was the one who sent him to me. Sir Behnke was a middle-aged man with a fine beard. He seemed to be younger than Father, but I was sure he was at least in his mid-forties.

    I epted him because Grand Duke Seyfart also seemed to be satisfied with him. I tried to investigate a little where he was assigned before he came to my side, but I couldnt find anything. Well, since both Father and the Grand Duke seemed to approve of him, I was sure that he at least wouldnt drag me down.

    There was a chance that he was someone who was sent to me to monitor me, but I wasnt worried about that since I had nothing to hide. Rather, I hoped Sir Behnke was prepared since I would wring him dry.

    Lastly, just like usual, Neurath, Schunzel, and Frenssen also apanied me as my direct subordinates. I felt they had drawn the short end of the stick by having me as their superior, especially considering what I nned to do in the future.

    Good work everyone. First, for a time being, I want Sir Gekke and his team to check the surrounding terrain. If Sir finds any demons, dont hesitate to hunt them down since I will also buy the demon materials.

    I understand. I will make sure to divide this job with the adventurers.

    Thank you. Then I want Sir Behnke to assist me in political affairs. After all, I cant take care of both the town and the entire territorys administration on my own.

    Is it fine for you, sir, to be frank like that?

    Well, sugarcoating my words wont bring any benefit.

    From the very beginning, I was nning to dump all jobs that didnt have to be done by me to others. My top priority now was to think of a n to deal with the demon generals army, not to govern the territory.

    Sir Holzdeppe, you go to the town and create an amicable rtionship with the guards and the towns citizens, so the towns public order will be maintained. Remember that if you act arrogantly because youre my, the governor, direct subordinate, Ill punish you.

    Yes, sir.

    Sir Kesten, I want to make a support troop in the future, so go to the town and bring me some useful people for this support troop among the citizens and the refugees.

    I understand. But, may I also bring people who have already worked for the town?

    Sure, I dont mind. Our current priority is to gain more soldiers. After all, weve destroyed 3 bandits bases, so we must strengthen our military to prepare for their retaliation.

    I needed more soldiers with a certain level of training, even if they were from the slums or the refugee camps, so that I could fight Gezarius. I couldnt just announce we would be facing the demon general in the future! so I used the bandits future retaliation as an excuse.

    After all, human rights protection didnt exist here. Many people and organizations here would treat refugees as a convenientbor force. Since I was the governor, not some kind of ve dealer, no one should be able toin even if I drag them into the military.

    I was sure that the people who would be brought to the military forcefully would send me someints, but hearing theirints was better than being killed by Gezarius because the soldiers I had werecking.

    After that, I gave several other orders. Once I was finished, Frenssen said, Incidentally, Welner-sama, the influential people of this town have offered to host a banquet to celebrate our arrival.

    How <i>generous</i> of them.

    Here it came.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    The people who came to the so-called weing banquet were all <i>wonderfully</i> divided into different groups and it was really amusing to see them. There were 3 main groups. The, <i>No matter what, he is still the son of a Count, so lets form a rtionship with him</i> group, <i>Just hurry and return to the capital!</i> group, and <i>Hes still young and must be ignorant, so lets use him to our heart content</i> group.

    Ah, there was another group the group of people that wanted to make a <i>the Counts son raped our daughter!</i> headline. The people of this group kept trying to offer me alcohol at the banquet, while their daughters were most likely trying to sneak into my bedroom. I expected this would happen, so I had already asked Sir Kesten to guard my room and catch all the people who tried to sneak in.

    I also instructed Sir Kesten to throw all people he caught into the prison, even if they were youngdies. After all, they hadmitted the crime of trespassing into the governors mansion. The next day, their fathers came to me and asked me to release their daughters while apologizing for their daughters <i>reckless behavior</i>. I proceeded to ask them if they remembered the first order Id given when I arrived in the town and their faces paled. After all, the first order Id given was to execute the bandit leaders.

    On that day, I told those fathers to return, using an excuse that a crime was still a crime no matter who did it. Then, after the bandits execution was finished, I sentenced the youngdies to a fine on the grounds that <i>even though they had trespassed into the governors mansion, there were no victims of this incident</i>.

    I got quite a bit of money from these fines. I also heard that it would be hard for these nobledies to find a marriage partner because they had a criminal record, but that wasnt my problem.

    By the way, I used the fines to buy alcohol and distributed it for free to the towns citizens as a gift from the newly appointed governor.

    I also got a report that one of the towns influential figures violently assaulted a refugee woman. After confirming that the report was true, I went to that mans residence with Neurath, Schunzel, Gekke-san, and the mercenaries and killed the man on the spot while his surviving cronies were all banished to Triot.

    Several members of the Pledgers asked for leniency in the punishment. Apparently, one of the cronies was a Pledgers brother, but I refused since that wasnt a good enough reason for me topromise on a criminal. After that incident, even the knights and soldiers that the kingdom had lent me became quiet. Good grief.

    On the other hand, I dumped more than half of my administration work on Sir Behnke. I also told him to prioritize maintaining public order and gathering food supplies. It would be hard to buy any food supplies when we would be battling Gezarius, so I had to use this chance to slowly stock up.

    In addition, I had also been working on the towns sanitation. I gave daily wages to the refugees and had them work with the towns security force to clean the street and ensure sanitation. It was often said that the town in the medieval period was not always the cleanest, but that was also the case for the provincial towns in this world.

    One reason why the sanitation of the town was poor was livestocks. Many people in the town owned livestocks, but the livestocks here were only branded by the owner and then left free-range. As preservatives techniques were not highly developed and salt was expensive, the only way for the towns citizens to eat fresh meat was to keep livestocks. Even if the livestocks ended up dirtying the town. Seriously, couldnt the owners of the livestocks take better care of their livestocks?

    It would be a huge problem if we had a disease outbreak because of livestock excrement while we were in the middle of a war. So, I had the whole town cleaned up and made aw to fine people who neglected to take care of their livestocks.

    The importance of hygiene wasntmon knowledge in this world, so it was pretty troublesome to spread the word.

    By the way, I decided to hire only old people in the governors mansion, because it would be troublesome if some kind of scandal happened, especially against young women. It was possible that I would get used ofying my hands on a young maid and forced to marry her. Plus, young people in the town most likely had their own work. In addition, half of the people I hired were refugees, while the other half were the towns citizens.

    After I recruited the workers for the governors mansion, for some reason, there was a rumor about me having a fiancee in the capital floating around. I didnt know who spread that rumor, but since that rumor stopped the advances of strangedies toward me, I was grateful.

    By the way, the nobility of the medieval period often had an image of having a fiancee from a young age, but that wasnt the case in this world. Nobles of this world usually found their fiances when they were students while engagements that happened from a young age were often engagements for the convenience of their families. Well, an engagement from a young age in the medieval period also happened because of the convenience of their families, but there was another more important reason for the difference in usual age for engagement here and in the medieval period.

    That reason was the high mortality rate in the medieval period of the previous world. In order to ensure that their noble family always had an heir, the heads of noble families of that time thought that it would be best to leave as many grandchildren as possible, so they began to decide their childrens marriage partners from an early age. There were even cases where as soon as their children were able to sire grandchildren, the head of a family would force them, albeit with supervision, to go to the bed

    Although I believed that doing that kind of thing would harm the childrens bodies, I guess the health field of that era wasnt advanced enough to know that sort of thing.

    Different from the medieval period on earth, this world had potions and magic. Frankly speaking, some random flu wouldnt be able to kill anyone because of the existence of potions and magic. The infant mortality rate of nobles who could afford expensive potions was much lower.

    Therefore, the idea that <i>we should let our children bear a child as soon as possible!</i> didnt exist here. As such, it was normal for engagement to be decided after their children became students unless there was some problem in the family itself. Myte brother did have a fiance though, but that must be for the sake of convenience for the fiances family.

    The love between children of noble families was even used as a bargaining chip. To put it bluntly, when the head of a certain family noticed that the son of another noble family fancied his daughter, he would be like, your son seems to like my daughter and even has proposed for an engagement with my family. If I ept this engagement what do I get in return? The world of nobles could be pretty dark.

    As for me, I still didnt have a fiance since there was no particr reason for me to hurry and get married. Rather than marriage, I was more concerned about whether I would be able to continue going to the academy in the future. I felt like that would be difficult. No, thinking about the academy wasnt my attempt to escape the reality that I was still single, or anything like that!

    Well, moving back to the subject of Anheim, I had done several things to prepare for the war with Gezarius in the past half a month. Ever since I had be the governor of Anheim, I had sent an emissary to the capital to ask for the money and supplies for the war. As for the matter of the roads, I had ordered Sir Holzdeppe to maintain the public order of the roads that would be used formunication with other territories.

    The support troop had also gradually taken a shape and I had also managed to grasp the number of emergency supplies that were kept by the surrounding viges. With this, after matching the location of emergency supplies to the map of the Anheim region, I would be able to secure the supply lines for our army.

    Sir Kesten, how is the support troop?

    They have gotten used to fighting in a group, but they have yet to reach the level of being able to fight in an actual war.

    How about the guards?

    There have been some small skirmishes among the guards, but Ive taken care of them.

    Keep up the good work. For now, continue to focus on training the support troop on using crossbows and slings.

    Understood.

    Currently, the people who had volunteered to be members of support troops were one who had either starved or lost their families because of demons. That means the current morale of the support troop was divided between people who were eager to fight for revenge and people who just joined the support troop for food. I still couldnt let them do anything too difficult.

    At the very least, when the war came, I hoped they would be able to shoot the crossbows from the top of the town walls without any fear.

    Sir Behnke, how were the documents?

    I am d that they have be easier to read.

    Good.

    Just like in the capital, the officials here did whatever they wanted with the structure of the documents. A petition to the governor for example needed to have the petitioners name, the content of the petition, the witnesss name, and the guild leaders signature and if the petitioner couldnt write, you need to put the writers name, but one guild put the petitioner name at the top, another guild put the guild leaders signature at the top, and another one put the content on the top, it was all a mess.

    That was why I instructed all guilds to follow a certain format in writing all documents, including the petition letter. The documents that didnt follow the format would be returned to the respective guild. I got someints, but I ignored them. Once they get used to the format, theints should stop.

    How is the situation with the bandits?

    Because we didnt hesitate to execute their leaders, they seem to be gathering.

    Good then. It would be more efficient for us to take care of them all in one fell swoop rather than chasing groups of 10 or 20 of them to all sorts of ces.

    I nodded in response to Neuraths report. In fact, I didnt immediately hunt all the bandits after I arrived in the town on purpose, so the bandits could gather. I also told Viscount Grellman and Baron Zabel, the nobles who became the governor of the remaining two Marquis Knaps former territory, that they could just chase out the bandits from their territory.

    To be fair, I got the feeling that both the Viscount and the Baron had already taken care of the bandits in their territory. Either way, it didnt matter as long as what they did restored public order.

    As I put a piece on the map I had spread out, I noticed one troublesome thing. There was this hill in the middle of tnd. Frankly, this was the ce where I would build the headquarters if I was setting up a camp. This hill was located in a troublesome spot.

    Is there any enemy movement on the border?

    As far as I can see from this side of the river, our enemy hasnt made any significant movement.

    Schunzel was in charge of inspecting the border. There was a river without any bridges on the border between Anheim and Triot. In the game, the yers could see the river but couldnt cross it. I guess this was for the convenience of the games scenario.

    However, it would be different in reality. Even human refugees would be able to cross the river if they were desperate, let alone demons with their superior physical capability. I couldnt choose the riverside as the site of the battle.

    Hmm. Since our opponents were demons I think themon tactic of dam the river then destroy the dam when the enemies were crossing the river wouldnt work what should I do

    Welner-sama, you have a visitor from the capital.

    A visitor? For me (ore)?

    Because Frenssen suddenly told me that I got a visitor, I identally used me (ore). I didnt hear that someone woulde to visit me, though.

    (T/N: Ever since he arrived in Anheim and be a governor, Welner used Watashi a formal version of I but here Welner switched to ore the informal version of I that he usually used before.)

    Yes. The Iron Hammer party from the capital said they wish to meet you.

    I was a little surprised to hear that name here. I guess since they were an adventurer party they could be anywhere, but once again, I heard that name in a quite unusual ce.

    Since I needed to receive the supplies, plus I wanted to take a break from my work for a bit, I decided to meet them. I also had something that I wanted to check with them anyway.

 Chapter122

    Chapter122

    The second batch of supplies that were sent to me was prettyrge. 40% of the supplies were wood, 20% were preserved foods, 20% were scrap metals, and there were also all sorts of other things. These supplies would take quite a bit of space to store. I would instruct Sir Holzdeppe and the officials, who were confirming the arrived goods with the list, regarding where to store them.

    Foods and weapons were obviously important for a siege battle, but unexpectedly, woods and scrap metals were also important. When the towns gate gets almost breached in a siege, the gate must be reinforced using woods and nails from the inside. Metal scrap was also used to repair weapons, armors, and saddles. Metal scrap would also be used to create arrowheads, while wood would be used to repair spear handles, for cooking, melting iron, and of course, for creating bonfires at night.

    As I was thinking like that, Sir Holzdeppe approached me.

    Although the supplies have arrived safely, I am still wondering why we need these small-sized catapults, which are usually used as siege weapons?

    Well, for many things.

    For example, shooting stones. For humans, being rained down by stones would be pretty troublesome. Well, our opponents werent human, but I already had a different idea for using these catapults. After all, it would be impossible for me to fight with the demon army that had a demon general to boot with just my human soldiers so sooner orter I would have to use the support troop to use these small projectile weapons.

    However, unlike swords and bows, it was rare for small projectile weapons like this to be used in a war, so there were only a few people who were skilled in using them. I had only seen these kinds of small projectile weapons on television. Maybe I would also try to use it myself in a real battleter.

    More woods will be delivered here in the future, so make sure to also prepare a storage for them.

    Understood. And where should I put <b><i>that</i></b> thing?

    Put it in the basement. Ille to see itter.

    Yes, sir.

    After I had given all the necessary instructions, I didnt return to the office but went to the lords mansion. After this, I had to talk with the guild leaders of the Carpenter Guild and the Metalsmith Guild. Ah, I would say I want to build a fortress for observing the border. Technically, that wasnt a lie. Since I had a bit ofplicated specifications for my order, it would be more appropriate for me to be the one who went to meet the two guild leaders, but if I did that, Sir Behnke would scold me with you are being too humble! Ah, why did a simple meeting have to be thatplicated?

    While I was thinking, without realizing it, I had already arrived at the lords mansion. This lords mansion was my private residence. Personal guests and secret guests would meet with the governor here. Even though the one who would be living here was a governor, for some reason, it was called a lords mansion. Well, I just had to ept that it was a custom in this world.

    Normally, the governor would live in this lords mansion with their entire family, so the mansion was big. But in my case, I came here alone, not with family, so there were a lot of vacant rooms. Thankfully, a part of the vacant rooms in this mansion had already been upied by Neurath, Schunzel, other people I had brought from the capital, and the servants I had hired. After all, I didnt feelfortable if I had to live in this mansion by myself.

    As I entered the mansion, I saw a group of familiar faces sitting leisurely while drinking tea. They were five members of the Iron Hammer party. I was d to see they were doing well.

    Its been a while!

    Ah, Viscount-sama. Congrattions on your appointment as a governor.

    You being polite like that makes my skin crawl, so stop it!

    We thenughed. Ah I liked this kind of light-hearted conversation. This reminded me of Mazell. I wondered if he was doing fine.

    But your reputation in the capital is pretty bad. Some called you a <i>wasteful Viscount </i>while others called you a <i>debt-ridden governor.</i>

    What they are saying is true, though.

    Or, to be more specific, I hoped they really thought that they were right, or I would be in trouble. I wouldnt tell the Iron Hammer that, though.

    As people have said, <i>no smoke without fire</i>. By <b><i>going into debt</i></b>to hire Gekke-san, I had lit a fire, so what I needed to do now was to let that fire be bigger on its own.

    Although His Highness and the Grand Duke promised they were going to support me from the shadows, a rumor of their favoritism would spread if they sent me supplies too frequently.

    But that sort of thing wouldnt happen if the supplies were bought using the <i>money I had borrowed</i>. The only downside of this tactic was that my reputation would take a hit. I would rather have a bad reputation than die in the war with the demons because of ack of supplies.

    Still, I would feel ashamed if people called my parents not being able to raise your son right, he became a wasteful person! I had to apologize to my parents about thister.

    I was entrusted with many things to give to you. First are these.

    He then gave me a magic bag and a letter. The letter was from Father.

    Whats in the bag?

    I was told that it has some necessary documents.

    Ah, I see. Although the letters sender was written to be Father, it was actually a letter from the Grand Duke. That was why the letter was sent along with this expensive magic bag. While thinking like that, I opened the letter and started to read it. Oh? What a surprise.

    Mazel has returned to the capital?

    Yes, thats what I heard, but we have not met him directly.

    ording to the letter, after defeating the first of the Four Heavenly Kings, Mazell returned to the capital and went to the Zeavert Mansion. He returned just a day after my departure to Anheim. What a pity. Well, I was d that Mazell got to meet his family for the first time in a while.

    Hmm? It seemed that old man Uwe joined the hero party just like in the game, but he wanted to meet me? Why? Did I do something? I couldnt remember.

    As I was reading the letter, I couldnt help but chuckle when someone from the Iron Hammer party mentioned they wanted to meet the hero-sama, and another person replied youre saying that NOW!? That guy, Mazell, was as popr as always.

    The Count has also asked me to pass you two other things. First, this is a letter from Mazell-san and also this and that.

    He proceeded to hand me another letter and a bag. Inside the bag were about 5 to 6 Skywalks. Although I didnt need them now, I was sure they were going to be usefulter. If the Skywalks wouldnt just teleport me outside of a town, they would have be much more useful, but I guess I couldnt hope for the impossible.

    His Highness had also given me several Skywalks. I was told to use them to send a messenger to the capital in case of an emergency.

    It would be troublesome if the existence and the ability of Skywalks were carelessly made well known. Some people might say things like, themander will save only his own skin using the Skywalk! or they will escape just with their family! I had no intention of doing that, but many wouldnt believe that. I guess I had to consult someone on how to handle Skywalks in the future.

    Putting that thought aside, I turned my attention to the <b><i>thing</i></b> that was leaning against the wall. It was a brand-new spear which looked to be a pretty high-quality one. If it was a spear that was acquired after defeating the first Heavenly King, maybe it was the <b><i>Spear of Fighter</i></b>. I didnt know if that was true though, since the illustration of <b><i>Spear of Fighter</i></b> didnt exist in the game.

    Ah, right. In the game, this was the time when the hero party needed to buy new equipment. Although I was grateful for the new spear, I hoped they just focused on buying their own equipment.

    Ill check thatter. By the way, can you stay in this town for a while?

    Are you going to give us another troublesomemission?

    Thats forter. For now, can I ask you to tour the town as adventurers while investigating my reputation in town?

    That much will be fine.

    As for my <i>usual troublesomemission</i>, lets put it on the Adventurer Guildter. For now, I would write an introduction letter to the inn for the Iron Hammer. I would also read Mazells letterter.

    I doubted the letter contained something important, since Mazell had a strange habit of telling important things only through a verbal message, not a letter.

    I was d that Mazell and his party had returned safely to the capital after defeating the first Heavenly King. It would be better if I could at least see their faces, but well there was nothing I could do about that.

    Rather, since Mazell and his party seemed to be doing well, I should keep moving forward.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    I heard about the recent situation of the capital from the Iron Hammer party. They also told me about all sorts of rumors in the capital. After that, the Iron Hammer party left the mansion, saying that they wanted to go somewhere else. Then, I proceeded to check things that the Iron Hammer party had brought for me.

    First, I checked the new spear from Mazell. It was a bit heavier than my usual spear, but I could feel that it was stronger and more durable. It was certainly a good spear, although I would need some time to get used to it. I was getting tired of my old spear, so this was perfect.

    I would have to train a bit to get used to this new spear before the war.

    I put down the spear and checked the rest of the supplies and noticed a small bag. I took the bag and opened it to find a letter, a handkerchief, and a painting inside. Did Lily send these?

    The Zeavert family crest and flowers were embroidered on the handkerchief. Did Lily embroider it? The design of the embroidery was superb. Perhaps because Lily was good at drawing, she was also at designing. Lilys embroidery was at a level where you could sell it in my previous life.

    The content of the painting was the vase that decorated my room with roses inside of it. The painting wasnt thatrge. It used a high-quality frame and colors which were most likely prepared by either Father or Mother.

    The size of the painting was too small to be disyed in the parlor, but I could disy it in my room. To be honest, I didnt think flowers suit me, but I was impressed by the quality of the painting.

    The content of Lilys letter was her meeting with Mazel and the recent news of the capital. Oh? She became friends with the female knight who had escorted her before. Other than that, she also mentioned that she was worried about me. There were no mentions of bad rumors about me which had spread in the capital. Ah, she was really considerate. If she knew what I was nning to do here, her letter might be filled with more worry.

    I wondered if there was anything that I could buy in this town for Lily. I remembered this town used to import silverware from Triot. Although Triot had already been destroyed, there might be some silverware from Triot in the market. Lets look for themter.

    After I finished reading Lilys letter, I read Mazells letter. I see So the first Heavenly King was the same as the games first Heavenly King. I guess the future flow of events would be the same as in the game. Id like to know if the map of the first Heavenly Kings dungeon was the same as the map in the game too, but you couldnt ask for too much. Mazell also said he was thankful to me for taking care of his family, but I just skimmed through that. I mean, I did nothing that Mazell needed to be thankful for.

    The letter did contain a bit of information that I wanted, but it wasnt enough. I still wanted to meet Mazell to get more information, but that would be difficult for now.

    Wait a minute. If the future flow of events would be the same as the games flow of events, would that mean thest Heavenly Kings would attack the capital from the west, just like in the game? If that were true, we could focus our military power on the west side of the capital. I think at least setting traps in the west side of the capital would be a good idea. I needed to check if this was possibleter.

    The number of things that I wanted to do in the capital just kept increasing. I had to finish my work here fast and return to the capital. Urgh my stomach hurt.

    After I had finished reading the letter, I called Schunzel and Neurath. Together, we went to the underground prison. The bandits leaders had already been executed, the rest of the bandits had been sent to forcedbor, and the nobledies who tried to sneak into my bedroom had also been returned to their families after they paid the fine, so the underground prison was quite empty.

    Neurath and Schunzel followed me with ufortable expressions on their faces. To be honest, I also felt ufortable. I stopped my track in front of a certain prison. When the prisoner inside saw my face, he looked surprised.

    To think it was you, sir.

    I also never thought I would see your unpleasant face again. How are you feeling, Rafed?

    Compared to when I first saw him outside of Lestga, Rafed seemed to have lost some weight. Served him right. It seemed like he still didnt understand why I was here. With a scrutinizing look, he asked, Are you the person who ordered the execution?

    Thats right and I can do the same thing to you if I want to, but unfortunately, I wont, since I have another use for you.

    Rafed blinked, and I also could sense Neurath and Schunzels anger behind me. I needed you both to be patient.

    Ill be blunt. I dont trust you.

    Yes. Your attitude has made that very clear.

    Oh, and if you refuse, I will execute you.

    The sitting Rafed looked up at me. The chains on his body rattled as he did so. If anything, I hoped to be looked at by a beautiful girl, not this middle-aged geezer.

    This ce is at the border of Triot, so theres a high chance that demons will attack us. If you dont cooperate with me, I will kill you. Other than that, if I got defeated by the demon army, this town would be overrun by demons and you would also die.

    Rafed replied, Well, I guess it is true that you cannot negotiate with the demon army, and even if I tried to negotiate, I would most likely be the demons meal instead.

    The public order outside of this town is also bad, so theres no guarantee that you will be safe if you try to escape outside.

    I see. So the only way for me to live is to cooperate with you.

    Rafed let out a sigh. I could sense that his worried expression was a kind of fake, but that was fine. As someone who was entrusted to be a spy of another country, Rafed must have enough brain to know that he had no other choice but to help me.

    After all, he had no ce to return. It would be difficult for Rafed to even return to Lestga because he was a member of the second prince faction while the first prince faction was currently in power. Even if he didnt want to help me, he would still help me for the sake of securing a temporary safe ce.

    Rafed silently thought for a while, then he finally opened his mouth.

    Viscount-sama If I help you, will you spare my life?

    Yes. As long as you dont be hostile to me after the matter is over, I guarantee your survival.

    What I said here was the truth.

    What do you want me to do?

    Before that, there is something I want to confirm. I heard despite being a <i>merchant</i> you have knowledge of poison, is that true?

    Yes. It is true.

    Good then. His knowledge would be useful to me. As Takeda Shingen had said, dont use the people but use their knowledge. I would work you to the bone, Rafed.

    I want you to work as a civil official and handle some calctions. I also want to make use of your knowledge. First

    When I exined my n to him, at first he looked skeptical, but as I continued my exnation, his face gradually became grim. I knew my n wasnt exactly an honest way of fighting, but against demons, I nned to throw the so-called honest way out of the window.

    So the uing war will be fierce to the point that you are willing to do something like that.

    Yeah. Ill cover your living expenses and all other necessary expenses. I wont restrict your movements, but Ill ce a person to monitor you.

    I would take action if he tried to escape. But since he was smart, he would at least gather some information about the town and Anheim region after he got out of this prison, so he would most likely stay put for a while.

    My itinerary after this would be to introduce Rafed to everyone and train with Neurath and Schunzel, so I could get used to my new spear while relieving some stress. It wouldnt be funny if I made a mistake on the actual battlefield just because I wasnt used to my new spear.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    After Welner introduced Rafed to his subordinates and mentioned that he would be working with them, he was met with many objections. Welner listened and retorted to his subordinates objections. Once done, he left the room with his close aides to train, so he could get used to his new spear.

    After Welner had left, Behnke and the rest of Welners subordinates sank into their chairs.

    All of Welners subordinates who were left in the room felt that Welner employed Rafed with some purpose in mind, especially after he retorted Behnke, who had objected to his decision most.

    In the history of our kingdom, cases like a former enemy bing a friend are not unheard of!

    As such, everyone stopped voicing their objections.

    Not long after, Gekke left the room, andstly, even Rafed left the room after saying that he wanted to visit the Pharmacy Guild and check the herbs stocked by the Herb Guild. In the end, only Behnke, Holzdeppe, and Kesten were left in the room.

    Did you know about Rafed, Sir Behnke?

    Well, I did know that the Viscount sent a letter to the capital to ask for a certain criminal to be supervised here instead of in the capital, but I didnt know that the criminal in question was a spy from another country.

    Behnke answered Holzdeppes question with a wry smile. Technically, he didnt lie since the letter that Welner sent did mention supervising a criminal, although it didnt mention that the criminals action would be restricted. The three of them could only assume that everything had gone ording to Welners n. Kesten crossed his arms.

    Did His Majesty know that this would happen? (Kesten)

    I do not know about His Majesty, but Sir Welner must have at least gotten private permission from His Highness the Crown Prince, or at least from the people of the Ministry of Justice. (Behnke)

    Although I dont know why he kept it a secret despite having permission. Behnke, who had regained his calm, added.

    First theres a rumor of a debt-ridden governor and now the recruitment of a criminal as his subordinate. Why does it seem that the Viscount purposely soiled his reputation? (Holzdeppe)

    I agree. Kesten nodded.

    Even after adding the fact that Anheim might be attacked by demons, Welner still seemed to be a rather too diligent of a governor to the point that they felt Welner had overworked himself.

    Welner might have pushed the training of new recruits to Kesten and the administration job to Behnke, but his reputation among the towns citizens was good. By having supplies constantlying to the town from the capital, Welner had created new job opportunities for the towns citizens. His attitude toward the criminals might be harsh, but overall he was known as a friendly, good governor who was a bit stern.

    At the very least, Welner was far from the image of an extravagant and douchebag noble. The three of them evaluated Welner as a good governor despite his young age, although they also felt that Welner was hasty, as if he was being chased by something.

    Their feelings were correct. Welner wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible, so, in a sense, he was being chased by the time.

    What is your view of the Viscounts action, Sir Behnke?

    Well

    Behnke stroked his beard while thinking, then with aplicated smile on his face, he started to talk.

    First, I could see that the Viscount did all of this, so that he could return to the capital.

    The capital?

    Holzdeppe replied doubtfully, to which Behnke nodded.

    As Sirs know, it is predicted that the demon general will attack us, but then what will happen after the attack? (Behnke)

    What do you mean? (Kesten)

    If he defeated the demons as a well reputed governor of Anheim, what do you think will happen? (Behnke)

    People would push him to continue being governor of Anheim Ah, I see. (Holzdeppe)

    Holzdeppe and Kesten looked at each other and nodded. Kesten then continued, But if his reputation in the capital was bad, many would naturally push him to stop being the Anheim governor and to return to the capital instead.

    Adding to that, if the Viscount won the battle with the demons, many would think that it would be better for the Viscount to continue helping the kingdom to fight with the demon army rather than being a governor of Anheim. (Behnke)

    Does the Viscount want to return to the capital that badly?

    I suppose this town must be boring for the young Viscount.

    A wry smile appeared on Behnkes face as he answered Holzdeppes question. Although there was a red-light district in Anheim, as a whole, Anheim was a quite depressing town. The recent liveliness was a temporary thing brought about only because of the uing war. Anheim was certainly not a town suited for a young man like Welner.

    However, the three also understood that Viscount was certainly not the type of person who would y around. Kesten uncrossed his arms and asked Behnke, You said first. Does that mean there are other reasons?

    Well, it is also possible that the Viscount deliberately ruined his reputation, so he can decrease the iing engagement requests from other houses. (Behnke)

    Is the rumor that the Viscount has a fiance true? (Holzdeppe)

    I dont think so. At least in the capital, I never heard that the Viscount had a fiancee. (Behnke)

    The three then exchanged a gaze. It was true that they felt that the rumor about Welners fiance seemed to be created on purpose, but they didnt know who created it. With a cough, Kesten said, Sir Behnke, do you think there is another reason?

    There is another reason I can think of, but I dont know if the Viscount has actually thought so far. This might be me overthinking it, so please keep what I am about to tell you among us.

    Behnke then exined his thoughts, making Kesten and Holzdeppe showplicated expressions.

    Normally, in a noble house, the houses honor was more important than a blood rtionship. As the continuous existence of the house was also a priority, creation of a branch house was desirable as its existence increased the probability of the houses long continuation.

    In other words, the creation of a branch house would be an excellent reward for the Zeavert house, while Welner would receive the honor of being appointed as the head of this new branch house despite his young age.

    However, Welner was the sole heir of Zeavert House. If he was made into a head of a new noble family, Zeavert House would need to adopt a son to be its new heir. Of course, many candidates would be appropriate to be the new heir of Zeavert House in terms of age, but the truly excellent young nobles who were worthy of assuming the crest of Zeavert House were few.

    Coincidentally, there was one person who stood up among these few. If this person seeded in defeating the demon king, no one would doubt that he was worthy to be the new heir of the Zeavert House, at least in the term of military power.

    That person was the hero, Mazell.

    Using a royal decree to order the Zeavert house to adopt the hero Mazell as the new heir would be nothing less than a great honor for the Zeavert house. On top of that, if the heros achievements were recognized as the Zeavert houses achievements and the hero was betrothed to the second princess Laura

    The kingdom would then be able to tie down the hero with a noble house and a blood rtionship while the Zeavert house would receive the honor of weing the princess into their house. On the other hand, the new noble Mazell Zeavert would not be ustomed to the nobles ways, so his political power would be rather weak.

    As for the new branch house, although it would have its own territory, on top of its head (Welner) being too young, the house would also have no vassals capable enough to support it. It would take at least 10 years for a new noble house to train vassals capable enough to support the house.

    In short, although the creation of a branch family would be expanding the Zeavert house on the surface, it would effectively weaken the Zeavert houses power. The new branch family might be highly regarded by others but its actual power would be weak, while the main family would have territory and honor, but the ability of the new head of the main family would be doubted.

    But for a branch family to be created, Welner must be a character who was deemed suitable to be the head of the branch family. With Welners current reputation of debt-ridden and employer of a criminal, he was certainly not the least bit suitable to be the head of a branch family. Therefore, there was no way that the kingdom could set a bad precedent of a debt-ridden noble who had a criminal among his vassals, creating a new noble house.

    On the other hand, as Welner was sole heir of Zeavert house, he would be able to inherit it even if he had a poor reputation. Many would criticize him, though.

    If anyone was plotting to make Welner a new head of a branch family, the mere fact that Welner had employed a criminal had ruined that n. Welners action of employing a criminal was not a form of insubordination or rebellion, it was merely a warning to anyone who was nning to use him as a pawn. The nobles who had thought lightly of Welner because they were able to easily drive Welner out to the Anheim must have received a shock by now.

    There is nothing easier to use than a Viscount branch house which has lost the protection of its main house because the head of the main house is not used to politics. I can see how other houses might have thought of using this chance to weaken the Zeavert house, just like what Sir said. (Holzdeppe)

    And the Viscounts action this time was certainly shocking to the nobles who thought the Viscount was obediently epting his demotion. Moreover, no matter how rotten the Viscounts reputation is, he is still the heir of a Count house, so in the end, the Viscount will definitely be called back to the capital. (Kesten)

    All of that scenario was nothing but my prediction. It is certainly possible that this sort of thing will not happen. (Behnke)

    It was hard to believe that the nobles and Welner himself did not think that the branch family scenario would not happen, but Behnke and the other two dare not mention that.

    Does the Viscount want the position of the Count that badly? while tilting his head, Holzdeppe asked.

    To me, it seems like he is trying to protect his friend, the hero, from politics, even if that means he has to shoulder a poor reputation.

    If the hero was granted the title of the head of some other noble house, like the title of the now vacant Count Fleethem for example, Welner who had the power of a Count house would be able to support his friend in the court. Welner might have not thought this far, but as the three had observed, he was certainly the type of person who would move for others sake, not for his greed. As such, the two nodded at Behnkes words.

    The three of them who all understood just who exactly sent them here all casually exchanged nces with each other. Eventually, Kesten muttered with a wry smile, Regardless, the Viscount is indeed an entric man.

    I agree (Behnke)

    Yes. You certainly never know what he is going to do. (Holzdeppe)

    The three then burst outughing. In the kingdoms history, there was probably no noble who was as unconcerned with his own reputation as Welner was.

    Note: Although I put the name in the bracket in a conversation, other than Behnke and a few conversations that have clearly mentioned who is speaking, there is no clear indication which word was spoken by Kesten and which words were spoken by Holzdeppe since both used a simr way of speaking. The bracket words were my prediction based on the flow of the conversation.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    Thirty knights directly under mymand, sixty infantry, sixty mercenaries, thirty members of supply troops, and a few people who were familiar with the terrain of Anheim as our guide gathered on the outskirts of Anheim to prepare for departure. This much military force would be more than sufficient to defeat the bandits.

    Theoretically speaking, it was true that therger army the stronger it was, but at the same time, arge army needed more supplies. As for the support troops, they were not good enough to fight on an actual battlefield, so I didnt bring them.

    Just in case, we were going to get out of the town from several different gates.

    May fortune bless you in your battle.

    Thank you. Sirs must also remain alert. While I am gone, I am counting on all of you for construction preparation and border monitoring.

    Of course.

    The people who remained in Anheim were Sir Behnke, who would be in charge of administration, Sir Kesten, themander of support troops, Frenssen, Rafed, and the captain of Anheims guards.

    The people who woulde with me were only the governors direct military force, and I was the one who prepared all the supplies. The Pledgers Council didnt help me with anything, but they also had no say in whatever this army was going to do.

    The captain of guards did ask me, Do you not trust us? And that is why youre not bringing us along?

    Well, actually, bringing guards with me was troublesome since it would require the Pledgers Councils approval. That was why I decided to let the guards stay in the town.

    In any case, the Pledgers Council would make their move soon, so before that happened, I should clean up these bandits. After all, I still needed to take care of the demons.

    The bandits were divided into three huge groups or, to be more precise, I purposely led them to be divided into three groups. I had Sir Holzdeppe and Sir Gekke destroy the other smaller groups who had tried to join these three groups and also made sure that these three groups didnt form onerge group.

    It would be time-consuming to chase and defeat many small groups, but if all the bandits were gathered into just onerge group, it would increase the chances of casualties among our soldiers and also bandits escaping amid battle. That was why I purposely divided the bandits into three groups.

    My original n was to divide the bandits into two groups, but one of the groups stayed at that annoying hill and didnt want to move. The bandits there had even built fences to create a fort. The vige around the hill had sent me a message, asking me to rescue them from the bandits exploitation.

    However, it was strange. I mean, why was it <b><i>exploitation</i></b>? Didnt the bandits normally <b><i>loot</i></b> viges, not <b><i>exploit</i></b> them?

    In any case, we left the town after I had sent out scouts, then messengers to the two neighboring territories, andstly, I had also sent severalmissions to the Adventurer Guild.

    The faces of the Pledgers who were sending us off were rather mixed. Their expressions were not necessarily happy since we would be exterminating bandits (so no freebors), but not necessarily hostile either. I honestly didnt care what these guys were thinking as long as they stayed put and didnt interfere in any of my ns. I even left <i>insurance</i> in case these guys tried something funny.

    Welner-sama, we have located the enemies.

    Where are they?

    On the second day after leaving Anheim town, the scouts returned with the news of our enemys position. Sir Holzdeppe was very good at using scouts and unexpectedly, Neurath also seemed to have a talent for it, so I had Neurath stay at Sir Holzdeppes side as an assistant to learn from him.

    One group is around here in these valleys, while the other group is moving toward this direction. Thest group which refused to leave that hill is still there.

    Got it.

    Even the people under mymand had never seen a three-dimensional map, so they were surprised, but soon they all understood the advantage of using a three-dimensional map along with a usual map. I wondered if the use of three-dimensional maps would spread soon. If anything, I hope the use of contour maps also spread Lets focus on the bandit extermination first.

    I put a piece on the map and checked the terrain. The first group was in valleys, surrounded by hills. It seemed like they were thinking of quietly letting us pass rather than ambushing us. As for the other group, they seemed to be moving in the direction of the area that Baron Zabel was governing. Thest group which refused to leave that hill was still there on that hill.

    All three bandits groups were about 1-3 days away from each other. Well, of course, their distance would be that far since I was the one who purposely made a move, so that they didnt gather into onerge group.

    If this was the current position of the bandits groups, then

    Lets start with the first group which wanted to let us pass. Since that group was in valleys surrounded by hills, let the cavalry nk them from the sides while the infantry would attack them from this hill.

    Welner-sama I heard the tactic used in the Hildea in battle was something that you had thought.

    Ah, so even that kind of rumor has spread.

    The knight who appeared to be Sir Holzdeppes lieutenant came to me and mentioned the Hildea in battle. Come to think of it, that time I asked for the tactic to be submitted under Grand Duke Seyfarts name, but I never asked him to keep the fact that I was the one who had suggested the tactic a secret.

    Still, Grand Duke wasnt a bbermouth, so I think the people who knew the truth would be few, most likely only influential nobles would know the truth Did that mean Sir Holzdeppe was connected to an influential noble? Well, as long as Sir Holzdeppe did his job, I didnt really care about that, though.

    How about using that tactic again this time? Our opponents are just bandits, so exterminating them all will not be an issue.

    Do you really think that kind of tactic will always be sessful!?

    When I inadvertently scolded him like that, the lieutenant was stunned. Even in the history, when Hannibals younger brother tried to use the Battle of Cannaes encircling tactic in another battle, he failed spectacrly.

    For that tactic to work, you needed to fulfill many conditions which included suitable terrain and a skilledmander who could perfectly move both nks and make a quick yet precise judgment. To put it bluntly, His Highness, who was a skilled warmander, could pull it off, but there was no way I could do the same. I was just an ordinary person, so I would fight using the way of an ordinary person.

    What should we do with the third bandits group on the hill?

    We will leave them alone for the time being since it looks like they will not move anytime soon as they have gained an advantageous position.

    That group might be thinking that it would be a hassle to share the hill with other bandits groups, or maybe they were facing ack of food. Thats why they hadnt joined any other group yet. However, from Sir Holzdeppes report, it seemed like this group of bandits was waiting for the other group of bandits to invite them to join. Even among bandits, it seemed like a fight of pride still happened.

    Although I wasnt sure what they were nning to do, if they just stayed still on that hill, I would leave them forst and take care of the rest of the bandits first.

    Sir Holzdeppe, take a detour with your cavalry to this side of the valley. I will lead the infantry and climb this hill. Neurath, apany Sir Holzdeppe and wait for my signal. Remember, two long two short

    Understood.

    Yes, sir.

    I then ordered Schunzel to make all sorts of other preparations, gave instruction to the mercenaries, andstly I set off with the infantry. I ordered the infantry to pick up stones of a certain size while walking up.

    Lets hurry and take care of these bandits.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    When Dagover learned that the governors army had left Anheim town, he immediately moved his group to a valley far from the main road to let the governors army pass.

    Dagover was originally a bandit leader in Triot. When the demons attacked Triots capital and it fell, Dagover attacked the refugees who wereing out of the capital. He killed the refugees and took their valuables and food. The severity of his actions was not that differentpared to the demons.

    However, since the number of demons that attacked Triot kept increasing and Dagover began to see types of demons that he had never seen before, he decided to leave Triot for his own safety and went to Bain Kingdom which had weaker demons while still attacking people to fulfill his own greed.

    What made Dagover so vicious was the fact that after he entered the territory of Bain Kingdom, he mainly attacked refugees from Triot, his own country. Even refugees would have some money and some even brought precious metals with them.

    Even when he kept attacking the refugees, the Bain Kingdom or, to be more precise, the people from Knap house didnt do anything to him. Dagover thought that because the people he attacked were the refugees, not the citizens of the Bain Kingdom, the people of the Knap house decided to let him be.

    What Dagover didnt know was the fact that the knights of Knap house, the former lord of this territory, were almost all exterminated because of the incident in the Veritza Fortress, which was why the Knap house couldnt spare the manpower to handle Dagover.

    Because there was no attack from the Knap house, Dagover was able to do as he wished for a while and as time passed, bandits from Triot gradually joined Dagover and even some refugees joined his group. Because of the increasing number of people, Dagovers group was no longer able to sustain themselves by only attacking Triots refugees.

    When the people who gathered below Dagover reached 3 digits, Dagover finally decided to raid viges to feed the increasing number of people under him.

    Since the governor has only stayed in the town for a month, we understand this regions terrain better than him. The governor will most likely start from attacking Zegherss group since his group stayed at a ce with easier-to-understand terrain or Granacks group since they stayed in a ce where it will be easier for the governors army to move.

    Dagoverughed as he bit into a piece of meat he got from raiding a vige. Dagover was the type of person who wanted to monopolize his prey. As such, the death of the two other bandit leaders, Zeghers and Granack, who were also from Triot, was a joyful thing for him.

    Especially Zegherss group. Those arrogant bastards demanded his group to join them since they had upied an advantageous base. Dagover even thought of ambushing the winner of battle between Zegherss group and the governors army.

    But since there is no water source around this ce, we might have to move tomorrow. (Dagovers subordinate)

    Just. (Dagover)

    AA!!!!

    A scream cut off Dagovers next word. Dagover turned to look at his surroundings and he saw several of his subordinates fall to the ground while screaming.

    Leader! Over there!

    One of his men pointed to the top of a hill. About 10 people were lined up on the top of the ridge and they were throwing rocks in the direction where Dagover and his men were standing with slings.

    The effective range of a skilled shooter when using a sling was about 200 meters. Even if the shooter was not skilled, if he used a sling, the range of his throw would be much bigger than throwing it by hand. Stones could even harm proper soldiers that were wearing proper leather armors, let alone mere bandits.

    The countless number of fist-sized stones rained down on the bandits, causing some of them to fall down. They were bandits, not soldiers, so few of them had shields. Above all, the opponents were on top of a hill, so that alone was a tremendous disadvantage for them.

    Son of a bitch!

    You bastard!

    The fact that the bandits were huddled together became a huge disadvantage. Before Dagover could say anything, several of his men drew their swords and rushed toward the hill where the shooters stood. But since they didnt have any shields, their actions were nothing more than recklessness.

    Scream resounded. The men who got hit by the stones on their shoulders were considered lucky as many got hit on their faces and died on the spot.

    Those idiots!

    Leader, it should be fine. It seems like our enemies weapons are only the slings and the stones.

    A man standing at Dagovers side said so, prompting Dagover to observe his opponents more closely. What his subordinate said was right. None of the opponents had swords or bows, they only had slings. One of the opponents was even unarmed. All of them were wearing different armors, not of uniform quality.

    Did some other bandits group hire hunters to attack us?

    Perhaps.

    If his opponents were also bandits who were active in this region, it made sense for them to also know about the terrain here. Dagover clicked his tongue and made his decision. Dagover was a man whose hands had already been drenched with blood. He also had many men under him, so he couldnt just let himself and his men be attacked one-sidedly like this.

    Dagover drew his sword and shouted, Kill those flies!!!

    After that, Dagover ran toward the hill and his men followed suit. In response, the unarmed man held up his hands in the opposite direction, and the metal tes on his hands glinted. The long, 2 times. The short, 2 times.

    Then, the shooters started to run to the other side of the hill as if to hide from the bandits. The next moment, as if to rece the shooters, spears sprang up like trees on the ridge. Startled, the bandits who were running stopped in their tracks.

    Not long after, a scream rose from the right.

    Its a cavalry! Its the knights!

    Reflexively, the bandits turned their heads to the right. There, they all saw the cavalry that were kicking clouds of dust as it approached them. That horrifying sight made all of the bandits scream. The spearmen who had stayed on the ridge finally moved. Shouting the battle cry, the spearmen descended the hill.

    Immediately after, the hillside was filled with screams as the bandits were struck, beaten, and pierced by the spearmen, causing the ground to be drenched with crimson blood. Scared by the blood sprouting out from his peers beside him, a bandit tried to escape, but got mercilessly pierced by a spear. Without even being able to let out a scream, the bandit fell to the ground.

    Wielding their spears, the infantry drove the bandits down into the valley and the cavalry, who came crashing in at a different interval, began to overrun the area with their horses and weapons. In no time at all, the battle hadpletely be one-sided.

    Those fools..

    You should concentrate on your battle.

    The man who stood before Dagover replied to his mumbling with a cold voice. That man was not a noble, but he had a bearing akin to an unsheathed sword. Dagover felt a chill running down his spine. Nheless, Dagover readied his sword.

    You bastard!! who-

    Before Dagover could finish his words, the man attacked. Dagover was able to receive the mans attack, albeit only barely. Dagover might be someone who was used to violence, but he was not a match for a mercenary who was used to an actual battlefield.

    Dagover continuously swung his sword blindly and before long, his sword was flung away by his opponent. Since he had lost his weapon, Dagover turned away and tried to escape, but a stone hit his thigh, making him fall.

    Schunzel signaled the shooter to stop and approached Dagover. Schunzel then ordered his men to capture him.

    Sir Gekke, it was a splendid swordsmanship.

    Killing him would have been much easier, though.

    If Gekke wanted to, it would be easy for him to kill Dagover. It could also be said that Dagover could be captured alive because the difference in skill between Gekke and Dagover was far too huge.

    Regardless of his origin, Gekke was now a mercenary as such he didnt really care about the battle courtesy of announcing your name before striking and such. Since he couldnt exchange the bandit for ransom money even if he captured Dagover alive, it would be easier for Gekke to just kill Dagover.

    While looking at the tied-up bandit leader, Gekke said, Sir Welner was right. The bandits let down their guards because we attacked using stones.

    Well, stones are rarely used in the army.

    The mostmon long-range weapons on a battlefield were bows and arrows, not slings and stones. Adding to that, bandits were people who fought while showing off their strength. If their fellow bandits were to hear that they were hit by a mere stone, they would be aughingstock.

    Welners n of using stones to provoke the bandits was a quite brilliant one.

    By the way, where is Sir Welner?

    He is currently leading the spearmen to pursue the bandits. He ordered to not give the bandits any chance to surrender and went in <i>that</i> direction.

    I see. Just as nned, then.

    Gekke ordered his men to ready their equipment, while Schunzel told Gekke that his team would follow after taking care of the remaining bandits. Then they both separated.

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    Even while moving, Granack, one of the bandits leaders, was still wondering if he should leave Anheim or attack the governors army.

    Although they both were bandit leaders, Granack and Dagover were different. Because Granack knew that the army would attack him if he went too far, Granack mainly attacked viges livestock and he rarely attacked people. Even when he did attack people, Granack didnt kill them, but captured them alive for a ransom.

    Granack only began to kill people after he arrived in Bain Kingdom because the other bandits were also killing people.

    Although Granack was strong and well-liked, he was also someone who was easily swayed by others. Granack was currently leading his men to move, but he still couldnt decide whether to move far away from Anheim or to move to an advantageous ce, so he could fight with the governors army. Unfortunately, things were proceeding faster than Granacks prediction.

    Granack was awakened from his sleep by the loud shouts of the night watch. The sky in the east was getting brighter, so it was not hard to make out the night watchs face.

    Leader!

    Why are you being so noisy!?

    Granack shouted at the man who had woken him up. Startled by the shout, the bandits around Granack also started to wake up.

    Sleeping while wearing leather armor was difficult and ufortable. But recently, the number of demons who attacked people had increased because of the demon kings resurrection, so regardless of difort, everyone forced themselves to sleep while still wearing their leather armor.

    Just in case, Granack had also set up a night watch team, so it was rare for demons attack to cause damage to his group.

    Dagover, that bastard, he

    What happened to him?

    Does Dagover want to use the chaotic situation to attack us? That was what Granack initially thought, but he was immediately proven wrong. With a loud voice, one of his men said, Dagovers group lost in battle with the governors army! The survivors of his group came to us to ask for help!

    WaWait. What did you just say!?

    Dagovers group lost and the survivors

    His subordinate thought Granack didnt hear his earlier report. As such, he attempted to repeat his words, but it was soon cut off by Granack.

    You idiot!! Everyone, wake up!! Ready your weapons!!

    Leader?

    Dont you realize it!? Dagovers subordinates came to us, meaning that the governors army is near!! So hurry..

    ENEMY ATTACK!!

    Before Granack finished his words, a loud shout resounded. The cavalry led by Sir Holzdeppe, who had been pursuing the remnants of the Dagovers group, stormed in.

    The survivors of the Dagovers group didnt run to the Granacks group just to ask for help. Knowing that they were being pursued by the cavalry, they ran aimlessly among Granacks subordinates in fear in an attempt to save themselves. They were unintentionally causing chaos.

    Among Granacks group, some ran aimlessly, while others searched for their weapons. But all in all, the entire group was not unified and was simply at the mercy of the situation. It was under that sort of situation that the cavalry rushed in, causing more confusion to spread amongst the group of bandits.

    Dont panic! We outnumbered them!

    Granack yelled, but even he himself could no longer hear his yell clearly, let alone his subordinates. Screams of fear and confusion, the sound of footsteps, and the sounds of spluttering blood overwhelmed the surroundings. There were even some that aimlessly swung their weapons, causing their own allies to be injured.

    The cavalry kept rushing inside until finally, they seeded in breaking through to the middle of the bandit group. It was at that moment that infantry led by Welner arrived and they too rushed in.

    Kill them!

    Welner instructed sharply and several groups of three soldiers each rushed to kill the bandits. The soldiers, who had been pursuing the remnant of Dagovers group without rest, abandoned their spears and switched to the swords. After all, the sword was lighter, so it was easier to pursue enemies using a sword rather than a spear. Welner was most likely the only person who still used a spear.

    The soldiers swung their swords, breaking the half-repaired machete in a bandits hands in two, and in the end, that bandit was rendered into a corpse. On the other side, a bandit was trampled to death by a horse and there was also a bandit whose left hand that was holding a shield was cut off.

    It was true that the bandits outnumbered the governors army, but they were confused and all they cared about was escaping. Although some of the bandits fought back, they were fighting individually, not fighting as an organized group. As Welner had noted during the Velitza Fortress rescue operation, no instruction would reach the ear of a confused group.

    Gekkes mercenaries, who arrived ratherte, rushed to the biggest group among the bandits and killed them one by one. The entire Granacks group was now running in all directions in an attempt to escape. The fact that the stunned Granack felt the killing intent and ducked was quite impressive.

    You bastard!!

    Granack, who had dodged the surprise attack, swung his sword toward his opponent, but his sword was deflected by the spear. Granack saw the face of his opponent. His opponent seemed to be young enough to be a student, yet his face was decorated with a fearless smile that didnt suit his age.

    Granack swung his sword once again, but Welner blocked him. Welner was using a spear, so in the first ce, he was not in a swords striking range. When Granack tried to step forward, the tip of the spear attacked him from the side, forcing Granack to fall back.

    You coward!!

    Funny. A bandit like you, calling me a coward?

    Welner responded sarcastically and thrusted his spear at Granack several times in quick session. Welner yed with Granack by subtly changing the speed of his spear every time he thrust.

    Granack realized he could not escape. The second he turned his back to escape, the spear would pierce him.

    When he saw Welner pull his spear, Granack charged at Welner furiously. If Granack was a bit calmer, he would not be tempted by such an obvious bait, but the current Granack was far from calm. He was forced to fight right after he had just woken up, his surroundings were filled with screams, and Granack himself was being cornered by this young man. Granack obviously could not keep his cool.

    As he watched Granack try to close the distance, Welner grabbed his spear on the middle of its hilt and swung his spear upward, hitting Granacks mandible. Granack fell.

    Immediately after, Welner swung his spear from above with all his strength. A dull thud echoed as the spear hit Granacks shoulder.

    Unable to bear the intense pain in his shoulder, Granack copsed. Neurath, who was guarding Welners surroundings to make sure that no enemy coulde close, quickly swept in and captured Granack.

    It was a splendid battle, Welner-sama.

    Nah, if we were fighting using a sword, I would have lost.

    Welner was not being modest. The surrounding war situation had made his opponent lose hisposure. An opponent who had lost his cool couldnt fight using all his power. As such, Welner was able to win quite easily.

    Welner-sama. Shall we continue pursuing the enemy?

    No. Weve been pursuing the enemies for almost the entire day, so everyone must be tired. Gather everyone first and treat the wounded.

    Understood.

    The first training that soldiers did when they enrolled in the army was to run. Welner knew that in terms of stamina, the soldiers were far above the bandits. That was why Welner had ordered his army along with the mercenaries to keep pursuing the bandits this far.

    Nevertheless, Welner couldnt ignore his armys fatigue. In the current situation, the bandits wouldnt be able to survive even if they escaped. After all, the bandits were now scattered into small groups and they wouldnt be able to survive demon attacks with just a small group. That was why Welner decided to stop pursuing the enemy. They still had to fight the demon armyter, so Welner wanted to avoid any casualties.

    Later on, Welner received the news that Baron Zebels army, whom he had contacted before, had almost exterminated the scattered remnant of the bandits.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    Viscount Zeavert, well done.

    You too, Baron Zabel. My apologies for causing you trouble.

    Baron Zabel was a man who just turned thirty. He was rather young for a governor, but ironically, because of Welners existence, he didnt stand out.

    The three-meter long halbert held by him was more eye-catching than the baron himself. The baron had a <i>Skill</i> that made it possible for him to swing the halbert freely. The sight of the baron, who had a tall stature, wielding a halbert was quite intimidating. He was a type of noble who preferred military activity rather than politics.

    Of the three assigned to the former Marquisate Knap, Viscount Grellman was the overall leader, so it could be said that Welner and Baron Zabel were colleagues. Welner had a higher status as a Viscount, but Baron Zabel was older and more experiencedpared to him. Because of the personalities of the two, Baron Zabels tone was more informalpared to Welners.

    Welner remembered the headache he had when the Baron suddenly requested a friendly spar with him back in the capital, but after the spar, Baron seemed to have acknowledged Welners ability, and in turn, his attitude toward Welner became friendly. You could say that Welner and Baron Zabel were friends despite therge difference in age.

    Dont mention it. We only got an easy job of fighting the remnants of the bandits groups. By the way, your military operation hasnt finished yet, right?

    Yes. There is one bandits group left. This group of bandits is staying in a quite troublesome ce.

    <i>Well, they are also now easier to take care of since they just stayed in one spot</i>, Welner added inwardly.

    Do you need me to lend you some soldiers?

    No need. Incidentally, how are things going on your side?

    I have gathered sufficient food, arrows, and horses, just like the n. Even if the knights from the capital came here without bringing anything, it would be fine.

    Thank you. How is the situation of the soldiers?

    A troop made up of the nobility and soldiers from Triot has been made. I heard Viscount Grellman has also created a simr troop. Still

    The Baron looked at Welner with a questioning gaze and Welner replied to Barons gaze with an innocent smile.

    Since you are going to stand at the very front, your side should need more soldiers. Is it fine to give these people from Triot to me and Viscount Grellman?

    Its fine. After all, I have no n to do maneuver warfare.

    At one time, Welner had thought of creating a troopposed of people from Triot who hadbat experience, since he would be able to save time training them, but Welnerter scrapped that idea. After all, people from Triot were still foreigners and there was a risk that they might ignore his order on the actual battlefield.

    To put it bluntly, Welner deliberately sent the people from Triot to Baron Zabel or Viscount Grellman to save himself from potential headaches.

    After that, the two continued to exchange information. In particr, they talked about the cooperation with Viscount Grellman, who was currently overseeing the Knap houses former stronghold. They also discussed the basic arrangement for the n and the war supplies.

    When their topic shifted to Rafed, the Baronughed while saying, I understand your circumstances but be careful to not be assassinated in the middle of the night to which Welner smiled bitterly in reply.

    No matter how many times I see it, that map is very well done. I hope I can meet the person who created that map and ask for his cooperation in the future.

    Thats the matter forter.

    The Baron nodded lightly. Welners reply to the Barons probing remark was tinged with a bitter expression. Welner only roughly copied the map shown in the game, but for the standard of this world, Welners map was quite impressive. To save himself from theplicated situation, Welner deliberately didnt mention he was the person who created the map for Baron Zabel.

    Well then, I and my troop will be going back to beat up the remnants of the bandits groups. Be careful on your way, Viscount.

    You too, Baron.

    The Baron then returned to his army. Seeing that the conversation between the two had finished, Neurath and Schunzel approached Welner. While seeing the uniform movements of the Barons army, Schunzel muttered, Themand of his army seems to be quite impressive.

    Well, if things went south, hes going to be supporting us in the war with demons, after all.

    Thats all Welner said, but inside, he also thought that the kingdom must have sent Baron Zabel to the former Marquisate Knap territory on purpose, so the Baron could act as a second line of defense in case he failed to protect the Anheim region.

    It made more sense for the kingdom to have prepared n B and n C rather than putting their hope in Welner alone. Of course, Welner nned to do all he could to defend Anheim.

    Alright. Well rest a bit and take care of the corpses before moving again.

    No one had ever seen a corpse turn into an undead, but it was generally believed that if left alone, corpses could turn into demons. Even if that belief was false, leaving corpses around could lead to a disease outbreak.

    Because they had been fighting the bandits while pursuing them, the bandits corpses were scattered around in a rather wide area and they must be cleaned up. Unfortunately here, demons could attack you while you were taking care of the corpses, so the post-battle clean up must also be done bybatants, unlike in Welners previous life.

    Take only their metal equipment. As for armor, you can take them if they are in good condition, but dont expect too much. The bandits valuables will be a reward to the person who defeated them. As for the rest of the items that the bandits have, burn them along with the corpses.

    Yes, sir.

    The post-war clean up was more tiring than the war itself. Welner sighed and then proceeded to do his share of clean up work.

    After several days of rest and clean up, Welner and his army moved to a vige near the base of thest bandits group. There, they met up with the adventurers who had arrived at the vige earlier while transporting some stuff necessary for the uing battle.

    When they saw the stuff brought by the adventurers, the soldiers faces stiffened. Well, that sort of reaction made sense. Leaving only a <i>be careful with them</i> words, Welner skipped greeting the vige head and went straight to talk with the members of Iron Hammer.

    Huh I dont want to ept any of yourmissions anymore, Viscount-sama.

    Sorry for the trouble.

    To theint of one of the members of Iron Hammer, Welner responded with a wry smile. Welner couldnt me him forining, since it might be easier for the adventurers to exterminate some demons thanpleting hismissions. Though, as a noble, this attitude was not something he could show the public.

    For the time being, Welner handed the reward to the Iron Hammer party. Then, he asked the party about recent information regarding the bandits.

    Did those bandits attack the vige recently?

    They did not. We have about 20 adventurers here, so I doubt they have the courage to do that.

    The bandits might be able to procure water outside of the vige, but not food. Although there might be some edible wild grass outside of the vige, the amount of those wild grass would be far from enough to feed the entire bandits group, so they must be starving. Inwardly, Welner breathed a sigh of relief since it looked like his army made it in time before the bandit started to rampage because of hunger.

    We also went to the hill where the bandits stayed. They seem to have built some kind of fort.

    I hope they didnt mess with the hill too much.

    Welner replied while shrugging his shoulders. He still had use of that hill. That was why he was hoping the bandits didnt ruin it.

    Neurath, Schunzel. Go get Sir Holzdeppe and Sir Gekke for me.

    Understood.

    Sorry, but can you continue guarding the vige for a bit?

    Okay. We will leave the war to you, Viscount.

    The adventurers should be able to protect the vige well or rather, protecting a vige should be easierpared to moving this much stuff here, thought Welner.

    It would be troublesome if the bandits did too many unnecessary things, plus the <b><i>creatures</i></b> Welner had brought here seemed to be getting restless, so Welner decided to start the preparation.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    When Zegers heard the report that soldiers and knights had arrived in the nearby vige, he immediately called his second-inmand, Eickstedt.

    Youre here, Eick. They came just like youd predicted.

    Yes. I heard the news.

    Eickstedt had a resigned expression on his face. Seeing that, Zegersughed.

    Didnt everything go ording to your prediction? Everything will work out somehow.

    Because everything went ording to my prediction, we should have left this ce as soon as possible.

    Eickstedt replied to his leaders carefree remark. In his original n, this ce was supposed to be a temporary base, but Zegers refused to move after the group gained an overwhelming victory against small bandits groups while fighting here.

    Not only that, there had also been a conflict of interest between Eickstedt and Zegers. Eickstedt wanted the group to join another bandits group, but Zegers sent an arrogant letter demanding that bandits group to join his group. As a result, Zegerss group had be isted. Zegerss simple-minded personality that made Eickstedt want to use and control him ended up shooting Eickstedt in his own foot.

    There had also been the problem of food. Ever since the adventurers started to stay at that vige, Zegerss group had lost their source of food. Despite that, Zegers still refused to move. ording to Zegers, this hill that overlooked its surroundings was a really precious ce.

    Zegerss arrogant attitude also caused the survivors from Dagovers and Granacks group to not ask for help from Zegerss group, which in turn caused Zegerss group not to know the information about Welners army. Of course, neither Zegers nor Eickstedt knew this fact.

    Leader, they came.

    Finally.

    Leaving Eickstedt, who had a dark expression on his face, Zegers left the building and looked down the hill from behind the hastily constructed fences with a curious expression on his face.

    Whats that green board and ck tower they brought with them? (Zegers)

    I dont know.

    One of his subordinates answered Zegers. Most of the bandits here were formermoners, so it was not strange for none of them to have seen a catapult before. Additionally, the lower half of the catapult was hidden from their point of view, so they must have thought of the catapult as a strange thing made of wood.

    But not long after, a loud voice resounded as a stone of the size of a childs head came flying into the fence.

    WWhat just happened??

    That catapult!? They brought that kind of thing here!? (Eickstedt)

    Eickstedt rushed over after he heard the loud bang and with a surprised voice, he confirmed the identity of the strange thing. Immediately after Eickstedts exmation, a second stone flew andnded outside the fence, causing a dent in the ground.

    Whoa it almost hit the inside of the fence again.

    But it seems like that things aim sucks.

    Eick, wont it be better if we just go out and destroy that thing?

    It was said that the range of a catapult was 200 meters, while the range of a longbow was 400 meters. But that was only possible if a skilled archer was using a well-maintained longbow, arrows shot by the likes of bandits wouldnt be able to reach that far and it definitely wouldnt be able to reach the catapult.

    Eickstedt knew this, so he shook his head.

    We cant. The soldiers who are standing under the shadow of the board have crossbows. We will suffer a lot of casualties before we will be able to even get close to the catapult.

    Tch.

    Zeghers clicked his tongue, but he soon rxed. After all, the two stones that were thrown by the catapult didnt cause any harm to his subordinates, so Zeghers naturally assumed that the catapults aim was poor. The bandits also appeared to be calmer.

    Unexpectedly, that thing isnt that dangerous.

    Catapult is a weapon designed to tear down a town wall, after all. Bringing many of them here might be dangerous, but just one of them is nothing much.

    Just when Eickstedt was wondering why the governors army brought a catapult here, the catapult shot a barrel whichnded inside of the fences. The barrel then shattered and the sound of fluttering wings resounded in the area.

    Several bandits who had realized the identity of the sound screamed.

    BBEES!!???

    Even Eickstedt and Zegers were dumbfounded. Inside the barrel was a shattered beehive. The bees which had just lost their hive furiously attacked their surroundings. Sounds of screams filled the base in an instant.

    Ouch. it hurts.

    Help!!

    Against a swarm of bees, swords were practically useless. The bees stings hit the bandits on their unguarded faces, hands, and feet. Unable to bear the pain, some bandits fell. Others tried to ask for theirrades help, but unfortunately, the state of theirmanders was no better than theirs.

    The bandits who usually had no qualms about killing people were running left and right to escape, but it was futile. The fences that they had built themselves ended up being a cage that trapped them in this swarm of bees.

    WhaWhat

    Neither Zegers nor Eickstedt could think of any countermeasure against the absurd situation that unfolded in front of their eyes. A swarm of bees headed to both of them and before they couldprehend what exactly had just happened, their faces contorted in fear.

    Well, we have no use for these hives even if we saved them, so just throw them all on the bandits.

    The precious honey is going to be wasted

    When Schunzel gave a signal, the soldiers loaded the next barrel filled with a whirring sound onto the catapult with a twitched expression.

    Just like that, the soldiers loaded the barrel and shot it to the bandits base with an unprecedented speed, as if they were hoping to discard these hives as soon as possible. As the barrel hit the ground, a fresh round of screaming seemed to be resounding from the direction of the bandits base, but that might just be the wind ying tricks on their ears.

    The fact that the soldiers were sighing in relief after all the barrels had flown away was true.

    I have never heard of a battle strategy involving throwing a beehive at your enemy.

    Really?

    Holzdeppe muttered and Welner replied. In his previous life, Welner had even heard of a general deliberately ordering his subordinates to throw corpses to the enemys camp to cause a disease outbreak. Therefore, Welner didnt think he did anything strange.

    However, the adventurers who brought the beehive all the way here would retort to Welners thought. Even the mercenaries were watching the sight of bandits being attacked by the bees with twitching smiles, so they might agree with the adventurers.

    While being relieved that stuff from his hazy memory worked out well, Welner kept gazing at the fences that the bandits had erected.

    Still, a catapult sure takes a long time to be prepared.

    Well, I think that depends on who the users are.

    Welners first impression of the catapult was that it was a powerful but hard-to-use weapon. The catapult couldnt hit an object the size of a person urately, moving it was troublesome, and the preparations took quite a bit of time.

    In Welners view, it was safer to use the catapult as an unmovable weapon, rather than bringing it around. While that thought was running inside of Welners head, the gate of the bandits base opened and a swarm of bandits chased by the bees came out of the gate.

    Prepare the crossbows!!

    The crossbows are ready!

    Fire!!

    Schunzel instructed the soldiers without needing Welners order, and the rain of arrows turned the group of bandits into porcupines. While side-eyeing the dead bodies of bandits, Welner ordered for torches to be prepared.

    The clean up will be a hassle. (Welner)

    I wonder if there is any honey left (Neurath)

    If there is any leftover honey, you can scoop it out and eat it. (Welner)

    As expected in this kind of situation, Welner didnt have any other choice but to burn the bees. Most likely, cleaning up the bees would take more timepared to handling the bandits, but Welner was fine with that. After all, using the bee strategy minimized the casualties among his army.

    Welner ordered the army to stay vignt and while waiting until the bees became tired and sluggish, Welner decided to spend the time doing some brain exercise.

    The so-called brain exercise was calcting thepensation for the vigers.

    A few hourster, after investigating the bandits base while exterminating the bees, Welner and his army took the surviving bandits as prisoners.

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    While Welner and his army were in battle against the bandits, about 10 people gathered in a secluded room of the churchs medical center for a secret meeting.

    The churchs medical center was originally a facility built to treat the poor. Each town had one of these medical centers built and those in the middle of their journey, the poor, the elderly, and people without rtives would receive treatment in the medical center while resting and supporting each other. The money for the medical centers daily necessities came from donations, so it was not umon for a towns influential people and their subordinates to visit the medical center.

    But on this asion, the people gathered here for apletely different matter.

    Hes ignoring us too much.

    I agree. We let him move freely for a while because he is young. Yet, he is so arrogant.

    Several people voiced their dissatisfaction. Many of these people were those who were treated coldly by the new governor, Welner. Some of them were Pledgers, some were the towns influential people or the towns lower-ranking officials. The people whose daughter had gotten a criminal record because of Welner were also here and there were also the people of the Forestry Guild.

    Welner was nning to do something that needed a lot of wood as such he had used the people of the Woodworking Guild, Carpenter Guild, and Metalworker Guild. However, Welner bought most of the woods that he needed from outside, so the people of the Forestry Guild didnt benefit.

    For the people of the Forestry Guild, they might be dissatisfied with what Welner had done, but the fact that the reputation of the Forestry Guilds leader was bad was also true. After all, the brother of the leader of the Forestry Guild was one of the cronies of the person who was killed on Welners order for assaulting a refugee woman.

    The lieutenant of the town guards was also present here. The captain of the guards himself hadpletely surrendered because of the man named Kesten that the new governor, Welner, brought with him, but that didnt mean all guards had also be docile. Specifically, the lieutenant of the guards didnt like Welner because Welner was too strict or at least that was what the lieutenant imed.

    The truth of the matter was that this lieutenant recklessly challenged Kesten because he thought Kesten was a weak old man and gotpletely beaten. Ever since then, the lieutenant had beenining about Welner behind everyones back.

    Above all, I dont like how he went ahead with the trial on his own.

    That kind ofint was notpletely unreasonable. Most criminals of this town ended up receiving paying fine as a punishment. One of the reasons was that there was no prison good enough for long-term imprisonment, but another more important reason was that the fine punishment was really advantageous for the governor.

    For example, if there was a criminal who had to give a fine of 100 silver coins as a punishment, the victim of that crime would receive 10-20% of that fine aspensation, and the people who were in charge of the trial would receive 1 silver coin, and the rest of the money would go to the governors pocket.

    As a result, many governors would be eager to indict criminals. The trialmittee would also receive money every time they brought a criminal to a trial, so for them, trial was quite a lucrative business. In addition, if the criminal couldnt pay the fine, they would be sentenced to forcedbor, meaning they would all get another very cheapborer either way, putting someone on a trial would not cause any loss for both the government and the trialmittee.

    There was another reason for their dissatisfaction with Welner. Back when Anheim was still a part of Marquisate Knap, the Knap house would pay the people who participated in the trial.

    This was because, as a region that directly bordered Triot, a lot of smuggling happened. Thus, a lot of trials each day. The money was given by the Knap house aspensation for the time and effort of the trialmittee because they had to work on many cases. Even after Triot fell, thisw remained alive because of the many unforeseen circumstances, including the death of the Marquis Knap.

    However, when Welner became the governor, he reduced this special pay on the grounds that Anheim was no longer the Marquissnd. Welner also judged most of the trials swiftly by himself. In addition, Wiener didnt even bother to hold any trials for minor crimes and directly punished the criminals.

    Welners action made the members of the trialmittee lose quite a bit of money. Of course, the governor did have the authority to do what Welner did, but most governors would not do that. After all, what Welner did was the same as ignoring the local authority. Welner had his own reasons for doing that, though.

    How about we trouble him a bit?

    Lets do that. We need the bandits to be exterminated, but giving the governor some trouble over the bandits extermination will be fine.

    I mean, things like the supplies arrivedte is amon urrence.

    Will we be fine doing that?

    Some people were concerned, but an elderly manughed.

    There is no need to be worried. Although he isnt here, the church head agrees with us. That is why he let us use this ce. Even if he is a governor, he wont be able to touch the church easily.

    I have to say, you are quite mistaken.

    Hearing a sudden voice, everyone turned their gazes to the door with startled expressions. There stood a bby merchant-like man with a group of armed men behind him.

    WhWho are you!?

    Ah, pardon myte introduction. I am Rafed. I have been given the honor of working for the governor.

    Although Rafed bowed as if he was showing respect to everyone in the room, Rafeds expression was full of sarcasm.

    I have heard all your conversations. Of course, with the permission of the church head-sama.

    The room fell into silence. Some kept their calm expression, while the others expressions turned red and then blue. Finally, after a while, a person barely managed to speak up.

    W..Wait! We have done nothing wrong! Judging by our conversation, you might think that we are dissatisfied with the governor, but

    Well, I did note here for that, though.

    Rafed shrugged his shoulders lightly before speaking again.

    Among the documents Viscount Welner has received before he arrived in Anheim, there is a document about mary assistance to Mangold. There were many names in that document, including names of some esteemed sirs here.

    The expressions of guild leaders, who were also the members of Pledgers Council, changed immediately. It was true that they had given mary assistance to Mangold before. One of the guild leaders raised his voice.

    Even if you came here because of that, we are not at fault! After all, Sir Mangold was still the Knap houses heir at that time!

    Youre certainly right, but the problem is Mangold gathered soldiers without the Kings permission and attacked Veritza Fortress. This action of Mangold is a huge crime. Where did he get the money to gather that many soldiers is still under investigation. Certainly, the mary assistance you have given is quite suspicious.

    Even though Mangolds reputation in the capital was pretty bad, in Anheim, many people would still think that despite his reputation, Mangold would be the next Marquis since his father died. As such, some people would try to curry favor with Mangold. It was true that Mangold was violent and arrogant, but that sort of personality wasnt rare among nobles.

    Therefore, it would be hard to charge the towns influential people for a crime just based on their mary assistance to Mangold. Keeping them in custody for a few days for investigation was possible though, and when they were in custody, they wouldnt be able to move freely.

    In short, Welner aimed to keep these people quiet for a few days with mary assistance as an excuse. Here, the people in the room finally realized that they had been fooled.

    Rafed bowed his head again, this time lower. His gesture looked more like an actor who bowed to their audience on the stage rather than a sign of respect. Unfortunately, Rafed didnt have a handsome enough face to be an actor.

    Oh, some of you esteemed sirs would receive questioning about other matters, like using the confusion of the former Marquiss death to falsify the tax report by turning in a false guilds sales report.

    H..How did you

    I have a keen eye for spotting dissatisfied people, you see. The guild is also not a united organization.

    Some of the guilds leaders faces turned pale. Rafeds words were the same as telling them that their subordinates had betrayed them. Unfortunately, none of them could escape since several soldiers came in with Rafeds signal. They were all taken away. Then the church head entered the room.

    Thank you for your cooperation.

    No need to be that courteous. After all, the Saintess, Laura-sama, has handwritten me a letter to ask me to help Viscount-sama.

    The church head replied to Rafed with a smile. Handing the letter from Laura to the church head was one of the reasons the Iron Hammer came to Anheim. Later, one of the members of Iron Hammer said, I thought since its only transporting a letter and luggage from the capital, its going to be an easy job Technically, if not for Welner asking them to bring a beehive of all things, their job would be easy.

    After exchanging a brief conversation with Rafed, the church head left and Kesten, who was leading the support troop, turned his gaze to Rafed with a cynical expression and said, Youre working quite hard, it seems.

    Well, I value my life very much. In addition

    In addition to what?

    My rtionship with Viscount Welner is already bad because of the recent incident, so I do not want to worsen it. After all, who would want to make an enemy of the Hero-samas friend who also has the Saintess-sama on his side?

    Making him my enemy would be like turning the church of the entire continent into my enemy, Rafed added in a strange tone. It was hard to judge whether Rafed was impressed or regretting. Hearing Rafeds words, Kesten let out a bitter smile.

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    I am concerned about the repercussions of the actions that Viscount Welner has taken in Anheim. Please investigate the Viscount Welner.

    We know.

    The Viscount, who was also one of the department heads in the Ministry of Justice, imed such in front of the Prime Minister and the King, but both of them dropped the Viscounts im without giving any directment.

    After the viscount exited the room, an indescribable atmosphere rose in the room. Then, Ingo, Welners father, and the Minister of Ceremonies said with a bow.

    I apologize for the trouble that my son has caused.

    No need. With this, we now know that giving him (viscount who justined) the position of the mere department head is fitting.

    The King, Maximilian, responded with no particr emotion and the people in the room nodded. The Prime Minister, Falkenstein, then started to speak.

    It seems like there is a bit of a shortage of excellent people among the middle-ranked officials.

    Let us increase their governmental work a little and see how things will develop. Will that be fine, Your Majesty?

    Very well. Arrange it so that the works could be divided among many nobles.

    The King nodded at the Crown Princes suggestion, and he then gave the order. With this, one matter was over.

    Without him knowing, Welner was being treated as an assessment tool on how middle-ranked officials would react when facing a young yet excellent noble.

    The kingdoms ministers treated people based on their use. If the ministers judged a person to be of great value and of the same interest, they would treat him like a colleague or arrange so that the person could be their subordinate.

    If that person didnt have the same interest as them, the ministers would then think about how to make use of this person despite their conflicting interests or think of the way they could use this person for the countrys interest despite being in a perhaps different faction than themselves.

    In the worst case, if this particr person were hostile to them in the court, the ministers would make arrangements, so this person would fight their political opponent until both of them exhaust themselves.

    As ministers, they needed to think of the way that would benefit the country the most. Nobles who had the mindset of dragging down their rivals without thinking if the rivals could benefit the country would never be able to be a minister. At most, these kinds of nobles were only fit to be middle-ranked officers.

    Because of that, the department head of the Minister of Justice, along with the nobles who had pushed Welner to be sent to Anheim, had long been branded as failures and in the near future, most of them would most likely be transferred to another region. At the same time, ministers must also think of ways to re-educate these nobles.

    After all, having many excellent human resources was a must for a country. It was possible for one of the government officials to suddenly die because of a sickness or an ident. Without sufficient human resources, who would be able to rece them? That was why it was the duty of the ministers to train excellent human resources, just like how protecting their houses lineage was a right of a noble. None of the ministers in this room would take that duty lightly.

    It could also be said that sessfully appointing only excellent ministers with this kind of thinking meant that the Kings eyes for talent were quite impressive.

    As a matter of fact, Welners thought was right. The Bain Kingdom had also included the possibility that Welner would fail in defending Anheim.

    The upper echelons of the kingdom had also judged that it was possible to retake Anheim in case Welner failed to defend it. They had also made some preparations for that. But even though the kingdom could bear losing Anheim, they couldnt bear losing Welner, who was an important connection to the hero.

    That was why the Crown Prince had given Welner several Skywalks. For a politician, the skill to judge what to protect and what to discard when it was impossible to protect everything was important.

    The one thing that Welner knew but others didnt know was the fact that one of the Four Heavenly Kings would attack the capital. This knowledge was what made Welners thoughts and the upper echelons of the kingdoms thoughts differ.

    Welner knew that if he left Gezarius alive, there was a possibility that the capital would have to handle the attack of 2 Demon Generals and a Heavenly King at once; that was why Welner had no intention of losing or retreating. Unfortunately, Welner couldnt tell anyone about the fact that the capital would get attacked. As such, the arrangements that Welner made to kill Gezarius was seen as loyalty toward the kingdom by the upper echelons of the kingdom. It was quite ironic.

    Then, the Crown Princeughed lightly.

    It was quite interesting for him to use that spy.

    Well, technically, what he did was still just an attempted kidnapping, after all.

    What Rafed did was still just an attempted kidnapping, so Rafed could be dealt with in any way. Technically, if Rafed just apologized to the heros family and the heros family epted it, the kingdom would no longer intervene in this matter. Of course, Rafed would still be punished for targeting a heros family.

    For the sake of winning, the Viscount will even use his enemy. Even if the Viscount loses this battle, he will just be losing a criminal, so it will not be a problem. In addition, his action also served as a warning to the nobles. The viscount is quite cunning.

    Your Majesty, you seem to be in a good mood.

    Willing to negotiate is a good thing.

    The King replied to the Minister of Internal Affair, Count Audendrieds words. It would be difficult to entrust an important position in the country to someone unwilling to negotiate. Even the case of a noble making negotiation with the Bain Kingdom wasnt something rare. This willingness was more of a matter of aptitude rather than personality.

    Although the King couldnt say that his evaluation of Welner had improved, at the very least, the King had judged that Welner was a person worthy of a further evaluation of his capability.

    Even without the fact that Welner was the type of person who was willing to negotiate, Wiener was still a valuable asset to the country. He was a young noble with excellent capability and above all, Welner was a close friend of the hero.

    The King in this world wasnt some dictator who held absolute authority. If more than half of the nobles suggested to the King that the hero was a dangerous existence who needed to be eliminated, even though the hero was a valuable asset to the country, the King still needed to consider the nobles suggestion or at least pretend to consider it.

    Normally, what would happen after the appearance of someone as powerful as the hero was a flood of suggestions to eliminate him for the sake of the country, but Welners existence prevented things from developing that way.

    It was a well-known fact that the hero and Welner were close friends. If the kingdom made a move on Mazell, in a worst-case scenario, Welner might emigrate from the country. Losing someone as talented as Welner would be a major loss to the country.

    It would be a p on the countrys face if they lost someone who was a son of a minister and the next Count. Not to mention, other countries might be more powerful if they used Welners talent. As such, even if some felt that the hero was dangerous, they must hide that feeling.

    On the other hand, there was a risk of the hero bing hostile if the country eliminated Welner. Making an enemy of someone strong enough to kill 2 Demon Generals and a Heavenly King was quite terrifying. Frankly, even an entire noble house would lose if they wage a war against the hero.

    For the country, the option of eliminating Mazell was truly terrifying, so none had the courage to attempt it.

    The existence of the two, the hero, Mazell, and his friend, the noble, Welner together, was what prevented the country from eliminating either of them despite the jealousy and dissatisfaction of the nobles.

    The royal family had also taken advantage of the current situation. The King showed an attitude of having a high hope for the hero and took a stance of supporting him. The Crown Prince, on the other hand, showed an attitude of appreciating Welner and having high hopes for Welners future.

    Due to that, no one could suggest what if the two cooperated and turned into enemies of the kingdom. After all, offering such a suggestion was the same as tantly saying both His Highness and His Majesty were poor judges of character. Such a person would immediately lose his position in the court and all of the courts officials knew this, so no one dared to offer this sort of suggestion.

    All of these circumstances led to a certain someone bing an important figure in the country, regardless of his true intentions.

    Incidentally, how is the heros sister, Count Zeavert?

    Ah, I had wanted to consult with Your Majesty about that matter.

    Without changing his expression, Ingo started to speak and the content of Ingos words made the King astonished.

    We understand. We will help you take care of that.

    To have to resort to asking Your Majesty for help, I am ashamed.

    It is not a matter that a noble house will be able to solve, so no need to feel ashamed. Do you have anything else to consult?

    At this moment, there is nothing that I will need the power of the country to solve.

    The King nodded. Then, it was the Crown Princes turn to speak.

    How is the demon armys movement?

    There is a small demon group on the western border. Our military is currently taking care of them. Other than that, there is no unusual movement from the demon army.

    Keep being vignt. Do not forget to also keep an eye on other countries movements.

    Yes, sir.

    Understood.

    Next

    The demons didnt only appear in Anheim. Every time demons appeared in other regions, the kingdom needed to swiftly deal with them and, if necessary, the kingdom would send a military force. The kingdom also needed to deal with the matter of refugees.

    In addition, even though the humans greatest enemy was the demons, there was no guarantee that other countries would not make any move while the Bain Kingdom was busy with the demons, so there were plenty of things that needed to be talked about in the meeting.

    The royal conference continues.

    T/N: One of my favorite behind-the-scenes chapter! This chapter makes me think that maybe the reason the king was useless in the game is that he cant openly support Mazell because of the nobles but what do you guys think? Its also kinda cool to see Welner and Mazell end up protecting each other without them realizing it. Bromance for the win!

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    There was arge square in the middle of Anheim town, just like any other typical town in the medieval era. In the summer, the town square would be a ce for festivals and it would also be a ce for the traders to set their stalls. Sometimes, the square became a ce for the citizens to gather for a political discussion, a crime scene, or a ce to perform.

    Execute them!

    I gave the order with a loud voice, and the three soldiers cut off the heads of the three bandits. The head of the man named Dagover was cut off by an especially loud sound. When the heads of the three bandits fell, the crowd cheered.

    The heads of the three bandits were impaled onto a spear and then brought by soldiers around the town. The towns citizens gathered and followed behind soldiers. It looked like the scene of the Mikoshi parade in Japan, but since the things that were being brought around were heads of men, not a Mikoshi, it looked rather grotesque.

    (T/N: Mikoshi is a portable shrine. There is a festival in Japan where a group of people would carry this Mikoshi around and the crowd followed them.)

    There were also many acquaintances and families of the victims in the crowd.

    It seemed like this world had the custom of using beheading as a way to execute people of high status, while the execution of ordinary people was done by hanging. It was simr to how in medieval Japan, samurai were executed by telling them tomit seppuku while ordinary people were simply beheaded.

    However, I decided for the bandits, who were of low status, to be beheaded instead of hanged for a reason. I also ordered the bandits heads to be disyed and brought across the town, which was something I had seen in a drama movie. Because of all of this, execution garnered a lot of interest.

    Perhaps because of my memory as a modern Japanese man, I couldnt help but feel cold when I saw how the citizens seemed to be enjoying the execution. Of course, I was careful not to show that on my face. I knew that this was the norm here, but I still felt ufortable.

    From the perspective of science, human lives were equal, but from the perspective of politics and the military, the lives of our allies and enemies were not equal. I was in a position where I had no other choice but to think from ater perspective.

    It wasnt like I felt nothing about killing my enemies even though it was to protect my precious people. But because of my position, I couldnt show any remorse or hesitation in killing my enemies, but on the other hand, I didnt want to be a monster that felt nothing while killing others. Humans were truly contradictory creatures.

    Lets stop thinking about that here. I pulled myself together and went to my office. There, I had a meeting with several Pledgers. For the Pledgers who decided to support me, I gave them my gratitude and promised them rewards. I alsomissioned more work to Pledgers and also asked them to arrange work for the refugees. We would need more human resources in the future, so I wanted to give simple jobs to as many people as possible.

    On the other hand, I punished the Pledgers, who refused to cooperate with me. The evidence of some of the Pledgers tax evasion had already been collected by Sir Behnke, so I handed out punishment based on that. We got tons of money from fines. As for the matter of mary assistance to Mangold, I only scolded them. Of course, I had my own reason for that.

    I guess the Pledgers were now docile because they saw the execution of the bandits. Despite being executed by beheading, which was an execution method for people with high status, the bandits heads were disyed and even brought across the town, which was a tant insult. For the Pledgers who <i>coincidentally</i> have a high status, the scene of the bandits execution must somehow <i>resonate</i> with them.

    After the matters with the Pledges were over, while bearing my stomach ache, I sent emissaries to the capital and neighboring territories to share some information. I alsomissioned the Iron Hammer to deliver a letter and some goods to Father in the capital.

    After that, it was now the time to deal with the reward of the bandits extermination operation. This was also a pretty important job, so I must not neglect it.

    I think there is no problem with that.

    Okay. Then, Ill leave the rewards of the soldiers to Schunzel. As for the rewards for Sir Gekkes mercenaries team, Neurath will take care of it. Its fine if you do thister, Neurath.

    Yes, sir.

    Frenssen, put these documents in a box for now. These are the documents aboutpensation for the victims families. If I happen to forget about these, please remind me.

    Understood.

    As for the rewards for the knights, I would consult with Sir Kesten first before deciding on them. Other than weapons and money, horses were also a viable option for the knights rewards. Giving horses as a reward to the knights was like giving a luxury car as a reward to your subordinates in my previous life. Horses were technically the luxury cars in this era, after all.

    In my previous life, I often questioned why the lords in the Sengoku Era gave stuff like headscarves and footwear as rewards. But now I sort of understand. As a person who stood above others, you needed to show your subordinates that you appreciated their work.

    To win your subordinates hearts, you needed to give them something tangible to show them that you appreciated their work. These tangible things didnt need to be money. They could also be items that symbolize honor. In this sense, random tes or gloves given by me would be priceless simply because I was a governor appointed by the king. Sorry for thinking you were cheap before, lords of the Sengoku Period.

    Although I theoretically understood the necessity of rewards, deciding on what to give to whom was a tedious job. After all, I would be flooded withints if the rewards were unfair. Whileining inside, I kept checking and signing the documents. From the side, Sir Behnke nodded in admiration and said, Viscount-sama is quite skilled in doing paperwork.

    This is also thanks to Sirs hard work in sorting the documents. Plus, I am used to handling documents about the military affair.

    Sir Behnke was quite skilled in handling documents rting to the internal affair. As for me, I had experience handling documents about military merits in Finnoi. In addition, I also had experience working with documents in my previous life. That was why I knew the basics of how to work with documents efficiently.

    But Sir Behnkes next words almost made me choke.

    But usually, people of Viscount-samas age think of working with the documents as a tedious job and hate them. I suppose Count-samas education is excellent.

    Ill convey your praise to Father.

    Right I was, in fact, a student. Come to think of it, I remember my ssmates in the academy saying that my way of studying was efficient. My ssmates had also consulted me a lot about how to study, except for Mazell, of course.

    In my previous life, usually, you would ask for your friends help in studying in exchange for treating them to lunch but here since most of my friends were nobles, my friends would tell me about local specialties of their territories or interesting gossip in the court in an exchange of helping them to study. I knew that when you became an adult, the time spent as a student became precious, so I wondered if I would be able to return to being a student in the academy soon

    Lets end the reminiscing there. As I continued to work with the documents, someone knocked on the door and Frenssen turned to me. Ah, they were here. I guess disposing of a dead body took quite a bit of time. Well, that wasnt strange considering the crowd.

    Welner-sama. Rafed, Sir Gekke, and the person you have called are here.

    Let them in.

    As the three of them entered, I put down my papers. The man who came inside, along with Sir Gekke and Rafed, wore the uniform of a low-ranking soldier. That man was someone who was also involved with the bandits execution. From his appearance, I could tell that the man was older than me, but our age gap was likely less than 10 years.

    Sir Eickstedt. Youre done?

    Yes. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, Your Excellency.

    Sir Eickstedt prostrated. I hoped you could stop acting like that, Sir Eickstedt. Your attitude made me ufortable.

    I had already exined Sir Eickstedts situation to Sir Behnke, Sir Kesten, and Frenssen. So, lets introduce him to everyone else here.

    It will be hard for us to talk if you act like that, so stop. Everyone, he is Sir Eickstedt, a member of a Counts household from Triot.

    I am nothing more than a refugee from a ruined country, sir.

    I didnt call you here to see you prostrating like that. Stand up.

    In my heart, I felt ufortable seeing a son of a Count from a foreign country who was also older than me act like that. But his country was destroyed, so he was currently in a position where he needed to prostrate and act servile even to someone like me who was younger than him, and because of my position, I had no choice but to ept his attitude.

    Sir Eickstedt might be the future me if I decided to escape when the demons attacked the capital.

    Sorry for not being able to do much.

    Please dont say something like that. I cant thank you enough for your generosity, Your Excellency.

    It wasnt like a person would die immediately after he was stung by bees, but I was still impressed by how this guy managed to survive in that kind of situation. He must have survived out of a sheer will. It also once again made me amazed at the power of potions in this world.

    I hope at least I managed to ease your burden.

    You have done more than that, Your Excellency. With this, I at least have a face to meet with my daughter and wife in heaven.

    I didnt know what to say after seeing Sir Eickstedts expression. Originally, I captured him alive, so I could interrogate him about how to get drinking water on that hill. To be honest, I was fine with anyone, as long as I could interrogate them.

    But after I heard the story of how he became a bandit during his interrogation, I ended up helping him.

    I had heard before that Dagover was a bandit who often attacked the refugees from Triot. Unfortunately, Sir Eickstedts group of refugees was also a victim of Dagover. Sir Eickstedts mother was killed, and his one-year-old son was literally kicked to death by the bandits.

    He told us that his wife was abducted by the bandits. When we asked him what happened to his wife after that, he broke down crying without being able to say anything. Whatever it was that happened to his wife must be a truly horrible thing.

    His father, a Count of Triot, was apparently in the pce when the demons attacked Triot. His father had most likely already died.

    The reason he joined the bandits was to kill Dagover. His original n was to let Zeghers group merge with Dagovers group, then he would purposely make Dagover drunk after meeting him and stab him to death. Sir Eickstedt, who wasnt confident in his physical strength, couldnt think of any other ways to kill Dagover. If I lost my precious people I would probably do everything to get revenge, just like Sir Eickstedt.

    Back then, after he told us everything, he begged, I am prepared to be executed, but please, let me die after Dagover. I want to see his death. while crying.

    I ended up letting him do Dagovers execution himself. Perhaps part of the reason I decided to do executions by beheading this time was for the sake of Sir Eickstedt.

    By the way, Zeghers, who was the bandit leader of Sir Eickstedts group, had be a human porcupine, so I ended up executing a different bandit in his stead.

    Well then, there is something I wanted to ask you, Sir, who has managed to build a base on that hill.

    Please, ask me anything.

    If youre nning to die anyway, how about helping me first?

    When I said it, Sir Eickstedts expression became doubtful. Well, I had a reputation for being merciless to criminals, so that was an understandable reaction. But I needed a coborator, and this guy was a perfect choice.

    Demons are the ones that destroyed Triot. Wouldnt that mean demons are also the ones that forced you into this kind of situation?

    That is correct, but

    Dont you also want to get revenge on demons?

    Sir Eickstedt became silent. A few momentster, with a confused expression, he asked, What are you nning to do, Your Excellency?

    I took a deep breath inside. My stomach hurt, but I had to tell everyone my n, right?

    Im nning to attack Triot.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    When I finished my sentence, everyone fell silent. I guess they were still digesting my words. The first person who opened his mouth was Frenssen, who was arguably the most intelligent person in the room.

    Welner-sama earlier, what did you just say?

    Im nning to attack Triot.

    I repeated my words. I crave some coffee or tea now, although I didnt know if coffee beans even exist in this world. Even if they did exist, I had only had instant or canned coffee in my previous life, so I did not know how to brew coffee with coffee beans

    Sir Behnke was the second person who reacted. He turned his head to me. First, he hesitated, then his expression became firm, and he said, Attacking Triot is impossi

    Dont be flustered. I said that Im going to attack Triot, not capture it, I said while lightly raising my hand to stop Sir Behnkes words.

    What I was nning to do was quiteplicated, so of course, I nned to exin it to them. Hmm. from where should I exin it

    Lets first exin the attacking Triot part, so everyone understood what I was nning to do.

    As all of you know, although Triot wasnt asrge as the Bain Kingdom, it used to be a proper country. Im just a viscount who became a governor. I dont have enough human resources, military power, and supplies to <b><i>capture</i></b> Triot.

    That was why the thought of capturing Triot never even crossed my head. I sorted out my thoughts for a moment, then continued my exnation.

    To put it bluntly, Triot is already destroyed. In addition, officially we will be attacking Triot to <b><i>capture the criminals</i></b>, not to capture the country. Therefore, no one will be able toin.

    Criminals?

    Yes, <b><i>officially</i></b>

    Hearing my words, Sir Gekke let out a bitter smile. As always, he was sharp.

    I see. So, this is the reason you did <b><i>that</i></b> almost immediately after you arrived in Anheim.

    <i>One of the towns influential people assaulted a refugee woman. The assaulter was killed on the spot, but his cronies were banished to Triot. Then, after some investigation, it turned out some of those cronies had alsomitted some other crimes, so I and my subordinates went to Triot to capture them for interrogation. On our way to capture them, we ended up shing with the demon army</i> That was what I would be putting on the official report.

    In addition, I want to make it clear that our aim is to drag out the demon general and beat him to a pulp.

    Demon general?

    Sir Eickstedt said that with a confused expression. Ah, right, he didnt know about the demon general. I should make some time to let him catch up with the situationter.

    But the terrain has be a problem for that objective. Anheim was originally a town built to protect the border with Triot. A river runs on the south of Anheim.

    (Illustration by Mitemin. The word on the corner is the capital)

    I took out a map and pointed to Anheim, which was located on the north side of the river.

    If our opponents were humans, we could have created a base on our side of the river and attacked our enemy from that base. After all, it would be pretty hard for normal humans to cross this big river. The problem is, our opponents are demons, so creating a base on our side of the river will be useless.

    Useless? (Behnke)

    Demons have a greater physical abilitypared to humans, so crossing the river should be no problem for them. Making a base and attacking them from our side of the river would be able to somewhat hinder them at best. The most problematic thing is the fact that the demons could cross the river and keep attacking us while we humans wouldnt be able to do the same.

    [Illustration by Mitemin. The word on the river is Triot (demon army)]

    I answered Sir Behnkes question. It seemed like Sir Behnke wasnt well-versed in war. Frenssen probably also wasnt familiar with an actual war, so I would exin my n in detail.

    Even if our army could somehow cross the river, we would be exhausted, making our chances of winning very slim. On the other hand, if demons were the ones that crossed the river, they would still have more than enough stamina to keep attacking us because of the difference in our physical abilities.

    In other words, this river, which was originally supposed to stop Triots army if they tried to invade the Bain Kingdom, now became a weapon that the demons could use against us.

    Even if the knights were miraculously able to cross the river and push back the demons, the demon general could just take a few elites with him and then retreat to hide in the Triot.

    If the demon general escaped to the depth of Triot, our army would have no choice but to wait until the demon general attacked us again, since our army couldnt chase him to the depth of Triot. If that happened, we would be at a great disadvantage because demons could literally pop out anywhere.

    That is certainly true.

    Sir Holzdeppe responded to my exnation, while everyone else seemed to be in deep thought.

    Thats why I want to lure the demon general and his army deep inside our side of the river. If possible, I want to lure them to the front of the northern towns gate, so it will be easier for the reinforcement from the capital to surround the demon general.

    I understand your exnation so far, but I still dont understand why we need to attack Triot?

    This time, it was Sir Eickstedt who asked me. Oh, Sir Eickstedt seemed to be motivated now.

    I have researched the demons living habits before. Well, calling it <b><i>living habits</i></b> might be strange, but anyway, ording to my knowledge, demons dont fear humans.

    Even if we create a group of 100 or so people, the demons would still attack us without fear, like what happened in Veritza Fortress. The hero, Mazell, seemed to be an exception to this rule, though.

    In addition, it seems like demons dont leave a specific area. They seem to have a concept of territory like animals. The exception to this rule is when they are led by amander, like a demon general.

    You are certainly right about that.

    Back when I yed the game, the types of demons that the yer had to fight could change drastically just by crossing a bridge. Back then, it was caused by the games system. I used the word territory here since I didnt know what else to call it.

    If my hypothesis that demons were a substitute for natural disasters in this world was correct, then the demons that often appeared in a certain area were like a substitute for a small earthquake.

    It was also possible that the reason why there were not many strong demons around the capital was that the founder of the Bain Kingdom purposely chose a ce where there were only weak demons nearby to build the capital, just like how in my previous life people chose a ce with a less natural disaster to build a city.

    If that was the case, the reason why demons that appeared in the early states were weak was not because they looked down on the hero or anything.

    Come to think of it, even the ces where the demon king and many powerful demons appeared were often in an area full of mountains. Even without the existence of the demon king, I also wouldnt want to live in a ce filled with mazes like mountain roads.

    Back to natural disasters In my previous life, ancient people who had a polytheistic belief often attributed the natural disaster to God. In Japan, for example, there were Wind God and Thunder God who were both personifications of natural disasters. I didnt know how catfish became a personification of earthquakes, though.

    (T/N: This is referring to Japanese mythology where the earthquake is said to be caused by a Namazu/Onamazu a literal giant catfish.)

    I think demons were a personification of natural disasters who mimicked the surrounding animals territorial behavior after they gained some intelligence.

    The reason why I chose the word territory to exin the demons behavior was that this world didnt have a concept of natural disaster and because the religion of this world was monotheism, the people of this world also didnt have a concept of personification of natural disaster.

    In that sense, perhaps the demon king and demon generals were a personification of arge-scale natural disaster. Well, lets put aside my hypothesis for now and focus on how to defeat Gezarius.

    Im most afraid of demons attacking our territory with a small number repeatedly, just like what I n to do to the demons.

    A few werewolves alone would be able to wipe out an entire vige. If the demons repeatedly sent a small force to attack the Anheim region, the damage the region would suffer would be tremendous. Most likely, demons thought of us as an opponent that they could destroy anytime, which was why they hadnt done that.

    However, the most terrifying thing that could happen was demons once again infiltrating the capital. To prevent this, I had given almost all the anti-demon medicine to the capital. There had been no news from the capital about demons once again having infiltrated, so I could only trust His Highness and the people around him to have protected the capital well.

    A leader has to protect his position. This will also apply to the demon general.

    What do you mean?

    It would be a p on the demon generals face if his territory was repeatedly invaded by the weak and feeble humans, especially since, for the demons, strength is everything. Demon general will most likely be forced to make a move even if he doesnt want to.

    That was how I answered Sir Holzdeppes question. The impression of the Lizard Magician in Alea vige speaking like he was looking down on me, a human, and even trying to strike a deal with me, albeit clumsily, was strong.

    That was why I concluded I should be able to draw out the demon general with my n.

    We will be attacking Triot to piss off the demon general and lure him out.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    The demon army was powerful. They were superior both in terms of numbers and the quality of the soldiers. Only the hero, Mazell, and his party would be able to win while fighting them head-on.

    That was why I wanted to bring the battlefield to the front of the town, so I could make use of the town wall to fight the demon army. For me to be able to do that, there were many things that I needed to prepare.

    The first stage of this n is to provoke the demons and the second stage of this n is to lure them to Anheim town, so we could make use of the towns wall to fight them in a defensive battle.

    I pointed at the map using my finger and everyones attention gathered at the ce I pointed.

    First here.

    I marked a ce near the riverbank.

    We will build a fort here. Of course, it wont be a fort with stone walls as that will take a long time to construct. We will build it with wood with minimal requirements. With the whole towns support and all materials ready, we will be able to build it fairly fast. All the mobile forces will stay in this fort. Were going to lure the enemy to attack this fort.

    Lure the enemies to attack? (Neurath)

    Yeah. Like I said before, were going to provoke the demon general. This fort on the riverbank will be built to prevent the angry demon general from attacking the southern gate.

    All the mobile forces, you say? (Schunzel)

    Yes, including me. I will also stay in that fort.

    After I answered Neurath and Schunzels question, everyone became perplexed. I mean, their target would be me, so of course, I had to stay in the fort.

    But Viscount (Behnke)

    Dont worry. I have no intention of staying in a hastily built fort forever.

    After I cut off Sir Behnkes words, I marked 2 other ces on the map. I then connected the 3 marks with arrows and it created a half circle that led to the northern part of Anheim.

    (Illustration by: Mitemin)

    By the way, the second fort was the base created by the bandits group Sir Eickstedt was part of.

    We will build forts in these three ces, then we will lure the enemy to attack these forts in the above mentioned order to finally bring the enemy to the northern gate.

    Will everything be that easy? (Kesten)

    As long as we can make the enemy attack the first fort, I have confidence that this n will seed. (Welner)

    In terms of the ability to piss off others, I had confidence that not even Mazell could defeat me. Well, I guess this sort of thing was not something I should be proud of

    Demons fundamentally underestimated humans. The pissed off demons would definitely think that they would be able to kill me in the hastily built riverbank fort. They also wouldnt know the existence of the other two forts since they would not bother to investigate the entire Anheim region.

    But even the powerful demons would have trouble destroying the town walls. That was why I needed to lure them out.

    I need the enemy to follow me while I move between the three forts. That is why I need to provoke the enemy as much as possible.

    As I answered Sir Kestens question, Sir Kesten frowned. He must have realized that he would be responsible for defending Anheim town. No, I didnt do this to throw my responsibility to Sir Kesten!

    The support troop that I had Sir Kesten train would be responsible for defending Anheim town from outside and insides threats when I would be going out to provoke the demon army. So yeah, I had already made preparations.

    Sir Eickstedt turned to me and asked, Will not the third fort be dangerous? The first fort has a river that can slow down the enemy, and the second fort is located on top of a hill, so it has a terrain advantage, but this third fort will be located on a grass in. Demons can appear from anywhere. If they appear between the third fort and the town, you will be isted.

    Ive already thought about countermeasures for that, so dont worry.

    Thank you for pointing that out, Sir Eickstedt. It seemed like Sir Holzdeppe and Sir Kesten had also noticed that. I needed to lure the enemy to the third fort because if I didnt, there was a risk that the enemy would attack Anheim towns east gate. If I lured the enemy to the north gate, the Anheim town itself would be a wall that traps the enemy while their rear was attacked by the reinforcement from the capital.

    We wouldnt be able to chase down the demon general if he decided to hole up in Triot, so I didnt have any choice but to definitely defeat him here.

    The first thing we need to do to piss off the enemy is to attack them in Triot, their territory. We will go to Triot with a troop of 20-30 people, kill some demons, then immediately return to the first fort. Dont engage in a reckless battle.

    Each troop would stay in Triot for 2-3 days at most and in some cases, they would go to Triot and return to the fort in just one day. In short, we would beat up some demons to harass the demon general and then immediately escape. Doing this should provoke the demon generals anger.

    If the demons were creatures with some animalistic instinct, they would first try to kill us in their own territory, and after they failed repeatedly, they would snap and chase us.

    I didnt know how long it would take for the enemy to snap, so I should build the (makeshift) forts while the taunt force was attracting the enemies attention. For me to do that

    Sir Eicksted I want Sir to create the n for the continuous attack on Triot.

    Me?

    Yeah. It will be quite satisfying to see the demons be a victim of your n, right?

    Some people wanted to interject, but I stopped them with my gazes. Actually, I had already drafted the basic n for attacking Triot after gathering information from the refugee nobles, merchants and diplomats from Triot that came to the Bain Kingdom.

    Therefore, the information I had of Triot should be pretty close to thetest situation there. If Sir Eickstedt made some mistake in his n, I could just reject the n.

    Despite my preparation, the reason I still asked Sir Eickstedt to make a n was to give him, a person who had lost all his loved ones, a reason to keep living. If possible, I wanted him to get back on his feet. It was for my self-satisfaction.

    There are several conditions for the n. First, the nned attack will be a series of minor attacks. Second, all troops must only stay in Triot for a short period. Third, prepare several ways to cross the river. As for the rest, Sir can decide it yourself.

    Why do I need to prepare several ways to cross the river?

    The easiest way for the enemy to attack us is to set up an ambush on the other side of the river, so we may need to change the ce or the way we cross the river to prevent such a scenario.

    In fact, once I had reached a certain degree of perfection, I nned to use it in my n.

    There must be some peculiar tendency in every one of my ns that I was unaware of. If the enemy noticed that tendency and used it to lure us into an ambush, the attacking troop would suffer significant damage.

    The n that was made by another person wouldnt have my peculiar tendency, so if the enemies were to make a n based on my peculiar tendency, that n would fail. This alone would be enough to y around with the enemies and provoke them.

    That was why I wanted another person, who had apletely different way of thinking than me and who also wasnt familiar with any of my ns, to create the n for the attack. Sir Eickstedt fit those criteria and he was even familiar with the geography of Triot which was a bonus.

    Ill leave the nning to Sir Eickstedt, but the troop will be led by Sir Holzdeppe, Sir Gekke, Neurath, and Schunzel.

    Us too?

    Yeah. Ill be counting on you all.

    Both Neurath and Schunzel werent the type ofmanders who wouldmand a reckless attack, so they were a perfect fit. In addition, we simplycked human resources. I mean, I, Sir Holzdeppe, Sir Gekke alone wouldnt be able to lead the entire attacking troop in doing a series of attacks. Not to mention, I also had the mission of provoking the enemies. I have tons to do. Argh My stomach hurts.

    Remember that our enemies also have brains. As such, it might be impossible for everything to go exactly like the n.

    Our aim in this n is to kill the demon general. In the actual battle, we may need to adjust our ns based on the changes in various variables like the situation of the Triot, enemys movements, and situation on our side. Therefore, if there are any changes any of you want to make in n, dont hesitate to tell me.

    I couldnt forget the fact that the situation would always be changing during a war. I never thought my n would be perfect.

    Dont be too obsessed with the actual war situation, but dont just stick to the original n. Dont forget our aim. Choose the options you judge to be the best to reach our aim, which is to kill the demon general.

    Yes, sir!

    That was an excellent answer. I confirmed everyone had nodded in understanding, then threw out the finishing line.

    There might be some changes to the details, but the general n will be like I have exined before. Ill look forward to Sirs works.

    The first move was more terrifying than any big or small move. Gezarius, I would definitely drag you out.

    (T/N: The first move was more terrifying than any big or small move is a shogi proverb)

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    The next day, I told the Pledgers about the possibility that the town might be attacked by demons in a meeting. I used the secret information from the royal family as an excuse about how I got this information. The room became a bit chaotic and there were some Pledgers who were asking for proof, but I silenced them by telling them to get their proof from His Majesty or His Highness.

    I know that this information is hard to believe, but if this information is true, we might all get eaten if you all did not listen to my words! I said that sort of thing to them. Well, more than half of my words were empty threats, though.

    Viscount Welner is rumored to be close to the saintess-sama. As such, it would not be strange if the oracle that is only known in the royal family was to be leaked to the Viscount.

    With the temple heads follow up, everyone believed in me. I sent a grateful gaze to the temple head.

    Because of that, there is something that I want to ask all of Sirs here.

    What is it, sir?

    Ill build a fort here.

    I pointed to the location on the map. There was no particr reaction from the Pledgers. I guess thats just how people with no military experience would react.

    This fort wont hold out for long. As for why, I cant tell you the details. On the other hand, the battle that will break out in this fort will serve as a signal to proceed with the n.

    The n?

    Yes. Thats why I ask the Sirs here to take care of the evacuation of the viges near the town when a battle breaks out in this fort.

    After I said that, the expression of the Pledgers finally changed. Well, I understood that the lives of vigers of the region were more important to the Pledgerspared to the life of a governor from the capital who virtually just fell from the sky. I could only smile wryly in my mind. For the time being, I continued my exnation while keeping a poker face.

    First, I told the Pledgers about the situation that happened in Count Fleethems territory. I told them exactly what I saw, although it was a memory that I didnt want to recall. The Pledgers faces turned pale after hearing my story.

    I want to lessen the victims as much as possible. That is why I need Sirs help.

    This time, everyone nodded in response.

    Lets use the smoke signal. It is impossible to predict how far the battle will spreadter, so once the signal is used, evacuate all viges near the town.

    But sir, to evacuate everyone

    For the vigers that live near the town, evacuate them to the town. For other vigers, they can evacuate to the Viscount Grellman or Baron Zabels territories. They have said that they are willing to take care of the refugees for about 10 days.

    10 days?

    Yes. The reinforcement from the capital wille here in at most 10 days.

    It seemed like everyone agreed with my evacuation n. I too would have no choice but to agree to do it after I heard the demons would attack.

    Some people might refuse to evacuate.

    Tell them that if they refuse, I will increase the tax for the entire vige 5 timespared tost year.

    The room became noisy, but no one voiced a disagreement. In this world, the connections between vigers of the same vige were strong, so if a persons refusal would affect the whole vige, that person would have no choice but toply. Since it would be impossible for me to exin the danger of not evacuating to each and every viger, I had to exercise my authority here.

    I wouldnt be able to minimize the damages if the vigers refused to evacuate. On the other hand, if there were no vigers casualties, then there would only be a record of me using forceful means to evacuate the vigers. Urgh my stomach hurt.

    On the map, we discussed which viges should evacuate to the town and which should evacuate to the other territories, and we also talked about an estimated number of vigers that would evacuate. In addition, we also talked about what to do with the vigers livestock. Some viges relied on livestock like sheep to make a living, so how much livestock they were allowed to bring or how much we shouldpensate for the livestock that were left behind was an important topic.

    After the meeting with the Pledgers was finished, I returned to my office and gave some orders for the preparation of the war. I was checking the distribution of the magicmps and bows when I got the news that Rafed and Sir Kesten were outside of the door, so I let them in.

    Pardon my intrusion, Viscount.

    Its fine.

    As always, Rafeds attitude seemed to be fake. It was as if an ordinary person was acting as an actor if that made sense. When I saw two of them standing side by side, the gap between them was strikingly clear since Sir Kesten was exuding an aura of a veteran soldier.

    Good work, both of you. Sir Kesten, how is the support troop?

    I have done what I can. They will not be able to fight using the way that the Viscount is good at, but they will be able to serve as soldiers that protect the town.

    It had only been a month since I asked Sir Kesten to train the support troop, so for them to be able to do that much was already impressive. The way of fighting that I was good at that Sir Kesten was talking about was a maneuver battle with a small number of people.

    It seemed like that was how I fought when dealing with the bandits. I didnt realize it, though. Certainly, I didnt have the confidence to lead arge army.

    What about you, Rafed? The thing I have entrusted to you. How is it going?

    I have prepared what you asked for, but as expected, I was unable to prepare much.

    Well, that couldnt be helped.

    The fact that he could prepare some of them was already helpful. I would be acting as a bait in the uing war with the demons, so my job was to lure the enemy out then wait for the Capital Knights to arrive. The military power that I held wasnt that big, but since I didnt have to defeat the demon general on my own, I could use other ways to buy some time.

    I then gave Rafed some instructions and entrusted the division of the goods to him. I was honestly grateful for the fact that Rafed was a former merchant, so he knew the importance of supply and transport.

    When Rafed left the room, Sir Kesten turned to me with a somewhat sarcastic expression. As expected of the Grand Dukes former subordinate, even their expression was a bit simr.

    Will it be fine to leave the arrangement of the supply to Rafed?

    As long as our opponents are demons, it will be fine.

    I got a feeling that as long as there was a sign I would be losing, Rafed would disappear into the thin air before I knew it. It could even be said that the fact that Rafed hadnt betrayed me yet means that I was still winning. Really, that guy was like Matsunaga Danjo.

    (T/N: Matsunaga Danjo is a samurai in the Sengoku Period that kept changing his allegiance to whoever was winning at the time.)

    Despite asking that kind of question, Sir Kesten never interfered with Rafeds job. It seemed like Sir Kesten asked that just so he could make sure of my thought.

    May I ask you something?

    What is it?

    Why do you think the way you do?

    I didnt understand Sir Kestens question, so I gave him a confused look. Sir Kesten then continued, If your aim is to protect the town, you can just shut yourself inside of the town and wait for the Knights to arrive. There is no need to lure out the demon general.

    Ah, thats what you mean.

    Your Excellency, I do not understand why you even went all the way to make yourself bait and lure the demons to the north gate.

    Ah, he noticed. It was true that there were other ways to fight if my aim was only to protect Anheim. But I wanted to kill Gezarius here and provoking him to lure him out was the only way I could do that.

    Of course, the possibility that Gezarius wouldnt attack Anheim and would just shut himself off in Triot exists, but that possibility was very low. Demons were arrogant, so he wouldnt stay silent after being provoked repeatedly.

    If the demons attack the town wall while I shut myself here, the citizens will feel really anxious. As such, I judged it would be best for me to minimize the time that the demons would spend attacking the walls.

    Your Excellency, you are quite entric.

    Well, it was true that because of my memory of the previous life, I was concerned about keeping the civilians away from the battlefield as much as possible.

    On the other hand, as a noble and a governor, the civilians were also really important. This world didnt have advanced technology, so many things like transport still relied on the civilians as abor force. In addition, a territory without civilians was not that different from a wastnd. Just like the proverb, You are the ship and the people are water. Water can both carry the ship and overthrow it.

    Although, in the end, everything was just a theory.

    In addition, I can only do well by using the way Im familiar with . Im not a person who could say we won! proudly despite the fact that there were many victims.

    I see.

    As for to whom I would say we won proudly Well, lets not think about that. Before Sir Kesten continued to probe me, I changed the subject of conversation.

    Incidentally, there is something that I want Sir to do.

    Please tell me.

    Sir knows about the existence of Skywalks, right? I want a messenger to go to the capital after he has confirmed that a signal has risen from the first fort. I want Sir to choose the messenger.

    I understand.

    I also want Sir to teach the veteran soldiers about how to use these things, but please do so in absolute secrecy.

    I handed Sir Kesten the Skywalks along with a magic bag. Officially, the magic bag contained necessary documents while in fact it contained a magic tool that I didnt want others to learn of its existence. The magic tool had gone through experiments, so I had already confirmed it could be used. Whats left now was only to make use of it in an actual battlefield.

    It would be better for these things to be used by veteran soldiers. Frankly, I didnt have any confidence in using them.

    After I exined what these things were to Sir Kesten, he looked shocked. Since even someone with a long experience showed that sort of expression, these things would definitely be effective in an actual battlefield.

    Ill begin the construction of the first fort tomorrow. I leave the protection of Anheim town to you, Sir.

    Understood.

    It would most likely take 20 to 30 days from the start of the operation to the enemys attack to the first fort. Mazells party was probably approaching the dungeon of the third Demon Generals by now.

    Lets produce a result that wouldnt make me feel ashamed in front of the hero party.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    The Demon General, Gezarius, looked at the corpse of his subordinate with extreme displeasure on his face.

    The loss of one subordinate wasnt something that could shake off the Demon General. The problem was that this subordinate died within Gezariuss own territory.

    Those bastards, again!!!

    In Gezariuss hand was a small wooden board carved with a crest. From Pucklers memory, Gezarius knew that this was the crest of Zeavert House. The wooden board was found near the corpse of his subordinate.

    Recently, the frequency of attacks toward the werewolves and weretigers in Gezariuss territory, Triot, had been increasing.

    Near the corpses of the werewolves or weretigers whose magic stones had been robbed, there was always this wooden board. That was why Gezarius knew exactly who was behind these attacks.

    How dare you!!!

    In a fit of rage, Gezarius kicked the corpse, sending it flying and hitting the tree. Doing such a thing would not make Welner die or anything, but Gezarius simply had nowhere else to vent his anger.

    Welner did not know this, but Gezariuss chief of staff, who infiltrated the capital as a noble, had been struck down by the Knights of Bain Kingdom.

    The loss of both the mage and the chief of staff would make the attack of the demon army more monotonous in the future.

    Suddenly, Gezariuss subordinates sniffed the air, and Gezarius, who also seemed to have noticed that someone hade, clicked his tongue in annoyance. Gezarius knew his clothes had been ripped because he had inadvertently turned into his real form in a fit of anger.

    Bring me the recement.

    After saying so, Gezarius returned to his human form and donned the ufortable human clothes. The demons around him also turned into their human form.

    The clothes that Gezarius and the demons were wearing didnt look good, as they had been taken away from corpses. However, wearing these clothes did make them seem more like they were fugitives.

    The human body is as ufortable as always.

    That is true, sir.

    Although Gezariusmented like this, he was not looking for a response, so he ignored his subordinates reply.

    Gezarius and his men, who had transformed into humans, moved in the direction where the smell came from. After all, they didnt want the werewolves corpses to be seen by the new arrival.

    After he saw the owner of that smell, Gezarius called out to him, So its you.

    <b><i>M</i></b>..<b><i>Mangold-sama</i></b>. Ho..how do you do? (Man)

    Skip the greeting. Is that Zeavert brat in the fort? (<b><i>Mangold</i></b> aka Gezarius)

    YYes. (Man)

    This man was wearing better clothespared to when he came to him right after he was exiled from Anheim. It seemed like he was telling the truth when he said that he had a helper in Anheim. While thinking like that, <b><i>Mangold</i></b> (aka Gezarius)ughed.

    TThis might be a chance for us to attack Anheim first. (Man)

    Didnt that brat n to cross the river and attack us from the rear if we did that? (Gezarius)

    T..That brat has certainly said so, but if we open the door of Anheim from inside (Man)

    I dont have any expectation that you guys will be able to do something like that. (Gezarius)

    This man and his cronies told some useful information about the fort.

    A fort that only has solid pirs but wooden nks as walls will be easily destroyed by the demons. (Gezarius)

    A..About that, have you truly seeded in forming a cooperative rtionship with the demon army, <b><i>Mangold-sama</i></b>? (Man)

    You dont have to worry about that. (Gezarius)

    <b><i>Mangold</i></b> smiled and raised his hand. Then, werewolves appeared, causing man to let out a small shriek.

    As you can see, I have sessfully borrowed the power of the demon army. (Gezarius)

    A as expected of <b><i>Mangold-sama</i></b>. (Man)

    Once I have that brats head, the people of Anheim will change their thoughts. Until then, you must remain hidden in the town. (Gezarius)

    As you wish. When the timees, I hope that <b><i>Mangold-sama</i></b> can reward my devotion.

    Of course. You dont need to worry about that.

    This was why humans were easy to deal with, <b><i>Mangold</i></b> coldly thought to himself. Well, after killing that Zeavert brat, all humans in Anheim would be his food. On the surface, <b><i>Mangold</i></b> kept smiling.

    Im counting on you.

    YYes, sir.

    ***

    Well, thats probably how the current situation in the demon army is.

    So that is why you did that?

    Yup.

    The construction of the fort took ten days even with Anheim towns full support, minimal requirements and all materials ready at hand.

    It was currently the afternoon of the twentieth day since Welner made the fort into themand center. Inside one of the rooms in the fort, Welner shrugged his shoulders as he was talking with his subordinate. This was around the same time as when <b><i>Mangold</i></b> was talking with the criminals who had been exiled.

    Inside, Welner thought that things happenedter than he expected. Neurath and Schunzel exchanged nces with each other after hearing Welners words. Then, with an indescribable expression on his face, Holzdeppe opened his mouth.

    But when did you think about that, sir?

    Its been on the back of my mind since Sir Pucklers corpse was found.

    That was Welners answer, but his real thought was different. The truth was, ever since Welner thought of the possibility of the Demon Generals using the body of the Crown Prince and the Knight Captains to resurrect themselves, Welner began to have doubts.

    If the power that the Demon Generals could harness in their human forms was affected by the human body they had taken over, Welner doubted Gezarius would be content with taking over the body of a slums resident. Perhaps the Demon Generals had been keeping the body of the missing Mangold.

    Currently, the core of Dreax and Belice were kept in the capital, so it was easy to imagine which Demon General could possibly use Mangolds body.

    It would be great if Welners prediction wasnt right, but if it was right, Anheim might end up in a civil war. Mangold was, after all, the son of the former lord of Anheim. That was why Welner had made his n with an assumption that the demon general was using Mangolds body.

    The reason why he had spread the drawing of Mangolds face to the town and exiled those criminals to Triot was all for this n.

    It was unlikely that the Gezarius would once again infiltrate Anheim by disguising as human. After what had happened in the capital, even Gezarius would think that the humans had found a way to discover the disguised demons.

    On the other hand, Welner also did not think that Gezarius was so stupid that he would not try to find any information. Rather, since Gezarius had Pucklers memory, Welner thought it was natural that Gezarius would know the power of information.

    The reason why Welner punished the Pledgers who were dissatisfied with him with only a fine or reprimand was that Welner was sure that some of those pledgers would have connection with the exiled criminals.

    If the exiled criminals encountered <b><i>Mangold</i></b> outside of the town, Welner knew that the criminals would sell the information of the fact that <i>the legitimate heir of the former lord has returned</i> to the nobles who were dissatisfied with him.

    Even if all of Welners predictions were wrong, it wouldnt hurt him in the slightest other than just some waste of time and effort. If Gezarius was stupid enough to ignore the power of information, he would be easier to deal with.

    The fact that Welners prediction was right was something that he and his subordinates would realizeter.

    Anyway, lets decide which n to use. Eickstedts n or my n.

    Welner said with an expression as if he was having fun. Seeing that, Neurath and the other smiled bitterly.

    Eickstedts n and Welners n both had their own advantages. Surprisingly, Eickstedts n was more aggressive, but it also showed Eickstedts knowledge of Triots terrain. It even contained measures against the enemys sudden counterattack.

    However, the method he used to decide which n to use was quite unique.

    Oh, its odd. Then we will use my n.

    Did you really need to decide it with dice?

    I dont want the enemy to notice any peculiarity of either my and Sir Eickstedts n.

    Welner pretended to not notice the fact that his subordinates nced at him as if saying, <i>Didnt you just want to use dice</i>. Well, it couldnt be helped that his subordinates thought something like that, since of all things he used dice.

    The two ns were quite different from each other, and both of them were good. Using dice would add randomness.

    The mercenaries that went to attack Triot should return today. Once Sir Gekke has returned, tell Sir Holzdeppe

    Your Excellency. Pardon my intrusion.

    When Welner was about to give his order, Eickstedt, who was treated as a guest, entered the room with a serious expression. Welner immediately knew that something had happened.

    What is it?

    A messenger from Sir Kesten in Anheim has arrived. ording to the message, the criminals who have been exiled to the Triot seem to be hiding in Anheim. They do not appear to carry any weapons.

    I see.

    Welners reaction was simple, but both Neurath and Schunzel looked at each other, then asked, Are they here under the order of the Demon Generals?

    Quite possible. In the first ce, the fact they didnt get attacked by demons after being exiled to Triot is already suspicious.

    Everyone nodded. Welner then continued his words.

    We have to proceed with the arrangement after Sir Gekke has returned. Sir Eickstedt, you go to the second fort and meet up with the troops stationed there. Confirm if the preparation haspleted and the goods are ready.

    As you wish.

    Sir Holzdeppe, please check the wooden board. Neurath and Schunzel, you both also prepare. Things will begin soon.

    Yes, sir.

    Since the opponents looked down on humans, they wouldnt mind being hit by the full power of Welners army. Welner ordered for the defense to be strengthened, and he sent a messenger to Anheim.

    The battle in the second fort, which was a prelude for Anheims offensive, would begin in 2 days.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    From the other side of the river, Gezarius looked at the fort. The g with the Zeavert crest was fluttering above the fort. There were few earth mounds around the fort while the fort walls themselves were made of what looked like wooden nks. Breaching this fort was an easy task for the demons.

    Gezarius smiled ferociously. A fort like that would fall in a mere second under the demon armys might. To think those humans would rely on a fort like that, they were quite foolish.

    The demon army that gathered around Gezarius also smiled simrly. Gezarius then raised his voice.

    Devour them all!!

    Hearing Gezariuss shout, the werewolves and the weretigers ran and crossed the river. After they had crossed the river, the demon army noticed the fort seemed to be too quiet.

    Thinking that the humans were scared of them, the demon army sneered. Some demons, especially Lycanthropes who were well known for their excellent jumping ability, thought of using the earth mounds as jumping boards so that they could get inside the fort in one jump.

    However, when they actually tried to jump from the earth mounds by exerting force, they unexpectedly <b><i>fell</i></b> into the said <b><i>earth mounds</i></b>.

    What they thought were <b><i>earth mounds</i></b> turned to be thinyers of sand and soil on wooden boards propped up against some sticks. It was not something that could bear the weight of arge number of demons, much less their jumping force.

    Furthermore, the pits they fell into were deep enough that demons could not get out of them easily.

    Fire!!

    Countless arrows rained down on the demon army, which couldnt move freely because of the chaos among their ranks.

    Two or three arrows wouldnt be enough to kill a demon, but how about a bunch of them? That was more than enough to kill them. Some of the demons, especially one who fell into pits, ended up losing their lives.

    Cheap tricks!

    Gezariuss voice resounded and overpowered the sounds of the arrows for a moment, but in the next instant, even more arrows rained down on the demons.

    They fell into the trap as nned.

    Well, they have confidence in their jumping power.

    While observing the battle situation below, Welner responded to Holzdeppes impressed remark.

    Welner looked behind him and ordered his subordinate to light up the smoke signal to inform Anheim that the battle had started, then continued his words, When people saw a convenient thing that they could use, they tend to focus their attention onto that thing.

    You are right.

    Ever since Welner heard from the Crown Prince that the Lycanthrope had an excellent jumping ability, Welner had been thinking about how he could take advantage of this belief. This trap was one of the ways Welner thought of.

    The glue that made the sand and soil stick to the wooden board was made with Keite wheat. Strangely enough, insects and animals didnt eat this paste, so it was often used on farms.

    But to think that they came to attack us in broad daylight. (Holzdeppe)

    Thats just how much they looked down on humans and thats why traps are effective against them. (Welner)

    The second wave ising! (Nameless soldier)

    Dont worry. As long as they dont jump to us directly, theres nothing to be scared of. (Welner)

    Welner answered a soldiers tense shout with a calm voice.

    The sound of demons directly attacking the forts walls began to fill the battlefield, but Welner remained calm, as he knew that the forts walls were quite sturdy despite their appearance. Demons would not be able to breach the walls with just one or two attacks. Moreover, this was a great chance for Welners army to counterattack by falling big rocks from above the walls on demons below.

    With a calm voice as if nothing had happened, Welner asked, How is the preparation for the retreat?

    The preparation went well.

    Welner nodded at Holzdeppes reply. If Welner wanted to, it might be possible to hold the demons down in this fort for a few days, but this fort was made with the intent to abandon it in the end, so Welner knew he couldnt be greedy.

    After all, the demons attacked the fort because they had underestimated humans. If his army stayed here for too long, Welner knew they might get surrounded by demons. If that happened, Welner and his army would have no other choice but to fight the demons head-on and they would die, since the difference in physical capability between humans and demons was far toorge. Welner was even surprised by how fast the demons were able to cross the river.

    As he observed the demon armys movements, Welner judged that there was no need for him to make a huge change to his n, so he ordered, Alright. Lets begin to retreat, starting from the infantries.

    Yes, sir.

    As Holzdeppe left, Welner returned to observing the demons and instructed Neurath to begin the preparation for the counterattack.

    A rare confused expression appeared on the faces of the demons. They originally thought that the walls of the fort were thin, so they used all their strength to break it, but they failed.

    Amidst their bewilderment, the humans started to rain rocks on them. Some of the demons even lost their lives due to big rocks falling on their heads straight. Despite that, one of the demons seeded in ripping the wooden wall, and the demons finally understood the reason the walls of the fort were unexpectedly sturdy.

    The wooden walls of the fort were doubleyered and there was the skin of Alligator Warrior between the twoyers. The skin of the Alligator Warrior was so tough to the point that a normal soldier would only be able to scratch it using an iron sword.

    Moreover, because the skin was sandwiched between 2 nks of wood, it would also reduce the impact of demons attacks. Although the wall of the fort would not be a match for an actual wall made of stones, the existence of the skin of Alligator Warrior made it even sturdier than a wall reinforced by steel tes.

    In addition, the walls looked like normal walls made of wood from outside, so naturally, the demons thought they would be able to break them with ease, which was why they went to great lengths to get closer to them.

    The archersmanded by Schunzel prioritized shooting arrows at the Lycanthropes that tried to jump over the walls. After all, the demons that were trying to break the walls would not be able to do so easily. In addition, the soldiers also threw rocks and even excrement at the Lycanthropes that were standing near the walls.

    Ironically, the superior senses of the Lycanthropes made the attack using excrement work better than a poor weapon attack. Some Lycanthropes couldnt stand the smell, so they distanced themselves from the walls and headed back to the river.

    There were a few Lycanthropes who managed to barely jump over the wall, but they were immediately beaten to a pulp using one of Welners specialties, the group fighting tactic.

    Gezariuss lion face showed a clear irritation as he saw his army in a mess. Gezarius could not deny the fact that the humans have yed him on the palm of their hands. With clear displeasure in his voice, Gezarius roared.

    Welner-sama, the enemies have started to retreat.

    Theyre going to regroup and attack us at once. Tell everyone to hurry up the preparation for the retreat. Be careful with the fire.

    Yes, sir!

    Welner watched the enemys strange movement while thinking, <i>I thought they were going to try a little longer</i>, then Welner realized a certain possibility and smiled bitterly.

    <i>To think that I will be so dull to realize this possibility only now,</i> Welner thought inwardly. The n in Welners head began to change rapidly.

    Gezarius roared and gathered his scattered subordinates on the other side of the river. Then he saw that the g of the Zeavert family in the fort was taken down.

    Gezarius was astonished to find that humans, who were having the upper hand in the war, were suddenly retreating. The knowledge and memory of Mangold and Puckler might be the reason Gezarius felt this way.

    Gezarius raised his voice and the group of demons moved in unison to cross the river and head toward the fort. Surrounding the fort would take longer, Gezarius thought. He then checked his foothold to make sure that there was no other trap before finally gathering his strength on his legs and jumping. The rest of the demon army followed suit.

    In one leap, the demon army seeded in crossing the walls that were guarded by humans before. The inside of the fort was filled with strange dark smoke, causing the demon army to fall into confusion.

    More than a dozen pigs were running around inside the fort because their buttocks were hit by soldiers. The pigs movements caused the ck powder that had been spread on the ground to fly everywhere, causing the inside of the fort to be covered with ck smoke.

    Some powder entered the demons eyes, causing them to let out a painful cry while some powder entered the demons noses, causing them to sneeze and inhale more powder.

    The gates of the fort were firmly shut, so the smoke could only escape from above. As the pigs kept running in fear and panic, the smoke thickened and now it was impossible for the demons to even see the walls.

    In the next moment, fire arrows flew in from outside of the fort and the fire soared in front of Gezarius and the demon armys face.

    Right after Welner ordered the fire of the arrows and confirmed that the fire burned yellow, rather than red, Welner ordered his army to retreat at full speed. Neurath and Schunzel, who were retreating on their horses, asked Welner.

    Welner-sama. What the hell was earlier?

    Is it magic?

    Its a phenomenon named dust explosion. Its not magic.

    When a fine powder of mmable material was floating around in the air and ignited, it could cause an explosion. There had been dust explosion incidents with sugar and flour in Welners previous life.

    That me will cause a lot of damage to the demon army (Neurath)

    It wont, actually. (Welner)

    Huh? (Schunzel)

    Both Neurath and Schunzel were surprised by Welners reply. The dust explosion would be dangerous if it urred inside an enclosed space like an underground mine, but it wouldnt be as dangerous if it urred inside a fort without a roof, despite its visual impact. After all, the kic energy of the explosion would be released to the sky.

    In addition, the fort was located near a river, so the air was quite humid, making the explosion less powerful. Even normal humans would probably only get a burn from that explosion, let alone the demons. Still, even though Welner used coal dust to induce the explosion, he was impressed by the visual impact.

    If you knew the explosion wont be that effective, why did you do it?

    The simple fact that the demons thought, <i>something has happened but we dont know how it happened</i> will hold them back, plus

    Welnerughed as he galloped.

    The demons would misunderstand that <i>human traps look shy but they are not deadly at all</i> so they wille to chase us without any fear.

    If Welners aim was simply to cause damage to the demon army, a simple explosion using oil or a pitfall would be more effective. However, his aim was to make the demon army look down on him even more, so he purposely chose the shy but not deadly dust explosion.

    This would make the demon army think that the Anheim towns walls were a bigger problem than any trap we couldy down, so the demon army would choose to get rid of us first. Welner continued with augh while waving the Zeavert g.

    The second fort will be our first turning point. Run at full speed until we reach it!

    Yes, sir!

    In response to Welners voice, everyone galloped on the horseback toward the second fort while leaving a conspicuous trail of horseshoes.

    By the time the demon army, who had been stunned for a while by the mes, got back to its senses and chased after them, Welner and his army hadpletely disappeared.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    The top of the hill where the second fort stood was crowded. After all, you needed a lot of people to prepare for a war.

    Welner, as was the person who made the n, was already busy but fortunately, he didnt have to stay up all night every day because of the existence of Rafed and Eickstedt. Rafed was in charge of the goods transportation while Eickstedt was capable of managing arge number of thebor force required for construction works.

    Certainly, it was true that Welner had luck in making a rtionship. Eickstedts existence allowed Kesten to focus on the task of defending Anheim town.

    Sir Eickstedt. Sorry for troubling you.

    Not at all. I am d that you came here safely. Your Excellency.

    Well, here is where things will start getting dangerous though.

    The first fort was made to only lure the demons into the trap, but the army needed to actually fight the demons in this second fort.

    We have everything prepared, including the wooden boards, as you instructed. Please check themter.

    Thanks Sir Eickstedt. You return first to Anheim town with thebor force, guards, and mercenaries support troop.

    Yes, sir.

    The slight dissatisfaction in Eickstedts voice must be because he was disappointed by the fact that he would not be able to kill the demons directly. Although Welner understood Eickstedts feelings, he couldnt let him, who had no confidence in his fighting power, remain in the second fort that would soon be the battlefield.

    Were going to kill the demon general in Anheim, not here so Ill leave the preparation in Anheim to you, Sir.

    Understood. Still, I wonder if they wille to chase us here?

    They will, probably.

    Although Welner said probably, inside, he was quite sure that the demons woulde here. Nevertheless, it was true that not everything would go ording to the n on a battlefield. In this sense, Welners ability to make quick judgments and his flexibility was his strong point.

    At the very least, the demons wont just return to Triot without doing anything. I already have a n in case the demons decide to attack Anheim town instead so no need to worry.

    I understand. Then, I will go and check the third fort before returning to Anheim.

    Okay. Ill leave Anheim in your care, Sir Eickstedt.

    After Eickstedt left, Welner checked that the necessary materials were avable. Once done, Welner called all the soldiers and the mercenaries including Holzdeppe, Gekke, Neurath, and Schunzel to gather.

    Everyone, listen! The battle in this fort is crucial for our win!

    Welner walked to a tform and shouted. Almost everyone here was older than Welner. Despite feeling out of character inside, Welner continued.

    The battle is going to be fierce but bear with it until the evening. Once the eveninges, the situation of the battle will definitely change.

    Welner only exined the rough direction of the n here. The details of the n had already been shared with themanders of the army, so Welner entrusted themanders to share that exnation with the rest of the army.

    The honorable Hero and Saintess are currently fighting the entire demon army. We will only be fighting a small part of it but even so, our battle here will help them!

    In this kind of situation, themander needed to look confident. If themander looked anxious, the morale of the entire army would suffer. That was why too many unnecessary words would not end well.

    Everyone, win! Then return to your family and proudly share the story of how you fought alongside the honorable hero on a different battlefield! The victory will be ours!

    While apologizing to his friend, Mazell, for using his name like this inside, Welner raised one arm and then was met with the armys fervent cheers.

    After his speech ended, Welner stepped down from the tform, gathered themanders, and gave them some instructions.

    Not long after, Holzdeppe and Gekke left the area with stern expressions. Only Neurath and Schunzel saw Welners painful expression as he was bearing the stomachache.

    ***

    Gezarius and his army started running toward the fort as soon as they saw the Zeavert g on it. It might be difficult for humans to immediately fight after running hundreds of meters, but that wasnt a problem for the demons.

    Seeing the demonsing closer, the people in the fort started to shoot things at them. The human army had the advantage of being on the top of the hill but because of the distance, the uracy of shots was not high.

    Some demons reacted to the things shooted at them by striking them with their arms and in the next instant, they ended up crying out in pain and sprawled on the ground.

    Some of the demons stopped in surprise, but some did not, causing arge disarray in the battle formation.

    The things the humans shot at demons were ceramic urns filled with a mixture of spices and poisonous herbs. The mixture was created by Rafed especially to blind the enemies and it was powerful enough to work even against demons.

    Furthermore, due to the demons habit of striking down things thrown at them rather than avoiding them, the urns became an even more effective weapon. When hit by the demons arms, the urn would shatter, causing the mixture powder to be scattered on the spot so the charging demons would immediately feel its effect. It could even be said that the demons overconfidence in their physical ability became their very own weakness.

    The act of running itself stretched the demons formation, adding the effect of the mixture powder, the formation of the demons army became even more chaotic. The human army took that as a chance and threw javelins toward the demons.

    Javelins were thicker, longer, and heavierpared to arrows. The shooted javelins pierced the fur and skin of the demons, causing blood to spurt and the cries of pain to rise. Some javelins even managed to pierce through the demons bodies, causing their tips to be protruding from the other side. Even Javelins which missed the demons were able to serve as an obstruction since they were stuck firmly on the ground.

    Atl was by no means aplicated tool but due to the principle of leverage, it would be able to shoot javelins up to a distance of 100 meters even if the person using it didnt have a lot of training. Depending on the javelins thickness and the force used to throw them, javelins thrown using atl would be able to have power four times that of arrows. For untrained soldiers, using an atl would be more efficient than bows and arrows.

    (T/N: Atl/spear-thrower is a tool made for throwing javelins/spears.)

    It couldnt be denied that the javelins were quite effective as it left quite a lot of demons injured and some even died on spot after being hit on critical areas like the neck.

    Once the demon army drew near, Welner immediately ordered the soldiers to switch to their melee weapons.

    Theyreing! Dont engage them one-on-one and use group battle tactics!

    Yes, sir!

    Under themand of Welner and Holzdeppe, the human army left the fort and shed with the demon army. The Demon army could easily enter inside this fort which was basically bandits hideout not long ago. Instead of risking fighting demons who had much superior physical strength in a narrow area, it was better to sh with them outside the fort where the human army could properly utilize group tactics. Moreover, some soldiers were left behind in the fort which was located on top of the hill to provide backup using long range attacks and y a very vital role in the n.

    The cries of battle rose and the sound of the spluttering blood filled the battlefield. Sounds of weapons shing, sounds of painful cries, anger, and disgust overwhelmed the battlefield.

    Welner swung his now familiar new spear and struck a demon. Neurath stepped forward and gave a finishing blow to that demon. Then suddenly, a huge shadow cast above Welner.

    Everyone, scatter!

    Without any hesitation, Welner immediately fell back as he gave his instruction. Immediately after, a huge bodynded on the ground. The owner of that body swung his hand in an attempt to grab Welner, but Welner dodged it calmly. Welner then readjusted his spear with an expression as if to say as expected.

    When Welner saw the lion-faced Lycanthrope, Welner spoke with a fearless smile despite what he was actually feeling inside.

    So youre Gezarius.

    Thats right, you Welner brat. You sure have done tons of stuff to me.

    Well, I cant just stay silent while youre nning to attack me, right?

    Welner shrugged his shoulders lightly and smirked. As expected, the reason why this guy didntunch a violent attack in the first fort and the reason he went all the way here to chase Welner was

    I know youre going toe. Using my appearance is your best choice if youre going to fight Mazell, after all.

    After saying that with a sarcastic tone, Welner readied his spear.

    T/N: So this is what Wenler realized in the previous chapter.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    In the midst of the bloodbath around him, Welner faced Gezarius head on, but he was not as confident as he appeared on the outside. After all, a single attack from the demon general in front of him could kill him.

    However, Welner also felt a strange reassurance. If his guess that Gezarius wanted to take his body were right, then Gezarius would make sure not to injure his body too much.

    As a matter of fact, Welners earlier words were to make sure that his guess was right. If after saying those words, Gezarius attacked him relentlessly without hesitation, it would mean that his guess was wrong since Gezarius also knew that Welner as a human would not be able to survive under a demon generals relentless attacks.

    However, Gezarius didnt attack him and even took the trouble of replying to his words. That convinced Welner that his guess was right.

    Gezarius closed the distance and attacked Welner while Welner ducked to dodge. Welners new spear might be able to receive Gezariuss attack while Welners old spear might break. But the spear Welner was currently using was neither the new spear nor the old spear. It was a different spear a bit lighter than Welners usual spear and that lightness had be an advantage for the current Welner.

    Gezarius once again attacked Welner and Welner dodged by ducking again, then Welner thrusted out his spear aiming for Gezariuss chin from that position. Gezarius deflected Welners spear andunched a counterattack, which Welner dodged by rotating his body. Immediately afterward, Welner retreated backward to make some distance and readjust his position.

    The two were now facing each other side by side, about halfway up the hill.

    Welner was the aggressive fighter between the two. He constantly hit Gezarius with his spear but this level of attack failed to inflict injuries on Gezarius, causing Gezarius to sneer.

    Hearing Gezariuss sneer, Welner quickly took a step backward and Gezarius, as if lured by Welners movement, took a step forward then Welner swung his spear horizontally at Gezariuss feet.

    Gezarius failed to block Welners surprise attack and became a bit disorientated but that attack was unable to chip off any of Gezariuss fighting power.

    Gezarius cleaved his arm to the side, trying to knock Welner away, but Welner avoided that blow and escaped to the lower side of the hill. Now, Gezarius was standing on a higher area of the hill slope while Welner was standing on the lower area of the hill slope.

    The two stared at each other, waiting for the other party to make their move first.

    Not long after, a dull thud resounded as something hit Gezarius powerfully on the back, sending him flying.

    As he was sent flying, Gezarius managed to barely turn his head, only to spot a small ballista that didnt exist earlier in the fort. The thing that attacked him was a huge metal club, not an arrow, that was most likely fired by that ballista. Gezarius was stuck by that club from a short distance so the club barely lost any momentum before hitting him.

    The blow from the club was so powerful that even the demon general was sent flying. Seeing the copsed demon general, Welner retreated to avoid being caught up in the followup attacks.

    Ever since Welner developed the new weapon, he had had a thought. Perhaps, the magic bag was the reason why Carroballista didnt exist in this world. The army could just put a normal ballista inside arge magic bag and carry it around, no need to develop a Carroballista.

    With that thought in his mind, Welner borrowed a magic bag with arge capacity from Grand Duke Seyfart.

    Welner then put a small ballista in that magic bag and gave it to Schunzel. After that, Welner went to the frontline to pull Gezariuss attention away from the hilltop. When Gezarius attention waspletely focused on Welner, Schunzel took out the ballista and fired it.

    The sight of Gezarius being sent flying and crashnding in a poor state shocked demons to no end. The hero wasnt here and yet, theirmander was reduced to such a mess. It was really shocking scenery for demons.

    Hurry up and prepare the blinding agent!

    After Welner yelled out, another round of ceramic urns rained down from the fort on Gezarius. Gezarius swung his fists, shattering urns. The powder inside the urns spread out and its pungent smell took Gezariuss sight and sense of smell away from him. Gezariuss entire body was covered with the powder.

    Crying out in pain, Gezarius ran away. In his head, Gezarius might only n to escape the range of the ballista and get rid of the powder, but from the viewpoint of the demon army, their general had just run away from a mere human. Witnessing the unbelievable sight, the demon army was shaken.

    Drive them down!

    Welners shout was weed with a round of battle cries from the human army. A sword stabbed an agitated lycanthrope, a spear pierced a weretiger and blood spurted, and a werewolf rolled down on the hill after being kicked by a human.

    After witnessing their general run away from humans, the demon army had lost its will to fight and on the contrary, the humans lost their fear and apprehension toward demons.

    The demon army was pushed down the hill with momentum so strong that it was hard to believe that humans did it against demons.

    Everyone! Dont chase after them!!

    Welner ordered not to chase the running demons as it would be hard for the human army to catch up with escaping demons, much less while maintaining their formation.

    Demons truly had a mentality of a herd. The demons might be just running to chase after their general, Gezarius, but from the viewpoint of the human army, the demons had indeed escaped from them. Voices mixed with cheers and astonishment echoed on the hill.

    Welner-sama!

    Your Excellency! We did it!

    Dont get carried away! First, hurry and go to the fort. Once the wounded are treated, prepare to retreat.

    Welner, who had seeded in making the demon general retreat using his bluff, instructed Neurath and the others while sighing in relief and wiping his cold sweat.

    The ballista that Welner brought here was the old ballista without the rotary table, so with Gezariuss mobility, he would definitely be able to easily dodge ballistas followup attacks. In order to prevent Gezarius from doing that, Welner took away Gezariuss sight using the powder right after the ballista was shot. Thats also why Gezarius chose to run away to escape the ballistas range rather than attacking to destroy it.

    The reason Welner loaded up a club not an arrow to the ballista was simple. The chances of an arrow killing Gezarius with a single shot was slim. In addition, Welners objective was to wait for the Knights toe and kill Gezarius, not killing Gezarius himself. The blunt club that could produce an astonishing visual effect of flinging the magnificent demon general away was more in line with Welners objective.

    The javelins and the ceramic urns had been considerably depleted. Most importantly, the surprise element of the ballistas attack was also gone. This victory was not something Welner could achieve twice.

    Finish all preparations fast. We will start moving at sunset. (Welner)

    Will they chase us? (Holzdeppe)

    They will. After all, attacking us in the night will fit their instinct as animals more. (Welner)

    After praising Schunzel for firing the ballista at the perfect time and then telling him to put it away in the magic bag, Welner answered Holzdeppes question. Suppose Welners assumption that the reason demons cared about territory was that they mimic animals around them was right, then most likely they also tend to attack just like many animals do. That was why Welner chose night as the stage of his n this time.

    Be careful of the magicmps that will be used in the retreat.

    Yes, sir. (Holzdeppe)

    After that, Welner also ordered Holzdeppe to send out the cavalry scout. Then, Welner took out the most detailed map in his possession and asked Neurath, Schunzel, Holzdeppe, and Gekke for their opinion. After a short discussion, they all agreed.

    This is the ce (Welner)

    I think so too. (Holzdeppe)

    Right. For a hunt, this ce will be the best. (Gekke)

    Holzdeppe and Gekke nodded. With this, Welner had decided on a ce best for hunting on the way to the third fort, so he decided to make the army move quickly to that ce first. Welner then ordered the rest of the army to hasten their retreat preparations.

    When night fell, Gezarius finally recovered his sight and his sense of smell. Gezarius returned to the fort and was astonished when he saw the fort was on fire. Gezarius then checked the surroundings. Night view was not an issue for demons. Gezarius found the horseshoe track and quickly ascertained the direction the humans were moving to. It was not the direction to Anheim town, but Gezarius was sure that it was most likely a direction to another humans military facility.

    Usually, beasts would divide themselves into 2 groups, one for ambush and one for pursuit when they were hunting, but this time the humans were already on the move, so Gezarius didnt have time to divide his army in the usual way. Gezarius chose to just let his entire army follow the trace of the horseshoes without dividing it.

    Fortunately, because the human army carried quite a bit of baggage, their movement was slow, so before long the demon army was able to make out the Zeavert g in the distance. It was night, so the demons had the advantage with their night vision. In addition, this area was level ground, so the humans would not be able to pull any cheap tricks. That was what the demons thought, so they decided to just attack the humans. Still, they had their lessons, so they approached the humans carefully.

    Welner and his men were moving, knowing that the demons would chase them. Welner, who was able to predict the rough direction the demons would attack them from, ced some knights on horseback in that direction. He did that not because the knights were strong but because of the nature of the horses. Horses were timid animals by nature so they would realize when the demons were getting close faster than humans would be able to.

    Just like Welner expected, the horses noticed the demons existence faster than the humans did. When the horses neighed, the entire human army turned around.

    Lets start!

    Noticing that the humans had found out, Gezarius roared and the demon army rushed to attack the humans. The cavalry ran away from the demons toward the direction where the infantry was lining up. Behind the infantries, there was a line of metal, shield-like nks.

    Get down! Start!

    Welner sharply ordered and the infantries all got down in unison. The row of magicmps between the infantries and the metal nks came into view. The soldiers in charge of activating the magicmps didnt get down and instead they hid behind the metal nk.

    Then, the light exploded.

    Usually, the magicmp had enough magic power tost up to 20 days if used by a conserver. A magicmp was also brighter than a candle but was only bright enough to light up a room. This time though, the magicmps were purposely made to go out of control and use up all their magic power in just a few minutes.

    When Welner consulted Fogto if it was possible to make the magic tools go out of control intentionally, Fogto was confused. Of course, he would be confused since no one would think of doing that. The result of the magicmps that were purposely made go out of control was astonishing. The light of the magicmps was truly powerful and all of the light, including the lights reflected by the metal nks, was directed at the demons.

    The intense light caused by the magicmps could even be seen from Anheim town. It caused amotion in the town with some people iming that a star had fallen.

    The demons powerful vision that made it possible for them to even see at night turned into a disaster. The light produced by the magicmps would be enough to blind them even in broad daylight, let alone in the middle of the night like this. The entire demon army copsed.

    Dont look at your back! Charge!

    With the intense light on their back, the human army rushed toward the demons that had lost their sight. Numerous des pierced demons who covered their eyes with their hands in agony, while some demons were sewn to the ground by spears.

    Breakthrough to the west!

    Only attack demons that cant move because of the light!

    Head to the third fort.

    While shouting such things toward each other, the members of the human army ran toward the demons. Some thrust their weapons toward the demons, piercing their throats or ripping their guts. Some kicked the demons in anger.

    The battlefield was filled with painful screams and the stench of blood. A familiar voice entered Gezariuss ear who was also enduring the pain in his eyes.

    How is it, demon general? Have you finally realized how stupid you and your army are?

    Gezarius swung his arm before he could even process that voice belonged to Welner. It was a swing clearly filled with the demon generals anger and if that swing hit Welner, Welner would lose his life. Unfortunately, the current Gezarius had lost his sight and the smell of blood also made him unable to judge the distance between him and Welner urately. Rather, Gezarius swung his arm too hard causing him to lose his stance. There were a lot of gaps in Gezariuss defense. Welner seized this opportunity.

    Welner pierced his spear in Gezariuss right eye. His spear was about to reach the limit of its endurance and the size of the speartip was just right for piercing a small target like the eye.

    Ill give you this spear. In exchange, Ill take your left eye next time.

    After purposely saying that with a loud voice, Welner escaped. The rest of the human army also left the battlefield. Now, the ce was only filled with cries of pain from the demons. Most likely, from the era of the previous demon king to now, the demon army had never been beaten this one-sidedly by humans. In a battle in the middle of the night, when the demon army should have the advantage nheless. To say this battle was an impossibility was an understatement.

    That damned brat!! I will remember this humiliation!! I will make him taste pain worse than death!!

    While trembling with anger at being one-sidedly attacked, Gezarius pulled out the spear from his right eye. The sound of Gezariuss shout resounded in the night.

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    When Gezarius saw the fort that stood on top of the open grass in, he frowned. The third fort had a strange structure. The fort structure would resemble a triangle if looked at from the sky.

    A building that looked like a watchtower stood on each corner of the triangle, and there was a wooden wall that connected the three watchtowers. Gezarius couldnt find any knowledge about the fort, which had such a strange structure in the memories of Puckler or Mangold.

    What rmed Gezarius more than the forts strange shape was the corpses of wandering demons and animals covered with filth lying around the fort in a strange manner. It was as if a strange ritual had just taken ce here.

    Of course, Gezarius was cautious. After all, he had first-hand experienced Welners various tricks. Gezarius ordered his subordinates to surround the fort from afar, while keeping his caution. Although the Zeavert g was raised in the fort, there was no movement from the humans.

    Gezarius then waited until midnight. Although he had experienced the magicmp <b><i>attack</i></b> earlier, no one could deny the fact that demons had an advantage in fighting at night. No matter how many tricks Welner had prepared, Gezarius thought that the chances of those tricks being sessful would reduce considerably in the night when humans could barely see anything. Gezarius nned to attack the fort at once at midnight and ughter all the humans before they could escape to Anheim town.

    At midnight, Gezarius howled and the demon army rushed toward the fort from all directions. There was no response from the human army in the fort. Some demons used their superior jumping ability andnded in the fort with a single leap, some chose to strike the wooden walls.

    After Gezariusnded inside the fort and looked around everywhere, his angry voice resounded throughout the fort.

    Stop!!

    The excited demons, one by one, stopped their movement after hearing their generals order. Then, some demons began to realize what had just happened and became stunned.

    That bastard!!

    There were no single humans in the fort. From the beginning, the third fort was empty.

    The reason the human army had shouted go to the west! and head to the third fort! before was only to lure the demon army here while the human army had long returned to Anheim town without them noticing.

    The fort was created in a triangle shape to make the demon army cautious and waste as much time as possible before making their move. The strangeness of the fort, such as the lying corpses, was something that was prepared to dull the demons sense of smell so that they could not figure out that the human army had long left the fort.

    The reason the fort was built on top of a grass in was to make it difficult for anyone to find horseshoes marks and see inside the fort from higher areas. Even the g that Gezarius saw in the previous two forts was a trap to make Gezarius believe that the existence of that g in this 3rd fort meant that the human army was here.

    While the demon army was stunned in the ce, the morning sun rose, causing words that were carved in the gpole to be visible.

    <b><i>Im going to Anheim town to eat.</i></b>

    A message that was written as if toward a friend made Gezarius let out a shout in anger. That shout made the demons around Gezarius prostate in fear.

    HOW FAR ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO MAKE FOOL OF ME?! YOU DAMN BRAT!!!

    After that, Gezarius ordered his subordinates to go straight to Anheim town. Thus, the demon army headed to the south from the northern side of Anheim town.

    While the demon general was shouting in anger, Welner came out of his room with sleepy eyes.

    After Welner returned to Anheim, he instructed a few things to Behnke and Kesten, who were both in charge of Anheim while he was gone, then immediately returned to his room in the mansion and fell straight to sleep. He was exhausted.

    After he slept more or less to his hearts content, Welner ate his breakfast without really caring about the table manners. It was at that moment that Behnke and Frenssen came to meet Welner. When Welner greeted them with a yawn, they both smiled bitterly.

    Huahmm Sleepy (Welner)

    You smell a bit, sir. (Frenssen)

    Ill take a bathter.

    Welner replied to Frenssen while yawning. Welner immediately copsed on his bed after only taking off his armor, so it couldnt be helped that he smelled. At that time, Welner was physically and mentally at his limit. It was only after Welner woke up that he regretted dirtying the bed sheet with his sweat.

    There are a few things that I wanted to tell you.

    What is it, sir? (Behnke)

    Welner then gave Behnke various instructions about evacuation ns if the town walls were breached by the demons. He gave a broad outline of the evacuation n including evacuation personnel, drill, and escort. As for the details, Welner decided to leave it to Behnke.

    At any rate, I want to minimize the civilians casualties. It would be best if the demons didnt breach the walls, but in case they do, please do the evacuation as I had instructed.

    After saying that, Welner drank his lukewarm tea. Then, he took out the things that he had already prepared.

    Sir Behnke, Frenssen.

    Yes, sir.

    Take this.

    Welner gave them one Skywalk each. The two men looked at Welner with confused expressions, Your Excellency

    Its just insurance.

    Welner replied, while waving his hand.

    I have no intention of losing or dying. Just think of these as a duty that I have as a governor.

    If Anheim town fell, Welner needed to send two messengers to the capital, one to report to the kingdom and the other to report to his father, the head of the Zeavert family.

    Welner had no intention of losing. Even so, it was the duty of the governor to prepare for the worst situation. Behnke and Frenssen looked at each other, then epted the Skywalks.

    If that is the case, then I shall ept this.

    Ah also, if there is still no sign of our enemies, can you call Sir Kesten?

    As you wish.

    When Welner finished his second cup of tea, Kesten and Rafed arrived in the room. Welner immediately asked Kesten, Sir Kesten. Have you contacted the capital?

    Yes. I sent a messenger when I saw the signal, then I sent another one after some time had passed.

    Good work.

    Welner nodded. Although there was no way the messenger would face a bandit attack or an ident midway since he used Skywalk to go to the capital, there was still a chance that the messenger would get attacked by the demons right after he arrived outside the capital, so it was a right decision to send a second messenger after some time had passed.

    After that, Welner discussed other preparations for the war including personnel assignments or the avability of the weapons and tools for war. Welner also instructed them to proceed with the preparation for the catapult.

    Hows my reputation in the town?

    It is about half good and half bad.

    Thats good enough for now.

    As the army had returned victorious, the reputation of Welner, the armysmander, was now quite good. On the other hand, some people med Welner for the war, saying that if Welner didnt send the troops to the Triot, the war wouldnt have happened even though the Pledgers Council had exined to the people of Anheim that the demons would have still attacked Anheim soon even if Welner hadnt sent his troops to Triot.

    Well, Welner had expected this level of me.

    If we win, we will be envied. If we lose, we will be criticized. We have a quite unfortunate standing.

    Stop saying depressing things.

    Unexpectedly, Kestens statement made Welner feel down. Although Welner had been prepared to face the consequences of the war both as amander of the army and as a noble, Welner was still not happy to be med like that. Seeing the twos conversation, Rafed cleared his throat.

    Well, because the story of how you <i>yed around</i> with the demon general has spread, you are now quite popr, sir.

    Thats good. In the uing battle, I only have my poprity to count on.

    If Gezarius used Mangolds appearance when he attacked the town, there was a chance that some people would rebel from inside after they saw how the son of the previous lord of this territory had appeared. Welner could only count on his poprity as the current governor to decrease the chance of rebellion happening. The chance would forever remain, though.

    I wonder when the reinforcement will arrive.

    Who knows? In the first ce, the reason why I chose that kind of strategy was to buy time since we dont know when the reinforcement wille.

    Gezarius must have predicted that the humans had sent a messenger to the capital, but there was a chance that Gezarius didnt know the existence of the Skywalk. If he didnt know, that means there would be quite a bit of a gap between Gezariuss prediction of when the messenger would arrive in the capital and the messengers actual arrival.

    In addition, Welner had also bought a lot of time by using a strategy that made his army move between forts. So now, Welner could only do his best to survive until the reinforcements arrived.

    Still, Your Excellency, you smell.

    Frenssen said the same thing earlier.

    After being told he smelled for the second time by Rafed, Welner let out a bitter smile. Then he sniffed his sleeves. Rafed, who saw his action, continued his words.

    You know, Your Excellency, your fiance might hate you for smelling like that.

    I dont have any fiancee!

    Truly? I thought Lily-dono is your fiancee.

    Welner was surprised by Rafeds words.

    Why do you think Lily is my fiancee?

    Well, seeing how protective you were of Lily-dono before, I thought she was your fiancee. I mean, there are many ways to make Lily-dono your fiancee despite the fact shes amoner.

    Its possible to make Lily who is amoner my fiancee, but she isnt my fiancee.

    Welner didnt have a fiancee. You could say that Welner was too busy with his job to think about getting a fiancee now, but even without that, Welner himself had constantly tried to avoid the topic of a fiancee.

    Well, I can imagine your reason for not having a fiancee but it will be best if you do not mention it to anyone.

    I know.

    Welner smiled bitterly at Kestens somewhat sarcastic remark. The reason why Welner avoided the topic of fiancee was simple. The current Welner was an easy target for ambitious parents and <i>hyena</i> girls, especially in Anheim.

    After all, even though Welners reputation in the capital was bad, he was still the heir of a Count house. Although his reputation made it possible for him to avoid the talk of engagement for the time being, there were still many girls who wanted to get married to him despite his reputation just to be a future countess.

    In addition, people with great military prowess were basically popr in this world. Although the fact that Welner seeded in wounding Gezarius had not spread yet, the news of Welner exterminating the bandits had be well known. Currently, Welner had a reputation as a civil official who was strict in judging crimes.

    While thinking <i>it would be troublesome if too many strange rumors about me started to spread</i>, Welner stood up and went to take a bath. Maybe it was something that Welner did to escape this conversation, or perhaps Welner simply wanted to think about other things on his own. No one would know the truth.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141

    To prepare for the uing siege battle, countless containers of water were arranged for the soldiers along with enclosure walls.

    Will these be useful against demons?

    I dont know, but you never know what tricks your opponent will pull, so its best to be prepared.

    Welner answered Holzdeppes question. These water containers were set up to detect the enemies that tried to enter the town by digging an underground tunnel.

    When the underground near the water container was dug by the enemies, the water inside the container would shake. In short, these water containers were simple vibration-detecting devices.

    With the demons physical abilities, they can create an underground tunnel fast.

    Well, you are right.

    Your Excellency.

    Hearing Eickstedts call, Welner and Holzdeppe stopped and waited for Eickstedt to catch up with them. When Eickstedt caught up with them, he reported that the preparation for the catapult had finished.

    How is the preparation for the projectiles?

    The preparation has finished. Though I hope we had more of them.

    It cant be helped.

    Not only projectiles, but if he had more anti-demon medicine, the army would have been able to buy more time by just throwing the anti-demon medicines randomly on the demon army. But on a battlefield, basic necessities such as food were often very limited, let alone things like anti-demon medicines. Just the simple fact that the army had sufficient arrows and food supplies was something that could be celebrated.

    As long as we can protect the gate until the reinforcement arrives, we can just leave the rest to the reinforcement.

    Welner answered with a smile. As for the worst-case scenario of the reinforcement not arriving even after the wall was breached, Welner chose not to speak about it. After all, it was best to be optimistic.

    Speaking of which, walls that protected a castle weremonly known as <b><i>castle walls,</i></b> while the walls that protected the town were called <b><i>enclosure walls</i></b>.

    In addition, although this was rarely used, the wall that protected the entire Castletown along with the castle was called the <b><i>town wall</i></b>.

    (T/N: Ive been using the town wall since the novel just used wall but Ill change it to enclosure wall ording to the authors wishes.)

    Neurath shouted, Welner-sama!!

    Eickstedt saw the signal on top of the enclosure wall and then ordered to start moving the catapult. After that, he, along with Neurath and Schunzel, went up to the top of the enclosure wall.

    As the town was created to protect the border, the enclosure walls of Anheim were wide and strong. There was more than enough room to put ballistas on top of the walls. There was also a water moat outside of the wall. With sufficient time and equipment, the army could modify the moat. Unfortunately, the army had neither enough time nor equipment, so the water moat was left as it was.

    After nodding to Kesten, who greeted the three when they arrived on top of the wall, they looked in the distance and saw the demon army kicking up dust as they approached the town.

    Oh, wow. They seem quite energetic.

    What in the world did you do to them, sir?

    Ah, well, I did a few things I guess

    Kesten, who was holding a short metal rod, asked Welner with an amused expression and Welner chose to not answer.

    Welner looked at his surroundings to check the preparation of his army. He saw that the support troops and the town guards had alsoe up to the wall and their eyes were glued to the sight of the approaching demon army.

    Some people on top of the walls seemed terrified. After all, it was quite rare to see demons with your own eyes.

    Welner was a bit impressed to see the demon army stop right before they entered the range of arrows. It would have been more convenient for Welner if the demon army had just rushed blindly in the range of arrows, but Welner knew that was just his wishful thought.

    In the next moment

    BRAT!! ARE YOU THERE!?

    Gezariuss loud shout filled with anger that seemed to make the air shake startled Welner.

    It was good that Welner, Neurath, and the others were just surprised since some new soldiers fell to the ground in fear after hearing Gezariuss voice. With a dumbfounded look, Kesten turned to Welner.

    What exactly have you done, sir?

    I provoked them I guess?

    <b><i>I guess</i></b> you say

    The fact that Welner provoked Gezarius was true, but what Welner didnt mention was the fact that he provoked Gezarius really badly.

    Although Gezarius was furious, he didnt dare to approach the town carelessly when all of his subordinates had not arrived yet. For a while, a strange staring contest happened between the demon army and the human army.

    When Gezarius saw most of his subordinates had arrived, he ordered the demon army to move. Seeing that, Welner waved the g and ordered the catapult team to start their preparation. After the preparation was finished, the catapults shot boxes toward the demon army.

    As the boxes fell to the ground, they broke and their content was revealed. There were cylindrical-shaped metals inside the boxes, not stones. The metal rods that reflected the sunlight looked pretty, as if they didnt belong to the fierce battlefield.

    The demon army stopped in their tracks. As expected, after falling to Welners tricks many times, they had learned their lesson. After a short time passed, the metal rods exploded and white mist filled the area.

    These cylindrical-shaped objects were modified magic stoves or, in principle, it was closer to the magic kettles. The water inside was constantly heated, making it expand until finally the specially made container exploded (or leaked) and produced this white mist, which was the water vapor.

    The vapor limited the sight of demons inside it, but that was all. Although the vapor was hot, it couldnt harm the physically strong demon army. The vapor slowly disappeared because of the wind, leaving the demon armypletely unharmed.

    When the vapor cleared up, the demon army started to run again.

    Just as they ran some distance, some members of the demon army started to scream, including Gezarius, who was leading the army in the front.

    Welner merely created holes filled with spikes and covered them with soft soil.

    After thinking that whatever Welner was nning with the explosion had failed, the demon army let down their guard and confidently rushed to the town without being careful of their footing, causing their feet to step on the <i>hole traps</i> that Welner had prepared. From the beginning, the explosions were to distract demons, not to harm them directly.

    The demons whose feet were pierced by the spikes writhed in agony. The spikes were also covered with barbs, so it was hard to pull them out.

    The spikes deeply pierced Gezariuss foot because of his heavy body. The humiliation that he felt after being caught by these kinds of simple traps would not disappear easily. His anger and impatience robbed him of the ability to deal with the situation calmly.

    Another reason for demons to fall for this trick was their attention to the conspicuous moat that surrounded the town. Demons felt that Welner must have done something to it.

    It would be easy for the demons who had superior physician capabilitypared to humans to jump over the moat andrge holes. In addition, it would take more effort to hiderge holes, so Welner chose to create many small holes. The principle of Welners trap was like the principle of a minefield.

    Because of the traps, the demon army became disorganized. Some sporadically kept approaching the wall while some stopped because their feet were pierced by spikes and they were busy dealing with them. The situation of the demon army was chaotic, and it was at that moment, the human army started their attack.

    Fire!!

    At Kestensmand, the arrows from the crossbows, roman lead bullets from slings and the rugby ball-shaped metal ammunition from the catapult started flying toward the demon army.

    (T/N: Roman lead bullets are bullets used by Rome for slingshot.)

    A direct hit from ball-shaped metal ammunition at a fatal location would kill demons with no problem. As for roman lead bullets, being hit by them would cause a lot of pain.

    But that was not all. Several members of the demon army had died and be literal porcupines as the arrows rained down on them. Even Gezarius couldnt help but to stop moving as he couldnt process what had happened in front of his eyes.

    On top of the wall, Kesten was giving instructions to the archers using the magic tool devised by Welner. Although Kestens face was calm, he too was shocked inside.

    The red light from the magic tool shaped like a stick pointed to a certain demon that had gotten closer to the wall. Seeing that light, the archers immediately focused their attack on that demon and the demon died on the spot. Once again, Kesten masked his shock with a calm expression on his face.

    This magic tool was basically a modified version of the magicmp.

    In a defense battle, it was very hard for all archer groups to concentrate their attacks at one point because of difficulty in ryingmanders orders to all archer groups fast and urately.

    After all, the actual battlefield was filled with shouting, screaming, the sound of metals hitting each other, sound of stones and even the sound of bodies rolling on the ground, so even if themander ordered <b><i>Attack this spot!</i></b> only the archers in themanders vicinity could hear it.

    In addition, a skilled archer didnt mean a skilledmander or tactician. Moat archers wouldnt be able to ascertain the enemys weak point in the middle of the battlefield and then attack that weak point without being ordered by themander.

    The case of mages on the battlefield was even more serious. Many mages were inexperienced in the battlefield and they could only decide to attack based on stuff like <b><i>this guy has a best-looking armor</i></b> or <b><i>Just use my most powerful magic to the enemy</i></b>. Only a few people with both experience and talent could ascertain the enemys weak point in the middle of the battlefield.

    But with theser pointer-like magic tool created by Welner, the skilledmander or the tactician could pinpoint the enemys weak point using the magic tool as a signal for everyone to focus their attack in that ce. Although this method was notpletely foolproof, it was much better than current solutions.

    This magic tool was kept a secret for a while, but 20 yearster, it became known to the world in a dispute with the neighboring country, as that countrys kings younger brother, who was the armymander, became a literal porcupine. The tactic waster known as <b><i>Zeavert houses light pointer tactic</i></b>.

    T/N: OOH the war is getting heated up! If youre curious about what will happen next and wanted to see more of Welner humilia..ahem! I mean defeating Gezarius, you can check out the patreon here!

    Also, if you liked this novel and want to read another novel with war and strategy, check out my new novel [Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now] here! This novel tell the story of Roa, a court official that lost everything in a war, but returned to 2 years before the tragedy. Like hero, this is also novel filled with war and strategyand even emotional tear-jerker at time.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142

    A day after the demon armys first attack, at night.

    The vibration and sound woke Welner from his nap. Welner smiled bitterly and thought, <i>For me to wake up because of this sort of thing, as expected I feel tense because of the battle.</i>

    Welner then got off from his bed and put on his armor. With his spear in hand, he went outside with Neurath and Schunzel, who came to his room to wake him up. Outside, a kneeling knight greeted Welner.

    What happened?

    The demon general attacked the north gate with Hmm.. It would be easier for you to see it yourself, sir.

    Okay.

    Welner exchanged nces with Neurath and Schunzel. Then, he gave some instructions to Frenssen, who was preparing the horse to gather all messengers in the north gate.

    After that, Welner headed to the north gate. As he got closer to it, the mysterious sound also got louder.

    <i>Eickstedt, todays night guard duty must be the one that made the top of the enclosure wall be this bright</i>, Welner thought as he approached the wall.

    When Welner finally saw the wall from a closer distance, he was shocked to find that the wall was vibrating. Welner hurriedly went to the top of the wall.

    What happened?

    Your Excellency. Please look outside.

    Welner looked outside and was shocked to see Gezarius throwing a big log to the wall, as if he was throwing a javelin. No human could throw a log that size alone.

    Although Welner was prepared for this kind of attack, both the scale and the actual power behind the attack were far beyond his prediction. To think that the impact created by that log was strong enough to shake a wall made of stones

    That damn monster!

    Although the darkness made it difficult to see far, Welner could still make up the image of several logs just as big as the one he saw earlier lying near Gezarius. It seemed like the demon army had made sufficient preparation. Welner could also see that the logs seemed to have been ripped off the ground, not being cut by an axe or anything.

    All of this made Welner break out in a cold sweat inside. This situation was indeed beyond anyones imagination. Welner clicked his tongue and observed Gezariuss surroundings more carefully.

    Strange Welner couldnt see any demons near Gezarius.

    To think the enemy can gather that many logs in just a day.

    Maybe the reason they didnt attack us this afternoon was because they were gathering the logs.

    Welner didnt reply to Neurath and Schunzels astonished words and kept observing the situation around Gezarius silently. After some time passed, he finally spoke. Sir Eickstedt, stay here and remain vignt. I will increase the number of guards in the town, so in case the enemy attacks us, use the blinding agent to buy some time.

    Understood. Permission to use the ballistas?

    If the situation calls for it, granted. Be careful. Neurath, Schunzel, lets go.

    The top of the wall was noisy because Gezarius kept throwing logs toward the wall. It would be hard to have a meeting here, so Welner chose to descend from the wall. As the three arrived on the ground, they saw that ten or so messengers had gathered.

    Your Excellency, why have you summoned us?

    One of the messengers immediately asked Welner.

    We have little time. Tell Kesten to lead the members of the support troop who are on duty tonight to the east gate, tell Holzdeppe to lead the rest of the support troop to the west gate, and also tell Holzdeppe that the governors infantries and cavalries will now be under my directmand. Last, tell everyone to wake infantry and cavalry.

    After Welner gave his instructions, he immediately rode his horse and left without hearing the messengers reply. Neurath and Schunzel followed Welner. Their destination was downtown.

    Welner-sama, why did wee here?

    It looks like they havent arrived in the town yet.

    Hearing Welners words, Neurath and Schunzel exchanged nces and after a few moments, they finally realized Welners meaning.

    The demon general is hitting the wall on purpose. (Welner)

    Is he trying to divert our attention?

    Yeah. For the proud demon general to make himself the bait was unexpected, though

    Suddenly, a loud bang resounded, making Welnerin inside. <i>Did that guy not know how to control his strength!?</i>

    Welner raised his voice toward the soldiers, who had finally gathered, The 1st, 2nd, 3rd divisions of infantry troops will be under Neurathsmand. The 4th, 5th, and 6th divisions will be under Schunzelsmand. Because the enemy has yet to make any movements, I suspect they are currently digging underground tunnels. Neurath, you go lead the troops to check the water containers in the west while Schunzel will go to the east. Report back your findings to me. Ill be staying here.

    Yes, sir.

    Understood. What will you do with the south side?

    Ill leave the south to Sir Gekke. He wont make a mistake in his judgment.

    Before this, Welner had already entrusted an independent troop to Gekke and sent them to the south.

    Immediately after Neurath and Schunzel left, a messenger from Kesten came to Welner and reported that the demons had begun their attack on the east gate.

    The best way the enemy could avoid the concentrated firing tactic was to spread out the human army archers, yet the attack came only from the east gate, not also from other gates. That meant that as Welner had predicted, this was all diversion tactics and the enemys true aim was to create underground tunnels.

    What did Kesten say?

    He said that he could handle them for the time being.

    Okay. Then, can I trouble you, Sir, to go to Rafed and tell him to prepare the remaining blinding agent and take them to the north gate?

    After that, a troop made up of the towns guards came to Welner. Welner instructed half of them to go to the top of the enclosure wall. When the demons attacked the wall, they were to throw whatever they could find under Eickstedts order toward the demons. As for the other half, Welner led them to a certain object just a short distance away from the main gate.

    First, we will move the catapult so that it can block the gate.

    Even though the catapult here was a smaller version of the usual catapult, it was pretty heavy. In addition, Welner covered the catapult with a simple armored te made of the skin of Alligator Warrior, making it even heavier.

    Welner did this to prevent Gezarius from breaching the main gate. He had already made some preparation in case the enemy tried to break the gate from the outside, although he never expected that the things that the enemy would use to break the gate werent a battering ram, but wooden logs.

    In the meantime, the wall continued to vibrate and the loud bangs continued to resound, yet Welners expression remained calm even though he was quite anxious inside. Welner was armymander. If he let people see his anxiety, the armys morale would fall.

    With that, Welner and the towns guards moved the catapult together. Although the catapult had wheels, it was still quite heavy. After they moved it to the main gate, they then fixed its wheels in ce using wooden logs. Once that was done, Welner instructed the guards to go to the east gate.

    By the time the guards left, the soldiers under the governorsmand had arrived. After Welner confirmed that the soldiers of the day shift no longer seemed sleepy, he took a roll call and restructured the soldiers chain ofmand. Suddenly, a soldier came rushing to Welner.

    Your Excellency. I am a member of the 1st infantry troop. Neurath-sama asks for your presence.

    Okay, wait a minute. Send one cavalryman to Schunzel and tell him to lead his troop to the west gate immediately.

    Yes, sir.

    You, go to the governors mansion and tell Frenssen to prepare some lights and send them to the west. You remain here. If anyone came here searching for me, tell them Im in the west. As for the rest, you all follow me.

    Yes, sir!

    After saying that, Welner rode his horse and went to the west gate. Although the town wasnt that big, the frontlines were scattered, so it was troublesome for him to head to the west gate.

    When Welner got closer to the west gate, he saw that the gate was still closed, and he also saw that the top of the enclosure wall, a bit of distance away from the west gate, was quite bright. It must be Holzdeppe that prepared the lights. While feeling d that everyones response was quick and precise, Welner went to Neurath.

    Tell me the situation.

    Yes, sir. In this ce, that ce, and that ce, the water vibrated more frequently than others.

    Two no, three ces, huh

    While mulling bitterly inside, Welner noticed something and let everyone return to their position for now. Then, a soldier asked a question.

    Your Excellency. If we intercept the demons when they are digging the tunnels, we can catch them off guard and make it a one versus many battle.

    I considered that option too, but there are a number of problems with that n. First, demons physical strength is much higher than humans so fighting them in a narrow tunnel is not the best option. Second, if demons somehow notice our n, they can change their course midway or just run away. Third, humans will take more time to dig than demons.

    That was why Welner nned to let the demonsplete the tunnels, but in exchange, he gave instruction to his army to kill the demons once they returned to the surface. Welners reasoning convinced the soldiers, so they proceeded to hide nearby, waiting for the demons toe to the surface.

    Not long after, three holes appeared on the ground and several Lycanthropes emerged from those holes. They didnt seem to notice the armys presence. For better or worse, the number of Lycanthropes wasnt that many. When Welner saw that there were no more Lycanthropesing out of the holes, Welner ordered the army to attack.

    Turn on the light! Attack!!

    The magicmps prepared by Frenssen were turned on simultaneously. Cry of battle rose as the human soldiers charged toward the demons.

 Chapter 143.1

    Chapter 143.1

    [T/L: Hi, everyone. Chapter 143 is around 3 times longer than a normal chapter, so we will be splitting it into 3 separate parts. This is part 1.]

    The demons that came out of the hole were weremole, werewolf, weretiger, and even werebuffalo. Inside, Welner thought that the werebuffalo in this game was just a minotaur with a different name. In any case, all demons that came out of the holes must be eliminated here.

    Welner shouted, Dont let the moles escape!

    The human soldiers immediately responded by swinging their weapons. The demons were taken by surprise with waves of humans rushing toward them. Although they hurriedly tried to counterattack, they were still at a huge disadvantage. Fierce fight broke out. One weretiger sessfully bit the neck of a human soldier, but that weretiger was soon stabbed by the humans in session, killing him on the spot.

    Welners spear pierced the feet of a weretiger, severely limiting his movement. The surrounding soldiers immediately stabbed that weretiger from all directions, killing him. Near the other holes, Neurath and Schunzel led their men to kill the other demons one by one.

    Unlike the town guards or the hastily created support troop, the governors soldiers were properly trained. In addition, they had gained plenty of battle experience by fighting the demons in the fort and the bandits. They also understood the superiority of group battlepared to one-on-one battle, so after killing a demon in a group, they rushed to support the other groups.

    The demons here were not weak, rather, they were the elites chosen by Gezarius. Their aim was to open the gate from the inside or, if that wasnt possible, they had to at least set the town on fire to cause chaos. Unfortunately, Welner was one step ahead of them. Despite that, if it was a one-on-one battle, the demons here wouldnt have lost. However, they were still unfamiliar with the group battle led by Welner. As such, they were currently being pushed back by Welners army.

    Although it was a one-sided battle, the demons still resisted fiercely. Perhaps they were driven by their anger toward Welner or perhaps they were driven by their fear toward Gezarius. Nheless, the demons that had infiltrated here fought fiercely until they were all wiped out.

    Fill in the holes. That should buy us some time.

    Yes, sir.

    In a normal war, there were twomon ways of dealing with this kind of underground tunnel. One, to make it unusable by pouring water into the tunnel. Two, to use the tunnel to attack the enemy instead. But in this siege battle, there was one other way to deal with the tunnel. That was to use corpses to fill the hole. After all, there were many corpses scattered here.

    The soldiers proceeded to throw many corpses into the holes. Then, the holes were sealed by containers like jars or barrels. After that, the jars or barrels were filled with water, sand, or even garbage. With this, the holes were sealed.

    If the demon army wanted to use the tunnel, they had to either destroy or move all these corpses, which was a mentally and physically taxing work. Moreover, even if the demons managed to destroy or move all the corpses, it would cause the containers to fall, making their content spill and fill the tunnel, thus making the tunnel extremely hard to use.

    However, this way of covering the tunnel was used in battles between humans, so no one knew how effective it would be against demons. But at least it was better than doing nothing. Welner himself also joined the work. Immediately afterward, a faint roar reached the ear of Welner and his army.

    Welner-sama.

    Maybe there are still some demons inside the tunnels.

    Another possibility was that Gezarius, who had learned about the failure of his n via the demons that were left in the tunnel, roared to give some kind of signal. Thinking like that, Welner left half of his men to continue handling the tunnels while he led the other half to the north.

    Welner couldnt help butin, The kingdom better give me overtime pay for handling this mess.

    When the north gate came into Welners view, he noticed a log had pierced one corner of the gate and hit a catapult. That catapult would now be unusable. Welner clicked his tongue while thinking that Gezarius seeded in breaching the gate. He ordered some of his men to bring some wood to reinforce the gate from inside.

    At that moment, the ballista was fired. The vibration was so strong that Welner and his army, who were still a bit distance away from the gate, could feel it.

    As soon as Welner and his army reached the gate, they hurriedly climbed the stairs to the top of the wall as the countless stones came flying in from outside of the wall.

    One of the stones hit the enclosure wall and managed to leave a big mark on the stone wall before getting destroyed by the impact. For a stone to be able to do that must mean that the demons were throwing stones with a great force.

    The human army couldnt let demons continue their attacks, as it may severely injure soldiers.

    At least the enemy chose a long-distance battle. (Neurath)

    I never thought that the demon army would choose a long-range battle against humans. (Schunzel)

    They must have no other choice. (Welner)

    While Welner was conversing with Neurath and Schunzel as the three were climbing the stairs, a huge bang resounded.

    The ballista in the northwest direction of the stair was hit by a giant stone and was rendered unusable.

    Seeing this, Welner increased his pace and after a short time, he finally reached the top of the wall where stones were raining down and many soldiers were lying on the ground. He looked around, searching for a person. When he finally found him, Welner called him out.

    Eickstedt. What happened here?

    Your Excellency, great to see you safe. Once the log pierced the gate, the enemies movement changed. The enemies seemed to be nning to widen the gap created by the log in gate, so we fired the ballista as a response.

    How is the ballista?

    When the demon general tried to throw another log, I ordered the men to fire the bast from the left and the right. One of the bolts shot by the ballista pierced the demon generals shoulder, then he counterattacked.

    Ah, thats why that ballista is in that kind of state.

    Welners face turned sour as he saw the ballista that was destroyed by a giant stone. The soldiers who were operating that ballista also received the damage. Then Welner noticed something and turned back to Eickstedt.

    You said one of the bolts pierced Gezariuss soldier?

    Yes. I heard Your Excellency destroyed one of the demon generals eyes, so maybe that was why the demon general failed to perceive the distance when the bolt was fired from that direction. However

    The bolt didnt cause a fatal wound.

    Yes. My apologies.

    Its not something you need to apologize for.

    Though, it was hard to say if the bolt that sessfully wounded Gezarius was a blessing or disaster since because of that bolt, the enemies started to throw more stones toward the wall to the point that it became dangerous to stick out your head. Gezarius must be enraged.

    We cant let this continue, sir.

    We shouldunch a counterattack.

    Neuraths words made Welner worry. Welners skill was [Spearmanship] not [Leadership], so he wasnt that skilled inmanding the army at a siege war. That was why Welner gave theser pointer to Kesten. Still, Welner couldnt just hide and stay silent when the enemy was attacking the wall like this.

    Right when Welner was about to make his decision, several soldiers rushed up the wall. For Welner, it was a pleasant surprise.

    Sir, you are Sir Kestens

    Yes. Sir Kesten asked us to support you.

    As expected of a veteran. His decision making is fast.

    Welner muttered happily. After hearing Gezariuss roar, Kesten must have noticed that the enemies pressure in his area had suddenly decreased. Kesten must have thought that the enemies were concentrating their attacks on the north gate, so he sent these men, the military instructors from the capital, here. Although there were only a few of them, they were all veteran soldiers capable ofmanding the army.

    We will start the counterattack! Dont let the demons get close to t

    he wall!

    While the sky was still pitch ck, the humans and the demons entered a fierce battle.

 Chapter 143.2

    Chapter 143.2

    Like how there were some human soldiers who were heavily injured or killed because of the stones thrown by the demons, the demons that tried to climb the wall also suffered greatly because of the hot oil poured by the human army from the top of the wall.

    Sound of stones hitting the soldiers, the sound of arrows being released and a strange smell of blood mixed with oil filled the battlefield. The demons sharp roars attacked the human ears just like how humans battle cry attacked the demons ears.

    The long-range battle between the humans and the demons continued until dawn.

    After the catapult became unusable because of the demons attack, Eickstedt brought the seemingly useless out-of-control magic kettles and ordered the soldiers to fill them with oil. The oil inside of the kettles was heated up until it reached several hundred degrees of temperature because magic kettles didnt have any temperature limiting function. The hot oil was then poured on the demons that tried to climb the walls. Unexpectedly, the demons received quite a bit of damage after being poured by the hot oil.

    Welner shouted, Dont falter! Our side isnt the only one that is having a hard time!

    The soldiers responded with a cheer to the Welners shout. Even though it was a duty of a noble to fight on the battlefield, Welner, the suprememander of this army, was a young man in his teens. Seeing the young man shout bravely in the face of enemies attack made the soldiers feel they must preserve. They couldnt lose to such a young man, right?

    As for Welner, he was currently extremely busy. This might be a record-breaking degree of <i>busyness</i> for Welner. Sometimes Welner moved the wounded soldiers to a safe ce, other times Welner was throwing stones at the demons. Welner also kept scanning the battlefield and once he found an areacking in supplies, he would order his men to replenish them. Welner was so busy that he didnt even have time to feel tired despite constantly shouting.

    Damn! Do demons have limitless stamina!? (Welner)

    They are demons, after all. (Neurath)

    Welner made a bitter expression mixed with helplessness at Neuraths reply.

    Welner felt that Gezariuss wound on his shoulder was perhaps a blessing for his army. If Gezarius wasnt wounded and was throwing logs to the gate like earlier, Welner doubted that his army would have held out this long. It seemed like even the demon general couldnt throw those big logs with one hand or perhaps the demon general thought his n would be disturbed if the logs he threw hit Welner and killed him.

    Still, even without the logs, the stones thrown by the demon general alone were already quite dangerous. A direct hit would definitely kill a human. Even the stones thrown by normal demons could cause quite extensive damage. As time passed, the soldiers got more and more tired. Just when Welner thought that this was the soldiers limit, Schunzel pointed at the enemys back. There was a shing light in the direction that Schunzel pointed.

    Because of the overwhelming battlefield, Welner failed to understand Schunzels meaning, but it only took a while before Welner came to his senses and gave a signal that he understood Schunzel.

    Give a signal to the south side, too. Lets start.

    Yes, sir.

    Schunzel reflected a light toward the shing light. After that, he also used the light reflected by the metal sheet to signal the guards at the south gate.

    Not long after that

    The demons felt another presence, so they turned back. There, they saw rows of humans, who wore metal armor that reflected the early morning light, rushing toward them. It was the arrival of the Kingdom Knights.

    Imposible!!

    Gezarius yelled in disbelief.

    The army from the capital brought as little supply as possible so that they could reach Anheim town as quickly as possible.

    The knights, who were prepared to be sent to every corner of the Bain Kingdom, set out the day they received a messenger from Anheim. The reason they could respond so quickly was that they had predicted that there was going to be a big battle in Anheim. As such, the emergency expedition was carried as nned.

    The person in charge of the army supply was Count Vogler. The reason why the Count was chosen was not only because he was familiar with the geography of Anheim since his territory was right next to the former Marquisate Knap, but also because he had once sessfully led 5000 refugees from the former Marquisate Knap to the capital without letting the refugees starve to death.

    He knew where he had to ce supply point and how to transport the supply to that point in order to let the army made of the kingdom knights, the noble army, the mercenaries, and the adventurers to go on an expedition toward Anheim town safely even though the kingdom army didnt bring any supplies from the capital.

    The kingdom army went on an expedition with no supplies. The supplies they needed had already been transported in advance to Baron Zabels territory near Anheim, so they only needed to receive that.

    The morale of the kingdom army was really high. After all, they would essentially fight to protect their country. In addition, they had seen the state of Triots refugees with their own eyes, so the knights were filled with fury at the demon army.

    Not to mention, the terrain was a t in so the kingdom army would be able to show their ability to the fullest.

    When Welner saw the carroballista brought by the kingdom knights, Welner was surprised. He always thought that it would be impossible to use carroballista while moving. Welner, who used to live in modern Japan, still didnt have a clear grasp of the power of Skills in this world.

    The chariot where the carroballista was ced would not shake even if the chariot was running throughout the battlefield thanks to the [Driver] skill of the chariots driver. The carroballista would also be able to shoot precisely despite moving if the archer had a [Marksman] skill.

    Furthermore, the kingdoms engineers had created a miniature semi-automatic crane quill using the magic stone. When an arrow was shot from the carroballista, the crane quill would automatically unfurl the string so the shooter would only need to rece the arrow. This was the Crown Prince, Hubertuss idea. It was also him that was leading the Kingdom army.

    Since a big organization like the kingdom poured a lot of resources in the development of the carroballista, the carroballista became a literal medieval era style tank.

    The kingdom armysnces and swords pierced the demons. The carroballista was repeatedly shot, taking one demon down after another. The group of running horses broke apart the demons line.

    No matter how strong the demons were, it would be impossible for them to counterattack when they were constantly hit by multiple maces and warhammers. The suprememander, Marquis Schramm, ordered the two nks of the Knights to spread. Then, the battle veterans mercenaries rushed in. With the mercenary troop in the front, the Kingdom army killed the demons one by one. The demon army fell into chaos.

 Chapter 143.3

    Chapter 143.3

    Fyuuh. Reinforcement has finally arrived.

    No one could criticize Welner when he sat down. Since the demon army had finally stopped attacking Anheim town, Welner who was running and shouting from midnight could finally take a break and drink some water.

    Frightened by the sudden appearance of the kingdom army, the demon army scattered to the west in order to escape but they stopped dead in their tracks in surprise as there was an army bigger than Welners armying toward them from the south.

    Hufft!

    Near the Anheims east gate, Baron Zabel came into contact with the demon army who had stopped. The baron rushed into the enemys line while swinging his halbert, killing the demons in his way. This brave general who didnt have the chance to fight before was finally able to fight to his heart content. The soldiers under the baronsmand, and the soldiers and the knights from the now destroyed Triot territory followed the baron.

    Meanwhile, near the west gate, Viscount Grellmans army along with Gekkes mercenaries was fighting and killing the demons.

    Viscount Grellman had participated in the Veritza Fortresss retreat battle. His skilled knights had also participated in the earliest group battle training along with the Zeavert house army.

    In other words, Viscount Grellmans knights were one of the few people in the kingdom army that were skilled in the group battle. Because of that, the Viscount was able to give instruction regarding the group battle tactic to his knights without even a moment of dy. The Viscount ordered his knights to surround demons with several people and used Anheims encirclement wall to his advantage to trap the demons and exterminate them.

    The army of both the Viscount and the Baron slowly but surely drove the demons in front of them to the north, where the Kingdom Knights were waiting.

    Currently, the demon army was surrounded from all sides.

    The reason Welner burned the second fort was not only to lure Gezarius to follow him but also to signal Viscount Grellman and Baron Zabel that he had sessfully lured Gezarius.

    When the scouts from the Baron and the Viscounts territories saw the signal, they reported it to their respective employers. Then, the Viscount and the Baron both led their armies and went to Anheim. They brought as many soldiers as possible because they knew that Welner had already lured the demon army so the demon army would not be able to attack their territories.

    Both armies led by the Triots survivors crossed the river and entered Triots former territory. Then, they were there until the kingdom army came.

    (Illustration by: Mitemin. Left side: Viscount Grellmans army. Right side: Baron Zabels army)

    On the other hand, when Welner returned to Anheim from the second second fort, he ordered his men to bring logs to the river so the two armies could cross the bridge quickly before finally falling asleep.

    Furthermore, in order to prevent Gezarius from noticing the two armies who were standing by in the south, Welner sent Gekkes mercenaries troop, his strongest fighters, to the south as an independent army to cut off Gezariussmunication from the demons in Triot.

    Lastly, when the kingdom army arrived, Viscount Grellmans army, Baron Zabels army, and Gekkes mercenaries cooperated to build a floating bridge. They used that bridge to cross the river, then drove the demon army, who was trying to escape, from the south to the north.

    All of Welners strategies were made based on the fact that his strongest fighters, Gekkes mercenaries, would not be able to participate in this battle.

    As a result, the demon army went deep into the humans territory, the northern side of Anheim, and kept attacking the town unaware of the fact that there were two armies on the south that would be able to cross the river anytime.

    The demon army waspletely surrounded by the kingdom army on the north and by the baron and viscount army on the south.

    (Illustration by: Mitemin. Yellow: humans. Red: demon. Words beside the arrow: the capital.)

    Arrows rained down on the flustered demon army from the direction of Anheim. Soldiers who were formerly the citizens of Triot swung their weapons full of hatred. River of blood and mountains of corpses belonging to the demons filled the ground near the east and west gate.

    Near the north gate, the elites of the First and Second Division rushed and killed the demons. The arrows from the carroballista killed the demons one after another, while the mercenaries danced on the battlefield taking the lives of the demon army as they fought. Just as it seemed that the human armys victory was assured

    A powerful roar resounded throughout the battlefield. The well trained warhorses, humans, and even the demons stopped in their tracks as if they were terrified.

    Not long after the sudden silence, the demons rushed toward the human army like madmen. A huge sh between the human army and the seemingly mad demon army ensued.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, a huge body rushed forward and mmed himself to the north gate, surprising the guard and Welner who was distracted by the earlier roar. The gate let out a creak and a part of it copsed. Gezarius then once again mmed himself to the gate.

    Finally, the entire gate copsed, despite the fact that the gate had been reinforced.

    Welner shouted in disbelief, Impossible!!!

    Welners army threw the remaining blinding agents and rocks at Gezarius yet Gezarius didnt stop moving. After crushing the gate, Gezarius went to the catapult near the gate and destroyed it. Welner couldnt let Gezarius continue his rampage.

    Staying here is dangerous, Welner-sama. (Neurath)

    You need to hide, sir. (Schunzel)

    Welner thought to himself, If I can hide, I will love to!

    With his speed, Gezarius could reach the center of the town in an instant and if he went on rampage in the center of the town, many people would die. Welner couldnt let that happen.

    Welner ran down the stairs of the enclosure wall. It was hard to say if his decision was not on impulse. However, he couldnt think of any better way to buy time until the Kingdom Knights arrived here than to let himself be the bait.

    HEY, DEMON GENERAL! ARE YOU HERE TO GIVE ME YOUR OTHER EYE!?

    BRAT!! SO YOU ARE HERE!

    Gezarius closed the distance between him and Welner in an instant and attacked Welner. Welner dodged. Arge hole was formed in the ce where Welner stood just a moment ago. Welners back was covered in cold sweat.

    YOUYOU ALONE I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HAND!

    Oh, dear. You are really scary~~ Im so scared of you that I want to go home~~

    Although Welner said that in a light tone, he knew that he didnt have much time to spare. Gezarius hadpletely lost his reasons and he no longer hesitated in trying to kill Welner. Neurath and Schunzel rushed to Welners two sides and drew their swords.

    Gezarius was badly wounded. Moreover, he had overexerted himself to forcibly break the gate. In a nce, it seemed like Welner had an advantage, but Welner himself was also exhausted and the difference in fighting ability between them was really huge. It was hard to say if Welner would survive even if he fought with all his might.

    Understanding the range of a spear, the demon general closed his distance in an instant and swung his arm toward Welner. Welner used the hilt of his spear to parry that swing. Welners hand became numb, but the new spear was able to withstand the demon generals attack. Most likely, the fact that Gezariuss shoulder was injured also helped Welner.

    Welner moved toward the side of Gezariuss lost eye while Neurath and Schunzel simultaneously attacked Gezarius from both sides. The two were by no means weak. Blood spurted from Gezariuss body.

    Move! (Gezarius)

    Neurath and Schunzel barely managed to dodge Gezariuss attack. In the next moment, Welner swung his spear and stabbed Gezarius leg, making him fall. The lion that was blinded in one eye didnt pay attention to other people near him and just stared daggers at Welner.

    Then, Gezarius let out another roar. If there was ss nearby, it would have broken. That roar made Welner, Neurath, and Schunzel feel dizzy. There were even some soldiers who fell to their knees.

    Damn. Does his roar inflict a debuff on his opponent or something!?

    Still, Welner barely seeded in retreating and keeping his distance from Gezarius. Then, unexpectedly, Gezarius gouged out the ground in front of him and threw it toward Welner and the others. The clump of soil hit the three of them like an avnche.

    Urgh!?

    Welner-sama!

    Because of the sudden impact, Welner lost his bnce and Gezarius stretched his arm toward Welners head. If that arm reached Welner, his head would definitely be crushed. Welner readied his spear. Although Welner didnt know if his spear would be able to deflect that arm, Welner had no n of dying without resisting.

    In the next moment, Gezariuss arm fell to the ground.

    No one couldprehend what exactly had just happened.

    The man who had just cut off the demon generals arm with a single blow stood in front of Welner and confronted the demon general head on. He turned his head and looked at Welner with a proud smile on his face.

    With this, I have returned one of my debts, Welner.

    Mazell!?

    That man was indeed the acimed Hero, Mazell Hearthing.

    T/N: The chapter that finally broke chapter 14 record of the longest chapter with a whooping 10k japanese characters and more than 4k english words! WITH NO INFO DUMP! Even the author said this is their personal record!

    Anyway, do you happen to be curious about what happened next??? Want to see our Welner get tortured by the afterwars procession work his bromance moment with Mazell??? Check out our Patreon here!

    If you enjoy this novel please leave your review at Novelupdate here! So that more people know this novel and can enjoy Welners suffering

    No Im not a sadist. Im your friendly neighborhood trantor

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144

    Mazell was really standing in front of me, but how?

    Why are you here? (Welner)

    Well That will take a while to exin, so first (Mazell)

    Mazell turned his attention back to Gezarius. The fact that he could remain that calm in front of a demon general was amazing.

    Lets take care of that. (Mazell)

    Right. (Welner)

    As soon as I said that and stood up, a curtain of light covered me, Neurath, and Schunzel. I turned around and saw another familiar person. Why was she also here?

    Your Highness. (Welner)

    You can just call me Laura. (Laura)

    The saintess-sama said that with a bright smile on her face. Ah, I think my brain just short circuited. I mean, why would the hero party be here.

    In any case, was the spell Laura casted earlier a healing magic? Maybe that was the Full Recovery spell, but I had never seen a Full Recovery spell in this world so I wasnt sure. Although my fatigue didnt disappear, I could feel my body be lighter. Moreover, although I couldnt check it now, I felt like all my wounds had healed.

    Next to Laura stood a dignified but somewhat entric-looking old man.

    You must be Welner. (Uwe)

    Greetings. (Welner)

    So this person was Uwe Almsick, the elderly mage of the hero party. I never met him before in this world but I knew him from the game. I wonder why he looked upset.

    Just call me Uwe. I have a lot of questions for you, but that can wait forter. (Uwe)

    Take this!

    I was startled by that voice and turned to its source. There, Luguentz was shing Gezarius. Although Luguentz didnt cut off Gezariuss hand with one blow like Mazell did, his strike still seemed strong. As Luguentzs weapon hit Gezarius, fresh blood sprouted from Gezariuss body and poured down to the ground.

    Damn. Luguentzs attacks were on a different level than mine. Even though Luguentz used a big sword, he was so fast that Gezarius couldnt avoid his attack.

    Enrich and Feli followed Luguentz to attack Gezarius. Wow. Who knew if the current me could defeat Feli. I mean, he was ying around with Gezarius using his speed.

    As for Elrich right, he was a monk, so it was no wonder he fought with his bare hands. I knew he was strong but seeing him blow away Gezarius with his bare hands was still astonishing.

    Welner-sama! (Neurath)

    You are safe! (Schunzel)

    Neurath, Schunzel, dont worry about me! You two, lead the soldiers to block the gate! Hurry!

    As the gate was still wide open, the demons mighte inside the town in an attempt to escape from the kingdom army. Therefore, Welner needed the soldiers to seal off the gate.

    Neurath and Schunzel nodded and called the soldiers to go toward the gate. Wait, wasnt that the Iron Hammer party?

    Ah, so all of you came here using the Skywalk with the Iron Hammer party. (Welner)

    Thats right. (Uwe)

    Since the kingdom army was currently fighting the demon army in front of the north gate, while Gezarius was inside of Anheim, the outskirts of Anheim were empty. So the hero party used Skywalk with the Iron Hammer party, who had been here before, and arrived on the outskirts of Anheim.

    Just as I was thinking that, old man Uwe made a huge fireball appear. Even though I was near him, I didnt feel hot, but when that fireball hit Gezarius, the demon general was burned. Magic was mysterious.

    What a stubborn bastard. (Uwe)

    It seemed like the old man muttered something, but I couldnt hear it because Mazell, who attacked the burned Gezarius, came close to me and said, Welner, how about fighting together? Since its been a while.

    Sure.

    We fought together side-by-side a few times when we were still in the academy. It really felt like it was a long time ago.

    To be honest, I thought that the hero party would do fine even without my help, but since it was Mazells invitation, I would dly ept. This was also a rare chance for me to experience fighting together with the hero party. I repositioned my spear and stood beside Mazell, then Mazell smiled happily.

    Really, even though the person in front of you was a demon general, albeit a wounded one, how could you be that rxed, Mazell?

    So, whats your n? (Mazell)

    Ill match you guys movements, so just do what you guys usually do. (Welner)

    Okay! (Mazell)

    After saying that, Mazell rushed to Gezarius and attacked him. Feli seemed to have noticed the fact that one of Gezariuss eyes was blind, so he moved to Gezariuss blindspot. As for Elrich, it seemed like he was nning to break Gezariuss bnce with his attack. Then I should

    Here! (Welner)

    I purposely rushed to Gezariuss feet at the side where his eye was still working. Gezarius dodged it, then swung his arm to attack me. Whoah, that was a dangerous swing but all ording to the n.

    Youre full of openings!

    Luguentz got between me and Gezarius and injured him. Gezarius let out an angry roar. While Luguentz distracted Gezarius, Feli came in and attacked the wound that Gezarius got from the ballista, worsening that wound.

    To prevent Gezarius from attacking Feli, I attacked Gezarius, aiming for his eye. Gezarius had no other choice but to retreat, and that was when Elrich moved.

    Elrich attacked Gezariuss side, stopping his movements for a moment, and Mazell took that chance to attack Gezarius. The sound of flesh being cut echoed throughout the ce.

    After that, Laura immediately used her debuff magic on Gezarius. Chains of light appeared and bound Gezariuss movement.

    Fighting together with reliablerades was fun. Although it was inappropriate, I couldnt help but smile.

    The battle after that didnt take long. The person who inflicted thest attack was once again, Mazell. Mazells attack was sharp and fast but it was also precise. When Mazell inflicted the fatal blow to Gezarius, Gezarius disappeared into nothingness alongside his frustrated scream.

    The only thing that could be called a remain of Gezarius was a ragged body of a man. I would check that bodyter, first

    Search for the ck gem. That thing is dangerous. (Welner)

    Leave that to us. You still have things you need to do, right? (Uwe)

    The elder Uwe was right. I first instructed Neurath and Schunzel to remain cautious, then climbed the stairs to the top of the enclosure wall. On the top, the soldiers under Eickstedt greeted me.

    Your Excellency, you have seeded.

    Its not over yet. Raise your voice! Tell everyone that the demon general has died!

    The soldiers seemed to have understood my n, so they all shouted in unison.

    THE DEMON GENERAL HAS DIED!

    OUR ARMY IS VICTORIOUS!

    From the top of the wall, the voices spread throughout the town. The soldiers and the knights of the kingdom army cheered in response and soon, loud cheers filled the entire town. The demons began to flee. Unfortunately, we would not let any of you escape.

    After I confirmed the sound of fighting moving away from the town, I finally could rx. The battle was finally over. There was still the post-war processing, but I didnt want to think about that now. I was tired. I will eat and sleep to my hearts content after this

    that was my n

    Well, then. I have several things that I wish to ask you Sir.

    Right after I returned to the governors mansion, I was pulled to a one-on-one meeting with elder Uwe. Just what did he want to ask me to the point he asked for everyone else to leave?

    To be honest, I still have work left but please, ask away.

    Although there are several things I would like to ask, first there is one thing I hope to confirm. Sir, is it true that you showed Mazell, Laura, and the rest of the party the map of the continent?

    Yes, well, that is true.

    Come to think of it, I think I did? In any case, did this old man just called Laura just by her name? Well, I guess that was what Laura wanted, though.

    While I was thinking like that, the old man red at me sharply. I think if looks could kill, I would already be dead.

    Detailed maps are the military secrets of every country. Most people didnt even know that detailed map of their own countries existed. Even in the Bain Kingdom, there are only a few people other than the royal family who know this countrys detailed map. Yet, you have a detailed map that depicts not only this country but the entire continent. You, who are you?

    Ah, damn.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145

    Right. The reason why I had to take the trouble of digging through my memory and make the map myself was because the maps were considered national secrets.

    I was really careless in showing this map to Mazell and his party, especially considering that old man Uwe and Laura <i>would be</i> part of the hero party. They werent when I shared it.

    Well then, how should I answer old man Uwes question? I was so tired that I couldnt think straight. Should I just make up a random excuse?

    Have Mazell told you about it? (Uwe)

    About what, exactly?

    About the other demon generals. (Uwe)

    Did he mean Dreax and Belice? Though I knew Mazell had defeated them both, I hadnt asked about the details.

    Still, this gramps kept putting his guard up with me. He thought I was hiding some kind of secret, that was why he was suspicious of me.

    Unlike Gezarius, the other demon generals didnt leave any corpses when they died. Thats why I had you leave the site at that time.

    Ah, right. Come to think of it, when the protagonist killed the other demon generals in the game, they also didnt leave any corpses behind Wait a minute

    Even considering the fact I didnt know anything about Gezarius since he didnt appear in the game, there was still one thing that I found strange. Gezarius, that guy, seemed to be able to freely change himself to his demon appearance and his human appearance. Perhaps, Gezarius was

    different from the rest of demon generals?

    In the first ce, the existence of the <b><i>demon general</i></b> in itself was strange. How much did Sir know about the previous demon king?

    The previous demon king At first, I used to have no interest in <i>him</i> mainly because there was no mention of <i>him</i> in the game. However,ter, I did be interested in <i>him</i> because of my conjecture that the demons were a recement for natural disasters in this world.

    Anyway, because ofck of time and resources to do in-depth research<i>,</i> my knowledge regarding the previous demon king was limited to what I had heard about <i>him</i> from story books of this world.

    In the era of the previous demon king, the Four Heavenly Kings existed, but the <b><i>demon generals</i></b> didnt exist. At the very least I have never found any trace of their existence from the records of the ancient kingdom.

    What?

    Really? Come to think of it, I also had my own doubts about the demon generals since they could revive, yet the Four Heavenly Kings couldnt revive in the game. If my hypothesis that the <b>demon king</b> was referring to a position rather than a certain being then

    The demon generals are the <b><i>close aide</i></b> of the current demon king?

    Hmm.

    What with that reaction?

    It seems like Sir didnt have the knowledge of the ancient kingdom.

    What do you mean by that, sir?

    The geography of the entire continent was known in the era of the ancient kingdom. I thought Sir had the knowledge of the ancient kingdom, that was why Sir could create the map of the continent.

    How old do you think I (ore) am?

    I unintentionally switched to informal I (ore) since I didnt have enough energy left to keep up the formal appearance, but it seemed like elder Uwe was letting that slide.

    I couldnt help but ask, Are you knowledgeable about the ancient kingdom?

    More or less. I was researching a magic device from the era of the ancient kingdom after all.

    Ah, right, that was his setting in the game. If that was the case, it should be <b>I</b> who should be asking questions. If he had any documents or records about the ancient kingdom, I would really like to take a look at them.

    This old man was His Majestys teacher, so I wonder if he had ess to the ssified books in the royal familys library (assuming it exists). But if I wanted to ask him about this, I probably need to divulge some of my own secrets.

    The elder asked me when I was lost in my thoughts, So, have you reached an answer on why Gezarius left a corpse when he died?

    Well, I did have a hypothesis, but I wasnt sure if it was right.

    That corpse was a trap, perhaps?

    Right. I think it would be best if we didnt leave that ck gem to you, Sir.

    Id appreciate it if you take care of it in my stead. I mean, who knew what would happen if I held that ck gem? In the first ce, Gezariuss aim was me. This trap must be one of his ways to get hold of my body.

    Huber told us to just watch from the sidelines unless something goes south. Thats why we only intervened when we saw Gezarius breach the gate.

    I see?

    This gramps even call the Crown Prince just by his name. Well, considering his position, it made sense.

    I think it was only recently that the demon army started to target you.

    Is that so?

    If the demon army targeted you from our very first battle with the demons, the demon army will send Gezarius to entrap you much earlier. Most likely, Gezarius reported about your existence to the demon king. It was only after that the demon king and the demon army made a n targeting you.

    So the reason the demon army and Gezarius didnt immediately make a move after they arrived at Triot was to form some sort of strategy to target me?

    But that would mean the demon king sent Gezarius here so as to lose. If that was the case, it was hard to call Gezarius the <i>current demon kings</i> close confidant. Was there something I had missed?

    Well then, back to my original question. You, Sir, who knows the map of the continent and is now being targeted by the demon army, just who exactly are you?

    Ahum

    I think the reason the demon army targeted me was that I was Mazells friend. As for who I was how should I answer that

    Lying to me will be useless as I have cast a lie detecting magic. I need to be cautious of you, Sir. Currently only the demon army that has the knowledge of ancient kingdoms could create a map of the continent. But you, Sir, have no knowledge about the ancient kingdom yet you can create the map of the continent. So, who are you?

    Urgh. Old man Uwe yed me in his hands. He intentionally tested me to see if I had knowledge about ancient kingdoms so that he could rule out the possibility of me deeply researching ancient ruins and finding maps there.

    Moreover, I didnt know the exact reason why I was being targeted by the demon army. But if someone imed I was actually part of the demon army because of my knowledge and that the demon army targeting me was only an act, I couldnt refute them.

    If I told him the truth, he might think I was crazy. Still, in these circumstances I had no choice but to at least tell him <b><i>part</i></b> of the truth.

    As for the matter of lie detection magic, I didnt think it was very urate because if it was, the royal family and nobles houses would have been making extensive use of it. However, I also knew it was most likely that lie detection magic or something simr existed because of the game setting of Old man Uwe.

    Old man Uwe had really nned it well. He had made sure that I waspletely mentally and physically exhausted, so I couldnt think straight.

    I dont know if you will believe me, but I have memories of a <i>story</i>. It is fuzzy. Map happens to be one of few things which is rtively clear. I also supplemented it with information I gathered.

    As this world didnt have the concept of [electronic games], saying it was a story made sense. Moreover, its been a long time since I yed the game so yeah most of it was now fuzzy. I also left out the part of being from a different world. Lie detection magic wouldnt raise a red g as my answers were technically correct.

    So what exactly is this story about?

    Here it came. All of it would depend on this question.

    It is about this world like ancient kingdoms and vague bits of future events. However, so far, information regarding future events does not seem correct as Gezarius wasnt mentioned at all in it.

    So far. My answers were urate but I just left out some more important things or context like <b><i>I</i></b> was the one who caused the future events to change and Gezarius was the only main demon so far who wasnt mentioned in the game.

    Can Sir tell what other memories are clear?

    Some technological and academic information but I have already shared most of it with the kingdom.

    I intentionally didnt specify whether or not they were connected to ancient kingdoms, but implied it.

    Hmm What is the title of that story book?

    Pardon?

    The title of that story book. What is it?

    The title of the story book the title of the story book? Hmm?

    <b>What was the games title?</b>

    (T/L: The mystery about this game is only growing. What exactly is this <b><i>game</i></b>?)

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    You cant remember?

    Most likely because I was silent, elder Uwe asked me that.

    YYes. I cannot remember.

    Hmm Alright then.

    Just that? No otherment? Maybe he really had some sort of lie detection magic (but not perfect one). After all, my answer was technically correct.

    Maybe the reason you cant remember is that the story originally has no title. Maybe there is an external factor that caused you to forget, or maybe you just simply forgot with time. For now, I cant be certain of the reason.

    With a calm but cynical tone, elder Uwe continued, If the reason you cant remember the name was simply because you forgot, there is nothing else I can do.

    So calm? This old man was a character made based on the sage character stereotype. Once hermits and sages lost interest in something, they wouldnt bother with it anymore, no matter how seemingly great that thing was for others.

    Anyway, lets focus and think about the current situation. Laura became part of the heros party even before elder Uwe, so it was safe to assume that she had already reported the map to the royal family. Since the royal family had not taken any actions against me so far, it was unlikely that they would do anything now.

    Since things had be like this, I would definitely get the information that I wanted from him.

    What do you mean by <b><i>external factor</i></b>?

    Have you ever thought that the current world is strange?

    That depends on your meaning of <i>strange</i>.

    After I said this, the elder silently thought for a while, then he opened his mouth.

    Hm Sir, why do you think killing demons made us stronger?

    Why, you ask? In the game, the answer was simple. Killing the demons gave the character EXP and when that EXP reached a certain threshold, the character would level up and get stronger. But in the real world

    You can call it with any name, but for the sake of the exnation, I will call it the <b><i>origin mana</i></b>. You see, every natural thing in this world, nts, animals, and even minerals have origin mana. Absorbing more origin mana makes us stronger.

    Even minerals?

    Yes. The rate of absorption differs based on the source of the origin mana. For example, some demons get stronger by eating metals, which means that for that type of demons, metals are the best source of origin mana.

    Right, the Iron Toad got stronger by eating metals.

    This origin mana absorption is the reason why people can now use a powerful magic that they couldnt use before or can cut through the skin of demons that they felt was too tough before.

    So that means we can also absorb origin mana from killing our enemies?

    Yes, or to be more precise, killing our enemies is one of many ways to absorb origin mana.

    By absorbing the origin mana, we could get stronger bit by bit Wait, that means

    Do the knights also have the ability to absorb origin mana?

    Of course.

    I see. So the high-quality equipment wasnt the only reason the knights could fight with Gezarius in the capital. After fighting with the demons in the demon outbreak, in Hilde in, in Finnoi, and winning, the knights got stronger to the point they could fight Gezarius.

    If the knights had the same strength they had at the battle against the demon outbreak, would they be helpless when the Four Heavenly Kings attack the capital? While I still held this question in my mind, the elders next words surprised me.

    But on the other hand, under certain conditions, the origin mana could dull the mind.

    Dull the mind?

    Well, the words <b><i>sharp mind</i></b> can be interpreted as many things. A powerful memory, a greatprehension ability, a great judgment ability, someone with any of these characteristics could be called someone with a <b>sharp mind</b>

    Yeah

    Sir, you have seen the demons that became unafraid of humans, right? That too was the effect of origin mana.

    Yeah, I had seen demons be unafraid of humans both in the Veritza Fortress battle and in the aqueduct protection mission. I made my n for both events based on the fact that demons were unafraid of humans. Wait a minute.

    Does that mean that if humans absorb too much origin mana, their sense of danger and sense of caution bes dull, just like how demons became unafraid of humans?

    Yes. A simple example will be the adventurer. When the adventurers fight against an opponent they could barely win, they will fight while aiming for their opponents weak point and such, but when an adventurer is really strong, they will just defeat their opponent with brute force.

    That was true. Using a game analogy, when the game character was strong enough, the yer would just use a big magic to kill the opponents fast without bothering to think about the opponents weak point.

    In other words, what elder Uwe wanted to say was.

    Because of the influence of the origin mana which is stronger in our erapared to the era of Ancient Kingdoms, humans gradually stopped thinking about important things like technological and academic advancement?

    Hmm Did you draw that conclusion based on the information about origin mana that appears in that story, Sir?

    No, that story didnt mention the existence of origin mana.

    I said that statement to ensure that possible lie detection magic would make it clear that I didnt have any important information other than the map.

    I also exined to elder Uwe that I drew my conclusion based on my earlier hypothesis that astronomy and architecture was quite developed in the era of Ancient Kingdom, yet it barely developed in this era. After hearing my exnation, the elder looked at me with a rare impressed expression.

    I see. Then, you should understand this example. If a person is a cloth, then the origin mana is a dye. Absorbing the origin mana means the cloth will be dyed with origin mana. Well, if the result of the dyed cloth is beautiful then thats fine, But

    But?

    If the cloth is dyed using a <i>muddy dye</i>, then it can make the cloth unusable.

    So, there are 2 types of origin mana?

    Yes, although it is still just a hypothesis of mine. You see, I think that perhaps a different type of the origin mana originating from the demon king might exist.

    Did that mean the reason science was quite developed in the era of Ancient Kingdom was because this demon kings origin mana didnt exist? What was exactly the demon king, then?

    It is possible that the reason you forget about the title is because you have been affected by the origin mana, Sir.

    If that is really the reason, can it be cured?

    I dont know.

    Seriously, old man!? Just I dont know!? Well, it was true that you couldnt exactly spread this to other people carelessly, so there should be almost no opportunity to research about this. I mean if he spread this knowledge to other people carelessly, there might be someone who tried to kill others because that guy has been deeply affected by the demon kings origin mana so he should be eliminated!

    Plus, an experiment to prove this also sounded almost impossible.

    The effect of origin mana might also differ from person to person. Think of it as an infectious disease. There are people that died from an infectious disease, but there are also people that survived although their body weakened or people that arepletely fine.

    I see So youre saying that there are people whose mind might not be dull even after being affected by the demon kings origin mana.

    In other words, the demon kings origin mana made people who were unwilling to think about difficult subjects increase, which made the technological development of this world gradually stagnated and even fell.

    This demon kings origin mana, was it a virus that destroys brain cells or something!?

    Did His Majesty and His Highness know about this?

    Well, I have told both of them about my hypothesis about the demon kings origin mana.

    So they knew. Still, this thing wasnt something that could be announced carelessly.

    There is another thing. Perhaps realizing the effect of the origin mana, the people that lived at the end of the Ancient Kingdom era, after the invasion of the demon king, did some experiment in order to transfer the knowledge and the memories of the past before they were lost.

    Transferring knowledge and memory?

    Was something like that even possible? But wait, since he said experiment that means

    Did their experiments fail?

    I didnt find any record that said they had seeded. At first, I thought you had obtained the stone record with transferred memory and knowledge.

    Ah, I see But

    Stone record?

    Well, the record of the memory and knowledge was said to be shaped like a stone, so thats how I decided to call it.

    That means

    Was the core of the demon general

    A stone record? Thats possible. I regret that I never thought that kind of thing actually existed.

    If the cores are the stone record, that means the demon king was using the technology of the Ancient Kingdom.

    Yes, though I dont know if the demon king used the exact same technology or not.

    Well, I guess no one could know without any proper research. But if the core was really the stone record, that means the same demon king that destroyed the Ancient Kingdom used the Ancient Kingdoms technology. It was also possible that retaining the memory of the original owner of the body was one of the applications of the Ancient Kingdoms technology.

    Wait a minute. I felt that there was a contradiction with that hypothesis, but I couldnt think of what kind of contradiction it was. Ah My head hurts. I was tired. I think my brain reached its limit.

    In the end, all of it was still just a bunch of hypotheses.

    Thats right. Ah, one more thing.

    He then began to write something, then pushed that writing into my hand.

    This is?

    I want you to give this to His Majesty. You seem to be quitepetent, Sir, so I want you to investigate the Ancient Kingdom in the capital.

    Pardon!?

    T/N: This chapter makes me wonder about who exactly is Welner and where exactly is the world Welner was reincarnated into. In the beginning, we know that Welner was an office worker from modern Japan but for some reason Welner knew a lot of things that an office worker usually wouldnt know. Is that just themon sense of a story thing or is it part of Authors foreshadowing? In the first ce, is the world Welner reincarnated into really a game? And was Welner really a person reincarnated from modern Japan? Go throw your theory in thement!

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147

    That gramps was really stubborn. No matter what I said, he didnt change his mind so it was quite troublesome. In the end, I reached my limit so I took a nap first, then went to Laura under the guise of theres something I want to consult. That gramps finally relented and told me that he would tell His Majesty himself after being persuaded by Laura.

    The whole conversation ended up with Laura apologizing to me for the elders antics and me being flustered because of her apology.

    ording to Laura, elder Uwe had always been an entric person. Laura said that back then, His Majesty was worried because the elder didnt show up to work, so His Majesty sent a chambein to the elders room only to find that the elder had disappeared, leaving only a letter behind. Letter said he was going to investigate the Ancient Kingdoms ruin.

    Really, that gramps was a troublesome person, but my conversation with him made me rethink some things.

    First, the credibility of my own game knowledge became shaky.

    Then, this was about the game world itself. In the first ce, it was strange to think that someone who had a position as high as the Kings teacher like elder Uwe went to a dungeon alone without any escorts. Was <b><i>Uwe</i></b> in the game created based on real entric Uwe, thus leading to the game scenario in my memory? Or was it the opposite?

    It was like the question of which came first, the egg or the chicken? I felt that if I knew the answer of whiches first, I would be able to shed some light into this mystery, including whether my memory of the game knowledge was real or not.

    In any case, after the matter with the elder was settled, Marquis Schramm, the overallmander of the reinforcement army asked to meet me, so I went and had a meeting with him. The Marquis asked me to keep the existence of theser pointer a secret as he judged that theser pointer was a dangerous item.

    When I told him that there was no need to do that since theser pointer was created only for battle with demons in mind, he took out an official edict signed under the name of both the Marquis and Laura with the order to keep theser pointer a secret.

    Since this kingdoms second princess and the woman hailed as saintess signed her name in this edict, I had to keep theser pointer a secret now. Somehow, theser pointer became a big deal.

    But on the other hand, I still had to exin about theser pointer and the overall situation of my battle with Gezarius to the kingdom, so Laura asked me to also return to the capital, and I agreed.

    Because I would be returning to the capital, I became busy temporarily handing over my work as a governor to Sir Behnke. Fortunately, Marquis Schramm also brought several civil officers who could help me, so the handover could be done in just a few days, but it was still hectic.

    I also held a memorial for those who died in this war. Although I did my best, there were still casualties in war. I swore that I would never forget the people that died for the sake of this victory.

    I was in charge of the memorial because I was the governor, but the saintess Laura, the hero, Mazell and the hero party, Marquis Schramm, the Captain of the 1st Division and 2nd Division all attended the memorial. The stature of people that attended this memorial was quite something.

    Haah. Im tired (Welner)

    I thought being a noble meant living an elegant life, but living as a noble actually seems tough. (Mazell)

    Unlike when doing the group assignment in the academy, its not like I can even ask you to rece me. (Welner)

    Currently, I was on my way to the capital alongside the Kingdom Knights, the army under Marquis Schramm, Mazell and the hero party. It was likely the Marquiss goodwill to allow me to be on the same carriage as Mazell and his party.

    Mazell told me with a wry smile that he didnt want to get involved with politics as politics was out of his league. Unfortunately, Mazell wouldnt get his wish. You would soon be a noble yourself, Mazell, so prepare yourself.

    Neurath, Schunzel, Frenssen, Rafed, and Sir Eickstedt were alsoing with me to the capital, but they were in a different carriage. I mean Mazell and the hero party was here with me, so I obviously didnt need any escort.

    Sir Eicksted wasing with me to the capital to be rewarded for his contribution in helping me in this war. As for Rafed Well, to be honest I didnt know how to treat him. His work was certainly good but well

    Big bro, didnt you lost some weightpared to thest time I saw you in Anheim? (Feli)

    As you know I was running around here and there to finish my job so thats probably why. (Welner)

    I replied to Felis teasing with a bitter smile. I had been sleep deprived for the past few days. I finally was able to catch some sleep in this carriage earlier but when I woke up both Laura and Enrichughed at me. Ah, damn it.

    Still, you sure got pretty strong, Feli. I dont think I can beat you now. (Welner)

    Its me who doesnt want to fight you, big bro. How to say it? I feel like even if I win the battle, I will lose the war. (Feli)

    Ah, I kind of understand what youre trying to say. (Mazell)

    Mazell chimed in. Really, you guys thought too highly of me. Honestly, just what sort of image did you guys have of me in your mind?

    Well, the Viscounts way of fighting is quite skillful. (Elrich)

    Now, Elrich joined the conversation. Apparently, I was skillful in making timely attacks and obstructing enemies field of view.

    <i>Thanks to you, the fight became much easier</i> was the hero partys assessment of my fighting style. Somehow I feel embarrassed.

    I also feel that I was just doing the easy task of killing the tattered demon general with wounds in his feet, shoulder, and one eye blind though. (Mazell)

    No need to worry about something like that. (Welner)

    I got the feeling that Gezarius was someone that had to be killed as soon as possible or a really bad thing would happen, so I didnt care who or what killed him. Even now, I still hoped that I didnt kill Gezarius toote.

    In short, the best thing to do when fighting Welner is to kill him quickly or we will definitely lose the war. (Luguentz)

    Hey! Dont talk about my death like that! (Welner)

    I responded to Luguentzs joke with a bitter smile. Still, what should I do now? Should I stay in the capital for a while? Since I had be the target of the demon army, staying in the capital was a safer choice at least until the attack on the capital event.

    If you hurt the Viscount, I will get angry, you know? Laura replied to my conversation with Luguentz whileughing.

    Woah, scary. (Luguentz)

    But wont big sis Lily cry if big bro got hurt? (Feli)

    Knowing that Laura and Luguentz were joking, Feli said whileughing. How did Lilys name suddenly appear here?

    Come to think of it, since Mazell had returned to the capital beforeing to Anheim, the Hearthing family should have met the hero party right?

    Mazell, you have met your parents in the capital, right?

    Yeah. The Count was also kind enough to let me stay in your house for a night.

    What?

    You stayed a night in the Zeavert residence?

    Yes, we stayed for a night in the Zeavert residence. I even talked untilte at night with Lily-san. It is rare for me to meet ady my age, so we were having fun talking with each other. (Laura)

    Wait, Laura too?

    Princess Laura also stayed in my house? (Welner)

    Yup. (Mazell)

    Since I was afraid to ask Laura herself, I asked Mazell and he nodded. Wait a minute, even if I wasnt in the mansion, for the great second princess to stay a night in another noble house was a bit

    Dont worry. I already got His Majesty and my elder brothers permission for it. (Laura)

    Laura said that as if it was a simple matter. Or rather, the two of them actually gave Laura Ah, I see. It was the royal familys show of goodwill that they trusted and relied on the Zeavert house. I think the royal family might have another hidden agenda other than that. Somehow, my stomach started to hurt again.

    I mean it was obvious that big sis Lily is in love with big bro Welner! (Feli)

    Feli, that sort of thing is something that you shouldnt just reveal like that, even though it looks obvious! (Luguentz)

    Luguentz hit Felis head jokingly. Wait, what!? I looked at Mazell and he gave me a wry smile. It was probably just a love because of the suspension bridge effect. But wait, it had been a while since I saved Lily. Wasnt the suspension bridge effect a temporary thing?

    What about you, Viscount? What do you think of Lily-san? (Laura)

    Laura suddenly asked me with a teasing smile. It was true that girls in Laura and Lilys age were usually really interested in matters of love, but I see Laura too was interested in love. And Luguentz and Feli could you wipe off your annoying smirk!?

    <i>It seems like there are a lot of things I have to handle once I return to the capital..</i> That was my thought as I attempted to ignore the hero partys teasing.

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148

    <b>Authors note</b>: This chapter takes ce before the bandits subjugation.

    It waste at night. After Welner, the governor, returned to his room, Neurath and Schunzel both threw themselves to the chairs.

    Huft So tiring. (Neurath)

    Maybe because he has been training since young, Welner-sama has a really great stamina. (Schunzel)

    I finally understand the reason Ingo-sama said that I might have a hard time. (Neurath)

    Neurath said so with a bitter smile. To be more precise, Ingo said, <i>He might give you some hard time, but please take care of him</i> when Ingo sent Neurath to Welner. Since bing the subordinate of a ministers son who was also the heir to a Count house was an honorable thing for his house, Neuarth at that time epted the job without thinking too much about Ingos words.

    With the same tired expression as Neurath, Schunzel nodded and then replied, But we also learned a lot of things by staying by Welner-samas side.

    I have to agree with that. Plus, we never got bored working with him.

    Sometimes, both of them couldnt keep up with Welners ideas, but after Welner executed them, and they saw the results, they finally understood the reasons Welner chose to do this and that. Although it was true that sometimes Welners way of thinking was strange for a noble, Welner himself was truly knowledgeable, so they both learned a lot of things by staying by his side.

    What was still a mystery for both of them until this day was where Welner gained that much knowledge. Perhaps the academy curriculum changed in Welners era, or perhaps Welner got his knowledge from some other source. Anyway, they werent sure.

    On the other hand, they both were stronger than Welner in terms of swordsmanship, so Welner would use a spear when sparring with them. This was good training for Welner but also an opportunity for both Neurath and Schunzel to gain more experience in fighting an opponent that used a spear.

    You two still have it better than me (Frenssen)

    Sir Frenssen, youre here.

    Youre right. At least we are two people, but you usually work alone, Sir.

    Frenssen, who had just returned from the archive, sat down along with the two with a tired expression.

    <i>Sigh</i> One thing that bothers me is the tea I drink after a tiring day here isnt that good. Frenssen said with a somewhatining tone.

    I have to agree with that.

    Yeah. It might be impossible to drink a tea as good as the one Tir poured, but at least I hope to drink a tea as good as the one Lily poured.

    The tea brewed by the senior parlor maid of the Zeavert house, Tir, was famous not only among Welners friends but even in the circle of the noble society. Tir had even received high sry offers from other noble houses.

    In addition to the extremely delicious tea, the Zeavert house had a connection with the now famous hero, so the tea party held by Zeavert house had be really popr. It was to the point that the madam of the Zeavert house, udia, was currently having a hard time adjusting the tea party schedule because of the overwhelming requests.

    On the other hand, Lily did her work as a parlor maid with noint, perhaps because she was used to working as the daughter of an inn owner. In addition, Lily herself was a hardworking person who was eager to learn, making her an excellent student. Tir herself had taken a liking to the lovely and honest Lily.

    Not only Tir, Lily was also well liked by the entire staff of the Zeavert house manor. Even Welner had oncemented on how Norbert, the butler, treated Lily as if she was his granddaughter.

    Because Tir is tall, its hard to call Tir and Lily <i>like sisters</i>.

    Rather than Tir being tall, isnt it more like Lily is small?

    Youre right. (Frenssen)

    Imagining Lily sneezing in the mansion because they talked about her here, the threeughed. Then, Neurath turned to Frenssen as if he had remembered something.

    (T/N: Japanese superstition said that when you sneeze out of nowhere, someone is talking about you.)

    By the way, I remember Norbert-dono was investigating the knightmander of the Witthoft house. Have you heard anything about the result of the investigation? (Neurath)

    Ah, right, when the heros family saw him, they did show aplicated expression. (Schunzel)

    Remembering the result of the investigation, Frenssen let out a wry smile.

    That knightmander is the son of the Alea viges vige head. (Frenssen)

    Yeah, I know that.

    When he was young, he apparently courted Lily and Mazell-donos mother, Anna, but got rejected. (Frenssen)

    What?

    Neurath and Schunzel blurted out at the same time. Remembering that he got the same reaction from Welner when he told him about this, Frenssenughed.

    Anna chose Ali instead of him, then because of that heartbreak, he left the vige and went to the Witthoft House to be a knight. (Frenssen)

    In short, for the former vige head of the Alea vige, the hero was the son of the woman that rejected his son, causing his son to leave the vige?

    Yes, thats right. (Frenssen)

    thats a quiteplicated rtionship, said Schunzel, while crossing his arms with aplicated expression.

    Although both Schunzel and Neurath didnt like the former vige head, they could understand why the former vige head treated the heros family like that alongside with why the heros family showed aplicated expression when they saw the knightmander of the Witthoft family.

    I also heard that the former vige head repeatedly pushed Lily to go work outside the vige. (Frenssen)

    I wont ask where that vige head pushed Lily to work, but did the head of Witthoft house know that the vige head pushed Lily? (Schunzel)

    He should know, right? (Neurath)

    Neurath was the one that answered Schunzels question. But they got the feeling that they would start feeling sick if they continued to think about it in more detail, so they stopped.

    Ah, right. Was Lily the person who painted the picture in Welner-samas room?

    Yes, I also heard that Welner-sama received a handkerchief from Lily. (Frenssen)

    A handkerchief Was it a handkerchief with handmade embroidery?

    Yes. (Frenssen)

    In this world, clothes were expensive, so it wasmon for the wife to make the clothes for her husband and children by herself. The wife would also mend her childrens clothing when it got torn while the children were ying.

    Due to that, there was a popr belief that the children will not get hurt in the same ce when the clothes were mended with love and overtime that belief became The clothes mended with love will protect its wearer.

    Although there were cases of embroidering handkerchiefs for friends, most of the time women would embroider a handkerchief for their family, husband, or lover to pray for their safety when they went to a battle or a journey. Incidentally, this belief was the reason embroidery became popr among the noblewomen.

    I think Welner-sama should know about this. (Schunzel)

    Maybe Welner-sama did know, but it never crossed his mind that he would receive a handkerchief with that sort of intent, so he didnt realize Lilys meaning. (Frenssen)

    But still, isnt Welner-sama too indifferent regarding women? Although his looks are not as good as the hero, its not atrocious. Adding to that, Welner-sama is the heir of a Count house!

    Well, I heard from Norbert-sama that Welner-sama might have some distrust with women. (Frenssen)

    When he was a child, Welner was caught in a carriage ident. Although Welner was wounded, he survived, but his elder brother died in that ident. ording to an eyewitness, that day, Welners elder brother died protecting Welner.

    The problem was what happened after that ident. The family of Welners elder brothers fiancee attended that funeral. That same fiancee was saying something along the lines of <i>Im d you died so I dont have to be married into an official family.</i> at the funeral. Secretly, of course, without the adult knowing. Welner seemed to have overheard those sentences.

    Neurath and Schunzel were taken aback by Frenssens story.

    Their marriage is a political marriage right? Neurath asked.

    Most likely. Did that young fiancee not understand that marriage benefits her house too? In any case, Sir Frenssen, did the Count know about it? (Schunzel)

    I dont know about the Count, but Welner-sama definitely overheard it. ording to Norbert-sama, Welner-sama didnt speak a single word that day.

    Because of his position as the head of the Count house, Ingo that day most likely left the ce for a moment to greet an important guest. Still, because the rtionship between the Zeavert family and the fiancees family didnt continue, one could guess what had happened between the two families.

    I see. Well, after that kind of incident, it cant be helped that Welner-sama started to build a barrier between himself and nobledies. After all, nobledies who approach the heir of the Count house more likely than not have ulterior motives.

    Maybe Welner-sama unconsciously thought that every nobledy that showed affection toward him had an ulterior motive, thus leading him to distance himself from them.

    They were all half-right. At that time, Welner had just regained the memory of his past life. He suddenly was faced with a realization that he was a mob character that would be killed by the subordinate of the Four Heavenly Kings in the future. Adding to that, Welner lost his beloved elder brother suddenly. The young Welner was overwhelmed.

    Though, it was true that the words Welner heard that day made him develop a distorted understanding about what women of this world would think of him. Due to that, despite constantlyparing himself with Mazell in terms of poprity with women jokingly, Welner himself had never had any interest in women.

    Hey, Schunzel, could it be that Lilys existence was actually a great blessing? (Neurath)

    Ah, you might be right. (Schunzel)

    Lily was an honest person. She didnt approach Welner with any ulterior motives. She was perfect for someone like Welner, who had apprehension against women.

    Interacting with her had also softened Welners heart. I couldnt imagine that there would be any other women in the future who could be as close to Welner as Lily, so even if they didnt be a couple, Lilys existence could be called a great blessing that could change Welners distorted perception toward women.

    Ah, right. I remember Welner-sama said he wanted to go to the market to buy Lily some gifts. (Frenssen)

    Well, thats quite unusual. Neurath said, and Schunzel nodded.

    We should go together to <i>escort</i> him, right?

    Of course! This is an important mission.

    <i>Important mission</i>, you said. (Frenssen)

    Yes, we are, after all, Welner-samas escort.

    Frenssen sighed as he looked at the two who had quite amusing expressions on their faces. It seemed like Frenssen would be working alone tomorrow.

    Later on, the rumor that the governor had a fiancee waiting for him started to spread.

    T/N: The source of the fiancee rumor is Welners own subordinate. Lol. Anyway, we got a bit more depth to Welners character. It seems like his brothers death affected Welner more than he let on and I finally understood why Welner has a really bad view about women, especially nobledies. The part of the fiancees family was shown in more detail in the LN.

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149

    There were so many guests visiting Zeavert mansion nowadays that recently when receiving guests, thedy of the mansion, udia, was said to greet the guests with a rather tired smile.

    Moreover, the status of the guests that had beening to the Zeavert mansion was also high. Most recently, the second princess, Her Highness Laura came and stayed in the Zeavert mansion. Although Ingo said that <i>the security of the mansion was one of the best in the capital so dont worry</i>, udia couldnt help but feel tense at that time.

    Since even the second princess had once visited the Zeavert mansion, recently, being invited into the Zeavert mansion had be a symbol of status.

    On this day, another guest with high status came to visit the Zeavert mansion. This particr guest even took the trouble of borrowing a carriage from another Count house to visit the Zeavert mansion secretly. In front of him, both the lord and the servants of the Zeavert mansion were tense, although the man himself didnt really care about etiquette and whatnot.

    So youre Miss Lily. I am Jeff Altig Seyfart.

    MMy name is Lily Hearthing.

    Although she couldnt hide her nervousness, Lily was still able to politely return the Grand Dukes self introduction.

    No need to be that tense. I came here to ask you a few things about this map that Sir Welner has submitted the other day.

    YYes.

    Is it true that youre the one that drew this map?

    Seyfart took out the map. It was a map drawn from a birds point of view. Even Ingo and Seyfart were surprised when they first saw this map.

    Although this sort of map did exist in this world, most of them were made based on what the creator saw from the top of mountain or towers, thus resulting in a map closer to an imaginary painting rather than a proper map, just like the Rakugai Rakuchu folding screen in the Edo period.

    (T/N: Rakugai Rakuchu is a painting on a folding screen that depicted Kyoto

    )

    In addition, the map was truly detailed to the point that it might be used in a strategy meeting at a military camp.

    Even the King, the Crown Prince, and Laura were surprised when they saw this map. At that time, Mazell had left the pce to meet with his family, so he didnt hear the conversation between the three members of the royal family. As for whether not hearing the conversation was a luck or disaster for Mazell, that remains to be seen.

    Y Yes. I was the one that painted this map. (Lily)

    I see. Can you tell me the process of making this map? Just tell me the rough process. (Seyfart)

    Welner only cared about the end result which was the map, not about the process of making it. In addition, at that time, Welners head was full of his theory about the natural disaster of this world, so he further didnt realize just how ridiculous the model he created was in a standard of this world.

    After Welner and the others made a 3D model that time, Welner told Frenssen to forbid anyone from cleaning the room, but Welner never forbade anyone from entering, as Welner didnt think it was necessary to do so.

    When Ingo and Norbert heard Welner was once again nning something in that room, they went to check it and became astonished with what they saw. Of course, Welner didnt know this.

    Ingo immediately gave a gag order regarding the model to everyone in the mansion and when Ingo presented the map to the king, he also secretly exined to the king about the existence of the model.

    Lily looked doubtful for a moment. However, when she saw Ingo nod, she began her exnation.

    First, Welner-sama sent a great number of people to survey various ces (Lily)

    Hmm I see. I understand how the map was made. Count, theres something that I wanted to ask Lily-kun. Can you prepare some paper and a pen? (Seyfart)

    Understood. Please wait a moment. (Ingo)

    Ingo signaled Norbert. Norbert immediately brought paper and pen and put them on the table in front of Lily.

    Lily-kun. Can you draw a thing that looks like a rectangle when viewed from the front, but looks like a hexagon when viewed from above? (Seyfart)

    Yes, sir. (Lily)

    The shape that Lily drew was a hexagonal prism. Seyfart was surprised by how smooth the drawing was. After that, Seyfart continued, Then, next, can you draw.

    Seyfart gave several more instructions to Lily, and Lily was able to draw a picture ording to those instructions quite perfectly. After the drawing was finally finished, Ingo was surprised, but of course, he maintained a calm expression. Seyfart nodded in approval.

    Thank you for your hard work. Ah, Count, I might have several drawing requests for Lily-kun in the future, will that be fine? (Seyfart)

    Of course. (Ingo)

    Ah, right. Did Sir Welner told you anything else regarding the map? (Seyfart)

    My apologies. Welner-sama did exin several other things to me, but I cannot remember the details. As such, I cannot exin them. (Lily)

    Is that so (Seyfart)

    Seyfart smiled knowingly after hearing Lilys response, but he didnt pursue the matter.

    Alright then. Lily-kun, you can leave. (Seyfart)

    Yes. Then, please excuse me. (Lily)

    Although Lily had mastered the necessary etiquettes, she still sighed in relief after she had left the room.

    After Lily left, Ingo turned to Seyfart.

    My apologies. (Ingo)

    Its fine. She must have made that decision because she didnt know if her exnation would bring advantage or disadvantage to Sir Welner. The fact that she is tight-lipped is a good thing. (Seyfart)

    To each their own. (Ingo)

    Ingo replied with a bitter chuckle, and Seyfartughed.

    Well, that is true. The results of the drawing are quite surprising. (Seyfart)

    I am also surprised. (Ingo)

    Ingo and Seyfart looked at the drawing with admiration. The drawing was a picture of the board game that recently became popr among the nobility. But since it was a board game made for the nobles, the design was quite sophisticated, yet Lily was able to draw it with this much precision just by hearing Seyfarts instructions.

    It seems like Lily-kun can imagine a three-dimensional object based on just a two-dimensional image. Furthermore, she can depict it in a drawing. (Seyfart)

    Yes. (Ingo)

    If Welner was here, he would say that Lily had a good spatial perception, but that sort of words didnt exist in this world. This ability was certainly a blessing for the owner, especially if the owner was a painter. At the very least, the painter with this ability would be highly sought after in the noble society.

    Shes quite an interesting girl. I would like to borrow her, if you dont mind. (Seyfart)

    Of course, I dont mind, but may I ask what you want her to draw? (Ingo)

    Seyfart answered Ingos question with an honest expression.

    I just want her to draw the map of the capital. (Seyfart)

    Having an urate map of the capital would make it easier for cing the soldiers. Before this, the road renovation proposal given by Welner to the Crown Prince Huber had improved the mobility of the soldiers in the capital.

    Until now, the interior of the capital was only roughly divided into blocks. Before, the orders given to the soldiers would only be at the level of go to the west gate via the third and the seventh block but now the orders given to the soldiers had developed into Go to the west gate. The third unit will go via the Viscount Liberman street, while the fourth unit will go via the Baron Heeks street.

    After Welner had pointed out the possibility of the demons attacking the capital, Seyfart wouldnt stay silent and do nothing.

    After that, I should ask her to draw His Highness the Crown Prince. (Seyfart)

    I feel bad for Lily, sir, so please do not. (Ingo)

    If the Grand Duke really told Lily to draw the Crown Prince, Lily would probably be unable to move her brush out of sheer nervousness.

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    While wearing clothes that screamed <i>we are victorious!</i> from head to toe, we entered the capital gate and were greeted by loud cheers. As we had achieved victory against the demons again, this sort of reaction was normal.

    Like what had been nned before, the knights of the First and Second Division stood at the very front of the parade, followed by Mazell and the hero party as the people who actually killed the demon general. I was behind the hero party. If this was a victory parade for a sports team, my position would be the benchwarmer.

    I wasnt dissatisfied, though, since I knew this would happen from the beginning. Plus, even though I stood behind the hero party, I still garnered quite a bit of attention.

    Still, seeing how Mazell calmly waved his hand to the crowd, I kind of felt that we belonged to a different world. Maybe this was Mazells feeling when he saw me working as a noble. Was this what they call <i>the neighborswn is always greener?</i>

    I saw a group of familiar faces in the crowd. There was Lily, thedy knight that escorted Lily before, and several knights of the Zeavert family among the crowd. When I saw thedy knights star-struck face as she looked at Mazell, Iughed inside. When I lightly smiled at them, Lily looked really happy. Ah, my heart feels itchy.

    Still, just a while before in Finnoi, I was just a reinforcement for the main army, but now I became one of the key members of the main army. My stomach started to hurt again.

    ***

    In the pce, we were listening to His Majestys announcement of rewards. As expected, Mazell and his party got the heaviest reward. Well, the reward for the knights was mostly something rted to honor. I guess since we would be fighting against the demons, the kingdom needed to save as much money as possible.

    As for me, I was treated as someone who had done a good job as the governor. When I was praised, I answered <i>Its all thanks to the hero party and the knights for defeating the demon general</i> ording to the script.

    The reward I mainly received was money, and I also got the so-called famous horse, but honestly, that wasnt that useful for me.

    Even after using the reward money for debt repayment, there would still be a considerable amount left, so that was good. Though, I would divide the most of the remaining money among the people that worked for me. It was my duty as a governor to help in Anheim reconstruction.

    The victory banquet would be held at ater date, so we would leave the pce first or so was my original n. There might be some change to that n because elder Uwe made some kind of request to His Majesty out of nowhere. That old man really didnt know how to read the atmosphere.

    To think he will say, <i>Your Majesty, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about</i> out of nowhere. (Welner)

    Yeah, Im also surprised with that. (Mazell)

    While walking in the corridor, me and Mazell talked with a wry smile on our faces. Laura and elder Uwe were discussing something else with His Highness and His Majesty, while Feli, Luguentz, and the rest of the hero party returned to the capital, leaving only us now. For some reason, it was decided that they would regroup in the Zeavert mansion Really, why my house? In any case, since that was already decided, I would send a message to the mansionter.

    By the way, we were currently on our way to meet a certain person. It was still early, so I guess rather than <i>meeting over lunch,</i> it was more of a <i>meeting over a tea</i>.

    After walking for a while, we finally arrived at our destination.

    Im Welner von Zeavert and this is Mazell Hearthing. (Welner)

    Pleasee in. (Guard)

    We were invited into the room by the knight who was guarding the room. Acting high and mighty in front of the guard made my stomach hurt, but I was a Viscount, so I had no other choice. After this, I would be meeting a person who would make my stomach hurt even more.

    Sir Welner, Mazell-kun. Sorry for calling you here. (Seyfart)

    It is me who ought to apologize for making you two wait. (Welner)

    Its been a while, sir. (Mazell)

    Please, you can actfortably. (Falkenstein)

    Even though I now wanted to do nothing but go home and sleep, I had no choice but to ept Grand Duke Seyfarts invitation. Even Prime Minister Falkenstein was here. The number of knights who were escorting them here were minimal, so I see this was really a more private meeting, rather than an official one.

    By the way, Mazell met the Grand Duke once before he went to Anheim, so it had been roughly half a month since they bothst saw each other. Well, it had been roughly half a year since Ist saw the Grand Duke too.

    First of all, I would like to thank both of you for your hard work. (Seyfart)

    Not at all. I merely moved ording to the n. (Welner)

    I only helped a little bit in the end. (Mazell)

    After being invited to sit down, being offered tea, and having the knights leave the room, we finally started the conversation.

    The first subject of our conversation was Mazells story about the first <i>Heavenly King</i> and the third <i>Demon General</i>. I didnt expect Mazell to have already defeated two of them. Things were progressing fasterpared to the game.

    You defeated all three demon generals? (Welner)

    Yeah. The demon general we fought in Anheim was the fourth one.

    Mazell said as if it was nothing, but that was a really amazing thing. It seemed like Mazell had defeated the third demon general when I was constructing the four forts.

    After returning to the capital, Mazell heard that I would be fighting a demon general in Anheim, so he came to Anheim under His Highnesss order after the first fort was attacked.

    I think His Highness judged that if Mazell went to Anheim earlier, he could defeat Gezarius easily. Thus, leaving the Kingdom Knights no time to shine. Although His Highness decision may seem right, but if I had failed to lure Gezarius No, lets stop thinking about that worst scenario.

    I cant lose to you, Welner. (Mazell)

    This isnt apetition, you know. (Welner)

    Now that Mazell had defeated the first Heavenly King and all four Demon Generals, next would be the second Heavenly King, then the third Heavenly King who would be attacking the capital. We really had little time left.

    But Viscount, although everything went ording to the n, are you really fine with only that much reward? (Seyfart)

    Yes, I am fine with it. (Welner)

    Well, the war ended up being the kingdoms achievement, not mine, which went ording to the n. As I answered without missing a heartbeat, the Grand Duke and the Prime Minister exchanged gazes and let out a bitter smile.

    If thats what you wanted, then theres nothing I can do, Sir. But you know, your achievement is something that should receive far more reward. (Seyfart)

    The Grand Duke is right. Although it is true that the kingdom sent you there, we never thought that you could take care of the demon general within that short of time. What you did is nothing short of amazing, Sir. (Falkenstein)

    Ah, I see. Unlike me, who wanted to finish Gezarius off before the attack on the capital event, from the perspective of the kingdom, I could have just taken things slowly. But well, there was no use of crying over spilled milk.

    I simply thought that it would be better to take care of the demon general as soon as possible. (Welner)

    Well, that is true but still (Falkenstein)

    Well, I kind of understand what the Prime Minister was trying to say. If I easily returned to the capital in just a short time, the other nobles wouldin. Not to mention, I actually returned to the capital with the reputation of a debt-ridden noble. Anyway, thats none of my concern.

    I know you didnt have any greed, Sir, but you still have to reward the people under you who have contributed to this war. This time, the country will take care of that reward, but Sir, I hope you can be more greedy.

    I understand. (Welner)

    Lets just keep the whole reward for myself. The kingdom would take care of my subordinates.

    Well, you will definitely be appointed as a government official in the capital, though. (Seyfart)

    Really? (Mazell)

    Mazell was the one who responded to the Grand Dukes words, but honestly, I was also surprised. I thought there would be nobles who would demand that I should return to Anheim.

    To be precise, you will be appointed as a civil official, since you have to distance yourself from the army for a while. There has been a quite unexpected demand because of your achievement in leading the army at Anheim. (Seyfart)

    The Grand Dukes words made me fall into thoughts for a moment. An unexpected demand

    Because Mazell was staring at me with a confused expression, I asked the Grand Duke to confirm my thoughts.

    Was the demand made by the refugee nobles from Triot? (Welner)

    Youre right. Ah, just to be clear, I said this not to criticize your actions or anything. (Seyfart)

    Yeah, of course, I understood that, Grand Duke. Because the Bain Kingdom had sessfully defeated Gezarius and even before that, other demon generals and Heavenly Kings, the refugees from Triot, especially the nobles, ended up having high expectations of the Bain Kingdom. Which led to

    A part of the refugee nobles from Triot asked for Bain Kingdoms cooperation to revive Triot. (Seyfart)

    Yes, it led to that.

    So, they are asking us to lend them our army? (Welner)

    Not only the army, but also weapons and provisions. If the army to help revive Triot was really made, theres a high chance they will demand you to be themander of that army. (Seyfart)

    Give me a break. I didnt have time to do something like that! Seeing me bury my head in my knees because of sheer frustration, the Grand Duke and the Prime Ministerughed.

    Now after your work in Anheim, rather than a high chance, I would say you will definitely be chosen as the armymander if the army that will help revive Triot was really made, Sir. (Seyfart)

    There have also been people who said that they will even let their daughter or sister marry you, Viscount. (Falkenstein)

    The Prime Minister dropped a terrifying bomb. Their ulterior motives were tantly obvious that I ended up chuckling. In addition, will even let they said? They sure were arrogant, even though they were <b>refugees</b> who came to <b>our country </b>to seek help.

    Of course, I would humbly refuse that sort of thing. (Welner)

    Yeah. Sir, you even have a fiancee, so you cant just marry a noble from another country. (Seyfart)

    Huh? Fiancee? Me? What was the Grand Duke talking about? Wasnt that just a rumor that was spreading in Anheim?

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    Grand Duke, are you the one who spread that rumor?

    No, its not me. Your father is the one who did it.

    Huh!? The rumor was Fathers doing!? Why?

    Well, some <i>flies</i> will without a doubt start to gather around you, especially after your recent achievements in war. (Seyfart)

    Not having a fiancee does mean youre free, but at the same time in the noblemunity, not having a fiancee can also be seen as a weakness, after all. (Falkenstein)

    That was what the Prime Minister said. Honestly, it was still a mystery for me what someone like the Prime Minister was doing here, but anyway

    Its not like I dont have a fiancee because I am picky. (Welner)

    Regardless of your own reason or intention, people, especially the nobles, will still make use of the fact that you dont have a fiancee. (Falkenstein)

    Mazell seemed to be in deep thought after the Prime Minister said that and the Grand Duke showed a somewhat proud expression. Was I being used for Mazells noble training?

    Have you had any talk about taking a fiancee, Mazell-dono? (Falkenstein)

    Fortunately, not yet. (Mazell)

    Of course not. Mazell was apanied by the one and only second princess and the saintess, Laura. If anyone else wanted to offer an engagement to Mazell, they needed to have a <i>pawn</i>parable to the second princess.

    That meant the church was selling a favor to the Bain Kingdom by having their saintess, Laura, apanying Mazell then that would also mean

    <i>Sigh</i> Does that mean the reason the kingdom has me remain in the capital is also because the kingdom needs an <i>insect repent</i>? (Welner)

    Thats right. Youre sharp as always. (Seyfart)

    The Prime Minister also nodded, while Mazell was tilting his head in confusion. If possible, I didnt want to talk about <i>her</i> with Mazell like this, but I guess I had no choice.

    The church is aiming for Lily. (Welner)

    To make her train as a priestess to help her brother, the hero. At least the logic is sound. (Seyfart)

    But thats just a pretext, isnt it? (Welner)

    Honestly, dont use Lily as an excuse!

    Mazell finally opened his mouth. It might be rude to my sister to say this, but to be honest, I dont think my sister will be strong enough to apany me even if she started training right now.

    Apanying you is just a pretext. What the church wants is to use Lily to bring you to their side. (Welner)

    After Mazell eventually defeated the demon king, which side Mazell belonged to, the church, the royal family, or others became important, but the church couldnt use Laura to pull Mazell to their side because Laura was the member of the royal family.

    In short, the church wanted to im that <i>the demon king was defeated by the holy warrior!</i>, so they needed to pull Mazell to their side, but since they couldnt use Laura for that, they wanted to use Lily.

    I feel very unpleasant (Mazell)

    I know what youre trying to say. (Welner)

    In a way, it was rare to see Mazell with that kind of expression. Still, for the church to move with this kind of timing

    Did something happen in the church? (Welner)

    One of the churchs High Priests resigned because of health reasons. (Falkenstein)

    When I heard the Prime Ministers reply, I let out a sigh inside.

    In this world, the highest ranked priest in the church was the Supreme Priest and below him were seven High Priests, then Cardinal, Priest, Temr, andstly the Apprentice. I think you could be the Church Head as a Cardinal. But since I wasnt that interested in the priesthood system here, I didnt know the details.

    If something happened to the Supreme Priest, the next Supreme Priest would be chosen from the High Priests, so it was an open secret that there was a constant battle between the Supreme Priests faction and the faction of the High Priests that didnt get chosen as a Supreme Priest.

    There was a time in the past where a Supreme Priest abruptly resigned only after two years and then a High Priest, who was not even a Supreme Priest candidate, was suddenly chosen to be the new Supreme Priest. There was definitely something going on behind the scene.

    Even among High Priests, there was also fighting between different factions, especially between the faction ofmoner High Priests who climbed the rank because of their talent and the faction of High Priests who came from influential noble families.

    Since the religion in this world was a monotheistic religion, the power that a priest had was directly influenced by how much power the priest had in the church internally. But well, this religion system was kinda strange though.

    Anyway, regardless of whether the resigned High Priest really gave up his post because of his health condition or not, the current problem was what kind of person the new High Priest would be.

    If the new High Priest was a type of person who thought of the church first and foremost, then he would be satisfied with just pulling Mazell to the churchs side. But if the new High Priest was an ambitious person who wanted to be the next Supreme Priest then he might aim for the position of the heros <i>brother inw</i> in order to garner support. Well, the other ambitious High Priests might also aim for this.

    No, not only the High Priests. Anyone with ambitions would without a doubt try to get the position of the heros <i>brother-inw</i> so they could get the acimed hero, Mazell, as their backer. Then, for some reason, the position of High Priest bes empty in this kind of circumstance. Was everything really a coincidence?

    In any case, now the church wanted both Mazell and Lily. Argh stuff gotplicated and my head hurt.

    Then there was also the matter with Laura.

    In the first ce, one of the reasons I was sent to the Anheim was because I had gotten a tad bit too close to Laura in the eyes of the nobles who wanted Lauras hand in marriage. For those nobles, Mazell was also a nuisance.

    But on the other hand, Mazell was also a valuable <i>asset</i>. For the nobles, getting Mazell as your subordinate or inw was definitely profitable. Hence, even the noble houses that had no interest in getting Lauras hand in marriage, they should still want to form a good rtionship with Mazell.

    On the other hand, the church wanted to get Mazell on their side. One of the reasons for that was because they wanted to share Mazells achievement of defeating the demon king in the future, but some members of the church might also think of getting Mazell to their side in order to retain the bnce of power between the church and the royal family if one day Laura returned to the royal family.

    Of course, there would definitely also be people in the church who didnt want Mazell to join the church for various reasons.

    Why must everything be this damnedplicated?

    For the time being, I didnt have enough information, so I would stop my thoughts here.

    So, are you Sirs nning to somehow solve this confusing mess? (Welner)

    For now, no. Our current priority is defeating the demon king. As for this matter, its best if we can solve it all at once, but currently there is no workable solution. (Seyfart)

    Our current n is to maintain the current status-quo, and when the time is ripe, we will handle at least half of the matter. That is why we want to ask the Zeavert house to buy us some time. (Falkenstein)

    Buying some time, huh? It seemed like the situation was on a very fragile bnce. Still, for things to be like this in this timing, I couldnt help but suspect there was <i>someone</i> who was pulling the string.

    Since it was the Prime Minister that spoke, there was no doubt it was also the countrys request and the country must have talked to Father before telling me all of these. So what was left was only my verbal agreement, huh.

    I understand. I will do my best.

    Although the situation had be reallyplicated, what I needed to do was still the same. One, I would handle anything that tried to get in the way of Mazell defeating the demon king. Two, I would prevent the destruction of the capital. I was willing to do anything to achieve these two things.

    Since I had agreed to help the country, the country should notin if I moved independently for these two things.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    Welner, what are you thinking about? (Mazell)

    Ah, no, its nothing. (Welner)

    In the carriage heading to the Zeavert mansion, my thoughts were interrupted by Mazell who was sitting in front of me. There was a lot of stuff that had been bugging me, but I didnt have enough information. Hell, I didnt even have enough information to find out about stuff that just a while ago I thought was only a game gimmick but ended up actually existing in this world, like origin mana that was simr to the EXP system in the game.

    Lets put thoseplicated thoughts away for the time being.

    Our situation sure has changed a lot. (Welner)

    Right.

    Mazell and I exchanged a look and smiled wryly. Just a year ago we were just a student doing stuff in the ssroom but now Mazell was the hero while I, as much as I find it annoying, was a proper Viscount. Too much stuff changed in just a year.

    I think it would be harder for Mazell than me to return to the academy. He was a celebrity now. In this sense, it could be said that the demon king was a nuisance for our peaceful everyday life.

    This time, it was Mazell who fell into thought.

    We still need to deal with three Heavenly Kings. Now there is this problem with the church and stuff

    Mazell, you dont need to worry about that. (Welner)

    But the Prime Minister came all the way here to meet us. How can I just (Mazell)

    He just came here to warn you, so that you dont get tangled with that sort of political mess unknowingly. (Welner)

    In addition, the Prime Minister also met Mazell in order to appeal <i>indirectly</i> that the country was on his side. Sly, but typical of the noble.

    I reached out my fist toward Mazell who stared at it with a still troubled expression on his face. Then, using the light-hearted tone I often used back when we were still studying in the academy, I said, Ive no choice but to leave the most troublesome part of defeating the demon king to you. As for the rest, Ill handle it.

    Mazell looked surprised but soon let out a smile.

    Somehow I have a feeling that I am shoving a lot of annoying stuff to you, Welner.

    Youll take care of the <i>troublesome</i> stuff while Ill take care of the <i>annoying</i> stuff. Its fair, right?

    Haha. I guess youre right.

    After that, Mazell bumped my fist and we bothughed. It felt good to somehow go back to the time when we were students without any worry.

    ***

    Wee home, Welner-sama. I am d to see your safe return. (Lily)

    Ah, Im home. (Welner)

    When I arrived at the mansion, Lily greeted me with a bright smile. It was a little embarrassing since Mazell, Lilys brother, was right behind me.

    Where are Luguentz and the others? (Welner)

    Lazer-sama and Kluger-sama are both inside, while a messenger from the pce came earlier and said that Her Highness and Almsick-sama have returned to the pce. (Lily)

    So, Luguentz and Elrich had arrived in the mansion, while Feli probably went to the orphanage. Still, hearing all of them being called by their family name was a bit confusing for me. Norbert who was standing behind Lily nodded. It seemed like Lily passed Norberts evaluation.

    Wheres Frenssen? (Welner)

    He is waiting inside your office, Welner-sama. (Lily)

    Okay. Mazell, sorry but theres some stuff I need to take care of, so you rest first. (Welner)

    Okay.

    I left Mazell with Lily while I signaled Norbert to follow me with my gaze.

    Did the church do something while I wasnt in the mansion? (Welner)

    While walking in the corridor, I asked Norbert.

    Yes. People from the church came here and said that they would like to take care of Lily in the church.

    Lily knows that?

    Yes, she refused them directly once. After that, the Mistress has been handling the people who came from the church.

    Since Lily was officially the servant of the Count household, she was under Mothers jurisdiction. It would create trouble if Father, a minister, confronted the people from the church himself, but as long as it was Mother, the church wouldnt be able to make a fuss because Lily was under her jurisdiction. Sorry for putting a burden on you, Mother.

    Furthermore, it seemed like the leader of the people from church was being quite forceful about this matter.

    Do we know the identities of the people who came from the church?

    Their identities are still under investigation.

    As expected of the butler of a Count family, he was fast. I bet he ordered the investigation before Father ordered him to. Since this was a matter rted to church, I could ask Elrich about thister.

    Give me the result of the investigationter. How is Father?

    He sent a message that he will be returning a bitte. He also mentioned that he wanted to invite Hearthing-sama (Mazell) and the rest of the hero party for a mealter.

    If that happened, I hope Father can ignore the table manners and such since Feli will also be there.

    I will deliver your message to the Count.

    After finishing my conversation with Norbert, I entered the office and found Frenssen standing up to greet me. I signaled him to sit back down. Ah, my old nemesis paperwork was here as I expected. Although the amount wasnt as huge as before, the paperwork still formed small mountains. Damn.

    Thank you for your hard work. Which one is the paperwork rted to Anheim? (Welner)

    It is this pile. (Frenssen)

    Elder Uwes sudden request seemed to have increased my paperwork.

    No matter how good Sir Behnke was in handling the paperwork, I still needed to personally deal with important paperwork.

    Is there something else for me? (Frenssen)

    Its nothing. Frenssen, you can go and rest now. Unlike us, youre not that used to traveling, right?

    Me, Mazell, and the rest of the hero party were quite used to traveling, while Neurath and Schunzel were knights so they had good stamina, but Frenssen was just a civil officer. I didnt want him to copse, so I told him to rest. I also gave Neurath and Schunzel a two day holiday though.

    I appreciate your concern, but

    Rest. Thats an order. Rest tomorrow too. Theres only paperwork left anyway.

    After forcing Frenssen to take a rest, I looked through the documents. The documents from Sir Behnke were clearly made with an assumption that I wouldnt return to Anheim.

    Since Sir Behnke wasnt one of the Grand Dukes subordinates, he was most likely one of the Prime Ministers subordinates. No wonder he was so good at his job. The Grand Duke sure brought me quite a person.

    As I kept doing the paperwork, someone knocked on the door of my office.

    Who?

    It is Lily. I brought some tea.

    Ah,e in.

    Excuse me.

    She came at a perfect time. After Lily entered my office, she started to pour tea. Her movements look more refined than before.

    What happened to Mazell?

    Brother is currently talking with Lazer-sama and the members of the hero party Please, enjoy.

    Thank you, about this tea and also about your gift in Anheim.

    I said that as I took the tea, and Lily looked surprised. Just like Mazell, she also blinked three times when surprised. As expected of siblings, they both have the same habit.

    Didnt you send the letter and the gift to Anheim while taking ount of my feelings? Thank you for that.

    Ah..No..UmI mean I was just hoping you will be safe so I just

    Seeing Lily be flustered made me almost want to burst outughing. She even blushed, somehow that made me also feel embarrassed. Lets just continue the conversation to save us both from further embarrassment.

    Actually, I wanted to send you a return gift as soon as you sent me that gift but Ive been busy, so I can only give you the return gift now. Sorry.

    I then took out a wooden carved box and handed it to Lily. She then received it with a surprised look on her face.

    May I open it?

    Of course.

    Wow

    There was nothing good in Anheim, so I had a craftsman make this flower shaped brooch. Since it seemed like a showy brooch didnt suit Lily, I had the craftsman make this simple yet beautiful and elegant flower-shaped silver brooch.

    In a provincial town like Anheim, it was hard to find borate jewelries in the market. Not to mention that Anheim was a military town created to protect the border.

    If Triot still existed, there might be merchants who sold beautiful things made of silver which was one of the specialities of Triot, but well Triot was destroyed.

    I will treasure this! Thank you very much.

    Im d that you liked it.

    It was a natural courtesy to give a return gift when a woman gave you a gift but when I saw how happy she was with this gift, I felt that I should have given her something better. If I had the chance, I would prepare her a much better gift.

    After that, I returned to working with my paperwork. I needed to finish this before dinner time since I was sure I would just want to sleep after having dinner.

    .That was what I thought at that time.

    ***

    That night, we had dinner with my parents. My stomach hurt as I felt nervous with Felis dining manners. After the dinner, Father asked me and Mazell, and for some reason Lily too to stay in the room. He then took an envelope from Norberts hand and handed it to Mazell.

    Mazell-kun, this is an invitation to an evening party for you.

    Here it came.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153

    While Mazell was showing a confused expression, I turned to Father and asked, Is the party hosted by the royal family?

    Yeah. Its a party to celebrate His Highness Louwens birthday.

    Damn. I couldnt refuse the invitation then. But honestly, the royal familys move was a <b><i>ball</i></b>, huh? I lowkey didnt want to attend but <i>sigh</i> I didnt have any choice, right?

    But the Zeavert house would stand on the frontline in this party. Would you be fine with that, Father?

    AhUm (Mazell)

    First of all, Mazell, this party will be different from the <i>party</i> in your imagination. (Welner)

    Huh? (Mazell)

    The <i>party</i> Mazell had the experience of attending was the previous victory banquet, but this party would be on a far grander scale than the victory party.

    Although it depends on how many guests will be invited, generally the host needs to prepare tons of things for such a party which is impossible to do in just a few days. Moreover, guests also need a long time to choose the right gift and such. (Welner)

    I see (Mazell)

    Plus, the <b><i>evening party</i></b> is also often used for many hidden agendas. For example, there is this rule that in such a banquet, the guest will do the first dance with their families, fiancee, or lover.

    Because of this unspoken rule, the topic of <i>who would get Her Highness the Second Princesss first dance in the banquet that the hero was invited to?</i> would be a hot topic.

    Nobles who were aiming to get Lauras hand-in-marriage would definitely make their move and the church might also involve itself. The nobles who had been holed up in their territories would also use the party as a pretext to finallye to the capital.

    The more those nobles move, the more they would stick out like a sore thumb. In short, the kingdom used Prince Louwens birthday banquet as a pretext to once again fish out nobles who were aiming for no good. To use their own princess as a bait again, this move was pretty vicious.

    Anyway, lets put that aside for now and return to reassure the still confused Mazell.

    Mazell, you just need to remember that you have to return to the capital on that day to attend the evening party. Just focus on defeating the demon king, no need to think about theplicated stuff. (Welner)

    Really? (Mazell)

    Yeah (Welner)

    Since Laura was now the member of the hero party, if Mazell was away from the capital that meant Laura would also be away. The fact that Laura would only return to the capital close or maybe even on the day of the party meant that no one would be able to approach her before the party. That might, no, that would definitely invite the suspicion of some nobles and that might also be the royal familys aim. So the royal familys goal was not only to lure those nobles who were aiming for Laura, but also to fan the me, huh.

    It was probably the royal familys way of warning the nobles. Like, <i>we still havent even defeated the demon king so dont mess around</i> or something around that line I just hope that was all the royal familys intention but if there were more In any case, I was just d that I didnt need to stick out my neck to be Lauras shield this time around.

    After our conversation was finished, Lily opened her mouth with a confused tone.

    Um Why am I also called here, then? (Laura)

    Ah, as I said before, the first dance can also be with your family.

    The nobles would probably wonder who would be the partner of the acimed heros first dance, as his sister Lily and the second princess Laura would also be attending the party. Some might also think that it might be other nobledies. In short, the kingdom might be trying to cause confusion here.

    Still, even though Lily was the heros little sister, it was very umon for amoner to attend the nobles night party. The country might be using this chance to effectively show to everyone that Mazell would be bestowed a noble title soon. There were too many possibilities, so lets just stop thinking about it.

    But I cannot dance. (Lily)

    Me too, actually. (Mazell)

    Well, considering the fact both Prince Louwen and his fiancee, Miss Scrhamm, are young, the song of the first dance shouldnt be difficult. You both should be fine with just the basics of dancing. (Welner)

    Probably. To be honest I also wasnt that knowledgeable about dance.

    In addition, I got the feeling that Mazell, the protagonist, would be able to dance even at a difficult song with just half a day of training. I mean, the specs of the protagonist were just different.

    Lily looked nervous, but well, that was to be expected. I would need to follow up on these two in the night partyter. Ah, right, there was something I wanted to confirm with Father.

    Then, will the Zeavert house appoint a public representative to attend the party?

    Well, Father was the Minister of Ceremonies, so that was to be expected.

    Public representative was someone who held the crest of a certain noble house and participated in a banquet on their behalf. Like, if the n was for the entire family to attend the banquet but for some reason the family head couldnt attend, then the host of the party would appoint a public representative to attend the banquet on their behalf to fill the gap for couple dance.

    By the way, if the banquet was hosted by a noble family, not a royal family, this representative was often the butler. Maybe this was the origin of amon plot device of <i>a handsome butler that was good at dancing</i> but who knew.

    Anyway, the position of my partner for the first dance was still empty, so there was a chance that I might be dancing with Laura. If that happened Urgh Thinking about the aftermath made my stomach churn. The country most likely had even considered this possibility and might even try to incite the nobles aiming for Laura using it.

    Other than these things Was there anything else that the country was nning? If the person who made all these ns was the Crown Prince, it was possible that he had several other objectives, although the main objective was most likely a counter attack against the church and nobles aiming for Laura.

    When I was lost in my thoughts for a bit, Father pulled me back to reality.

    Welner. You go to the pce tomorrow morning, then make the arrangement for Lilys dress in the afternoon. The count house would take care of the money needed. (Ingo)

    Huh?

    I still needed to finish my duty as the governor of Anheim While I wanted toin like that, Father gave me a sharp gaze, so I stopped myself.

    A noble wont die because of debt, but a rumor can kill him. Act in a way that would prevent people from saying that youre here to run away from your debt. (Ingo)

    Critical hit. Well, I did this to myself but I see, a reputation like that could affect me much more worse than I expected. I never thought that things would be like this.

    Also, you say something like that Father, but werent you just simply angry because I purposely built a reputation as a debt-ridden noble?

    So Prince Louwens birthday party would be held in a bit over 100 days? (Welner)

    The party will be held in exactly 107 days. (Ingo)

    Whoah. With Mazells current pace, he would probably kill the second Heavenly King in 100 days. That meant the attack on the capital event might happen before the party. I also had stuff I needed to research Damn, the time I had was too tight.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    The next day, I ate breakfast with Mazell and the others, then I went to the pce. Apparently I would be meeting with Laura and elder Uwe.

    I asked Mazell, Luguentz, Feli, and Elrich for a small favor after eating the breakfast. Feli answered with Since its you, big bro, I will help you with just one teacake as a payment! and that made meugh.

    The fact that Mazell was staying here seemed to have already spread, so the mansion was filled with people who wanted to make an appointment with Mazell. Norbert, Tiru, and Lily were busy taking care of these appointments since early morning. Unexpectedly, the people who were most <i>motivated</i> to get the appointment with Mazell were merchants, not nobles.

    Currently, I was in the pce. Before, most people just looked at me from a distance while whispering but now, more people came to approach me instead.

    I am Welner von Zeavert. (Welner)

    Pleasee in, sir. (Pce guard)

    The pce guards tone became more respectful than before, maybe because I was now an official viscount. Receiving this kind of attitude from a grown up man wearing intimidating armor made me feel pressured.

    I apologize for beingte (Welner)

    Im sorry for calling you this early. (Hubertus)

    Please, your highness, no need to apologize. It is my duty as your retainer to fulfill your summon. (Welnert)

    Your Highness, your apology made me feel even more ufortable. Laura and elder Uwe were here too. Urghmy stomach started to churn again.

    First, good work defeating the demon general! Thanks to your effort, Sir, we wouldnt need to be too worried about the south. (Hubertus)

    I apologize for my arbitrary decision. (Welner)

    Although I submitted my n to the royal family and got approval of His Highness and His Majesty, since I didnt get the approval of all ministers, I was still moving without permission. His Highness responded to my words with augh.

    <b><i>Its fine as long as you win!</i></b> is what I wanted to say, but, on a serious note, a person with authority needs to have the ability to make quick decisions and move even without the permission of their superior if they judge that it is necessary. As long as you are ready to face the consequences if you lose, then its fine. (Hubertus)

    Thank you for your kind words. (Welner)

    Im d I was able to get away easily like this, but His Highnesss expectations for me felt heavy. His Highness then crossed his hands on top of the desk and gazed at me. Just like Mazell, this guy would make a really good painting.

    Plus, your current reputation has also saved us from a lot of work since many of the rash nobles ended up showing their intentions. (Hubertus)

    I see (Welner)

    Some nobles are starting toin about how bad it is to entrust the hero family to a debt-ridden noble. Huh, they didnt even bother to investigate where those debts came from and how they were used. (Hubertus)

    His Highness smiled happily as he said that. He sure seemed like he was having fun. This oue was a pure coincidence, though, but I could see how it was useful for His Highness.

    Sorry, but Sir, I want this rumor to be left alone for a while. Are you fine with that? (Hubertus)

    Your Highness! That.. (Laura)

    I am fine with that, Your Highness. (Welner)

    Laura was about to interject, but I honestly didnt mind, so I agreed to His Highnesss request. Then, for some reason, Laura showed a helpless expression on her face. Why? I mean, there was no way I could refuse the request of the one and only Crown Prince, right?

    You are really simr to Mazell (Uwe)

    I think so too. (Laura)

    I will take care of that matter, then. Next.. (Hubertus)

    Elder Uwe and Laura seemed to be whispering about something. I wondered what they were whispering about.

    I had also heard about the prophecy from Elder Uwe.

    Huh? What prophecy? When I was about to ask His Highness that, elder Uwe gave me a signal with his gaze. Ah, I see. He was talking about my memory of my past life that I told Elder Uwe as something from a <b><i>story</i></b>. Certainly, it was more believable to say it was an <b><i>oracle</i></b> rather than something from a <b><i>story</i></b>. Still, gramps, would it hurt to at least warn me beforehand!?

    However, it was nice to know that I wasnt wrong about my judgment of elder Uwes character. He seemed to be helping me out as expected.

    Hmm I didnt expect that Laura didnt notice the map issue earlier and report it to the royal family. Well, thats for better as I could now manage the narrative more freely.

    Ah, wait, I forgot to reply to His Highnesss words.

    I believe it is hard to judge if the content of the <b><i>oracle</i></b> is true or not. There are things that werent mentioned in the oracle at all like the appearance of Gezarius.

    Yes, I heard that in your prophecy Gezarius didnt appear. Perhaps there are some deviations from the prophecy? (Hubertus)

    I am also unable to make a precise judgment about that matter, His Highness. There was too little information in the prophecy (oracle). (Welner)

    But seriously, just what did you tell His Highness, gramps!? Would it hurt you to tell me about it first, so I could match your stories (or mine to be exact)!?

    Alright then. First, I will announce to the public that the attack on the capital is Elder Uwes prophecy. Then, I will form a troop in anticipation of this attack with Grand Duke Seyfart as its leader. Sir, you will also help this troop from time to time. (Hubertus)

    Thank you, Your Highness. (Welner)

    Its something I ought to do as the Crown Prince of this country. No need to thank me. (Hubertus)

    I felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my soldiers. The Grand Duke would definitely be more skilled than me in terms of leading a troop to protect the capital.

    But you need to stay away from military affairs for the time being, Sir. I believe you have been told the reason? (Hubertus)

    Yes, the Grand Duke has told me. (Welner)

    Good. Then, for the time being, you will be the pces temporary chambein. Well, you will be chambein in name only though.(Hubertus)

    Chambein? (Welner)

    You need at least that high title if I am to give you permission to the royal familys exclusive library. (Hubertus)

    Huh? What?

    The exclusive library?

    Its normal for you to have never heard of it. Only people with a certain status like the royal family, prime minister, and elder Uwe know the existence of that library. (Hubertus)

    Does that library contain information about the Ancient Kingdom? (Welner)

    Thats correct. I want you to research information that the elder wants from that library. (Hubertus)

    Just as I thought before, an exclusive royal library did exist. The importance and the amount of information in that library must be huge. I really want to research about the ancient kingdom in that library, but, the time

    But, taking the book out of the library will be forbidden. (Hubertus)

    I understand. (Welner)

    But on the other hand, we need to know whether there is a difference between the demon king of the past and the current demon king as soon as possible. Because of that, I want you to take Lily Hearthing as your assistance and research it then tell the information to the hero. I will allow you to write down the information you get and take it out of the library. (Hubertus)

    Pardon? (Welner)

    But Lily was amoner! For amoner to be allowed to enter the exclusive library wouldnt that create a scandal? The elder Uwe looked undisturbed by the Crown Princes words, but Laura seemed to be dissapointed? Did she already know this would happen.

    The official letter of your appointment will be ready in a few days. Do you have any problem with this arrangement? (Hubertus)

    No, Your Highness.

    There were a lot of problems! But well, I couldnt exactly say that in front of His Highnesss face, right? He definitely had some sort of n, but what was it? With me being in the exclusive library and bing the pces chambein, I would probably stay in the pce for a while, so nobles with ulterior motives wouldnt be able to approach me. That was probably one of His Highnesss aims, but did he have other aims?

    Ah, whatever. Lets just stop thinking aboutplicated stuff. Anyway, this was a good time for me to tell His Highness about that thing I had noticed before.

    Your Highness, there is something that I have noticed before. (Welner)

    Something you noticed? (Hubertus)

    Its regarding the enemys movement. In Finnoi (Welner)

    I then exined about the strange behavior of demons that wanted to kidnap Laura. If the demon army thought Laura would be a hindrance for their n, they could just kill Laura but no, they wanted to kidnap her. Then, after seeing the behavior of the demon general in Anheim, I had one hypothesis.

    The demon army seemed to have a tendency to keep the body of the people that they thought would be useful for them.

    The demon army might have a certain reason that made them want to bring Her Highness to the demon army. Since the demon army took their time to try to kidnap Her Highness, most likely their aim has something to do with Her Highness ability to receive oracles. (Welner)

    I agree with your view. Elder, what about you? (Hubertus)

    His words are certainly possible. The demon army might want to use a fake oracle to confuse us or perhaps the demon army might have a certain need for an oracle Hmm (Uwe)

    The elder then started to get lost in his thoughts. Um Sir you were in front of the Crown Prince, you know!? Ah, but the Crown Prince seemed to not care. This gramps he really was quite something.

    In other words, there is a chance that Laura will be targeted again by the demon army in the future. (Hubertus)

    I have no proof that it will happen, but it will be safer if we assume so. (Welner)

    I understand. Laura, you tell Mazell-kun about this and warn him to be careful. (Hubertus)

    I understand. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. (Laura)

    While listening to the conversation between the two, a thought suddenly appeared in my mind. Thiswas worth researching.

    The oracle that seemed to be maliciousand the fact that the yer in the game and the demon army used the same healing magic

    The so-called God of this world, was he truly the ally of humanity?

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155

    After finishing my talk with the Crown Prince, I spent the rest of the morning in my pce office to finish the paperwork rted to Anheim. Although technically I just needed to sign the documents, I still read each of them carefully.

    As someone who ordered the inspection of the governor of the Zeavert familys territory, there was no way I could do my own job as the governor half-assedly.

    Your Excellency, Viscount Wackenroder asks to meet you.

    Okay. Please guide the viscount to the reception room.

    One unexpected thing about today was the fact there were many nobles who wanted to meet me. Some condescendingly said stuff like <i>I will handle your debt!</i> probably just to harass me, but some wanted to meet me purely because they wanted to form a good rtionship with me. Therefore, I couldnt turn down all the meeting requests.

    When I was still a deputy count, these kinds of things were probably handled by Father and now I realized what a blessing it was to be a deputy count.

    There was also one person that tantly said, I will pay back your debt but in exchange, you will have to marry my daughter and I politely declined.

    I spent the rest of my morning doing my paperwork and meeting with several nobles, then I immediately returned to the Zeavert mansion in the afternoon since it would be a pain in the neck if people started to ask me for lunch together. Although I was an official Viscount, I didnt have my own territory and I also didnt have an official position in the royal court, so other than my duty as the Anheim governor, I was pretty free.

    When I returned to the Zeavert mansion, I checked things that I had arranged before. Since most important jobs had already finished, I gave holiday to Neurath, Schunzel, and Frenssen, so I had to arrange new escorts for me to rece Neurath and Schunzel.

    The people who worked in the Count house werent so little to the point that the mansion would be empty just because I gave those three a holiday, but since the outing this time was pretty sudden, I consulted Norbert about the arrangement of the escorts. I also took thedy knight that had helped me before as one of the escorts.

    The main purpose of the outing this time was to shop for Lilys dress, but it was also to appeal to other nobles that I didnt lock myself in the mansion to run away from my debt. That was why we went out to the shop rather than calling a designer to the mansion.

    This outing also served as a proper holiday for Lily. From what I heard, she had been working diligently without taking any proper leaves, so this outing was a perfect chance for her to rx.

    I also heard she saved most of her earnings as a maid. The only things she spent money on recently was the necessary material to create the handkerchief she gave to me before. The count house also prepared the necessary material for her study so she didnt need to spend money on those. I really hoped she would spend more money for herself.

    In addition, this outing was also a chance for Lily to sightsee the capital, although we would be apanied by escorts. I hope she didnt feel ufortable by that fact.

    Okay. This is fine. Please make the arrangements. (Welner)

    After I finished the arrangements for the outing, I decided to take a rest. The hero party would depart in the afternoon. I left Lily with Mazell, so they could have some family moments.

    I also nned to have a light lunchter. Spending a long time in the military made me prefer simple meals over luxurious meals.

    Good afternoon, Viscount. (Elrich)

    Elrich-dono. Good afternoon. (Welner)

    As I was walking rxedly in the corridor, I met Elrich. After that, we exchanged some small talk. I also thanked him for his help regarding the church, but Elrich replied with polite words with his usual smile. As always, this guy was handsome.

    We n to depart in the afternoon. Thank you so much for letting us stay here, Viscount. (Elrich)

    There is no need to be polite, Elrich-dono. All of you are my friends. (Welner)

    Once again I reflexively returned to polite speech with Elrich. He just had this kind of aura that made me do that every time. Well, it didnt trouble me, so I guess it was fine.

    Will you go shopping this afternoon, Viscount? (Elrich)

    Yes. But well I am a bit unsure on how to handle all of the sudden information (Welner)

    Feli frankly told me before about how Lily liked me and that made me feel confused. It wasnt like I dislike Lily, but still

    I believe there is no need for you to think about it too much. (Elrich)

    Really? (Welner)

    I mean, I had no intention to overthink it, but As I was thinking like that, Elrich suddenly said a pretty surprising thing.

    You both have a quite simr situation, after all. (Elrich)

    Pardon? (Welner)

    Miss Lily seems to treat you not as a viscount but as one individual, as Welner. How about you, Viscount? (Elrich)

    Ah thats right. Just as a lot of people see me as a Counts heir, most people would see Lily as the heros sister. The churchs recent movement, the incident with the Witthoft family, and even the action of the country were all caused by the fact that Lily was the heros sister. In other words, many people saw Lily as a tool to get closer to her brother the hero Mazell.

    Then What about me? I knew that she was Mazells sister, but at least I didnt think of her as someone I could use to gain power. Like Elrich said, we were in a quite simr position. I too had many people who offered me an engagement based on nothing but my position as a Counts heir. My situation might be worse than Lily since I also had troublesome duties as a noble, though.

    A rtionship due to having a simr positionis thatactually a good thing? (Welner)

    I would say yes. (Elrich)

    Iwill take upon your words, then. (Welner)

    I let out a bitter smile. I understood Elrichs words. ButI turned my eyes away from Elrichs gaze that saw me like a benevolent elder who was talking to a youngster.

    For nowI will properly face her feelings. (Welner)

    A right decision, Viscount. (Elrich)

    Lets just stop thinking about this and enjoy my outing with Lily today.

    Still, in a different sense than with Father and the Crown Prince, I got a feeling that I would never win against Elrich.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    I said to everyone, Be careful on your way.

    You too, Welner (Mazell)

    Im with big bro Mazell, so you dont have to worry about him! (Feli)

    Iughed at Felis words.

    Right, right. Ill be counting on you (Feli) to protect him. (Welner)

    Leave it to me! (Feli)

    As I responded to Felis words while gently patting his head, Feli replied to me with a confident expression. Was this how it would feel if I had a younger brother?

    After my conversation with Feli was finished, I turned to Luguentz who replied, Ive made an arrangement about your request. Also, Gekke said that there is still a half year period left on his contract with you, so he will follow the contract.

    Thats good. Thank you. (Welner)

    I was d to hear Gekke-sans answer. I made the contract with him as the governor of Anheim but now I was no longer the governor, I was worried about what would happen to the contract. I wanted to ask Gekke-san about it, but felt ufortable to ask him directly, that was why I asked him via Luguentz.

    Although I doubt there would be any battle in the capital before the attack on the capital event, having a military power I could use would make it easier for me to make a move in case of an emergency.

    Laura, who had been talking to Lily for a while, approached me. She looked like she was in a bad mood. Was it because she would separate from Lily, or were there any other reasons?

    Viscount. Use my father or my brothers name if something bad happens. I will take care of the rest.

    I understand. Be careful on your way to, princess.

    Laura, there was no way I could do something like that. However, I understood Lauras feelings. Lily might be the sister of the hero, Mazell, but she was still just a normal person. For Lily to be pulled into a political battle and be targeted by the church, I could understand Lauras anger.

    The Crown Prince was the type of person who wouldnt hesitate to take advantage and use others at times and would solve problems by manipting things behind the screen, which made sense since he was the Crown Prince. But I still felt safe with him since I could sense that he wasnt the type of person who would squeeze people dry and then abandon them when they became useless.

    On the other hand, Laura seemed to be thinking that they, as the members of the hero party and people of power, should have stepped forward and protected Lily who was a normal person from the church on forefront. She probably still thought doing so was the best.

    However, Lauras position as the saintess would make things even moreplicated if she made a direct move, and she understood that, but she still wanted to help Lily somehow, that was probably why she said that sort of thing to me.

    Then, Viscount, I will be looking forward to what you find in the exclusive library. (Uwe)

    I will do my best. (Welner)

    As always, elder Uwe couldnt read the room, though I was grateful for his timely intervention since I was having a hard time replying to Lauras reaction. In addition, it was true that I got a lot of things I wanted to research about Ancient Kingdom, so I was grateful to the elder for helping me get the position that allowed me to do so.

    We all then chatted for a while, before Ae-san, the female knight who helped Lily before, came to us and told us that the carriage was ready.

    Please take care of my sister. (Mazell)

    Y..Yes. Please rest assured! (Ae)

    Ae-san replied with a bright red face. Not only was Mazell handsome but he was also natural in making girls fall left and right. Huh, this damn Mazell

    As I approached Lily with a bitter smile on my face, Lily looked at me with a troubled expression, so I ended upughing.

    How about we go now? (Welner)

    Yes. (Lily)

    After I lightly waved my hand to Mazell for onest time, I escorted Lily to the carriage. The clothes Lily wore today werent on the level of the clothes worn by nobledies, but they were still luxurious clothes, around the level of clothes worn by richdies of merchant families.

    Lily couldnt just go shopping for a dress wearing a maid uniform, but if she woremoners clothes, that would tarnish the Zeavert houses name At least that was what I used to convince Lily to wear luxurious clothes like this.

    As soon as Lily was convinced, Tiru-san and the other maids started using Lily like a mannequin, making her try countless dresses. Knowing that if I stayed who knew how many times they would have asked for my opinion on Lilys clothes, I immediately ran away.

    Today, when I said that Lilys clothes looked good on her, she seemed happy. Well, all was well I guess.

    Since Lily was still just a maid of the Zeavert house, I couldnt let her ride the carriage with the Zeavert crest, but if we walked to the store, people would look down on us. That was why we were currently using a rental carriage.

    The rental carriage we were using also had a metal te that people could clearly see from the outside. It looked simr to a cars number te but it wasnt a number te. It was a mark that told people a noble was using this carriage since there were roads that only nobles could use.

    Wowso this is how the streets of the capital look like from a carriage. (Lily)

    Lily seemed to be excited. Her feeling was probably simr to a young child riding a car. In addition, since Lily was rather short, seeing the streets of the capital from a high point inside of the carriage must be a pretty interesting thing for her.

    When we returnter, how about we take the long route? (Welner)

    Really??? Thank you very much!! (Lily)

    She thanked me happily. This was nothing much though.

    After we arrived at the store, I got off the carriage first and then helped Lily to get off. Ive already sent a notice that we would being to the store today, so there should be a designer waiting for us in the store.

    Ae-san, who had been sitting with the coachman, also came down from the carriage. She then carefully scanned her surroundings, as if trying to catch anything that could be potentially dangerous for us. Unlike when she met Mazell earlier, Ae-san now seemed very serious. I nced at Ae-san, and after she nodded at me, indicating that there was no problem, we entered the store.

    I heard that dresses are unexpectedly ufortable to wear. I think its best if you just choose the mostfortable dress. (Welner)

    II understand. (Lily)

    Lily looked nervous, but the store clerk smiled gently at us while leading us to the store. The clerk also chatted with us and that sessfully relieved Lilys nervousness. As expected for a store targeted toward the nobles, their customer service was good. I looked from the distance, as Lily was choosing the dresses, since I doubt I could help with anything rted to choosing dresses. Not long after, Ae-san approached me and started to speak.

    Viscount, may I be presumptuous to say a few words? (Ae)

    Sure, I dont mind. (Welner)

    After I replied to her, she showed a determined expression and said, I fully understand your ability, viscount. Even now, the memory of how you handled things at the border with Lestga still fills me with awe and respect, but, um, I mean, I hope you could be more careful about your usage of money. (Ae)

    Ah.

    The reputation of the debt-ridden viscount was this powerful, huh. Ae-san seemed to have no malice in her words and was just saying this because of concern or maybe she was driven with a sense of duty after Mazell asked her to take care of Lily. Well, who knew.

    I understand. Thank you for your advice.

    She even spoke in a low voice carefully, so Lily didnt hear our conversation. All in all, she seemed to be sincere. In that case, the only response I could give her was this. That didnt mean I wanted to hear her nagging though

    For now, you go and apany (Welner)

    It has been a while, Viscount Welner.

    Another voice cut me off as I was about to say Lily. This familiar voice Urgh I didnt want to meet him because I had been ignoring the merchants proposals.

    Its been a while, Bierstedt. (Welner)

    Thest time we met was when you created the merchant party, I believe? I know that it iste but, congrattions for your promotion, viscount-sama. (Bierstedt)

    Thank you.

    Although he had sent me a congrattory gift via the merchant guild, it had been a while since we actually met each other. Part of it was my fault though. I didnt want to meet him since I had ignored all of the proposals from the merchants.

    Has the story about the night party spread? (Welner)

    Yes. Some nobledies have already called merchants to their mansions. Ah, Viscount-sama, is that youngdy yourpanion? (Bierstedt)

    Yeah. (Welner)

    I was sure that he already knew it and was only asking me for a confirmation, so I just gave him a short answer. In any case, judging from the fact that he referred to Lily as just a youngdy without revealing her name or position, he seemed to know about the recent events. As expected of him.

    I see! Then, I suggest preparing a dress that has a more calm design, rather than shy ones. I will make sure to prepare the best quality dress too. (Bierstedt)

    Thank you. (Welner)

    I should be able to trust the rmendation of a famous merchant like him.

    As I was thinking like that, Mr. Bierstedt suddenly said something quite unexpected.

    May I request you to go inside along with yourpanion? I will not take long.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157

    The words go inside in a store for noble customers were often used to invite the nobles to the second floor where the store would introduce their finest goods.

    There was also a security reason behind the creation of this second floor. If in an unlikely event some criminals attacked the store, the noble customers would be evacuated to the second floor while the employees and the security guards would make a barricade in front of the stairs to protect the customers.

    This world could be quite bloody, just like the real medieval era in my previous life.

    May I get you some drinks? (Bierstedt)

    No need. (Welner)

    I..I am fine too. (Lily)

    Ae who was standing behind Lily also nodded in response. To be honest, I still didnt know why he called me here.

    I understand. Then, I shall move directly to the topic, as I do not want to waste too much of your time. (Bierstedt)

    Well, since you needed to also prepare a poison taster, preparing drinks and food for nobles was quite troublesome. As I was thinking like that, Mr. Bierstedt suddenly lowered his head. Huh?

    As a humble representative of the guilds in the entire capital, allow me to offer my deepest gratitude for your action, Viscount-sama. (Bierstedt)

    Huh? (Lily)

    Lily opened her mouth in disbelief before me. Thanks to Lily, I was able to somehow mask my real feelingI think? To be honest I was also confused. I had no idea what he was talking about.

    I have heard that it was you, Viscount-sama, who noticed the fact that the demons had infiltrated the capital. Thanks to your keen observation, the kingdom was able to take care of the demons that had infiltrated the capital. If it was not for you, Viscount-sama, who knew what would happen to us, our employees, and all of our families. Not only us, even the rest of the citizens of the capital might have died. (Bierstedt)

    Ah, he was talking about that. Well, there was no gag order about that event so after this long, I guess some people would have known.

    In addition, I have also heard that it was the Zeavert familys idea to pay the orphans and the refugees to clean the streets. (Bierstedt)

    We also have our own agenda in doing that, though. (Welner)

    Of course, I have never thought that you are doing it without any reason. But it is also true that people, who needed workers, ended up hiring the orphans and the refugees after seeing how diligent they were with their work because of your actions. There was also the matter of the nobles repairing the roads and the buildings in the capital. Please allow me to deeply thank you for your actions, as one of the people of the capital, Viscount-sama. (Bierstedt)

    For the citizens of the capital, the result was more important than reason, I see. Well, that was understandable. Although it wasnt like I was trying to hide the fact it was me who did all of those things, I still didnt know how to react to Mr Bierstedts words.

    There was also what you did in Anheim (Bierstedt)

    The guild also traded with people of Anheim? (Welner)

    I was not talking about trade, Viscount-sama. (Bierstedt)

    Not about trade? Then what?

    I heard that before fighting with the demon general, you had even prepared thepensation for the vigers who had to be relocated. (Bierstedt)

    Ah, youre talking about that. Yeah, I did that. (Welner)

    There were governors whopensated the people <b>after</b> the war, but I rarely heard of any governors whopensated the people <b>before</b> the war even happened. I also heard that you had even made the arrangements with other territories, so the relocated vigers could stay there. I had never heard about a governor who thought about the people this much before going to a war. (Bierstedt)

    I guess that was how the people of the capital thought of my action? For me, it was a natural course of action since that time, the n was for me to provoke the demon general. But there were certainly governors who wouldnt think that far before going to war. In addition, at that war, our side was the one that lured and provoked the demon general, so we had a lot of time to do preparation like relocating the vigers and stuff.

    Then, there was also your reputation as a debt-ridden governor. (Bierstendt)

    That one is also true, though. (Welner)

    We, merchants, have our own eyes and the citizens also have their own ears. Those who pay attention to details know that the debt you took was not for buying luxurious goods for your own entertainment. (Bierstedt)

    Really? (Welner)

    Simr to how there are people who are blind and only believe what they want to believe, there are also many people who know that the debt you have taken was used for none other than to fight the demon general. I and other guilds also have the honor of cooperating with you in the trade for necessary military supplies for that war.

    Did he just seamlessly insult some nobles? He knew of my actions better than I initially thought, was it because, for merchants, information was truly precious, so he gathered as much information about me as possible? I let out a sigh. I see, I now understood His Highnesss aim.

    For me and the other people in positions close to the ruler of this kingdom, the news of the hero, Mazell, defeating the Four Heavenly Kings was good news, but for the normal citizens, their feelings might be different. If I was to use a modern example, the news of Mazell defeating the Four Heavenly Kings was like the Japanese people hearing the news that one of their people won a medal outside of the country.

    But the normal citizens would appreciate stuff that was closer to their normal daily lives, like repairing roads and buildings. Using a modern example, Mazell was like a celebrity that people idolize, while I was a local athlete that was closer to the reality of the people.

    If the poprity among people was concentrated in Mazell alone, the repercussions that the ruling ss of this kingdom would face would be terrifying if something went south. Worst of all, people might say that the country was absolutely useless.

    But it would be different if the poprity among people was divided, like what happened now. The poprity among people was now divided between the hero Mazell, me, and the Knight Order, so the kingdom could avoid the scenario of people only talking about the hero all day long. Especially because my actions were closer to the people everyday living.

    That was why His Highness asked me to let my reputation as being debt-ridden to remain longer. So not only that prince used my reputation to fish out nobles, he even used it as a tool to divide the peoples attention. He sure didnt spare anything.

    Alright, I understand your feeling, so lets stop talking about that here, and return to the matter of choosing her clothes. (Welner)

    Oh, I beg your pardon! I will let our best employee handle thedys clothes! (Bierstedt)

    There were different guilds for different sectors, like there was a guild for cloth making, a guild for handicraft making, and etc. Merchants for nobles like Mr.Bierstedt was an influential person among many kinds of guilds, otherwise the merchants would not be able to handle the nobles asional <i>unique</i> demands.

    Of course, there were also merchants who only dealt with specialized goods. But even for those kinds of merchants, having a bad rtionship with an influential merchant like Mr. Bierstedt was still a really bad thing.

    Considering how influential Mr. Bierstedt was, I wouldnt put it past him that the best employee he was talking about was, in fact, not this stores most skilled employee, but the most skilled employee of the entire guild who came all the way here just for Lilys clothes.

    Then, mdy, please follow me.

    Ae, you go with her too. (Welner)

    Yyes. (Ae)

    I left Lily and Ae to the woman employee. Judging by that employees bearings, she likely had received training in a noble house, so it should be fine to leave them both to her. After both of them had left us, I throw a sharp nce to Mr. Bierstedt.

    So? Why did you say all those things in front of Lily? (Welner)

    Well, because I thought you were being misunderstood, Viscount-sama, even though you worked this hard for the sake of our country. (Bierstedt)

    Hah! You sure have a way with your words.

    I replied. Though I didnt see Lilys expression to our conversation, I doubt Mr. Bierstedt really called us here just for the sake of Lily hearing our conversation, like Mr. Bierstedt said. In fact, I suspect he called us here just to tease me.

    My target was thedy knight, Viscount-sama. (Bierstedt)

    What?

    I frowned at Mr. Bierstedts reply. His target was Ae-san, not Lily?

    Ae Molderss mothers line of family is the distant rtive of Jhering noble house. (Bierstedt)

    Jhering? (Welner)

    I dug my memory for a moment and finally remembered. Jhering Count house was a house that belonged to a hostile faction with the Duke Grunding houses faction.

    You think she stayed at Lilys side with a purpose? (Welner)

    Ae-sama is the type of person who dislikes political strife, so I doubt it. Currently, Ae-samas family also has yet to catch the Jhering houses eyes, but who knows what will happen in future. (Bierstedt)

    I see. (Welner)

    Receiving new information that made my head ache, I sighed. Lets stop thinking aboutplicated things for today. After all, I was here to have some fun with Lily.

    Thank you for the valuable information. (Welner)

    Viscount-sama, please remember that you have many allies, likely more than your expectation. (Bierstedt)

    Okay.

    Lets just think about difficult stuff tomorrow.

 Chapter 158.1

    Chapter 158.1

    The dress looked like it was for a high nobledy, like a princess. Is it really fine for me to wear it at the party? (Lily)

    Its fine. (Welner)

    I answered Lilys question. To be honest, the dress really suited Lily. It had a rather calm decoration, which suited Lilys appearance.

    As expected of Mr. Bierstedt, the dress chosen by the employee he rmended was really good. It was just that he sent me a smile as if expecting something when seeing us off. I should look at the merchants proposalter.

    I then escorted Lily out of the store. There were times where I would call the carriage right in front of the store, but this time I called the carriage a bit further away from the store because of a particr reason. The coachman was one of the Count Houses people, so leaving the carriage with him should be fine.

    As I waited for Lily to get into the carriage first, I turned my attention to the coachman.

    Did anything happen? (Welner)

    There were two children who came here, so I donated some money to them in the name of the Count House. (Coachman)

    Okay. (Welner)

    This was actually a code. Two children came here meant two people were tailing us. Saying children instead of adults meant the people who were tailing us were unarmed. Donated coins meant our side had sent people to keep an eye on them. Using the words Count House instead of my name, meant that the people who were tailing us were from another noble family.

    In short, the coachman was saying that, There were two unarmed people who were tailing us. They were the vassals of another noble family. We had sent our men to keep an eye on them, so we would know which noble families they came from soon.

    They probably didnt think they were also being watched by people from our side. Because I left the carriage some distance away from the store, they must have let down their guard.

    I want to show Lily the capital, so make a little detour. (Welner)

    Understood. (Coachman)

    The driver then adjusted the position of the magicmp, a signal to tell the 4 guards who were guarding us from the shadows that we would take a different route. The guards would send a mirror signal if there was an emergency so until then, everything should be fine.

    Ae was sitting on the coachmans seat, so I was alone with Lily inside the carriage. I entered after Lily. As I sat in the carriage, Lily seemed to want to ask me something but I pretended to not notice.

    Do you also want to browse some stores on the way?

    Yes.

    A store that a girl would enjoy Hmm

    With that, we started touring the capital. Although I said <b><i>tour</i></b>, it wasnt like we could actually tour the entire capital in just half a day, and plus there were roads that the carriage couldnt pass through at this hour, so we didnt manage to tour the entire capital.

    This is all amazing (Lily)

    Their works are really sophisticated, right? (Welner)

    We were currently in a jewelry store. I thought girls would like shiny things, so I convinced Lily that we would just do some eye shopping and brought her here.

    Still, the jewelry industry of this world was strangely advanced. I wasnt talking about the rose cut, I was talking about the princess cut and oval cut jewel. Werent those two cuts things from the modern era? How did they exist here? Was there magic to cut jewels that made it possible to make those two cuts? Or maybe something like [Jeweler] Skill existed?

    First was the maid uniform, now this. Sometimes things of this world were strangely advanced. Lets stop thinking too much about it. All was well as long as Lily enjoyed her time.

    I should also pick jewelry that matches your dress. (Welner)

    Umthat (Lily)

    The dress for Lily had been decided, but the essories like jewelry were still undecided. I had already put in a request for jewelry that suited Lilys dress, and they said they would get an expert for me to consult the jewelry designster.

    Thats why, we need to wait. (Welner)

    I see (Lily)

    She looked like a puppy being told to wait in front of food while looking at the jewels in the store. Then, Lily seemed to have noticed that Ae-san was also secretly admiring the jewelry. She and Ae-san made eye contact andughed together.

    Is this whole building a store? (Lily)

    Yes. (Welner)

    Lily looked surprised when she saw the five-story store. Although there werent that many, several stories building that contained different shops on each floor existed here.

    However, since esctors and elevators didnt exist in this era and the stairs were narrow, it was hard for customers in this type of store to go to the top floor.

    It was also difficult to bring the items upstairs, so the top floor usually had light items like some cut fabrics, the first floor was usually for heavy items like pottery, while the third floor had daily use items made from woods like spoons and bowls. Larger items made from wood were usually sold in a specialty store.

    While apanying Lily who was talking with Ae about the items in the stores, I looked out of the window. The windows here didnt have ss panels so I could see the busy street outside directly.

    Welner-sama? (Lily)

    Hmm? What? (Welner)

    I turned my attention to Lily because she called me. It turned out, there was nothing that caught her eyes. In the end, I bought her a medium-sized mirror. Because ss was expensive, Lily at first refused, but I convinced her that it was fine.

    The store on the fourth floor sold stationery, so I asked Lily if she wanted to buy some, but she said no since the stationery in the mansion was enough for her. Well, the stationery of a noble house was pretty high quality stuff.

    Lily seemed to be more interested in the fifth floor that sold cut fabrics. When I asked her what she was going to use the fabric for, she answered that it was to repair her parents everyday clothes. I told Lily that I would make an arrangement for her parents clothes, so just buy what she wanted to buy.

    I had to talk with my mother about clothing arrangements for all the servants, not just Lilys parentster.

    Our next destination was street stalls. I went to one of the stalls and ordered 2 skewers. The owner of the stall looked at me with a grin on his face while his hands were making the skewers skillfully.

    You sure brought a cute girlfriend today. (The owner)

    Mind your own business! Just hurry up and make our skewers. (Welner)

    Lily looked surprised when I exchanged jokes with the stall owner.

    After several minutes, the owner handed me two skewers and I epted them with a sour smile. I handed one of them to Lily.

 Chapter 158.2

    Chapter 158.2

    Lily then opened her mouth to eat the skewers, but stopped midway as if she had remembered something.

    UmWelner-sama, I should poison-test the food first. (Lily)

    Ah, no need to worry about that here. (Welner)

    Normally, a servant would take a bite of my food for poison tasting first and then hand it over to me after confirming the food wasnt poisoned, but there was no need to do that in this stall. The stalls in this street had already been checked by the academy and were deemed to be safe.

    For some reason, I got a feeling that the kingdom purposely created this street so the young noble students could enjoy life like a normalmoner. Maybe that stall owner used to be the soldiers of the kingdom or something.

    Still sometimes, there were some students who didnt care about food tasting stuff and just ate whatever they wanted, but I never heard of any of those students getting poisoned, so I guess this street was fine. Ae-san probably also knew that this street was fine, that was why she didnt say anything about food tasting to me.

    In the past I used to buy these skewers together with Mazell. (Welner)

    Really? (Lily)

    Yeah, we evenpeted to see who would pay for these. (Welner)

    Well, the so-calledpetition was only coin flip though. The loser would treat the winner. Come to think of it, I remember I often lost. That guy even his luck was out of the charts, huh. I took a bite of the skewer as I reminisced about the past.

    The surprised Lily let out a smallugh and she also started to eat her skewer.

    This is delicious. (Lily)

    Yeah. This was quite popr among the students, you know. (Welner)

    I took another bite while looking at Lily who seemed to be surprised by the taste of the meat skewers. From being a governor to participating in a war against the demon general, my life recently had been pretty chaotic. Maybe that was why eating the skewer peacefully like this made me feel nostalgic about the past. While I was thinking like that, I noticed Lily seemed to be looking at me.

    Whats the matter? (Welner)

    Ah, no, Its nothing. (Lily)

    When Lily took a bite of her skewer again, her expression returned to normal.

    After that, Lily told me that she wanted to go to a high ce where she could see the entire capital, so I took her to climb the town walls. There were guards who were guarding the walls, of course, but the guards seemed to know my face, so they let me pass easily. They seemed to be interested in Lily who was with me though, but I guess there was nothing I could do about that.

    Since there was no one on top of the walls, I didnt need Ae to guard, so I told her to stay below.

    Be careful. (Welner)

    Thank you. (Lily)

    I helped Lily walk up the stairs. In my previous life, a young woman like Lily would be out of breath after climbing this many stairs, but Lily seemed to be fine. I guess in this world everyone had great stamina regardless of their gender.

    As we arrived at the top, I could feel the chilly evening wind.

    So, thats the Great Reservoir. (Lily)

    Oh, you know it. (Welner)

    Lily pointed at a big manmade pond that seemed to be sparkling as it reflected the light. It was a reservoir originally built for military use but nowadays, the area around the reservoir was mostly used as a kind of event venue where night parties would be held in summer.

    Maybe because that reservoir had always been full, the people in the capital didnt notice the water shortage before, as I thought that I turned my eyes to the aqueduct.

    The Great Temple is in that direction, and over there is the stadium, right? (Lily)

    Right. Youre pretty knowledgeable about this. (Welner)

    Of course, the stadium wasnt as big as the Colosseum of Rome, but it was big enough to hold the one on one battle events for Knights Selection Test or to hold a joustingpetition. The stadium was mostly used as an event venue just like the reservoir. Still, she seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about the capital.

    Lily looked at distance while tucking her hair behind her ear, then she started to speak.

    It was my dream (Lily)

    Dream? (Welner)

    To dress up like a princess and live in the capital. My yearning for that dream became even more stronger after my brother went to the academy in the capital.

    I kind of understood Lilys meaning. No matter what age it was, ces like the capital were often admired and dreamed of.

    Thats why every time I read the letter from my brother, I always felt a bit jealous. I always thought [<i>Ah, if only I was there. It must be so much fun</i>.] (Lily)

    After saying that, Lily let out a chuckle.

    My brother also wrote a lot of things about you, Welner-sama. He wrote about his life in the academy with you, how he has matches with you Ah, he also wrote how he and you caught the panties thieves together. (Lily)

    Even about that!? That b-stard sure wrote unnecessary stuff. (Welner)

    Urgh remembering that memory where I became a knock-off Sherlock Holmes was embarrassing.

    Lily smiled when she saw my embarrassed expression, then her expression began to turn serious as she once again looked at distance.

    All the letters ended up being destroyed by fire. Maybe because of that the memories of those letters became even more clear now. (Lily)

    I never had the experience of losing my home like Lily, so I couldnt understand Lilys sense of loss. Still, I had a feeling that I shouldnt interrupt her, so I kept silently listening to her.

    Even though I lost my home that time, when you saved me, Welner-sama when you let me work in a noble mansion when you let me live in this capital (Lily)

    She stopped there and took a deep breath.

    You fulfilled my dream, Welner-sama. (Lily)

    She turned to me and spoke. Ah, she was truly beautiful.

    But today, after spending the day with you, I learned a different side of you, Welner-sama. You are always watching your surroundings earlier. Welner-sama, you are trying to protect me, right? (Lily)

    I thought I was being discreet about it, but she noticed?

    Not only me, but youve also been protecting everyone who lived in this capital with your life. Now, I no longer have to dream about my life in the capital while reading my brothers letters. I am now one of the people that lived in the capital and I really am by your side. (Lily)

    To be honest, I still thought Mr. Bierstedt was just overpraising me.

    Welner-sama. (Lily)

    Hm? (Welner)

    I love you. (Lily)

    Id realized that she had a feeling for me before now butfor her to confess with such a determined expression on her face

    For now, I wont ask to stay by your side. There are still many things I dont know and many things I need to learn. But still if possible Could you wait for me? I will definitely be a woman worthy to stand by your side. (Lily)

    Her gaze never left me, but both her voice and her hands were slightly trembling.

    I asked myself inwardly. Could I ever look at other women with the same feeling I had for Lily? Could I direct these feelings to any other women but Lily?

    I let out a sigh inside as I got my answer. I felt a bit disappointed in myself. To think I let her wait this long.

    I understand. (Welner)

    .! (Lily)

    But, theres one thing that I wanted to correct.(Welner)

    I could see Lilys expression became tense.

    When the timees, Ill be the one who asks you to stay by my side. (Welner)

    .Yes! (Lily)

    Her expression became a mix of embarrassment, tears, and happiness. Seeing that expression, I hugged her without thinking.

    Today, I have one more goal. That goal was not to <b>let</b> Lily be happy, but to <b>make</b> her happy, <b>with me</b>.

    T/N: KYAAA ITS HERE FOLKS!!!!

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159

    Because we decided to tour the capital, we only arrived at the Zeavert Mansion in the evening. The coachman and the guards were only able to return and rest after we arrived safely at Zeavert mansion, so I kinda felt bad.

    I let Lily enter the mansion first, while I stayed outside to talk with the coachman for a while. I could see Ae-san approaching me with a guilty expression as I was talking with the coachman. Honestly, Ae-san, you didnt need to feel guilty, you know.

    Viscount WelnerI apologize for what I said this afternoon. (Ae)

    Its fine. (Welner)

    I waved my hand lightly to give her a message that I didnt mind. umting a debt was really not a good thing. Moreover, I and His Highness intentionally hid the purpose of debt. In short, <b>I </b>deceived her, so it didnt feel right for her to be the one who apologized.

    That was my thought, but seeing her guilty expression didnt lighten up a bit made me feel bad. You were a really good person, Ae-san.

    I will ept your apology. In exchange, I want you to continue to apany and protect Lily.

    Understood.

    This time I used a stronger tone on purpose and it seemed like she finally epted the fact I had forgiven her. Good. Just as I was thinking like that, I couldnt help but be interested in Ae-sans next words.

    I have heard about your debt from the church. (Ae)

    The church?

    Yes, from Priest Kaempfer. Now that I think about it, Priest Kaempfer might have spoken about your debt on purpose to make Lily hear about it

    Oh, Kaempfer. I knew from Norberts report that he was the priest who kept asking for a meeting with Lily, but Mother kept turning him down. Did he spread this information purposely to make Lily hear about my bad reputation, so she dislikes me, or something? That guy, did he really think if Lily disliked me, she would turn to him and join the churchs side? What kind of stalker-like mindset was that!?

    Also, Ae-san, could you stop shooting me that apologetic look?

    Well, even if it was a church, it didnt mean that every member was a good person. There were churches that did stuff like poisoning and fraud even in my previous life.

    I understand. Thank you for the information. No need to feel guilty, just please continue to take care of Lily. (Welner)

    Yes, sir. (Ae)

    That was how I ended my conversation with Ae-san. Still, I couldnt grasp what the church was nning. If what they wanted was only to pull Mazell to their side, some of their actions didnt make sense.

    Hmmmaybe it was themon the subordinate moved on his own without the leaders permission kind of thing? That was why some of the churchs actions didnt make sense? Lets investigate it a bit more.

    After that, I asked the coachman to send a message to Father and Lily while I once again left the mansion. I then went to a random second-hand clothes shop, bought some old clothes and changed my current clothes to that one, then went to a bar.

    After that, I paid a little money, so I could leave the bar using the back door. I left the bar via the back door, took a several detour to make sure no one was following me, before finally arriving at my destination. It was a store. I entered the store via the back door.

    To think that guy already had enough funds to open a store, although it was a store he rented under a fake name, as expected of a former merchant.

    My, its you, Viscount-sama. You look as <i>dashing</i> as always.

    Well, I need to be careful when I leave the mansion, hence these clothes. Anyway, you seem to be doing well, Rafed. (Welner)

    This is all thanks to the money you have given me, Viscount-sama. I am forever grateful for your generosity. (Rafed)

    His mannerism was as fake as always.

    Stop with the ttery. Anyway, I want to ask you to investigate something. (Welner)

    Please, ask away.

    I want you to investigate if theres any connection between the church and the Jhering Count House.

    Then, I briefly exined to him the information I got today. After hearing my exnation, Rafed seemed to fall into a thought.

    From your story, it doesnt seem like there has been any contact between Miss Ae and Jhering Count House.

    I know. Most likely, Ae and Lily be friends out of a pure coincidence. But if the church and the Jhering House are actually connected, theres a chance that it was the Jhering House that gave the church the information that the church used to spread a bad rumor about me.

    I see. So youre saying that theres a chance that despite knowing their rtion to Miss Ae, they purposely didnt contact her. Are they nning to show up in the end when your rtionship with Miss Ae and Miss Lily is already sour to give them both a final push to leave you? Hmmm

    Rafed seemed to fall into thoughts again. Judging from his expression, it seemed like he knew something.

    Back when I was working with the Bachem house, I did hear several things about the Jhering House I understand. I will investigate it.

    Ill be counting on you.

    I will need some money for that, will that be fine?

    Yeah, its fine. Ill deliver the money to you tomorrow, you make the arrangement.

    I ended up remembering Ae-sans words today. I mean, as someone who had a lot of debt, spending more money did seem reckless, although I didnt need to repay my debt since, in reality, the debt was the money His Highness gave me for the army.

    Gathering information could take a lot of time so the earlier I start, the better.

    After that, I left the store and took a long detour to the mansion. I also changed my clothes to my original clothes midway. I noticed that someone was tailing me midway but I decided not to care as they would not be able to figure out my connection with Rafed.

    Lily greeted me with a slightly worried expression when I finally arrived at the mansion. I left my coat to Lily, then I told her that we would be meeting my parents after I changed my clothes. Lily looked visibly nervous after I said that, but I smiled at her and told her that everything would be fine.

    In a worst-case scenario, I could just arrange for a rtive to be the heir of the Count House. As I thought that, I arrived at Fathers room and knocked on the door.

    Come in. (Ingo)

    Excuse my intrusion. (Welner)

    When I entered the room, I saw that Mother was also here. Perfect.

    What happened? (Ingo)

    There is something that I need to ask for you twos permission. (Welner)

    Father stared at me sharply. Ah, I felt nervous, but I wouldnt back down. If I backed down now, I wouldnt be able to face Lily, who had gathered her courage to confess to me.

    I would like to marry Lily. Of course, not immediately.

    The room suddenly fell silent. The two exchanged nces with each other. I thought they both showed a very brief smile, but maybe that was just my imagination. After a short moment that felt like an eternity, Father finally opened his mouth.

    The path you choose might be filled with difficulty. (Ingo)

    Of course, I understand that. (Welner)

    Are you sure about this? There are many high ranking nobledies who are interested in you. (udia)

    This time, it was Mother who asked me.

    Of course, Mother. (Welner)

    I see. (udia)

    She said with a sigh. Sorry for troubling you with many invitations from the nobledies, Mother.

    You resemble your father in the strangest part, Mother said with a rare soft smile on her face.

    Wait, really? I turned to Father, and he gave me a rare shrug. After that, Father opened his mouth again.

    Its the first time you came to us to ask something that resolutely. I trust that you really are prepared for what will happen in the future? (Ingo)

    Yes.

    But I still cant give you my permission. (Ingo)

    Well, I expected this answer. I mean I also had a lot of unfinished business. As I thought like that, Father said unexpected words.

    A marriage between two noble families wouldnt be a problem. But, <i>that </i>isnt the reason you wanted to marry her, right? (Ingo)

    [T/N: Hes probably referring to the fact that the Hearthing family will soon be a noble family, thus marrying Lily will mean Zeavert family can form a rtionship with a new noble family.]

    Yes. (Welner)

    There are still many problems inside and outside of the kingdom that you will need to face. The demon king is one of those problems as for the others you know without me saying it, right? It will be dangerous if you show any weakness in this period. (Ingo)

    He was right. Even now, there was a problem with the church.

    That is why, as the Count Zeavert, I cant give you the permission for this marriage. This is the period where both love and excessive resolve will be dangerous for you. (Ingo)

    Although I had no intention of being drunk on my current feelings, Father was right. An excessive resolve to do something might narrow my thinking. If Father gave me permission here, I might unintentionally do something reckless.

    But then, both Mother and Father gave me an unusual soft smile, which made me feel a bit of a goosebump.

    But as your Father, Im happy to see you be that determined. (Ingo)

    Lily is a good girl. Because of that, you have to keep improving yourself. Please do not forget that to marry someone means that you have more things you need to protect. (udia)

    Yes. Thank you, Mother, Father.

    You sure couldnt win against your parents.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    The next day, I went to the pce early in the morning with Lily. Before entering the exclusive library, we were told that we would be receiving permits, so we came to the pce early.

    At the pce, we both received written permits and strange medallions. As we received them straight from the King, Lily looked nervous. Although Mazell was able to meet the King calmly, it seemed like Lily was nervous just like a normal person. Her manners were perfect though. His Highness the Crown Prince was also in the room and he looked as if he was having fun I wonder why?

    After our meeting with the King, we were both guided by a person, who was apparently the Prime Ministers subordinate, deep into the pce. Somehow, I felt that this guy looked a little simr to Sir Behnke. Since we were told today was only a preview of sorts, we didnt really prepare anything special. We did receive a magicmp on the way though. We then went to the basement and walked on the dark path.

    The dark stone road this felt like something straight out of a horror movie. Maybea ghost of an assassinated royal family member woulde out Ah, lets not think about something like that.

    After we walked for a while, we finally arrived in front of a heavy looking door. The door looked normal at the first nce but for some reason I got a strange feeling from it.

    This door is not locked, but please move thetch in the correct order before you enter. Please be careful to not make any mistakes.

    The man said so while showing us the order. It was bottom, middle, and top. Ah, the so-called puzzle door. Interesting.

    The man then opened the door and the inside of the door was a spiral staircase leading further down to the basement. It was dark, so lets remember to always bring a magicmp beforeing here in the future.

    Give me your hand, Lily. (Welner)

    YYes! (Lily)

    This kind of spiral staircase made of stones wasmon in the west. The stairs were narrow and the turns were surprisingly sharp, so you needed to be extra careful when using the staircase. People with a weak semicircr canal might get dizzy and even fall. The key was to not rush.

    We descended the staircase together, slowly, while I was helping Lily who was likely not used to using this kind of staircase.

    This staircase really goes down deep. (Lily)

    Yeah, it does. But surprisingly the surroundings arent damp. (Welner)

    After descending the staircase for a while, we arrived in front of another heavy-looking door. This ce really looked like a dungeon in an RPG game.

    The man who was leading us knocked on that door, and another person opened the door from the inside. Hmm I see. You probably could only open this door from inside.

    I have brought Viscount Welner and his assistant.

    Good work.

    After that conversation, we entered the room. The inside of the room was prettyrge. There was also another door at the back of the room. To have to pass through a room to get to another room this room reminded me of the presidents secretarys office. There were 4 Royal Guards inside of the room. They had a sword strapped on their waist. They didnt wear full armor, but judging by the way they carried themselves, they seemed to be pretty skilled.

    They only took a quick nce at me, but they seemed to be pretty interested in Lily. Well, I guess there had been only female members of the royal familying here, so they were curious about Lily. They didnt gaze at Lily too closely, so I let them be.

    Please wash your hands here first.

    I understand.

    I was surprised that there was a sink-like thing in this kind of ce. I guess since we would be interacting with precious old books washing your hands was to be expected. The sink let out water when I stepped on the pedal, so it felt strangely modern.

    Please follow me.

    After confirming that Lily and I had washed our hands, one of the knights opened the door for us. As I entered the room, I got the feeling that it was strange. When I looked at the ceiling, I realized where that feeling came from. There were shining stones at the ceiling, like themps in the modern world.

    Are they magicmps? (Welner)

    I also didnt know the details, but I heard apparently they are magicmps.

    Our guide was a civil official, but it seemed like he wasnt a mage, so it made sense that he didnt know about things like magicmps.

    After we entered the room and walked for a while, we arrived at a crossroad. If we continued forward, we would arrive in front of a double door decorated with a strange pattern. At the end of the right path, there was a luxurious looking door while at the end of the left path there was a sturdy looking door.

    With a door of the Knights room in the back and this double door decorated with a strange pattern at the front, I felt like we were inside a dungeon or something. Come to think of it, the door in front of us looked a bit simr to the door that could only be opened when there was a game event back when this world was still a game.

    Like the previous door, the door here also can only be opened from inside, so when youe here on your own, please remember to knock and ask for the people inside to open the door for you two.

    I understand.

    Is everything behind that door an exclusive library?

    No, the exclusive library is behind the door on the left. Behind the door on the right is the royal treasury while behind the door in the front

    The guide stopped for a moment

    The room behind the door in the front is called the Magic Control Room. From what I heard, its the room where things that maintained the barrier of the royal capital are being kept.

    then he immediately dropped a bomb.

    So this ce led to the room where the barrier was being maintained I was able to barely keep a straight expression after hearing that news. It seemed like this ce was the center of the royal pce.

    I see. That ce is an important ce (Welner)

    Only the members of the royal family, the Prime Minister, and the Mage Captain cane here. (Guide)

    Was it really okay for me and Lily to be allowed here? I really didnt understand how His Highness mind worked. If I asked the guide about this, I might get suspicion though.

    Lily? (Welner)

    Ah, my apologies! (Lily)

    I called Lily who was staring curiously at the door to the treasury. Well, it was normal for her to act like that.

    The three of us walked toward the exclusive librarys door. When we arrived right in front of the door, I found that the door didnt have any keyhole ortches.

    As we were looking at the door curiously, the guide pointed at a different colored stone panel that was located at the side of the door.

    Please touch the medallion to this section of the wall. Please do so twice, one for each of you.

    Like this?

    After the medallion touched the panel, the panel glowed and the door opened. So this medallion was like the fantasy world version of an ess key card? Since the guide told us to let the medallion touch the panel twice, there must also be some kind of additional security here.

    I do not have the medallion so this is the furthest I can go. Would you both like to take a look inside? (Guide)

    HmmYes, we will take a look inside. (Welner)

    Then, I will be waiting at the security room. (Guide)

    After saying that, the guide left. Lily and I exchanged looks then entered the room. Light was shining down from the ceiling. After we looked at the inside of the room, we both froze.

    Beforeing here, we both nned to search for the information we needed by dividing the books in the exclusive library half-half. If there were 100 books, that meant I had to read 50 and Lily 50. We both thought that at most there were only 1000 books, so we each had to read around 500. That amount was a lot, but well, bearable somehow, but

    Welner-sama how many books are there in this room?

    Um Well I also wonder about that, Lily

    There were clearly more than 10,000 books here.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    I was dazed at the number of books here. Fortunately, we decided toe here to take a look at the exclusive library first.

    UmWelner-sama, is it fine if I take one book and look through it?

    Okay. Just dont forget to put the book back to its previous shelf once youre done.

    Yes.

    I mean, it wouldnt be funny if the royal family got angry at us because we messed up the books arrangement, right? While I was thinking like that, I took a look at the entire library. There was somethingstrange about this library.

    Amazing! Each page of this book is thin! And the size of the letters is exactly the same, so its easy to read!

    I was surprised by Lilys suddenment. I then took a look at the book in Lilys hand. They werebooks made of proper paper, not paper made of leather.

    Welner-samaI wonder how this book was written

    Well, this book is probably printed, not written.

    Printed?

    Ah, <i>print </i>was an unfamiliar word for the daughter of an innkeeper, I guess. Or maybe to the people of this world? Who knows. I did know one or two things about the rotary printing methodbut to be honest I also didnt know the details Well then, lets just exin to her what I know.

    Hmm Well, the print is

    I exined the letterpress printing to Lily I hope she didnt get confused by that.

    Using this method, not only can you get an easy to read paper that has the letters of the same size, you can also make copies of the same papers over and over again. However, if the original has a mistake, the mistakes will carry over to the copy too.

    Why did that kind of amazing method not spread?

    Thats probably because of the characteristics of the paper we use.

    The paper made of animal skin or demon skin that was used in this world wasnt that smooth, so it wasnt suitable for letterpress printing. In addition, there was probably ack of suitable ink to use for the paper made of skin Honestly, even I didnt know what kind of ink was good for a paper made of skin.

    The paper used in this book does look different I wonder what they are made of

    I thinkthey are made of nts.

    From nts!?

    Yeah. Well, I am notpletely sure about the process of creating it.

    The paper used in this book was probably western paper. The method of creating paper that I learned from the documentary was the method of creating washi, the traditional Japanese paper, so it was probably different from the method used to create these papers.

    As I exined to Lily about what I know, she looked both surprised and impressed. I wonder if she didnt find it strange that I, a noble, knew how to make paper

    That aside, I never saw modern paper being created in this world.

    Welner-sama you really have a vast knowledge.

    Nah, I just came across this information before by coincidence.

    I didnt lie. The knowledge of papermaking that I exined to Lily was really something that I coincidentally got from watching a documentary in my previous world, so it was nothing much, or rather it was just the knowledge of this world was too behind.

    Anyway, I felt like if I continued to talk about this topic, I would end up digging my own grave because of how little I actually knew about it, so lets change the subject.

    How about we tour the entire library once so we can know roughly how big the library is.

    Yes, lets do that.

    After that, we toured the entire library together. As expected, the shelves in the library wererge and there were many books. But I kept feeling that this library wasstrange.

    Welner-sama, is there something that matters?

    For some reason, I keep feeling that this library is strange.

    Hearing me, Lily nodded her head and said, Strange is it because of the librarys shelves?

    Huh?

    The shelves?

    Yes, the shelves used in this library dont look like something that the <b><i>royal exclusive library</i></b> should have.

    And I finally noticed it, the source of this feeling. The shelves used in this library were too in for it to be something that was used by the royal family Maybe it was because this library was a <b><i>secret library</i></b>?

    In addition, there were also no proper ssification marks on the shelves. There were only small wooden boards with Magic or Sewer System probably left by the members of the royal family who had read these books. Usually, in a library, there were ssification marks containing detailed information about the books inside of each shelf.

    Rather than an actual library this ce feels like a ce where the owner just shoved the books into the shelves and called it quits.

    Yeah.

    Lily nodded in agreement. Since thats the case maybe the ssification of the books here was also not that good?

    Hmm Maybe our work would go much faster if we just made theyout of the shelves first As I thought like that while touring the library, I finally noticed that we had stayed here for quite a long time. Not having a clock was really inconvenient.

    How about we finish here for today?

    YYes, lets return now.

    Hm? Is there anything wrong, Lily?

    UmWelner-sama, is it fine if we go to the treasury first before we return? No need to get to the inside of the treasury, just in front of the door is fine.

    Hmm? Her expression didnt seem like she was interested in the items inside of the treasury or anything like that.

    Lets ask the guides permission first.

    Thank you, Welner-sama.

    Ah, her happy expression which looked like a puppy wagging her tail happily was destructive!

    ***

    After talking to the guide, he told us that we couldnt enter the treasury with the medallion we had, but it was fine to just look from outside the door.

    When we arrived in front of the door, Lily spread her hands wide. Mr Guide, even if you look at me like that, I also didnt understand what she was doing.

    Just as I expected, this ce is strange. (Lily)

    What do you mean? (Welner)

    You see (Lily)

    After she said that, Lily suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me to the middle of the crossroad between the treasury, the library, and the magic control room. The guide looked at me with confusion, and I too was confused by Lilys sudden action.

    If you look at the door on the left side and the right side from here, their size looks the same. (Lily)

    Hm? Ah, youre right. (Welner)

    But in reality, both doors have a different size. (Lily)

    What? Really?

    My attention was fully focused on how shy the door looked. I never really notice that. Did the person that designed this cepurposely made the size of the two doors different, then hide it?

    The guide, who followed us, curiously asked a question, Sowhat does that mean?

    We need to properly measure it to know for sure but the width of the passage seems to change gradually, just a little at times as you get closer to the two doors, so actually the distance from here to each door was different. But this ce seems to be designed to hide that fact and I dont know why.

    Yeah, it certainly was strange.

    Can you please report this to His Highness? (Welner)

    Yes, sir. (Guide)

    Lets just leave it to the guide.

    Since it was gettingte, I was nning to return to the mansion with Lily, but midway, a messenger from His Highness came to us and said His Highness wanted to meet us, so we followed him back to the pce. We were then invited to His Highnesss office. Lily looked nervous.

    When I gently patted her back, she smiled, although her smile was a bit stiff. To be honest, I was also nervous.

    I see. I understand. (Hubertus)

    His Highness put his hand on his chin as he fell in thought. As silence fell to the room, one knight spoke out.

    Is it not just some kind of coincidence? (Knight A)

    Perhaps. But its also true that all this time, I never noticed that the width of the passages or the size of the doors are different. When I have matters to attend to in the library or the treasury, I always just enter either ce without really caring about the other one. (Hubertus)

    After saying that, His Highness once again fell into deep thought with his finger tapping the table. After a while, His Highness stopped tapping the table and looked at me.

    What do you think, Sir? (Hubertus)

    I think it is possible that the creator was trying to hide something in that passage. (Welner)

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    The next day, I returned to my official work as the chambein. Although this position was given to me so that I could go to the pce without drawing any suspicion, I still needed to do some work as chambein just for show. Plus, other nobles would get suspicious if they never saw me in the pce (since I was in the exclusive library, located in the basement) despite my position as a chambein.

    Thus I had no choice but to begrudgingly do my job as the chambein, even though I was already busy as it was. I mean, the number of books in the exclusive library probably crossed ten thousands. Lily and I needed to read them all! My head hurts.

    I was told that I would do my chambein job once every three days. If anything happened, I needed to prioritize my real job in the exclusive library, so apparently I would only be given a job that could be transferred to someone else at any time.

    As for the investigation of the strange passage, His Highness people would do it. His Highness had ordered that no one could leave or enter the passage while the investigation was going.

    I was really curious about what exactly was hidden in that passage, so I was a bit disappointed that I couldnt take part in the investigation, but since I got a promise from His Highness that I would be told of the result of the investigationter, I guess it was fine.

    The job I was given today was organizing the tableware warehouse. It felt like I was indirectly told that I didnt need to finish it by today and could just do it at my own pace since this job was just a cover for my real job.

    Was this how those spies who pose as some ordinary civilians working a normal job felt?

    It was also decided that when I wasnt working in the exclusive library, Lily didnt have toe to the pce, so she was currently continuing her education in the Zeavert mansion. Mother called a history and a dance tutor for Lily. I hope she was doing fine.

    So I dont have to check the food ingredients?

    Yes. Food ingredients will be checked by a specialist so viscount, you can focus on managing the tableware.

    I understand.

    This world was mostly a medieval world, but the royal court was unexpectedly modern. I was d for that.

    Well then, lets split up and do the inspection. Pay close attention and rece any cracked bowls and dirty silverwares.

    Yes, sir.

    This kinda reminded me of the time when I was a militarymander. The entire team was split into smaller groups to inspect the boxes containing all eating utensils. Thankfully, we had the magicmp, so the warehouse wasnt dark.

    Is there any problem with the number of silverwares?

    No, sir. The number of silverwares matches the records.

    Alright. Hmm Wait, we will change the boxes cement. Those who oftene to this room, raise your hands. (Welner)

    I noticed that some people were going to return the boxes to their original ces, so I stopped them. Hmm I see. So the average height of people that often came to this room was roughly this high?

    Alright then. Put the boxes in a way that boxes that contain the most frequently used items would be easy to ess. Use the average height of you all as standard. Also mark the boxes so you know whats inside of them without opening them. (Welner)

    In the afternoon, I finished my job in the warehouse, then I attended an economic meeting as someone to distribute the materials of the conference. There was no way someone of my age could interfere in the economic decisions of this country. Hence, my role was just to carry the materials, hand them to the participant, then sit back and watch silently.

    This is the material that will be the next topic of discussion.

    Well, the materials themselves were already prepared, so I just needed to hand them to the participants. To be honest, I did have stuff I wanted to do rather than silently listening to a boring meeting, but it wasnt like I got any choice.

    I could feel that some people inside of the meeting room nced at me from time to time, probably because, officially, I was being demoted since I went from a governor of the royal familysnd to the chambein under Prime Minister. Lets not think about it further.

    The meeting then started. The meeting mainly discussed how to handle the loss that our kingdom suffered because of the demon army and the current financial situation of the kingdom. What I didnt expect was that there was also a topic of debasement.

    Debasement was something that countries did sometimes when there was a financial problem. In Japan, the famous debasement happened in the Edo Period while in the west, it happened at the time of the Hundred Years War. By mixing the silver and gold coins with some other metals, the countrys economic burden could be lifted. Debasement was certainly an effective tactic in a short time.

    However, in the long term, debasement would cause intion to rise. Unlike Edo Japan that had little to no contact with foreign countries, this kingdom had a lot of trade with foreign countries. If the value of the money in this country changed, it could easily cause various problems internationally.

    Furthermore, once our generation tried the debasement tactic, the future generation might try it again after seeing how effective it was in a short time. Debasement was like a sweet slow acting poison.

    Above all, in this medieval world, money was often used together with other currency. During this period of time, the intion would slowly increase and in 5-10 years the intion would be so high that it could destabilize the financial situation of the kingdom.

    I refuse to deal with high intion in my 20s. I didnt have any right to speak in this meeting, so I should write a proposalter.

    But if I just sent my proposal containing only objections, the proposal would definitely be rejected. If I wanted the proposal to get epted, I needed to think of an alternative way to get money.

    In my experience as the governor, there were some cases where the taxes collected from guilds was fewer than the standard, so I should investigate the tax from the guild as the alternative solution in my proposal My head hurts.

    <b></b>

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    I still couldnt start my job in the exclusive library even the next day because apparently the investigation was still not finished. The investigation was taking longer than I expected. I wonder if the investigation team faced some trouble.

    Since LiIy told me she wanted to study history and I also wanted to do some research on the kingdoms noble houses, I asked the Prime Minister for permission to go to the normal library with her. I got the permission without any issue.

    Neurath and Schunzel, who were actually in the middle of their holiday, ended up apanying me as an assistant. I actually also wanted Ae toe with us, but she wasnt my subordinate, so I couldnt exactly order her toe.

    By the way, have you two been to the library before? (Welner)

    Imno good with the library. (Neurath)

    Ive been there a few times before, but I havent been there for a long time now. (Schunzel)

    Hey, Neurath, what did you mean by youre no good with the library!?

    Did the books in the library bite you or something!? It seemed like Neurath almost never went to the library before.

    I guess knights spent most of their time training their body rather than reading books in the library, huh. Well, that made sense. In any case, it seemed like they wouldnt be able to help me in my research. Lets just ask them to be Lilys bodyguard.

    You two protect Lily if something happens.

    Yes, sir.

    Understood.

    Well, I doubt anyone would make a scene in the library of all ces, but better safe than sorry.

    After we decided to meet up at one of the desks in the library, we split up. I went to the Noble Registrys section, while Lily went to the history section. I picked up some publicly avable material from the shelves, then went to the desk we had decided as a meeting point.

    Damn it. These books were heavier than the books in my previous life.

    Here, if you wanted to find ssified information, you needed to pay a lot of money and even risk your life. Yes, risk your life. It was just that dangerous.

    However, depending on how you use it, even the normal publicly avable information could be much more dangerous than ssified information.

    Lily was already reading a book on the desk when I arrived. I also started to look through the material in my hands. I searched for information regarding the noble houses that have a close ties with the church. As I was reading the material, I felt someones gaze on me. <i>Sigh</i> how troublesome.

    Ill look for more books. (Welner)

    Ah, yes. (Lily)

    After saying that to Lily, I left the desk and went to the row of shelves. I felt that a person was observing us. It seemed like his target was me, not Lily. When I was putting the material in my hand back to the shelves, that person approached me. Lets see what he got to say.

    My, Viscount Welner! What a coincidence!

    Hmm? I believe this is the first time we have met. May I ask who you are?

    I responded to his clearly deliberate surprised greeting with a sarcastic voice. Well, I actually know who he was though. He was Viscount Vogel.

    My apologies for ate introduction. I am Wotan Swen Vogel.

    Ah, so youre Viscount Vogel. I am Welner Von Zeavert.

    As I deliberately responded to his introduction with an uninterested tone, Viscounts face turned sour.

    The Viscount was probably in his mid-twenties. Viscount, even if you surrounded me with your two followers, you were not scary at all, you know. I mean, their presence was like an ant if Ipared it to the pressure I faced when fighting the demon general head on.

    I have heard of your various <i>achievements</i> as the governor of Anheim. I have also heard you are now a chambein. You have it rough, Viscount Welner. (Vogel)

    He said with a sarcastic tone.

    I do not think it was rough, Your Excellency. After all, I got fame out of my job. (Welner)

    <i>At least I am famous now, different from a nobody like you</i>.

    The Viscounts expression turned red in anger after I said that. Huh, serve him right.

    I also heard that you are close to Her Highness.

    For such a rumor to be spread, its my honor.

    I replied with a mocking expression which said: <i>I am in a speaking term with Her Highness, while your position is so low that you will never have a chance to even talk to her</i>.

    It seems like Her Highness has even stayed at your mansion.

    I wasnt there at the time, as such Her Highness came to the mansion as the guest of my mother, the Countess.

    <i>What? Are you going to pick a fight with the Zeavert Count House?</i>

    Well then, I think it was about time.

    If you are interested, I will extend an invitation to the mansionter. I still have things to do, Your Excellency, so please excuse me.

    WhWait, Viscount, I still have

    Well, I believe that you dont want to be called ipetent for being unable to do simple things such as buying some time, but I am busy, so please excuse me.

    After I finally said that bluntly, I left the stunned Viscount and his two followers immediately. I quickly walked to the desk where Lily was reading. I ignored Neurath who was clearly cautious about the man who approached Lily, then just before the unknown man was going to speak, I called Lily.

    Lily. Sorry but can youe here for a bit?

    Ah, yes.

    Lily stood up and approached me, while the unknown man looked at me with his mouth agape. He was clearly surprised. Mr Whoever, you should choose your subordinates more carefully.

    Welner-sama, what is it?

    Ah, you see, this..

    I led Lily to the shelves filled with maps while I gave a quick nce to Neurath and Schunzel, silently giving them an order to block the unknown man from approaching us, and the man red at me. Well, even if you look at me like that, I wouldnt suddenly recognize you, you know. Lets investigate who the man waster.

    Did something happen? (Lily)

    Well, I just extinguished a small <i>spark</i>. I dont want you to get hurt after all.

    Thank you.

    For a moment, I thought that maybe I was being overprotective. However, Lily seemed to have noticed that she was still powerless about this kind of thing, so she just gave me a smile. I guessthis was enough for today.

    After that day, Lily and I spent the next few days in the exclusive library, but I still didnt hear anything about the mystery of the passage. It seemed like the investigation was still going on, but I couldnt see the investigator.

    Maybe the royal family didnt want too many people to know that Lily and I were working in the exclusive library, thats why they deliberately restarted the investigation when we were not here.

    Even the atmosphere of the room was quite different from before, probably because there were many people who came and went to the basement recently.

    Since it was useless to keep thinking about this, I just continued investigating the underground library with Lily. We finished mapping the entire library after spending a day. It was quite tiring, but our work would get easier if we had a map of the entire library, so I guess a day of hardwork was a fair price to pay.

    For now, I asked Lily to search for books that have maps in it. Most history books would have maps, although whether the maps were urate or not was a different matter. It would be easier to find some information from a map, rather than reading the books one by one.

    As for me, I was skimming through the books about magic. I was really interested in magic, so I decided to just skim through the books, since if I read them carefully, I might just forget time and spend my entire day just reading a few books.

    I muttered after seeing the map of the ce while I was taking a break, The arrangement of this ce is really strange.

    Lily, who was writing a note, raised her head and replied to me, Really?

    I nced at her note. It seemed like she was keeping a list about which shelves she had checked. I would ask her to show me the noteter.

    The width of the passages inside this library was mostly all different, the rows of the shelves were also not aligned. This ce barely qualified as a warehouse for books, rather than library.

    The carpet is also strange. (Welner)

    You are right. The carpet in the mansion is more magnificent. (Lily)

    Actually, it looked more like a floor mat rather than carpet. It might be thanks to the floor mat that the humidity in this ce was kept constant. This ce seemed to be built with practicality in mind, rather than a ce for the royal family toe.

    After seeing how strange this library is, Im now curious about the inside of the treasury. I wonder if it is also as strange as this library.

    I am also curious but It is probably impossible for us to take a look into the treasuryright?

    Lily replied to my muttering with a wry smile. I also didnt think it was possible for us to enter the treasury, but I got a feeling that if we knew whether the treasury was originally a treasury or a different room that was being converted to the treasury, we would get closer to the answer we wanted.

    For now, my theory was that this room was a book storeroom. This ce was used to store the excess books, while the actual library was located somewhere else.

    If my theory was right, then it was possible that there was another room full of books from the ancient kingdom era somewhere in the pce, a room that even the royal family may know nothing about. After all, if the royal family knew the existence of this particr room, I doubt they would hide it after ordering me to do research about the ancient kingdom era.

    Well, lets not dwell into it too deeply. I didnt want to get into any troublesome stuff.

    After we spent several hours in the library together, we finally decided it was time to return. But as we were about to leave the pce, a messenger stopped me and asked me to go to the meeting room.

    I thought His Highness would finally share some information of the passage in the basement, but when I entered the room I was surprised to find not only His Highness but also His Excellency the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke, and even a man who wore a High Priests uniform. Everyone in the room seems to have a grim expression.

    Then, the High Priest lowered his head with a gloomy expression, and started to speak.

    My apologies. Due to myck of power, Mazel Hearthing-kun is now being put on a trial.

    what?

 Chapter 164.1

    Chapter 164.1

    T/N: The size of this chapter is around 2.5x of normal one, so we have splitted it into 3 parts.

    Um I apologize but I dont understand. What exactly happened that Mazell ended up in the court?

    To my question, the High Priest bowed his head again.

    I am ssius Isaac Leppe. It is an honor to meet you, Viscount. I have heard about your aplishments in Finnoi. (ssius)

    I thank you for your kind greeting. I am Welner von Zeavert. Your Grace, please speakfortably.

    I see. He used polite speech when speaking to me, who was a noble. That means his earlier apology that used a casual speech was directed to Lily, not me.

    By the way, although Your Grace or His Grace were used to address priests with the rank of High Priest or Supreme Priest in this world, it was only used in a really formal asion. That was the churchs wish, so that people will feel close to us.

    May I ask for the exnation of how and why Mazell ended up in the court? (Welner)

    Hmdo you want to start from the overview of the event, or with the details? (Seyfart)

    Please start with the overview of the event. (Welner)

    Wait, since the Grand Duke asked me that kind of question, did that mean the details were going to be prettyplicated?

    Well, people of Delitzdam <b><i>blew a flute</i></b> and some people of our kingdom <b><i>danced to it</i></b> but everything ended up leaking to the public, so were currently discussing what to do. (Seyfart)

    Delitzdam. I remember it was a kingdom east of Triot. Did that mean

    Is it rted to Triot? (Welner)

    Yes. Im not trying to me you or anything, but Delitzdams greed for Triots territory basically led to this event. (Seyfart)

    Is it something like, they wanted the territory of Triot but they are too afraid to move their army in the current situation?

    Delitzdam heard the news of Gezariuss death, so they wanted to take over Triot now that Gezarius was gone. But even if Gezarius was already dead, there were still many demons roaming around in their own kingdom. Thus, they judged that it was too dangerous for them to send an army and leave their territory defenseless.

    They want to send arge army so that they can conquer Triot, but doing that will leave their country defenseless, thus, they came up with a scheme to keep the Hero in their country. (Seyfart)

    And they choose to do that by making him a defendant? (Welner)

    Delitzdam likely thought that even if the Hero stayed in their country as a defendant for a false charge, if he heard that the people of their country are in trouble because of the demons, the hero will lend them a help.

    Theres a high chance that guy would do that.

    In short, Delitzdam was nning to keep Mazell in their country for a long time by putting a false charge against Mazell, then stretching the trial until they finished conquering Triot.

    I understand why Delitzdam does that. (Welner)

    The usation was raised at the temple. The user said that Mazell-dono has shown an illicit behavior toward Laura-sama. The trial of the temple can be held in any temple, so if we let the situation continue like this, the trial will most likely be held in a temple located at Delitzdam, since the defendant is there.

    This time, it was High Priest Leppe that spoke. Wait, <i>illicit behavior</i>?

    The usation includes things like needlessly touching Laura-sama or sleeping with Laura-sama under one roof despite the two being unmarried. (Leppe)

    Sleeping under one roof? Isnt that a given since they were traveling together? (Welner)

    I thought that too, but that usation was epted by the temple. (Leppe)

    An usation would only be epted when the defendant knew and epted that he was being used, so how did the usation toward Mazell pass? After the High Priest told me the reason I got pissed.

    So the noble that used Mazell imed that even though he is a hero, hes amoner as such he cant read so I sent a representative to him that will exin the usation toward him, and he agreed to go to the court. and the noble even prepared a fake witness that imed to have seen the nobles representative exining things to Mazell. Bullshit. That guy got the top grade in the academy.

    Which noble said something like that? (Welner)

    My apologies but can we talk about thatter? Let me first finish the exnation about the usation.

    I understand.

    The document, which said Mazell-dono had received the exnation regarding his usation in Delitzdam, was then sent to the Bain Kingdom. High Priest Mvoi is in charge of the entire procedure.

    And <b><i>who</i></b> is this High Priest Mvoi?

    This usation that used a fake witness and a fake im, which would be easy to verify, was easily epted. That means, High Priest Mvoi was in cahoot with the noble that sent the usation.

    High Priest Mvoi is the rtive of the noble from Bain Kingdom that sent the usation toward Mazell-dono. There are also some <i>gifts</i> involved.

    So the noble used his connection, huh. The High Priest in charge of the Court was rotated every four weeks. The noble must have waited until it was High Priest Mvois turn to be in charge of the court before making his move.

 Chapter 164.2

    Chapter 164.2

    There is another problem here. One of High Priest Mvois subordinates, Cardinal Kaempfer seems to be intending to use this situation for his own greed.

    Kaempferthat sounds familiarah! Wasnt that the name of the priest that kept going to our mansion to meet Lily, but was stopped at the door by Mother? Wait, dont tell me his intention was too

    I believe you have heard that one of the High Priests seats is now vacant?

    Yes, I have heard about it.

    Cardinal Kaempfer wanted that vacant position. So he ns to make a deal with Lily-dono. In exchange for dismissing the charge against Mazell-dono, Lily-dono will enter the church as an apprentice priest under Cardinal Kaempfer, thus he will get the support of the hero.

    As expected, that was his aim.

    But Cardinal Kaempfer cannot get in touch with Lily-dono.

    Yeah, since Mother kept refusing him to meet Lily in the mansion, while outside of the mansion Lily had been going to the exclusive library with me.

    Wait, was the strange man who was trying to approach Lily in the library before had any rtion with this Kaempfer?

    But then, there was an incident in the temple. The document ended up being seen by a young woman priest from a different department and this priest spread the words to the others that the esteemed hero will be put on trial under the charge of having illicit behavior.

    In short

    The news blew up and now many people expressed dissatisfaction toward the church.

    The High Priest said that with a bitter expression. Well, I could understand his feelings. Since the news blew up, the church could no longer cover up the whole thing. Adding to that, the handsome and brave hero, Mazell, was really popr now, so the people of the church must be really stressed out because of the amount ofints they were receiving right now

    Wait. He said many <i>people</i> were expressing their dissatisfaction. Dont tell me

    By any chance

    You are quick to understand, Viscount. Some nobles have even sent an open letter questioning the church about the meaning of the heros illicit behavior.

    Even I couldnt help but get a headache at the Prime Ministers words. Since even nobles were involved, the current situation must be extremely chaotic.

    There were also some nobles who said all of this was the fault of the Zeavert House. But dont worry. I will suppress that sort of opinion myself.

    As soon as His Highness said that, I felt like the room temperature immediately dropped. Scary.

    Umso the usation has already been epted, you say?

    Yes. Despite the dubious nature of the usation and witness, the formal document has been epted, so the trial must be held. In the current situation, if we didnt hold the trial then people might start questioning the legitimacy of the temples trial.

    The High Priest said so with a bitter expression.

    How about we announce to the public that the document was fake?

    That will stain the honor of a High Priest, and the noble house that raised the usation would definitely protest. The position of that noble housewas special, so it would be a huge trouble if they started to make fuss.

    So which house was it? (Welner)

    The Coltrezis Marquis house. (Seyfart)

    Thats a prettynostalgic name. I havent heard that houses name for a pretty long time. I couldnt even remember if that house participated in the Finnoi defense battle. Maybe because I inadvertently revealed a strange expression, the Grand Duke started to speak again.

    Its normal for someone your age to be unfamiliar with that house. They are the maiden family of the current kings mother. In the era of the previous king, Marquis Coltrezis was a talented person but his sessor has a quite terrible reputation.

    To put it bluntly, that house has suffered a losing streak in the noblemunity. They lost to the Grunding house in the selection of the current queen, then they failed to get both the position of the current Crown Princess and the future Crown Princess.

    I see. It seems like it would be hard for that house to shine at least in this generation.

    Unless they used some illegal means. ButI wonder why I got this strange feeling

    And in the next moment, I finally understand a part of the reason for this strange feeling.

    But even if they were no longer as powerful as before, the Coltrezis house was still a house that used to produce a queen, so they have many rtives. In addition, the current Marquis Coltrezis was ina because of his illness, so the Marchioness was the real head of the Coltrezis family.

    Hmthe Marchioness was probably quite old now. In short, the woman that got her daughter and granddaughter dumped by the royal family was now the head of the house, huh. Considering she was the one that raised an usation toward Mazell, her personality might be twisted.

    Wait a minute. Dont tell me her real reason for using Mazell was

    Is the Marchioness main objection was to smear Princess Lauras reputation, rather than to attack Mazell?

    <b></b>

 Chapter 164.3

    Chapter 164.3

    If rumors like <b><i>[The so-called saintess was actually having an illicit rtionship with a man!]</i></b> spread, the reputation of Laura and the royal family would take a blow. Was the Marchioness objective actually a revenge against the royal family!?

    The Marchioness might have that sort of intention. But

    With a frustrated expression, the Grand Duke continued.

    The marquiss heir, that is his eldest grandson, has dered that he is the only person who is suitable to be Princess Lauras husband. He has a one-sided love for the princess.

    How is his personality?

    His administrative ability is average but he is<i>creative. </i>I heard he said something like <i>[The beautiful princess ought to have the beautiful me at her side]</i> while presenting a bouquet of roses to the princess. (Seyfart)

    That wasnt being creative, that was just in being a weirdo! I guess saying he was creative was the Grand Duke being polite. Wasnt he exactly the type of person Laura hated the most?

    On the other hand, it seems like the Marchioness second grandson agreed with his grandmother.

    Umyou are only mentioning about the Marchionesss grandchildren and, how about her children? (Welner)

    The Marquiss son has already passed away because of the illness, perhaps that is the reason why the marchioness rarely go outside. (Seyfart)

    I never thought that Marchioness is this much of a fool. (Hubertus)

    His Highness coldly interjected. In short, the Marquis was currently in aa, so his family did whatever they wanted, huh.

    In addition, the mastermind of this whole thing, the Marchioness, was holed up in her territory, so she couldnt immediately obtain information about the capital.

    Using the Marchionesss animosity toward the royal family, Delitzdam seeded in forcing a trial on Mazell to keep him locked in Delitzdam and even the church was involved with everything. What a mess

    From Delitzdams point of view, their diplomatic rtionship with the Bain Kingdom and even other kingdoms would be sour if they directly sued the hero, so they borrowed the hand of Bain Kingdoms noble.

    If Delitzdam seeded in stretching out the trial, they would be able to move their army to retake Triot without worrying about the demons that might attack their kingdom while they were gone. With this, even Bain Kingdom couldnt do anything to Delitzdam Kingdom since technically, they didnt do anything. The only people that would be shamed here was the Coltrezis Marquis House.

    I wondered if Marquis Coltrezis wasnt in aa, the situation wouldnt have be like this.

    So to summarize everything:<ol><li>Delitzdam Kingdom</li></ol><ul><li>Wants the Triot territory, so they need the heros power.</li><li>Came up with a way to make the hero stay in their country using trial as an excuse.</li></ul><ol><li>High Priest Mvoi</li></ol><ul><li>Received a bribe from Coltrezis Marquis House to let the usation against the hero pass.</li></ul><ol><li>Cardinal Kaempfer</li></ol><ul><li>Wants the High Priest position, so he tried to use Lily.</li></ul><ol><li>Marchioness Coltrezis</li></ol><ul><li>Wants to stain the royal familys reputation no matter what.</li></ul><ol><li>Grandson of Coltrezis Marquis House</li></ol><ul><li>Laura is mine! I have to kick out this hero using a false charge!</li></ul><ol><li>Themoners and nobles</li></ol><ul><li>What do you mean about the illicit rtionship between the esteemed hero and thedy saintess!?</li></ul>

    I guess thats about it.

    In addition, the Marchioness intention was to get revenge on the royal family. She probably only thought about making Mazell the knight of her house or something like that.

    Damn it. Anyonegive me stomach medicine and headache medicine.

    Jokes aside, it also seemed that there were intentions of separating Laura from Mazell using this trial. For example, Laura would need to return to the Great Temple alone in order to defend herself. Considering that the demons were currently aiming for Laura, that was going to be dangerous. This scenario must be avoided at all costs. What to do? How to solve this matter?!

    That is why I am sorry to trouble you, but I need your help, Lily. (Hubertus)

    Me, Your Highness? (Lily)

    His Highness, saying sorry? That was rare.

    We are nning to stir the matter into opening a proxy trial.

    When the defendant was unable to attend the trial himself because of sickness or some other issue, proxy trial was held under which a proxy was sent on the behalf of the defendant.

    If a proxy trial was held, then either Lily or Mazells parents would be the one that attended the trial on Mazells behalf Ah, I see. Since Mazells family were all in Bain Kingdom, the proxy trial would be held in Bain Kingdom, not in Delitzdam.

    I will handle the procedure needed to open a proxy trial. Since there was a suspicion of document forgery, I could not leave it to High Priest Mvoi, the people must have thought so too.

    So High Priest Leppe would use the dissatisfaction of the people to make himself the person in charge for this trial. That was quite a forceful way, but it was important for High Priest Leppe to be in charge especially if Laura and Mazell checked the documents and announced that they were fake.

    The best solution was to dere Mazell <b><i>not guilty</i></b> and then push the fake documents under the rug. That would mean that the church would owe a big favor to Laura and Mazell but well, that was the churchs problem to think about.

    I will be the witness that the hero was unable to attend the trial.

    His Excellency the Prime Minister spoke. Was this a deration toward Delitzdam that the entire country would protect Mazell? But if Lily became a proxy for Mazell in the trial

    Will Marquis Coltrezis not resent Lily if she became the proxy? (Welner)

    If Marquis Coltrezis house failed to drag out Laura and Mazell to the trial, their anger would be directed to themoner Lily.

    If Im being honest, theres a risk for that to happen. But the situation turned out this way because of my carelessness, so I will take the responsibility for this matter. (Hubertus)

    His Highness would!? After he said that, the air changed suddenly.

    Prime Minister Falkenstein, Grand Duke Seyfart, High Priest Leppe, Imand thee to do your utmost to handle this incident.

    As you wish!

    The three of them immediately bowed down.

    Under the name of Crown prince Hubertus, Imand the Hearthing family to cooperate with us in order to erase the unjust usation toward the hero.

    Y..Yes, Your Highness. (Lily)

    Oh, wow. Was this what people call charisma?

    High Priest Leppe, are you sure that the intiffs of this trial were rted to Coltrezis house?

    Yes.

    There is too much gap between the legal knowledge that amoner and a noble had, so I think a trial bybat will be a better option, but what do you think?

    I agree with your opinion, Your Highness.

    A trial bybat. Wait, dont tell me

    Lily, who is the brave knight you wish to appoint for the duel?

    Lily immediately looked at me and I nodded. It was quite unexpected for everything to end up this way, but this was time to make full use of my notoriety. Lily took a deep breath, then answered.

    I would like to appoint Welner von Zeavert-sama.

    Lily trusted me with this, so I would make sure to answer her trust.

 Chapter 165.1

    Chapter 165.1

    T/N: The size of this chapter is around 1.6x of normal one, so we have splitted it into 2 parts.

    I borrowed some people from the pce to send a message to our next destination before leaving the pce with Lily in the carriage.

    Umm Welner-sama

    While I was admiring the scenery while thinking, Lily called me. She had a pretty nervous voice, so I decided to take the initiative instead to soothe her nerves.

    Thank you

    Yes?

    For choosing me. I think I would have cried if you chose anyone else other than me in that kind of situation.

    I I wont do something like that!

    To my joke, Lily denied pretty fiercely. Maybe I worded it wrong? But it was true I felt happy that she chose me.

    B..But, a duel

    Right, that. Isnt it kinda strange that someones innocence can be proven by a duel?

    I guess trial bybat existed because this world put strength above anything else, or was it just my prejudice? In my previous life, the trial of duel existed because it was believed that God would protect the innocent, thus the innocent one would win. To throw every troublesome thing to God, how very human-like.

    However, unlike in manga, where a character would just throw a glove to their opponent and then in the next page the two would be dueling, the actual trial bybat was prettyplicated.

    First, there was the venue preparation, then there was a need to write a formal agreement regarding the date of duel along with the weapons and the equipment allowed and all other conditions. This agreement would be presented to the judge.

    On the day of the duel, both sides would make a deration that they would recognize the winners side of the argument. There would also be a deration that any knight who intervenes with the duel would have their hands chopped off. Well, if the one who intervened was an apprentice knight though, their head would fly, literally.

    Originally, as a representative of Lily in the duel, I should have been busy with the duel preparation, but the Grand Duke said he would take care of them for me. I guess since this world allowed stuff like proxy trials, having someone to take care of the procedure on your behalf was allowed too. Especially since that person was the Grand Duke. I mean, no one would dare to doubt the credibility of a Grand Duke.

    Still, it wasnt like I didnt understand the Grand Dukes <i>other intention</i> for helping me.

    But Lily, you know, Im not exactly a brave and cool guy. Im more of a coward.

    Pardon..?

    Thats why we will stop by a ce first before returning to the mansion.

    Lily tilted her head in confusion. This time my role was to <i>misdirect attention</i>. It was good that I didnt have to be deeply involved with what was going on behind the scenes. Now then, how should I do my role Argh, my stomach was hurting again.

    ***

    My, its you, Viscount-sama.

    Sorry for troubling you again, Bierstedt.

    Our destination was the Commerce Guild. It was dangerous to leave Lily alone in the carriage, so I brought her with me. But Mr. Berstedt, could you please stop staring at me like that just because Ive brought a woman with me!? Maybe because Mr. Bierstedt somehow understood myint or maybe it was something else, his expression suddenly turned serious.

    I have heard the story from the messenger you have sent, but is it truly alright to tell me that?

    Its fine. The news will be released to the public soon anyway, since things worth watching like trial bybat are pretty rare.

    I see.

    Since I told him about the trial before the official announcement, he was discreetly asking for my intention. If it was like this, he should have understood what I was going to request.

    Talking about the trial, I have a request. Can you prepare me a set of armor and a shield that looks really shy and powerful?

    Like the Date Masamunes crescent moon helmet, or the shy decoration in the helmet of the medieval knight, both of them were actually not made forbat but for showing off.

    Pardon? I thought you do not like shy things.

    Youre right. I still dont like them.

    .Ah, I see.

    It seemed like Mr. Bierstedt understood my intention. It was Lily who still looked confused. Mr. Bierstedt asked me with his eyes if he could give Lily an exnation and I nodded. For Mr. Bierstedt, it was best if I won, so he wouldnt say unnecessary things.

    I let Mr. Bierstedt talk to Lily while I was browsing the helmet catalog given by the shopkeeper.

    Miss, have you heard about Viscount-samas reputation?

    Hmyou mean

    I really didnt care about my reputation, so there was no need to hesitate like that, Lily.

    You know, about me being a debt-ridden Viscount who uses money for my extravagance.

    B..But thats

    Its fine.

    Since it looked like the conversation was going to stir off the topic, I gave Mr. Bierstedt a signal to continue.

    People often just believe what they want to believe. If Viscount-sama, who is known for seeking extravagance to the point he fell into a debt, were to show up in a duel using an extravagant armorpeople would further believe that the rumor about Viscount-sama is true.

    Well, I was the one who asked for the rumor to be spread, though. If the rumor didnt reach my opponent, then it was fine. I would incur no loss if my strategy of showing extravagance failed.

    The opponent might underestimate Viscount-sama as a weakling who only cares about his appearance.

    Ah, I see.

    It seemed like Lily understood. This kind of strategy was often very effective against people of this world and even if it failed, it wouldnt have any consequence on me.

    As for the spear, even though it was a normal looking spear, the spear that Mazell gave me was actually strong enough to withstand a battle against a demon general. Although it wasnt some kind of magic weapon, there were probably only a few spears that have the same quality as that spear in the entire capital. It was a spear that might kill a normal person with one blow if I wasnt careful, so there was no need for me to buy another spear.

    I closed the catalog with a snap.

    Ill be counting on you.

    Yes, sir. Thank you for your patronage.

    After saying that, I left the guild with Lily. Well, I would probably be pretty busy today.

 Chapter 165.2

    Chapter 165.2

    When we finally arrived at the mansion, Father hadnt returned. Father was probably in the middle of receiving an exnation about the trial in the pce.

    Because I had sent a messenger to the mansion earlier, Frenssen, Neurath, and Schunzel had been waiting for me in the mansion. I asked Norbert to preparemoner clothes then I took a break while waiting for the clothes. Tiru brewed me tea. As always, Tirus tea was really delicious.

    I never expected for things to be like this. (Neurath)

    But with this, we know who our opponents are, so we can n a counterattack. (Schunzel)

    Just a counterattack? Do you really think His Highness is that soft? (Welner)

    As I said that, everyone in the room looked at me with surprise. Their faces clearly showed that they didnt understand my meaning. Well, it also took me quite a bit of thinking, to the point that I felt like my brain was going to melt before I finally understood the n of His Highness and His Excellency the Prime Minister.

    Lets see, where should I begin my exnation Hmm First, why do you all think His Highness took the trouble to make the trial into a trial bybat?

    Frenssen was the one that answered my question.

    HmmWell, first of all, the matter has already spread to the public. (Frenssen)

    With how big the matter has be, its impossible for anyone to just bury it. (Neurath)

    Right. Although it was mostly because of an ident, everyone now knew someone was trying to scheme against Mazell and Laura.

    No one, including Delitzdam, would even imagine that Cardinal Kaempfer would use the usation for his own greed. Furthermore, no one even imagined that the usation would end up leaking to the public because someone from a different department identally saw the document. If anyone could predict these two things that person was a God, not human.

    If this big trial that everyone knew about was held as a trial bybat with arge audience rather than a closed door trial, what do you all think will happen? (Welner)

    The news of the trial based on false usations against the hero would spread Ah, I see. The news would spread not only among the citizens of this kingdom but even to the foreign kingdoms.

    Youre right, Frenssen. With this, our kingdom made a deration to other kingdoms that whoever tried to use Mazell for their own benefit, our kingdom will use all of its power to fight them. Even if we have to expose the foolishness of a noble from our own country to the world.

    In short, this trial bybat served as a warning to other kingdoms that anyone who tried to get in the way of Mazells journey to defeat the demon king by pulling tricks like Delitzdam would have Bain Kingdom as their opponent. In addition

    If Mazell and the rest of the hero party heard about this incident, what do you think they all will think?

    After hearing about the incident, they would soon realize that Delitzdam was trying to take advantage of them. Laura and Elrich both had a good political ability, while Feli had an extraordinary intuition. The hero partys impression of Delitzdam would also deteriorate considerably.

    In a worst case scenario, Delitzdam might even have to face the hero party head to head if they tried to pull a simr trick toward Bain Kingdom even after the demon king was defeated.

    Then theres also one other thing. Well, I know that I shouldnt say this as someone who will be fighting in the trial bybat, but do you think someone like His Highness will challenge a fight he knows he cant win?

    This was the crux of the matter. If I thought about it again, the fact His Highness was able to deduce Delitzdams real intention even though the trial hadnt even started yet meant that His Highness had already done some investigation. He might even already have evidence that Delitzdam was involved in this whole trial.

    Rather, seeing how confident His Highness was before, it made more sense for him to already have evidence about Delitzdams involvement.

    In short, the reason why His Highness stepped forward in this matter and took the trouble of arranging trial bybat was to use Delitzdam to dere to the entire continent that the hero was under the protection of the Bain Kingdom.

    <i>If you want to try taking the hero away from our kingdom, you must prepare to pay the price.</i>

    Also, no one would be able to do anything even if I lost the trial since the kingdom could just announce that the trial was done with a false charge.

    This also served as an attack on the church who kept saying that the hero shouldnt be monopolized by a single country. I mean, there was no way that the church could keep saying that if it was proven that the church had a connection to a false usation brought to the hero himself. I could imagine the headache the churchs upper echelon was having right now because of the stupidity of their people.

    As for the people of Delitzdam I could imagine they have it worse than me or the church. They stepped on a tigers tail.

    Then, will the person responsible for using the hero immediately be judged?

    No, I dont think that will happen.

    I replied to Neuraths question. For this matterI felt kindaplicated since I was the person who would take part in the trial bybat.

    The trial was made into a trial bybat for the sake of the internal of our kingdom. Before I exin that, Ill give a hint. In a serious political scene, people would be on high alert, but if its in a festive event, <i>like the trial bybat</i>, people would let down their guard. And if this particr event might end up getting rid of their long-time enemy what do you think they will do?

    They will gather their friends to see the sight of the fall of their enemy with their own eyes.

    Frenssen muttered and it seemed like everyone finally understood.

    Are you saying that

    Yeah. <i>Eyes</i> of His Highness and His Excellency would also be in the duel, but rather than watching the duel, those <i>eyes</i> would be watching carefully who were the people that gathered around High Priest Mvoi and the Coltrezis houses people.

    Then, His Highness and His Excellency would put an <i>eye</i> on those people and take a note on who else they were meeting with. With this, the list of people who were the members of the Marchioness and the High Priests faction could be neatly created. In the end, the kingdom could take care of them all in one fell swoop.

    Since the duel was just a means for the kingdom to build that list, it didnt matter if I won or lost. By the time the whole event was over, His Highness would already have the list of troublemakers that didnt understand the gravity of the situation.

    Probably, at first the kingdom would behave as the whole trial was a problem created by the Coltrezis family alone. Then, when the kingdom gathered sufficient evidence, it would clean all troublemakers in one fell swoop.

    Back when Mazell and I were summoned to meet the Prime Minister and the Grand Duke, the Prime Minister said <i>when the time is ripe, we will handle at least half of the matter.</i> He must be talking about this cleaning up.

    As mentioned earlier, Prince Louwens birthday party was arranged to <i>agitate</i> nobles with <i>certain</i> intentions.

    The reason His Highness said that the trial was caused by his carelessness was that he never expected Coltrezis house to <i>dance</i> to another countrys <i>tune</i> before all preparations were ready.

    If the kingdom punished the Coltrezis house here, the kingdom would only be able to catch some of the people involved while the rest would go hide deeply. In order for the kingdom to be able to handle <i>at least half of the matter</i> just like the Prime Minister said, the kingdom was using a sensational event like this trial bybat to make a list of all nobles involved.

    For His Highness to use this incident to that extentHis Highness was really a scary person.

    In short, this uing duel was essentially nothing but a political fishing pond for idiot nobles and I was just the bait. It was kinda sad.

    They probably had ns in case I lost the duel, but I had my own reason to not lose.

    Welner-sama, themoner clothes are ready.

    Okay. Neurath, Schunzel,e with me.

    Yes, sir.

    Well then, so far my achievement in war seemed to have be useful, but lets make another move, just in case.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    Your clothes are pretty <i>unique</i>. (Gekke)

    Well, I dont have any choice but to wear something like this, given the current situation. (Welner)

    While constantly on guard, I, Neurath, and Schunzel moved together. The night was dark, so it was easy to move undetected, but at the same time, it was also easy for a skilled person to follow us, so we must keep up our guard. This was the troublesome part of living in this world.

    Our first destination was the inn Gekke-sans mercenaries stayed at. I was let in without any question or usual loud greeting. Since I was currently wearingmoner clothes, the mercenaries seemed to have understood I was here incognito. After I entered the inn, I saw some mercenaries checking if anyone was following me. As expected of Gekke-sans mercenaries, they knew their stuff.

    And now, I was in the inn talking with Gekke-san.

    So thats what happened. (Welner)

    Viscount, you sure have a pretty eventful life. (Gekke)

    Not by my choice. (Welner)

    To be honest, I wanted a life of just ying around, but there was no way I could say it to Gekke-san.

    Still, I kept reflexively using polite speech with him. Well, considering what I was going to ask him next it might be better for me to use polite speech though.

    So, why have youe all the way here and exined the situation to me? (Gekke)

    First, I hope you can train me. (Welner)

    I see. Well, I guess duels can be pretty different from usual battles.

    Yup. There were rules and stuff, so it was pretty different from my usual battles. Still, Gekke-san sure was a former noble. He knew exactly the rules of a duel without me saying anything. I mean, sometimes themoner would confuse jousting with duel.

    In jousting, you win after pushing your opponent off the horseback while the duel would continue until your opponent surrendered or couldnt fight anymore. It wasmon for duels that start with horseback fights to turn into normal fights at the end. There was a rule that forbade you from chasing your opponent, who had fallen off his horse, on a horseback, though.

    That was why hand-to-handbat techniques especially tailored for duels with armor existed. I learnt the basics of one of such techniques in the academy, but I would be at a disadvantage if I was going to a duel with just that.

    But isnt it better if you ask a knight to train you instead? (Gekke)

    If what I want is a slow steady training, that might be true, but I dont have much time. I just want to win the duel. (Welner)

    Alright, Ill teach you then. Few days should be enough for me to teach you some tricks. Plus, your realbat experience is far better than the average noble, Viscount, so it should be easier to teach you.

    There were only a few days left before the duel. Officially, these few days were for the venue preparation and the paperwork, but I was pretty sure it was actually to let the words of the duel spread to as many people as possible. That was why I needed an effective short training, not the one that started with basics like the knights training.

    Besides, my opponent should be familiar with how a knight battles, while they should have little to no experience in battling against mercenaries, so learning how to battle like a mercenary would benefit me more. That was the idea behind the asymmetric warfare.

    (T/N: Asymmetric warfare is a term for a war with an opponent that have a really different military power, strategy or tactics i.e: PhilippineAmerican War)

    Second, I want to ask you to spread rumors about me.

    Are you sure you want to ask something like that from mercenaries like us? Were not exactly known for our glib tongues.

    I just want you to spread the words about what I did in a group battle while keeping the details secret.

    My opponent would definitely try to find as much information as possible about me. Well, what was known about me? Group battles. But, that was all. The person who defeated the demon generals in Finnoi and Anheim was the Hero, Mazell. As long as people involved in my past battles didnt share the details I had no achievement in individual battles.

    Rumors would grow wings on their own. From having no achievement in individual battles, it might be he was actually really weak in individual battles.

    Using the fact that your achievements didnt spread to your own benefit, huh. Youre pretty cunning.

    Im just a coward.

    ying too much of a viin might make your deardy hate you, so you should stop soon.

    Shut it!

    Anyway, I hope you can start training me tomorrow.

    Okay. Come here tomorrow wearing mercenary clothes.

    Although I seeded in asking for Gekke-sans help, I somehow felt dejected. Neurath, Schunzel, you two stopughing!

    ***

    Our next destination was Rafeds store. He immediately greeted us when we arrived, as if he had already expected our arrival.

    So, you know we wille, huh.

    Of course! Since the truly unbelievable rumor of Hero raping the Saintess-sama has spread, I know you will make a move.

    Rape? I knew rumors would grow wings on their own, but that was just too far.

    Did people actually believe that kind of rumor?

    Of course not! In fact, I think if the person who spread that terrible rumor were to be found, people would beat him to death.

    So, someone intentionally spread that rumor. Hmm Well, we would probably find out who spread the rumor soon.

    Really, did the person who spread the rumor thought that people would believe that kind of absurdity? But, well, even in my past life, there were people who believed ridiculous news that was obviously fake. Ah, the world was truly a messy ce.

    I then exined the situation to Rafed.

    My, this news will definitely be the talk of the town.

    Well, its news regarding the hero, after all.

    That is true, but there is another reason. Think of it, Sir. A beautiful princess, who fought together with themoner born hero, was being coveted by an ugly noble. But then the heros best friend, a young brave knight, stepped forward to fight that ugly noble for the sake of his friend! Isnt that a story straight out of a fairytale?

    You do know that Im also a noble, right? Im not even an official knight.

    Well, people wont care about that kind of detail. They are going to just take the juicy part and then conveniently cut off the rest.

    Argh I knew that, but still If I became the talk of the town just like Rafed said, there was definitely going to be a lot of troubleing to me. Just thinking about the future made my head hurt.

    Lets stop this conversation here and talk about the reason I came here.

    Have you found anything about Jhering Count house?

    Yes. I have found about Count Jherings blood rtionship.

    Blood rtionship?

    Count Jhering married a woman from the Coltrezis Marquis house. The Counts younger sister married into the Count Gramlich house.

    Ah, another familiar name that I havent heard for a long time. Because that guys rtionship with Marquis Coltrezis house was from his mothers side, I hadnt really noticed it before.

    Count Gramlich, huh.

    Do you know the Count?

    No, I dont know the Count himself, but I know his son.

    Its clear that Marquis Coltrezis house was the one that used the Hero, but on the official document, the users name is Count Gramlich.

    AhI see.

    With this, everything fell into ce. Count Gramlichs son was the guy that Mazell and I beat up in the academy before, then I pulled the string to make him be disinherited.

    Since I was the person who sent theint about the misconduct of the Counts son via Father to the royal family, technically I was the person who made the Counts son be disinherited. But I was a noble and one must never show any opening to fellow noblemen, so the Count wanted to take revenge for what I did to his son by targeting themoner Mazell instead.

    HmmNo. Lets just focus on the Count. Rafed, I want to ask you for help.

    What is it, sir?

    Well then, since things had be like this, how about I spread a juicy but more believable rumor? I asked Rafed to spread the rumor. After that, Rafed suddenly changed the subject of the conversation.

    Other than that, theres one thing thats bugging me.

    What is it?

    Sir, you know that there are several people who are capable of receiving an oracle, right?

    Yeah.

    Why did he ask something like that?

    This is something that an acquaintance of Elrich-dono asked me to tell you. Theres a rumor that a person who has received an oracle disappeared.

    What did the temple say about that rumor?

    The temple kept the truth from the general public, including the fact that the woman, who has received the oracle and was rumored missing, is the recently resigned High Priests direct subordinate.

    I unintentionally exchanged nces with Neurath and Schunzel.

    Is it possible that the High Priest didnt actually resign out of his own volition but rather, resigned because the temple told him to take responsibility for the missing woman? (Neurath)

    Hmm Maybe thats really what happened? (Schunzel)

    Okay. Ill report this to the kingdom. Keep investigating this matter, but dont interfere yet. (Welner)

    Understood. (Rafed)

    I would tell the kingdom via Fatherter. Still, for a problem like this to appear when I was already busy it seemed like the fact that when someone else was making a n, another person was also plotting something was true.

    But if I tried to solve everything all at once, I might end up failing to solve anything, so lets focus on the duel first. The rest, I would handleter.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    It was noon two days before the duel. While waiting for the Crown Prince, the King, and the Prime Minister to enter the room, the ministers that had gathered were chatting.

    The duel is the day after tomorrow. Will you all be going? (Minister A)

    Im not going. The victor is clear, so I have no reason to go. (Minister B)

    Im going, or rather I have no choice but to go. (Seyfart)

    Other ministersughed at Grand Duke Seyfarts words. In fact, although the duel in two days was an interesting event, all ministers here didnt want to spend their precious time on it. The Only exception was Grand Duke Seyfart as he was the official person in charge of the Hearthing family.

    Though since the duel was made to start from fighting on top of the horseback, considering the Viscounts ability, without even watching it. The result is clear. (Seyfart)

    Because Welner was an important link between the country and the Hero, the country couldnt let Welner die no matter what. That was why the duel was made to start from fighting on top of the horseback, so Welner who had [Spearmanship] skill would have an advantage.

    Things like duels werent necessarily fair. In the past, there was a duel against a kings close subordinate. The duel was made to be a fight with axes, which was the weapon the kings close subordinate was most skilled in, so the close subordinate would win.

    Since Delitzdam forged documents to make the trial happen, the Bain Kingdom used their authority to decide the rules of the duel to make things more advantageous for Welner. These kinds of things weremon in this world. As a duel with countries national interest in stake, this much wouldnt be considered cheating or anything of the sort.

    Plus, as a show, the duel on top of horseback would make a better show even for themoners.

    I have to agree to that. (Seyfart)

    The kingdom wanted Welner to have a shy victory, as such a duel on top of the horseback was a better choice than normal duel.

    As Welner had said before, this duel was a bait to lure the problematic nobles, but at the same time, this duel would also act as a show of the kingdoms power for themoners.

    Though His Highness said that things happened faster than the original n.

    Well, nothing has actually changed from the original n. (Seyfart)

    The horses used by the duels participants would have a huge impact on the oue of the duel. A weak horse might shake when the participant was dueling, causing the participant to have a hard time dueling. A cowardly horse might also run away in the middle of a duel, as such the participant needed to bring a good horse to win.

    Well, this may be why the royal family gave a good horse to Sir Welner as a reward for his contribution in battle.

    To be fair, the opponent might have aimed for a bigger prey rather than a young Viscount like Sir Welner. (Seyfart)

    Some of the ministers let out a wry smile as they thought that perhaps the royal family had anticipated such a situation a long time ago.

    It seemed like although the Crown Prince mentioned that things were going faster than anticipated, everything was still going ording to the n.

    In short, due to the machinations behind the scene, the result of this battle had long been decided, although everything was done in a manner that most people would not realize.

    The people of Marquis Coltrezis house, who seemed to be unbothered, were likely one of the people who had not realized this fact as their ability to gather information was quitecking. On the other hand, Count Zeavert, one of the people who stood at the center of this whole affair, chose to remain silent with a stoic expression.

    Ah, right. It seems like people of Count Gramlich fell into the Sir Welners trap.

    Ah, youre talking about that rumor. The people of Count house must have believed that information since they think that Viscount is desperately trying to hide his weakness.

    Welner spread the story about what happened between him, Mazell, and the former heir of Count Gramlich house while purposely emphasizing the fact The Hero Mazell did all of the fighting.

    Coupled with the information that Welner had bought a magnificent looking armor and he had no notable achievement in one on one battle, many would assume that Welner von Zeavert was actually weak in individualbat.

    Ironically, because of how fast everything was moving, most people who knew about Welner fighting one on one with the demon general still remained in Anheim.

    There was only Gekkes mercenary team who knew Welners true strength in the capital, but they obviously wouldnt spread information that would be disadvantages for their employer. The fact that things were moving this quickly was actually advantageous for Welner to manipte the information.

    His Majesty enter the room!

    Just as the conversation was about to continue, the King, the Crown Prince, and the Prime Minister arrived, so everyone in the room stood up and bowed. It was only after everyone in the room sat down, that the King started to speak.

    Everyone, good work! Let us start from foreign affairs. What was the reaction of the two western countries about the heros matter? (King)

    As they are currently struggling against the demon army, they seem to be dissatisfied by the fact that Delitzdam is trying to trap the hero.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Equord, responded. To be more precise, the two countries that Mazell had yet to visit were angered by Delitzdams action, but it was also true that there were also other things they were anxious about.

    Since the Bain Kingdom was located roughly on the center of the continent, the people of Bain Kingdom often referred to other countries as two countries in the west, two countries in the south, or three countries in the east but of course, even though the countries were referred together, that didnt mean each countries had a good rtionship with Bain Kingdom.

    Also, since Triot was destroyed, there was currently only one country south of Bain Kingdom.

    But it is also true that the two countries seem to be dissatisfied by the fact that our kingdom is showing the attitude of protecting the hero.

    The King nodded in understanding. Attitude of protecting the hero could also be interpreted as owning the hero. If the Bain Kingdom owned the hero, that meant when the hero helped another country, that country would be indebted to the Bain Kingdom.

    Right now, defeating the Demon King is the priority. Tell them to send the rewards for the Heros achievement directly to the hero.

    Understood.

    It meant Bain Kingdom would not ask for any payment and it also meant that if the two countries sent ridiculous rewards like their princess or their nobledies to the Bain Kingdom, those rewards would be returned.

    How about the three kingdoms in the east?

    Lestga would support our kingdom.

    On what condition?

    Lestga has lost many of their trading ships in the battle against Four Heavenly Kings which caused their marine trade to be severely impacted.

    The King thought for a moment before nodding.

    We will allow the increase ofrge trade ships to Lestga, but do notpromise on the tariff.

    As you wish.

    Allocate the ship that would be sent among several noble houses, so the risk and benefit of increasing trade would not be unevenly distributed.

    Because demons existed even in the sea, trade ships needed to carry sufficient military power to be able to safely cross the sea to do trade.

    Sending a trade ship was a high risk high return undertaking. If it failed, the noble that undertook this major undertaking mightin about losses, while if trade sessed, other nobles mightin why they didnt get the same opportunity. In some scenarios, an immensely sessful trade might bring huge change to the bnce between each nobles territories.

    Thus, it was important to ensure that risks and benefits of ship trading were distributed among various nobles. The King entrusted the Prime Minister to coordinate on this matter.

    Yes. (Prime Minister)

    Farlitz in the southeast has yet to give their reply.

    The current Queen of Farlitz was a princess from Delitzdam, wasnt she? (Hubertus)

    That is correct.(Equord)

    Hearing the conversation between the two, the King fell silent for a moment before nodding.

    Very well. Leave Farlitz alone for the moment. Currently five countries have decided to stand with us, so at the very least, Farlitz would not actively stand on Delitzdams side. (King)

    Yes.

    Once two countries in the west and Zarlos have agreed to support Us, we will send a letter of protest signed by five countries to Delitzdam, then wait for Delitzdams response. That is all for foreign affairs. Next, the domestic affair. (King)

    Understood.

    There is one thing that bothers me about the Coltrezis house.

    When the Crown Prince said that, everyone turned their gazes to him.

    Captains. How long do you need to conquer the Coltrezis house? (Crown Prince)

    Although our army is currently already prepared to fight against demons, if we want to conquer a Marquis house, we would need at least 2 months. Of course, it also depends on how fierce the resistance from the Marquis house will be.

    (T/N: All noble houses are equipped with many things that make them like a fortress, thus needing extra preparation for the conquest.)

    I agree. Battling against a Marquis house is different from battling against demons and I dont think that the Marchioness will surrender without a fight.

    After hearing the answers from both the 1st Division and 2nd Division captains, the Crown Prince nodded.

    Two months. In those two months, the knights will leave the capital. I am afraid that Elder Uwes prophecy wille true in two months. (Hubertus)

    Are you saying that the demons will attack the capital while the knights are absent? (The King)

    Yes. (Hubertus)

    Grand Duke Seyfart nodded at the Crown Princes answer.

    Certainly, if the demon army is one pulling the strings all this time, then it exins why Coltrezis house choose this time to make their move. (Seyfart)

    Then, how about using other noble houses to attack the Coltrezis house?(Captain)

    That wont work. All noble houses will likely prioritize preparing for defending themselves against demons. If the royal family ordered it, they will not refuse to attack the Coltrezis house, but they will definitely buy time purposely to minimize the need of using their own armies.(Prime Minister)

    The Knights Captains and the Prime Minister both constantly exchanged their opinions. In the end, they settled to just do everything ording to the n: weaken the Coltrezis houses influence, wait until the people of Coltrezis house get impatient and try to make a move, then drag them down.

    Considering the looming threat of the demon army attacking the capital, they were short on manpower to try to do anything else.

    Let us follow what Sir Welner has done and make a precise map of the Coltrezis territory. Send scouts to survey the terrain and create a map based on the information from the scouts!

    As you wish!

    Speaking of which, has the culprit behind the failed assassination attack against Count Zeavert confessed? (King)

    Not yet.

    Regarding the assassination attempt toward Ingo, even udia, his wife, didnt know let alone Welner. The incident happened without Welners knowledge and was now handled by the kingdom without his knowledge.

    Well, it was quite obvious who and why someone would send an assassin to Ingo in this kind of situation, but apart from spections, the kingdom wanted solid proof, thus the kingdom had been interrogating the culprit.

    The assassin was aiming for the life of our loyal Minister. Make sure to find out everything! But as the culprit was also a witness, do not let him die! (King)

    Yes!

    Let us move to the next agenda, the relief n for areas affected by the demon army.(King)

    Yes. The damage caused by demons in the east area where the hero was currently active has certainly decreased, but I am afraid the goldpensation we have given would only be enough for them to get through until the end of this year. (PM)

    The Prime Minister answered the Kings question.

    Other than giving money aspensation and reducing the forcedbor, we have also given the people who lived in the affected areas a sry in the form of lending livestocks with the kingdom bearing the cost of rearing them. (PM)

    Is reducing their taxes impossible? (King)

    Considering the amount of money we would need for fighting the demons, I believe that would be impossible. (PM)

    Then there is nothing else we can do. Continue as such, but be sure to not to y favoritism. What about the state of the west?

    Since the influence of the demons in the west is still strong, we have stationed soldiers in the area and have also sent money for the cost of stationing the soldiers in the area.

    Where did the budget for that moneye from?

    The captain of the 1st Division suddenly asked. It was possible that the morale of the soldiers, who were fighting against the demons in that area, would fall because of many deaths. The irritated soldiers might even turn their weapons toward the civilians in the area.

    If the budget of the stationed soldiers was too much, it might cause the soldiers to be corrupted but if it was too little, it would be difficult to maintain the soldiers needs.

    We n to use the merchants who sold army supplies to raise the money. We will allow them to do trade in the West on a priority basis. If they deliver inferior goods and cause damage to the soldiers, they will be forced to pay a fine.

    Its not a bad idea, but there are certainly some problems with it, are there not?

    Thus the discussion continued for quite a long time and even after the meeting had ended, all ministers returned to their own office and resumed their work.

    Due to the amount of their work, it was perhaps natural that they all had no time to watch the duel.

    T/N: So not only Welner, but even the country ministers are swamped with work. Maybe the ministers and Welner can find some workaholicmision. Lol.

    <b></b>

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    On the day of the duel, the audience seats were filled with nobles andmoners alike. This kind of duel was bound to attract attention to the point that there was even an unofficial betting parlor.

    High Priest Leppe sat in the referees seat as the representative of the church, while the intiff and the defendant both sat beside him. Count Gramlich, the intiff, looked discouraged while the proxy defendant, Lily, looked nervous and ufortable because of the amount of people in the venue.

    Most of themoners and nearly half of the nobility in the audience were giving Lily either a kind gaze or a sympathetic gaze, while the rest nodded toward the Count on their seats but didnt approach him. After all, they all knew the potential bacsh they would face if they approached the Count at this time.

    This duel was the kingdoms way to show that they would use all their power to protect the hero Mazell. Even the nobles who thought that the hero was a dangerous existence had no other choice but to keep their mouth shut, unless they were blind.

    Lastly, the main culprit of this incident, the Coltrezis house chose to hide themselves, thus making the nobles who were involved with using the hero, including Count Gramlich, to be almostpletely isted in this ce.

    Welner also had a hand in how the situation had now unfolded. Previously, he had instructed Rafed to spread a rumor among the nobles close to Count Gramlich that the church was displeased by this false usation raised with a forged document against the hero.

    Although it was just a rumor, it was already well-known that the King favored the hero. Adding to that, if the Hero actually had the churchs support, it would be too risky for the nobles to support Count Gramlich. Thus, most nobles decided to just silently watch how the situation would unfold from a distance.

    That was why, when Count Gramlich approached several nobles, who had knights with outstanding military prowess, to ask their knights to be his representative in this duel, he was turned down.

    There was a rule that the defendant and the intiff must not speak to each other on the day of trial bybat, but there was no rule that forbade them to speak to other people. Of course, themoners had no ce to talk to either of them while the nobles didnt dare to approach.

    Yet, a young man who wore noble clothes approached Lily arrogantly. The young mans intention wasnt clear. Nevertheless, Ate, who had been asked by Welner to stay by Lilys side, stood in the young mans way, causing him to re ferociously at her.

    I have a business with thatmoner. Move!

    My apologies, but I cannot do so. (Ate)

    You! Dont you know who I

    No matter who you are, with that kind of attitude, I cannot let you pass. (Ate)

    Just when the young man was about to yell at Ate, a voice interrupted him from behind.

    Sir Cnut, the High Priest will be rmed if you make any fuss here. I believe it will be better if you stop.

    Grand Duke Seyfart (Cnut)

    Just as the young man was about to unt his position, another person who had a higher position than him appeared, making the young man flinch. Seyfart ignored him and approached Ate leisurely.

    Sorry, I was a bitte. Is there any seats still open on that side? (Seyfart)

    Y..Yes.

    Great. Lets just sit there. (Seyfart)

    After saying that, Seyfart, Viscount Davrak, Baron Kretschmer, and several other nobles who were all aplished militarymanders passed Cnut nonchntly and sat together.

    I want to try fighting Viscount Welner.

    I think the Viscount will run away if his opponent is you, Sir.

    As they walked, they all chatted with each other while ignoring Cnut. However, Cnut could not approach Lily without getting past these men, so he just red at Lily and turned back while clicking his tongue.

    YYour Excellency, Thank you. (Ate)

    No need to thank me. I was just preventing some noises. Good job protecting Lily.

    Seyfart responded to Aes gratitude. Then, while his eyes were still glued to the duels venue, he muttered quietly.

    So hes Marquis Coltrezis eldest son. I just hope he wont cause another incident.

    ***

    I could sense the excitement of the audience even from here, in the waiting room. With how tense things had been recently with the increasing number of demons and the looming threat of the demon king, I guess everyone was excited about this rare chance to rx in the festive atmosphere. Though I also felt like I was a lion in a circus or something.

    In my previous life, duels usually started right at the sunrise but here, duels start at afternoon.

    To be honest, many people came to the duel since it was held in the afternoon. It really felt like it was some kind of show. Ah no, this duel <b>was</b> a show.

    The fact that there had been no trial bybat in almost 20 years seemed to also contributed to this overwhelming number of audience.

    The rule for duel here was that you were allowed to use your personal weapon in the duel as long as that weapon was of the same type as what had been decided beforehand, but you werent allowed to kill your opponent. Well, if your opponent died in battle because of some ident, it couldnt be helped.

    However, it was rare for people to die in a duel though, probably because of the existence of healing magic.

    Currently, I was here along with the orderlies of the Zeavert house and an observer. Apparently, the observer was here to make sure I didnt do stuff likecing my spear with poison.

    The church, the organization that the referee of this duel belonged to, didnt prepare any food for the participants but they did prepare some water. Bringing food from outside was also forbidden. I didnt have any appetite right now, so I didnt mind.

    Visitors from outside were allowed to bring food, but it was forbidden for those visitors to bring any food for the participants. The visitors who were visiting the participants were also properly documented. People who were close to Marquis Coltrezis house were probably visiting my opponent right now.

    I also received many visitors. Many of my ssmates from the academy came, so it turned into a small-scale reunion. I was happy, though. Several nobledies also came, and they encouraged me by saying win for Mazells sake! That guy was as popr as usual.

    There were also nobledies who seemed to have fallen for me or bullshit like that, but I politely asked them to return. Even though I had been demoted, I still held a pretty high position, so I guess it made sense for these things to happen. If not because of my bad reputation, I think there would have been even more nobledies that came to visit me for this kind of purpose. I had to be grateful for my reputation here.

    In addition, since this duel was for a trial bybat, there wasnt any unnecessary stuff, so I was rather grateful. I heard that for duels that served as apetition, there was a tradition of receiving a handkerchief made with love from your lover. I had never participated in that kind of duel, so I didnt have any experience regarding that.

    Viscount Welner, the preparations have finished.

    Ah, I understand.

    It seemed like the time hade while I was lost in my thoughts. I strapped the sword I would use in closebat, then left the waiting room with the spear in my hand.

    The corridor between the waiting room and the venue, which was full of turns (curved), was empty. The corridor was designed like this on purpose, in order to prevent stray spells in a magic duel from hitting the waiting room.

    The loud cheers of the audience and the scorching sun greeted me when I finally arrived at the battle ring. I took a deep breath to calm myself. It would be bad if I let myself drown in the atmosphere.

    Lets do this.

    Lets put up a good show, so His Highness and the Prime Minister could make their move without being noticed.

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    I went to the duel arena amidst the fervent cheers and observed the arena. The referees seat was located where you have the best view of the center of the arena and around the referees seat were the seats for the nobility. Nobility made up roughly half of the audience and themoners made up the other hal-..HUH!?

    That was bad. I almost yelped in surprise. I heard that none of the royal family members would attend the duel, but wasnt the person who sat at the front row of themoners section His Highness Prince Louwen and the daughter of Marquis Schramm? They both seemed to be surrounded by disguised guards.

    To bring your fiance to a gruesome battle arena for a duel Ah, no, maybe it was normal in this world? Ah, whatever.

    It seemed like they both came in a disguise, so lets also pretend that I didnt notice anything.

    The two horses were already in the arena. Neurath was holding the reins of my horse, while Schunzel went to the opponents side to check their horse. In this world, it was a rule for your knight to check your opponents horse before a duel, so there was also a knight from the opponents side who came to check my horse. This was to prevent participants from putting some kind of magic on their horses to make them stronger.

    I knew this world had magic, but it still felt very strange to see someone checking a horse for magic. I guess this was what you call a generation Ah, no, in my case, a world gap?

    By the way, since my horse was a gift from the royal family, I couldnt change its name, so the horses name remained Disbelt (Brave). Seriously naming a horse <b><i>Brave</i></b>? That sounded corny to be honest.

    I then looked at Lily. I was relieved that Ate was by her side. It seemed like there was no incident, probably because Grand Duke Seyfart was also sitting near them.

    After the inspection of the horse was finished, I entrusted my weapon to a knight, then went together with my opponent to the front of the referees seat and went down to one knee.

    Both sides will now be allowed toy out their ims for thest time!

    High Priest Reppes words resounded throughout the venue. This was the same thing that the Supreme Priest used back in Finnoi. I thought the sound amplification that time was the result of magic, but it seemed like it was a result of a magic tool but

    I could still understand if the magic tool was used in Finnoi since that ce was the religious center of this world buthere? To use something like that which wasnt even used in an event that His Majesty attended like a military parade just for the sake of this duel Did the temple have that much power?

    Or maybe the sound amplification device was something that only the temple had, some sort of technology from the ancient kingdom and that was why it was only used in events that involved the temple like this duel and the battle in Finnoi. If that was true, maybe I would be able to gain more information about the ancient kingdom if I went to the temple.

    For Her Highness the Second Princess who was a member of the royal family

    Ah, that was right. I was in the middle of listening to Count Gramlichs im. I was lost in my thoughts for a moment that Ipletely missed what the Count had said in the beginning.

    In the first ce, I wondered why we must announce our ims before the duel. Hmm maybe to announce the reason why the losing side must be punished in advance? Rather than a closed door trial where people didnt know what was going on, I felt this kind of open trial bybat was more fair, at least on the surface.

    I was a bit surprised by the Counts im. I thought he would insult Mazell more, but his words were surprisingly restrained. I guess he wasnt idiotic enough to insult the hero in this kind of ce and risk the entire audience booing him.

    That is why, I, <b>a noble</b>, judged this situation to be a danger to the royal family. Thus I decided to sue the <bmoner</b>

    There was some apuse from the noble audience, but most of the audience remained silent. I could also sense themoners behind me staring dagger toward us. I mean, his usation was too obviously false.

    Also, he might be trying to intimate Lily by putting the emphasis on the fact that he was a noble, and Mazell and Lily weremoners but that wouldnt work. Lily and I had seen His Highness getting angry with our own eyes after all.

    Proxy defendant, state your im.

    Yes.

    Now it was Lilys turn. She looked nervous. I nodded when her eyes met mine, Lily nodded back, and stood up with a determined look on her face. In order to appeal for her brothers innocence, Lily wore white clothes today. She stood out amongst the crowd of nobles who wore colorful cloth- Ah, I see.

    My name is Lily, Mazell Hearthings younger sister. On this asion, I would like to tell everyone here something, in response to the nder against my brother.

    I barely managed to hold myself from clicking my tongue, as I came to the realization of the other reason Lily was made into the proxy defendant.

    In this trial, a feeble young girl was forced to take a stand to protect her brother. That was the impression Lily would leave in other peoples minds.

    Both my brother and I have lost our home. The house we were born in was burned down because of the demon attack. Despite that, my brother still continues his journey to defeat the demon king.

    If the fact that the usation against the hero was actually orchestrated by Coltrezis house were to be announced to the publicthe story of a noble house falsely using the brave hero which forced his feeble younger sister to take a stand in a court would be spread. No, the royal family would <b>definitely</b> make that story spread. This would make the Coltrezis house a cowardly viin that hid behind another noble house.

    Then, if the royal family announced that the Coltrezis house would be punished, the people would apud the royal familys action, thus painting the impression that the royal family is protecting justice.

    But we, siblings, are not the only people who lost something because of demons. Even now someone, somewhere, is losing their precious homes and even their precious people because of the demons. My brother is currently fighting in order to stop that.

    Respecting and honoring their wives and daughters wasmon sense even in this world. In other words, standing on Lilys side and even protecting her was a matter of principle. But it can also be a convenient excuse.

    There was no way a noble could say, <i>It looks like the Coltrezis house is going to lose, so I would like to switch sides to the royal family</i>,<b>but</b> they certainly could say, <i>I could no longer stand with the Coltrezis house that has forced a young girl to endure such an ordeal.</i>

    The other reason why Lily was made into a proxy defendant<b>was to prepare a convenient excuse for the nobles who supported the Coltrezis house to change sides.</b> Other than being able to know the members of the Coltreziss houses faction, the royal family would also be able to do that just with this one duel. Hah! Truly, killing two birds with one stone.

    No, this duel would also serve as warning to others that aimed for Mazell, so it should be killing three birds with one stone. <b>How very creative</b>.

    Currently, my brother is still fighting with the demons alongside Her Highness and theirpanions, but my brother fought not for himself but for the sake of others. My brother would definitely not do anything that disrespect Her Highness. Please, believe Her Highness and my brother. Please, lend them your strength.

    Lily said that and did a deep bow, which was then followed by loud apusebut despite the seemingly happy atmosphere, my blood felt boiling. Still, I was able to nod and smile to Lily. This was the kind of time where I was grateful for my training in maintaining my expression.

    This wasnt a bad n to create an impression that the Coltrezis house was evil. I also didnt mind to be a bait but her-

    It wasnt like I didnt understand that a kingdom had its own ways to do things, and I also understood that the situation might be worse if the kingdom just let them be. I knew that if this n seeded then it would be a stepping stone for the stabilization of this kingdom. I knew it in my head. I knew but-!

    I took a deep breath. I had to calm down. I had a duel after this and losing control of my emotions in a duel might be my downfall.

    (T/N: Oh, our Welner is angry.)

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    E/N: Hi, everyone. Nisarah is busy with college, so she cant continue tranting anymore. Our long-time trantor, Kazumi, will be joining us on this novel. This is Kazumis first tranted chapter of this novel. Do let us know if you have any feedback for us.

    Viscount Zeavert, are you not proud to be a nobleman?

    The situation turned into a verbal battle, before the start of the duel of participants. And this battle also gathered the attention of everyone in the venue. I wondered if thatment was considered an objection from their side, or if there was simply a rule that gave priority to the users side. In any case, I should remain silent for now.

    I made sure to get information on my opponent. He was the brother of Count Gramlich, the uncle of the young man who was made an illegitimate child because of me and Mazell. He was currently working as the head of the House of Count Gramlichs knighthood. He had a sturdy physique, which I could understand.

    However, the original leader was killed in the battle in which demons were running amok. In that sense, he was number two in terms of ability. This old man was also wearing solid armor and had the appearance of a knight. It was a world ruled mostly by muscle-brained people, and of course, the representative was a very capable man when it came to strength.

    I did not know what he thought about the fact that I did not say anything, but the other party shouted loudly as if to assert his righteousness.

    In the first ce, the viscount has too many problems with his usual attitude. It seems like you are a <b><i>blue blood</i></b> as rumored, viscount, so arent we just wasting our time here?

    I guess he must have thought that the winds in the hall were blowing in his way, but it was actually not the case. Not to mention, why did he switch to attacking me personally instead of Mazell and Laura? Well, I guess, that decision itself was not wrong.

    This was anotherplicatedment, because in this world, <b><i>blue blood</i></b> was considered a slur.

    In my previous life, it was used to refer to nobles with pure white skin who did not need to work, and to describe noble bloodlines, but in this world, it wasmon for some nobles to participate in demon ying and to wield swords. It was not a boast to be white-skinned without exercise.

    Besides, there were demonic beasts and monsters with blue or purple blood that attacked humans and caused human casualties. Therefore, in this world, to say you have blue blood means you are cruel like a demon or you are a savage like a demon.

    In the case of demons, the different color of their blood may be caused by their magical power, but I did not know the details of this.

    At first, I was puzzled by the difference in meaning of the expression <b><i>blue blood</i></b>, but here in this world, this was normal.

    So, if I were to trante the earlier line, it means, You cant even fight. Youre no better than a demon. You just know how to spend money or something like that. The wording here was reallyplicated.

    But it was an aspect of the world of brains that less than a demon became an expression of contempt rather than fear of the other person. I would not mind if it was a nder against me, but it would be bad for me to keep being told what to do. It was time for me to hit back.

    It stinks.

    What?

    Since I said it suddenly, he didnt understand what I meant, so I continued.

    Your mouth stinks. Stay away from me.

    What?

    He was absolutely mortified with my words. Well, of course. Normally, this would be the time for us to assert our righteousness. He probably didnt expect to be told such a thing.

    However, I had already given them enough chances. This time, it was my turn to hit them hard.

    Dont open your mouth, donte near me. At least take a bath ande back.

    I pped one of my hands in front of my face. A giggle began to escape from the audience. The audience couldnt tell if the smell was real or not.

    You must be rotten in your eyes and head that you cant even see that there is nothing wrong with the hero Mazell-sama and the saint Laura-sama, but I cant stand the fact that even your mouth smells bad.

    I looked at my opponents angry, reddened face and shrugged my shoulders, this time in an exaggerated manner.

    Dont be flushed just because I pointed out a fact in front of an audience. I know its embarrassing.

    You shameless little bastard, Im going to kill you!

    Oh, thats very direct. The audience could hear you. It seemed that only the noblemen and knights, who valued their pride, werepletely riled up.

    My opponent waddled off to his horse, leaving Count Gramlich discouraged in the users seat. If someone had been watching from a distance, they would have realized that I was purposely trying to provoke them.

    Sometimes, gestures and nces conveyed emotions better than words. So, the person in front of me was furious because he felt that I was making fun of him, and the person far away from me, Count Gramlich, was mortified because his brother fell for the provocation.

    And the same went for the audience. Because they could not see my eyes and facial expressions, they were thinking that my opponent was a fool forpletely falling for my simple provocation. In this case, though, it would be more like I was leading the audience into thinking so.

    I bowed to Lily, who was looking at me and at the judges table, and went to my horse to receive the reins from Neurath. Grand Duke Seyfart was shaking his head in exasperation earlier, and I guess he wanted to ask me if there was a better way to provoke my opponent.

    I could not argue with him if he said it was ungraceful, so I didnt think about the Grand Dukes expression for the time being.

    In this world, the rule was that if both sides agreed, they could decide whether to use their shields in the duel. In the current match, both sides did not have shields.

    In both fights and duels, aiming at the head was permitted, but even if that was the case, it would take a skilled fighter to be able to aim at a small moving target like the head on a rocking horse. Usually, opponents aimed at the torso. I had no intention of aiming at the head, at all.

    On horseback, I straddled the saddle and picked up my spear. Riders put their feet in the stirrups, but usually should not put them in too deep when doing so. If a rider fell off his horse, his feet would be stuck in the stirrups, and that would cause him serious troubles.

    On the other hand, if the rider did not step firmly into the stirrups, the weapon would not exert as much power as expected. Adjusting the height of the stirrups and the position of the feet was a product of experience.

    The rider sat in the saddle in a deep-seated posture with the upper body up, chest out, and knees just below the ground. If the rider was not sitting firmly in the saddle, he would m his buttocks against the saddle every time his body bounced as the horse galloped, causing the horses back to be repeatedly impacted by the weight of the riders body, which would cause the horse to slow down on its own.

    I confess that when I was a student, I was terrible at keeping my upper body upright. However, I have improved a lot by now.

    With this thought in mind, I slowly moved to the end of the venue. Even from a distance, I could see that the other side was already fully motivated, and while I tried not to show it, it was understandable that I was also filled with motivation. Above all, I couldnt afford to lose.

    A strange sound, like somethinging from a wooden trumpet, echoed through the venue. It was the sound of a musical instrument made from the horns of the Big Goat, a giant goat that lived in this world and whose back was big enough to carry about six people.

    For a moment, I thought about that, and then returned my attention to my opponent who was running on his horse while creating a cloud of dust.

    Seeing this, I immediately made my horse run to intercept. The first strike was for my own confirmation. I wanted to time it so that I could put my speed on the spear when I strike my opponent.

    But that was not all, I also had to please everyone in the audience.

    Uooohhhhh!

    Haaah!

    The first interaction. As soon as a heavy, crashing vibration was felt in the hands, loud cheers echoed from the surroundings as if pointing toward the sky.

    The metal and metal collided so vigorously that sparks were scattered, and a peculiar smell was detected in the nose for a moment, but the horse soon moved away from the scene, partly due to its own momentum. The skills of the opponent were indeed as expected of the head of the House of the Counts Knights. Some numbness started to creep into my hands.

    But my opponent had lost his cool, and because it was a blow made in anger, even though it was strong, it was poor in terms of uracy to hit the target. He aimed at my head as expected because of the provocation, so I was able to deflect it by cing the hilt of my spear against his hilt.

    Without losing my stance, I made my way to the edge of the arena, where I turned my horse around and faced the center again. I lightly patted the horse to calm it down. Disbelt (<b>Brave)</b> was a good horse, as expected.

    Okay, next time, take care of him, will you?

    I lightly tapped the horses neck, called out to him, and then swung my spear in arge circle. I kicked the horse lightly in the belly as well, just as the other guy sent his horse running with another angry yell that echoed throughout the hall.

 Chapter 171.1

    Chapter 171.1

    T/N: Author has used [<b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich] for the opponent facing Welner while [<b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlich] for count of the Gramlich house. As mentioned before, [<b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich] is the brother of [<b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlich].

    After a few moments of silence, the voices from the audience rose high to match the speed of the running horses, and the two of us shed for the fourth time amidst the echoes of horse hooves and cheers.

    Since both of us were using actual weapons, our weapons did not break from the fierce sh, but the dull, weighty sound overwhelmed the surroundings, followed by loud, air-shaking cheers from the spectators seats.

    In most instances, a jousting match was a three-round contest. However, since this time it was a duel, the number of times would not be counted today. Even if the jousting were to move from a joust to a groundbat, it would be the same, and it would continue until one of us admits defeat or bes incapable of fighting.

    Again both horses moved to the edge of the venue and the next round began.

    Grand Duke Seyfart looked over to see His Highness Prince Louwen literally sweating in his hands as the two horses moved to the left and right sides of the venue. At that age, it was not surprising for him to be impatient.

    When I moved around to look at Lily, she was silently closing her eyes and sping her hands. She did not look frightened or anxious about victory. She looked concerned only about my injuries, and depending on how you look at her, she could also be praying.

    While Seyfart was inwardly shrugging his shoulders and thinking, <i>Im not sure how much credit I should award him for all this,</i> others began toment on the situation.

    What do you think about it, my Lord? (Viscount Dak)

    Baron Kretschmer responded to Viscount Daks question, who had been watching the match so far with interest.

    I think Viscount Zeavert will win the horse battle. The Viscount is very good. (Baron Kretschmer)

    I agree. Sir Gramlich may be stronger in a simple battle, but he cant handle the horses as well as Viscount Zeavert. (Viscount Mittag)

    Baron Kretschmers statement was followed by Viscount Mittag. Compared to Welner, who was able to parry attacks with minimal movement and reaction, Sir Gramlichs horse was more fatigued because of the knights constantrge movements on horseback and more weight than Welner.

    Moreover, horses were repeatedly running at full speed and stopping, carrying something as heavy as a human wearing armor. This further fatigued two horses than simple running.

    Welners <b><i>Skill</i></b> minimized the burden of the spears weight, but his opponent did not have such <b><i>Skill</i></b>. By now, Sir Gramlichs arms must be beginning to feel the fatigue.

    I suppose it was also a tactic when he provoked him. (Viscount Mittag)

    Im sure it was.

    Grand Duke Seyfart said in response to Mittagsment.

    Welner was a good actor, but he was also a good yer. By making his opponent mad, he would be able to exhaust him faster. At the same time, he deliberately let his opponent gain the upper hand at first, and then counterattack when his opponent was caught off guard.

    Welners personality could be described as not having a high self-esteem. He was aware of the fact that he was not strong, so he chose to fight in a way that would maximize his chances of victory. This did not mean he was untalented or lessmitted, but he was even better at deceiving his opponents, as Seyfart assessed.

    Hes good, but he runs the risk of being maniptive. It would be nice if he learned to be a little more subtle.

    Your Excellency.

    Seyfart muttered again, and his immediate retainer approached and reported something in a whisper, to which Seyfart responded with a raised eyebrow and an exasperated look on his face.

    Understood. Please handle it in a way that doesnt cause too much trouble.

    Yes, sir.

    When his Highness Prince Louwen, expressed his desire to go to the venue to watch the duel, his father, the Crown Prince, said that it would be fine if he went in a disguise, since he did not want it to look like the royal family was favoring one side over the other.

    At the same time, however, he also ordered arge number of security personnel to be deployed in disguise to protect the Prince, who was also disguised as amoner. Naturally, the securitywork deployed would detect any suspicious person who was nning something.

    Seyfart gave a short order to eliminate the suspicious group that seemed to be preparing weapons, and stroked his chin as if he was no longer interested in who would win the duel.

    Now then, unless those people are stupid enough to reveal their connection, they will probably not approach anyone that could directly link them to those giving them a directmand, but I wonder how many preys would take the bait we set up.

    After the first exchange, Welner waved his spear widely as if saying <i>Come at me again</i> to his opponent, but he stopped doing so after the third exchange.

    And this time, when he moved his horse somewhat hesitantly, keeping the spear tip down, his opponent turned to face him without dering that he would change horses, as expected. Unlike earlier, however, Sir Gramlich also moved slowly to the point where their horse would start galloping.

    In this duel, changing horses was not prohibited. It would be possible to change horses if desired, but Welner was careful not to change horses.

    Sir Gramlich was arger knight and more heavily armored, which put a greater burden on his horse. Welner, on the other hand, was conserving the strength of both his horse and himself, and was only passing the impact and force by cing his spear against the opponents spear.

    At first, Sir Gramlich was aiming at his head in anger, but Welner knew inwardly that it was time for the other side to be calm.

    Sir Gramlich started to run, and Welner responded with a kick to the horses belly. Perhaps noticing the difference in the strength of the kicks, Brave Disbelt started to run at a faster pace than before.

    After four rounds, both of us could grasp each others attack range, and although I had never been in a direct battle with a spear for this long, it seemed that my <b><i>Spearmanship</i></b> Skill added the advantage of allowing me to clearly grasp the range of my opponents spear.

    Confirming that Sir Gramlichs stance was different from before, Welner kicked the horse once more in the gut on his way out. He increased his speed and closed the distance at once.

    After four confrontations, there was almost a 100% chance that the opponent had regained his cool. Being sure of it, Welner no longer made an appeal that he was fine, and instead he showed that he was exhausted with his spear tip lowered.

    Sir Gramlichs stance was called boars tusk, with the spear tip pointing straight at the opponent. Welner was convinced that Gramlich was not aiming for his head, but for his body, and that he was trying to knock him off his horse.

    When his opponents spear came to the side of Brave Disbelts face, Welner lifted the tip of his spear with great force and smashed it into his opponents spear. The opponents stance was shaken by the spear strike.

    At the same time, his horse, which was fatigued, lost its footing, making him lean so far back that he could barely stay on his horse.

    Welner slid his spear along his opponents spear, as if aiming to rub the spear handles against each other. The handle of the opponents spear became a guide rail for his thrust.

    Following that move, he used his opponents spear to turn the angle of the spear towards his opponents body. After a gulp, Welner tightened his grip on his horses belly, and as if understanding his intentions, Brave Disbelt galloped off with force.

    What?

    Ouryaaaah!

    A different sound echoed through the venue, and a strong shock struck the opponents arm. Even Welner, as the attacker, leaned back from the impact and almost let go of his spear. Barely regaining his stance, Welner stopped his horse after turning around.

    At the same time, Welner heard the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. Pushed by the momentum, the object fell to Welners side rather than to the position of the collision. Silence reigned in the venue as Welner dismounted from his horse in ordance with the rules due to his opponents fall from the horse.

    Brave Disbelt galloped straight to the edge of the venue and was then held back by Neurath. Sir Gramlichs horse also galloped to the edge of the venue, and a knight held him there as well.

    A moment of silence.

 Chapter 171.2

    Chapter 171.2

    T/N: Author has used [<b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich] for the opponent facing Welner while [<b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlich] for count of the Gramlich house. As mentioned before, [<b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich] is the brother of [<b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlich].

    A moment of silence.

    Just as Lily breathed a faint sigh of relief, <b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich gave a small jerk.

    He is still getting up after that blow? (Ate)

    <b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich, who had fallen to the ground, stood up with a small groan, and Ate, who was standing beside Lily, uttered a remark unintentionally.

    <b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlichs loud voice could be heard from the other side of the judges table, as ifmanding <b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich.

    Thats right, dont let Zeavert get the better of you! Beat that little bastard!

    Do it, do it!

    Cnut, the heir apparent of the Marquise Coltrezis, continued to shout.

    In response, <b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich dexterously drew his sword with his right hand alone.

    Seeing this scene, the audience cheered.

    Welner, after dismounting his horse, silently stabbed his spear into the ground and pulled out his sword. From this point on, it was a sword-to-sword battle.

    <b><i>Welner  POV</i></b>

    I was really surprised to see that my opponent had the guts to pull out his sword even after myst blow that had severely injured his shoulder.

    I doubt he could fight me properly because he would be in a lot of pain and could not use his left arm, not to mention that he could barely stand up.

    I wont loseI wont loseI wont lose!

    What?!

    The next moment, he closed the distance at once and struck me with a blow. I barely managed to parry the blow by holding my sword with both hands. The impact on my hands was so strong that it was hard to believe that it was only a swing of his right hand.

    <b><i>Odd</i></b>, was all I could say. Blood was gushing out from his left shoulder, forming a red stream on his silver armor. And yet, this blow. Did this guy not feel any pain?

    Ugaaah!

    Ugh!

    Pushing with all my might, I swept away my opponents sword. I took a step back to keep my distance, but the opponent closed the distance even more carelessly, and I barely managed to avoid the blow that came again. I might have lost at least a few strands of hair.

    Unlike when I was facing demon general Gezarius, I did not feel fear. Instead, there was a sense of difort. When I took a big step forward and thrust out my sword, as expected, it was repelled. I felt the impact on my hand. I moved in a different direction to get away from him.

    Fugoooofugooo

    Hey, hey, it doesnt sound like youre a human.

    I wasnt just mocking him. He really sounded more like a wild beast than a person. For a moment, I wondered if this guy was actually a demon, but I quickly discarded that thought. I did not think that a demon would be able to enter the current capital of the kingdom. I believe that the kingdom would not have made such a big mistake. Then what was this?

    Urg

    As soon as we shed again, he shoved me with his weight, causing me to lose my stance. His sword hit me in the shoulder, but thanks to my armor, I barely sustained a wound.

    I managed to repel his next attack, but the force behind it sent me rolling and bouncing several times. Recovering my stance from the attack, I blocked his follow up attack and tried to hit his torso. But the attack was also blocked, sending sparks flying.

    It was a blind strike after recovering, so I used the attack to confirm our positions, and noticing an iing attack, I ducked and rolled away from him.

    Guh!

    Welner-sama!

    Amidst the screams, my name was called out, but I didnt have time to understand whose voice it was. I just barely dodged an attack to my forehead and was grazed. Fortunately, the graze didnt seem to be deep, so I didnt get any blood in my eyes. Rather than blood, cold sweat was more likely going to flow into my eyes.

    The sandy taste in my mouth was probably caused by the roll I took earlier. I spit. Speaking of which, the magic of the loudspeaker had stopped before I knew it.

    I moved my eyes a little and looked at the judges seat and, behind the Judge, I saw two people dressed in high priests clothes talking about something. One was High Priest Leppe, and the other was High Priest Mvoi, who received the court documents. It seemed that they were getting in the way of the court proceedings, as well.

    At this point of the match, <b><i>Sir</i></b> Gramlich transformed to the point that he almost looked like a demon, but that alone didnt seem to be a factor to end the match, so we still continued to fight.

    What was a bit surprising was <b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlichs silence. The count was one of the martial artists, so he should have some martial arts knowledge himself. He probably noticed or knew that there was something wrong with the knight that was supposed to represent his side. Whoever was responsible for this should be nearby and telling him what to do.

    Lily was pale as she looked at me. The wound on my forehead was noticeable because of the amount of blood. However, as expected, there was no time to tell her that I was safe.

    I immediately nced at Grand Duke to indicate my intention, and he nodded at me lightly. In the worst situation, he agreed to me killing my opponent.

    The duel trial aimed to avoid killing as much as possible, but it was unavoidable since the other side seemed to be in an unusual state and was definitely trying to kill me. I regted my breathing and readjusted my sword.

    Fugohugohoooohhhh!

    The opponent who was trying to regain his bnce again swung his sword down with an unimaginable force. Even when I received the attack with both hands, the impact was great. As we got into a lockdown point, I could see that my opponent was looking at me with a drool, but his gaze wasnt focused.

    I didnt have time to think about it. I stepped my left foot in the opposite direction. At the same time, as I leaned forward, I took my left hand away from the hilt and this time, I let my opponents sword pass by as if it were attached to my sword.

    I held the opponents sword with my left hand, which left room for me to grip the hilt he was holding with one hand, and with a quick spin, I smacked his face with the hilt of my sword instead of the de.

    Goh!

    Oraaah!

    The opponent who was hit in the face took only half a step backward. That was the optimal distance. I raised my right leg and mmed my heel into his groin area from the front. The opponent then fell forward from the strike.

    It was a big opening, but I barely restrained myself from giving a killing blow. I had nothing against Count Gramlichs family, but I also had nothing against this man. I also wanted to talk to himter about the situation. So to end the match, I mmed the t of my sword on the mans neck.

    My opponent immediately crumpled to the ground unconscious.

    After a moment of silence, High Priest Leppe, the referee, quietly raised his voice.

    <b><i>Count</i></b> Gramlichs knight appears to have been unable to stand up. I recognize this match as a victory for the knight on Hearthings side. Therefore, this trial finds the Hearthing side correct and deres the acquittal of Mazell Hearthing!

    The crowd cheered loudly and apuse covered the venue. I exhaled loudly, raised my sword, and bowed.

    Hero Mazells side had won, and it was the side that everyone wanted to win, so it was only natural that the crowd cheered loudly.

    I waved my hand to the spectators side to appeal to the crowd, and the apuse and cheers went up once again.

    I went to the front of the judges table and bowed to High Priest Leppe. The man staring at me behind him was Count Gramlich, and the handsome man near him who had been making a lot of noise earlier was the young lord of the Marquis Coltrezis, I suppose.

    I looked at Lily. She looked so relieved that I could notice it even from a distance. This brought a smile to my face. Noticing my gaze, Lily bowed her head in my direction.

    After waving once more to the audience, who continued to cheer, I returned to the waiting room.

    Mazells trial and other ridiculous matters should be over for now, but the important parts, such as the problems between the nobles and the attack on the capital, had not ended yet. I doubt I would have much of a role to y against the battle of powerful aristocrats, though. I wondered what would happen next.

    ***

    After Welner left the fighting arena, the man looked once at the audience, which remained in a state of feverish excitement, and whispered, unable to hide his displeasure, as he left the scene.

    This is a travesty.

    Ha

    If we prolong this matter any longer, the royal family will interfere with the church.

    He couldnt hide his displeasure and dissatisfaction at being taken advantage of by the kingdom. He gave a brief instruction to the man following him, though he did not show it in his expression and kept his voice low.

    Take care of this one as soon as possible.

    Yes, sir.

 Chapter 172.1

    Chapter 172.1

    The duel trial did not end when the fight was over. After the duel, there was a lot of work to be done, such as ensuring that the documents were drawn up ording to my side of the story, and making sure that there were no problems with the wording so that I would not be caught t-footedter, before signing.

    The documents were reviewed by the legal team arranged by Grand Duke Seyfart, but I had no choice but to stay there until they were done because I needed to sign the confirmation at the end of the process.

    Thank you for your service. (Seyfart)

    Thank you, or rather, Im sorry to have bothered you, Your Excellency. (Welner)

    What, I dont mind, you showed me some interesting things. (Seyfart)

    After a brief treatment, I had time to talk with the Grand Duke. This was more like an information sharing and confirmation session. Lily was surrounded by Ate-san and several knights.

    Dak and some of the other knights wanted to escort you, but I sent them home as it would have been burdensome for you. They were just fascinated to see you up close for the first time. By the way, Im going to be at your wedding.

    His Excellency, who probably heard about me and Lily from my father, said this happily. How should I react to that?

    Youre being too hasty. And I dont think its right for a nobleman of such high rank as your lordship to do so. (Welner)

    The groom would be the son of a minister, that being <b>me</b>. If His Majesty trusted the minister, it would not be surprising if royalty, not to say His Majesty, participated in trying to arrange it.

    If they brought up that point, there would be no room for rebuttal. BUT, at least wait until we graduate from the academy.

    Besides, the High Priest will definitely participate as a representative of the church if the marriage did really happen. (Welner)

    Well, that is to be expected. (Seyfart)

    This would not be done for me or Lily, but for Mazell. This incident must have worsened Mazells impression of the church, so the church needed to show that they cared about him and his family in order to improve his impression of them. It could only be someone on the level of the High Priest or at least close enough in position who could do it. I somehow felt that the High Priest Reppe would rmend himself.

    In that sense, our marriage ceremony would still be used as a political yground, even if we ourselves had no interest in it. It was aplicated thing.

    I was not sure if it would be a good idea to have a wedding ceremony, but this was a political arrangement. I guess, it was to be expected after all that had happened.

    Anyway, how did the other side look at the end of the match?

    He seems to have lost the ability to feel pain, and his thinking ability seemed to have decreased as well. But he did seem to understand that victory or defeat was at stake.

    Hmm.

    The Grand Duke was also pondering with a serious expression on his face. As expected, there was no precedent for something like that, apparently.

    Hmm, I dont think he was reced by a monster, but

    The church is already confirming who are involved. After all, they are the one who are responsible for this duels arrangement. I dont think they would y any tricks as things have already gotten out of hand.

    Indeed. Then, is it drugs?

    It is possible, but I cant understand the other partys intentions. If their goal is to kill you here, its a rather crude way of doing it, and if its just to cause a ruckus, its too small.

    When he put it that way, I couldnt reallyment on it. In fact, if they really wanted to kill me, there should have been plenty of other ways to do it.

    If it was drugs, and this case got out, it would have only resulted in further damaging the reputation of the church. This would have also given the Kingdom a chance to reduce the churchs power.

    Anyway, I wonder how my opponent, that man, is currently doing?

    Hes in the church receiving treatment.

    I stabbed him in the shoulder with my spear, so I thought it was inevitable that he would be given priority for treatment.

    It urred to me to ask a question.

    If I had lost, what would have happened to the heros expedition?

    It would have been handled as a diplomatic issue. Diplomats from several countries would have gone to Delitzdam, not only from our Bain country.

    Is it possible, for example, that there is still a Demon in the heart of Delitzdam?

    We were consulted on how to flush out the Demons, but I dont know what they did after that. Besides, there is a possibility that even if they were eliminated once, they may have reentered.

    I see. In a game, there would have been no problem once they were eliminated, but in the real world, there would be a risk that they would repeat their actions. The Bain Kingdom remained vignt of this possibility, but it was not possible to take care of other countries as well.

    However, the Demon(s) inside Delitzdam would not be able to win a fight against the current Mazell, who could even kill Four Heavenly Kings, so at best they could only stall him.

    Although I had no intention of losing, even if I had lost, it would not have affected Mazells progress. Which only made the situation more and more confusing.

    It will definitely be a diplomatic issue, if things continue as is.

    Im sure it will

    The Grand Dukes smile made me break out in a cold sweat. Would he just nail them, or would he diplomatically get something out of them? That was for the countrys leaders to decide, but that didnt make it less frightening.

 Chapter 172.2

    Chapter 172.2

    Well, did you not realize that we will also be receiving some advantages because of this situation?

    What, did I miss something?

    Simply put, because of this situation, we were able to set a trap to capture the exiled nobles of the Triot who wanted to try regaining their positions using Delitzdam.

    I was not sure what was going on, so I asked him. He told me that the exiled nobles of the ruined Triot were not only in the Bain Kingdom, but also in Delitzdam. Was that so? The Bain Kingdom and Triot were fraternal countries, but that was no reason to flee only to the Bain Kingdom.

    If I were to categorize the factions of Triot nobles, I would say that there were two factions: one that sought the cooperation of the Bain Kingdom to regain territory, and the other that sought to recover lost ground with the help of Delitzdams armed forces.

    And as a result of deliberately spreading rumors among the exiled nobles in our country that the Delitzdam side was going to send out troops first, it seemed that there were a number of Triot nobles who left our country and moved to Delitzdam.

    I understand that they want to get their territories back, but it doesnt help if they themselves tried to take back their territory forcefully and ended up earning the ire of those who helped them. So I had them leave before things went worse for both sides.

    That is to be expected.

    Some of these people, once word of this duel trial got out, would apparently want to return to the Bain Kingdom, but of course, our country refused.

    At some point, Triot would be restored, so there was no need to rush and cooperate with an untrustworthy party thinking that it would quicken the restoration.

    Though, I could understand that they might have been thinking that it would be faster to have Delitzdam be the one in charge of the recovery and development and they might also be thinking that it would give them better positions after the restoration.

    I heard that some of them asked to meet with the heroes in Delitzdam and the second princess, Laura, but even the heroes themselves refused to meet with them.

    Ah

    If Mazell had simply been asked to cooperate in restoring the territory stolen by the Demon Lord, he might have cooperated. Even if the government had told him that he did not have to deal with such people, he would have at least listened to what they had to say.

    It was quite possible that Mazell would have been inclined to cooperate with them after hearing what they had to say, but after hearing about this duel trial, Mazell most likely did not feel inclined to cooperate with them anymore.

    In fact, he would probably leave the Delitzdam as soon as he had finished what he had to do there, rather than be repeatedly asked to meet with such people.

    If that were the case, Mazells quest to defeat the Demon Lord would not have to stop halfway, but would instead continue onward. So they were guiding Mazells actions away from their country.

    Incidentally, the country to the west and also bordering Triot was Salznach, but Sbrulitz, the closest town to Triots border with Salznach, was destroyed by the Demon Army first, so it was not the best ce for people from Triot to go to.

    Leave diplomacy to His Majesty and those in foreign affairs. Or are you interested in that as well?

    I wouldnt say Im not interested, but I dont want to be actively involved. If I had to say, Im not suited for it.

    I see.

    He nodded. To be honest, I was relieved. I was not suited for that, of course, but more than anything else, I just didnt want to get involved in that area. And since it was a good opportunity, I decided to consult with the Grand Duke about a hypothesis that had been bothering me for a long time.

    By the way, let me change the subject. Actually, there is something that has been bothering me for a while now.

    Hmm, what is it?

    Its how flying monsters fight. There are monsters that are intelligent, can use magic, and can fly, but they dont unterallyunch their magic at you from high ces.

    This was something I wondered about when I caught Raphedo before. In the game, for some reason, closebat weapons such as swords and spears could reach flying monsters.

    If a monster could only fly and it was wise enough to be able to use offensive magic, shouldnt it keep casting magic from where weapons could not reach? My hypothesis was to answer this question.

    Earlier, I hypothesized that the magic contained in the human body is different from the magic that floats around the world.

    Certainly, during experiments against ranged magic. I have read that report.

    I thought that the same thing could be true for monsters, and I also thought that they might be using magic to fly as their wings are too small to carry them naturally.

    In other words, monsters consumed magic stored in their body to make themselves fly.

    Therefore, if a monster wanted to use attack magic during its flight, it had to either lower its altitude to reduce its magic consumption or make do with less power attack because of high magic consumption.

    As a result, when they nned to use any really powerful attack, they were forced to stay at an altitude where closebat weapons could reach them.

    However, its just a hypothesis at the moment.

    I couldnt use magic to begin with. I should be able to use it if I study and train, but I honestly felt like it was toote for that. Thats why it was impossible for me to personally do a reproduction experiment, and I wanted the Grand Dukes subordinates, the knights, or the magician corps to do the research under his direction.

    Theres certainly no easy way to find out.

    However, if this hypothesis is correct, we should be able to divide the monsters into three groups: Demons that go over the walls, Demons that attack with magic, and Demons that try to break through the walls from the ground with physical power.

    That way, we can deal with each of them differently.

    If a flying monster was descending, it meant it nned to use some power attack. On the other hand, if it was flying high, then it was still preparing for the attack. This would allow soldiers to better understand monsters attack patterns and counter them.

    I still did not know how the Demon Army broke through the Royal Capitals barrier, but it would change the way we prepare ourselves.

    When I exined my n for the Royal Capital defense, assuming my hypothesis was correct, the Grand Duke raised one eyebrow. He pondered for a while, but eventually nodded.

    I see, I understand. Ill have them look into it.

    Thank you.

    If the hypothesis was wrong, then its also fine as we could work on another n, but if it was right, it would give us a great advantage.

    At that time, I heard that the paperwork was finally finished. I stood up from my seat after saying farewell to the Grand Duke, read the documents, checked them, and signed on behalf of the client. Huh, it had been a long day.

    By the time it was all over, it had been half a day since the duel, so of course my mother had heard everything I said and did at the match. As a result, when I came home, she lectured me tremendously that I had too many problems as the son of a minister of ceremonies.

    I had no choice but to ept her argument when she said, It is not only the Zeavert family that will be affected. We are also a representative of Administration Nobility, so you need to at least show some <b><i>dignity</i></b>.

    Even though I wanted to forget it, only at times like this that I could not change the fact that my family was a member of that faction.

    The tea Lily made for me after the long sermon was delicious, thank you very much.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    The next day, the morning brought a story that messed up my schedule.

    During the family meal, Norbert presented my father with a letter that arrived early in the morning with the same face as usual, and both my mother and I silently watched as he finished reading it with a frown on his face.

    Incidentally, Lily was still in the position of a maid at the moment. The time for practical training for parlor maids in the drawing room was during the masters meal time, so she was in the same room.

    Be that as it may, a normal letter would not be brought in by a butler during mealtime. The fact that the letter was brought in during the meal means that it was either a major incident or a letter from a person in a high position. Either way, it was a case that required an immediate response or reply.

    But somehow, the atmosphere was strange. It was neither angry nor bewildered. If I had to describe it, I would say resignation.

    Lily.

    Yes?

    Father called Lily. I thought it might be another cup of tea, but apparently not. He looked at Lily and then told her.

    The Marquise Schramm has asked me to invite Lily to a tea party tomorrow afternoon.

    Eh

    Ah, Lily froze. Was it that unreasonable? Or perhaps she was having a hard time understanding the content of the invitation, which was so unexpected.

    The person who invited us is Miss Rosemary El Schramm, the daughter of Marquis Schramm. It is said to be a casual tea party.

    It was an unorthodox way of inviting someone. Regardless of whether Miss Rosemary invited Lily or the Marquis summoned her under his daughters name, the tea party should be considered a friendly one, with no hidden intentions.

    In this world, it was not so unusual for a noble daughter to invite amoner. This was because it wasmon to invitemoners to a tea party to promote socializing, since both nobles andmoners attended the school.

    Though, I think it was unusual for a youngdy who was not a student of the school to invite amoner to a tea party.

    Um, lets just say its a casual tea party.

    Im also told that the Grand Duke Seyfart has given his permission for this.

    Before I could ask any questions, my father responded. Had he already taken care of it? I should say that as expected of an aristocrat in a higher position, right?

    You know the procedure, dont you? Its just a matter of switching positions.

    Thats what my mother said to Lily. As a parlor maid, Lily must have been present at the tea parties, and she should have witnessed the etiquette at the tea parties. Perhaps, the mother or head maid even taught Lily about them.

    In this world, a woman who could not even make a cup of tea was treated very poorly as an aristocrat. It might be more like being treated like a child. I remembered that the female students at the school had a ss rted to tea parties because of this.

    On the other hand, cooking skills were not necessary, but knowledge of cooking was important for noblewomen, but I wouldnt go into the details of that. In short, they needed to know how to talk about various topics when they had guests over or when they were invited. It was simr to talking about old wine.

    There was one other thing. The fact that the invitation was sent through my father, rather than directly to Lily, showed that they had no other intention. The invitation itself would serve as evidence, meaning that the marquise would take responsibility if Lily were to be harmed in any way.

    In other words

    What do you think, Welner?

    Is it a faction problem with the Marquis Schramm?

    Mm.

    Was that the right answer? At any rate, I should exin to Lily, who still seemed to be puzzled.

    In this country, there are two major factions, the civil faction and the military faction, but the Marquis of Schramm doesnt belong to either of them. You know that much, right?

    Yes.

    However, since there are not many neutrals in terms of numbers, they often get along evenly with the leading figures of both factions. And Miss Rosemarys mother was supposedly from a military aristocratic family, right?

    I see, because they dont have any blood rtions with the civil faction, they have a desire to make a connection by bing friends with me, who is currently under one of the civil factions.

    Good enough Even though Lily didnt have much information and experience, she had a good level ofprehension.

    My personal assessment aside, Count Zeavert was part of the civil faction. And now that it became a count house with an ornamental crest, it would certainly be seen as one of the top counts in that faction, even if they may not be the highest ranking among the faction.

    But that being said, it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings if the youngdy called out to me, and would cause rtionship problems if they invited people without any proper reason.

    Therefore, by inviting Zeaverts family as a guest, the family must have been considering using the invitation as a foothold for future exchanges. Perhaps, in the name of repaying the hospitality we received, my mother would invite the Marquis or Madame Schramm at ater date.

    I thought that this was really a troublesome exchange between aristocratic families, and I hated to say it, but did I really need to mention this as well?

    Besides, there is also the rtionship with Mazell they have to consider, after all, Rosemary-sama is engaged to the son of the Crown Prince.

    So instead of having a connection with my brother who is not in the capital, they wanted to have a connection with me instead?

    Thats what they are implying, I think.

    It would also be a stepping stone to building a rtionship between His Highness Louwen and Mazell when Mazell eventually returned to the Royal Capital. I think Lily would be unhappy about that, as well. However, the country had not publicly acknowledged Mazells existence as a true hero.

    However, now that the state was openly protecting Mazell, his recognition would probably happen in the future, right?

    As I was thinking this, Lily nodded and answered.

    I understand. I will ept the invitation.

    Are you really okay with that?

    Yes. I think its something Ill have to do at some point.

    She responded nervously, but clearly to my father. Although she seemed to think that it would be a burden for our Zeavert house to say no after having obtained the Grand Dukes permission, it still showed in her face that she was worried, showing that her poker face was not yet good enough to hide her feelings.

    Besides, I think it would be more helpful to Welner-sama.

    Thats for sure.

    I resisted the urge to tear up as I listened to my fathers response. I was d nothing was in my mouth. If that was what she was really worried about, I would have told her not to worry about it, but thats a line I couldnt say in my position right now. I really shouldnt have to think about that yet.

    But still, the siblings were so simr in their boldness.

    udia, please go and find her some clothes.

    I will.

    Father said to Mother. Even a tea party with a casual purpose would require appropriate outfits, and I doubt that my mothers dress would fit Lily. Height was an issue, you see.

    Theres a rental clothing store in this world for aristocrats, too, so we might have to call them up soon, thats for sure.

    Lily doesnt have to work today.

    Understood.

    Thest few days, I was so upied with the duel that I hadnt made any progress on my investigations, but even without that, I still had a lot to do on the front lines. On the surface, that would mean Ive got a lot of work to do. Today would be a full day of that side of work as well.

    I was showing a disappointed look on my face, but since I would be doing paperwork today anyway, I guess it was fine.

    On that day, Ill be at the royal castle in the afternoon. But before I go there, Ill make sure to prepare the necessary authorization you would need.

    Lily was the one who was invited, but she would need someone to escort her to the Marquis house. My father only nodded lightly when I said so, but it was a good thing, since I was right in my decision.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    Im tired.

    Thank you for your hard work.

    Lily offered me a cup of tea as Iy prone on the desk in my private office. I was happy, but I couldnt even lift the teacup anymore.

    Today, as expected, I had to work on a few days worth of paperwork. I never thought that I would see the evils associated with the hierarchical government in this world.

    Lets say, for example, that a package was supposed to be delivered from the domain of Count A to the Royal Capital via the domain of Count B, but it was dyed by a few days. The first question was where the dy urred: was the departure at House A dyed, was the dy between House A and House B, or was the dy on the way from House B to the Royal Capital?

    Next came the need to find out why the dy urred. Was it a dy in document review, a road defect, or a safety issue due to the presence of bandits and monsters? Next, there could bepensation issues due to the dy, orpensation issues in case of poor quality. This was even rted to measures to prevent reurrence.

    In other words, I had to go to House A and B, the department in charge of road administration, the department in charge of legal affairs, and even the military, depending on the situation, to listen to their reports and confirm the situation. The castle was too big, you son of a-!

    I knew that it would be too much trouble to repeatedly visit all over the ce to hear what was going on, so I made a list of how the towns in our area were connected and what problems were urring on each road, along with a railroad map, and submitted it as a recurrence prevention measure.

    After reading the list, the person in charge noticed that only the cargoes rted to a guild in a certain town were strange. Apparently, there was a high possibility that the guild was intentionally dying the distribution and was asking for a bribe if we wanted the goods to be delivered earlier. It was certainly possible for them to be that pushy when it came to materials, if not products.

    Further investigation revealed that the dys had apparently started around the time the guild leader was reced. Since it was almost a stop-gap measure, they didnt have time to look at the schedule. I understood the desire to reduce the amount of work involved in going back and forth within the castle.

    As a result, the entire legal staff was involved in a sort of forced investigation of the guild branch in the Royal Capital, and I had to apany them to the scene. It was a real bushwhack and I ended up not only in the Royal Capital, but also in other towns. Yes, I overdid it. I regret it.

    Excuse me, Welner-sama. Im sorry to bother you, but

    Is there something wrong?

    My exhausted brain was spitting out error messages, so I sipped my tea mindlessly for a while and turned my head to see Lily apologetically calling out to me. I was a little apologetic because it seemed she had been waiting a long time for my brain cells to reboot.

    Yes, I have something to show you, Welner-sama.

    Me? Sure, but can you bring it over?

    I was wondering if I needed to go personally to see it, but apparently not. Lily went out and soon came back carrying something on a tray. The object in question seemed to be lightweight material as well.

    Here it is. I think there are still some problems with the thickness and stuff.

    She seemed a little proud of herself as she showed it to me. I looked at the tray Lily had ced on the desk. It was a bundle of white paperpaper. Wait, paper?

    I couldnt help but lift one up. It was still quite thick. The texture was not necessarily like paper I knew. The surface was rough, like the rough wallpaper of my previous life, but it was still definitely paper.

    I did not have any experience with the process in making it myself, but the paper presented to me was simr to the Japanese paper used for hands-on learning at school. It was not as tactile as, say, the high-grade rough paper used for invitations, but for a prototype, it seemed to me to be of a high enough standard.

    How were you able to make it?

    Welner-sama told me how to make this before, so I was wondering if I could create something simr with simr materials. I tried my best.

    I think I tried my best was not such an easy thing to say when making something, but it did show results that were now in front of me. If I was a no-good person, I would have rejected this result based on my own subjective viewpoint orparing it to the actual product I knew. I should prevent myself from bing something simr to the boss of a ckpany in my previous life.

    I had been training for the duel for the past few days, so Lily should have been studying at the Counts mansion the whole time, though I was sure she also had a good amount of time to do some experiments. I turned it over, stroked it, and looked through it before turning my attention to Lily.

    How did you manage to do all that papermaking and stuff?

    My mother and I tried all kinds of things. Welner-sama showed me the operation itself at that time. I made the tools by stretching cloth over a wooden frame.

    I remember that they were doing something like this when I was watching people making paper in my previous life. Conversely, the thickness of the paper was probably because I had not exined properly and what Lily did was something more of an imitation. Maybe I should have exined more carefully.

    What materials did you use?

    You told me that fibrous nts are used to make paper, so its a mixture of barley straw, cotton cloth scraps, and a little bit of raffle fiber, and its steamed. My father found time to work on it.

    I doubt they grounded it with a stone mortar or something. Lilys parents were cooks, so I knew they usually used a fire and would also have tools for steaming. Maybe I was just not as familiar with it as they were. I was somewhat convinced.

    How did this paper be so white?

    Oh, thats

    There was a bleaching agent made by mixing the rind of several nts with ash, songbird droppings, and some kind of mineral that had been crushed and heated, and they washed the materials with it. I asked about the process of making it, but gave up trying to understand it because the ingredients were all proper nouns that I had never heard of before. I didnt know much about nts, you know.

    It looks pretty hard to make.

    Yup. Even at the inn, we had to use a bleaching agent for bedsheets and such because it removes stains very effectively.

    I almost made a strange response. Thinking about it, in RPGs, even the bedsheets at Inns where you stayed right after escaping from a dungeon were always pure white. I had no idea that there was a super strong cleaning bleach that was exclusive to a world like this.

    Then again, this world had the flora and fauna unique to this world, and there were technologies that have been developed uniquely in this world, even if they were empirical. I assumed that the knowledge of my previous life was superior to everything else. That was a bit of a reflection, I guess.

    And regarding the rest of the materials, how did you manage to find and transport them?

    Norbert-san, who helped us with the consultation, made the arrangements for us.

    Norbert did?

    Yes. He gave me a lot of advice on the type of fibrous wood and so on. He also told me that it would be better to have Welner-sama take a look at the prototype before presenting it to the Count, just to be sure.

    Norbert, this was what he meant when he said that I should praise Lily first. On the other hand, he wanted me to show it to my father so that it could be a new specialty or product of the territory. Hmmm. For now, lets praise her for it.

    You did a great job. This is a good result.

    Thank you.

    Her blooming smile was a feast for my eyes as well, but whether it could be made into a product was another matter. The biggest problem would be that without expert papermakers, mass production would be impossible, and I doubt that a stable supply would be possible in the current Zeavert territory.

    It would also be difficult to develop the market. The literacy rate was not high in the first ce, so the number of people who could use paper was limited. In my previous world, both paper and parchment were expensive, but because of the low literacy rate, it was a supply and demand thing.

    In this world, the literacy rate was higher than in the Middle Ages, but parchment made of monster hide, which would be cheaper than paper, was widely used. It would take more than a literacy rate increase to create a new market to poprize paper as a tool for writing, though not without writers who would be using the paper.

    It was often the case that even a good product would not sell if the time was too early and the market had not yet matured.

    This is going to be hard to mass produce, and you will be busy as well.

    Yes, I think so too. It seems to be hard to grind straw and cotton shavings and such.

    As expected. The fine grinding was the part that, in my previous life, had been done with a water wheel or something simr. Doing it by hand would indeed be too inefficient.

    No, wait. The fact that it was rare and there were only a few of them meant that it had a <i>rare</i> value.

    After thinking for a while, I said, Lily, Im sorry, but I need you to prepare some painting materials. If there are any citrus fruit peels left in the kitchen, please bring some of those as well.

    Eh? Ah, yes.

 Chapter 175.1

    Chapter 175.1

    Im sorry, you must have been tired. (Lily)

    I dont mind. (Welner)

    Lily and I went to see Father when I got home. After I entered his office, I found that Mother along with Norbert were also present there. I wondered why mother was smiling as she was looking at me.

    Theres something Id like you to see, Father. (Welner)

    What is it? (Father)

    Thankfully, Father didnt mention the duel. Or maybe he already knew that mother was going to be lecturing me about it for a while. Thats what I was afraid of, but lets stop thinking about it for the moment.

    Lily made <b><i>it</i></b> for me, hoping <b><i>it</i></b> would eventually be a product of the territory.

    I showed him a piece of ordinary white paper, which not only my father but also my mother touched with interest, as if the line Lily made it had an effect, but my father eventually turned his gaze toward me.

    What do you use it for?

    I think that in about ten years, it could be used as a recording paper.

    Ten years, huh? I guess that means the conditions arent perfect at the moment.

    Very perceptive indeed. And he seemed to be aware of another problem, although he did not point it out.

    Along with the problem of ensuring a stable supply, there was also a need to check preservation abilities and durability of this paper.

    Moreover, it was also difficult to say whether those who were currently using parchments would switch to this new paper.

    Parchments made up of monster/demon hide were cheaper, and the quality was not all that inferior. In short, if we didnt do something about the processing cost, we wouldnt be able to sell paper.

    What will you do with it in the meantime?

    Yes, the n is like this

    I had already anticipated this question, so I offered him what I had prepared for the asion. When my father saw it, he looked at me with curiosity.

    You drew a pattern. What are you going to do with it?

    Im going to use it like this.

    Although it was roughly drawn, there were different patterns on the paper that could be seen even before it was unfolded. I handed a sample to Lily which she handed over to Father, so he checked closely.

    I thought we could start by using them in <i>wrapping</i> gifts.

    I see.

    In short, what we made was wrapping paper, but there was no such word in this world since there was no concept of wrapping things in paper in the first ce. Even when giving expensive gifts, they may be wrapped in expensive cloth or put in a bag or a jewelry box.

    However, a gift box, regardless of the price and design would have its limits in what it could contain. It was not possible to put certain items inside it. For example, a bouquet of flowers which could only be wrapped in ribbons at best.

    However, if the gift could be put in a paper box and wrapped in wrapping paper, an aristocrat could have a painter draw an image appropriate for each recipient on the gifts wrapping paper such as a family crest. It could be used to create a unique decoration with patterns that matched the recipients style.

    Since there was no need to use uniform decorations/patterns on wrapping papers, the wrapping paper could be made by different workshops. If someone wanted an <b>exact</b> pattern on <i>every</i> wrapping paper, then I might consider printmaking on amission basis, but that would need a lot of preparation, especially if the order quantity was very big.

    In this world, most painters worked for aristocrats, but there must be people with talent for painting on the streets as well. If people with talent for painting could be given jobs in the form of workshops alongside papermakers, they might be able to perform derivative work.

    In Japan, Yamato-e (a style of Japanese painting) was created to be used in maki-e underpainting in the Muromachi period, and there may be room in this world for the creation of sculptures and other works that use paintings as their source material. In the future, it would be interesting if an industrial school specializing in such things could be established in the Counts domain, but that was a long way off.

    Not only oil paints but also watercolors existed here which were simr to what they used in the Middle Ages, and legumes used as a fixing agent for paints could also be found in the Counts territory.

    The materials were originally processed to create a fixing agent for incense that were used in ceremonies, but it would also be possible to use it for other things. If sales of those materials increased, it would increase the territorys finances.

    You could wrap jewelry boxes with this and then decorate it with patterns and drawings before giving them away. And this.

    I also presented him with a sample message card. This also had a light pattern painted on it, giving it a morous look.

    You can write a few words of thanks or love and give it to the recipient along with the gift. It doesnt have to be as long as a letter and can be used for both men and women. The advantage is that it can be made in this size from the start.

    Like parchment, demon parchment must be cut out from arger piece in order to use it in a smaller size. The resulting problem would be there would be many useless parts from the cut-out remnants.

    From an aristocrats point of view, such scraps might not be a big deal, but the issue of size variation was important from a production and distribution point of view. Being able to set the size of the paper to some extent on production could also be considered as an advantage.

    It has a certain aroma, doesnt it?

    My mother interrupted me this time when she saw the card, so I answered her first.

    Unlike parchment, it is easy to add fragrance to paper. Normally, perfume would be better, but for today, I used citrus peels to add fragrance.

    Mother suddenly raised a question, Have you bought Lily a bottle of perfume by any chance?

    Ugh, I think I just identally pulled a big snake out of the bushes. It was true that I should have done something like that, but I forgot because of all the work. In the first ce, the scent itself was not from perfume so why did mom have to connect it to that topic.

    Lily who was following next to me probably felt sorry for causing me a problem, but it was not her fault and I should be the one who should apologize.

    Seeing me on the verge of getting another round of mothers rant, Father asked, So, youre going to make me write messages on hard paper (Gift card)?

    (TN: The term <b><i>Gift Card</i></b> doesnt exist in this world.)

    Phew, father helped me out. Moreover, he seemed to have noticed my intentions from the way he said messages instead of also messages. The main purpose of the <i>gift cards</i> was to let people know that paper could be used for writing.

    If both the sender and the receiver know that the gift cards could be used for writing, it would be a topic of conversation in both households. The word would naturally spread that the card was useful as a writing tool as well. If it was not good, there would be no way to sell it, but if it had advantages, they could add value to it and sell it.

 Chapter 175.2

    Chapter 175.2

    I understand your intention. The rest depends on the production volume and material costs. (Ingo)

    Yes. It also depends on whether the materials can be produced in the Counts territory or whether they will be purchased from other territories. (Welner)

    Do you have a n in ce for this?

    To be honest, we are just getting started, but it will take time, especially to train artisans. Considering the budget and time required for training, I wanted to first ask Fathers evaluation of the product itself to see if it would be eptable to you.

    If the product did not sell well, it would be a huge waste of the countys resources including money and personnel. Thus, I needed to get the approval of my father, the head of the counts family, first before I start any work.

    Father looked at the paper for a while and then nodded as he said, It seems that the quality needs to be improved a little more, but the general idea is good. What do you call this product?

    Well, its made from nts, so how about nt decoration paper or something along those lines?

    We needed a name for it, because there were many different kinds of paper, like simple parchment or makishi paper.

    I wondered if it would eventually just be called paper, but I doubt it. Because in this world, demon parchment was cheap.

    Even if this paper becamemon paper, it would take some time before that happened. It might even be in my great-grandchildrens generation.

    I will bring this to His Majestys attention when the time is right. (Ingo)

    I will try to produce something a little better by the time you submit it to the royal family. (Welner)

    Norbert, gather information on the materials needed.

    Yes, sir. (Norbert)

    Norbert bowed his head after Father ordered. I think he had already made some preparations and was simply waiting for confirmation, because Lily had been consulting with him. I felt like things were being set up without me knowing.

    Lily was surprised. She probably didnt think that it would be such a big deal. However, it was a rule for aristocrats to present new products of the territory to the royal family, and at the same time, it would also be a way to show their dependability.

    It was to make an appeal to the royal family that aristocrats like us were serious with our ruling, and that resulted in creating a new product. This was also a show that the noble who presented the new product was superior to other nobles even if only on that aspect, and that they should not take their positions too lightly. In this world, aristocrats must develop their skills as aristocrats in order to survive.

    It was difficult to judge how much or how little to let out, because if you overdid it, everyone wouldnt take their eyes off you. In the worst case scenario, someone might even snatch your product.

    That being said, we could not proceed any further in this days product presentation. There was more work to be done, such as quality improvement, procuring materials necessary for mass production, and methods to train craftsmen. But well, I think it would be better to find good people who could do this and leave the production in their hands.

    It was not as if I had the luxury or time to be involved in every aspect of increasing the territorys production. I wouldnt have the time for sure, but also I wouldnt have the brain capacity to do it.

    And since I also had other ns in mind, I was more inclined to focus on using the territorys technological improvement as an appeal to the Royal Family.

    Thank you for giving me some of your time. (Welner)

    No, rather. I didnt think youde up with something like this. (Ingo)

    When I turned to face him, my fathers gaze turned toward Lily for a moment. Lily and I looked at each other for a moment because of the strange reaction. Oh, so thats what this was about.

    Thank you, Lily.

    Huh? Yes, yes. Youre wee?

    Lily responded in a puzzled way. It was understandable that she didnt understand, and it would have been better if she had.

    (T/N: Ingo was indirectly praising Lily.)

    My first priority was to prevent the attack on the Royal Capital, and after that, it was just a matter of Mazell defeating the Demon King. However, fixing domestic issues and new production ns would havee after Mazell defeated the Demon King. Most of the other issues that I had dealt with were usually done at random.

    The reason I started to seriously think about the administration of the territory was because Lily would be next to me for a long time and I wanted to provide her with the best living standard. I was sure my parents already feel the same way. I guess it could be said that this was also a sign of my growth, right?

    While I was thinking about this, there was a hurried knock at the door. My father gave his permission, and a man who had been made an assistant butler in ce of Frenssen entered the room. Seeing only the expression on the mans face, my father spoke first.

    Thank you, Welner and Lily, you may step back, and udia, you may step back as well.

    Yes.

    Pardon me.

    Lily and I bowed to him and left the room. It seemed that I was getting used to the fact that I was no longer upset in situations like this.

    Then everyone except Norbert left the room for a moment, but Norbert came out to call me back into the room immediately. Something must have gone wrong. I knocked at the door.

    This is Welner.

    Come in.

    I entered my fathers room in response to his voice and found him dressed as if he were going to work. He didnt seem upset, though I was sure something had happened for him to be dressed like that at this time of the day.

    Im going to take Max to the royal pce now. Ill leave you to guard the mansion until I return home.

    I understand. May I ask what happened?

    A messenger just arrived from the Royal Court informing me that Count Gramlich died of an illness.

    Eh? What? He was still alive yesterday, right? What happened so suddenly?

    The exact situation will be confirmed at the pce, but it seems like the entire family of Count Gramlich, including his wife and children, became ill thats only ording to the report, so what actually caused this is unknown. So be sure to take note.

    So not only the Count, but his whole family suffered. And the fact that Father explicitly asked me to guard the mansion means that the situation was very fishy. Was it a mass suicide or a murder?

    However, since ording to the report, only one of the Counts family members who fell ill survived, Father decided to show extreme vignce. The fact remained that this was the only report that was sent for this case and no further report had been made. My father probably did not know any more details than what was given to him. I should be prepared for any possible incident that might happen just as he warned.

    Lets have Augen stay in the mansion. Behnke will wait outside the mansion just in case.

    Yes.

    In case of emergency, Behnke would lead the knights who were sleeping outside the mansion to go inside the mansion as reinforcements. It was going to be an all-nighter for both of them today.

    And assume that tomorrows tea party, to which Lily was invited, will still follow as scheduled.

    I understand.

    It seemed that for the time being, I would have to go along with the schedule as if nothing happened. Maybe I should think of some countermeasures while I was at it.

 Chapter 176.1

    Chapter 176.1

    A quiet gasp came from Marquis Schramm when he saw Lily getting out of the carriage with my help. I knew how it felt. Even if it was a borrowed dress, the person wearing it had a good figure, and she looked more beautiful than most noble youngdies. I also couldnt help but admire her when I first saw her.

    As Lily was a <b><i>guest</i></b> of Zeavert house, a Count family, Zeavert houses carriage, which was also used by Mother, was now being used by Lily when she was invited by the Marquis family.

    If we had used a rented carriage, other aristocrats would have thought less of Zeavert house, saying that we could not even provide a carriage for a <b><i>guest</i></b> who was invited to a tea party by a Marquis. Appearances were an important matter for aristocrats.

    I would simply drop the fact that the real purpose of using the carriage was to safeguard against unexpected situations and also to follow up on the etiquette lessons provided by mother. I didnt think that the first use of the prototype paper would be as a memo of social manners and etiquette.

    Incidentally, the maid apanying Lily today was a trusted veteran of my mothers. She was going to chaperone Lily. She would also be reporting back to mother on what kind of interactions took ce during the tea party.

    Ill pick you up around the end of the day.

    Yes.

    As I sent Lily off, I searched for signs and made a quick check to see if there were any suspicious people around. I bowed to the butler of the Marquis house at the gate, returned the carriage, and left for the Royal Pce, riding on (Brave) Disbelt.

    If this were my father or mother, the carriage would have been entrusted to the Marquis, but Lily would have to return the carriage because she was currently a guest of the Zeavert house. However, I would not be able to use it to go to the Royal Pce as it was built for women. It would also be out of ce for me to go to the pce on foot.

    Neurath and Schunzel were keeping a watchful eye on the area at a bit of a distance from the mansion, and they came up to me when I went near them. I would be reporting to the royal pce, but since we didnt have much time, they came along with me to give their report of the surroundings as we headed to the pce.

    There doesnt seem to be any problem, right?

    Its unlikely that the Marquis will do anything or mess up in any way that could harm Lily as a guest. They are more afraid of retaliationing from Mazell than from the Zeaverts.

    In addition, they were also afraid of the upper echelon of the country that started openly defending Mazell. It would take a lot of strength and time to win a head-to-head battle with the country. Even if it was somewhat rotten inside, the Kingdom of Bain was still, to be fair, a fairly solid nation.

    Of course, there would be a certain number of outliers, which was inevitable in any organization. You could say that I was also an outlier from the viewpoint of the Bain Kingdom, just from a different angle.

    In that case, it would be a good idea to keep a vignt eye on the return trip.

    Yes!

    When I was about to move out, a familiar Scout arrived, likely the one Feli rmended when Id asked him for someone who could help, whose name I had forgotten. I received the demon parchment he provided and paid him the price for the delivery with an extra tip for the job.

    After the deal, I asked him about another matter, but he said it would take a lot of time and money. I decided to give him an additional deposit and leave the rest for ater date. Speaking of which, I should go and thank the old man for his hospitality to Bert. It was important to meet him in person.

    Youve been working in the shadows, havent you?

    Whatever might you be saying?

    I couldnt help but chuckle at Schunzels way of putting it. I couldnt argue with that, but while there were things that could only be seen from an aristocratic perspective, and there were also things that could only be seen from a citizens perspective.

    I would really like to gather information myself while drinking and eating at the bars in the capital, but that was difficult to do these days. When I became a viscount, I could afford to spend more money, but I lost my freedom. Someday, I might actually be tempted to make jokes about the death of my freedom.

    With a sigh, this time, we departed for the royal pce. When we reached the gate, we dismounted our horses and brought them over to the pces stable, where I received a message, or rather, a call, addressed to me.

    Seriously, please send messages like that ahead of time. I responded to the messenger with my face pale enough for those around me to be conscious of my expression.

    Im going to go ahead right now. Neurath and Schunzel, Im sorry, and you two, wait for me at my office.

    Yes, sir.

    Yes, sir.

    Inwardly cursing about the spaciousness of the pce, I reached the room I was looking for.

    Youre finally here.

    Sorry to keep you waiting.

    No problem. No need to be polite. Im sorry for making you hurry.

    I dont mind, Your Highness, rather it should have been expected.

    There was no way that I would let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Hubert be waiting for me in the basement storeroom. I was too tired in many ways from running down the spiral staircase. There was one knight I recognized in front of the storeroom and one inside the storeroom, which was really a few guards considering who they were guarding.

    First of all, Id like to thank you for all the trouble you and your colleagues went through during the Duel Trial.

    No, you didnt have to.

    I had priorities that I couldnt change, but it is an undeniable fact that it resulted in a burden on you.

    I was about to sigh. So thats why I was suddenly called. The reason why His Highness decided to find a location where no one was around instead of calling me in his office was because he wanted to talk about the duel, and as I had expected, that duel was staged and worked as they had wanted.

    For the country, defeating the Demon King was the top priority. If the Demon King was not defeated, the demons activity would not subside, causing a lot of human and material damage. For this reason, the first priority was to avoid anything that could stop Mazell the Hero.

    In order to manage the situation, they staged a duel to iste the Marquis Coltrezis. But at the same time, it was also a way to show off Lily, Mazells sister, but since they wanted to be careful about her situation, they made sure that things didnt go out of hand.

    As I was a nobleman and a vassal, his Highness might have been concerned about how Lily thought about my situation, who was close to her. However, being Royalty, his position would not allow him to apologize so easily, so he arranged this indirect response. I guess another aspect of this was that he was also concerned about Mazells and Lauras reactions.

    Was it my imagination that Laura was somehow more frightening than Mazell? I think she would be angry while showing only a smile on her face. I got chills down my spine just by imagining it.

    It is a natural thing for a vassal to do.

    When I replied like that, his highness nodded with a light wry smile on his face. It was an exchange that I thought was typical of an aristocrat.

    In this case, if I had said, As His Highness wishes, it would have meant, I am simply doing it as a subordinate, though my response was meant more like, I did what you ordered me to do, even if it was hard work.

    More importantly, it was also a warning to not be asked to do it again if possible as I may refuse toply. From what I could read from His Highness face, I was sure that my intentions were clearly conveyed.

    I would like you to inform Lily as well.

    Yes, sir.

 Chapter 176.2

    Chapter 176.2

    His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Hubert asked, Regarding Count Gramlich, what do you know about his situation?

    I have not heard anything other than that the Count has died of illness. His family also fell ill. And that my family might be in danger.

    Its only us here. You may refrain from using roundabout phrases.

    Frankly, I did appreciate that. I shall do so without hesitation. As I was thinking that, His Highness continued.

    And I assure you, you are not under any suspicion.

    I see.

    If anything, I was the one who would have been attacked by Count Gramlich, considering his possible resentment toward me. It felt strange knowing that the person I had been so wary of suddenly disappeared.

    The first thing that came to my mind was the suspicion that the Coltrezis House had something to do with it, but I couldnt say anything concrete at this point.

    Is the cause of death known?

    It seems that the wine was poisoned. The Count, his wife, his brother and his brothers wife, as well as his son, who was the heir to the Counts family, and the Counts nephew, all died. The youngest daughter of the Count was the only one who survived and is currently being treated by the royal courts medical team.

    That brother was the one who dueled with me, I believe. Six dead, one in critical condition, and all in a noblemans mansion. That was a terrible tragedy.

    It wasnt hard to get poison in this world. Biological poisons from snakes, nt poisons from certain types of mushrooms, and mineral poisons such as arsenic were well known in aristocratic society, and there were even demon poisons.

    However, there existed antidote magic in this world. It could detoxify any kind of poison, so aristocratic families were less likely to die from poison idents Well, there were some cases where people got bitten by snakes during a night camp and couldnt make it to the temple in time.

    However, I had doubts about this antidote magic like whether it had some kind of side effects. Right now, that was not the main topic, so I should think about itter.

    In any case, it was also not surprising if an aristocrat used the poison tomit suicide. Though, even if he did be crazed, there was no reason for him to kill himself in the first ce.

    As I have concluded, I would understand if it was people involved with Count Gramlichs side that poisoned him. I could understand if those people would also be holding a grudge against me because their image had been damaged by the duel trial. But with the prince revealing that it was staged made things really questionable. Also, no nobleman would be so weak that they wouldmit suicide over something as trivial as this.

    So, I guess it was a murder disguised as a suicide.

    Did you know that there was something unnatural about the other side during that duel? (Welner)

    I have known. I also nned to investigate that in detail, but the investigation was dyed because of other priorities. It was a misjudgment from my side.

    I think that was inevitable. After I won the duel trial, it was inevitable that the order of priority would be assigned to dealing with Delitzdam first, then the church, and Gramlich woulde after that.

    Of course, if I had lost to a crazed person, he would have been killed on the spot, and that would have changed the order of priorities.

    At the time of getting the report of Count Gramlichs death, we just finished dealing with the other matters, so Sir Seyfart was mortified.

    That is understandable.

    Certainly the investigation should have led to the mastermind behind all this, or perhaps this was to make sure that the connection with Coltrezis House was cut off.

    Currently, the head of the family, the Count, and his brother, the head of the House of Knights, have died suddenly, while the youngest daughter in the direct line is still alive.

    Right.

    In other words, the youngest daughter, who is not yet ten years old, will be the head of the Count Gramlichs knighthood. Whoever bes her representative would be working for the Counts family, but only as a force that would defend the Royal Capital, so the position of her army would be simr to that of a volunteer army

    Ah

    That was a blind spot. If that was the aim, then it would be quite obvious. Our Zeavert house was able to mobilize about 100 men during the emergency of the monster stampede. Usually, Count Gramlichs side would be able to mobilize about the same number of people as our side.

    But with the change ofmander and the drop in morale, that group could no longer be included in the calctions as a proper army. If the entire family had died, it might have been possible to dismantle the entire unit and reorganize it, but that was not possible since the youngest daughter was still alive.

    If you look at it carefully, <b><i>Marquis Knapp</i></b> was lost at Fort Veriza, <b><i>Count Friedheim</i></b> of Valeritz whose pce fell before Finnoi, <b><i>Count Bachem</i></b> who joined forces with Letga after the Finnoi offensive, and <b><i>Count Gramlich</i></b> this time, even if limited to counts and above after the monster stampede, there were four noble families that were neutralized or even extinguished.

    Naturally, these noble knight orders would be reorganized at best and disbanded at worst. However, that would not make them that useful in war efforts. Thinking about it, these battles in the Hildare ins, Finnoi, the fights with demons inside the Royal Capital, the battle at Anheim, and other battles where I wasnt present, Id say that wed lost close to 10,000 men in forcepared to just after the monster stampede.

    Regardless of whether the opponents were demons or humans in those battles, the domestic forces were slowly being reduced, whereas demons were still springing up out of nowhere without any decline. It was as if we were being forced to fight a war of attrition against an opponent with nearly unlimited resilience.

    I sighed. I see, His Highness idea of putting as few restrictions on Mazells actions as possible was correct. International rtions today were like an invible alliance in the face of amon enemy, the Demon King. To put it another way, if our actual forces were exhausted when the Demon King died, there would be no telling what other countries would do next.

    And since the Royal Capital had already been attacked, it was certain that our country would continue to be a target of the Demon Army, and we would need Mazell to kill the Demon King and stop the demons from going berserk as soon as possible, even after the Demon King was defeated.

    In the game, there were no involvement from other countries. Although there was no interference from the government in the game, I wonder if there was simr support behind the scenes. It was a bit far-fetched.

    The royal family will continue to investigate Count Gramlichs case, but for the time being, please take care of yourself.

    Yes, sir.

    Wait a minute. As I recalled, Rafed was the one who investigated the blood rtionship (exined in next para) between those houses. I pulled out the memory of their connections as I remembered.

    Count Gramlichs wife was Count Yerrings sister, while Count Yerrings wife was a woman from the Coltrezis House, and because of Count Yerrings guardianship as a rtive of Count Gramlich, they would be able to indirectly absorb the Gramlich houses knights into the Coltrezis House faction.

    Should we also be wary of Count Yerring?

    I have already informed your father, and you are right, Sir. Im surprised you noticed.

    I was impressed as well, but not too happy. But still, the other party was a noble family. It was not just me who should be careful, but my whole family.

    I was ready to bite back if they came, but what should I do in order to prepare for that?

 Chapter 177.1

    Chapter 177.1

    And about that pathway the other day. I found a hidden passageway.

    His Royal Highness the Crown Prince threw in a bomb without hesitation. Perhaps he decided to talk about it here to keep everything more confidential.

    What was at the end of that passageway?

    First of all, the first room at the end of the passageway housed works of art.

    One of the knights standing beside His Highness showed me a ne in a box that he had taken out of his Magic Bag.

    It was not shy, but rather calm and finely crafted with a very good sense of style, but the gemstones used wererge. It looked like a masterpiece that was designed by a first-rate craftsman in a rxed manner. Even though I think it was an intricate piece, I refrained from picking it up.

    This is just one example. In addition to jewelry, there are wares and paintings.

    Paintings?

    Most of them werendscapes.

    Paintings were something that were hard for me to judge. As I tilted my head, His Highness started tough.

    You dont seem to know much about art.

    My apologies.

    As important as political skills were, understanding of sculpture, painting, and music was also an important knowledge for nobles, but I was not very good in this area mostly because I found it less important to mepared to practical knowledge needed for my survival.

    Thats fine. This design in the ornament is from the Ancient Kingdom era.

    Even the people of the ancient kingdoms were humans, so they would naturally have an interest in art. In aputer RPG, most of the contents of treasure chests were either jewelry, weapons or armor, but in reality, it was not strange to find paintings, sculptures, and musical instruments that had nothing to do withbat, but were just for aesthetics.

    That in itself was not strange, but there were many things that bothered me. The biggest question was why the royalty of this country didnt know about the passageway and the room behind it, but I was kind of afraid to ask about it, so I would just give the usual response.

    Is this the Ancient Kingdoms art warehouse?

    If it were only art, that would have been a reasonable guess, but there are also clothes and other things stored there. And there was another door in the back.

    So its the front room of the tombor is it the burial chamber?

    Thats how we see it.

    In the case of underground tombs in this world, there were cases where secondary burial chambers were added in addition to the main tomb chamber. The items that would be ced inside these chambers were usually veryrge objects. Come to think of it, I seldom heard of burials in the basement of a church in this world. Perhaps it might be because God was a more familiar figure in this world due to the existence of magic.

    Still, that was a very half-hearted reaction after discovering what was supposed to be a tomb. If it was really a burial chamber, then there would be either a grave or a coffin at the end of the chamber. I couldnt help but wonder who it belonged to.

    Beyond that, the investigation is stalled. The passageway copsed at the end of the door that was at the back.

    This was the basement of the royal pce, right? When I heard about the copsed passageway, I unintentionally looked up at the ceiling. His Highness and the knight apanying him didnt seem to understand my reaction at all.

    The investigation has been suspended because of trying to prevent further copse as it may affect the upper floors. It is also troublesome to get rid of stones and earth since there are not many people who can be entrusted with the investigation because of the location.

    There was a treasure room close to that location, a library, and above all, the Barrier Room, which protected the capital. So it couldnt be helped for the investigation to be dyed because there were only a limited number of people who could be provided permission to enter those ces.

    I had no choice but to agree with their decision since rushing on this matter could result in major damage. To be honest, I still think there was something fishy about that ce.

    At any rate, the knight guarding His Highness shouldnt mind if I asked him a simple question, Do you have anything like a list of items found?

    When I asked that, the knight looked at His Highness, and when he saw His Highness nod back, he took out a piece of magic parchment that had a list of items and presented it to me.

    The items included ornaments, jewelry, paintings, tableware, and clothing, but the jewel that was presented earlier had a feminine feel to it, and was probably an essory for women. There were also containers whose contents appeared to be cosmetics. There were quite a few of them.

    If it is a tomb, then maybe it is a woman who sleeps at the end of that passageway?

    Not necessarily one, but certainly at least one woman is buried there.

    Things were getting more and more mysterious. For a moment I wondered if it was the real tomb of the first king, but the first king of this country should have been a man. Why would there be a womans tomb in the basement of the royal pce, and why would it be hidden all the way down there, as well?

    Mehring. In an unlikely event that anyone hears about our conversation here, it will put me in trouble, so keep watch outside the storeroom.

    Ha.

    I was now finally going to talk one-on-one with His Highness the Crown Prince in the truest sense. His Highness sent his knight apanying him out of the storeroom to warn anyone not to approach the room, or rather, the Crown Prince was probably about to tell me something that he didnt want even his closest knights to hear.

    Sir Welner, you have been investigating the matter of the ancient kingdom from Elder Uwe, right?

    Yes.

    How much do you know about the founding of this country, including the matter of the ancient kingdom?

 Chapter 177.2

    Chapter 177.2

    Sir Welner, how much do you know about the founding of this country, including the matter of the ancient kingdom?

    It is to the extent that the ancient kingdom was destroyed by the Demon King, that a hero appeared and killed the Demon King afterward, and that our country became thergest nation among the several countries that survived and emerged during the period of confusion that followed.

    It was said that the Bain Kingdom came from a noble house of an ancient kingdom. Whether this was true or not, I was not sure. After all, it wasmon for people to im to be from a prestigious family to exert their power and legitimacy.

    During the turbulent period, I believe there were about 14 countries on the continent at most. There were probably some weak duchies and estates that named themselves cities or countries. However, there were not that many records that could be found of that period.

    Thats almost like something you would find in a school textbook.

    That was true. I didnt really have any other historical documents to refer to. While I was thinking that, a new bombshell jumped into my ears.

    The name of the hero who killed the Demon King is Yorg Reisegang, and the name of the woman who became his wife is Juliane Lutricia Weinziar. She is the sister of His Majesty the First King.

    Eh.

    And we have already lost track of where the tomb of the hero Reisegang is located. There is no record of it at all in our country.

    Then the grave site of Juliane-sama (formal heros wife)

    Yup, it is also simrly unknown.

    Suspicious. At the same time, it smelled fishy. No, if we thought about it, the story about how exactly the hero defeated the Demon King was very vague. Moreover, information about the progress of history and what happened to the hero afterward seemed to be missing from the stories passed down to the public and from what was taught at the academy itself.

    It was strange that none of the students felt any sense of unease regarding this topic. But above all, if royalty in our country was really descendants of the former hero, they would have shown off their bloodline with more power. This would have been the case even if they were not direct descendants of a hero Wait, speaking of descendants of heroes

    Are there any descendants of the previous generation of heroes?

    No, it was never mentioned.

    Again, it was phrased subtly. They even knew about the wife of the former hero, so how could they not know about his descendants. Then, why blur this part when everything had already been told to this extent?

    Is it not conveyed to you?

    It would be more urate to say that it has been erased. I have also done some research after the Demon Kings resurrection, but there are strangely few references to the period before and after the formal Demon Kings death, at least in our country.

    I was also wondering why information on skywalks is missing. Does it mean that the ancient kingdom rted records themselves have been tampered with in some way?

    It would be logical to assume so.

    That meant that the higher ups were still trying to figure out the truth. In case they discovered something off, it might end up with a cover-up, and at worst, destruction of evidence.

    This may be one of the reasons why investigation of the discovered hidden rooms was put on hold, not to mention the copse. Those rooms might have books that contained the truth about that era, even if they were only spared by ident. And the reason for hiding those documents there would itself scream that something suspicious happened during that time.

    It was possible that Reisegang, the previous hero who defeated the Demon King, was eliminated because he was considered dangerous. At the same time, there was also the possibility that the reason this topic was hidden so well was because of the possibility of the involvement of the former heros wife in his death.

    If, hypothetically speaking, someone from the Bain Kingdoms royal family was involved in the murder of the former hero, it would be a terrible problem in terms of governance and diplomacy. At that time, there may have been a reason to fear the hero, but in this day and age, a hero was a symbol who saved mankind.

    Come to think of it, in video games, the so-called strongest equipment, the sword, armor, and shield of the hero, were usually ced in different dungeons. It may seem strange when you think about it, but was it the result of the heroes going missing on a journey or something, and having their equipment hidden away separately?

    If so, I wondered why those pieces of equipment were not cursed.

    Assuming that my guess was true, did other countries also know about this secret? Even if it was known, I doubt they would be showing it around lightly, after all, it could be a trump card. Or was the former hero disposed of with the consent of all the powers concerned? And was the information erased by everyone at once at that time?

    I mean, I didnt want to be told about such ultra top-secret information.

    Let me take one big deep breath and repeat the question.

    Your Highness, do you think that the cemetery at the end of the passage is Juliane-samas grave site?

    Since there is no evidence to conclude that it is, I would say that it is simply a close candidate.

    I suppose so. But if that were the case, it was inevitable that they would be more and more hesitant to investigate. If, in fact, the former hero was buried there and evidence of his assassination was found, it would be necessary for everyone who knew about it to be silenced.

    At the very least, I would likely have to stay out of this. If I only knew the name of the wife of the former hero, I could still manage to cover it up, but if I went beyond that, it would be very bad. This was certainly not something I could talk about lightly.

    I guess he wanted me to inform him in case I found any rted records in the course of my investigation.

    Everything aside, what was the reason for trying to erase even the records of the ancient kingdom period? The king at that time may have made the decision for some important reason, but at least some information, such as the site of the formal heros grave, should have been passed down to the next generation. Well, there was no point in thinking about it, so I would leave it at that for the time being.

    There were too many questions and decisions to be made.

    I think the royal family was also worried about Mazell finding this out and how he would react to it. However, if things went south, I might also not be able to stay silent.

    Thank you very much for telling me.

    Please report back to me when you figure something out.

    Yes.

    I wondered what he was expecting me to do. No, on the contrary, I wondered what kind of information I would end up finding out. My stomach started to hurt thinking about it.

    Right, I have one more favor to ask. Eikstedt, whom you brought from Anheim, could you leave him with me?

    Yes, of course.

    It was an unexpected request, but well, he was not my direct subordinate. It would be good if he worked for our country. After all, he could be considered an excellent individual. To be honest, I also didnt have any particr reason to refuse.

 Chapter 178.1

    Chapter 178.1

    After a few reports and suggestions, His Highness the Crown Prince left the storeroom first, as he needed to appear in public at ater time. Meanwhile, I would be waiting in the storeroom for a while, trying to clear my head a little.

    I sat down on a chair, put my feet up on the desk, and dove into a sea of thoughts.

    First, todays major information was rted to the previous generation of heroes. The loss of the heroes, the standard-bearers of the unification of mankind, ushered in the age of war, or rather, a turbulent age. And if the people of Weinzierl (Royal family) were involved in this, it would be impossible to leak this information to the outside world.

    But even if that were the case, I was not sure why Juliane-samas cemetery was hidden from the public. She was a member of the royal ancestral family, so I put sama in her name. I wondered if we had misunderstood something. But Icked the information regarding this, so lets put this aside for now while not forgetting the feeling of awkwardness in how I put formalities in her name.

    In the pre-medieval and early modern period, information maniption was much easier to do, whether intentionally or not.

    After all, urate records could be lost or confused with anecdotes of other people during turbulent times, and in that sense, it would not be surprising if there was deliberate maniption of information in this world.

    However, to be honest, it did not matter how Weinzierls ancestors treated the heroes, at least as long as the current Royal Family didnt try to harm Mazell.

    There was no such thing as a pure Royal Family in the first ce. From the enemys point of view, even the crown prince, His Royal Highness Hubertus, was ck-hearted enough. No, really, I didnt want to make that man my enemy.

    I had always wondered why the Demon Army was putting so much effort into taking over the Royal Capital.

    When I heard about todays information, I wondered for a moment if Juliane-samas cemetery was the Demon Armys objective. But if that was the case, then they would have already stolen everything from the tomb when they infiltrated the capital. They didnt need to take over the capital for it. In other words, the tomb was not relevant at all, or they didnt know about it.

    I still felt like I was missing a few pieces of the puzzle.

    I left the storeroom after some time had passed while I was thinking about this and that. Every time I wondered what would happen if I broke this security medal.

    (T/N: <b><i>Security medal</i></b> wasnt exined here, so I assume it was the one which was needed to enter the hidden library.)

    Id like to try it just out of curiosity, but it would be a joke if it was a lethal trap, so I wont do it.

    I returned to the office and met Neurath and Schunzel, exining briefly about Sir Eikstedts case and other matters, and decided to leave for the day.

    With the image of apany man from my previous life, I wondered if this was the right thing to do, but I suppose it was okay, since there could be nobles who were just ying around. I almost forgot that I was still a student.

    Before leaving the pce, a messenger was sent to Zeaverts house to arrange for Lily to ride home in a carriage, and we traveled on horseback to the front of the Marquis Schramm house. There was no problem in this area of the noble district, because these areas were part of the routes that horses were allowed to pass through.

    However, I had to deal with passersby who knew me on the way, pointing at me and asionally thanking me. Fortunately, there were no high ranking aristocrats, so I only gave them a light bow. Smiling and waving back to people suited the Hero Mazell more than me.

    Its Welner von Zeavert. May I ask how Marquises tea party is going?

    Please wait a moment, I will check.

    When we arrived near the Marquiss residence, we dismounted our horses and then approached the gatekeepers to ask about the situation inside. Asking if the event had finished would sound like a request for an early termination, so it was good manners to ask about the status of the event instead.

    The carriage had not arrived yet, though. There was certainly no need to hurry, I thought, and then I saw Lily and the Marquis Schramm from the back, andwell, what was the Marquis himself doing here?

    The head of the family usually sees off guests when the other party was of equal to higher rank, and I didnt expect the Marquis to be at the mansion in spite of the Earl Gamrich matter. Or was it because of that case that he was here on alert?

 Chapter 178.2

    Chapter 178.2

    Its been a long time, Viscount. (Marquis)

    It has been indeed. I am sorry that it has been so long since I have shown myself in your presence, Marquis.

    I was somewhat bewildered, but the Marquis called out to me first, so I bowed. I wondered if he was here to greet me. After my greeting, Rosemary-sama curtsies to me. Compared to before, her curtsy had definitely improved.

    Its a pleasure to see you again, Viscount.

    I am honored, mydy. I, too, would like to thank you for inviting a guest of our family today.

    I returned the bow with a regr curtsy. At this point I was thinking that it would be a real hassle not to mention Lilys name.

    No, I would very much like to speak to Lily again.

    That is very kind of you.

    Oh, shes calling her by name. And even Lily was smiling, as if she was very familiar with her. It was difficult to determine whether they bonded or were fond of each other, but it seemed like they had a good chemistry.

    Im d to see that she has be a good friend of my daughters, even though they are a little apart in age.

    Im d to hear that, since I never had a sister.

    My, thank you very much.

    The Marquis and then Rosemary-sama followed suit with smiles on their faces. However, this girl must have been educated as a genuine aristocrat, so it was a bit difficult to decide whether I should take her at face value or not.

    I had a general idea of the situation based on her attitude so far. At least the Marquis Schramm did not seem to have a bad impression of Lily. It seemed that they wanted to bring her to their side as much as possible. I did not want to take advantage of Rosemary, and neither did Lily, so it was fine.

    However, she was definitely pushy, even if it was only casually. It would be a disadvantage for me if she continued to push us too aggressively, and although it was a little out of courtesy, I would like to make my move too.

    Well, its time for us to go, and I hope youll excuse us for now.

    Lily moved closer to me in response to myment and said, Thank you very much for your time today.

    Marquis suggested, Yes, of course. But I see that your carriage has not arrived yet shall we lend you our carriage?

    Your Excellency, our carriage was not dyed because of your handiwork, was it? If I were to ride in a Marquiss carriage, the factional showdown would be too clear.

    Well, we are in a noble district, so it wouldnt be a problem for us to go back home riding like this.

    Eh? Kya

    Lily was petite, so even I could carry her. I pulled Lily somewhat deliberately, then lifted her up onto the (Brave Disbelt) with both hands and made her sit sideways on the saddle.

    Not only the Marquis but also Neurath and the others looked surprised. Lily, of course, was also surprised, but she was quiet, as if she knew that it was dangerous to move around on the saddle. Or maybe she was just confused.

    Now, if youll excuse us

    Ah, um, excuse us.

    It was impolite to talk to Marquis and Lady while sitting on horseback because it would look like we were looking down on them, but it was me who did it, so they wouldnt me Lily. I bowed once more and adjusted Lilys seating and moved her in front of me. While taking the reins, I adjusted to look at the two once more.

    The Marquis understood what I meant by We wont need it. and smiled wryly, while Rosemarys eyes lit up, perhaps recalling an illustration from a knights tale that shows a princess. I think girls around her age like that kind of stuff. Sorry that the person ying the role of a knight was me.

    After bowing once more, I let the horse advance slowly so that the maid who was apanying us could follow us since she was walking on foot.

    I know I should not beining about this, but it was quite embarrassing to move slowly with a girl in a dress riding along, even though we were just riding to return home.

    Are you cold?

    No, Im fine.

    How was the tea party?

    The Marquis family was all very good to us. Oh, but the warning from Welner-sama was very helpful.

    I knew it.

    I chuckled a little. For example, if she had paid lip service to Rosemary-sama by saying that she wanted a sister when she said she wanted an older sister, the Marquis might ask if Lily wanted to be adopted.

    And Rosemary-sama was raised as an aristocrat. Even age and innocence could be used as a weapon by an aristocrat. There would be no room for carelessness. I guess they were looking at me that way, too.

    I was thinking about that, escaping from reality, when I sensed a presence and pulled on the reins. At the same time that Neurath and Schunzel were looking around, a figure came running out from the backstreet.

    The figure ran straight toward us. It was alone and unarmed. She was a girl, not dressed nicely. She was about the same age as me or a little older.

    She looked at us and raised her voice.

    Please help me!

 Chapter 179.1

    Chapter 179.1

    I quickly checked the child who came running up to me. She had no weapon and no Magic Bag. Her running style was also amateurish, so it seemed unlikely that she was an assassin, at least.

    While I was checking her out, Neurath raised his voice.

    What happened that made you want us to help you?

    My my father was attacked.

    Neurath and Schunzel looked at each other when they heard the girls reply. But not moving was the right thing to do as my escort. They couldnt just leave me alone, could they?

    Neurath, Schunzel, you stay here and protect Lily and the others. Where is your father, girl?

    Hearing mymand,plexion of Neurath and the others immediately changed.

    Its dangerous. No way, by yourself.

    You two stay with Lily until I get back. Wheres your father?

    Uh, um, the side road over there

    With that, I jumped off my horse and ran. If this was a trap, and I was the one being targeted, I would want to stay away from Lily now. I had a spear in my Magic Bag, but to be honest, using it to fight while protecting Lily and the maid on foot would be a little tough.

    Also, if Lily was the target, Neurath and Schunzel would protect her and I coulde up from behind andunch a pincer attack on the attacker while they bought time. If both of my guesses were wrong and the girl was really telling the truth, I would just help them.

    I looked down the side street and saw a man lying on the street with the smell of blood, and I looked at Lily and the others to make sure there were no other figures on either side before approaching. He was middle-aged, and like the girl, this man was not well-dressed.

    The wounds were not only deep, but numerous. The road surface was wet with blood, but it certainly seemed that it was not long since he was attacked, judging from the fact that blood had not dried up. He seemed to have already stopped breathing. I checked his hands, but there was no pulse.

    I looked around. There was no trace of the killers belongings, and there were no footprints in the blood. Once again, I checked my surroundings to make sure there were no signs of other people, and then returned to the ce I had just been.

    I saw Lily also dismounting from the horse with the help of the maid, but I had other things to do first.

    Are you all right, sir?

    Yes. Schunzel, go to any of the noble houses in the area, rent a servant, and have them contact the guards. Its a murder. Also, you can mention my name.

    Right away.

    Neurath, be on the lookout around just in case.

    Yes, sir.

    I thought about sending Lily home first, but I couldnt be sure shed be safe on the way, so I decided to hold off.

    I smiled slightly, but gave her an apologetic look as I pulled my jacket over my shoulder, since she was so conspicuous in her dress.

    Um, Welner-sama, Im so ttered, but this one needs it more.

    Oh, right, then, Neurath, Im sorry, but could you please lend this girl your jacket?

    Yes, sir.

    Neurath lent her his jacket and the girl bowed her head. Lily gave me a small earful with a serious look on her face. I nodded lightly.

    Schunzel returned, so I waited until the guards arrived, but then the girl turned to me and spoke.

    Oh, um, n noble-sama

    Yes?

    I was dressed like a knight, but looking at how Lily was dressed, it was not surprising to imagine that she was a noblewoman, and so yet she addressed me with noble-sama. I looked at her with a poker face, as she looked at me with a serious expression.

    Umm, do you know Zeavert-sama, noble-sama?

    Why?

    Well, you see

    No, never mind. Lets wait till the guards arrive.

    For the time being, I brought everyone to the side of the road. Even though it was getting darker and darker in the aristocratic district, we could still feel peoples eyes on us. Both Lily and I were famous because of recent events, so the strange or curious stares were bothering me.

    Fortunately, we didnt have to wait long before a group of guards came rushing toward us.

    Were the Guards! Whathappened?

    A man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, called out to us. He appeared to be in his mid-20s. He seemed to have heard only that a murder had urred, and changed his attitude by looking at Lily instead of me.

    While I think it was too tant for him to change his attitude there because Lily looked like some noble youngdy, I could not help but sympathize with his feelings.

 Chapter 179.2

    Chapter 179.2

    This is Welner von Zeavert. Thank you for your service.

    Shhh, its the Viscount, I apologize for my rudeness! My name is Gauter of the Guards!

    I dont mind. Never mind the courtesy, what we want to report is that this childs father has been murdered. Its at the end of that side street.

    Yes. I will go and investigate the situation.

    The reason he didnt notice me was because it was dark, I thought as I looked across to see Gauter instructing his men to go and inspect the scene.

    Although I had just walked up to a dead body, forensics and such techniques were still in their infancy in this world. Maybe they could figure out which wounds were fatal, but that would be the extent of their skills.

    However, it was also true that whether a case involving the murder of amoner would be properly investigated depends on the person in charge of the case. Unfortunately, this was still the case in our society. In addition, the girl raised her voice when she heard my name, but for now I would let it slide.

    Well, may we ask you about the circumstances?

    The other kid was apparently from the poverty-stricken ss, but was it Gauters nature or the fact that I was by her side that made him ask the question so politely? In any case, he seemed to have a reputation for being nice to the public.

    Ah, yes. My my father and I came here to get some treats from the nobility.

    When there was a party at the mansion of a noble or a big merchant, information about it would spread to the public because of various arrangements involved. People would gather behind the mansion expecting the leftover food to be distributed to the poor at the back gate.

    Nobles and merchants were also aware that it was natural to give leftover food and such to the poor, and as a result, it was not unusual to find poor people in need of food at certain times of the day, even in the aristocratic district.

    It seems that we took a wrong turn on the way and when we entered that side street we heard men with knives saying that Zeavertsama was passing by and that they were going to attack him.

    Those people seemed to be using my name without honorifics, but well, in the current situation, they wouldnt be able to assault me, as they were nning to do. Still, I didnt think that they hesitated to attack solely because of this.

    Those men attacked us with swords an and my father told me to run away

    How many people attacked you?

    F, four men.

    Four men with weapons if an assault did happen, I couldnt tell if Gauter could be relied on, or if he was an ally or a foe at this point. I guess, we could only wait and see what happens.

    To summarize the story that followed, the attackers face was masked, so she didnt see it, and both father and daughter were refugees from the old Triot and had no other family members. Hmm.

    I see, I understand. There may be something else we would like to ask, but for the time being, lets go to the guardhouse. (Gauter)

    No, you heard her mention the name Zeavert, and we were about to be attacked, right? If so, well handle this. (Welner)

    N, No, but sir (Girl)

    When I interrupted the girl, Gauter was startled. I was serious with my decision.

    It will be a little hard for a girl to be kept in a guardhouse.

    I was not lying in this nor making it a pretext. It was a bit of a nuisance to exin, and that ce would be a stuffy ce for a child. Gauter, with a troubled expression on his face, seemed to be somewhat aware of that as well. But the fact that he was so opposed to my decision, seemed to indicate that he was at least not on the enemys side.

    I further added, For now, Ill let her stay at the Zeavert residence for the night. After that, well have another discussion tomorrow. If you have any questions, you cane to Zeaverts and well make arrangements. Its time for us to go.

    I understand. I apologize for the trouble, but I will leave it to you.

    Miss, whats your name? (Welner)

    My name is ra.

    I nodded lightly. It was no lie that it was time for us to go. In fact, it was getting too dark to let the woman walk home alone, so I asked Gauter to lend me one of his guards to give the Zeavert residence a heads-up.

    I also asked Gauter to keep the fact that we were bringing ra to stay at the Zeavert house a secret, in case of an attack.

    Lets go back, Neurath and Schunzel, watch the front and back. ra, Im sorry, but youre going to have to follow on foot.

    Yes sir.

    All right, sir.

    Ye, yes.

    If she was a real victim, I would have let her get on the horse, but today, I should go with the attitude that I was not going to let amoner get on the horse like an aristocrat, straddling Disbelt (Brave) and pulling up only Lily. As it turned out, it was probably a good thing that we were not using a horse-drawn carriage.

    What impressed me a little was that our maid was casually following behind the girl who identified herself as ra. If there was any suspicious movement, she could immediately raise her voice to alert us. I guess you could say as expected of my mothers favorite.

    As I let Neurath and the others walk the horses slowly, Lily, who was sitting in front of me, turned her head and looked at me.

    Um, Welner-sama.

    Hmm, is there something wrong?

    No, not really, but, you see, youre grinning.

    Oops, Ill be careful.

    Watch out, watch out, be careful. I have to be careful not to show it in my facial expression.

    The other side went to the trouble of throwing in a piece, so I have to make the most of it.

 Chapter 180.1

    Chapter 180.1

    When I returned to the Zeavert house, I first sent Neurath to call Max. I had the bathtub ready, instructed the maids to give ra a full body wash, and whispered a few words of confirmation before having them escort her to the bathtub. I then had Lily get changed and told her to go to Fathers room.

    I told Norbert to pass on other instructions to the maids and headed with Schunzel to Fathers room. I would like to have a meeting with my father as soon as possible. That girl wouldnt be able to eavesdrop on our conversation if shes in the bath with multiple maids.

    You shouldnt have bothered to bring up the subject.

    Im so sorry, Father. I will take care of this matter.

    When I briefly exined the situation, father became angry, but not as enraged as I expected. He was probably expecting us to be targeted as well. I exined in more detail when Neurath and Max joined in. Lily was then called to join us after.

    By the way, I was also informed that our carriage was dyed because it almost ran over someone on the way. It was probably the work of the other side who wanted to get in our way. Whoever was responsible for stalling the carriage was probably the one who was targeting us.

    Why did you suspect her? (Father)

    Lily. (Norbert)

    The examiner, or rather Norbert, passed the question to Lily, who was a bit surprised by the sudden mention, but she quickly nodded and answered.

    Ye, yes. When Welner-sama, who had gone down a side street, came back and said that it was murder, ra didnt seem upset. I thought she was too clean looking for a refugee parent and daughter. (Lily)

    She was also calmer than I expected, especially in a world like this where monsters roamed around and death was closer to people than in my previous life. That said, I didnt want to scare her, so I was a little worried on how I should approach her, but she seemed okay.

    How did Neurath and Schunzel see the situation?

    I asked them this time. They looked at each other and nodded, then Neurath spoke up first.

    If there were really four culprits and ra escaped after she heard their conversation, it would be unnatural for all four of them to attack only her father. At least one of the four should have gone after ra. (Neurath)

    I also thought that her reaction when she heard Welner-samas name was somewhat unnatural and intentional, and the fact that she called him <b><i>Noble-sama</i></b> when she spoke to Welner-sama, it seemed as if she already knew his face. (Schunzel)

    I smelled blood when I approached the area down the side street. I concluded that some time has passed since the murder happened. I guess she may just be following a script that was given to her in order to approach me. (Welner)

    We have a policy of managing the Triot refugees in family groups, so there should be some information around regarding her family, but if we cant find anything, then something strange is at y. It may also be possible that some random family member would pop out of nowhere andin because their family member, ra, has been taken by me. Well, it should happen soon, and we will find out what they intend at that time.

    Max nodded.

    Also, the body of that man, her father, is strange. First, there are no wounds from self-defense.

    Wounds from self-defense?

    Lily tilted her head, so I exined briefly.

    When someone tries to cut you with a knife, you usually try to protect yourself with your hand, but in doing so, you will get a wound on your hand or arm. That wound is called a self-defense wound.

    Wound received from hesitation in the case of a suicide could also be recognized as self-defense wounds, but I shouldnt have to exin that much right now. But still, long live a certain boy detective cartoon.

    Max confirmed my point by saying, His hands were clean, with no self-defense wounds or blood on them. Perhaps, it was the first blow, which cost the man his life. The rest of the wounds were probably inflicted on the corpse.

    Father asked me with a look as if trying to verify my intentions, I understand that much. So what are you going to do now?

    First, Lily, I need you to draw ras true purpose. (Welner)

    Okay. (Lily)

    But I dont need you to observe her directly. Instead, I want you to draw her face as you see it, but not too clearly. (Welner)

    Ye, yes? (Lily)

    She tilted her head quizzically, so I just exined it lightly.

    If you observe her too much, she may think that something is wrong. Its easier to gather information if we could just use her image to ask others if they have seen someone who looks like her before. (Welner)

    I see. Ill try to draw some pictures. (Lily)

    Please. (Welner)

 Chapter 180.2

    Chapter 180.2

    This was another knowledge from my previous life, and this was in fact the kind of physiognomy drawing used by the police, as I have remembered. I guess some of the traits that witnesses remembered were traits that would catch other peoples attention. I nodded to Lily, turned to my father, and spoke up.

    If the mastermind is really a refugee from Triot, then taking her under our custody would make them move, but it could also serve as a countermeasure. That is if the mastermind is really from Triot.

    I see.

    And then after.

    When I was about to continue speaking, a knock was heard from the door. One of the maids monitoring ra, entered the room after waiting for fathers permission, handed something to Norbert and gave him some information about the discovery.

    There was a doubleyer on the inside of ras clothes and this was sewn into it.

    A medicine packet?

    Since I was not the best person to examine a womans clothing, I asked the maids to examine it while ra was taking a bath, which they did, as I expected.

    I touched it and found that it was small and swollen, but very light. It looked like moderately high-grade demon parchment. This alone would not be something a refugee would have, but if the mastermind gave it to her, that person might be an aristocrat or someone in a simr position.

    When I opened the package, I found a white powder. In a detective drama, there would be detectives who would lick it, but since it was probably poison, no one would do such a thing. Even in a real investigation, they would not lick it on the spot because it was evidence.

    Pockets were also rathermon in this world, by the way. In my previous world, pockets were not attached to womens clothes, or even mens clothes, until near modern times, but in this world, pockets seemed to be the idea of adventurers who carried potions and other items, and there were many clothes that had pockets.

    Just rece the contents with salt or something and put the medicine packet back in, please, before ra gets out of the bath. Ill check the contents.

    Wont she notice that theyve been reced?

    I think they probably handed it to her as some kind of package to keep, but we should not let her notice that it was reced, its fine. If she did notice, shell probably rush back to her master, which may actually hasten the process.

    I responded to Maxs question that way. As for the drugs, Rafed would be able to find out what kind it was and where to get it. He was a difficult guy to deal with, but he was certainly excellent in this regard.

    If the other party is a professional assassin, he wont do anything to make me suspicious. The timing is too tant. Perhaps ras master is an underling who is up to something on his own. Nevertheless, it could be a clue to the big guy, so I want to catch them by the tail.

    I see.

    I think their intentions will change depending on whether the contents are a powerful poison or something that can weaken one to the point of sickness. For the time being, we have to be careful, father and mother as well.

    I understand.

    In this world, there could exist magic to eliminate poisons, but the reality was that there were still a certain number of people who died from poisons. As far as this was concerned, it didnt matter if they were nobles ormoners. In the case ofmoners, it was often difficult to tell whether they died from poison from snakes or from being eaten alive by monsters.

    In the case of nobles, even if the death was ostensibly announced as an illness, there have been cases where the death was by poisoning.

    On that basis, I will make arrangements

    I exined the n to the maid who brought in the medicine packet, and we had a quick meeting with Max and the others.

    In addition, when I applied for a loan from Father, he gave me a nk stare. No matter how high I get paid as a viscount, I didnt have an unlimited pile of gold coins in my room, and I needed the cash tomorrow, so I apologize for the nuisance.

 Chapter 181.1

    Chapter 181.1

    After asking Max and the others to move outst night to make some arrangements, it was now early in the morning.

    I had arranged for a carriage to be rented early in the morning, then Lily and I went to the Royal Pce in it. It was probably the power of the Counts family, or rather Fathers power, that allowed us to go there unannounced.

    ra was allowed to stay in the back building as a guest. It was to make sure that the enemys subordinates monitoring Count Zeaverts mansion do not see her.

    Welner-sama, you should really be careful.

    Lily said that, maybe concerned about me acting alone. Today I was neither dressed as a knight nor in the formal attire of a nobleman, but in my school uniform which I havent worn for a long time at the academy. It saddened me that it took a long time for this to happen.

    By the way, the knight outfit and the rest of my clothes were shoved in my magic bag along with gold coins. I wondered if it was time to prepare a set of disguise tools or something.

    Oh, thanks for the worry. By the way, I need to ask you to do some research for me before I get back. (Welner)

    Yes, what is it? (Lily)

    For now, I would appreciate it if you could find out where the shellse from and how they are distributed in the Royal Capital. (Welner)

    When I asked her to do so, she gave me a puzzled look. Shellfish were rare in the Royal Capital, or rather, marine products themselves were scarce. This was probably due to theck of an ocean or arge river nearby.

    In the Middle Ages, whales, dolphins, sea pigs, shrimps, and scallops etc. were already being consumed. It was even recorded that whales were fit for kings and queens to eat.

    However, due to poor preservation techniques and transportation problems, most of them were only consumed in areas near the sea. Ind, freshwater fishes such as carp, trout, and wakasagi, weremon.

    Moreover, the seas and rivers were more dangerous in this world than my previous life because of the presence of monsters in them.

    For this reason, in ind cities, seafood would often be treated as more of a luxury item than meat. Be that as it may, the reason I was checking out shellfish wasnt for luxury, so I guess I could leave it to her.

    Now then, stay close to Neurath and Schunzel until I get back. (Welner)

    Yes. Take care as well. (Lily)

    Around an unpopr area, I quickly dismounted from the carriage and walked towards the side street, and remained there for some time watching the carriage escorted by Neurath and the others as they went towards the royal pce, making sure that there was no one following the carriage. It seemed that at least no one was following for now.

    The next possibility would be them following me once I got out of the carriage, so I sped up my steps and moved on. If the same people were behind me after making three consecutive right turns, I could confirm that I was being followed, or so I thought.

    I slipped into Rafeds store through the back door, keeping an eye out behind me. And as always, Rafed showed up.

    This is Welner-sama, you sure are here early this morning.

    Rafed was not surprised about my sudden arrival at all. I couldnt help but let out a sarcasticugh as I replied, Sometimes I wonder if youve got some kind of surveince on me.

    Then, he replied with a nonchnt look on his face, By all means let me prepare people to do it before you make your move.

    I think it would be best to erase your connection with me before I leave, though. Dont you think so?

    (T/N: If Rafed really put his men to surveince Welner, he would be involved in a deeper conspiracy involving nobles. Welner was simply telling him that it would be much safer for him to stay away or at least have minimum connections with him.)

    Id rather fabricate evidence that Welner-sama had a child with some random woman just to stay connected.

    Well, do as you see fit.

    Rafed could really do something like that, which scares me. I stopped the argument and took out a certain poison.

    Do you know what this is?

    Lets take a look.

    He smelled it, carefully touched it with his finger to check it, and finally licked it a little. I wondered if he was okay, but he simply said that there was no danger in licking this poison, since he found a poison simr to what I had given him to check, he could prepare for an antidote immediately if necessary. This made me think that it was best to leave something like this to experts.

    I gave him a portrait of ra and exined the situation. I confirmed the contents of the poison and purchased several potions that could be used to eliminate it. I then left Rafeds store, recing only my shoes then covering my whole body with a ragged cloak.

    I continued to watch my back and went to see the old man Bert. This was not to make a request, but to thank him for all the information he had given me.

 Chapter 181.2

    Chapter 181.2

    Although it took some time to find him, I was able to meet with him sessfully. I first gave him a load of gold coins, making him give me a nk stare, but I ignored it.

    No need to thank me or pay me you know.

    It would be easier for me to rx if you ept it. Feel free to spend it however you want.

    In the underworld, people value their friends because power and institutions could not protect them, and they would lend a helping hand to their friends without regard to profit or loss. In reverse, they would also antagonize the enemies of their friends without any profit or loss, or at the very least, not interfere or be a hindrance.

    Therefore, it was important for me to meet people like them face to face and thank them personally.

    Besides, they usually have their own intelligencework. And the kind of informationwork that they use tomunicate with each other was something that could not be ignored from an information gathering sense.

    However, I doubt that ordinary aristocrats would even think of such a thing, and I could only be thankful that I had knowledge of the mafia and yakuza from my previous life.

    I dont think money can buy you. I know that money cant solve your problems, so this is just my personal preference.

    You have a troublesome personality.

    I get that a lot.

    I had no intention of saying that I was doing this to get along with the world. I simply choose the best way to deal with people in a time and world like this. I also did not have any intention of asking them tomit crimes or get involved in any, so I wouldnt have to worry about getting ckmailedter.

    Even under the rule of the wisest and most famous of rulers, there would always be pseudo organizations within a country. These organizations were left to their own devices as long as they did not cross certain limits. However, if they did attempt to invade security, the country would use force to crush them.

    I may ask you to do a job for me at some point again, but for now, Id appreciate it if youd just think positively about this interaction.

    Alright, Ill keep that in mind.

    He snickered at me, but he seemed to understand that I was not here to bribe him, so I was satisfied with that. I would never be able to live with the underworld even if I stopped being an aristocrat, but that didnt mean I had to be hostile to the underworld.

    With this, I have made some progress knowing that the old mans group would not be aiming for me. I gave them some money to enjoy some drinks as well, so after the discussion, I made my way out and left Berts hideout. I tried my best to keep a poker face, but I still felt mentally exhausted. Phew.

    I changed my shoes on the way and made a few stops in school uniform before heading to the orphanage. While doing so, I also checked on the progress of the capitals beautification project.

    Apparently, Father had given the orphanage a good teacher. I chuckled a bit when I saw that chart of ny-nine in such a ce.

    Afterward, I changed into the knights uniform in the back of the room. I left a donation and also asked them to mindfully increase the number of math lessons. I should also have them teach the need for bookkeeping as well, I guess.

    These childrens beautification projects had be well known, so they could nowfortably walk around the capital, and being children, most people wouldnt be rmed by them even if they asked some strange questions. These kids simply wrote daily reports on their surroundings events, unaware of the fact that they had be part of my informationwork.

    These days, it seemed that the capitals redevelopment efforts had been progressing faster than the childrens beautification project, so some adults have been giving allowance money to the kids who clean up their trash after work. I think it was a good thing for them to receive some allowance, but it would be a problem if they get used to it.

    Although I had left the arrangements with the Adventurers Guild to Max, so I didnt have to go there personally, walking all over the Royal Capital still took some time, and by the time I was done, it was not only past noon, it was almost evening. Imented theck of progress in my other investigations, but I figured it was gettingte anyway, so I did some shopping and went to the Royal Pce.

    When I entered the office, Lily was working on something along with Neurath and Schunzel, but they all stood up to greet me upon noticing my arrival. I would usually say, You dont have to stand up, but there was another person in the office today. So I gave a quick bow to the man as well.

    I apologize for the trouble I have caused you, and please let Prime Minister Falkenstein know that I will be visiting himter.

    Yes, of course. I shall take the message and leave, excuse me.

    I thanked the knight, or rather the watchdog, to whom I sent a message addressed to the Prime Ministerte yesterday evening, and bid him farewell. I did apologize for beingte, as I had to also ask Grand Duke Seyfart to be present in the meeting after this.

    I caught my breath and looked at Neurath and the others.

    Good work. Whats up?

 Chapter 181.3

    Chapter 181.3

    We had some visitors, but after confirming that the knight directly under the Prime Ministersmand was present, most of them left after just a few words of greeting.

    Some of them wanted to give Lily a gift, but they wanted it to go through the Count, so they took it home with them.

    Its very obvious.

    I wondered if some of them changed their ns when they heard that I wasnt going to be working today. Its understandable that more and more people wanted to show Lily their good side now that the country was openly protecting the heroes. It was also true that some of the nobility had a lot of free time on their hands.

    It was supposed to be very rare for someone my age to be so busy. Medieval Aristocrats in my previous life were depicted to have not been that busy with politics and martial arts training, rather this model was closely resembling early modern age instead, and it still felt like I was working some splicing in the sidelines.

    Splicing Patchwork?

    Welner-sama, is something troubling you?

    Nothing, nothing at all. Have you checked about shells?

    Weve got it all here.

    The mention pulled me back from my thoughts. I took the documents and flipped through it, checking it over a bit. Okay, I could take this back to the Counts mansion. I really should finish my work here and deal with this when I return home.

    This looks useful, thanks. Ill check itter. Its gettingte, though, so give me the documents that need priority first.

    Yes, sir. Im sorry Welner-sama

    Hmm, what is this?

    Lily, who had brought a stack of about ten documents, spoke to me with an expression on her face that said she was really concerned. I wondered if there was something wrong.

    Um, you are going to meet the Prime Ministerter, right? There are wrinkles on your knights uniform.

    Ah

    Was it because I put it in my magic bag? Come to think of it, I hadnt thought that far ahead. Just when I thought I was in trouble, Lily smiled and held out her hand.

    I borrowed your magic iron, so please lend me your jacket. Ill straighten the wrinkles right away. Please let me help you prepare before visiting the Prime Ministers room.

    Oh, you have prepared for this. I didnt even think about it.

    In the case of aristocratic families above a certain level, the tablecloth was changed every morning and evening, and wrinkles were ironed out each time the tablecloth was changed. This was a luxury, since different tablecloths were used for breakfast and dinner. Ironing andundry were also daily jobs for the maids, and Lily must have done the ironing.

    Sorry. I will leave it with you.

    Yes. Now, while youre at it, please check these documents.

    As I brushed off the dust from my clothes and sat down, I looked at Lily who was preparing the clothes I needed at another desk.

    I intentionally dismissed Neurath and Schunzel from my thoughts as they looked at me with smiles on their faces, and switched my mind to check the contents of the documents. Todays business on the front page was the issue of wartime bonds, wasnt it? It seemed that it was my idea, and I was the one who was supposed to handle it. Ugh.

    At any rate, I took a quick look at the relevant documents.

    This one was about bringing in wartime bonds which would be donated to the church, while this one was a proposal to force the allocation of bonds on real estate I would have to suggest rejecting thetter. A simr proposal was made in my previous life, where in many cases, people who did not want to receive government bonds would donate it to the church be it money or real estate, which resulted in increasing the power of the church. Thats why a case like this should be avoided by the Royal Authority.

    Incidentally, the purpose of donation to the church in my previous life was for relief after death, but in this world, it would be like a right to receive priority treatment in case of injury or gue, or advance payment for magical treatment. There were many people who donated to the church because they were thinking that doing so would be for the benefit of the world, specifically in a world where monsters roamed.

    What should I do about the former? I would have to check it out and tell them my opinion based on the situation.

    Lily informed me, Im done. Ill put it over here.

    Thank you. After that, please pick up the book with the green cover on the shelf to the right.

    Okay

    It was really a lot of work and I still had some business to attend to, so Id like to get this over with.

    But Ive noticed something strange as a result of linking associations by several steps. I might need more data for this, but it could be put aside for now. My current priority should be ras case, and I had to deal with it soon.

 Chapter 182.1

    Chapter 182.1

    After I finished some of my work in office, I submitted my report to Prime Minister Falkenstein, together with a written proposal. After that, I consulted about something with Grand Duke Seyfart, who was going to be present at the meeting with Prime Minister Falkenstein.

    Currently, I was in a meeting with Prime Minister Falkenstein and Grand Duke Seyfart.

    I had a little problem with locating famous adventurers and mercenaries and the list of towns where they were based, which I requested via Feli, so I would like to discuss this part with them as soon as possible.

    So, a number of mercenaries and adventurers have headed for the Coltrezis House territory. This is amon urrence now that the demon army is active.

    The problem is that one of them may have been apanied by someone from the church. I was wondering if it is possible that the missing oracle may have been apanying them.

    Hmm So are you saying that Coltrezis House is involved in this matter as well?

    We do not have enough information to confirm that yet.

    Of course, there was a possibility that Coltrezis House was secretly keeping him locked up. As a result of an <b><i>ident</i></b> involving the disappearance of an oracle, a post of high priest became avable within the church, and it would not be surprising if they were aiming to send someone from their own faction to this position.

    On the other hand, there was also a possibility that they were attacked by demons and at that time, the demons could rece the oracle, and that recement would then be the one agitating Coltrezis House.

    Overall, wecked information, so we could only make guesses for now. As long as the church was silent about the disappearance, it was inevitable for the information to be iplete.

    After some digging, I have found some new information on <b><i>Sir Puckler</i></b>. He visited the Temple on several asions. This makes the whole situation more muddy.

    It would not be strange for Sir Puckler as a Human to visit the temple, but it could also be possible that he had be Demon General Gezarius by that time. I still have to be doubtful.

    That is certainly concerning. I understand. I will look into it in the government as well.

    Thank you very much. Also, something happened the other day

    Then I proceeded to report about ras case and exined the steps I was going to take. I made sure the arrangements and permission were approved. That would at least lessen the burden on me.

    Work is always given to people who can do it. And I was hoping for the Viscount to gather and distribute the work to the right people.

    I will do my best.

    I was told such a thing by the Prime Minister. I was supposed to still be of student age. I should not be expected to have such skills.

    I left and returned to the residence, being wary of my surroundings just in case. I first had a short meeting with Norbert. I heard that the guard, Gauter, came to interview ra today, but he didnt get much out of her. Well, I expected that.

    Norbert informed me, It seems that the person in charge of refugee management didnt report anything.

    Okay.

    In other words, that corpse was someone who did not belong to Triots refugee management. He might have been a vagrant from somewhere in the capital.

    On that note, did Gauter-dono mention anything?

    He said that ras identity confirmation process may be dyed, so well have to wait and see for a few days.

    Well, I did expect the report toe upte, but was that even allowed? They seemed to be cautious. It was not the wrong decision.

    ra is resting in the back house as usual, sir.

    Shell be a guest for a couple of days.

    Yes, sir.

    The phrasing made it seem gentle, but this in fact was a house arrest. It would give us time to get ready for the next few days.

    It would also make ra uneasy thinking that I would receive a report from Refugee Management saying that there was no such girl among refugees, which would also give us confirmation that ra was lying. And in the few days that ra would have, there was no way she would not do something, or at least find a way around it even if by chance.

    After that, I had a meeting with Max, who showed up to update me on the status of the arrangements. He was strangely motivated for some reason and said something like this, Its been a while since Ive had a chance to work on something like this.

    Id prefer if we didnt have to do this though.

    I responded with a sigh and shrugged my shoulders. If only the Guards could be trusted in handling this, things would be better. This time, Id gone to the trouble of inviting ra into Zeavert Mansion, and Id even asked for permission in advance to mobilize the House Knights in case an incident happened.

 Chapter 182.2

    Chapter 182.2

    In fact, if the mastermind was a nobleman, the information about the secret operation may leak, especially if they have people working with the Guards. I would need to have the Guard Corps move, but eventually the Knights of the Zeavert House would also move.

    Well, now that Welner-sama has achieved great military deeds, the Zeavert Houses Knights will have to do their part.

    All right, so dont shout too loud at this stage.

    I could understand if he regretted not being able to do anything at Anheim, but it seemed more like he regretted not being there and not being able to y an active role in my current ns. I could understand how he might feel, though, since he was probably taken lightly as he was knighted frommoners.

    There was a knock on the door and I allowed entry, and Lily came in to make me a cup of tea. Max immediately put on a serious face.

    This is, oh, Young Lady, Im sorry for the bother. (Max)

    Dont worry about it, Commander-sama. (Lily)

    Its a waste of words for you to address me formally, Young Lady. (Max)

    Since the other day, Max had been behaving more formally towards Lily as if she was a noble Young Lady. I wondered why he was addressing her as a <b><i>Young Lady</i></b>. When I asked about it, he told me with pride that he was being considerate in not addressing her as Young Mistress instead. And after hearing his reason, I couldnt help but almost prostrate on the floor. Yes, his primary reason was me.

    Lily resisted at first and requested to be called on a name basis, but now she seemed to have given up on the idea. Augen and Valcay had been calling her Miss Hearthing, but they may be just being forced by Max. Or maybe it was just my imagination that those two seem to be strangely enjoying themselves.

    Neurath and Schunzel usually called her Lily, but when Max was present, they called her <b><i>Miss Hearthing</i></b> as well. They mentioned that Max would get angry with them if they didnt at least call her that. Father, please do something about this, Im begging you.

    Continue to make the necessary arrangements, Max.

    Leave it to me.

    After discussing the work procedures and preparations, Max left, and Lily and I involuntarily looked at each other and sighed. What could I say, I was really in trouble at this point.

    Im sure he can do the job.

    Yes, you can certainly rely on him.

    But I couldnt help but hide my wry smile.

    After all, I didnt really know how he felt about his job.

    By the way, Lily, can you ask Ally-san and the others to make that paper again?

    I think we can do it if we have time. We still have some materials avable.

    Good. We could not mass-produce it right now, but we could use a few more.

    Thats good. Just in case.

    Just in case?

    I smiled slightly at Lily, who tilted her head.

    That paper is currently only avable to Zeavert House. So Lily, if you ever get a notice from me to move somewhere but not using that paper, its a fake. Remember, Ill always write a note using that.

    Ah ye, yes.

    Lily, keep a few sheets of paper with you as well. You can use them to contact me.

    I understand.

    I think it would be more anti-counterfeiting if Lily could put some pictures on it, but we would need more time to work on that. At present, paper alone would be difficult to counterfeit, so this should be enough.

    However, we needed to make a n so that we could prevent a situation in which we would have to ask Lily to move. As one might expect, the situation remained unclear. Nevertheless, it was too far ahead to worry about it.

    Well then, tomorrow and the day after that, we will be doing research and making some preparations in the underground library, and then, the day after that, Ill be working in the pce, so Lily should also study while keeping an eye on ra.

    Understood. Should I speak with her?

    No, you dont have to do that. But if she wants to talk to you, you can talk to her. And just to be safe, dont ept anything that she offers you. Ill leave this with you as well.

    I handed her the antidote. I didnt think ra brought anything else in, but just in case. I also had a few other things to arrange.

    Now, with this, I think I would let ra be a caged bird for a while.

 Chapter 183.1

    Chapter 183.1

    As nned, we spent two days investigating the underground library. One of the things that caught my attention was the water and sewage systems in the royal capital.

    Lily found a drawing of theyout of the waterworks and wells, as well as the sewerage system, and we looked at them together out of curiosity. While we were surprised at the high degree of technology involved, which was spread over the entire city like a pattern, there was no indication of where the water came from in the waterworks or where the water flowed to after the sewage reservoirs.

    I certainly didnt think it was necessary to draw all the way to the outside of the city, or the wall, but I wondered what to do if an ident happened there. Besides, I think that the anti-demon barrier was effective on the water and sewage systems as well, because even under normal circumstances no problems had urred.

    I think we needed to be more careful underground. To be honest, I was not able to get around to it, so I consulted with Grand Duke Seyfart and threw this matter to Director Gebhardt of the Hydrographic Department. I would apologize in advance to the person in charge of the field, although I didnt even know who it would be.

    But what the heck, the Juliane-sama cemetery, therge-scale barrier protecting the royal capital, and this water and sewage system. The technological level of the facilities and equipment was not appropriate for this time period. Then, this royal capital must have been built on the ruins of an ancient kingdom. Perhaps this may be a reason why the Demon King was trying to attack the city.

    We should leave our suspicions as suspicions and, for the time being, ask the Grand Duke to conduct an experiment based on the records of the shellfish research. When I exined my intention, he agreed to do so.

    On the third day, I was assigned to the front desk by the Prime Minister, but it was really tough because there was no one to act as my secretary. Or rather, I was now working as if I was a full-time personal secretary to the Prime Minister. On this day, the work was rted to the personnel assignment inside the royal pce.

    There were nearly 10000 people living in the spacious pce. Of course, this included unmarried guards, live-in cooks, and servants, but at any rate, there were that many people.

    In addition, however, there were also reserve staff, which included, for example, persons who could not take over the family in any case and were looking for an opportunity to work in a servant post, and they also number around 10000 people. Some of them had a great-grandfather who was a nobleman.

    A guard or a maid in charge of cleaning the corridors could also catch the attention of the royal family, but the chances were slim to none. Even a mere knight or civil servant working in a royal pce would be considered a high-ranking position in social circles.

    If you catch the attention of the nobility, whether you were a man or a woman, and you might get recruited as a direct retainer or chosen as a spouse, your life could be turned upside down.

    It may sound somewhat rhetorical, but the reason why the maids in the royal pce always had a good posture and appearance could be because there were many people who were betting on this kind of chance.

    So thepetition for posts, including legwork, was always fierce. Live-in workers had more opportunities to be seen in the royal pce thanmuters, and there were no inconveniences in their daily lives. Even though the work may be hard, it was also easier to manage ones health because of the good diet.

    On the other hand, it would be a big problem if, for example, during some ceremonial celebration, a person who was supposed to be at work didnte or caused some trouble.

    For this reason, the work was always done in such a way that skipping work or beingte was not tolerated, sopetence and motivation were both needed. Moreover, since there were often rmendations from noble families, background was also important.

    In short, todays workce was a human resources department with 10000 employees, many of whom had connections.

    As all the documents were handwritten, they also needed to be checked from time to time. Just checking the documents and keeping them in order exhausted my brain cells.

    There were a few interesting rtionships, though. Like, the servant rmended by Coltrezis House was still in the pce. I did not know if they were being kept in the dark or not, but just in case, I made a list and submitted it to the Prime Minister.

 Chapter 183.2

    Chapter 183.2

    After finishing such work, I returned to the Zeavert residence after making a detour. It was not the worst, but I couldnt help but sigh as I set aside my jacket. Lily watched me with a worried expression, but I was too distracted to notice. Just as I was thinking about what to start with, Lily asked.

    Well, Welner-sama, did you like the red flowers I put up in your office?

    Yes, and sorry for the bother as always. Oh, and tomorrow, I want you to get me a blue handkerchief.

    Yes, of course.

    I had no idea where ra would be listening, so I used this kind of code, as we had agreed. As expected, ra expressed her desire to help. And by handkerchief, I meant that I would be in my office until midnight. ra would be the one to bring me after-dinner tea.

    By the way, Lily sometimes decorated the vase in my office with flowers. Fresh flowers might be expensive, but she had her mothers permission.

    Flowers in this world were different from those in my previous life, and theycked a sense of season. In other words, flowers bloomed in almost all seasons. As expected of a fantasy world. Or was it more like in a game, where all the flowers were always in bloom?

    After dinner, while I was discussing a new product with Frenssen in my office, ra, who was dressed like an apprentice maid, brought me a cup of tea as expected. ording to her, she was just bringing the tea that Lily had brewed for her. Did she want to emphasize that it was Lily who brewed the tea?

    I was hinting at ra that it was unnecessary for her to go out of her way to do this, but she didnt seem to notice, so I left it as is and didnt say anything. Well, thats also convenient for me.

    From this point on, ra started showing me movements that someone in the mansion must have taught her during the daytime. First, she put the tray with the tea set on a small table near the entrance and offered Frenssen a cup of tea, which he drank and nodded before preparing my share.

    I moved to sit in front of the table, ra prepared tea with her back pointed at me, hiding her preparations. While she was doing so, I looked at Frenssen and sent a signal. Frenssen then looked at ras reflection in the window, revealing what she was doing. When we both confirmed that she did use the package she was hiding, we couldnt help but want tough, since she was so focused on what she was doing that she didnt notice our interaction.

    Just to be safe, I took the antidote while I had the chance. Unlike in games, it was effective to drink the antidote first as long as I didnt wait too long. This point was very close to the real world.

    When I looked at Frenssen, he nodded, took the book with the red spine, stood up, and moved it to the shelf behind him. This was a signal. I knew she would put that thing in the tea.

    Um, sorry to keep you waiting

    You dont have to be so nervous.

    I knew that she wasnt a professional in assassination or anything like that. The reason why I smiled and called out to her was not an act. I was concerned that she might suspect us to be doing something, but it seemed like she was too nervous to think about it, that made me want to chuckle at how focused she was.

    I took a sip and realized that it was pretty strong, but I persevered and drank the whole cup. I tried to keep a poker face, but it was impossible. Being aware of what she had done, I couldnt help but notice her expression changing to fear when I made a contorted look.

    ra, Im sorry, but go get Norbert.

    Ye, yes.

    ra saw the look on my face and almost ran out of the room. I was still holding back to some extent, but finally I couldnt help but choke. Ugh, that was tough. I unintentionallyined to Frenssen.

    I dont care if its sugar, I dont want to drink tea with a lot of salt ever again.

    (T/N: Poison in that hidden packet was reced with salt.)

    Im sure you wouldnt.

    With a wry smile on his face, Frenssen offered me the tea he was drinking, which I gratefully epted. Ah, it was soothing.

    As poison was originally tasteless, I had to drink the salty tea with patience and without changing my expression, but it tasted so bad. It was like I was being punished a little.

    I was not lying when I said that I wished I had kept the antidote for a pte cleanser just in case. I let out a sigh of relief at the normal tea.

    I couldnt help butment, Maybe they should have just reced poison with flour instead of salt.

    Thats what Im thinking right now as well.

    Well, then, do as youre supposed to do and take care of the rest, will you?

    Yes, sir.

    Sir Welner should be sick by now, as nned.

 Chapter 184.1

    Chapter 184.1

    As soon as the butler reported that his son had suddenly copsed, Ingo instructed him not to leak anything outside the mansion. Everyone in the Zeavert mansion ostensibly acted as if nothing had happened as far as the outside eyes were concerned.

    However, with a carriage ready in front of the main gate and several messengers driving away with orders to go to the church or the royal pce, one could sense a flurry of activity if someone were watching.

    Amidst all this surreptitiousmotion and confusion, ra quietly slipped out the back door. After confirming that there was no one around, she walked fearfully through the streets of the Royal Capital at night.

    No matter how big the city was, there were always criminals roaming in the darkness of the night. And the ce where ra was heading to was, no matter how one describes it, on the unsafe side of the city. It was an area where a woman of a tender age would feel very uneasy walking alone.

    On the way there, ra looked back several times, but once she saw a couple of drunken adventurers throwing something down on the road, andter she saw a <b><imp bearer</i></b> looking for customers and a rag-d beggar walking along.

    Incidentally, light bearers in this world were divided into those who carried candlemps and those who carried magicmps, with the light bearers who used magicmps being more expensive to hire but also more reliable. The candlemp bearers also sometimes acted as fledgling hagglers.

    Even so, residents who go out at night sometimes could not reach their destinations even in the royal capital without hiring amp bearer. There was no such thing as streetlights in this world yet.

    Praying for luck and half crying, ra continued to walk through the darkness of the city, and when she reached her destination, she knocked on the door. The door opened as soon as she answered the voice from inside. As if rushing in, ra entered the room.

    This building used to be an ash collectors building where ashes from household hearths and fireces of noble families were collected and stored. Therefore, the building was made of sturdy ster to prevent fires from breaking out in the dregs, and it was more spacious and soundproof than a typical warehouse.

    Although this business was essential in the city, it was not only hard work but also unhealthy, and often went out of business when the owner died prematurely and there were no sessors. Incidentally, the ashes collected were sold inside the cities for detergent or used as fertilizer on farnd outside the cities.

    It took you a long time, didnt it? (Random 1)

    I hope you did it well. (Random 2)

    Ah, thats right. They said they would take the Viscount to the church right away

    ra was stared at by the ten or so men inside, and she replied with a frightened look. But she still managed to keep her voice down.

    Oh, um, my mother and brother are safe, arent they!?

    Dont worry, youll see themter.

    The men looked at each other and chuckled as they responded. One of them, however, turned his eyes to ra and asked, Alone? You couldnt get the woman (Lily) out of there?

    (T/N: They wanted Lily to take the me.)

    Another man added, I guess it was too much to ask.

    ra exined the situation as one of the men stared at her, Well, you see Welner-sama copsed after drinking Lilys tea, I was not told what happenedter.

    (T/N: Tea was technically made by Lily, ra only served it.)

    I see. It would have been a nice souvenir if we could have taken her out while we were at it.

    What are we going to do next?

    Well, go contact the head, and he will ry the information to our client. The rest of us will be staying here for now.

    In response, one of the men exited the building, and the rest of the men began checking their armaments. ra approached one of the men.

    Um, my mom and my brother

    Shut up.

    The man then punched ra. When ra fell to the ground, the man ordered her to get up.

    Its too much trouble, shove her in the back room. Keep her away from the goods room.

    Hiyah.

    During thismand, most of the men grabbed their weapons and walked out of the building. Stunned, ra watched them go.

    The man in charge of the housekeeping smiled mockingly as he said, Sudden illness and death are not umon among the nobility, but it would be a shame to be murdered. And if they are dying of poison, its easy to cut off their heads.

    Another manughed vulgarly as he responded, Well, if we leave his head lying around the za, Viscount Zeavert will be greatly ashamed that he was killed by people like us.

    The two of them said this as theyughed vulgarly at each other. Then they went on to look down at ra and sneered.

    Dont worry, I heard that the head isnt going to kill you off either. Hes going to sell you out of Bain Kingdom, though, so I dont know what will happen to you there.

    Hes going to sell off your whole family separately. You know he said that it would be enough money for a small allowance.

    Oh, no, thatsthatsthats not what I

    ra, aghast, uttered a rebuttal, but the men justughed. One of them looked down at ra and sarcastically interjected.

    Ha, how can a nobleman keep a promise like that? Maybe if its people as useful as we are.

    No doubt.

    Just as the other manughed in response, the door was mmed from the outside.

 Chapter 185.1

    Chapter 185.1

    One of the amodations dedicated to the workers of the warehouse district. Inside the room, where the smell of alcohol wafted through the air, beyond just seeping into the walls, a man nodded as he heard the report from the boss of the gang.

    I guess we should be satisfied with taking care of that Welner guy for now. We can take care of themoner at another timeter.

    The man who mumbled in the back of the room wore the clothes of a noble, but his appearance seemed to exude more cruelty and violence as opposed to his facial features.

    He had a triumphant smile on his face and slurped down the liquor in the pottery. Wiping his mouth roughly, he asks another man beside him.

    Speaking of which, that woman called ra is still alive, right? (Noble)

    Im sure shes been captured as per your instructions, sir. (Gang Boss)

    I see, now, what to do with her. It would be better just to kill her. (Noble)

    The man said this in a tone as if he was throwing away a used tool, but the people around him seemed to think nothing of it. In fact, they might even find it matter of fact.

    Isnt it possible to sell that girl as she is quite young? I dont think she would be able to talk back as she should have beenbeled as a noblemans murderer. (Gang Boss)

    Thats true. (Noble)

    Other than that, can we also sell that little boy? (Gang Boss)

    Well, you can do that. (Noble)

    In this world, male prostitution was also in business, but unlike normal prostitutes, the demand was minimal. In rare cases, good-looking men may be taken in by noblewomen, but in a world where military prowess and bravery were highly valued, such men with low valor were of little value.

    The sl-ve trade was not prohibited, but there was a tax on the sale. This inevitably led to ck market traders trying to evade the tax.

    Hey, if you cant sell them in the market, just kill them. (Noble)

    Yes, sir. (Gang Boss)

    Anyway, forget about that. We cant stay in the Royal Capital for long with all this going on. Lets discuss the next course of action. (Noble)

    As the men were discussing the procedure to escape from the royal capital and the items to take with them, another man suddenly rushed into the room.

    B, Boss!

    Whats with the noise?

    Ar, Armored people are trying to surround us!

    After looking at each other for a moment, the men stood up. As they rushed to the wooden window frame, they could faintly hear the sound of metal armor-d figures moving around and feel numerous signs of their presence. One of them brought his eyes close to the gap in the window board.

    The armor reflected the moonlight in the darkness of the night, and one could see that several figures were gradually beginning to surround the building. Behind them, many more people were moving, and there were even indications that more were on the way. The number of people probably exceeded 20 at this point.

    All of them were in a state of shock, but the man who had been called Boss of the group red at the man who had reported ras return.

    Hey, you werent followed, were you?

    Huh? Eh, no, I didnt check

    You worthless bastard!

    The boss yelled at his subordinate, but that didnt make the situation any better. On the contrary, it made the situation worse. The shouts must have leaked out of the building. All at once, the sound of footsteps approached the building.

    What, what are we going to do! (Subordinate)

    Calm down. Whats at that side? (Gang Boss)

    ras mother and brother are back there (Subordinate)

    The man who looked like a noble suddenly interjected, Leave them behind, they are only going to slow us down, hurry up and lets get out of here!

    With only their swords in hand, the men hurriedly escaped. The group of men barely escaped from the building, since the knights had not yet made their way to the back entrance. After turning a few corners along the way and escaping close to the city center, the men finally stopped.

    Oh, that was a close call. (Noble)

    Would you need some help, sir? (Gang Boss)

    Damn, for the time being (Noble)

    <b>I suggest that you all surrender right now.</b>

    The men turned their eyes towards the voice. At the same time, the surroundings became as bright as daylight. Arge number of knights and squires emerged from the surroundings. The squires pointed their magicmps at the road.

    The man who was supposed to be the client raised his voice toward the young man who had approached him.

    We, Welner!

    Oh, you know me, but who are you?

    Welner, holding a spear in his hand, asked with a carefree expression on his face. In contrast, the mans expression turned furious.

    You, you cant be serious

    About half?

    Welner responded, with his spear on his shoulder, as he shrugged. Indeed, it was a somewhat surprising reunion even for Welner. Rather, it might be more urate to say that the person he was now facing was so minor that he had forgotten to keep a watchful eye on him.

    Still in the midst of experiencing the feeling of meeting a face he did not want to see, he continued his words with a sarcastic expression.

    Im sure your owner must have lectured you afterward about how useless you were for not being able to stop me at the library, Viscount Vogel-dono?

 Chapter 185.2

    Chapter 185.2

    Im sure your owner must have lectured you afterward about how useless you were for not being able to stop me at the library, Viscount Vogel-dono? (Welner)

    The sound of clenched teeth reverberated around them. Vaughan Sven Vogel looked as if he could kill him with a re, but Welner had a cool expression on his face. With that expression on his face, he continued speaking.

    Well, you certainly have a face that is easy to be followed by mobs like them, dont you?

    Welner smirked and looked around at the group of surprised-looking bandits, and Vogel interjected.

    Mobs, you say? What does that mean?

    (T/N: They dont know the word mob.)

    It doesnt matter. Anyway, from my point of view, the biggest problem was finding where you were hiding, but it got solved in due time.

    In some of the pattern predictions Welner had made, he had considered the possibility of ra or someone else close to her as a hostage, but thankfully it did not happen because of the strategy used by them.

    To be fair, in this world, life below the level ofmoners was cheap, so Welner didnt need to be concerned about the hostage situation at all, but he wanted to avoid it if possible.

    I didnt expect you guys to run away from the back of the house in a hurry even without confirming whether you were actually surrounded by soldiers or not.

    We have clearly heard the sound of armor in the darkness of the night, and then afterward witnessed people moving around a lot. You mean those in armor were fake?

    Well, one or two of them probably look familiar to you, too. By the way, the reward for those people was a bottle of wine each of them.

    I had asked my schoolmates, who had shown their faces during the Duel Trial, about what they were doing and what they were up to, and they told me that they were free, so I asked them to don their armor and join the encirclement, and a few of them agreed.

    Ironically, running around the battlefield in Anheim was probably one of the reasons why I was able to do this. The fact that more people showed up than I had anticipated was a testament to my reputation.

    Anyway, the sess of this strategy not only helped to avoid the hostage situation, but also made these guys escape without preparation and get caught off guard, unable to put up any tough fight.

    By the way, there were six of my people following ra this evening as she entered one of the buildings. I was a little worried about whether the mastermind was inside with them but fortunately, when people inside moved out, there was one who moved separately.

    For this purpose, Welner had hired experts in tracking and tailing from Grand Duke Seyfart. This would suggest that the matter had already reached the highest echelons of the kingdom, but Welner made no mention of this and continued his story.

    Also, the guards should have entered the building at this time to investigate and rescue ras mother and brother, but Welner was not concerned about that at this point.

    How did you know we will escape from this route?

    I just know what routes idiots take.

    It was only after returning from Anheim that I learned that Grand Duke Seyfart asked Lily to draw a map of the royal capital. At that time, Grand Duke Seyfart had suggested that Lily bring a draft of the map back to the Zeavert residence.

    Lily was puzzled by the suggestion, but Seyfart told her, The map will be useful to Lord Welner, so you can take it home, but dont spread it around too much, with an expression of a bad boy, and she couldnt refuse.

    It was an item that made Welner seriously worry about, but it was useful, so he could notin.

    I just determined that if they were to travel in the dark of night, they would not take theplicated roads, but would take the shortest route, so I used the capitals map to predict their destination. Also, I had some people follow them as they made their escape from the building.

    Of course, I also ced a few people on each of the other roads just in case they didnt move as predicted, and instructed them to stall for time until we arrived, in case any suspicious people should pass by.

    It was a lot to arrange in such a short time, but it helped that the person behind all this was so simple.

    Im so grateful that you got caught so brilliantly. If I could give you a word of advice, it would be to spend more money on the people you want to work with rather than getting good poisons.

    Welner quickly raised his voice as he saw Vogels hand reaching for the hilt.

    If we let them live, theyll probably end up as bandits. I dont care how you do it, but get rid of those small fries!

    Ha!

    The knights responded to Welners voice and attacked at once. Clearly, Vogel and his men had been caught in the act. Somehow, they had let their guard down, thinking that they would be asked to surrender at least once, and that the actual use of force wouldeter.

    The men hurriedly pulled out their swords, but as soon as they did, one of them was cut down by Max.

    A fierce battle immediately broke out in a corner of the nighttime royal capital.

 Chapter 186.1

    Chapter 186.1

    Battle had broken out.

    Vogels quick reaction to Welners spear attack was brilliant, but he was definitely outmaneuvered. Hispanions were also being cut down by Welners forces. So, there was no doubt that Welner had the upper hand. Moreover, with his friends being cut down all around him, Vogel hadpletely lost his cool.

    Vogel quickly tried counterattacking, but the time was not right, and he iled in the air. Welners spear, which was quickly drawn and thrust, pierced through his upper arm.

    Vogel screamed like a beast and waved his sword wide, but it was a crude attack and Welner brushed it away lightly with the hilt of his spear.

    Darn you!

    Yournguage is so foul.

    Welner struck Vogels mouth, filling it with broken teeth.

    Ugaaah!

    Dont make noise in the middle of the night!

    Welner, while replying to Vogels angry blow, quickly brought the spear to his side and thrust it out sharply. The tip of the spear grazed his opponents ear.

    As Vogel made a move to close the gap between them, Welner stepped forward. Vogels mouth was filled with air and blood as he spoke in a muddled voice.

    Hey, you, brat, you dare do this to a viscount!

    Do you even know what you are saying now?

    Welner shrugged off Vogels response of desperation and, without hesitation, lunged forward again, only to be repelled by Vogel, who barely dodged and attempted a counterattack.

    Even Neurath and Schunzel, who were looking around to prevent any escape, did not feel the need to interfere.

    Vogel, being a nobleman of this world, had some skill with a sword, but Welner clearly had the upper hand in the fight.

    Vogel tried to escape by turning himself around, but by that time hispanions had already fallen to the ground. With the match finally ending, Neurath and Schunzel held him down from both sides.

    Vogel, now on his knees, looked up at Welner with hatred.

    Did he really mean to kill you? (Neurath)

    To put it bluntly, not him but the man who was trying to summon Lily, a temple priest named Kempel, and his rtive who was far above him. (Welner)

    Nnuuh (Vogel)

    Vogel was crestfallen in various ways. Perhaps he did not expect the name of Priest Kempel to evene up. Welner shrugged lightly as he watched.

    Well, even though he nned to kill me, I dont want this guy dead yet. For now, he can keep his head. Take him away. (Welner)

    Darn it!

    The attempt tosh out no longer helped. Welner breathed lightly as he watched the knights pull Vogel away and pick up the sword that he had dropped. After a moment of contemtion, he handed it to Schunzel.

    Its not a sword from this country. I guess well have to check where it came fromter.

    Then I will bring it as evidence. Is that okay?

    Sure, its good.

    If the other mastermind was more powerful than they thought, Vogel would probably be dered to have <b><i>died of illness</i></b> soon. On the other hand, if the mastermind was not that powerful, the case would go to trial.

    In short, from Welners point of view, there was no need to go to the trouble of killing Vogel. However, it was also true that he was prepared to kill Vogel on the spot if he were to escape.

 Chapter 186.2

    Chapter 186.2

    Will the mansion be safe? (Welner)

    I think theyre going to be fine. (Neurath)

    Yeah. (Welner)

    The mansion was originally surrounded by soldiers to guard it. In addition, just to be safe, arrangements had been made for a ranger force from a mercenary group as well.

    However, since the number of the opponents was smaller than they had expected, Welner thought that his remaining opponents, if any, would not even be able to reach the mansion before they returned.

    But is the current mastermind really this time Priest Kempel? (Neurath)

    The fact that Viscount Vogel was working on this makes that a strong possibility. (Welner)

    From Welners perspective, it was something crude for an aristocrat to do. Vogel seemed to be a man who understood the flow of conspiracy in his head butcked the knowledge and experience to put it into practice, andcked people around him who were also in the know.

    If so, it would most likely not be an active aristocrat that was involved. Welner was half bluffing when he mentioned Priest Kempels name because he had no proof, but by the looks of it, it seemed likely that he was not wrong.

    Surprisingly, I think that Priest Kempel may have his ass on the fire, as well. (Welner)

    Well, that sounds like we would have a tough time finding other connections if that happened. (Neurath)

    Neurath chuckled. It was not amon expression in this world, but it seemed like he understood Welners intention.

    For a moment, Welner thought that using such a strange expression might make him seem like the inventor of the expression, but he quickly brought his thoughts back to reality.

    But when it came to the actual question of where the poison was obtained from, it would be difficult to simply suspect the church alone. Regardless of which side was the master and which side was the follower, it would certainly be unnatural if there was no cooperative rtionship with a nobleman who was ustomed to intrigue. Furthermore, the purpose was not at all clear at this point.

    Welner seriously considered what would happen if he were to be killed. First, what would Mazell do? He might continue the fight against the Demon King, while Luguentz, Laura, and the others would probably support him, but his concentration might bepromised.

    Could it be done by the Bain kingdom? Most likely not as, at this point, they still think that defeating the Demon King was the top priority, so they would not do anything to drag down the heroic Mazell <b><i>yet</i></b>.

    Of course, it was certainly possible that Mazell would also be considered a danger to the country <b><i>after</i></b> the Demon King was defeated.

    If that happened, Lily would probably be used as a political tool as well. Welner could not stand for both things.

    Welner could only predict as much, but this would be after the Demon Kings defeat. The question remained unanswered as to why now? Welner felt a headache thinking about the possibility that he really had no idea what was going on and was just letting the situation get out of control.

    If this was really the case, those who only aimed for immediate results would be the first to move, and those who were more politically strategic would be forced to take a backseat. As a result, only the mastermind would get to gain something if something happened to Welner.

    As Welner was pondering what to do, Max, who had secured the survivors of the battle, came to him.

    Four captured. No casualties on our side.

    Thank you. Lets inform the guards and leave.

    Yes.

    At any rate, Welner decided to let todays matter be todays matter and finish the process first. It was true that, since he had been allowed to move so freely despite the fact that he was in a position where he had no authority, he needed to make sure that he did not lose face with the guards or the legal staff.

    Max had a wry smile on his face. It seemed like he was not satisfied because he didnt get to do much violence. Welner ignored him and gave the order to the entire group to move out. He would leave the clean up to the guards and the legal staff, while he would take a rest, which was undoubtedly Welners true desire at that moment.

    Incidentally, the first thing Welner said upon his safe return to the mansion was, I want a cup of tea before I listen to the report.

    <b><></b>

 Chapter 187.1

    Chapter 187.1

    <b><i>Welner POV</i></b>

    The next day, I resumed work on the underground archives. I felt I had lost a lot of time because of Vogels plot, but I knew better than to call Mazell back to the royal capital for handling such a trivial matter.

    In order to make up for the dy, Ive been devoting thest few days to working on the underground library. If anything, my schedule was still undecided.

    Ive submitted some financial proposals, but it was a mystery as to how useful they would be. Speaking of mysteries, I havent heard anything about the investigation progress of the hidden passageway in the library, but it wasnt like I could ask what happened to it.

    On the other hand, there seemed to be quite a storm brewing in the court. It took some time to prepare all the evidence for the case to proceed, so it was inevitable, but now, a major cleanup had finally begun.

    I felt like a time traveler when I, who was in the underground library, came out and heard that someone had been arrested after the days investigation.

    There was still no progress with regard to the task involving the underground library. There were many interesting books, but I could not read them with interest, because of all kinds of crazy circumstances.

    It had been nearly two weeks since the duel trial and all that, so I couldnt say that I wasnt feeling a little impatient with having no results in the task.

    Welner-sama, Ill leave these books here for you as they seem relevant.

    Oh, thank you.

    Lily brought me some books and I asked her to write down the bookshelf number from where these books were taken. This was to make sure that I knew where she had brought them from.

    We did not have a list of books in the library, so if we just piled them up carelessly, we would not know where we had brought them from. Thankfully, we had already numbered the bookshelves and aisles, so that had made things easy for us.

    Incidentally, I now have my personal magic bag. It was currently hanging on my waist. It contained documents and other stuff that I needed to make it look like I was doing my normal pce job. Also, carrying weapons beyond what was necessary in the pce could be a problem if it was discovered, so I left my weapons in my office.

    If I wanted to take some book out with me using this magic bag, I might be able to do so. However, if I were to lose them outside or get caught by someone, it would be a big problem, so I have no intention of trying to take them out.

    After taking into ount some of the things Lily and I noticed on the day of the duel, we made some modifications in the direction we were going regarding the underground library research task. Along with focusing on searching for books with a map, we had also started to search for books having Gods in them.

    Meanwhile, I was the one who was actually reading the books deeply. This was inevitable considering the difference in interpretation. Even though Lily could read and write, it was still difficult for her to grasp subtle changes thatnguage had gone through over the years. There was also an issue regarding using historic knowledge to more deeply interpret and gasp detailed nuances.

    Lily, on the other hand, seemed to know what bookshelf was where and could remember exactly which aisle and what shelf had been checked. She had good clerical skills.

    So, the work was divided between me to read and Lily to look for books. When I had a certain number of candidates chosen, I nned to have Lily read them as well.

    There was a small incident. While I was doing some research, Lily suddenly shouted Hyah! and I hurried to look for her and found her turning red and panicking as soon as she saw me.

    I wondered what happened, and when I saw the cause, I thought, well, even in my previous life, there were <b><i>those</i></b> kinds of picture books in olden the libraries but were properly concealed. If I have never had any connection with books before, seeing realistic illustrations of erotic books would also make me flustered. I mean, why do they even have such a collection in this library?

    When I quickly responded to her, she looked at me with a stern expression and asked, Why do you seem used to this?

    Was this because of a misunderstanding or because of rumors?

    I left the library today without making any significant progress in my research. I could say that the number of bookshelves with no useful information being segregated was a progress, but I was tired.

    I wonder what happened to ra-sans case.

    Ah. Ive given my own suggestions beforehand, but Ill see what the judges will decide next.

    Mazell was undeniably a good-natured guy, but Lily was also the same way. When I told her about the hostage situation and the threats ra had received, she became angry, even though she didnt have to. I didnt want toin about her kindness.

    I, on the other hand, had a somewhat mixed feeling. Viscount Vogel had hostility toward me to begin with, but it seemed that he was also the main supplier of Count Bachems estate, who was taken down during the attempted kidnapping of Lily.

    In an interactive simtion game, a war between neighboring estates would have no effect on ones own estate, but in reality, the merchants who traded with the estates would be affected.

    In this case, the Viscount Vogel household was left with a huge chain reaction deficit and debt that was crippling them as a result of Count Bachems demise. This was the main reason why the Vogel family chose to actively participate in the crime with some personal grudges.

    The fact that he was crude may be a matter of his own temperament, but I couldnt help but understand the part about wanting a new business partner and supporter for the good of his people. It might be fair to say that choosing Marquis Cortolezis as a partner was a poor choice, but he was still a marquis even if he was corrupt, and from an economic point of view, he was not that bad of a business partner.

    And ras father was one of the servants of Count Bachem, who was apparently unlucky enough to be away from the royal capital when the counts family caused a disturbance.

    As a result, thepany he worked for copsed beyond repair, and he himself was unable to find a good job because he was a vassal of Count Bachem, who was under the scrutiny of the royal family. He was still working at a job, so he could support his family, but he died suddenly from heartache.

    It seemed that Viscount Vogel approached ra when she had lost the breadwinner of the family and was in a difficult situation. As for the father figure who was with ra before and was killed when we met, he was just some random drunk that Viscount Vogel used to pose as her father.

    I have submitted the needed documents to the authorities, saying that there were extenuating circumstances regarding what she had done, although that didnt say that she did nothing wrong. However, since it was an attempted murder of an aristocrat, I suppose they couldnt let her off scot-free.

    When I returned to my office, someone from the legal department had juste to inform me of the decision on ras case. I checked the documents and nodded.

    Thank you for your time. Can we meet ra in person?

    Yes, you can, but is that correct?

    Theres no need for me to be angry with ra and the others.

    I have some sympathy for her, but only by half. In my previous life, there were many times when I had been sox in my responses, but now that I was actually standing on the side of being angry, I could understand that being angry with everything would also be a bad response.

    However, in a rtionship between a subordinate and boss, anger to a subordinate as a boss could be settled and forgotten after a discussion, but the anger of a subordinate may never be forgotten, so if I could meet directly with ra and her family in person, I would like everything in one go.

    Can Neurath, Schunznd Lilye with me?

    Sure.

    All right, lets go.

    Since Lily seemed concerned, and it wasnt like I was going to decapitate ra or her family on the spot, I decided to bring her with me and moved on.

 Chapter 187.2

    Chapter 187.2

    Since ra had fully confessed to the crime, the charges were to be handed down without any trial, so we went into a room in the legal department.

    When I entered the room, ra, her mother, and her younger brother, who was probably not yet 10 years old, got down on their knees. It seemed that they were beaten and kicked while they were being held captive by those bandits.

    They had been treated somewhat, but as expected, they had not been fully healed. Well, that was to be expected.

    I looked at the legal representative and asked if it was okay for me to say something, and he looked back at me and said, Go ahead.

    ra.

    Ye, yes! Its all my fault, please, please be lenient to my mother and brother

    She had a father who served in a noble family, so she was patient until I approached her. She had the manners of someone that had familiarity in serving a noble. She was not directly involved with Count Bachem, and if it hadnt been for this case, she could have been given a job in the royal capital to help her parents.

    In that sense, it was a little regrettable.

    I understand the situation. ra will be aborer, and I order her banishment from the royal capital.

    In my previous life, this was what we would call envement. She would work as aborer in a ce that was not in the royal capital. Even though it may seem harsh, this was still a light sentence for the attempted murder of a noble.

    Ah, thank you!

    Her mother lowered her head to the floor before ra did. Actually, it was not impossible for all of them to have been executed, so this reaction was understandable.

    However, for me, seeing someone of the same generation as my parents lowering their head was still a stomach churning event. After all, this was the first time we had met, and she didnt really do anything to me.

    Romilda and Casper, you two are not responsible for what happened, but since you are family members of the person who attempted to murder the nobleman, you are not deemed innocent.

    Yes, I understand.

    Romilda bowed her head. As for Casper, he still did not seem to understand the situation. I guess it couldnt be helped given his age.

    I myself would have a lot of doubts if my family was being used of crimes, but I couldnt let it show in my attitude.

    Then, Ill tell you what to do. You and your children are banished from the royal capital. You are to leave the royal capital within three days.

    Yes, sir.

    Being expelled from the royal capital in a monster-infested environment, with no destination in sight, must be quite a harsh punishment, but as the family of an attempted murderer of a noble, they were in no position toin. Romilda could only nod.

    By the way.

    So much for the wistful look. I crouched down and lowered my gaze to meet Romildas.

    Im nning to start a new business in the Zeavert territory in the near future. Would you all be interested in working there?

    What?

    Well, that reaction was what I expected, I guess. Some might think I was being naive.

    Its a new business, so there will be a lot of unfamiliar work. It is possible that we may not have enough staff, so I would be willing to assign anyborers who are currently out of work as my subordinates. Are you willing to take on the job?

    (T/N: This is intentionally written like this.)

    Romilda seemed to be struggling to understand what was being said, but when my gaze turned to ra, who had just be aborer, she seemed to realize what I was intending to say. She began to shed tears with an almost muted sound.

    We, well take care of it.

    Okay, I will have you all escorted to Zeavert territory as well. Be prepared.

    Thank you, thank you very much!

    ra even bowed to me in tears, so I nodded and decided to leave the room. In reality, ra and her family were only involved in the incident because of my actions, so it was not something they should be thanking me for in tears.

    I lightly adjusted my shoulders as we walked back to my office. To be fair, my shoulders were fine, but I was mentally stiff. As we were heading back, I spoke to Neurath.

    Was that all right?

    I think it was naive.

    I shrugged my shoulders lightly. It was probably inevitable that there would be some people who would call it naive. However, that was already decided.

    Whether we hang those three or let them live and work, I think it was me who had to take responsibility for the consequences. Not legally, but as a way of life.

    This was a world where enemies and allies, nobility andmoners weighed their lives differently, but not within my own consciousness. I may not be a hero or anything, but I wanted to help people as much as I could. I knew that this was simply out of self-satisfaction, but I have no intention of changing it.

    If Im going to take responsibility, I want to take responsibility for something that is the result of my self-satisfaction. I guess I can only live by my own rules after all.

    I knew the fear of power as much as I hated having power, andmanding armed forces could always be a dangerous alternative to violence. That was why I didnt want to change the part of me that believed in myself and what I decided.

    Are you appalled? (Welner)

    No. (Neurath)

    Welner-sama is fine that way. (Lily)

    Neurath and Schunzel responded, and Lily nodded.

    Ill be happy to apany you no matter which path you take. (Schunzel)

    Do let me know if you think I did something wrong.

    I will try. (Schunzel)

    Schunzel responded and the three of us looked at each other and smiled. Seriously, these people

    I might be able topete well with Mazell on the one point that I was blessed with good friends around me.

 Chapter 188.1

    Chapter 188.1

    Shall we proceed in that manner? Then we will conclude this matter.

    Yes.

    The Crown Prince and ministers present bowed their heads in response to the Kings decision.

    They confirmed that the hero Mazells group had left Delitzdam and that diplomatic measures had been taken. After confirming the direction of future foreign policy, they finally took a breather.

    The King spoke to the Crown Prince Hubert in a rather hushed tone, How are things going with Viscount Zeavert (Welner)?

    I would say that things are going well.

    The international situation at the moment consisted of a non-aggression alliance against amon enemy, the Demon King. None of the countries had the idea of forming an allied force to fight the Demon King.

    Each country had its own circumstances, and with monsters springing up out of nowhere, it was probably true that they had no choice but to ce the highest priority on defensive forces.

    Under such circumstances, the presence of a hero and his team would inevitably stand out. They had already killed several demon generals and the Four Heavenly Kings, and their reputation was on a steady rise. Naturally, there would be countries that would want to take them in, and it could be said that the current uproar was the result of Delitzdams tant moves.

    Originally, the Bain Kingdom existed as a major power even before the resurrection of the Demon King, but because of this, it was sometimes suspected by other countries or was targeted by them.

    In addition, the reputation of the Bain Kingdoms knights had increased greatly over the past year. Even though it was the heroes who finally defeated the demon generals, knights fought more than evenly with the demon army in the Finnoi siege and Anheim.

    With Bain Kingdom openly dering its intention to protect the heroes, there would be many countries that would potentially feel threatened by the closeness of Bain Kingdom with heroes, and even if there was no intention of invasion on the part of Bain Kingdom, neighboring countries would fear that they might be invaded at some point in the future. It was inevitable. The possibility of a war beingunched by the other side out of emotion or desperation could not be dismissed.

    The Bain Kingdom must also take measures to defend itself against such an attack. As a matter of fact, the Bain Kingdom itself suffered damage from monsters in various parts of the country, and there had also been a series of disturbances by the nobility. The upper echelons of the country neither believed that the country was as stable as what it seemed to outsiders, nor was it robust as other nobles in the country would view it.

    That was why they were looking for a way to check potential enemies and prevent them from choosing to engage in war from the start, and for that reason they were moving towards employing Welner.

    From the national point of view, Welner himself was strangely selfless, and did not receive a reward for his services in Anheim that would have been noticeable even in the neighboring countries. Therefore, they took advantage of the duel trial to bring Welners presence to the front.

    On the surface, it was only the heroes and the knights who were credited with the sess of defeating the demon general in Anheim. Even within the country, there were those who saw it that way. However, since Welner represented the side of the heroes in the duel trial, neighboring countries naturally started to investigate what kind of person he was.

    As a result, they had heard of the existence of the <b>young military strategist</b> who led the demon general Gezarius into a trap during the first half of the Battle of Anheim. Moreover, the information that he was a close friend of the Hero Mazell naturally came to their ears. Since both of these facts were true, there was no need for Bain Kingdom to go to the trouble of spreading rumors.

    Delitzdams decision to allow Mazells group freedom of movement was also based on the fact that Delitzdam was wary of the Bain Kingdoms knights attacking them with the reason of rescuing their friend, the hero.

    The heroes alongside the powerful knights and the excellent battlemander who could make the demon army his ything were a great threat. Moreover, even if Delitzdam somehow managed to win against them, the damage would be too great, so they had no choice but to avoid antagonizing them.

    If Welner himself had heard it, he would have called it a misunderstanding, but even if it were a false im, it was an effective deterrent.

    The reputation of the wasteful viscount is also effective.

    Foreign Minister Ekwoldtughed amused.

    Unbeknownst to Welner, some of the neighboring countries had learned of his reputation and had brought bribes to Count Zeavert (Ingo) in order to target Welner, who was mistakenly believed to be weak with money, to request him to help them recruit the heroes, or to get them to join their side.

    Of course, they were all reported to the Bain Kingdom by Ingo, Count Zeavert.

    I am grateful that the other side is openly showing us who is in charge of this diplomatic and intriguing affairs from the other side.

 Chapter 188.2

    Chapter 188.2

    I am grateful that the other side is openly showing us who is in charge of this diplomatic and intriguing affairs from the other side.

    The Viscount Zeavert (Welner) himself does not want money or treasures.

    The entire groupughed at thement made by Crown Prince Hubert. Theck of greed might make one suspicious, but this was not the case with Welner. Rather, the overall impression was that he was just somewhatcking in some aspects.

    Is it because he was the second son?

    Perhaps.

    In fact, aside from the eldest son, who was the heir to a noble family, in most cases, if nothing was done, the second and lower sons be very greedy andzy thinking that they could spend their time ying parasites on the family. As a countermeasure to this situation, noble houses nowadays mostly assign them to be knights, which when sessful might garner enough points for them to be adopted into another noble family and creating a connection.

    They concluded that Welners selflessness was probably due to the fact that he had been brought up with a sense of self-worth.

    Im sure hell get over it in the future.

    Im sure.

    To the outside world, Welner was still just a student. It was only natural that he would not feel the need to think beyond that point at the present time. However, he had achieved so much at his age, that it would be considered extraordinary.

    Seyfart once told me. He is not an ambitious man, but a man of purpose. (King)

    I see.

    Several of them nodded in agreement with the Kings statement. At the same time, there was no one here who did not understand the hidden intent behind that statement.

    The purpose that should not be given to Welner, who did not have ambitions or excessive desires, was a reason to antagonize the Bain Kingdom.

    Seyfarts assessment was spot on. If the Bain Kingdom intended to harm Welners own safety or that of Mazell or Lily or his family, Welner would no doubt move with the intention of overthrowing the Bain Kingdom and work towards that end.

    It was unlikely that the country would lose, but even then the damage would inevitably be great considering Welners talent. Conversely, if they continued to give Welner the objective problems to solve within the country, they could continue to employ his talents without making him their enemy.

    He was both easy and difficult to deal with from the point of view of those in power, but one could not be named King or Minister without being able to deal with subjects of that caliber.

    Speaking of which, what happened to Viscount Vogel, and what has happened after that?

    We need not concern ourselves with that. Count Ingo will make his move even if we dont do anything.

    If one were to put a value between the two, Cortolezis would have no value and Ingo was a great minister. Ingo was recognized for his talent and ability, and would not have reached his current position without it, even as a Count. There was no doubt that Count Ingo would make good use of this situation as well.

    Now that I recall, the Viscount Zeavert (Welner) mentioned a problem with the water supply system.

    The underground water supply is running dry, but we have an aqueduct, so we are not experiencing any problems for now.

    Then it is good for the time being. The water supply should be surveyed as soon as possible. Next, in regard to the Cortolezis

    Yes, about that

    The rxed air tensed up. Everyone understood that the situation had entered the next stage because the aristocrats, who were quick to see the opportunity, made a move. There were also problems on the church side, and there was no choice but to pay attention on how to deal with this issue.

    First, about the matter of some of them escaping.

    Mm.

    Information was shared and suggestions and objections were made. After this, there was an agenda item on tax revenues, followed by the issue of preparedness for the demon armys attack on the royal capital. The meeting alsosted until midnight.

 Chapter 189.1

    Chapter 189.1

    On the days when Welner was engaged in public affairs, Lily would sometimes help with minor paperwork, but more often she would study various aristocratic subjects at the Count Zeaverts mansion.

    In this world where women were more socially active than in Welners former medieval life, there were many things to learn in addition to manners, such as dancing, embroidery, rules for meals and tea ceremonies, attention to aristocratic phrases, and topics rted to fashion, estates ie and size, the condition of the farms, the water mill and forests, the rtionship with neighboring estates, etc.

    During a short break in the office, Norbert ced a cup of tea in front of Lily, as expected, exhaled a sigh of relief.

    Oh, thank you for the tea. And, also sorry for the trouble.

    No, dont mind it. Lilys doing very well.

    Norbert was not just ttering her, but he honestly appreciated Lilys seriousness in her studies. He thenmented, Welner-samas memory is better than mine when I was his age, which Lily didnt know if he was serious or not with hisment.

    Lily, who had taken a break to drink a cup of tea, looked at Norbert as if she had remembered something.

    Um

    What is it?

    Um, could you tell me more about Countess udia-sama.

    From Lilys point of view, the most familiar noblewoman to her would certainly be udia. Lily had an honest respect for how she was doing her job as a Noble Lady. The way she conducted herself was way different from that of other noblewomen.

    Lily asked casually out of curiosity, but Norberts response was somewhat unexpected.

    Come to think of it, you dont know about this Lily, do you? The rtionship between the Count and his wife, well, it might be closer to what people call a stolen marriage, you see.

    Eh?

    Lily had a puzzled expression on her face. She understood the meaning of the words, but she couldnt make the connection between the Count and Countess Lily knew and a stolen marriage.

    Norbert continued as he watched Lily with a slightly amused look in his eyes.

    At that time, they were not married yet when it happened. It is very rare for an aristocrat to take someone away from their fiance even if they have feelings for them.

    Eh, um, who of the two?

    The Count, of course.

    Um, what?

    The Ingo that Lily saw was a man of few words, but he was calm and thoughtful, and as the Minister of Ceremonies, a member of the Civil Officers Court, he was a man with the dignity of a respectable person. She could not for the life of her imagine the count doing it, after all.

    She turned her gaze to Norbert with a more confused expression on her face than when learning the manners of a nobleman.

    Norbert started to exin while looking amused at Lily. Originally, udia was the eldest daughter of a Viscount. Although the family was a Viscount, it had fallen quite far, owning only a single vige and, worse, a family that was inferior to even a rich bar.

    Since the Viscountess udia had a younger brother, she came to the royal capital to establish herself as a female knight. She then met Ingo, the Counts son, while working as an apprentice female knight and assisting with security duties at the school.

    It was love at first sight for the Count.

    Oh, ooooh.

    Whenever Ingo came to visit her, she would turn him away, saying that she was a female knight, that she was not worthy of being a noble, and that she could not dance and did not know much about manners and etiquette.

    At first, the previous Count Zeavert, Ingos father, was tolerant of the fact that his son was ying with fire, but after a year or two of this, his father started to get annoyed.

    At that time, Zeavert House was only one of the local counts, and even among the counts, it was on the minority side. Ingos father wanted him to have a rtionship with a woman from a better family, closer to the center of the country, if possible, so he was puzzled by the attitude of his legitimate son.

    udias parents also wanted a rtionship with a military family, as was the case with most noble families in Bain Kingdom, and partly because udia herself was not really interested in who she was married to, but also because she did not want to be seen as someone ying with fire with a Civil Count.

    So Count Ingos father discussed the matter with udia-samas parents. Count Ingos father agreed to help Viscount in finding a good partner for udia-sama in order to ensure that Count Ingo would not sully the name of his house.

    That partner was the third son of a military Count family, and he had made himself a distinguished knight. It would indeed be a lie to say that he did not intend to connect with the viscounts family to solidify his own position, even if the viscounts family was a weak one. He may even have a chance to inherit the Viscount family as udias partner.

    Although udia herself resisted, the Count on the other side was also pushing for this engagement with the help of the viscount debts.

    However, Ingo acted more vehemently when he heard of his familys actions. He himself first went to the viscounts house and challenged udias father, the previous viscount, to a duel in order to get him to agree to marry his daughter.

    Um, the Count, did that?

    Perhaps her brain refused toprehend. Lilys words had been muffled, but Norbert didnt seem bothered and continued talking.

    Yes, apparently so. He had a fistfight with his own father, but he convinced him, and finally he fought a duel with the then head of the viscounts family, the partner they have engaged udia-sama to, and even udia-sama herself, to prove that he was capable as a knight, and finally he got them to agree to marry her.

    On the day of the wedding, udia said, I only gave you the victory at that time. Only udia herself would know if this was true or not.

 Chapter 189.2

    Chapter 189.2

    Lily was no longer able to speak, her gaze wide open.

    It wasnt much of a topic of conversation back then either, but I guess thats because Zeavert House wasnt that known yet, and he was married to a local aristocrat.

    I cant believe it.

    Norbert smiled at the thought that came out of her mouth.

    Well, that cant be helped. When I told Welner-sama this story, even he couldnt believe it.

    Ingo then worked diligently to satisfy his father and to silence the opposing viscounts, and was appointed Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs in the royal capital in recognition of his achievements in domestic affairs.

    There, his rigidity and his resolute response to the nks of the military nobility were appreciated by the King, and he was given his current position.

    So, his wife was never educated as a noblewoman from the start. It was something she learnedter.

    Perhaps when Welner announced his intention to take Lily as his wife, Ingo was reminded of his former self and udia from the expression on Ingos face at the time.

    While their evaluation of Lily was not low, their own experience must have also yed a part in epting her. As Norbert was wrapping up the conversation, udias voice came into Lilys ears, who was stunned by the unexpected revtion.

    Norbert, there you are!

    My Lady, what can I do for you?

    I would like to invite Marquis Schramms daughter to thank her for her hospitality the other day, and I would also like you to take care of the arrangements.

    Yes, my Lady.

    Norbert bowed reverently. udia nodded and turned her gaze to Lily.

    Lily, you must be in attendance.

    Ye, yes.

    Lilys reaction drew an odd look for a moment, but she nodded and quickly left the room, leaving Norbert to stifle a chuckle.

    Perhaps its because she used to be a female knight, I cant help but think her rough attitude is sometimes a drawback especially when she has to carry her own weight around when dealing with such matters.

    Yes.

    Norbert left the room while saying this, and Lily, who came to her senses a littleter, hurried after him.

    This story was never told by Welner and Lily to someone else, and was only recorded in the diary of udias brother, the new head of the Viscount family, and remained for future generations to discover.

    ***

    The evening bar was always lively. Although the topics of conversation often changed, on this particr day the topic of conversation was the Viscount Vogels case.

    Of course, the matter of the mysterious potion was still top-secret, but the rest of the story was already known in outline, as adventurers had participated in the siege. Besides, rumors had a way of trailing off.

    I didnt know they were that vicious. Even Welner-sama must be angry.

    Hes truly a knight, isnt he?

    If Welner heard this, he would probably protest, but this was exactly what the current public opinion was. The recent duel trial in which he acted as a proxy for his hero friend and his sister, even though the other nobles might hate him for it, had a great positive impact on peoples opinion of him.

    Also, people in the world were inclined to divide things between good and evil.

    Youre talking about the girl who had her father die and her mother and brother held hostage.

    And then she was threatened in order to poison Welner-sama in the heat of the moment. Thats a very bad thing, isnt it? There were some traitors, of course.

    I heard that the culprit, Viscount Vogel or something, had a secret crush on the sister of the young hero.

    The incident happened right after the duel trial, and since Lily was also involved, the rumors grew even more bizarre.

    Besides, Welner-sama even rescued the family of the girl who tried to kill him, didnt he?

    On the contrary, I heard that he took the whole family back to the Counts estate where they will be safe.

    I heard from a source in the Counts family that Welner-sama refused the threatened girls offer of marriage, saying she was engaged to someone else.

    Hes a very serious man, even for an aristocrat.

    Frenssen stiffened in a corner of the bar, thinking, When did that happen?

    Its a rumor thats been spreading for a while, something they depicted asing from someone rted to the Counts family or an acquaintance.

    Rafed, seated in front of him, was happily opening a mug of ale.

    Well, well, Welner-sama is a celebrity now, isnt he?

    Isnt it you whos doing this?

    Frenssen half-nced for confirmation, but Rafed shook his head.

    It is Count Zeavert who is spreading the rumors. It seems that he is leaving the details of the story to the citizens.

    Frenssens expression of surprise was followed by Rafeds shrug.

    This one incident has simply led to an increase in Welners reputation. He was generous enough to attend the duel as a proxy and serve drinks to all who participated in order to secure the criminals, and he was generous enough to sympathize with and save the perpetrator of the assassination attempt on his life.

    He was the kind of aristocrat that the people expected him to be, and it was enough to make them wonder if the rumor that he was a spendthrift viscount was true. Even though it was certainly true, it became difficult for other nobles to attack him using this point.

    The masterminds must be in a panic.

    I dont think any names have been given yet.

    As soon as they are named, they will be criticized.

    Who the mastermind behind Viscount Vogel was irrelevant at this point. As soon as someone was <b><i>suspected</i></b> to be the mastermind, his position in the royal capital was sure to be more restricted.

    Frenssen thought that Viscount Vogel moved at the wrong time, but Rafed had a different view.

    It feels like they cut off the part of the project that was going to slow them down.

    Cutting off the tail.

    Frenssen nodded, and thought that there must be someone who encouraged Viscount Vogel from behind. They were looking for that person.

 Chapter 190.1

    Chapter 190.1

    I was working in the underground library that day, but when I came back to the surface, I heard a rumor, so I asked my father, who came back at night, to provide me with information.

    Normally, I should be a subject of this case, but in this world, even those who were involved often did not know what was going on. Especially when there was a political resolution going on at the upper echelons in this world.

    But still, it was a little beyond my imagination. The Count Yerring House switched sides and joined the Royal Family, basically distancing themselves from Coltrezis House.

    (Excerpt from chapter 176: <b><i>Count Gramlich</i></b>s wife was <b><i>Count Yerring</i></b>s sister, while <b><i>Count Yerring</i></b>s wife was a woman from the <b><i>Coltrezis House</i></b>, and because of Count Yerrings guardianship as a rtive of Count Gramlich, they would be able to indirectly absorb the Gramlich houses knights into the Coltrezis House faction.)

    Yerring House was basically involved in pretty much everything Coltrezis House did like causing Trial Duel to harm the royal familys image and Heros family etc.

    Taking responsibility, the head of the Yerring House retired and was seeded by his son in his 20s. At that time, it was believed that he was ill. When the head of the house changed hands, the new head turned over all information regarding their rtions with Coltrezis House to the royal family.

    I guess you could say that the new sessor was quick to see an opportunity in the situation they were in.

    He must have judged that the situation was bing unfavorable. It was difficult to look at him favorably because of his houses history, but as a nobleman, I could only say that he was making the right decision.

    The Royal family was also in the process of investigating the situation, and based on the evidence submitted by the Count Yerrings House, the sweep was underway.

    The new Count has also sent a delivery to our house and to Lily, via Grand Duke Seyfart.

    Oh, thats interesting.

    I reacted in an inevitably sarcastic tone. It was an obvious bribe, right? The fact that he went to the trouble ofing through the Grand Duke suggested that he was generally aware of the situation and was hoping for apromise, or perhaps a deal, with our house and Heros family.

    On the other hand, it also indicated that they want to publicly apologize, not just end it behind the scenes, as they went through someone else instead of contacting us directly. It might be a public or semi-public one, in a noble way, since it was not in front of the royal family.

    In my previous life, I would have called it a settlement with awyer, not a trial.

    What do you think?

    Im unwilling to ept it, but if the royal family approves, then I guess I have to agree.

    That couldnt be helped.

    But there was no way we could trust or let our guard down yet. For now, we should be wary of the level of truce.

    From a very paradoxical point of view, I could sense that the government intended to make good use of people like me who were close to the hero, Mazell. If that was the case, the country must be thinking of using Count Yerring as well, and they must also be looking at how Zeavert House would deal with the Yerring House.

    In a game, everything would work in favor of the protagonist, but in real life, a move in one ce would affect the rest of the world in a pendulum swing. The bnce of power in a noble society was also veryplicated, so it was not a matter of a snap decision, and then it was over. Politics itself was a pain in the neck, and I wasnt the protagonist in the first ce.

    What about the poison that Viscount Vogel said he had in his possession?

    Well have to talk about that at ater date.

    So at this stage, I should stay out of it. This works in my favor. If I get involved all the way from the beginning, there would be a risk that the person who arranged the poison would target me again with all their might after being cornered, thinking that I was one who brought their downfall.

    We know that the second son of the Marquis Coltrezis has fled the territory. The eldest son Cnut is missing, but it is doubtful that he could have escaped from the royal capital.

    (T/N: Cnut came to watch the Welners duel, so he was in the royal capital.)

    Indeed that is so.

    I could not help but feel somewhat confused. If anything, it was the eldest son Cnut who was going around causing problems, so he was probably the main focus of the royal investigation department.

    I wondered if both the first and second sons could really get away with that, or if the investigation department was just letting it slide, but I doubt that my father, with his position as minister, would leave it at that.

    At the very least, it would be a turning point to see how the Coltrezis House would react when the stateid out the evidence and asked them to hand over the second son.

    As for the others

    Some of them have been crying out to have my house intercede for them.

    Father, you have a bad look on your face. It was normal in this world to strengthen the power of a faction by ingratiating your house with other houses. Well, I would leave this matter to father. I should be expecting the number of troops under Zeavertsmand increasing because of this and right before the expected invasion in the royal capital.

 Chapter 190.2

    Chapter 190.2

    Then, the immediate problem would be the church. Sure enough, when I turned to my father and asked him about that side of the story, the situation was not good.

    There seems to be a part of the church that wont listen to us, saying that it is their role to investigate the church.

    Thats to be expected, isnt it?

    I let out a sigh. I understood what he wanted to say, but it was really a really troublesome matter in this situation. It seemed that not only the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince, but also His Majesty the King had been working on various things behind the scenes, but the walls of the church were thick and high for them to push through with their investigations.

    Originally, the church had a kind of extraterritoriality. This in itself was not unusual. Even if not all religious facilities were like that, churches had an aspect of being a refuge asylum where thew and authority could not reach, as was also the case in medieval Japan with the Enkiri-ji temple.

    (T/N: I checked some articles including some theses and wikipedia to ensure this whole thing is as urate as possible.)

    The word <b><i>King</i></b> gave the impression of an absolute monarchy, but in the medieval world, or in this world, which was medieval-style, the existence of an asylum of refuge was inevitable in a political system where state power and the legal system had not yet fully developed and there was no clear separation of religion and state. Of course, it may also be significant that religious institutions had their own armed groups.

    Historically, even in my previous life, the religious centers such churches slowly lost their power to act as refugee asylums as the world began to tread toward the separation of religion and state, but until then, they would be like autonomous territories that existed within the country, making it difficult to step into them.

    If the rtionship between the state and the church is bad, their reputation with the public will inevitably decline.

    Yes.

    In this world, the Church was a symbol of faith, as well as a hospital-like existence. To put it bluntly, because the medical development of this world wasgging behind, even the royal family had to rely on the church when they fell ill, which inevitably meant that the Church had to be treated with care.

    Moreover, some of the nobles and people who have had their rtives saved by the magic of the church, or rather the priests, may not be able to lift their voices against the church, and some of them may not even be willing to do so from the beginning.

    Above all, for what it may be worth, there were many people who were serious about helping others, such as the priests at the end of the line in the provinces. Unfortunately, the deterioration of the rtionship between the state and the church would affect those serious people as well.

    In addition, there was also the fact that the second princess, Laura, was a saint recognized by the church, which made things veryplicated. As a result, there were voices from the noble society asking whether the royal family could undermine Lauras position as a saint if they tried to exert its power over the church. She was also a beautiful girl, you see, so everyone wanted her.

    I mean, I would like to say that they should just give up on trying to break into the rtionship between Laura and Mazell, but this may be all the more difficult. Especially for the nobles who have a stake in this endeavor. Besides their own feelings, the ups and downs of their families might also be at risk.

    Moreover, even the Church is not monolithic.

    True.

    It was inevitable that there were various factions even within the church. If the church as a whole was against the royal family, it might be possible to prepare something that could deal with it in one swing disregarding all the consequences, but that was not the case.

    Some factions within the church had already been leaning towards the royal family because of the Finnoi incidents, so the Royal Family was more keen in supporting these factions and having them clean up the church instead of brute forcing things. After all, fighting the church directly may worsen the situation as they needed healers.

    Unlike games, rtionships never progressed with a single click in the real world.

    All of this was not something that could be solved by talking only within Count Zeaverts office, or rather my fathers office. For now, I was able to organize the information and that was good enough for today.

    I returned to my room and told Frenssen that I wanted to try out something I had noticed the other day and that I would experiment with it tomorrow, so I told him to get ready. Frenssen left the room and came back soon after. Hisplexion was not so good.

    Whats wrong?

    Yes, they found the body of priest Kempel.

    I didnt get up or do anything that would change my expression, but I was sure my eyebrows were furrowed. After Count Gamrich, another sudden death of someone involved in the Duel Trial.

    It was a tant and poor attempt to neutralize the situation. It was as if someone who was not familiar with conspiracies was pulling the strings. It was as if they wanted to tell us that there was someone conspiring against us. Hmmm.

    Suicide or murder?

    No external injuries were reported, but its still just hearsay.

    I understand. Im sorry, but could you check on that tomorrow?

    Yes, sir.

    If we had ess to the Inte or socialworking sites, we would have new information by the end of the day, but in this world, that was impossible. I stopped thinking about it for the moment.

    The most dangerous thing was to be swayed by half-baked rumors. I have to confirm the information first before I think about it.

 Chapter 191.1

    Chapter 191.1

    Today was the first time in a while that I had a meeting with Grand Duke Seyfart regarding the defense system of the royal capital. It was also a good time to check on the progress of the project I had asked for.

    So I went to the castle with only Neurath and Schunzel, and as soon as I entered, I spotted a figure standing in the corridor, waiting for someone. I saw the figureing straight towards me, making Neurath and Schunzel rmed.

    Its the royal castle, calm down for now. (Welner)

    But

    I didnt know him or remember him either. He seemed to be a warrior by the way he carried himself, and he was tall. If we were walking side by side, I think it would be inevitable that the other one would stand out more. I wondered if it was because he was confident in himself that he was alone and had no guards around him.

    The man spoke to me in a tone of confirmation rather than a question.

    So you are Viscount Welner Von Zeavert?

    Yes, but who is this gentleman?

    I beg your pardon. I am Anshelm Seigl Yerring.

    The Count Yerring, I presume. I beg your pardon.

    So this was the new Count Yerring. He looked cold and handsome, like a cool-headed character in an anime. He appeared to be about 10 years older than me.

    I bowed to him anyway, since he was of a higher rank than I was.

    Id like to talk to you about something.

    What is it that you want?

    I wondered what he wanted to say for him to even ambush me.

    Let me ask you simply, are you interested in working with me?

    What?

    What did he mean by that? I couldnt help but think about it as I looked at his face. Count Yerring seemed rather serious about it.

    I would like you to be my right-hand man from now on. At your age, I cannot help but admire your talent and ability.

    I think it was not a bad thing that I was so speechless. Or perhaps it would be impossible to live in an aristocratic society if I didnt be so open-minded.

    But then again, would someone scout me out after all this time without thinking twice about it?

    I believe you had a connection with the House Coltrezis, sir.

    Well, theres no reason for me to continue riding in that rotten carriage.

    Wow. A rotten carriage meant something like a mud boat in this world, but still, he said it, and I have a feeling that even Neurath and Schunzel were mildly taken aback by it.

    Are you sure about that?

    My house is obviously more important than any faction. Im grateful that they were willing to fund us if we work with them, but their future prospects are clearly poor when they are pushed to this point.

    I guess money talks, but not rtionships. Or perhaps they have been parasites on the House Coltrezis until now? How straight-forward of him.

    I value you Sir Welner. If I have a choice, I would obviously choose someone who has a future.

    I understand that point, but

    I agree with him on that point, but it was the same for me. I didnt see any future in him.

    I mean, after leaving House Coltrezis faction, he must have felt the need to create his own faction, right? Thats why he turned his attention to Zeavert, who was part of the Civil Faction.

    Im sure you Sir will be very busy after the defeat of the Demon King as the Bain Kingdom may invade other nations.

    What do you mean?

    When the timees, with the Hero along with us at the front lines, we will have an overwhelming advantage in any battle against any enemy nation. With my support, you, Sir, can be dispatched to the front lines in any direction you want, so you can gain all the military merits as much as you want.

    I was d Lily was not here. I found myself realizing that my poker face failed, and my gaze tightened against the person who was treating Mazell as a weapon casually.

    Count Yerring probably noticed that look of mine, but he just lightly shrugged his shoulders.

    Our country is taking such great care ofmoner heroes. It is only natural formoners to work for our country. I think it would be better for your own health if you didnt put yourself too much on the shoulders of themoners.

    Thank you for your advice.

    It may be how most nobles in this world think. However, you were trying to equate yourself with the Bain kingdom, werent you? Besides, even if Mazell were to fight after defeating the Demon King, it would not be for your sake, not even for my sake.

    In the first ce, that way of thinking assumed that the Bain kingdom would invade other countries That was it There were sometimes such soldiers and politicians even in my past life. There was the theory that since a country was a superpower, it was only natural for other countries to follow them. This happened with the Roman Empire, the Chinese Empire, and even the British Empire. People in power often had this way of thinking.

    And even the United States in modern times failed when they reached out to other countries based on that way of thinking, but somehow, people with this way of thinking tend to pop out in history repeatedly.

 Chapter 191.2

    Chapter 191.2

    I understand Sir Welners disposition to extend a helping hand to sinners (ra). Oh, dont get me wrong. I have no intention to touch the sister of the hero. Sir is a nobleman, and it is only natural that he should have a concubine or two. I think its a rather good move.

    He seemed to think that I was only using Lily. Also, he even knew about ra, so he must have done an investigation.

    No matter what, Ive already decided to recognize this guy as an enemy, but I couldntsh out here. I was d my father taught me how to control emotions and make better use of them.

    I intend to be involved in territorial administration for a while after the Demon King dies, so I wont be able to meet your expectations. (Welner)

    Are you going to throw away the opportunity to establish your military achievements?

    He asked me in deep wonder. This was a brainless military mindset. The bad news was that there were a certain number of people like him.

    Zeavert is not rich enough to repeat deployments. Excuse me.

    I was proud of my self-control for not saying, Get out of my way, you son of a rat.

    Later, in his office, the Grand Dukeughed rather amused when he heard what I had to say.

    I guess Count Yerring was a disappointment, too.

    What do you mean?

    I realized that my tone was getting a bit harsh, so I cooled down for a moment. The Grand Duke was still smiling at me with his eyes.

    He sees you as his rival. It was also kind of a show to people around him that if the two of you end up in a quarrel, the nobles who are politically distant from him but have a grudge with you may form a connection with him.

    Oh.

    Some of the nobles still think that you are the leading candidate to be the groom of His Highness Laura. Many of them go around looking for faults in you.

    The Grand Duke further added that new Count Yerring may have also been sincere in his desire to make a connection with me to be able to approach the heroes.

    In short, it seemed that Count Yerring intended to be friendly to me if I agreed to join his faction, and if not, he intended to gather people who were overtly hostile and against me.

    The most unbearable thing for people like him is to be ignored. It is the right attitude not to be provoked.

    Thank you for the passing grade. So you think it was all an act?

    I think he may have meant it when he said he wanted to take Mazell into battle.

    I was surprised to hear that the countrys top brass had also been preupied with this issue for the past few days. He responded with a cool look when I told him that I had no idea.

    Its not right to make you hear so much about whats going on in the center of the country, right?

    You are right, sir.

    Yeah, I was only the age of a student, you see. Even in terms of position, in my previous life in apany, I was at best a section chief or department head. In terms of age, I was too young to be in a position to directly ask for information at a management meeting.

    But still, there were some very fishy rumors out there.

    Many of the nobles havee to think like Count Yerring because of the countrys hold on Mazell-kun. They feel that we will use him to invade other nations after the Demon Kings defeat.

    Wouldnt that only make other countries afraid and wary of us?

    That is true. His Majesty and His Highness are aware that if these rumors continue spreading, all the other nations will be wary of us. But it is only natural that some people would be blinded by immediate gains.

    The Grand Duke shrugged his shoulders in disappointment, saying that he had been so busy trying to persuade other nobles to take care of those nasty groups of nobles. He also said that another problem had arisen.

    Some nobles in Delitzdam have sent a secret messenger to our country.

    Delitzdam?

    They want to make Her Highness Laura Queen of Delitzdam.

    What?

    I almost said, What are you talking about? but after listening to his exnation, the situation was more serious than I had thought.

    In short, the royalty of Delitzdam are all idiots.

    Sir Welner, you seem to be in a very bad mood today.

    Sorry, I just identally spoke out what I was really thinking. However, the Grand Duke did not deny it, either, did he?

    Whoever bes the next king will not be enough to bring unity to the country, so they want to bring in a new ruler from the outside?

    And by the way, it seems that there are some nobles who fell in love with Her Highness, who was apanying the heroes group.

    Stop being so jaded. It hurt my head. But then again, Laura did get a lot of publicity, didnt she? I was careless, but I see, Mazell wasnt the only one being targeted.

    I tend to think that it would be only those who wished to get rid of her, but it was also expected that there would be those who wanted to take her in and use her for their own purposes. And then, a coup attempt using the power of the Bain kingdom

    Some of the nobles in Delitzdam, rmed that our country was watching them, have been selling out whatever they could and ttering the Bain kingdom. If Her Highness ascends to Delitzdams throne, it will give them the status of a brother kingdom to the Bain kingdom.

    And that will stabilize Delitzdam and make them our allies?

    At least, no one in our country thinks it will bring us any benefits. It would look to other countries as if the Bain kingdom had absorbed Delitzdam. That would only aggravate our diplomatic problems.

    I didnt find such a description in the game, so I wasnt familiar with it, but it seemed that the Royal family was weaker in Delitzdam than in the Bain kingdom, and the nobility was stronger. So the political situation in Delitzdam was bing more and more unpredictable.

    On the other hand, we dont want our neighbors to be too united, but we also dont want them to be too chaotic.

    I can rte to that.

    If a neighboring country were to be unstable, the demon army may take advantage of that and cause another outbreak of refugees to flow into our country, no matter how big a country the Bain kingdom may be, the financial burden would be ridiculous.

    It seemed that the upper echelons of the government, led by His Majesty, were in a great hurry to confirm the domestic situation of the other countries, decide how to respond to the situation and make the necessary arrangements.

    Well, for now, it didnt have anything to do with me.

    Let us hope that the matter would be settled as soon as possible.

    Yeah. Next, regarding the issue you were dealing with

    Yes.

    I wouldnt be able to handle diplomatic issues and such, but please give me information that directly rtes to me that I didnt know about.

 Chapter 192.1

    Chapter 192.1

    At any rate, there must be something going on that I couldnt deduce yet. As I waited for Grand Duke Seyfart to speak, he looked down at the parchment in his hand and then started speaking.

    First of all, to put it simply, there are people who have a grudge against you for profit and financial problems.

    Huh?

    I was wondering if I had done something wrong when I was interrupted from an unexpected direction.

    The weapons and armors that you have arranged to be delivered through the Commerce Guild are excellent. Thats why the items that used to be manufactured and sold in the royal capital are no longer being sold. We have received multipleints.

    I seem to recall that the cksmiths Guild was ordered for something else to cover for that.

    It was the merchants who supplied the goods, not the cksmiths Guild. Themission alone for delivering suitable weapons and stuff to the Knights is huge after all.

    Ah

    The Commerce Guild was not a monolithic group. So, not everyone could enjoy the benefits as purveyors of equipment to the Commerce Guild, and those who have been neglected might have been thinking that I have been unreasonable in doing those transactions.

    I had thought that there might be a conflict within the guild centering on Mr. Biersted, but I didnt realize that the stray arrows were flying my way as well.

    Next is the issue of being a potential fiance of Her Highness Laura, huh?

    Cant you do something about this misunderstanding?

    You are highly esteemed by the Duke Grunding after all. You are also outstanding for your aplishments among men of your age.

    I didnt really aim to gain credit. I mean, it was the Duke who asked me to aplish something when we were in Finoi. I hope the Duke could clear up the misunderstanding since he knew about the matter.

    Theres also another factor that you are with the younger sister of the hero.

    What about Lily?

    Having both a prettymoners daughter in one hand and a beautiful noble flower in another.

    Give me a break!

    I thought Count Yerring was just trying to provoke me, but Grand Duke said that like it was some kind of actual problem.

    Jokes aside, there are many who would like to win the heart of Her Highness Laura, and your wish to be married to Lily is rather the exception to the trend.

    I understand, but Lily is more important to me. Besides, Her Highness is too superior for me.

    Since you have such an attitude, the standards required of Her Highness husband have been raised even higher.

    To be fair, Mazell and Laura were a perfect match if one looked at them from the sidelines, so I had no desire to intrude into that.

    I mean, my achievement would be insignificant if Mazell and Laura were to finally defeat the Demon King, but at this stage, however, it was not hard to see that they had not yet reached that point.

    To begin with, what do His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince think about the Second Princess Laura?

    They are in the position that they could only treat her as a <b><i>noble</i></b><i> (not like a family member)</i>, even if other nobles may treat her in the worst way <i>(cannon fodder to fight against the demon army)</i>.

    Worst way, sir?

    You seem to have no doubt that Mazell will defeat the Demon Lord, but some of us dont necessarily believe that.

    I felt a chill. That was true. I believe that Mazell would do it based on the games scenario, but even that scenario might end up being wrong since the Crown Prince ended up being alive after all, which was already leaning away from the right route.

    And from the point of view of someone who did not even know the scenario of the game, it was not unreasonable to doubt whether Mazell would win.

    At this stage, each country had their own circumstances and left the defeat of the Demon King to Mazell-kun, but even if Mazell-kun were to die, he would still be considered a hero. At that stage, each countrys Knights will have to unite and challenge the Demon Army to an all-out battle. Diplomatically, the terms and conditions for such a situation are being discussed behind the scenes.

    Even though I believe in Mazell, I understood why Bain Kingdom was making such preparations, although I was very ufortable with the assumption that Mazell would be defeated.

    So that was what he meant.

    Is that why Lily has been kept in the royal capital all this time?

    Because if we were to lose the hero and the saint, a new symbol is essential to unite the allied forces and rally the citizens. Dont look so obviously displeased.

    It is impossible not to be displeased.

    I finally understood why Grand Duke Seyfart was in charge of the Hearthing family, not only to prevent Mazell from escaping the country, but also because they wanted Lily to be a banner for the country to carry in case Mazell the hero failed.

    The reason why Lily was brought out into the open during that duel trial was also with the intention of spreading the word about her being the sister of a hero. In the event that Mazell failed, she was still avable.

    You are right to be angry, Sir. It is also true that we are hoping that Mazell-kun will defeat the Demon King.

    I can understand this as a national opinion, but as an individual, I am offended.

    Thats fine Sir. We have no choice but to treat Mazell and Lily politically because of our position. We need someone like you to treat them as human beings.

    Grand Duke exhaled heavily. I knew that he meant what he said. It could not be helped for the Crown Prince or Grand Duke to act and treat others including Princess Laura like this, but at least they were not people who would use and discard their allies.

    Given the fact that he answered my concerns about Lily directly, I guess it wasnt a lie that such an intention was there only as ast resort. As for me, I would only do what I could to prevent such a situation from arising.

    I understand that matter for the time being. Thank you for responding to my question.

 Chapter 192.2

    Chapter 192.2

    Mhmm. Lets get back to the subject. Well, it seems like we got a lot of work to do. To be honest, Im bing more wary of the movements of a group of people and my neglect has gained them more influence than I had imagined.

    What?

    There is this group called the <b><i>Coffin Sarg</i></b>, you see. In short, it is a group of people who believe that the end of the world is near.

    What kind of doomsday thinking was that?

    They are saying that the previous Demon King was supposedly killed by a hero who was chosen by the oracle of Gods. The resurrection of the Demon King is due to Gods abandonment of mankind Well, thats the logic behind their beliefs.

    Ah. In a world where God existed, how could anyone think that God had abandoned people? Someone non-religious like me would never think of God helping them. But in this world, the resurrection of the Demon King might be a storm at a level beyond my imagination especially for religious people.

    And for some reason, there tend to be a certain number of people who honestly believe in such a doomsday scenario.

    I understand that there are people like that, but, so what about them?

    We didnt think it was worth our time to deal with them either, but the idea is slowly spreading.

    Why again?

    Even under the circumstances of the Demon Kings resurrection, the nobles are still fighting for power and neglecting the governance of their people. Thats enough to make the Gods angry, right?

    Ugh. I mean, it wasnt as if everyone in power was ying around, but rather, some of them were working hard to deal with the situation in the best way possible.

    Its the way of the world when politics is called into question. Even if you solve ny-nine problems, when you fail on the remaining one, it is inevitable that some people will only remember that failure.

    I couldnt help butment, Thats why, as I said before, I want to stay away from politics as much as possible.

    You cant do that. Its impossible. I give up.

    Please dont cut me off at the seams like that.

    They disregard thew, do not hesitate to break their vows, are addicted to alcohol and drugs, and do not consider murder to be wrong. Eventually, they im, all the bad in the world will umte, and the world will bepletely abandoned by God and the world will be destroyed. Oh, and there is also the fact that they no longer see any value in their work.

    It seems as if someone is fanning the mes in order to spread that the teachings are true.

    His Majesty sees it that way as well. That is why we set out to round them up, but in the process we discovered that they have spread to the nobility as well.

    Mysticism, even in my previous life, was somehow prevalent among nobility. It may have been because there were people who had too much time on their hands in the aristocracy, so they tend to fall in love with such heretical ideas.

    The trouble is, we dont know who believes it secretly.

    The human mind was truly unknown. Even smart people believed in the apocalypse, or as Old Man Uwe would say, there were different kinds of smart people.

    In other words, there may be someone who seemed to be smart but believed in the doomsday theory. Conversely, someone who would be considered smart may even engage in extremely stupid behavior. Fanatics were quite a handful to deal with.

    Well, I see, if there were people like this in nobility, this would certainly be really troublesome. This conflict was of a different kind from the previous ones I was involved in. And that had been bothering me.

    Isnt there also the risk that those who believe in it can end up bing pawns of the Demon Army?

    There is certainly a danger that those who actively think of bringing the end of the world closer will work for the demonic side.

    The national side must have taken steps to prevent the demons from entering the royal capital, but they had ruled out the possibility of a human informing on the Demon Army. The reason for this was that it was inevitable that the demons would eventually kill them if they did so.

    However, if they were steeped in the thought of giving up on life from the beginning, they would not be concerned about such a thing. It was possible that the happenings inside the royal capital have started to leak out to the Demon Army side.

    What worried me even more was the conspiracy that had been going on for the past few days, which was so tant and poor that it seemed as if they didnt care if a third party found out about it or not. Perhaps this series of events was

    Was this perhaps a plot on the part of the Demon Army?

    I would like to believe so. I also wondered if they were the ones who wanted to make it look like the end of the world was approaching, it would be a situation of <b><i>Was it the Egg or the Bird first?</i></b>.

    But to promote a doomsday agenda.

    Doomsday agenda sounds like a very clever description.

    Oh, right. There was no such word in this world, was there? That was not my main point, though, so I would leave it at that.

    Do you have any good idea who is in charge?

    I cant think of anyone right now.

    The biggest problem was that my perspective was doubly and triply different from the people of this world. First and foremost, I have no faith in God, and I think the whole doomsday nonsense was ridiculous. I also believed that Mazell would definitely win against the Demon King.

    I had no idea how people who believe in such doomsday ideas think when I tried to judge them rationally. I suppose the people at the heart of the country probably think the same way as I do, but

    I understand. We have no choice but to deal with this matter at the national level, but I would like Sir to be very careful about it as well.

    Yes, I understand.

    Even if by not many, I was being resented by merchants because of affecting their wealth, and some nobles were jealous of me. Now, there was even a terrorist group that wanted to cause a disturbance, and they also believed in the eventual victory of the Demon Army. I was probably nothing more than an obstacle to them.

    The good thing was that the government was dealing with these matters. The only thing I needed to do was to be careful about the surroundings while believing in them to have good results.

    I understand that point for the time being. And what about the n to defend the royal capital?

    Yes, about that, I have something to tell you as well.

    This was important as well. So much to do.

    In the end, I returned homete that day. I had left my cloak with Lily when Norbert came up to me.

    Wee home, Welner-sama.

    Oh, did something happen?

    Yes. An invitation has arrived.

    I opened the envelope and looked through it, wondering what the invitation was. I was a little surprised. I thought about going right away, but after what Id heard today, I was afraid Id get in trouble if I wandered out on my own.

    Call Neurath and Schunzel back immediately. Well be heading out.

    Yes, sir.

    Welner-sama, how about dinner?

    I think well probably have a light meal. Or rather, I think Lily should join us.

    Lily looked surprised when I showed her the sender of the invitation, but shook her head.

    No, I dont think my name is on it.

    I see, my bad.

    No, have a good trip. Well be waiting for your return.

    We made our move when Neurath and the others joined me. I entered a restaurant with a stately appearance, one of the finest in the royal capital, and showed them the invitation. I guess it was out of curiosity that even a waiter at this level checked my face for a moment.

    At any rate, I was let through to a private room without any problems.

    Sorry, I made you wait.

    Dont worry about it. Im sorry for calling you so suddenly.

    I greeted him first, and then bowed. I was d to hear everything was all right.

    A year ago, I would never have imagined that I would meet Mazell and the rest of his party at a ce like this.

 Chapter 193.1

    Chapter 193.1

    For now, we bowed to each other. Then I lightly waved back as Feli waved to me.

    Neurath, Schunzel, you two are wee to rest in the back room.

    The room that the aristocrats used for secret talks in this kind of high-ss restaurant also had an adjoining room for the servants to wait, and they could take a rest there.

    It wasnt that I didnt trust the two of them, but they might feel ufortable staying with us here.

    Are you sure?

    I dont mean to be rude, but I dont think Mazell and the others are weak enough to be taken down by anyone at random.

    Laura probably chose this store, so it would be sound-proof. Even if someone were to attack us, Mazell and Luguentz alone would be stronger than twenty of us. With this in mind, they left their seats as if satisfied.

    After that, I bowed again. This was for formality with Laura, but she also wanted me to make myselffortable, which I did without hesitation.

    I said to Mazell, Its rare to see you in a ce like this.

    We thought it might cause you trouble if we directly visited you at Zeavert Mansion.

    Mazells reply was satisfactory. Certainly, if they were to visit Zeavert Mansion at this time, the royal court, aristocrats, and others would probablye barging in evente at night to invite them. In that respect, such a high-ss restaurant would protect customers information, right?

    As we sat down to catch our breath, Mazell bowed to me.

    Im sorry, Welner, but Ive been a bit of a nuisance this time because of the duel trial.

    Its fine. It didnt bother me that much.

    I was not bothered enough for him to apologize. I did what I wanted to do in that duel trial. Well, that was as long as I didnt think about ying right in the palm of the states hand.

    First, I cant stand it. Im not going to put up with those rumors.

    Is that so, then, let me say this. Thank you.

    If thats the way you put it, Ill ept it.

    I didnt really need him to think about those things. He just needed to focus on his mission, but this was Mazell we were talking about, so I had to find apromise with him at some point, or we would go round and round in circles in our discussion. Speaking of which, I said I without formality in front of Her Highness Laura, but I guess it was a littlete for that.

    Did youe all the way back here just to say that? (Welner)

    Not exactly, but thats mostly what Im here for, I guess. (Mazell)

    Youre too serious. (Welner)

    That was a very straightforward approach.

    I cleared my throat and tried to bring us back to the main topic by asking, So, whats your situation over there right now?

    Well, we left Delitzdam, went through the old Triot, and stayed once in Foam near Suvriltz in Salznach Kingdom. (Mazell)

    Salznach was a country west of the Bain kingdom, Suvriltz was the town that was first destroyed by the Demon Army, but Ive never heard of Foam. At least it never appeared in my memory.

    In the game, our Zeavert stronghold didnt show up either, so lets just assume it was a town with no events.

    I heard Welner knows a lot of stuff, so I was wondering if he could give me some information on Salznach. (Mazell)

    Ah.

    I looked at Old Man Uwe, and he just ignored me and went back to drinking his tea. Hes just an old man who said unnecessary things. Besides, I was no longer sure if my memory of the game was correct or not.

    Hmm I think one of the four Heavenly Kings that was rted to Fire was in Salznach. I believe its safer not to use fire-based attacks against it because it will recover its wounds. (Welner)

    I see.

    Luguentz interjected. Oh right, they should have just gotten the me magic sword from the dungeon in Delitzdam. It was fine to use it until before the boss fight.

    Also, the royal capital of Salznach is probably safe, but I heard that the forest on the way to the royal capital is like a maze, so be on your guard. (Welner)

    I understand. Ill hire a guide to help us on the way there.

    The ability to do such a thing would be a deviation from the game, wouldnt it? Hmmm. A few other points to note. Like the troublesome wandering demons. But I didnt remember all the details about them, so I could only give some general advice about them.

    I felt like my memory was deterioratingtely, but maybe that was because I had too many things to worry about.

    Thanks for everything. Ill be careful. And, heres the thing.

    As soon as I was done talking, Mazell brought out something that looked like a box. I opened it and inside was a ck crystal. It was eerie, like when I saw the ck crystal found after defeating Demon Generals.

    (T/N: To be more consistent, we will be using ck crystal from this paragraph onward instead of ck gem like in old chapters.)

    What is this?

    Do you remember, during the demon outbreak, when I killed the Demon General Dreax, I found an eerie looking ck crystal?

    How could I forget?

    I was just thinking that this one looks a lot like that.

    I looked at Mazells face. It seemed he wasnt joking or anything, and there was nothing more to be said about Mazells memory. Which undoubtedly meant that we were thinking simrly about it.

    Luguentz added, Im almost certain that it may be rted, because I also saw something simr before albeit shattered, but the surrounding atmosphere on it was very simr to this one.

    So Luguentz, do you think its the same crystal as those that you saw? Where did you get this one in the first ce?

    We found quite a bit of them in Suvriltz, I think Elder Uwe will be able to better exin about this, Welner.

    Luguentzs reply made me look at Old Man Uwe, who nodded silently.

 Chapter 193.2

    Chapter 193.2

    Old Man Uwe said, Well, you see, Ive seen something that looks a lot like this crystal, but before we go over that. Let me tell you about this container first.

    The container? (Welner)

    (<b>T/N:</b> As everything below has been <b><i>intentionally</i></b> written vaguely by the author, its trantion may be proven somewhat wrong in the future. We will update this chapter in future when we have more information.)

    You may already know about Anti-Demon barriers which are used in towns etc. They can create a barrier that prevents <b><i>weak </i></b>demons which are <b><i>not</i></b> under any powerful demons control from getting closer, or to be more precise the magic circle inscribed in them does so. Anyway, that container is one of them. But

    This was the first time I have actually seen one and any information regarding them was strictly regted by the kingdoms because of obvious reasons and the game skipped them entirely.

    From Old Man Uwes words, that ck crystal seemed to act as the containers power source. No, if it really acted as a power source, Old Man Uwe would have already recognized it. Was he implying that the real previous power source was reced by this ck crystal? Hmm No, that was not it, probably.

    Did putting this ck crystal inside the container make it have the opposite effect? (Welner)

    I am not sure. However, if this ck crystal has anything to do with controlling demons, it must have been used to attract demons from the surroundings rather than keep them away because Suvriltz, where it was found, had been long destroyed. (Old Man Uwe)

    You said you have seen something simr to this before, right? Could you borate? (Welner)

    Yes. If this crystal is erged, it would look <b><i>simr</i></b> to the barrier crystal in the basement of the royal capital.

    I seriously looked at the ck crystal. And then, to the whole set while thinking about said information.

    Wait, do you think the royal capitals Anti-Demon barrier is also a legacy of the Ancient Kingdom?

    Thats right. At least very simr to that type of technology.

    Are there other types of barriers?

    Some barriers are pseudo-constructed with todays technology. They are less efficient and less extensive than those of the Ancient Kingdom, though. But that is all that <b><i>most people currently</i></b> have ess to.

    I see. It was all starting to make sense now. It was a hypothesis without any proof, but I could vaguely see the connection.

    I have never seen it in the royal capital, but what would happen if the barrier against demons in the basement of the royal capital was <b><i>modified</i></b> to create this ck crystal that seems to attract demons?

    Perhaps it would be possible to control arge number of demons, if not all of them.

    Hmmm. It seemed that even the Demon King could not create a crystal or at least not the same size or quality as the one in the royal capital, or at the very least, it would be difficult.

    Since the Demon Army was using technology controlling simr ck crystals as the nucleus of the Demon Generals, it was not that difficult to assume that they may also be able to use crystals which were originally intended to ward off demons in other ways.

    Their purpose may be recycling, or rather, robbing and reusing. But since the people on our side were also robbing demons and turning them into equipment, it could be said that the two sides were on the same page.

    I always wondered why the Demon King was so keen on attacking Bain Kingdoms royal capital, but now I have a vague idea of why. Maybe they were using simr crystals to make more powerful demons.

    Of course, they most likely could not just use any ck crystal and modify it for that purpose. They might need one with a good enough <b><i>quality, size or both</i></b>.

    With the death of most Demon Generals and Four Heavenly Kings, there may be a shortage of mid-levelmanders. Maybe the reason behind Demon Kings sudden measure to reorganize the Demon Armys chain ofmand was to quickly gain control of Bain Kingdoms Barrier and fill in the weakness.

    There was even something called a <b><i>Demon Calling Flute</i></b>. The ancient kingdom must have known how to gather demons. This further strengthened the hypotheses that the Demon Army was more familiar with the knowledge and technology of the Ancient Kingdom.

    I also understood why Grand Duke Seyfart was expecting the attack on the royal capital. The Grand Duke must have known about the crystal that creates the barrier against demons, and would have noticed the simrity of the connection with the crystal that Mazell had recovered. So the purpose of the attack on the royal capital was most likely to use the barrier crystal itself.

    If this hypothesis was true, there was certainly no reason for higher ups to tell me. First, it was highly ssified information and secondly the royal capital needed to be protected one way or another. If it were me, I also wouldnt have told anyone else either.

    But then, the royal capital of the Bain kingdom would be Oh, thats right. For a moment, I wondered if I should tell them about it here and now, but I guess Mazell and the others would have no problem knowing it.

    Actually, we have found a hidden room in the basement of the Royal Capital.

    Eh?

    What?

    Mazell and Laura were surprised, of course, as well as Old Man Uwe. I think it was a pretty rare reactioning from them.

    Let me exin it first step by step before you guys raise questions.

    The existence of a hidden passageway and the expectation that there might be something tomb-like at the end of it. I even told them that the ceiling had copsed and that the end of the passage had not been examined yet.

    So you are saying that no one investigated beyond that point?

    Does that mean there was no way to find out what was beyond that point? Is there any way to continue the investigation?

    If it was me, I would have used magic to blow it up and move on.

    What if it copsed more? This old man,e to think of it, was usually extreme. I was getting a headache when Laura tilted her ask.

    A hidden passageway, huh? If you put it that way, the treasure room was also unnatural.

    Unnatural?

    Ive only been in there once, but it was kind of cluttered and didnt look like it used to be a treasure room It was more like a warehouse with shelves and treasures on them. It seemed to me that they put it there for now because they ran out of other ces to store it.

    Huh. Wasnt the underground library like that as well?

 Chapter 194.1

    Chapter 194.1

    We interrupted that conversation for a moment because the refreshments arrived just then. Apparently, they were waiting for their food until I arrived, for which I apologized.

    We couldnt continue talking about something that should be kept secret, so we decided to talk about something casual while the waiter was preparing the food.

    In addition to the sd, there wasmb, deer, horse, rabbit, and bird, I think. Each of them were either roasted or stewed, and the dishes were sumptuous. There was even meat jelly. The quantity of each serving was not thatrge. Apparently, the hero group asked for this so that there would be no rumors that they were extravagant.

    Though the presence of royalty, Laura, must have made it difficult for the restaurant.

    While thinking about that, I listened to Mazell and his groups tale of their adventures. Although I could not remember the map of the dungeons, the traps and monsters that appeared seemed to be the same as those in the game that I remembered.

    Nevertheless, it was doubtful whether what I could remember from the game exactly matched the details of what they encountered. At any rate, I lightly poked Feli, who had a scowl on his face when he was exining how to deal with traps.

    Come to think of it, the Viscount seems to have a reputation in Old Triot.

    Huh?

    While I continued poking Feli, Elrichs line struck me and I couldnt help but make a strange expression on my face.

    I asked him about it in detail, and he told me that there were several towns and viges in the old Triot that were barely safe, and that the Bain kingdom, which had defeated the Demon General who attacked Triot, became highly reputed in those ces. And among them, somehow my name seemed to be spreading as well. Why?

    I heard that Viscount Grellmann and Baron Xaver are taking the lead in providing support to those safe towns, and that the Viscounts name is mentioned during those times.

    Wait, but Im not involved in any of those aid efforts.

    Its a big deal from their point of view just to get the information from the outside after all the devastation, so sending the support itself which was caused by you, was more than enough for those people to revere you.

    I was at a loss for a response when Laura and Elrich said that to me. I didnt even know that such support activities for the old Triot were taking ce.

    However, it was true that we could not leave the refugees in the Bain kingdom forever. We would need to make preparations for them to return after the defeat of the Demon King. It would be a problem if there was no restored ce in their country where they could go and live safely. Had they already made arrangements to such an extent?

    When the demon general was there, they were afraid of being attacked even if the town had barriers, but since the demon general died, at least they dont have to worry about that anymore.

    When it came to the Triots royal capital, the restoration might have been slow, but in a small town or vige, just being able to get a good nights sleep was a big deal.

    I have to agree with Luguentzs line that followed Elrichsment. I see. It certainly would make a big difference for the residents. I could certainly understand that.

    There is also support from Anheim, so I think thats why it also connected to your reputation.

    I honestly think its a hassle.

    I unintentionally responded to Elrich with a straight face. Certainly, with Anheim residents as abor force and adventurers based in Anheim participating in the support activities, it would increase the goodwill towards me. But I didnt really want to be famous.

    Besides, I was on the verge of defeat when the gates of Anheim copsed, and if it werent for Mazell and the others, I might have been dead as well.

    The residents of Anheim were quite proud of you as well.

    Gah, I want to forget it. Thinking about it now is just a pain.

    I was just trying to get away from reality. I do understand their reasons though.

    I mean, since my father is the head of the Counts family, I dont want it, they should point their awe towards him instead as he allowed me to take the reins. I really didnt want my reputation to grow too high.

    Really?

    Feli interjected. This kind of fishy talk was something I was not good at.

    Itsplicated if my reputation is too high. They might forcibly assign me to be the new head of the Count family, but I dont want to change my position right now because it would end up affecting Fathers position as a Minister. He will have to resign from his current position if a generation change is forced in our house.

    Oh, I see.

    Also, even if I were to be rewarded with enough funding to start a new house to not affect our current house, I would end up with no retainers.

    Not only that, but I couldnt rule out the possibility that someone strange might enter the house in the midst of the confusion. We could not afford to have not only spies and assassins but also terrorists to infiltrate our house. Come to think of it, in this world, there existed a decorative coat of arms for a house, but there were no other medals of honor for individuals.

    That said, I didnt want to see myself filled with medals as a reward from the state, so I decided not to propose any unnecessary ideas.

    Well, if I was offered a position to assist you, Id be happy to be a vassal.

    Ill offer you a higher sry if you do.

    Thats a promise, okay?

    ***

    After the refreshments were served and the waiters had left, we returned to our conversation. I exined the current situation and the circumstances. But then

    The important part is that we cant do anything about it until the underground investigation is done.

    And it doesnt look like its going to be easy.

    Its because of the location, right?

    Luguentz and Elrich nodded at Old Man Uwes words. In fact, I would like to apologize for not doing more research on my end.

    I exined the current political situation to them as well, but I told them to leave it to me and the country, and to just think about killing the Demon King first. I didnt notice that Lauras eyes were not smiling for a while during the exnation. I definitely didnt notice.

    Welner, if there is a possibility of an attack on the royal capital, should we stay in the royal capital as well?

    No, they most likely wont attack the royal capital when you guys are around.

    The other partys n would likely be to attack the royal capital when Mazell was not around, so as long as Mazell was here, the royal capital might be safe. However, if that were to happen, the damage to other ces would increase during that time, or in the worst case, the number of ruins would increase.

    The first priority should be to defeat the Demon King. I would rather use the royal capital as a decoy to secure Mazells freedom, and I would be prepared to take a stand against those who invade.

    As for the research, there was one thing I wanted to experiment with, but I was supposed to do it today, you know?

    Oh, I see. Im sorry about dying that.

    Nah, dont worry about it.

    It was also true that I wanted to meet Mazell and the others, so I decided to leave the research forter. Oh, I should mention <b><i>that</i></b> as well, since were in a discussion.

 Chapter 194.2

    Chapter 194.2

    This is not directly rted, bute to think of it, Mazell

    Hmm?

    Ive ended up going out with Lily.

    Mazells face turned into a scowl when I said that, and then he smiled wryly. Laura next to him looked interested. Feli and Luguentz also look amused, Elrich had a smile on his face and Old Man Uwe didnt seem to be interested.

    I seeI think I get it (Mazell)

    That was a fast change of reaction. (Welner)

    Well, if it had been anyone other than you, Welner, Im sure he would have behaved differently. (Luguentz)

    Mazell responded to Luguentzs Tsukomi with a wry smile.

    But with Welner, theres no reason to be suspicious.

    I was a little worried, but then again, though I worry about the siblings trusting me unconditionally, the best I could do was to respond to their trust.

    So, how did you end up like that?

    Lets see. What should I do about this, how should I satisfy Lauras curiosity?

    After all the exining to Laura and a brief exchange of more information, I decided to leave first. I was not worried about Mazell and the others, and they also trusted me. There was no sense of doom and gloom for either of us. We only wanted to live up to each others expectations.

    As I walked through the night streets of the royal capital with this in mind, Neurath and Schunzel gradually started to watch my surroundings, revealing their wariness.

    Lets go to a less crowded ce. Its inconvenient here.

    Okay.

    We made sure that the people tailing us were still following us, and deliberately entered the alleyway. It didnt take much time before shadows appeared around us.

    Welner Von Zeav

    I pulled out my spear from my magic bag and simultaneously thrust it into the person who was trying to call out to me. The words were cut off in mid-sentence, and the opponent fell to the ground with a spray of blood.

    The opponents surrounding us stood still for a moment, and Neurath and Schunzel took advantage of that moment to cut down one more person.

    Dont go one-on-one. Well cut them down one by one as a group.

    Yes, sir.

    We will.

    There was no need to take it easy or warn the opponent, who seemed to be dripping with killing intent or rather overflowing with it. Since they have surrounded us, they must have more numbers than us. We took the initiative and attacked first.

    The opponent brandished his sword towards me, but I knocked it away, and then I continuously thrust the tip of my spear into the enemy, knocking him down. The pressure was strong enough that this guy would definitely not survive the strike.

    Next to me, Schunzel skillfully switched positions while striking his opponent, and Neurath shed at another opponent, cutting off his arm with a single blow.

    Damn, dont be a coward, fight us one on

    Too slow!

    The speed and strength with which I thrust my spear out was serious as I didnt have any intention of capturing them.

    I soon managed to secure my third kill, while Neurath and Schunzel also killed three in total, at which point our enemies turned around to escape.

    Shall we go after them?

    No, its unnecessary.

    There was a possibility that they would ambush us after we chased them. Above all, they probably wanted to cause amotion. If we made a bigmotion by doing something useless, that would be ying into their hands.

    These guys probably only need the fact that I was attacked. Thats why nothing else happened today. Thats nice.

    Hahaha.

    I see.

    I only checked the weapons they were holding, since they probably didnt have anything to identify themselves anyway. I was sure it was coated with something. I should just get one and submit it to the state tomorrow.

    How did they know that we were around here?

    I dont know.

    The buildings around the Zeavert residence should be safe, and there were also guards on the road some distance away from the mansion, so it would be useless to even think about attacking us around that area.

    For the time being, we just have to be on our guard until we reach our territory.

    You guys can stay at the mansion today.

    Thank you for the hospitality.

    I wondered if I should ask them to stay with me during the experiment that I was nning to doter as well? I would think about itter. First, I needed to make sure I was able to return to the mansion safely while showing it to the public.

    In addition, I would like to ask their opinion on the souvenir I was preparing for Mazell and the others. I was sure that they would be curious about it.<hr>

 Chapter 195.1

    Chapter 195.1

    I arrived at the Zeavert residence with Neurath and Schunzel. I was alert, but I didnt feel like I had been followed since then.

    Wee back, Welner-sama.

    Yes, Im back, Neurath, Schunzel, can you wait a bit longer for me to prepare things?

    Yes.

    Yes.

    I instructed the maid to leave my cloak with me and prepare a room for Neurath and the others to stay in. Then, exining the situation ahead of time to Norbert, I wrote a letter and left it with him.

    Sorry, but Ill leave this in your hands, and take care of Neurath and Schunzel for me as well.

    You have my words.

    I didnt make a fuss about it, but its true that there was an attack and there were bodies left behind, so I should just report it. Just to be safe, I would have the messenger take a different route and be escorted by Neurath and Schunzel. I would leave the rest to those in charge.

    By the way, Norbert, well need the spare room in the back.

    Of course, Frenssen has already made the preparations.

    Norberts eyes seemed to be indicating that I was going to do something weird again, but I intentionally ignored it. I was just testing a hypothesis from therge number of magic books I have read. I doubt that there would be an explosion or anything like that as its just a small experiment. Probably.

    Im sorry, but I need your help.

    Lily and Frenssen replied affirmatively to my request.

    Yes, sir.

    Yes, sir.

    A lot of tools, including magic tools, were lined up in the room, making Lily somewhat curious and Frenssen slightly bewildered.

    For me, it looked more like the elementary schoolboratory of my previous life. I imagined an old man with sses and ab coat bringing out a cardboard air cannon or something. If there was some bubbling liquid on the desk and a video camera in front of it, it might have been perfect.

    Lily asked cautiously, As I rarely visit this area of the mansion, I dont know what goes on here, but the things are supposed to not go out of control, right?

    As if having fun, Frenssen immediately added, I think the only one who can make a magical tool go out of control is Welner-sama.

    An expression of astonishment appeared on Lilys face when she learned from Frenssens reply that I intentionally made my magical tools run out of control.

    Come to think of it, I hadnt told her about it. I guess she was surprised because of how dangerous doing something like that was. Moreover, intentionally destroying expensive magic tools was simply unthinkable to her.

    It will be all fine. Dont worry. First, can you put the <b><i>activated</i></b> wind making magic tool inside that big light-weight bag and seal the bag? (Welner)

    Frenssen asked, Sure. Once activated, all it needs is a magic stone to power it up and the magic tool will do the rest, right? I dont have to tinker with it, right?

    Thats right, you can leave it as is after activating the tool and sealing the bag, and Lily, can you use the water magic tool on that side to pour water into a cup for me? (Welner)

    I understand. So there is also a magical tool that produces water. (Lily)

    While Lily was pouring water into the ss cup, Frenssen responded to her query with wonder, Yes, they exist but the amount of water that can be produced is simply inefficientpared to the magic stone consumed, which is why there is not much research going on with that magic tool. Moreover, produced water tastes <b><i>weird</i></b> and makes you slightly ufortable.

    But I think there are many ces where just having clean water is great Taste doesnt matter much, but I am not sure about the ufortable part It would be great if the kingdom improves magic tools.

    Lily was right, but it all boiled down to priority. Research and development was mostly focused on products used by <b><i>nobility</i></b> and the <b><i>military</i></b>.

    And since royalty and nobles have priority to use water even when there was a water shortage, priority of research on magic tools that make water with weird taste and possible unknown side effects was inevitably less than others.

    That was unless the knights and garrisoned soldiers needed it, but so far it seemed that there were no cases of water shortages to that extent. One reason might be that the number of soldiers was only on the same level as in the medieval times of my previous life. If the timees when soldiers numbering in the hundreds of thousands move, research in that area may progress.

    While I was thinking about all of this, the bag with the activated wind magic tool was expanding from the inside. To be fair, it was more surreal than I imagined seeing a sealed bag inte on its own from the inside.

    For the time being, I lit a candle using a small but powerful fire making magic tool and then inserted the lit candle into a simple lightweight stand which I had someone prepare beforehand.

    When the bag was inted to a certain degree, I had two people turn the bag upside down and told them to wait for my signal before opening it.

    They nodded their heads and followed as instructed.

    Next, I tied threads into the hooks of the bag and then tied the other end of threads to hooks on room walls. It was done to keep the bag in ce upside down while in the air.

    Then I told them to open the upside down bag only enough, so the wind magic tool could be retrieved, by making it fall out of the bag.

    Then I hooked the stand, which had a candle lit by a fire making magic tool on it, to the bag in a way that the opening of the bag was aimed at the opening of the magic tool, creating a heat source from underneath while making sure the magic tool fire didnt make contact with the bag.

    (T/N: Please search for hot air balloon with candle for reference.)

    Hold it hanging for a while.

    Will something happen with this?

    Well, well see as we go along.

    I didnt know what would happen. But after a while, the bag slightly lifted, releasing the tension on the threads supporting it as it floated. Lily and Frenssen looked surprised at the result.

    Its <i>floating</i>?

    Welner-sama, this is

    Ah, to put it very roughly, warm air is lighter than cold air. Youve seen dead leaves on a campfire float up in the air, right? When the air in the bag warms up, it floats up simr to that effect.

    It was like a prototype of a hot air balloon. It would be tedious to exin the details of buoyancy and such to the two, so forgive me if my exnation was a little sketchy. Or rather, I didnt even have enough brain cells to give a detailed exnation because my mind was running full speed on other things.

    When I blew out the candle, the bag that was by itself was heavy unlike a stic bag, so it only floated for a moment before falling down, which I immediately caught. I then smelled the air inside. It was odorless.

    Then we repeated the same experiment with a candle lit by normal matchstick and the result was the same. So, it proved that if something (like candle) was burned by a fire making magic tool, fire on that burning thing (candle) behaved like how a normal fire did.

    Well, Welner-sama? You seem to be making a difficult face

    Yes, I am just thinking of something

    I responded to Lily while thinking to myself that this was not the answer I was looking for, then took a sip of the water made with the water making magic tool. It certainly didnt taste good, and also it felt strange on the tongue, but it didnt seem undrinkable.

    It would be better if I could check the ingredients, but there was neither the means nor the technology to do that in this world.

    This time, I plunged the tip of the fire making magic tool into the water in a container and activated it there. It was a strange sight to see a fireball forming at the tip of a rod plunged in the water. A fireball stationary in the water would only be possible to produce in CG.

    I tried to stick a straw into the water with my left hand, but the fire did not spread to the straw even if I let it touch the magic fire.

    I have no idea about the theory behind magic, but it seems that my imagination was right. There were a lot of things in this world that I didnt know, or rather, couldnt understand with my knowledge from my previous life. Magic was one of them, but it was not the only priority.

    For now, I stopped the fire making magic tool.<hr>

 Chapter 195.2

    Chapter 195.2

    Next, I ced a <b><i>lit</i></b> candle in the middle of the te and then poured water into the te. After that, I turned the empty ss jar upside down and ced it over the candle.

    (T/N: Please search for burning candle in the water experiment.)

    It was going to take a while, so I decided to ask them both a question.

    Lily, Frenssen, what do you think a magic stone is?

    Well, um, its something you get when you kill a monster, right? I dont know enough to make anyments.

    Im guessing since its something you need to activate magical tools It probably contains some sort of <i>power</i>.

    In the game, you could get gold coins directly when defeating a monster, but in this world, that was not the case. Instead, you get magic stones, which could be thought of as magical dry batteries, which could be sold at various prices, so it was practically the same as getting money.

    I have experimented with this before. The simple answer I got was that there might be two kinds of magic power.

    I briefly exined my previous hypothesis that there might be two types of magic powers  Human (body) mana and Nature mana.

    Humans have Human mana, while nature has Nature mana. Humans use their Human mana to interact with Nature mana and consume it to cast spells. Recovery potions recover Human mana. Magic tools also consumed Nature mana to operate.

    Then what kind of magic power is contained in a magic stone that powers magic tools themselves?

    Thats the thing I am having trouble figuring out.

    More like I was trying to figure it out.

    I think my previous hypothesis is not wrong, but its somewhat lopsided because it cantpletely exin what a magic stone is.

    At first, I thought that the primeval magical power that Old Man Uwe mentioned was the true nature of a magic stone. Then I thought that I may contain Human mana. However, both hypotheses would not exin why there were magic stones inside demons but no magic stones in humans.

    The simplest answer would be to say that there was human magic, natural magic, and magic stone magic, but then it would be strange why most demons that have magic stones in their bodies did not use magic. There was the same issue with the hypothesis of magic stones containing Nature mana.

    In short, something felt wrong, but I just dont have any idea what to make out of it.

    I looked at the ss and saw that the candle had gone out which would mean that the oxygen inside the cup fueling that candle had burned out. More importantly the water had been sessfully sucked up into the ss, changing the height of the water.

    I wondered if they would be able to understand my knowledge in this area.

    Still, my mind was thinking about magic stones, and I felt a sense of difort, a sense of something missing.

    Hmm.

    I groaned unintentionally while confirming the results of the experiment up to this point. I consciously ignored the two people who seemed to want me to exin what was happening. But you know, it would be really hard to exin things like change in atmospheric pressure between the inside and outside the cup.

    And above all, it worked the same as how it did in my previous life, which was unexpected as I thought there would be some difference because of magic.

    Lily, please write down what Im going to say. Ill make a clean copy of itter because I havent fully summarized it in my head. Even if you dont understand what I mean, just write it down as I describe it.

    Ye, yes.

    Lily sat down on a table and immediately prepared a piece of paper, and Frenssen sat down next to her, probably to make sure she didnt miss anything. I would leave the follow-up to him and just say whateveres to my mind.

    Burning usually requiresbustibles, air (oxygen), and a temperature above the ignition point. Thats why you cant light straw on fire when it is wet or in water.

    The three elements ofbustion, as they called it. I avoided using the expression oxygen in this world, just in case.

    Even so, it would be impossible, to my knowledge, for a fireball to be created in water unless water was broken into its elements which was normally impossible. So I could only say that it was the result of magic.

    Ice can be created from nothing by Ice Magic. The Ice is all clear, pure ice, with no visible impurities.

    Earth, water, fire, and wind each have their own magic tools. In other words, water, wind, and earth were all separate entities, and fire created with fire magic tools became a mysterious phenomenon. I had no idea whether magic should be called a phenomenon or not, but lets just call it a phenomenon for now.

    Anyway, snowstorms and icicles created by attack magic may be water or ice without impurities. Therefore, the water produced by water magic tools should be 100% pure water.

    idents rarely happen in the mines. There are idents due to ack of fresh air. It is recorded that it happened because the air was stagnant.

    I just wasnt sure if this was a buildup of carbon dioxide (AKAck of oxygen) or other toxic gasses. There was no way for me to find out at this stage, or rather there was no way to distinguish between the two. And also because I couldnt go to the site of the ident.

    So, this was just a hypothesis, but from the point of view of the 100% pure water and 100% pure fire, the wind making magic tool that was generating wind in the bag just now became a mysterious entity as well.

    When heated, the air inside the bag bes lighter. The air created by the wind making magic tool behaved just like ordinary air.

    There existed a kind of air conditioner using wind making magic tools in nobles mansions. Perhaps that was the reason why they did not feel suffocated in the underground library and dungeons, it may be because of some wind making magic tools made in the ancient kingdom period that were active.

    But the fact that idents never happened because of the magic tools meant that they were producing 100% pure atmospheric air or oxygen. But, pure oxygen was also dangerous. However, there was no way to check because of theck of measuring equipment.

    This furtherplicated the situation.

    Earth magic tools are used to repair roads. Because it produces soil that is less prone to weeds, etc.

    I couldnt get my own earth magic tool even if I wanted to experiment with it, because it was mostly used for construction work, but then the object that this earth magic tool produced was even more of a mystery to me.

    There was more than one kind of soil that I know of. Depending on the geology, it could be a fine mixture of quartz, feldspar, and various other things. I didnt even know what was considered as <b><i>standard</i></b> soil, so I would like to ask, What is theposition of this 100% <b><i>pure</i></b><i>soil</i>?

    Well, fire, water, and wind making magic tools were all producing their own versions, so there might be somebination of various minerals that could be called standard soil.

    The candle went out under the cup, because without air (oxygen), fire goes out. On the other hand, fire created by fire making magic tools can light up even underwater (AKA without oxygen).

    While mymon sense wouldnt work with something made by magic, there was one area where mymon sense did work. There were known phenomena like dust explosions, which would mean that some kind of material simr to carbon dioxide must be present, seeing as how the water was sucked up into the container.

    However, air created by air making magic tools behaved like normal air when heated unlike fire created by fire making magic tools. It was contradictory.

    In the first ce, I couldnt really determine whether this world actually worked in the same logic as my previous world.

    In other words, the fire of a magical tool appears to be a normal fire but is different. However, if something is burned using a fire making magic tool, the new fire behaves like normal fire. Of course, I have only done preliminary analysis. It may very well be the 3rd type of fire. Other being normal fire and magic tool fire. What about water, then? Is the water created by magic tools different from the water that I know?

    The taste of water depended on the impurities such as minerals dissolved in it. Perhaps thats why water made with magic tools tasted different from normal water.

    To be fair, 100% pure oxygen was dangerous for humans so maybe the same went for 100% pure water? Perhaps that was the reason for difort?

    On the other hand, the fact that it created 100% pure water might be an advantage in a sense that no pathogens would get into the wound cleaning process because of infected water, but I would leave that aside for the time being as I didnt know all possible side effects.<hr>

 Chapter 195.3

    Chapter 195.3

    Magic tools can be manufactured, and the act of using magic can be imitated using those tools. Whether it is offensive magic or recovery magic, it can be transmitted. In other words, it can be reproduced using tools.

    The fact that it could be reproduced would mean there were rules governing magic in this world, and I was not sure what those rules were. On the other hand, there were also the rules simr to what I had learned in my previous life, such as the rule that air bes lighter when heated.

    Poison is extinguished by antidote magic. But if you cast antidote magic on the poison powder itself, the powder does not disappear.

    I had this thought when I was dealing with ras case and then I verified itter.

    If that is the case then there is some kind of rule that governs magic, such as the rule of removing poisons. Magic used for that cause will only have an effect within those rules.

    What exactly was <b><i>Magic</i></b>, I could not determine at this point. But it would be strange if I didnt think about it. For example, lead could be harmful to the human body, but lead ingots would not disappear when treated with antidote magic. In other words, magic itself would determine what was considered as harmful or poisonous substances on its own.

    In the same way, even if you used antidote magic on a monster with poison, the poison would not disappear from the monsters body.

    The antidote magic was something that worked within some rules that determined what was considered as poison and in what situations.

    The application of magic had a set of rules that someone had decided upon. It would be like not being able to put an image on top of text data in my previous life.

    For now, I had to hold off on the rest of the project because I didnt have enough magic stones, but I would like to experiment next time to see if carbon dioxide could be dissolved into magically created water.

    Anyway, I did not know if magic was certainly just part of the rules of this world or something supernatural. But confirmation that magic followed some unknown rules also made me feel a little ufortable.

    Just as magical attacks have minimal reaction to normal armor, the rules of magic and thews of physics might essentially be two different things, and they seem to be oddly, or rather awkwardly, parallel to each other.

    What are the Rules governing Magic in the first ce?

    In writing, the meaning of Magic could be changed, and when ites to powers rted to Gods, I could only think of divine arts or sacred rituals.

    The fact that the word Magic and Demon were basically simr in writing instead of God or Divine suggests that it might not be rted or under Gods influence.

    (T/N: In the above paragraph, he was talking about nativenguage of this new game-like world.)

    Andoh, no, thats not it.

    Dangerous, very dangerous. The whole thing about primordial magic was still a secret, in case anyone was wondering. But there could very well be a scarier possibility far from what could be imagined when I get to the bottom of this.

    One of my assumptions was that what we call magic might be under the control of the Demon King and the Demon Race, and the use of magic itself might be promoting the contamination of the primordial magic power. At this point, it remained more of an imagination than a possibility, but a little caution might be necessary.

    But if so, what about the existence of priest-based magic used by priests? In the game, the recovery magic used by enemy (demons) characters had the same name and effect as that of the yer, as in the case of the oracle, but what if it was the same in this world?

    In this world where demons could also use the same recovery magic as priests, could the God they believed in still be considered the same God? I think that maybe the Gods and the Demon King might have only been a separate entity because of humans to make a distinction between magic humans used. If so, what exactly were demons?

    (T/N: Author tends to use demons and monsters interchangeably. Both refer to the same thing.)

    I scratched my head and broke off my train of thought.

    Im sorry. Im getting confused. Im going to have to call it off for now. Im sorry, but Im going to have to leave the cleaning up of these tools to you two.

    Yes.

    Leave it to us.

    I took what Lily had written down for me. Iughed a little at the no conclusion at the end of the note.

    It may sound cool to leave the cleanup to my vassals and indulge in contemtion, but the truth was that my mind was still in a state of confusion. As a result of having my experiments, I ended up with moreplicated questions than answers.

    I went back to my room first and continued my thoughts while looking at my notes.

    At this point, it seemed that the rules of this world were established first, and then another set of rules called magic was added on top of them. It was as if the rule that the air rises as it heats up was established first, and the 100% pure air created by magic tools could not ovee that rule and behaved like normal air.

    The fact that fireballs and icicles created by attack magic disappear by the end of a battle would make sense if one considered that they could not maintain their existence for a long period of time because of the energy rules.

    However, water made from magic tools existed and was drinkable. It made more sense to think that there was apletely different rule for it.

    In any case, I felt that two, three, or even more rules had been strangely intertwined in the current world and Old Man Uwes words about the contamination of primordial magic power strangely fits in together.

    And then the existence of a Demon King who suddenly appeared in the ancient kingdom period. I wonder if it was my imagination that there was a strange coincidence in this regard. If it was the Demon King who brought in another set of rules, I wonder what his intentions were.

    *Knock *knock *Knock

    Pleasee in.

    Excuse me, Welner-sama, weve finished cleaning up.

    Oh, thank you.

    I was so deep in thought that I gave a nk response to the knock, but because Lily brought me a pot full of tea, I stopped my train of thought.

    Thanks for your help. Oh yeah, I met Mazell and the others, they seemed fine.

    I see, thats good to hear

    She brewed me a cup of tea with a relieved expression on her face. I could understand her relief, but I didnt think there was any need to worry about Mazell and the others.

    Its good that Mazell is progressing more than I think

    Was there something on your mind?

    Its just that things are getting more and moreplicated.

    That was all I could answer as I sipped my tea. The answer itself was not a lie, but there were some problems that were very troublesome to exin to others, which made thingsplicated.

    This time, I did some science experiments to confirm some basic things. However, it only made me further confused. Exining what was wrong to people of this world would be hard as the existence of magic was <b><imon sense</i></b> in this world today.

    Umm, Welner-sama? Is there something bothering you?

    No, its nothing.

    Well, from my reaction, it might not have been a nothing response. I think my poker face was starting to fall apart. I hadnt considered <b><i>that</i></b> possibility at all before, but now that I thought about it, I couldnt just ignore it.

    What if the person who called me here was the Demon King, and he was also a reincarnated person from a different era? What if the Demon King brought magic into this world?

    Conflicts with different cultures and the development of technology had been an integral part of human history. And in this world, or at least on this continent, there were no other cultures.

    From the perspective of different cultures, different technologies and different ways of thinking, wouldnt the Demon King and I be the same kind of existence from this worlds point of view?<hr>

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196

    I may not be familiar with science fiction, but it would be strange to think that other worlds could not exist other than this world and Earth. I could not deny the hypothesis that there might be a third world apart from this world where the Demon King resided, or that a reincarnated person from that world might have be the Demon King.

    And the hypothesis that the Demon King may have been a reincarnated person from another world other than mine terrified me. I was already worrying that if I brought in too much foreign technology into the world, it might go out of control.

    Um, Welner-sama.

    Oh, ah. Sorry, I was thinking of something.

    Lilys worried voice brought me back to consciousness. I couldnt let her worry. I let out a deep breath and reset my thoughts.

    My bad. My thoughts were a little too much focused on bad imaginations.

    Bad imagination?

    Well

    I wondered for a moment how much I should say, but Id already said so many mysterious words earlier, so it was toote to think about it. Still, I thought about it for a moment because I wondered how to express it in a way that would be easy to understand.

    Well, I was thinking about <i>what</i> the Demon King is, you see

    Yes?

    I admit it was a huge leap to go from talking about Mazell to suddenly talking about the Demon King. I think so as well, but anyway, I should exin first.

    Nobles have their nobility, while guilds have their guidelines, and people have theirmon knowledge and skills, and even countries like Bain kingdom and other countries have their own rules and etiquette to follow, right?

    Yes.

    I was thinking that magic might be a technology brought by the Demon King.

    When I said this, she looked surprised, but she didnt speak her mind. She seemed to be making an effort to understand the implication of what I was saying.

    The Demon King and Magic have a simrity since Magic and Demon can be written in the same way, right? While God and Magic dont have any simrity at all.

    Indeed it does.

    So, when I think about where the Demon King who suddenly appeared at the end of the ancient kingdoms period came from, I think its not unreasonable to think that maybe he didnt belong to this world.

    This <b><i>world</i></b> So youre saying that the person we call the Demon King is a traveler who came from <b><i>another world</i></b> during the ancient kingdom era, and that person taught them magic?

    (T/N: The reason Lily didnt question MC too much about this theory will be better discussed in future plots.)

    It might not be a person, but a very smart monster, and it might be more correct to say that the people of the ancient kingdom robbed the Demon King of his skills rather than teaching them.

    I wouldnt want people to think that the Demon King was a good being, so instead I was going to put a neutral impression about him. In fact, how the human side acquired magic remained a mystery.

    But from what I understood, demons became more active and attacked people as soon as the Demon King returned, so I doubt that the Demon King was a benevolent being.

    I think I understand so far.

    Right, and apparently Im thinking that Im bing something simr to him myself.

    Huh?

    This time she looked really surprised. I guess that was to be expected.

    Its hard to exin, but I have knowledge in my head that is different from this world.

    Different knowledge, you mean?

    Sometimes I think differently from others, or use different ideas or expressions based on a different way of thinking, when that knowledgees out.

    I just think that if I use that knowledge too much, it might somehow make me closer to bing a Demon King

    It wasnt clear whether uncovering the true nature of the world, or rather its secrets, would be a benefit or a drawback. If it was from the point of view of the game, it would have just ended with congrattions upon defeating the Demon King, but it was not the same in the real world.

    So, I wondered if it was necessary to do so. Knowing something would change something, or conversely, would it cause problems elsewhere? Perhaps, in exchange to destroying the Demon King, it might open the door for the creation of nuclear weapons.

    The word box garden urred to me. I wondered if God, or the Creator, had tried to put the Demon Lord in the box garden that was this world to improve it, and when that didnt work out so well, He decided to add me to the box garden.

    Lily must be trying her best to understand, because she was mulling it over, and I took a sip of my tea while watching her. Anyway, the tea was starting to get a little cold. While I was thinking that, Lily looked at me and talked.

    Um, so you have that kind of <b><i>Skill</i></b>?

    Eh?

    I responded with a momentary stunned reaction, but Lily continued, tilting her head.

    Well, you see. Dont people also have various kinds of Skills?

    Well, yes.

    So I guess that kind of different knowledge might also be a Skill. Thats an amazing skill, isnt it?

    I was at a bit of a loss to respond to this reply, which I had never imagined. However, in some sense, she could be right. If I put it that way, it certainly would seem like a skill or something simr.

    And if I think about it in terms of Skills, just as magic they were also used as a deadly weapon to kill people. Just because the Demon King used magic did not mean that all people who used magic were dangerous. Knowledge and skill were not necessarily the reason why people were harmed.

    Above all, it was pointless to even think about it. Or rather, I finally realized that I had been thinking too much about it. It seemed that I had been so overwhelmed with things to do that my priorities had gone out of order in my mind.

    As I exhaled heavily, thinking that I needed to organize and prioritize what I needed to do, Lilyughed softly beside me.

    Thank goodness.

    Eh?

    Welner-sama had a rather stern expression on your face today. Im d to see you back to your usual face.

    Did I really look so listless? That was a little embarrassing.

    Im going to rest my head a bit. Im sorry, but can you make me another cup of tea?

    Yes. And Ill bring you something light to snack on.

    Thank you.

    After saying that, she smiled happily and left the room once. After stretching, I sat back in my chair and rxed a little, finally realizing how strange it was that Lily had suddenly brought up the subject of skills in our earlier exchange.

    I wonder if, by any chance, she responded to me in a deliberately off-topic manner?

    I did not know how much Lily understood what we were talking about, but she must have noticed that I was too upied by it. I think she intentionally tried to keep the conversation on a positive note. If so, I might have really been worrying her a little too much.

    Sorry to keep you waiting.

    Thank you, sorry about that.

    Dont worry about it. Well, Welner-sama, if you dont mind, could you tell me about this different <b><i>knowledge</i></b>?

    I dont mind.

    I wonder what kind of interesting information a girl would be interested in? Well, that might be a tough question. Even in my previous life, I didnt know much about such things.

    I decided to start by talking about fashion in my previous life and started the conversation, while inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat as I exined.<hr>

 Chapter 197.1

    Chapter 197.1

    The next few days were spent in the underground library doing research. I was looking for information that might reinforce the experiments and hypotheses I had done the other day, as well as information rted to the ancient kingdom, but so far there had been no progress.

    I could not hide my suspicion that there must have been some kind of cover-up, given that there was so little information avable.

    Various things were progressing above ground. The cause of death of the priest Kempel was apparently drowning. The body was found floating in the Great Reservoir.

    Since it was rted to the death of a priest, they had to go all out in investigation. The Great Reservoir was not designed to hold drinking water, so they decided to drain all the water and examine the bottom of the reservoir.

    In my opinion, it was really unnecessary as there was still a shortage of water. Even if the Great Reservoir didnt hold drinking water, it was still water which could be used in many ways.

    Anyway, whether it was a suicide or not remained unclear at this point. The day before that, he had been repeatedly expressing regret for attempting to take advantage of Mazells trial. After all, when all of his dirty deeds leaked outside, it triggered the me on the temple itself.

    But I couldnt reallyment on that. The possibility that he was disposed of by the mastermind could not be dismissed, but there was also the possibility that he had in fact taken his own life. Either way, it was clear that the dead could not talk about it, but I have a feeling that the doomsday cult might make a story out of it because it would also affect the reputation of the Church.

    The day after I met with Mazell the other day, there was also aint against me, or rather, gossip behind my back. They said I killed people (ones who were following MC) in the town. It was not a rumor, but a fact. It did look more like a murder case, and I couldnt help but chuckle about it.

    However, I had already reported the incident to the authorities that day, and the next day I also submitted the weapon that the other party had in their possession. Mazell had also been informed by Laura via her grandfather, Duke Grunding, when they returned to the royal capital, while the government side had not yet been informed of the matter.

    The eldest son of the Marquis Coltrezis was still missing. I did not know if this was actually true. Criminal investigations were not my area of expertise, and in both my previous life and in this world, such investigations should be kept secret from the public.

    I was aware that I had been overzealous in my investigation, so I focused my attention on the archives for the time being. However, my eyes were already getting tired from looking for fine details all the time. In this world, ss was expensive and there were no lenses, so I had better be careful not to damage my eyes.

    Um, Welner-sama, this book

    Hmm.

    I was flipping through a bunch of magic-rted books when Lily brought out a rather thick book. It looked like a collection of books. She seemed to be having some trouble understanding it.

    I think this is some kind of map, but I dont think its the same from what I know.

    Let me see.

    I looked at the page Lily had opened What the heck was this? I recognized <b><i>half</i></b> of the diagram, and understood the meaning of Lilys confusion.

    Is this Finnoi?

    I think so

    Yes, it was a map of the continent I knew, but only the lower side of the map. I think that the mountain where the temple of Finnoi was built was in the center of this continent. Thend to the north of the mountain would be the sea, ording to my knowledge. In terms of area, it would berger than the area of both Triot and Delitzdambined.

    Let me say it again. What was this?

    I checked the title of the book. The Rise of Zermunbeck huh, Zermunbeck? I think I have never heard of a country by that name. Then, a chill ran down my spine.

    You know about the ancient kingdom, right?

    Huh? Yes, I do. Its a country with amazing technology that was destroyed by the Demon King a long time ago.

    Do you know the name of that Kingdom?

    Uh, Im sorry, I dont know.

    I asked Lily involuntarily, but I guess her answer was as I had expected. I didnt know it either after all, and I didnt remember learning about it from my tutor or at the school. In fact, I never even heard of it until now. I realized for the first time that I had only ever heard of the country being called the Ancient Kingdom.

    But was it just a coincidence that I was never interested in finding out the name of the country? No, I didnt think so. In any case, it was definitely fishy.

    If these archives were not tempered and this ce really existed, there was a high possibility that this country named Zermunbeck, which had never been mentioned before, was the ancient kingdom itself, or its predecessor.<hr>

 Chapter 197.2

    Chapter 197.2

    Where did you find this?

    Its on a shelf in the back here.

    The area that Lily pointed to on her library map may not be hidden, but it was in a ce where you would not see it unless you were searching for it. It was probably one of the books in the stacks that they could not discard, but they didnt want anyone to look at it.

    Lily, youre free to enjoy reading any book you like for the rest of the day. Im going to focus on this book.

    Understood. Ill put the magic-rted books away.

    Yes, please.

    I replied with a nk stare and opened the book back from the beginning. The first part was a typical foundation myth. It mentioned that the charismatic first King, who was favored by the God of Beauty, established a country with his admirers, and that he expanded his territory while fighting with the surrounding countries, which were probably at a vige level, anyway. Ill skip over that part of the story.

    As I continued reading, I realized that just before the unification of the whole country, the country was in a literal sense simr to a North-South dynasty. It seemed that the northern and the southern part of the continent had been divided into two main countries and with Finnoi as their border.

    I wondered if there was a big river that could be used as a border between the north and the south empires. But, I did not recall any from memory. I let my doubts be doubts for now and continued on.

    The country of Zermunbeck was on the northern side of the continent, and in this book, written from that perspective, the King of Warbach on the southern side of the continent treated the northern King as a false King. He was written as a cruel, lustful, and evil king, but that was probably only half of the story. At any rate, it was a country of humans, and it was certainly not written that he was a Demon King.

    This indicated that the area where the country of Zermunbek was originally located now mostly remained under the sea.

    And the current continent as I know of today was the territory of the Southern Kingdom of Warbach. Of course, I suppose that the details regarding other territories on the southern side may have already also existed, but why was it not mentioned?

    I would leave that aside for the time being. What I found interesting was that there is no mention of magic in the book.

    This suggested that either humans in this world were able to use magic from the beginning so there was no need to explicitly mention it, or there was no magic in the period of unification process. If it waster, then it means this kingdom existed before the Ancient Kingdom had been established. Leading to the question of what magic really was.

    Another thing that I noticed was that there were descriptions of disasters here and there. However, the scale was not clear, and the details regarding how it happened were not given.

    This was typical of ancient records, whereas war records were written, disaster records were only written as vague information if the scale of the disaster was not that great. After all, if they did describe each and every disaster in detail, it would fill up the entire book.

    The other thing that I found interesting was the use of the term fortress of Finnoi in the book. Was Finnoi actually a fortress at this time? If so, there must be a reason why it was called the Great Temple today. I should do a little more research in that area, but I guess this concluded the book.

    I know I said I would read this, but I doubt I would find the information I needed in this book. Furthermore, I wonder if there was a second volume or more.

    When I took my eyes away from the book, I noticed that the books on my desk were gone and were neatly cleaned while Lily was nowhere to be found. She seemed to have put them all away while I was concentrating. I decided to look for a continuation of this book for now and headed toward the back shelf. It was dark in this area as a whole, probably because of the illumination not reaching the shelves.

    Lily was also at the shelf I wanted to check, which was good, but

    Lily?

    Ah, yes. Is there something wrong?

    Nothing really, uh, this book, this came from that space at the top, right? Can I use the stedder?

    Okay, you should stop sitting on a stedder to read a book. It was also dark in here, so it was not a good location.

    Lily came down from the stedder with a book in her hand, turning red and saying, Im sorry. She was not a clumsy girl, but I guess, from time to time, she would make mistakes. Well, it didnt really matter.

    What were you reading?

    Well, its a book with beautiful pictures and something like a fairy tale. I had never heard of these stories from the vige priest.

    Oh.

    I had thought, Isnt that a picture book, but people here didnt know about the concept of a picture book in the first ce. Normal people in this world would only call it a book with pictures. The fact that she said it was from the vige priest suggests that it was probably a religious book as well. Come to think of it, I never tried to look at religious books of this world.

    I was never interested in religion, so my memory of religious topics was hazy. I wondered what kind of stories were told in the church here. As I moved the stedder around, I continued the conversation.

    What did it say?

    The part I was just reading was a story about a time when there was a Flower God, and he was teaching the hunters about medicinal herbs

    Wait a minute. The God of Flowers?

    Yes.

    I have never heard of such a God. I mean, this world was monotheistic in the first ce.<hr>

 Chapter 198.1

    Chapter 198.1

    I remembered and looked at the first part of the book I was about to put away, and sure enough, it said something about a God of Beauty. I had skipped over it, thinking it was just a legend. What did this mean?

    At least ording to my knowledge so far, this world was monotheistic. It was the same in the game. So, I wondered if I needed to rethink the question of why this world ended up being monotheistic in the first ce.

    Based on my knowledge from my previous life, polytheism started with a belief in nature. It represented the awe and longing towards nature as something beyond mans power, a God. Since there was day and there was night, so it was only natural to imagine a God of Day and a God of Night.

    Monotheism, on the other hand, generally started by someone. While polytheism was born from the worship of nature, monotheism was born from the worship of a guru, or a founder, or whatever the expression or terminology used, and that someone would be the first to say that there was only one God, and that would be the beginning of its spread.

    In such cases, the concept of God needed to exist first, so the basic pattern in the history of civilization was that the concept of polytheistic Gods would first have to emerge from the belief in nature, then it would be followed by the emergence of believing in only one God.

    However, this pattern might not necessarily be the same in this world. In any case, since miracles of God and magic actually exist, it would not be strange if a God also directly descended and bestowed magic to people, bypassing polytheism altogether.

    Nevertheless, it seemed like there were still polytheistic beliefs at that time.

    I suddenly looked at the shelf. If this shelf was a shelf that held books rted to the country of Zermunbeck, then the answers to these questions might also be somewhere on this shelf.

    Zermunbeck, where there was no record of magic, and the myths that indicate the existence of polytheism

    What if in this world the spread of monotheism was the result of God teaching magic?

    UmWelner-sama?

    Oh, sorry.

    I made her uneasy when I kept quiet and was deep in thought. I guess I should mention this anyway.

    Lily, you can read that book, but dont talk about its contents outside.

    Eh, ah, yes.

    Im begging you.

    Yes.

    She assured me, so I had to trust her. The existence of the library itself was a secret to most people, but polytheism in a monotheistic world had a different, more dangerous undertones. I assumed that there was no such thing as an inquisition in this world, but I have no confidence that there would never be one.

    The duel trial itself was held for the first time in about 20 years, so there might be a good chance that I would not even know about an inquisition if there had been a big time gap when it wasst held. I should look into that next time.

    For now, I should put my worries about the inquisition to rest and see if this shelf really contained more information about Zermunbeck and its religions.

    After all, it might merely be a coincidental collection of different pieces of information on these shelves. Dealing with unorganized stacks could be a real pain in the neck and a real nuisance.

    I guess Ill have to focus my research on this bookshelf for the time being, I guess.

    Umm, Welner-sama, in that case you might want to take some of the books with you and sit down in a brighter location to read them.

    Yes, thats right. Ill take a little break as well before I start.

    Yes.

    We moved to the same ce where there was a desk and chairs for a break. I was nning to bring a book that would be a sequel, but in the end, I came back with the same book that I had earlier in order to read it again in more depth. I wish I could take the books home with me.

    We could not eat a proper meal in the underground library, so I became concerned about our health after half a day of not eating anything. I prepared something light to snack on, reasoning that I would lose concentration if I didnt have a change of pace. The book was valuable, so I was careful not to make it dirty.

    Next, I had a little chit-chat with Lily as we nibbled on some baked nuts as a snack. The tree that produced these nuts was named Horual, a shrub that grows in many viges.

    Because of the high storage time of the nuts and the short height of the nt itself, children often collect these nuts as a snack. Mazell and Lily also used to collect them in the vige of Arlea.

    When we were kids, we used topete with each other to see who could collect the most. I won most of the time.

    A surprising side.

    It warms my heart to imagine Mazell and Lily as kids climbing a tree or something. It urred to me that Mazell was someone who would lose on purpose to make others happy, and when I told Lily about it, she nodded at me with a wry smile.

    Incidentally, Mazells parents used to serve the roasted nuts with salt sprinkled on them as a snack for sake. I would rather drink sake than wine if I could do that.<hr>

 Chapter 198.2

    Chapter 198.2

    What was Welner-samas childhood like?

    Me? Lets see.

    Basically, there would be tutoring sses in the morning and afternoons would be devoted to exercise and training, but there would also be time for y asionally.

    I remembered watching the knights racing their horses, practicing musical instruments, and ying variations of Valeo, this worlds version of chess.

    Valeo?

    Valeo is a game where each piece has a specific move.

    It was the same as Shogi and Chess, and the pieces you take away could not be used, just like in Chess. It urred to me that a game like Shogi, where you could use the pieces you have taken, would be quite popr in this world. I should think about producing it next time.

    But that would be forter.

    There is also a way to move pieces using eight-sided dice. There are other details, though. If you want to try it out next time, please let me know.

    Yes, Id like to try it.

    The rules of the game were difficult to exin in words, so the best way was to give it a try. With that in mind, I took a sip of my water container.

    Speaking of which, what other stories have you heard from the vige priest (about the current church)?

    Well, the things the vige priest told us about was part of the series called The Myth of Creation, or something like that. It exins how the world came to be and so on.

    Oooh whats the story?

    Although I wasnt really interested in the God stories preached in churches, I was somewhat curious because of recent discoveries. Besides, it was human instinct to ask someone if you didnt know about something.

    First of all, the Great God created many worlds, I heard.

    Hmmm.

    So the Great God decided to entrust each of the many worlds he created to his own child. Each world, one by one, was then managed by one of his children.

    Hey God, dont just make something and give it away.

    Are there going to be winner and loser worlds?

    I dont think so, but

    I jokingly mentioned it, making Lily chuckle. The conversation resumed while I was thinking about something stupid like I dont think I would like to mess with other worlds, or something along those lines

    Though the creation of different worlds was mentioned, it didnt say what the differences were, I was only told that many worlds were created by the Great God.

    I wonder if that god was doing some kind of experiment. It sounds sozy considering that he dumped what he created on his children and let them deal with it. No, maybe he was a God who was just enjoying a slow life. From that point on, I started to envy him.

    Various worlds, huh? I guess that means this world is one of the worlds he created.

    That seems to be the case.

    I wonder if there might be some important information hidden in this context. When it came to memories of my past life, myths were more likely to be made-up stories, but in this world, God did exist. Maybe this was not just a simple myth.

    The worlds arepletely unrted to each other, and the god who took care of this world created many alter egos of himself and shared his power with each of them.

    Alter egos, huh? It would be scary if they all had the same face.

    That would certainly be scary.

    Lily giggled. But that was a little odd. It wasnt umon to assign or share responsibilities with ones children even in religions of my previous world, but I didnt remember hearing about Gods splitting themselves up and sharing their power in my previous life.

    I wondered if this made religion in this world be monotheism while at the same time, technically polytheism. It depends on whether you consider the alter ego to be a different God or the same God, and how you interpret it. It was definitely better for me to just listen as Lily continued as things only be moreplicated when I think about it.

    The God of this world divided his power, and thats how this world started. After that, it was all about the alter egos of that god that got involved, and how each of them came into contact with people.

    I see. Thats interesting.

    But then again, that was not necessarily the truth since it was technically a myth. A fantasy in this fantasy world, so unless I heard about the situation directly from God, there was a chance that the person who had written that codex had left it out by mistake.

    But there were certainly some odd things that caught my attention. Though I said that it caught my attention, I could not figure out clearly what it was. I guess I probably just didnt have enough information. I should try recalling itter.<hr>

 Chapter 199.1

    Chapter 199.1

    I chewed on the nuts and organized the information in my head. I felt like I had umted a lot of information in one day, but only pieces of the puzzle were piled up. And there was no finished picture yet. Its like a nk jigsaw puzzle.

    While I was thinking about it with my arms crossed, Lily called out to me.

    Did you figure out anything Welner-sama?

    To be honest, I only found fragments of information. (Welner)

    Lily tilted her head in wonder, and I exined briefly about the two countries, Zermunbeck and Warbach, and their possible connection with Finnoi. I doubt she was interested in war records, but she was listening intently.

    I had to put the information together in my head to convey it to others, and in that sense, I was sure it helped me a lot in organizing the information.

    So this Zermunbeck is the <i>ancient kingdom</i>?

    Thats a possibility, but just to confirm, I brought this volume.

    For now, I wanted to confirm what I could in this book, but there were countless limitations with this kind of literature research.

    For example, sources may not be reliable and may represent misleading facts about the events. Not all past events can be studied because of theck of evidence and source materials. It gets more challenging to have research if the events are from a more distant past.

    The Bain kingdom was born out of the war of kingdoms that took ce after the fall of the ancient kingdom, but strangely there were next to no records of that period. We did not even know how many years that period of warring factionssted. After the fall of the ancient kingdom, information had be chaotic and scarce. When you think about it, there were so many mysteries.

    To be honest, I cant help but feel that Im missing something, leaving me with a strange sense of difort. It was like Im holding only an arrow without a bow, or something.

    I see Im not sure if I understood everything you said.

    Well, its not like you can find out everything in one day, is it?

    Yes, thats right.

    When it came down to it, I was truly thankful that we were able to throw in the countermeasures against the attack on the royal capital. In terms of priorities, that would be higher, but in terms of authority, I could only offer advice and suggestions.

    In the game, the event of the attack on the royal capital urred even when the barrier was in ce, so it probably wouldnt make much sense to leave it as it was. We should do something to improve it.

    I was reading books on magic to see if there was any way to do this, but as it turns out, I realized that I wasnt really that well versed in magic.

    Well, lets read for a while longer.

    Yes.

    It was hard to say how much longer that <b><i>while</i></b> would be. When I concentrated on reading a book, I often didnt notice that the sand in the hourss hadpletely fallen off.

    I opened the second volume of the book and Lily seemed to continue reading a mythology book. She seemed to be choosing books with beautiful illustrations. I would ask her to tell me if she noticed anything.

    Ignoring the names of people, I skimmed through the second volume. Roughly speaking, at the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the lord of the Finnoi fortress, who was on the Southern Dynastys side, switched to the Norths side with the fortress in hand, and the bnce of power copsed. After that, there were twists and turns, but Zermunbeck of the Northern Dynasty unified the continent.

    About 100 years after the unification, the name <b><i>Kouseki </i></b>appeared, which seems to be a magic stone. Itsplicated, so I was going to convert that name to <b><i>magic stone</i></b> in my brain.

    It was invented by a genius at a research facility in the Zermunbeck Kingdom, which was located in the northern part of the country, in what was now the middle of the sea, ording to my understanding.

    I was skipping all the technical exnations as it was filled with jargon. Anyway, that kind of magic stone manufacturing technology was invented. It was a kind of industrial revolution.

    In this world, would that mean that we could use nature instead of electricity?

    The progress in technology and living environment since then seemed to have been remarkable, but while the northern part of the country became richer, the upied southern part did not seem to be able to reap the benefits. I wonder if it should be called the North-South gap.

    Then the situation began to change. As the author of this book critically writes, as a result of overproduction of magic stones, there was a change in nature. It seemed that environmental destruction had been elerated, with water drying up and crops bing harder to grow.

    Id say, mankind is a bunch of jerks.

    Yes?

    Well, you know, its more like there are no limits to our extravagance.

    Well, if you want to, you can do it as much as you want.

    That wasnt what I meant, but maybe thats one aspect of the truth. For a moment, I wondered about the theory of evolution in this world, but I banished it from my consciousness.

    Anyway, as I continued reading, my hand stopped when I saw a strange notation near the end of the book. It said, <i>The world will be improved by pouring power from a neighboring world</i> as a means of restoring a world that had virtually be nothing but abandonednds.

    <b><i>Wait</i></b>? <b><i>WHAT</i></b>?<hr>

 Chapter 199.2

    Chapter 199.2

    Then again, it was a game world. Keep your mind calm. Focus

    In my previous life, I often read novels about summoning heroes from other worlds, but in this world, they only called in energy, not people? Moreover, the description before and after the book says, At the suggestion of a magician with knowledge of another world, and so on.

    The word update suddenly came to mind. Regardless of the fact, as a metaphor, it might be correct. Assuming that this world brought in technology and knowledge from other worlds whenever a problem urred, and updated and transformed it.

    Moreover, when there was no mention of a King or a person in power summoning heroes, it seemed as if God, or rather the world itself, was automatically updating itself. At least that was my impression, and that exnation makes the most sense to me. If we rece God with management, I was tempted to say that this world was a game world after all.

    However, it would be dangerous to jump to a hypothesis based only on the information I have gathered today. I wanted to organize the information, and there may be some information that is still missing. I was overloaded with information, so I avoided making a definite statement until I finished reading the rest of the article. I would leave it at that for today.

    Lets get back to it today, shall we?

    Yes.

    I put the book away, as quite some time must have passed, and took out a list of supplies and documents about provisions from my magic bag. These were the documents I had prepared in advance for the work I was supposed to be doing today. A government-approved business disguise. If the media were here, Id be in big trouble, but I decided not to think too much about it.

    I greeted the guards in the security office, ascended the long spiral staircase, returned to the castle, made a detour on the way, and then headed for the office assigned to me.

    The security office had a restroom, but there was no restroom in that library. It seemed to me that the book cases were designed for storage purposes only, not for prolonged viewing. If that were the case, I wonder if there might be another facility somewhere nearby. I would hate to think about the existence of such a ruin.

    When I entered the office, Neurath and Schunzel stood up and bowed to me. Basically, they were my bodyguards, serving me and Lily at the castle in the morning. After that, they went to the castle with Max, Augen, Valcay, and others to do their duties and training as the Knights of Zeivert, and when they were finished, they came back here to pick me up again.

    While I was in the underground library, Max seemed to be pushing them around, but neither of them seemed to be injured, and Max was excellent at holding back. If he was about to be a reckless ckpany boss, it would certainly be better for me to intervene.

    Schunzel offered me a document and a letter that were on the desk.

    Welner-sama, the Prime Minister has entrusted this to you.

    Yes, Ill look over it right away.

    The fact that it was a letter suggests either that it was not urgent or that he was busy and only wanted a reply. The Prime Minister would have many things to do, so it was understandable. At any rate, I looked over the contents of the letter.

    As I flipped through the documents, it seemed that what I imagined was true. This was another troublesome job waiting to be done.

    Welner-sama, what is it?

    Just to give you an idea of what its about, this is about the events that happened during the duel trial that involved the temple.

    Isnt it toote for this?

    I could see why Neurath was so concerned, and why Lily looked slightly worried. But from what this document stated, the purpose was different.

    Thats the ostensible reason. The royal family is seriously nning to investigate the church.

    Everyone gulped. It was not surprising, since this was unprecedented, at least in the history of this country.

    It seems that not only me, but several nobles with ties to the church will be involved in the investigation there, for different reasons.

    Will it be all right?

    Its not like the whole church is against us.

    In fact, the Archbishop and the High Priest Leppe seemed to be happy with the investigation as well. However, it was certainly necessary to be careful.

    After all, arge-scale investigation would indicate that the rtionship between the royal family and the church hadpletely deteriorated. Therefore, it seemed that they decided to take this roundabout approach. And for that reason, they epted the Churchs proposal.

    I heard that the High Priests response is that he has no choice but to let the festering rot drain out.

    I see.

    I wonder if they intended to get rid of the troublesome ones at this time. I think it might also be a part of factional strife, but I wouldnt mind either way.

    It probably took this long to set up everything because of the back-and-forth between the royal capital and Finnoi along with the interaction between the royal family and the High Priest. They most likely had to set the proper conditions, rights, etc., that were exchanged behind the scenes, but it would only make my stomach hurt if I try to think about it, so I would just be ignoring that.

    It seems like there are still many things that need to be arranged that may require more scheduling time, so it may not be today or tomorrow, but until then, please dont mention this to anyone else.

    Yes, sir.

    Understood.

    I think I should just concentrate on my own work until the day of the meeting.<hr>

 Chapter 200.1

    Chapter 200.1

    For a few days, I had been doing a lot of research and front-line work, but my schedule was suddenly changed this morning.

    Today, I was traveling to the royal capital church by a horse-drawn carriage. Although I havepiled the results of my research in the underground library, there was still a lot of information missing. It seemed that it was not enough just to check the history books.

    Also, the water supply for the hand washroom at the entrance to the basement had stopped working, so they needed to check that as well. They said that they could rely on the aqueduct for now, but what would they do if the aqueduct was destroyed on the day of the attack on the royal capital?

    I had many questions, but for now, I had to put them aside. In the carriage, which was moving slowly with the sound of its wheels, I spoke to the person in charge of legal affairs apanying me.

    I understand that High Priestess Mvova has gone missing from the church.

    Yesterday, when the High Priestess did note out of her room in the morning, the priestess in charge went to her room and found that she had disappeared without a trace.

    There were no signs of a struggle

    There were no signs of a struggle, nor did she seem to have been sleeping in her bed.

    It seemed like she ran away, right? No, we couldnt be sure yet.

    Meanwhile, church officials imed that they had searched every nook and cranny.

    Id say that at least church officials should not bring this kind of talk on the day when I was around, but I guess it was toote now.

    (<b>T/N</b>: Welner was <b>not</b> going to church to investigate High Priestess Mvovas disappearance. Thats why he feared that he would get himself involved in trouble.)

    Did they want me to handle it while I was inside the church if possible, or did they forget that they had a guest? Well, I guess I would be involved in the investigation today as well.

    Did High Priestess Mvova have any suspicions about what was going to happen?

    Yes, well, she talked about various things.

    Lily, sitting up front, asked. Today, since we were <i>officially</i> going to church for some matter rted to the dueling trials, Lily was to apany me to the church as a concerned party. Ate-san had alsoe as Lilys professional escort in case of any trouble.

    Neurath, Schunzel, and Ate-san were apanying us on foot, so I felt a bit sorry that we were riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

    Regardless, I started a conversation with Lily, recalling the information I received from the Prime Minister beforehand.

    First of all, there are a few problems with the Relief Keepers in the local towns.

    Relief keepers?

    Viger Lily, on the other hand, may not know. This was because in amunity vige, other vigers took care of the elderly and children who have no family as a whole.

    However, this was not necessarily the case in medium-sized towns. There would be times when family members die due to an ident or illness, leaving people alone with no rtives. In preparation for such times, churches would sometimes make a request, or rather a contract, to take care of the remaining family members in exchange for donating their remaining property, often times their whole real estate.

    Then there would be people at the church who specialized in caring for orphans and the elderly, both from a religious and practical standpoint. And in other times, there would be people hired by the church to take care of them when there were no church members to do so. In my previous life, they would be like a caretaker of an orphanage or nursing home.

    But of course,nd and buildings donated to the church in such a way would be the churchs real property. This would increase the churchsnd and property gradually.

    In some cases, the church would directly manage the donated property, but in other cases, a Relief Keeper would be sent to manage the property.

    There are people (church officials) who receive a donation but dont take good care of the people they are supposed to take care of, and only keep the donations for themselves.

    In this world, it was essential to be able to use a certain amount of priestly magic to be a church head. However, a Relief Keeper who was hired by the church did not need to be able to use such a skill.

    The head of the local church had the right to appoint a Relief Keeper, so the head of the church could actually appoint his own family member or rtive to the position.

    Then, of course, the church head and the Relief Keepers could work together to temper the documents, making the money flow to the higher-ups as a bribe. For example, the church may force the children and the elderly to work on the church property and then cover up the fact that they were forced to work.

    High Priest Leppe informed the government that such a somewhat gray flow of funds seemed to be going on around High Priestess Mvovas church.

    And then, there are a few more issues rted to the stolen marriages.

    Oh

    Lily also chuckled. Stolen marriages happen in the vige from time to time.

    The details of the marriages involved were quite varied. It might not be a bad practice, but it was hard work for those who had to deal with it, including the court cases.

    In a medieval-style world, poption growth was an important issue. Therefore, the treatment was reallyplicated: bringing a woman from another vige within the same nobles territory without permission would be considered kidnapping, but bringing a woman from another nobles territory would even be praised as a good job.

    In this muscle-brained society, bringing a woman was considered manly or mystical, so it wasplicated. I myself could have received such a reputation in Count Zeaverts territory for bringing Lily with me.

    In my case, however, if a couple eloped together and wanted to settle in a new ce, there would be a dispute between the people who weed them from the perspective of increasing the poption and the people they were fleeing from, who would demand the return of the couple.

    However, it was not possible to appeal to the royal family every time for this kind of matter, and if rtions with neighboring lords deteriorated and trade was dyed, it could turn into an economic problem, which would be unfortunate. Therefore, the church would often intervene and hold discussions, or rather a reconciliation ceremony.

    This was strangely simr to the situation in the Warring States Period in prehistoric Japan when priests served as diplomats.<hr>

 Chapter 200.2

    Chapter 200.2

    There seem to be a couple ofints that some decisions were one-sided, so an investigation has been raised.

    High Priestess Mvova came from a noble family and had quite a few family connections. It appeared that decisions were often made in favor of her family members. I, myself, had thought that church priests were honorable, but when I looked at it this way, I realized that they were quite practical.

    However, even if these allegations were true, they were probably not the governments main purpose behind this investigation. I believe that their intention was more to investigate the church as a whole, and to keep Mazell away from the churchs influence.

    Other noble families are also expected toe, right?

    Yes, Viscount Schrnz and Baron Drezeke areing for different reasons.

    The legal person responded to my question. I remembered hearing the names of both of them, but I had no impression of them. In addition, a nobleman who was originally supposed to join the investigation was unable to attend today due to a change in his schedule. I wonder if it means that they were short of manpower.

    Viscount Schrnz has more experience as a civil official.

    I understand. I will follow their lead.

    When I responded in this way, thewyer let out a sigh of relief. If were talking about titles, were on the same rank. I did not want to take the lead, and to put it more bluntly, I was not good at administrative work. I would be more than grateful if I could delegate the practical work to someone else.

    Recently, the Prime Minister had given me a lot of troublesome work, so Ive be able to do at least the basics, but I felt mentally fatigued because the work changed before I got used to it. It was a blessing that the work was not difficult because it was only a disguise.

    With this in mind, we arrived at the church. When we got off the carriage, the atmosphere was strangely noisy. Moreover, in front of the church, there was a line of people who looked like a group of knights from some noble family.

    Perhaps sensing the uneasy atmosphere, not only Neurath and Schunzel, but also Ate-san, immediately joined Lilys side. Then I asked Neurath to go check on the situation.

    If it isnt the Viscount.

    This voice. And looking closely, I recognized that family crest. I wonder why it was him who greeted me, well, for now, I had to respond politely.

    Its been a while, Count Yerring.

    Indeed, Viscount Zeavert, I have also been busy nowadays.

    He said my name in an even louder voice. It was not strange for him to be in the church, but the presence of the noble knights and myself in the church might cause unnecessary misunderstandings among the publicor not. Was it more likely that they came here intentionally to make a bigmotion? It would seem that they have sniffed out my n of visiting this location today.

    Oh, and is that the Heros sister? I am Count Anshelm Seigl Yerring

    My name is Lily Hearthing. My greetings to you, Count Yerring, for this opportunity to meet.

    For a moment, Lily reacted as if she were surprised or frightened, but she quickly responded with courtesy. However, the fact that her end of the sentence was somewhat shaky was probably due to her inexperience and the unfriendly look in Count Yerrings eyes.

    Before Count Yerring could say anything to Lily, I shielded Lily behind my back, and Ate-san also moved into a position behind me to cover Lily.

    I beg your pardon, but I did not expect you to be visiting the church.

    I said this in a very loud and contentious tone of voice. My voice was loud enough to be considered <b><i>trying to create amotion</i></b>.

    The Count looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled.

    Well, you see (Count Yerring)

    Please excuse my rudeness, but I couldnt spare time to talk to you right now. I have some business to attend to. I would be happy to schedule a meeting with you at ater date. (Welner)

    Without giving him a chance to respond, I immediately followed up. He might be trying to get the people around us to know that Count Yerring and I, with the knights in tow, were both involved in the investigation of the church together.

    So, by showing that I was not involved with the Count, it made it clear that our reason for visiting the church wasnt the same even if we both brought knights with us.

    The Count had a sullen look on his face, but it didnt bother me that people knew that we were not on the best of terms. In fact, I was thinking that this man might be a potential enemy because of the previous incident, so this was even a good opportunity for me to get to know him.

    Is this an urgent matter? (Welner)

    Well, it is not so urgent but. (Count Yerring)

    Then Im terribly sorry, but then can I ask you to please schedule a meeting with me on a different day, okay? Lets go! (Welner)

    Count Yerring probably wanted to give the impression that the rtionship between the nobles and the church was bad, but I also appealed to the fact that the two of us were not on the best of terms to begin with. We were unlikely to get along with each other anyway.

    I urged Neurath and the others to leave the Count behind and head for the church.

    I had a feeling that today was going to be a long day.<hr>

 Chapter 201.1

    Chapter 201.1

    I was a bit curious about the church. Not only me, but Lily too. I guess it couldnt be helped after what happened before, but I think that Count Yerring did something unnecessary.

    Unlike the entertainers of my previous life, I guess it was a relief that people didnt approach nobles so casually; I wonder if I could do it like Mazell waving at the busybodies, but I went through and followed the priest who was guiding me.

    Neurath, Schunzel, I want you two to keep an eye out over Lilys surroundings.

    Yes.

    Understood.

    As one would expect from a church in the royal capital, there were many people here. Most of them were not here for sightseeing, but for consultation and prayer. The architecture was quite magnificent, and I think I might have enjoyed it a little more if I hade here for sightseeing.

    By the way, Lily had be a little too excited watching the surroundings that Ate-san had to warn her to calm down. It made me think that maybe it would be nice to bring her on a tour again when things calm down.

    Soon, we were brought to a room that resembled a conference room.

    I, Welner Von Zeavert, have arrived.

    Thank you foring over here, Viscount Zeavert.

    There were roughly 15 to 20 people in the room, including two noble-looking persons. Rest were likely apanying knights and people from the legal department. There were also some women.

    I was offered a seat, so I sat down, but it was always awkward for me to be the only one sitting down in my group, as someone from an aristocratic ss. Also, I wondered for a moment if I should re at some of the young knights who were ncing at Lily from behind the other party.

    In the end, I decided not to re at them.

    I introduced myself to them and talked a little with Viscount Schrnz and Baron Drezeke. At least neither of them seemed to be a bad person. However, their aristocratic character was evident, as they showed very little tolerance in epting even a little bit of disrespect from the people of the legal department.

    A littleter, High Priest Leppe entered, and everyone stood up and bowed. The rtionship between the noble society and the religious world was quiteplicated, but the High Priest Leppe was also a minister in the noble society, so he had to observe the courtesies.

    High Priest Leppeughed and urged us to sit down, so we did so without hesitation.

    I tried not to cause amotion, but it appears that amotion was still created.

    Indeed.

    Its quite a nuisance.

    High Priest Leppesment, or ratherint, elicited a wry smile and a murmur of agreement from everyone. If I apologized here, it would show that I was involved with what Count Yerring was doing, so I did not apologize. These kinds of exchanges to show formality in hints were a bit annoying and extremely troublesome.

    What happened cant be helped, so lets move on.

    Yes.

    In response to Viscount Schrnzs statement, a simple drawing of the church was spread out on the table. The royal capital church seemed to consist of several buildings.

    Thergest was, of course, the church portion. In addition to a ce for mass events, there was a room for consultation with the clergy, simr to a confessional in my previous world, a treatment room for healing magic, and a conference room. Behind the confessional was the office building, which housed the office of the head of the church, the offices of the high priests, the financial office, and the church treasury.

    There were several separate buildings connected to the church by corridors, thergest of which was a residential building for the clergy and staff who lived in the church. There were also live-in church guards and cleaners.

    The High Priestess Mvova also has a chamber?

    Yes, it seems so. All the High Priests and Priestesses have private rooms in the church.

    There seemed to be a ss disparity in the church as well, but I guess that was about it. In this world, there was no post of church head for the royal capital church, and the high priests were assigned to fill in the role of head of the royal capital church on a rotational basis. It seemed that High Priest Leppe was responsible for the church at the moment.

    For reference, High Priests and the High Priestesses usually resided in Finnoi.

    In addition, there was a church sanatorium where the poor were temporarily sheltered, a warehouse building, a residence for city cleaners, and a morgue for the dead. As one would expect from a church in the royal capital, it was quite spacious.<hr>

 Chapter 201.2

    Chapter 201.2

    Viscount Schlnz said, I think the first thing we should look into is the office and bedroom of the High Priestess Mvova, and the footprints around the church.

    Viscount Schlnz, too, seemed to think that High Priestess Mvova had escaped.

    After that, Baron Drezeke continued, It will also be necessary to check the churchs financial situation.

    I nodded in agreement, but as far as I was concerned, as long as the church didnt mess with Mazell, it was fine with me.

    On the other hand, I understood that the state might want a reason to mount a charge against the church to keep it in check. So, I couldnt actx.

    I will investigate the bedrooms and living quarters. I would like Viscount Zeavert to check the office and Baron Drezeke to check the area around the church. After that, we will all examine the churchs finances together.

    Yes, sir.

    Yes.

    Viscount, over here.

    The High Priest Leppe stood up after saying that. I thought it was a bit of a surprise that the High Priest went out of his way to show me around, but maybe it was because he didnt want me to go into the other rooms. I thanked him and went with him. The legal representative who had apanied us in the carriage also went along with us.

    I had initially nned to have Lily wait here for me, but with the church in such a state of confusion, I thought it would be better to have her apany me. It seemed that Lily was happy toe along, and she might be more reliable than Neurath and the others when it came to checking the documents.

    I understand. Please do.

    There were many people in the church, but not so many as to be called a crowd. Anyway, we headed for the office building at the back of the church, being careful not to be seen. The priests we passed by bowed to us, not to me, but to the Head Priest, I guess.

    I suddenly realized something and asked Ate-san.

    Well, Ate-san, are you good at organizing paperwork?

    I can do it as well as anyone.

    It was a foolish question for an elite female knight. Rather, it might be better to train Neurath and Schunzel a little more. With these thoughts in mind, we were led to the second floor of the office building.

    This is the office of High Priestess Mvova.

    When High Priest Leppe unlocked the door, we saw a room that was surprisingly tidy inside.

    Books lined the walls, reminding me of the office of the university president in my previous life. There were some papers on a desk, as well as neatly aligned shelves and boxes, but it was somehow far from the image I was expecting for the room of a High Priestess.

    By the way, Viscount Zeavert. I beg your pardon, but may I have a word with you?

    With me?

    Yes, I have something important to say to the Viscount.

    I wondered what a person who had the position of a high priest would want to talk about to me in private. I nodded in agreement for now.

    Neurath, Schunzel, Ill leave you to investigate this room. I will return as soon as I have finished my talk with the High Priest.

    Understood.

    Ill leave it to you, guys.

    There were people from the legal department who would be with them, so they should be able to manage the rest of the investigation. I then left, following High Priest Leppes lead as we went up to the third floor, where we entered what seemed to be the current church heads office where two guards were standing guard outside the door.

    (T/N: In our understanding, previously, there was no one appointed as church head of the royal capital church, so Mvova was doing the job as representative. However, they have now made Leppe church head likely because of corruption cases against Mvova and to look into this matter carefully.)

    Id be lying if I said I wasnt nervous, as it was a room I wouldnt normally be allowed to enter in my current position.

    Oh! (Welner)

    Its quite magnificent, isnt it? (High Priest)

    I gasped unintentionally, and the High Priestughed at my reaction. It was indeed magnificent, with a small conference table, gold and silver work, crystals, and jewel-like ornaments. If the High Priestesss office looked like a university presidents office, this one would look like the office of a countrys president. The windows were made of ss, and the curtains hanging on them looked expensive.

    The trouble is that many young priests have made this ce their goal.

    I can kind of understand that.

    For what it was worth, the church was also quite secr. He offered me a seat, and I epted it without hesitation. I politely declined the drink.

    Im sorry to have bothered you.

    No, if the High Priest wants to see me, there is no problem. What is it that you wish to discuss?

    I have heard from Prime Minister Falkenstein. I understand that you are looking into the past.

    Yes, well

    I responded somewhat cautiously. I was unsure of the extent to which the other party knew. I wondered if this was an unexpectedly heavy subject.

    Do you know why this royal capital church was built here?

    No.

    Why was it built here? I never thought about it. This was certainly a prime location, but it was a bit far from the aristocratic district. I thought it was built here to be essible to the public.

    I was thinking about that in my mind, but I inadvertently failed to put on a poker face at the next words that came out of High Priest Leppes mouth.

    This royal capital church is built on the site of the birthce of the first saint, Juliane-sama, you see.<hr>

 Chapter 202.1

    Chapter 202.1

    As expected, I was surprised to hear a name that I had not expected to hear. High Priest Leppe, on the other hand, also looked surprised but for another reason.

    Did you know Juliane-samas name?

    Well, yes.

    I see. You are also close to Her Royal Highness the Second Princess Laura, arent you?

    I was not lying about knowing her name at least. For now, I would not deny his misunderstanding.

    In the first ce, the Royal family Weinzierl is actually not a noble house from this region, you know.

    Is that so?

    Yes, its a long story

    At this point, I slightly regretted not changing the subject. I had a feeling that it was going to be a long story. And these bad predictions usuallye true.

    For now, to summarize the early part of the story, the first Demon King appeared in the north. With the appearance of the Demon King, the capital of the ancient kingdom in the north disappeared, and at that point, the ancient kingdom entered a state of anarchy. Furthermore, the Demon King ate and absorbed people and nts, transforming them into demons and increasing their numbers, thereby preparing his forces.

    Meanwhile, the nobles of the ancient kingdom who had survived when the capital disappeared fled to the south and started defensive battles while building a stronghold for their lives in the south. Leppe-san expressed that the stronghold they built was now the Great Church of Finnoi, but it might have been called the Finnoi Fortress at that time. Somehow, I get the impression that the emphasis on strength, or valor instead of intelligence started to increase around that time.

    (T/N: From now on, we will be using the Great Church of Finnoi to make everything more consistent.)

    The trouble with this story, however, was

    How did the capital disappear?

    ording to the teachings, it was Divine Wrath.

    Whether Leppe-san himself believed it or not, that was probably what was conveyed in the church. But this really bothered me. Almost all the advantages of the Demon King and his army against humanity were written as nothing more than <b><i>Divine Wrath against Humans</i></b>. Anyway, I have to continue listening.

    At that time, the current royal family, the Weinzierl, was actually one of the noble houses who fled from the north. It appears that this was the reason why the royal residence was located a little out of the center of the city. However, apparently they also had a good number of soldiers, and they had established a foothold in the south by their own efforts, having made a good number of achievements in the battle against the demon army.

    Even though their <i>original</i> country was ruined, they did not give up fighting demons. It was because of such a spirit that Saint-sama was born in the Weinzierl family, I suppose.

    I see.

    Heaven helps those who help themselves, I guess. I found this a bit ironic. In fact, it may have been just a coincidence, but I suppose it was more convenient for both the Royal Family and the Church to have a saint born into a family who was well known.

    However, there was no reason to doubt his stories outright. So, I continued to listen to the story, epting that this was simply how they have written it in their records.

    Saint-sama, with the help of the oracle, brought to the world of humans magical techniques that were said to have been used only by the demon army.

    At the risk of sounding disrespectful, how could others ept this?

    So, magic was previously only used by the demon army? It also confirmed that the demon armys side was the original source of magic.

    But still, I think that one wrong move could have caused a witch-hunt, since they were basically using the power of the Demon Army. Leppe-sans response to my question was strangely cold.

    At that point, it seems like humanity was driven to the point where they had to use what they could, or they would perish.

    Is it because of this past that magic is somewhat undervalued?

    I cant deny that aspect.

    Hmmm, I wonder what might be the reason for this slight difort I was feeling. Anyway, I should put this aside for now and continue listening to the story.

    With Gods blessing, humans who have been now able to use magic can now fight with monsters from the north on more than equal terms, and bnce has also started to be established between the nobles who fled from the north and the powerful people from the south. The power of healing magic is truly magnificent.

    Hmmm.

    With the demon army present, there was no time for fighting each other. A political handshake must have taken ce during those times. But what the heck, historically if that was the case, the southern side of the continent, which was once fighting with the north, had to work with the norths former nobles armies, right? It must have been quite aplicated situation for the nobles who fled from the north to face.

    And then, when the southern side had prepared its forces and settled down to some extent, a great change urred in the northern side, which had be the territory of the Demon King. The almost whole northern side submerged into the sea after being corrupted by the Demon King. After some time, the Demon King came ashore from the sea with a huge army. The human side also gathered at the Great Church of Finnoi, and a decisive battle followed.

    I see.

    Was it Nature that transformed creatures into monsters? I wonder if this had anything to do with the fact that the magic stones use the power of nature.

    And among the volunteer soldiers who gathered at Finnoi, there was Yorg, the Hero whoter defeated the Demon King. Him meeting Saint-Sama was said to be the result of divine guidance.

    Wait, Volunteer soldiers?

    Id like to ask you to keep this confidential, but although they are called volunteer soldiers, they were actually ve soldiers.

    What?

    A former ve soldier in a noble society became a hero who defeated the Demon King? That seems like nothing but trouble for those in power. Perhaps that was the reason why his burial ground was never even known.<hr>

 Chapter 202.2

    Chapter 202.2

    The battle of the Great Church of Finnoi was won by the human side when Saint-sama, the Hero, and six others, including the friends who supported the Hero, pierced the heart of the Demon Kings army and inflicted serious wounds on the Demon King. The Demon King fled alone to the south and tried to regain his strength by devouring numerous lives, but he was unable to regain his former strength.

    So this is the story of the Heros Party of the previous generation. I did not know that.

    It was an age when a hero was needed. Thats why it was also understandable for the fame of a single Hero to arise.

    Hmm, Leppe-san was strangely cold. I wonder if he was dissatisfied or ufortable with the fact that even the Saints name was hidden. I mean, even the name of that hero was now half-forgotten.

    Then the Demon King created the Four Heavenly Kings and went into hiding to restore his power. However, they were hunted down, attacked, and destroyed by the heroes.

    I see.

    Well, chasing after an escaping dangerous opponent was a basic practice inbat. I have a feeling that some parts of the story have been glossed over.

    Also, during the fierce battle of Finnoi, the lord who ruled this <b><i>town </i></b>(now the royal capital) died in battle, and although it is not clear when, Weinzierl, the family of Saint-sama, became the new ruler of this <b><i>town</i></b> with the support of the citizens.

    I see.

    That part was, well, not difficult to understand. Yorg and Juliane-sama, who met in Finnoi, must have be close friends. In citizens minds, this town would be the safest ce if it became the home of a Hero and a Saint.

    However, it wasplicated to think about what other nobles thought about it. It was likely that the nobles did not want to entrust this strategic <b><i>town</i></b> to a former ve soldier, so they entrusted it to the family of the Saint, who was also a member of the nobility.

    But then, the theory of the heros assassination, which I had only imagined, began to feel strangely real. Although there was no proof currently, I felt that the outline of the theory was beginning to take shape.

    While I was pondering this, there was a knock at the door, and a priest-like person entered inside after being authorized by Leppe-san.

    What is it? I am in the middle of an important conversation.

    Im sorry. Count Yerring-sama would like to speak with High Priest-sama.

    When the priest said this, Leppe-san sighed in front of me. He gave me an apologetic look.

    Im sorry. I have to leave for a moment.

    Okay.

    Meanwhile, here

    He then handed a book from his desk to me. It was a gorgeous book, even the cover was decorated with goldsmiths work.

    You may read the record while waiting for me.

    Thank you for the consideration.

    If this was a document that could only be found in the church, there might be a good chance that it contained something important. I epted the book and read it without hesitation. It appears to be made from old paper, so I have to treat it with care.

    There were many descriptions about magic. It appears that the saint Juliane-sama taught only recovery magic at first. However, it was discovered that she could also use offensive magic through the application of her magical skills, so she started to use offensive magic in her battles against the demon army.

    However, at one point, Juliane-sama said, Eventually, this offensive magic will be used in the war between humans.

    She must have been a serious person, and I could understand her concern.

    The next thing that caught my attention was the description of the battle that took ce in Finnoi. The part that said, Thanks to the efforts of the saint and the heroes, the Absorption Stone, which had been used as a tool to create monsters, was destroyed, and the demon king was no longer able to create an inexhaustible number of monsters.

    It was said that the Absorption Stone was originally used for a different purpose. Secondly, the expression <b><i>inexhaustible</i></b> suggested that although the Demon King could create monsters, his ability to do so would require a certain degree of intervention from the Demon King himself.

    Somehow, I have a feeling that this thing called the Absorption Stone was a product of the ancient kingdom. Based on the previous information, it may have been a part of a tool used to manufacture magic stones.

    Only the Northern Kingdom could manufacture magic stones, and the Southern Kingdom had no choice but to request the supply of magic stones from it. The more magic stone technology spread, the less likely the South would consider rebelling against the North, which was the source of magic stones. It would seem that it could have been made into a convenient tool to dominate the south. However, I had no proof of this, this was just a theory for now.

    There were a few other points of interest. First, excluding Yorg, all the members of the Hero party, including Juliane-sama, were of noble rank. If Yorg the Hero was a prince, it would probably be an otome game with a prince, a saint, and their friends, the children of nobles, defeating the Demon King.

    No, wait, thinking about it, the Northern Kingdom had also conquered some southernnds before the advent of the Demon King, and the ves were soldiers from the upiednds. It was amon setting in some stories about a ve Hero being a former prince or nobility of some conquerednd, or at least having ancestors being the former royalty of a country.

    Anyway, I have been fed with too much information, so I was going to take a break and lift my eyes from the book. I should summarize what, I think, had happened up to this point.

    First, chronologically speaking, the ancient (northern) kingdom was unified, the technology to produce magic stone was invented, the Demon King appeared and the capital of ancient (northern) kingdom <b><i>disappeared</i></b>, the Northern nobles fled to the South, a saint was born, magic became avable to humans, the northern kingdom itself sank, a hero was found, and the Demon King was defeated.

    I would leave the details of the timepse between these events aside for now. What was certain from this information was that the pace of events had quickened since the birth of the Saint. Also, for some reason, the Demon King suddenly blew up or something the capital of the ancient (northern) kingdom, so it should have taken the humans longer to build up their strength.

    Next, the hero was not only amoner but also of a ve ss. The fact that he was a ve with unknown origins in an ancient era would have had a major impact on the political situation moving forward. There was no doubt that the people around him were very cautious.

    In addition, except the Hero, all members of the Hero Party at that time were of the noble ss. While it may be true that they were coborators, one could not help but wonder if they have also been sent as watchdogs.

    At the same time, my Original Theory of the Ancient Kingdom being submerged in the sea was a hit, while their capital city had been lost, forever. I have a feeling that after the defeat of the Demon King, the only g bearers were the Noble Heroes and the Saint dying in the process of defeating the Demon King. With the Hero gone, the subsequent upheaval that followed was inevitable, I suppose.

    It was somewhat like the situation in the Empire of the Evil One, where after Himikos death, the whole country was left without power was written on the banner. It was remarkable that the Weinzierl, the royal family, maintained its power and influence even after all of that had happened. Hmmm?

    About that. Come to think of it, there was no mention of the younger brother of Juliane-sama, the first king of the Weinzierl family. And there was also no record of anyone from the Hero Party besides Yorg and Juliane-sama, even though they were nobles.

    You could say that the church only recorded things directly rted to the saint. I mean, wait a minute.

    How did I end up reading a book like this? This was the kind of information that the church would have kept secret from me. Well, I was in the middle of a conversation a while ago, so I let my concerns slide, but the fact that magic was neither divine power nor divine blessing was not something that anyone but only church officials should know about.

    Well, the High Priest was taking his time, it had been a while. I had enough time to read through a whole book. Nevertheless, there was still no sign of High Priest Leppes return, or Neurath and the others who were supposed to be checking High Priestess Mvovas office only.

    In a panic, I jumped on the heavy door and tried to open it. It wouldnt open. It seemed to be locked from the outside with a bolt or something. It was not easy to smash down a heavy door like this.

    Ive been caught in a trap!<hr>

 Chapter 203.1

    Chapter 203.1

    Numerous footsteps, around ten, were moving through the underground tunnel, where the sound of water flowing toward the royal capital should normally be heard.

    In the dark underground tunnel, a group was going somewhere while carrying multiple magicmps to brighten up their surroundings.

    One of the men sarcastically addressed hispanion, who was dressed in the High Priests garb, as the group carefully proceeded over the damp and humid cobblestones, even though there was almost no water running through them.

    Well, I didnt realize there was a tunnel leading from the basement of the church.

    It was originally the site of a nobles mansion, you know. Your mansion should have something simr, Lord Knott.

    (T/N: From now on, we will be using Knott instead of Cnut.)

    Leppes response, as he walked through the tunnel in his High Priest costume, was a straightforward statement of fact without any malice.

    Knott us <b><i>Coltrezis</i></b>, heir apparent of Coltrezis House, remained silent and unresponsive to Leppesment because he had no room to argue, since he had also escaped from one of such tunnels to church and was being sheltered in the church. Knott then changed the subject.

    You have gone to a great deal of trouble.

    Its because we only had this one opportunity. The King and the Crown Prince are both excellent. If we had shown even a single opening, they would have taken advantage of us.

    Even so, this was quite a bold move. After having used all those people, you even set a trap in your own room.

    Well, thats because it wouldnt be strange for anyone to see me bring people into my room.

    It was probably not surprising for Welner to see that the room they investigated was quite tidy. That room, after all, was actually High Priest Leppes room, not Mvovas. However, since there was no namete on the rooms door and Leppe had led everyone to that room while saying that it was Mvovas room, everyone, including Welner, never thought that it was Leppes own office.

    He set up a trap in the room they were going to investigate. The trap, when activated, would spray a mist of paralysis poison, simr to one that could be found in a dungeon, and he made sure to lock up Welner in a different room before activating the trap so Welner could not interfere.

    You could have just paralyzed Welner along with others.

    Viscount Zeavert is an intelligent man, so he would have noticed and immediately taken precautions.

    Leppe had decided that it would be better to keep Welner and the rest of the people apart, since he knew that if they were in the same room, Welner might have noticed that something was wrong and would have immediately attempted to smash a window or door on the spur of the moment.

    Then, there are those people involved in the Coffin Sarg (doomsday cult) investigation. Are those people disposable as well?

    They are a disposable group, indeed. They were useful, though. Im sure a lot of manpower is being devoted to hunting them down right now in the royal capital where they are probably causing a ruckus.

    The High Priest spoke in an indifferent tone and made a small scratch on a rather low spot on the stone wall.

    What are you doing?

    Im making some wrong markings so that our pursuers get confused and cant follow us. Besides, that woman Lily is quite crafty as well. She would definitely try to leave traces that could be used to get to us once she wakes up from the paralyzing poison.

    Although they had already gone through the underground maze-like area of the royal capital, Leppe felt that Welner would have definitely told Lily to use markings or something simr in an emergency so that Lily could be tracked and rescued.

    Indeed. Its better to be safe than sorry.

    Saying this, Knott turned his gaze to the girl who was held by two church guards holding her from either side.

    Lily looked up slightly as they looked at her. She seemed to be struggling just to look up, perhaps because the paralyzing poison was still in her system, but even so, she barely opened her mouth.

    Why are you?

    I have some sympathy for you.

    Leppe continued as if to block Lilysment. There was nothing false in these words, but the words that followed were far from sympathy.

    If you were not the sister of the hero, you would have been able to die with a minimum of fear and pain and without understanding what was happening.

    Knotts expression was close to a lost smile as he uttered nonchntly, I suppose helping Her Highness Laura is more than enough for amoner. Id rather see her tremble with tears of joy.

    That may be one way of thinking.

    Leppe responded that way, not because he agreed, but because the question and answer had be tedious.

    Even though the destination was not very far, the road was not good because it was originally a waterway. And since he was forcing one person, whose body could not move freely, to go with him, their movement was inevitably slow.

    In any case, it would be fortunate not to be in the royal capital, which will be a killing field within a few days.

    Hmph.

    Knott snickered and continued walking in silence for a while. Lily moved several times during the walk, which might mean that the paralyzing poison was beginning to wear off.

    Knott grabbed Lilys bangs, who was still showing signs of resistance asionally with her unrestrained body, and looked at her face with a fierce smile.

    You cant escape anyway, so just be quiet. Youll live a little longer if you do that.

    I hope you dont treat her too roughly. Shes just going to be a poor instrument.

    Leppe interrupted, and just as Knott snickered once more and let go of the hair he was holding roughly, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.

    Stop!

    Well, well, well

    Leppe looked faintly astonished when he saw Welnering toward him from behind, gasping for breath.

    Is he alone?

    Leppe called out to Knott. After confirming that Welner was alone, he gave hand signals to the surrounding guards.

    Well, Im sure that his subordinates are still in the church, but he must have rushed here on his own before regrouping with them.

    That seems to be the case.

    Leppe responded with a sigh as Welner approached them, exhausted and with his spear at the ready. However, there was a wall of guards in armor formed between Leppe, Knott, Lily, and Welner.

    Welner gave a small click of his tongue because there were more enemies than he had expected.

    In the not-so-wide underground tunnel, Welner, with his weapon at the ready, was confronted by many guards.

    Leppe spoke as he looked at Welner, who did not lose his will to fight due to the difference in numbers.

    You dont seem too surprised that we did this.

    Well, you can say that this event has finally given me an answer to something thats been bothering me for a while.

    Welner had heard that when the demon general in the royal capital was in the body of Puckler, some of his wounds seemed to have healed, while the demon general Gesarius in Anheim had left his wounded eye and other wounds unchanged.

    Welner did not think much of it at that time as it was more convenient for him, but it was strange when one thought about it. However, it would make perfect sense if Puckler had apanion who could have healed him.

    It seems that you have been inmunication with the Demon Army for a while now.

    Im not happy with the expression <b><imunication</i></b>, but whatever.

    Leppe did not deny it. He nodded and continued, And you are aware of the other matter, I presume?

    The one about Mangolds men?

    Thats right. I was also the one who arranged men for Lord Mangolds army to retake Fort Veriza.

    Leppe responded tly. He even told Welner that he had mixed wine with a drug to make Mangold drowsy and have him under control.

    <b><i>You will win</i></b>. I assured Lord Mangold, though it was mainly him who enjoyed the wine the most when I offered it to him as a victory gift and was not given to his subordinates. It helped a lot that a noble like him actually drank something presented as a gift without hesitation.

    That bastard haunts me to no end

    His father was a fine man, but his son is no match for Lord Welner.

    I dont feel like Im being praised at all.

    Leppe smiled an unusual, out-of-ce wry smile with a strangely satisfied expression on his face. It was apliment, but it certainly didnt seem like apliment under the circumstances. With that expression on his face, Leppe continued his statement.

    Anyway, if you hade after us with your entourage, there would have been more truth to the rumor I prepared that the Viscount ran away along with his people from the investigation.

    I was hoping that would have been the case, so I didnt have to rush here.

    Since they were not killed by the paralyzing poison, Welner judged that they were being lured back, so he instructed Neurath and the others to inform the royal court of this situation after they recovered. This was due inrge part to the fact that they could not determine who in the church remained on the enemy side.

    Therefore, Welner instructed that if Count Yerring tried to stop them, they were to ignore him and focus on their task that was to report at the royal pce as soon as possible even if they had to injure the counts knights in the process.

    Leppe, on the other hand, nned that if Welner asked someone from the church to deliver a message, Leppes men would take it and prevent it from being delivered, and then start a rumor that Welner was a fugitive along with his entourage, but his n already failed because of Welners instructions.<hr>

 Chapter 203.2

    Chapter 203.2

    If things were going to end up like this, we should have just killed them. (Knott)

    We couldnt really help it. We cant just kill a noble and his subordinates. After all, that would have given the upper hand to other church factions. (Leppe)

    Knowing that there were factions within the church, Welner had no doubt that this would have resulted in the other side using this situation to their advantage.

    The three men standing as their guards had their shields up and formed a wall to block Welner, while Welner was gradually approaching to get closer to Leppe and Lily.

    Even so, I didnt expect you to catch up with us so quickly. Its one of the worst times Ive ever expected to be caught up while in the middle of something, but

    I guess you could say that the timing was favorable for me, huh?

    I didnt expect you to find the way out so quickly, either. I even let a suspicious-looking carriage leave the church.

    Well, its because I set fire to the church heads office.

    What?

    Welners response caused Leppe to look surprised.

    There wasnt supposed to be any way to set fire in that room.

    With the sunlighting through the window, a crystal ball on the disy in the room, and some dry paper, I could at least start a fire.

    Welner may have been fortunate that some of the papers sent from the provinces had inexpensive, highly mmable ink made from magic beast material. After using a crystal ball as his lens to gather sunlight and set the old papers on fire, he waited until the fire spread as far as possible. Next he took out his spear from his magic bag, smashed the window, and jumped out of it.

    Then, by shouting that the church heads office was on fire and that High Priest Leppe was there, even Leppes men, who had been trying to convey false information about Welner that he had left in a carriage, inadvertently allowed him to escape because of their panic.

    The fire in the church heads office was certainly a bigger problem for them than securing Welner, as they had only been told to stay behind and had not been told the details of what was going on.

    Leppe looked stunned.

    How could you have thought that far ahead?

    I wont deny that I was in a rush, to be honest. I didnt know what you wanted me there for, or why it was now, or any other reason.

    How did you trace us?

    Markings and notes asking for help, but it was written in a coded way that cant be read by just anyone. Fortunately, I can understand it even if it was unreadable to anyone else.

    It was not a lie, but also not the whole truth. Lily and Welner hade up with many ways to deal with such emergencies.

    I see, anyway, its certainly true that you are here. I will ask you to stay quiet, or something bad will happen.

    While saying this, Leppe turned his gaze for a moment to Lily, who was being held captive behind a wall of shields and people.

    You know, I actually thought that this was all just some kind of joke until you decided to kidnap Lily. Will you tell me why you did this?

    Well, no. Anyway, you guys know what you need to do.

    As Leppe said this, the three men with shields who were standing in front of Welner, as well as the two men behind them, drew their swords. Even though it was an underground tunnel, it was wide enough for the three of them to stand side by side, and Welner carefully readjusted his spear.

    Since we have a hostage, why dont we just make him surrender? (Knott)

    I dont think it would be wise to give him such an opening.

    Leppe coldly responded to Knotts statement with a nce at Lily. It was already a miscalction to allow Welner to catch up with them here, but Leppe was more rmed at how he was able to read their intentions to this point and stille after them on his own.

    He decided not to allow Welner to y any more tricks on top of this.

    Besides

    Before Leppe could open his mouth, the guards in front of Welner shed at him.

    All three shed with such force that Welner ducked to avoid two of them and caught thest one with the hilt of his spear, but the sword of one of the guards struck the stone wall of the tunnel, shattering the stone and digging deep into the wall.

    What?

    That sword, once pulled out, wont be stopped.

    Leppe spoke calmly to Knott, who looked surprised. Welner, on the other hand, barely parried the sword of the guard who was showing his monstrous strength. After that, Welner immediately moved backwards to make some distance and regain his stance.

    Sword of Doom, huh?

    I must say, Lord Welner can be tricky. I didnt realize you even knew about the cursed weapons.

    Its nothing important.

    Welners expression of holding back his wryughter was probably due to his remorse at having said something he shouldnt have.

    The Sword of Doom, as Welner remembered it in the game, was one of those cursed items that, when equipped, would just attack repeatedly without epting any controls during battle, but despite the uncontroble nature of the item, it was still one of the most powerful weapons in the game.

    At the same time, Welner also knew that the curse on those armaments could be removed at the church. However, once the curse was removed, the equipment would also disappear. And knowing this, Welner was convinced that the same would happen even in this world.

    I never thought the church would be keeping these things. (Welner)

    Its normal for the church to store dangerous items.

    Cursed equipment could be found in treasure chests or when dismantling monsters to strip them of their materials because, for some reason, the monsters carried them inside their bodies. It was widely believed that the discovery of cursed weapons mixed in with useful weapons may have been a trap set by the Demon King.

    However, since they were dangerous and unusable as equipment and could only be sold for one to ten gold coins, most of them were discarded instead of being treasured.

    In the game, you could only encounter them through the Heros Party as they were the only yable characters, but in this world there were numerous adventurers, so it was not umon for other parties to discover cursed weapons, including protective gear.

    There are sometimes adventurers who wield weapons they picked up in thebyrinth, and they are brought into the church asionally.

    What a nuisance!

    Welner received and repelled the iing attacks and, conversely, sometimes counterattacked to injure his opponents, but his opponents repeated their attacks without regard to injury. Welner cursed as he and the three vanguard guards exchanged blows.

    The quality of the weapons was so good, not to mention the skill of the opponents, that Welner had no choice but to be cautious.

    All of a sudden, one of the guards cut down the other guard next to him. The guard who was cut ignored the wound and continued attacking Welner as if nothing had happened, causing blood to spread on the floor from the wound.

    Wary of his wet and slippery footing, Welner avoided the attack of the injured guard and managed tond a hit with his spear on the other guard. However, the slippery footing and the fact that the attacker was wearing a shield and heavy armor limited the areas that could be targeted, so it was far from a fatal blow.

    There are also some who make their living by picking up the discarded goods of previous adventurers, you know.

    That just made it a pain to deal with!

    In the game, once abandoned, armaments and tools could never be picked up again. However, in real life, there were actually adventurers who specialized in collecting such discarded items. Some of the equipment may have been discarded by the Hero Mazell and his friends.

    Welner never paid attention to this aspect.

    Leppe said, However, I <b><i>really</i></b> didnt want to use those cursed weapons in a narrow ce like this.

    Someone who would not hesitate to not only aim at their enemies but also their allies would be extremely dangerous.

    Knott, who was standing next to Leppe, responded with a sullen expression, I imagine so.

    Leppe continued rather calmly, It cant be helped. It may not be the best oue, but its better to let Lord Welner die here even if it means sacrificing some of our guards.

    If that is your decision, then I guess its all right for me to be reckless, as well.

    It was Lily, not Knott, who responded to Leppes statement. She was not yet able to move properly, but she kept wriggling and tried to shake off the two guards who were restraining her.

    Knott responded sarcastically to Lily, Dont waste your time and watch quietly.

    Welner caught the blow from one of the church guards, and while shifting his body halfway to deflect his opponents momentum, Welner thrust sharply toward the other guard.

    As soon as the spear tip pierced the guards armor and dug into his side, Welner pulled out his spear and, while preparing himself for another attack from the other two guards, Welner asked Leppe again, Why did you do all of this?

    The reply was unexpected for Welner.<hr>

 Chapter 203.3

    Chapter 203.3

    I have found out as well, Lord Welner.

    Found out? What?

    At the same time as he said those words, the three guards and Welner quickly switched positions in their sh, and Welners spear pierced one of them in the leg, while blood spurted from Welners shoulder from one of the guards attacks. Welner frowned a bit from the pain. Leppe then followed up with a few words.

    Regarding the oracle to Her Highness, Laura.

    What?

    Welner shouted out. The guards tried to cut at him from both sides, but ironically, both of them were swinging so forcefully that their attack created an opening.

    Welner quickly jumped forward to avoid their attacks. He then turned around using one of his legs as an axis, and used the momentum to stab the third guard on the shoulder.

    He quickly moved away after delivering the attack but one of the guards still managed to graze his shoulder. Welner was able to escape, but barely managed to regain his bearings.

    He then spat out some blood mixed with spit, which was from unconsciously biting his lip.

    The oracle is absolute. (Leppe)

    So what? (Welner)

    Leppe replied, while giving Welner an unwavering look, The existence of the heroes and the resurrection of the Demon King were both facts, were they not? If that is the case, then it is also a definite fact that His Highness the Prince will be exalted to a better position than the saint even if they were both supporting said hero because of their position.

    One of the guards tried to cut Welner again, but he blocked the attack with the hilt of his spear and thrusted the tip into the other. Realizing that the response from the attack was shallow, Welner re-positioned further back while cleaving his spear to the side to deflect an iing attack.

    Seeing that Welner had moved backward to ensure distance and safety, Leppe continued in a rather matter-of-fact tone.

    In order for the son of Her Highness Laura, the saint, to attain a high position, the people of the current royal family are in the way. Personally, I think those people are excellent, but I dont care about their talents.

    Is that your reason for doing all this!

    Welner barely responded as he endured a dull ache from the wound in his shoulder. In fact, it was a response that Welner did not expect.

    Welner initially thought that Leppe was one of those apocalyptic believers, but in fact he was a fanatic in an opposite direction, a fanatic who held God in absolute esteem.

    Nevertheless, Welner could not help but understand one aspect of the reason.

    From childhood, Leppe had most likely been trained to believe in Gods existence. Later, he found out that the magic he had thought was a miracle of God was, in fact, originated from the Demon King. For him to continue in believing the existence of God, Leppe may have been forced to cling to the oracle as evidence of Gods existence.

    Welner was convinced that Leppe had a few strings loose in his mind, but this was probably because Welner had a cold view of religion and the existence of God. Of course, there was no way for Welner to agree with any of Leppes actions in the first ce after he had done all this.

    If that was your aim, why are you going after Lily?

    I feel sorry for the Hero and Miss Lily, but the more tragic the story ends, the more themon people will be entertained.

    What are you?

    Leppe lightly shrugged his shoulders and continued his words with his usual expression.

    A hero whose close friends and family suffered tragic consequences, and a saint who devoted herself to supporting that wounded hero. It is only natural that that saints son would be better respected by the people.

    Youve got to be kidding me.

    It was rare for Welner to show such a look of disgust towards someone. But Leppe spoke to Welner with an expression of pity for those with poor understanding.

    You must have noticed, Sir. There is an aspect of truth to Coffin Sargs assertion. Humans, even at this critical stage, still seek power struggles and self-interest, and are not willing to cooperate with one another.

    So what?

    I dont want the son of the saint Laura-sama to see such greedy people. Dont you think its in the worlds best interest to get rid of such filthy people as nobles and royalty, even with the help of the Demon Army?

    Thats a stupid assertion!

    Welner, who had no interest in listening to distorted sermons, furiously challenged the three guards.

    With a series of sharp thrusts, Welner prated one of the guards shields, pierced his arm and kicked him away.

    Without a moments pause, Welner sharply thrust his spear at another guarding from the left. The tip of the spear grazed the shield and was sucked into the chest of the other guard.

    Welner thought that he had inflicted a serious wound, and just as he thought so, the light of Leppes healing magic shed and the wound vanished.

    Are you forgetting that I am still a High Priest?

    I wish I had forgotten.

    Leppes matter-of-fact tone was met with resentment from Welner, who continued to attack the guards.

    The sound of metal on metal echoed through the tunnel along with the sound of their steps as they shed.

    Welner was umting damage even from a graze, while on the guards side, Leppes healing quickly recovered any serious wounds they received.

    Soon, Welners movements clearly started to deteriorate. He must have been fatigued just by chasing them this far to begin with. Then, he was immediately engaged in a three-on-onebat, and the wounds were umting on his side only. There was no doubt that he was at an overwhelming disadvantage.

    That was why Leppe had his doubts. He knew that Welner was up to something, but he did not know what.

    Just as Leppe was beginning to grow impatient inside, Knott and Lily suddenly felt a strange presence, and at the same time, a voice called out from behind Leppe.

    Itste, so I came to check on you. Whats this all about?

    With a voice that sounded like a young woman, a being in strangely new priestess clothes came out behind Leppe.

    Its face was obscured by a hood of cloth, but the reason Knott and Lilys faces twitched was probably due to the presence of countless insect-type magic beasts writhing behind the figure.

    Im sorry, but this is a somewhat unexpected situation.

    Leppe responded in an apologetic voice, not giving a second thought to such a crowd of magic beasts.

    The figure replied in a bored tone, In this case, I guess, I will lend you a hand.

    The next moment she said this, a chain of light wrapped around Welners entire body, restraining his movements.

    Welner, whose movements had been slowed by a debuff that weakened him, barely managed to parry the blow from one of the guards with both hands on the hilt of his spear, but there was no way to avoid the sword thrust from the other one. The tip of the sword bit right into his side.

    If the third guard had also attacked Welner here, it would have been the end of the story. But here was the problem with the cursed weapons. The third guard did not attack Welner, but the guard with whom Welner was in a power struggle.

    Welner barely managed to keep his distance as he kicked the guard who was shed from behind.

    Ugh

    Welner-sama!

    Lily, who seemed to have recovered from the effect of the paralyzing poison, shouted as she heard Welners pained voice, but neither of them could do anything. The person dressed in the priestesss clothes chanted more incantations, creating a storm that engulfed Welner, the three guards who were attacking him, as well as the passageway.

    The next moment, the stone ceiling copsed. The ceiling, which had originally deteriorated, was hit by arge magic spell, and finally copsed. It sounded as if Welners voice could be heard with the sound of the crumbling debris, but it may have just been an illusion. The crashing sound soon reverberated throughout the underground tunnel.

    For a moment, they could see sunlight shining through the copsing ceiling, but the next moment, dust and dirt enveloped Leppe and the others as well.

    Youve done it again in a very shy way, havent you?

    Its your fault for being so slow.

    The priestess responded in a bored tone to Leppesment.

    There was now a pile of rubble and sand in front of them along with a cloud of dust and smoke.

    Staring at the sight of an arm sticking out of the sand and soil, Knott asked, Is Welner dead?

    Even if he is alive now, hes still under the rubble and wounded. I dont think he will survive for long

    If you are concerned, have the guards there check him out. These men have been drugged, so they cant really understand specificmands.

    The priestess seemed uninterested in Leppes statement, who answered as if he too was concerned about something. In fact, the guards didnt seem to be perturbed by the presence of the countless insect-type magic beasts behind them. The priestesss hooded face turned toward Lily, who was stunned.

    Is that the sister of the one you call the hero?

    Yes, it seems so.

    Then I will take care of her. Four guards should be enough to clear the debris away and take care of that guy if he somehow managed to survive. Lets go, shall we?

    The insects, who wererger than a grown man, took away the freedom from Lilys body, as they reced the guards. It was only then that Lily finally came to her senses from what had happened before her and shouted.

    Welner-sama, Welner-sama!

    Yes. Ill have them retrieve Welners body just in case.

    Suit yourself.

    Welner-sama!

    No one seemed bothered by Lilys intive voice. Leppe ordered the guards to clear away the debris and kill Welner if he somehow managed to survive. After that, the group, leaving behind four guards, disappeared into the depths of the tunnel, surrounded by many insects.<hr>

 Chapter 204.1

    Chapter 204.1

    It was a ce where the air was terribly humid and clung to the whole body.

    It was not a natural cave. After walking along the tunnel for a while, a group of people passed through a hidden door at the end of the tunnel and climbed up the stairs to find the remains of a hidden structure. There were no lights, and countless insect-shaped monsters wandered around in the dark in the almost pitch-ck space with only the sound of their footsteps echoing.

    The area as a whole resembled a huge sphere, and there was a huge moat-like depression on the walls, making the area look more like an arena when standing at its center. There were several bridges leading to several doors connected to the central area, and the most notable was the huge holes among the interconnected doors.

    Numerous holes in the walls showed signs that water once flowed through them, but now there were simply dried up remnants of it on the walls.

    (T/N: Those tunnels used to be part of the water system before but are now abandoned.)

    Knott said as he shook his head in disgust in the stagnant air, Ive heard stories, but this does look different when witnessed directly.

    Leppe chimed in, Its always a surprise, no matter how many times Ie here. I had no idea there was a space like this on the outskirts of the royal capital.

    Next, it was the one d in the garb of a priestess who responded, The royal capital you speak of was originally a town for the researchers of this facility. As a research facility, this one is the main building.

    After responding to Knott, the priestess scanned the area to check the whole ce. Countless insects wriggled and moved from where she gazed, and while she mumbled softly, she checked the huge magic circle painted on the floor, which was hidden by the insects.

    But I didnt expect to have to use this facility again.

    Are you dissatisfied?

    It will be ufortable, but it cant be helped. It would have been different if it had been a saint that we would use as a vessel, but what we brought was just amoners child.

    After saying this, they turned their attention to Lily, who was suspended from a pir in the center of the magic circle drawn in a space just like an arena, probably for a different purpose.

    Feeling the gaze, Lily raised her head. A reasonable amount of time had passed, so the poison had worn off further.

    What are you going to do to me?

    Priestess said, Hmm It looks like we have a little more time before the attack on the royal capital begins. Since Im bored, Ill let you join me for a chat.

    Not only Lily but also Knott looked interested in the conversation that was about to ensue. Although Leppe had mentioned the story to him, this was the first time he would hear it directly from this <b><i>creature</i></b>.

    Dressed in the clothes of a priestess, she spoke rather nonchntly as she and Lily were surrounded by a myriad of wriggling insects.

    My name is Juliane Lutricia Weinzierl,panion of the real hero, Yorg Reisegang-sama.

    !

    Lily looked up in surprise at hearing that name, and Juliane continued in an emotionless tone.

    We were supposed to travel together, defeat the Demon King, and bring stability and happiness to the world. However, we failed to kill the Demon King.

    It was not impossible to kill the Demon King per se, but killing him would have brought another crisis to the world. After the final battle, the Demon King himself said this, and heughed and forced the heroes to make a choice, as he was losing his power and seemed to be on the verge of extinction.

    He asked the heroes to make a choice: to destroy him and face the worlds new crisis, or to seal him away and temporarily stabilize the world.

    In the end, Juliane and the others chose to seal the Demon King.

    Why

    There was no certainty whether the Demon King would really die. Besides, everyone felt that humans, exhausted from the war against the demons, were incapable of facing another crisis. Not only that, we also have to take care of the remaining demons.

    Juliane and the others decided to respect Yorgs decision and sealed the Demon King temporarily.

    The Demon King was sealed with the help of the sword that he had been holding. He told us that he would surely return. We knew that he was telling the truth, but we had no other choice.

    Nevertheless, the threat of the Demon King disappeared at that time. Although the remaining demons did not disappear, their power was clearly weakened, and they were dealt with for now.

    After all of this, building a new nation became their new objective.<hr>

 Chapter 204.2

    Chapter 204.2

    Of course, the Hero Yorg-sama took the lead in the building of a new nation, and we gathered and tried to salvage as much knowledge as we could from the now lost ancient kingdom. It became the starting point for a new age of humanity.

    And there were also several rituals that were performed during this process.

    The biggest problem was to prepare for the Demon King, who would one day resurrect. Therefore, it was decided that the memories and power of the hero party that defeated the Demon King would be preserved in the <b><i>Chronicle Stones</i></b> to prepare for that eventuality.

    However, that ritual wasntpleted for me and the hero

    Why?

    Because I discovered that I had a child with the hero in my womb.

    Technically, this ritual shouldnt have any negative effect on the presence of the unborn child, but they simply didnt want to take any risk.

    <b><i>Chronicle Stone</i></b> captured a snapshot of a persons soul  their memories and power. These stones could then be used to rece a persons soul with soul data in Chronicle Stone. It basically allowed a person to resurrect.

    The production of the Chronicle Stone itself was a task that could only be performed at this facility, a technology that was half-lost during the destruction of the ancient kingdoms capital that urred immediately after the Demon Kings resurrection, but the mechanics were not well understood.

    Making of Yorgs and Julianes Chronicle Stone was put on the back burner, and the work was temporarily halted after the other four had been made.

    On the other hand, Yorg-sama wanted to keep the memory of our child while his Chronicle Stone was created. So we dyed the making of our Chronicle Stones. But

    Juliane held her tongue for a moment. The next moment, the monsters that had been writhing around her suddenly turned away, the hatred in her eyes filled with such a murderous intent that they all moved away from the area.

    Soon after, I was poisoned by my brother.

    Juliane, not even bothering to look at Lily, continued with her words of hatred.

    To create the Chronicle Stones, a huge amount of magic power converted from nature was needed, so much so that when the four stones were finished, the great river that flowed near the city dried up. Indeed, at such a rate, even this underground water vein, the other source of water, would have been depleted.

    But that was not the reason he killed his sister, she said.

    He was trying to save a Chronicle Stone for himself to preserve his existence. There was a limit to the number of Chronicle Stones we could make because we didnt have enough materials.

    Lily looked at Juliane silently, unable to say anything.

    At my lifesst moments, I hated mankind. As I wondered how I ended up getting killed by my own flesh and blood. I suddenly heard the voice of the Demon King, which should have been sealed <b><i>there</i></b>.

    Juliane then answered the voice of the Demon King. She revived as a demon, destroyed this underground facility, thest facility of the ancient kingdom, and its first basement floor, killed all the remaining engineers of the ancient kingdom, burnt to ash the knowledge of the manufacturing technology of Chronicle Stones and many others, and spread destruction to the surroundings as well.

    The reason why this ce was not destroyed was because those who targeted this ce only aimed for the interconnected research facilities, neglecting to check this area, which they thought to be only a power source for the research facility, which would be virtually useless without the facilities or resources to make it run.

    But at the end of the day, the one whom I could not hate stood in my way, Yorg-sama.

    Juliane was defeated by Yorg. But Yorg, too, was reluctant to kill Juliane. In the end, Yorg decided to seal Juliane and hide her in a city covered with a huge barrier, which was a legacy of the ancient kingdom.

    The seal prevented anyone from entering the seal from the outside, and at the same time, it also kept Juliane locked up inside it.

    Yorg-sama told me that he wille back to get me someday, he even cried and apologized to me as he imprisoned me in the seal.

    But that time never came, for Yorg himself became aware that he was slowly beginning to be contaminated by the Demon King he was supposed to have sealed. Juliane exined that this was probably the result of keeping the sword that sealed the Demon Lord in his possession, lest it fall into the hands of an ambitious man.

    Yorg-sama himself disappeared with the Demon Kings sword. He must have intended to contain himself in some way. I dont know where he went. And several hundred years passed without any change.

    What happened to Juliane, who had been sealed up in the basement of the royal capital during that time? She carried too many negative emotions. For hundreds of years, only dark resentments had been amplified in the underground of the city where the family that had poisoned her acted as King.<hr>

 Chapter 204.3

    Chapter 204.3

    One day, I was suddenly awakened. I was awakened by someone who, by chance, had discovered a hidden passageway to the chamber where I was sealed and had unwittingly entered the seal. I forcibly took that persons body, damaged the citys barrier, and contaminated the four others stones, which also powered the citys barrier. It was also fortunate that this underground canal, which powered the citys barrier, had deteriorated from continuously consuming nature energy from its surroundings, which resulted in the water level of the river near here dropping.

    Since the ce had be a dry area, she deliberately copsed the passageway leading to the room where she was previously sealed. The reason she did this was because this was also the location where the other four members of her partys stones had been kept and were used to power the giant barrier of the capital that repelled monsters. She had no intention of letting anyone else know that she was going to take those stones out of there.

    One other reason was that she did not want the very existence of the body she had taken to escape being known.

    In addition, because possession was done forcibly and with an ipatible body, she suffered wounds that could not be healed by magic. Because of this, she had to act undercover to avoid being chased by anyone else.

    At the same time, the Demon Lord also awoke from his sleep when he learned that she had awakened, and because of this, many of those whose judgment had beenpromised by the Demon Lords power appeared, said the former Juliane with a smile that made Lily feel a chill as she continued.

    I dont need to exin the rest. While the Demon Lord was summoning the Demon Race, I was working to block the waterways gradually here and weaken the damaged barriers of the city, while nting the traitors dirty Chronicle Stone on the humans. But

    Things didnt go as nned from there. The vessels that had been deemed suitable for the formerrades of the Demon King failed to be obtained, and the next thing she knew, the stones had been taken away.

    Juliane muttered to herself in self-mockery, I underestimated the new heroes of this generation.

    Its still a bitter blow even if those stones were not destroyed. It is a good thing that I now have the opportunity to retrieve them again.

    Had they been destroyed, the outburst of magic power would have caused great damage to the surrounding structures, but perhaps that would have been a more fitting end for her formerrades who had abandoned her and Yorg-sama, she continued sarcastically.

    Knott then was the first to interject.

    Is that why you brought thismoner here, as well?

    Thats right. Even though she is too weak to be used as a vessel and would be easily broken if anything were done to her, I have no other choice right now. Also, originally, this ce was designed to convert nature energy into magic to create the Chronicle Stone, but I am going to reuse the magic circle for something else.

    Perhaps she was displeased that she was interrupted in hermentary. Juliane turned around and spoke up in a troublesome manner.

    Its just a slight distortion of the same principle that makes people stronger when they defeat monsters. The barriers of the city are already damaged. If the Four Heavenly Kings ordered by the Demon King seeded in their attack, a huge number of people will die. I will use this magic circle to absorb the lives of the humans and animals that were taken from them, as well as their suffering, sorrow, hatred, anger, etc., and let you absorb them.

    Lily shuddered as she realized that this was not an ordinary means by any stretch of the imagination. But Juliane gave a smallugh.

    If the vessel I transferred into was a saint, it would have aligned perfectly with me and would allow me to use my full strength. But, in order for this girls body to fight the current heroes, it is necessary for me to strengthen her, even if a bit forcefully. I wonder how the current generation of heroes will react when confronted by their own sister after I possessed her body and fought them. I will also retrieve the Chronicle Stones.

    If the hero party wasted time trying to save her, new demon generals would pile up human corpses and absorb them to further strengthen the demon armys forces.

    If they gave up on saving this girl and tried to kill her on the spot, that would also be a good thing. It would leave a scar on the hearts of the heroes which would serve as the first step towards converting them into a new leader of the Demon Army.

    In the worst-case scenario, if Lilys body could not withstand it, she could turn her broken body into a moving corpse or a flesh golem-and use it as a tool to incite the heroes into a trap.

    Rejoice, you shall have power worthy of a heros sister. If only you were still conscious.

    I

    It is no use trying to resist. Your heart is scarred as well.

    Scarred?

    The Spearman (Welner) lost his life because you hindered him. That is the wound in your heart.

    Lily gasped as Juliane said with augh, From the distortions and scars of the heart, the Demon Lords power will dye the souls of his opponents.

    Juliane continued, Even with my current power, it should be more than enough for me to defeat the current hero.

    Knott said with a chuckle, As I expected. And if its not enough, Ill lend you a hand as well.

    Do you really believe what she is saying?

    Lily said with difficulty, and Knottughed at her then responded.

    Of course. I deserve to be standing next to Laura-sama. For that reason, I will even use the power of the Demon King to suppress that bastard (Mazell).

    Knott smiled at Lily, who had a look of disbelief on her face.

    In exchange for offering your body to Juliane-sama, I can return to the capital after its destruction. Then take all the glory of building it back up. After that, it will be mine.

    Leppe added, I hope Sir Knott will do well.

    Lily looked at Leppe, who continued with Knotts statement. Her expression was one of heartfelt uncertainty.<hr>

 Chapter 204.4

    Chapter 204.4

    Leppe noticed Lilys shocked expression and with a small smile, whispered in a low voice so that only Lily could hear.

    You see, we only need Lauras son, and to obtain that, we dont need Lauras partner to be the hero, right?

    !

    If anything, the temple officials who may survive after the attack on the royal capital will be more suitable to be Her Highness Lauras partner, dont you think?

    Lily was astonished to realize that the three people present had essentially divergent objectives.

    Juliane was thinking of rebuilding the strength of the Demon Army. Perhaps she had some candidates up her sleeve to revive the demon generals, whom she referred to as vessels other than Lily. One of them would surely be Saint Laura.

    On the other hand, surprisingly, Leppe believed that the heroes would certainly seed in defeating the Demon Lord. Since he was expecting to get a child from Laura, it was only natural that he would expect them to be able to defeat the Demon King. At the same time, he was definitely thinking of eliminating Lilys older brother Mazell and possibly Knott at the same time.

    Knotts goal appeared to be the elimination of Lilys older brother, the Hero Mazel, after taking all the glory from their expeditions. The difference between the two sides was that they were aiming to kill Lilys elder brother either before defeating the Demon King, or after taking the achievement and being called a hero themselves.

    However, whether that would be possible or not would be another matter. And it was not even clear whether Juliane would really let Knott achieve his goal after the attack on the royal capital. If Mazell or Welner had heard all this, they would have spat out that the two of them were obviously not thinking straight.

    All three of them had slightly different goals, but the only thing they had inmon was that they did not want to harm Laura. Lily was now aware that she was in the position of being Lauras substitute as Juliane could not possess Laura.

    Lily, who had been lying face down for a while, looked up.

    Kuh.

    What?

    Juliane overheard Lilys soft mumble.

    Lily had a determined look on her face, as she grimaced from the toxins being forcefully removed from her body and felt exhausted from doing so, however

    I wont give up. Welner-sama would surely do something about it. Im sure he already has a n for you.

    It was probably the best resistance Lily could muster at the moment. At the same time, Lily was determined to resist to the end.

    I am not just the sister of a hero, nor am I a proxy for Laura-sama. I believe in myself as me, and I believe in Welner-sama.

    Hohou

    Juliane smiled. Was it humor or hopelessness that allowed the girl to continue to believe in something? But in the next instant, Juliane gave Lily a clear look of pity.

    I told you earlier. I dont know what happened to that Spearman (Welner), and even if he is alive, it will be difficult to find this ce. The citys barriers have already been damaged, and the waterway that powers it has been blocked. There is no way he could survive the attack.

    Still, I know that Welner-sama and the people of the royal capital must have an alternate n.

    Its no use. They dont know enough to begin with. For example, the true nature of the barriers in that city is now unknown. The barriers are also interlocked

    Almost as soon as Juliane uttered these words, there was a loud roar and vibration that shook the ruins itself.

    Immediately after, arge amount of water flowed out of the holes in the surrounding walls, noisily filling the surrounding moat and flowing out into the waterway downstream. Perhaps because of the water flowing in as a source of power, the surrounding mechanism, which was still functional, started to activate, and the entire space was filled with a dim light.

    Why is the water flowing!?

    Why is this?

    What happened!

    Juliane and Leppe looked astonished, and Knott rushed to the door and opened it, probably to see the canal for himself.

    But Knott could not step beyond the door. As soon as the door opened, a spearhead reached out and pierced Knotts throat.

    Knott received a fatal blow and fell backward in a cloud of blood. Immediately after that, an avnche of knights came pouring in through the multiple doors at the same time, crossing the bridge at once and deploying themselves in the central area to begin ying the surrounding monsters.

    Even the insect-type monsters were slow to react, their tentacles were shed off by swords, their heads smashed by battleaxes, and the entire swarm of insects began to be pushed back by the wave of people.

    Amidst the battle cries and angry shouts, mixed with the metallic sounds of armor, and the screams of the strange insects filling the space, the voice of someone very familiar to Leppe and Lily flowed into their ears.

    Max, move to the front. Augen squad, open a path to the Priestess! Valcay, we have arrived right on schedule! Neurath and Schunzel, go and seize the Priestess!

    Huh!?

    Welner-sama!

    Welner, who led the Zeavert Knights with his figure covered in blood stains here and there as well as his spear at the ready, rushed into the pack of magic beasts.

    He nced at Lily once in response to her voice, and then rushed straight to his opponent, who was d in the priestesss garments.<hr>

 Chapter 205.1

    Chapter 205.1

    Leppes astonishment was not only because of Welners appearance here, but also because he saw a group of knights in Royal Guard armor, including Goretzka, the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards, enter through another door, along with the Zeavert Knights.

    Although the Royal Guards numbers were about the same as those of the Zeavert Knights, their individual prowess was different. Unlike the Zeavert Knights, who could only defeat monsters in groups, each of the Royal Guards cut down monsters one by one in rapid session.

    Leppe muttered in a low voice, Whatwhy are the Royal Guards here?

    We received a request from His Highness Prince Louwen.

    Seyfart!

    Grand Duke Seyfart approached Leppe, talking to him in an easygoing tone that was improper when looking at the situation, but his presence was still so prominent despite his age.

    His Highness Prince Louwen appears to be fond of Sir Welner, and I hear that his fiance has be friendly with Lily. When they learned of the situation, they both asked His Majesty for the countrys help in the rescue operation of Lily. His Majesty and the Crown Prince have given their approval.

    That cant be (Leppe)

    Grand Duke Seyfartmented, You seem to be unaware of all the details. It all started with the monster stampede. At that time, Sir Welner saw through the enemys n, not only saving the knights, but also His Highness the Crown Prince and the Royal Guards that protected him.

    At that time, the Crown Prince and the Royal Guards were prepared to assume the role of standing guards to evacuate the wounded soldiers and the remaining generals. Against overwhelming numbers, the Crown Prince himself took up arms and was prepared to lose half of his Royal Guards, intending to save as many generals as possible.

    That battle changed from the perspective of the Royal Guards. The Zeavert Corps voluntarily deployed its troops to the front line in the center of the battlefield, which was supposed to be the most heavily shed area. As a result, the Royal Guards only had to support them during the hardest part of the battle, and the Crown Prince himself was able to concentrate solely onmanding the Royal Guards, making effective use of them.

    The Royal Guards, which were prepared for heavy losses by taking on arge army of monsters all on their own, were able to withdraw almost unscathed. So, more than a few of them consider Sir Welner to be their benefactor, not to mention the fact that he was capable of protecting the safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

    It was certainly at the Kings order that the Royal Guards participated in Lilys rescue operation today. However, the Royal Guards also wanted to return the favor to Zeavert House and to Welner personally, so their morale was really high.

    This time, His Majesty also said that since the Knights could not leave their posts unattended for long, they should use the greatest possible force to take care of the situation in a short period of time.

    Seyfart continued, <b><i>but this was not the whole truth</i></b>.

    The mobilization of the Royal Guards, thergest force under the royal family, was <b><i>not</i></b> done at the request of Prince Louwen but ordered by both the King and Crown Prince <b><i>out of necessity</i></b>.

    The attack on the Church of Finnoi and the attack on Anheim were both done by <b><i>demon armies</i></b> led by <b><i>demon generals</i></b>. On the other hand, the stampede of monsters on the outskirts of the royal capital was done by a <b><i>group</i></b> which may or may not be controlled by <b><i>demons</i></b>. There was a clear difference between them as an organization.

    And this time, when Crown Prince Hubertus heard about the situation, he immediately judged that the priestess apanying Leppe might be a new demon general leading monsters, and so he recognized the necessity of defeating them separately before the attack on the royal capital began.

    Otherwise, the Royal Guards would not have been allowed to move against an ostensibly unidentified enemy, even if it was for the sake of the heros sister.

    It was a bit reckless of Sir Welner to go after Lily alone, but I think that was the typical move of a youth. The Viscount still had that in him.

    Although he said so, Seyfart believed that Welnersprehension was not so poor that he would risk chasing after Lily without a n.

    <i>Since the King could not let a Viscount takemand of the Royal Guards, thats why this old geezer came all the way down here.</i> was what Seyfart wanted to say with augh causing a slight shift in his gaze.

    Leppe, oblivious to this and unable to hide his agitation, opened his mouth, Ho, how you you found this location?

    Well, its simply because we have checked the waterways of the royal capital before.

    The waterway used by Leppe and his team had already been visited by government investigators. The source of the water was believed to be deep in the mountains beyond the Krumshe Mountains. They were also nning to investigate why the water had stopped flowing.

    It may be possible that theke in Krumshe and the waterway in the royal capital originate from the same source. We will have to investigate this point in the future. At any rate, we were aware that the underground waterway and the aqueduct that draws water from the Krumsheke run almost parallel to each other.

    If you were only investigating, how did you reach this ce so quickly?

    It was abination of Sir Welners luck and our prior nning.<hr>

 Chapter 205.2

    Chapter 205.2

    Fortunately, the guards who were reinforcing the security system at the gates of the royal capital found Welner who appeared outside the royal capitals outer wall after using his Skywalk.

    The guards helped Welner up immediately after he fell to the ground, while still seriously wounded.

    Incidentally, that Skywalk was entrusted to Frenssen just before the start of the siege of Anheim, and was returned to Welner because it had been left unused.

    Originally, Welner nned to use Skywalk, intending to snatch Lily and escape. However, Lily was protected by guards who did not mind being wounded, so he could not approach her boldly.

    At the time of that copse, the other guard was just shing at him, so Welner used his opponent as a shield from debris and was forced to use the Skywalk.

    It was a miscalction on Welners side that he would have to face so many opponents preventing him from approaching Lily to escape with Skywalk. Not only that, the guards fighting Welner were fully armed, even with shields, which in a way also became useful for his escape when he was almost buried in debris.

    In addition, the fact that there were a number of excellent healers present in the royal capital during that time was also a blessing. Welner was able to recover quickly thanks to the manpower arrangements of several people who were able to use healing magic. It was then that Welner made a verbal report of what happened during the treatment, which was the basis to mobilize the Royal Guards.

    ording to the person in charge of the treatment, the three most serious injuries were the wound in his side where he had been stabbed by a sword, his left leg that had been crushed by debris, and the wound sustained from a sh when he was forced to use the enemy to take cover from the debris.

    Welner himself, who had recovered from his injuries, was inwardly dismayed, thinking that it was oddly game-like to be able to manage even a near-death situation by applying even beginner-level restoration magic over and over again.

    During this time, another piece of information that came in during his treatment helped him be able to chase after Leppe and Lily.

    Sir Welner had prepared a manual of procedures when he was on aqueduct patrol duty. And those patrolling the aqueduct followed the manual and immediately reported a hole in the ground that had suddenly caved in because of some underground tunnel copse.

    One team that was able to act immediately rushed to their target location ahead of the others, then followed by a number of people who had been prepared to join Welner, gathering at the location of the cave-in after it was discovered.

    It did not take long to capture and disarm the guards, who were still clearing debris looking for Welner as if they were mechanical contraptions continuing their previous order, and that path then led to the knights reaching Leppes destination.

    I was surprised as well. I never thought that the aqueduct built in the ruins above would lead to another ruin underneath, showing up a path only after that copse. So that was the reason why the old aqueduct is not working well. The water that was supposed to be filling the aqueduct is probably leaking through the cracks and flowing down in this ruin.

    Rainwater would normally enter the ruins through cracks above ground, which was then directed into the underground aqueduct and to the royal capital via its underground water system. Because of this, there was supposed to be no need for the Royal Capital to build a new aqueduct.

    However, soon enough, they found that the original water source of the underground aqueduct had been dammed somewhere, so they created a new aqueduct that was connected to the royal capital using the water from Lake Krumshe.

    This resulted in the abandonment of the underground aqueduct followed by the removal of guards ced in that location and moving them to the new aqueduct near the royal capital. This would result in an improvement in the water supply of the capital.

    However, the source of water of the underground aqueduct was soon discovered. Which also led to investigation above ground instead of traveling underground, which was difficult to navigate.

    And so, with this information, Welner led around 300 infantrymen, cavalrymen, and his own retinue rushing along the path that was found in the aqueduct to find the deeper part of the ruins.

    In addition to those people, more than 30 scouts also participated which were the first to discover the entrance to the ruins. This was a result of Veldt, who was one of the leading figures in the backstreet slums, moving. He had previously received arge sum of money from Welner, and promised him that he would assemble as many people as possible to help Viscount Zeavert in case of an emergency.

    Welner had been suspecting that there might have been another underground ruin in the royal capital, that he believed to be connected to the underground waterway, after facing an enemy who controlled magic beasts. It was because of this that he gathered a group of scouts to apany him on this mission.

    These scouts did not get directly involved in battle, but were divided and stationed around the area surrounding the ruins, holdingrge magicmps, tools that those scouts would not normally carry around. Thanks to them activating thosemps, the ruined facility was now as bright as day.<hr>

 Chapter 205.3

    Chapter 205.3

    Leppe said, It appears that the Royal Capital still has no understanding of the situation as the person in charge of nning the operation for the defense of the Royal Capital and even some of the Royal Guards are here.

    Are you talking about the demon army that is heading toward the royal capital? The people who have been scouting from the border have already returned using their Skywalk. We are expecting the enemy to arrive tomorrow or so.

    Nah

    Seyfarts ent was almost apologetic.

    You seem to be mistaken. The royal family and the nobility are aware that an attack on the royal capital will take ce. My role in this situation is to n a strategy. As long as the country was able to get into motion, my work is basically done.

    The country is already on the move?

    The Demon Army cannot suddenly appear around the royal capital. The defense of the Royal Capital is only a part of the whole n. The n includes scouting of the borders, evacuation ns to minimize human casualties in the towns and viges nearby the royal capital, arrangements for supplies, and support ns for rebuilding lives afterward.

    Why do you think Duke Grunding has been out of the public eye ofte? The duke and almost everyone else in his position has been working tirelessly to n and execute events before and after the war.

    Seyfart continued, But because of this, the Prime Minister was fundamentally understaffed, and various chores went to people who had nothing to do with battle, and he was also sorry that he had caused Lord Welner to do more work than he should have. Since we cant always capture the other side of the border, we have expanded on what Lord Welner did at Anheim, which is to draw them in and set the battlefield in our favor while minimizing the damage to the people. It was a good example for us to follow.

    Evacuation ns, Ive never heard of such a thing

    Why do you think we waited so long after that duel trial? We had been investigating and knew that there was a suspicious person inside the royal capitals church. I did not expect it to be you. Therefore, the High Priest of Finnoi, not the one in the royal capital, is directly in charge of the evacuation n.

    Seyfart said while looking around at his surroundings, which were nowpletely brightened by too many magicmps.

    Well, I guess its about time. (Seyfart)

    What? (Leppe)

    You are very capable, but youck experience in actualbat. (Seyfart)

    Leppes face turned to look at Seyfart, and he followed Seyfarts gaze and for the first time he looked shocked.

    Lily could no longer be used as a hostage, as the Valcay troops and female knights who had secured her safety were surrounding her, wielding swords and chasing away the magic beasts.

    On the other hand, Welner himself had initiated a closebat with the knights directlymanded by Juliane.

    In the end, there was no one to protect Leppe. It was only now that he realized that he waspletely separated from his group.

    I was afraid that if I let you and the others continue keeping Lily as a hostage, we would be disadvantaged. Moreover, it will be painful to deal with an enemy group backed by a High Priest who could use healing magic. So I went out of my way to keep youpany and talk with you.

    Leppes tone was the first to turn agitated as Seyfart continued, It is not only weapons that can incapacitate a man who is capable ofmand.

    Grand Duke Seyfart, you do not understand! The oracle is absolute! You should have entrusted the future to her son, even if you had to use the Demon King! Everyone will eventually understand that I am not wrong!

    <b><i>Sure.</i></b>

    Seyfarts tone was nonchnt in response to Leppes heartfelt cry.

    People like you think that I am wrong, but there are many people in this world who agree that the nobility and royalty are corrupt. No one persons opinion will ever be epted by everyone.

    Shrugging his shoulders, Seyfart continued, I dont think either of us can understand each other. You discuss ideals and I look at things from a practical point of view. And from my point of view, you just look like a drunk man babbling nonsense.

    Drunk? Me, drunk?

    Youre drunk on ideals and stumbling down because you are now facing a pathway to reality.

    Seyfart raised his hand lightly. The next moment, the archers deployed in Leppes blind spot fired their arrows at once, ready to eliminate Leppe. The archers, while Seyfart was taking Leppes time talking, waited for the signal while keeping their positions safe from monsters around them.

    Shot by 30 arrows at once, Leppe fell to the ground without uttering a word. Just to be certain, one of the knights finished him off.

    Hmm, aposite bow is a great weapon. Its about the size of a short bow but has sufficient power to be used in a ce like this.

    Is it alright for us to do this, my lord?

    Seyfart smiled.

    You mean about us killing a High Priest? The church may not be happy about it, but they cant take any aggressive measures. After all, this time it was me, the Grand Duke, who did it.

    The church would obviously want to bring Leppe to justice themselves, because of their own interests. Each side had its own reasons and prestige.

    If it had been Viscount Welner who had done this, the push from the church would have been greater, and theints might have be more forceful and loud. However, if it had been a nobleman of Seyfarts stature, it would be difficult for the church to make a loudint. Even the church understood the dangers of picking a fight with a bigwig.

    I may be reprimanded by His Majesty for overdoing things publicly, and reflecting on it, I will give back a part of mynds to the country. But since the royal family would have already punished me by that point, the church will forgive me for arbitrarily punishing the guilty. It will be settled at that point.

    He was already nning to give his territory back in the first ce, so it would only be a matter of elerating the n. The person in charge of this sh would have to take responsibility after all in order to settle this matter without further conflict from the two sides. And Seyfart was not really concerned about taking that responsibility.

    Rather, he believed that it was his role to keep the churchsints to himself so that the younger Welner would not be resented.

    Its simply the role of the old people to take responsibility when they are in a position to do so.

    With that final response, Seyfart instructed his personal knights, who were on guard, to make sure that the archers were well protected and that the archers ensure that monsters could not assist Leppes allies. Some of them were also assigned to be Lilys escort, as they moved to the next battlefield.<hr>

 Chapter 206.1

    Chapter 206.1

    Running toward the priestess with the deployed knights and striking down the magic beast in front of him, Welner entrusted his spear to the squire behind him for a moment. Immediately, after, he took a different spear from the squire.

    This spear was bnced for throwing and not intended for use in meleebat. It was prepared in advance to aim at a distant opponent, as the hostage (Lily) would not be anywhere near the target if the n worked well.

    Take this!

    Welner threw his spear with all his might from behind the knights, led by Augen, who were rushing in without stopping to cut through the front.

    Even a magic beast or a wild animal without knowledge would duck seeing something like that flying through the air. As the distance between the two was too great, the priestess noticed the spear and sessfully dodged it.

    Next!

    Welner stopped for a moment after throwing the first spear, and on either side of him, Neurath and Schunzel cut down magic beasts that tried to approach him. Welner received a second throwing spear from another squire and threw it at the priestess once more.

    The priestess, who had moved backward to avoid the second spear, cast a spell on the spot just in case. It was not an attack, but a defensive spell to protect herself. Her body was enveloped in a curtain of light, just as Welner had hoped.

    Meanwhile, Seyfart closed the distance with Leppe, while Goretzka and the Royal Guards nked and killed magic beasts with spectacr force. A squad led by Max tried to break through to divide the group of magic beasts.

    Valcays squad, led by Ate, headed straight for Lilys position. Ate, apparently feeling responsible for Lilys safety, asked Welner to take her on this mission.

    When Welner saw that Lily was safe and sound with Valcays squad guarding her, he took the spear he usually used and ran toward the priestess along the road Augens troops opened up.

    Juliane finally realized her blunder as she dodged the swords of Augen and his knights. Dodging the spears that Welner had thrown at her some time ago had opened the distance between her and Lily.

    Realizing that she could not secure Lily herself, Juliane tried to manipte the insect-shaped magic beast to move towards Lily, but Ate was standing in front of her.

    Ates position was actually more delicate at this point, for when Welner instructed Neurath and the others to leave the temple and go to report to the royal pce, Ate, who was on her way to persuade Count Yerring as a rtive to leave and not interfere with Welner, somehow ended up stabbing him.

    The knights of Count Yerrings family around the temple were in turmoil, and Neurath and Schunzel were able to escape from the temple towards the royal pce.

    It must have been a source of pride for her that Mazell the Hero had asked her to take care of his sister. It was a result of her prioritizing her sense of pride and responsibility as a female knight over her blood rtion, but it could also be said that she was a bit too impulsive. Obviously, even if the issue was limited to her rtionship with Count Yerring, Ate would have been considered a criminal since she was the one who pulled out her sword first.

    However, Ate, with Seyfarts help, was now assigned to apany Goretzka under his supervision, with the reasoning that they were nominally short-staffed. Of course, no one here cared about such things and treated her as one of the knights.

    You!

    Ugh!

    While Juliane was distracted, Welner and his men closed the distance, and as Welners spear was thrust towards her face, Juliane fell further back. At this point, Augens group spread out in the opposite direction, cutting down the magic beasts that tried to approach Juliane from the surrounding area to iste her.

    Although Welner did not know his opponents identity at this point, he believed that if he was dealing with a magician-type opponent, they would normally need to have apanion supporting the front line. Therefore, he instructed Augen to iste his opponent from the start.

    It may have been a fortunate miscalction on Welners part that Knott, a noble with a good level of swordsmanship, had already died in the battle, cutting off any trouble that he would create. Though regardless of Knotts standing politically, it could all be ignored simply bybeling him as an evil kidnapper in the first ce.

    Also, the fact that Juliane was a near amateur in terms ofmanding a group battle and was wasting time by first securing her own safety also affected the battle situation. Her experience inbat as an adventurer <b>and</b> her insight andmand of group battles were two separate things.

    Are you the Spearman from back then? (Juliane)

    Right, Im the guy you almost killed! (Welner)

    Again Welner thrust sharply, piercing Julianes clothes. Noticing that the response from the hit didnt feel like flesh, Welner quickly withdrew his spear and stepped back himself. A womans hand with ws longer than her palm passed in front of Welners eyes.

    Meanwhile, Neurath and Schunzel, who had split to the left and right, shed at Juliane. A purple liquid, which could only be described as bodily fluids rather than blood stter, stained the priestesss clothes in the brightly lit space.<hr>

 Chapter 206.2

    Chapter 206.2

    You you! Dont think that Im going to let you get in my way!

    Juliane must have been distracted. After she took off her headgear, Welner, who was staring at her, and Neurath and Schunzel, who were watching from the periphery, looked at her with expressions of disgust. The other party had a head that could only be described as bizarre.

    The overall shape of the head was simr to that of a bee, but each of the twopound eyes had a small human face attached to it. The face itself could have been that of a beautiful woman, but the right side of the face was hateful, and the left side was contemptuous, an expression that made the viewer feel ufortable.

    The part of the head that was supposed to have been the antennae if it was a bee was tipped with stingers like a scorpions tail, and long golden hair extending from the bee-like head was strangely beautiful. All of this emphasized the strangeness of the bee-like being in front of them.

    Ugh, thats creepy.

    Youre going to be a bloody dead man!

    Juliane tried to reach out to Welner with her arm again in response to Welners unintentional muttering, however, the reach of Welners approaching spear as he attacked was longer than the reach of her arm. Quickly, Welner knocked her hand away with his spear, and then stabbed his spear into his opponents chest.

    Once again, the spear tip conveyed to Welner the feeling of having pierced something hard, but he realized that it was a shallow hit.

    For a boy like you!

    Juliane cursed, unable to admit the fact that she had underestimated Welner, who was now fighting her alone.

    This point, however, coincidentally worked to the kingdoms advantage. Leppe assumed that Welner, who had a good reputation so far, was up to something when he came after them alone, and as a result of their attempts to dispose of Welner in the underground canal, Juliane, who thought Leppe had taken too much time, had appeared halfway through the battle between Leppes group and Welner.

    If Welner had not seen Juliane at that moment, he would have judged that there was only Leppe and his group involved. However, this incident led to the kingdom discovering Juliane.

    Neurath and Schunzel, seeing an opening, shed at Juliane when she was concentrating on Welner. However, the attack of the two was blocked by an arm with long ws that extended from inside the Priestess clothes.

    This thing!

    Now she certainly seems like a bee!

    A real bee had six legs. Juliane had two human arms on each side of her, four human arms in total along with two legs. Neurath and Schunzel were almost hit by the counterattack, but Welner quickly thrust his spear into Julianes face, which knocked Juliane out of her stance.

    Both quickly shifted their positions and readied themselves. The surrounding light increased.

    Juliane scattered countless stones around them, which Welner found to be simr to the <b><i>ck stones</i></b> he found, but much darker than the ck stones.

    As a haze spread from the stones, they gradually started to take the form of insect monsters.

    Magic beasts?

    Does this thing create magic beasts?

    Welner wondered if this enemy (Juliane) was the type that would call its friends if this was inside a game. One of the magic beasts was about to attack Welner and his subordinates, who were momentarily distracted by the sight of it, but the knights assigned to Augens group, who approached quickly, intercepted it.

    Sorry!

    No, we also want to defeat it, or else there will be no end to this!

    Youre right!

    Welner responded sharply, and then he thrust a series of stabs at Juliane, who quickly repelled them with her arms and tried to extend her reach towards Welner, when Neurath, Schunzel, and Augen, who had stepped in behind her, shed at her.

    Juliane, screaming in pain and disgust, iled her four arms. Surrounding her, Welner and the others repeated their attacks to prevent the magic beasts from being spawned again, racking up small wounds against Juliane.

    Meanwhile, neither Welner nor Juliane had noticed it, but the battlefield was bing more enclosed around Welner and his men, as Seyfart, who had defeated Leppe and joined Lilys side, started to takemand of the entire battlefield.

    The Royal Guards gradually started to build a siege around Juliane while skillfully moving their troops, and the Zeavert Knights moved in to destroy the remaining magic beasts in group battles as if they were recing the Royal Guard.

    The magic beasts in positions that impede the movement of the troops were targeted by the archers to open the way for them, and the knights who were injured were reced with those who could move properly. Those knights then ensured the ughter of the magic beasts that were being divided.

    Well done, sir.

    What, its just a matter of age and experience.

    Even though the situation would normally have been chaotic, the knights who were at the vanguard, dealing with the enemy charge, easily switched ces with other knights without causing any confusion or dy. Seyfart responded to Valcays unintentional admiration with a sullen look on his face.

    Sir Welner should be able to do this as well.

    Valcay was silent, but then chuckled unintentionally, probably because he could predict Welners reaction upon hearing that statement.<hr>

 Chapter 207.1

    Chapter 207.1

    Unaware of the disturbing conversation going on in the background, Welner and his men continued their attack on Juliane under the increasingly bright lights of their surroundings.

    Elrichsment that Lord Welner is a good fighter was not intended as ttery.

    Welners spear attacks were not only aimed at causing damage to Juliane, but more than that, they were restraining her actions, making it easier for Neurath, Schunzel, Augen, and others to attack her.

    While standing in front of his opponent, Welner skillfully controlled the enemys movement with his spear and made it easier for his allies to attack.

    Each blow was not a major wound. However, as the small wounds steadily umted, Juliane could not help but notice that she was slowly being driven into a corner.

    Juliane cast a spell, a stormy wind that wasunched at the knights. Although it did hit them and caused some damage, it was nothing more than a few skin-deep cuts.

    Juliane wondered to herself, Whatwhat is this?

    Even though Juliane had not maintained it for a long time, her magic, which was powerful enough to even destroy the ceiling of the underground waterway not long ago, could not defeat any of the surrounding knights who looked like insects to her. She understood that the power of her magic had decreased, but she did not know why.

    Seeing her upset, Welner shouted sharply, Change!

    Leave the rest to us!

    Goretzka of the Royal Guards responded by rushing toward Juliane with the other Royal Guards, striking her with a heavy blow. Meanwhile, Welner and the other Zeavert knights, wounded by the magical attack, took their ces in the back.

    In terms of individualbat power, the Royal Guards were stronger than Zeavert Knights. In addition to that, they were all outfitted with high-performance equipment that Welner bought before using his merchant connections. This allowed them to block blows from Juliane that would have incapacitated a normal soldier and also allowed them to damage her body from every direction.

    This forced Juliane into a defensive position. Although she wanted to prevent Welner and his team from retreating, she was unable to do it.

    Following Welners initiative and suggestion, the Royal Mages Research Laboratory continued its research on how to exhaust Nature Mana temporarily. They hade as close as they could get to the discovery of what was going on.

    Thest step was taken just the other day. Uwe, who had been studying the magical devices of the ancient kingdom, brought in a barrier that had been used in Suvriltz to repel the demons from the ancient kingdom.

    In this world where there were no patents, the contents of research were basically kept secret, or at best only shared with direct disciples. However, Uwe exined his research in detail, along with samples of his work, and was able to reproduce some of the techniques used to harness the magic in ancient times. There was a reason why scouts had ced arge number of magicmps around the area.

    These magicmps basically usedrge amounts of magic stones and Nature Mana for generating light <b><i>inefficiently</i></b>.

    Although Welner did notpletely understand the theory behind this phenomena, Welner, who had experienced it firsthand, borrowed that knowledge and used it for the first time in a real battle.

    Hurry up with the treatment. Those with serious wounds should fall back and regroup.

    Dont use magic, heal with medicine.

    Under the direction of Welner and the others, the wounded knights were treated, and their numbers were reassigned to the next attack group.

    The reason why the side with the greater number had the advantage was proven here.

    The wounded and less able fighters were moved to the rear and new troops were put in front of the enemy. The enemy had no choice but to respond to the new troops and could not even pursue the retreating ones. The wounded knights who had fallen back received potions from the scouts, and those who had recovered prepared for the next shift.

    Meanwhile, an arrow from aposite bow, as powerful as a longbow, pierced Juliane from a distance. Juliane used a recovery spell on herself, but even that was less effective.

    The injuries she received were far more numerous, and Juliane was gradually being driven back into a corner.

    While Ate was having a short conversation with Lily, Valcays team joined the front under Seyfarts direction. Seyfart kept a vignt watch on the perimeter, leaving Goretzka and Welner to deal with their opponents. The soldiers directly under Seyfartsmand were also keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings as they defeated the remaining magic beasts.

    Welner gave detailed instructions to the Zeavert Knights, who were ustomed to fighting in groups. He instructed them to focus on <b><i>cutting off the opponents legs</i></b>.

    While the Royal Guards and the Zeavert Knights were holding Juliane in line, aiming at her face and arms, Max, Augen, Valcay, and others who were proud of their skills aimed only at Julianes legs, and finally cut off her right leg.

    For a moment, not only the knights but also Welner looked reluctant, probably because Julianes torso, which was visible through her shredded priestess uniform, also had the appearance of a bee. From the bees body sprouted beautiful but strangely elongated human legs. Grotesque would be a better word.

    But the bee did not flinch, and when it lost one of its legs and lost its stance, the knights surrounding it attacked it more vigorously, taking turns. One of the knightster described the situation as follows.

    In terms of individualbat power, she had the strength of a giant serpent, while they were about as strong as ants. But hundreds of ants, who were as prepared as possible, continued to bite from all directions, and finally defeated the serpent.

    Juliane, who had lost her legs, soon had one of her arms severed. After that, she lost her antennae. In the end, she even ran out of magic after repeated use.

    <i>Melting if I lose my body, I will melt and disappear</i>

    Julianes mind wandered as she took the blows to her shredded body. With her body so damaged, she could no longer escape in the usual way.<hr>

 Chapter 207.2

    Chapter 207.2

    As Juliane��s mind worked hard toe up with ways to escape from this ce, she realized that there was only one person whom she might be able to take over even in her current weakened state, and whom her enemies would hesitate to attack.

    ��That girl�� you�� your body, oh!��

    The Royal Guards surrounding her were indeed startled and stopped moving as Juliane tore off her own neck with her remaining arm and threw it towards Lily.

    The next moment, Ate, who was standing next to Lily, waved her arm, throwing something in the air which collided midair with Juliane��s head. It was a crystal bottle that contained perfume, causing Juliane, drenched in its contents, to scream. Immediately after, her head was skewered by a spear.

    ��A guy like you, always makes a bad mistake, don��t you?��

    What Ate threw at Juliane was a small crystal bottle that was meant to be some kind of charm that was given by Rafed to Welner. It turned out to be perfume.

    Welner had instructed Ate to hold it for him in advance to keep the bottle secure. After they had rescued Lily and made sure she was safe, he also mentioned handing it over to Lily just in case because he knew that Lily would unlikely be able to identally toss it or something because of her athletic ability and how bad she was at throwing things.

    When Ate mentioned this to Lily several yearster, Welner was seen hurriedly trying to appease Lily, who had an unusually hurt expression on her face. This event was also well documented with many witnesses.

    The Royal Guards and the Zeivert Knights cheered in triumph around Welner, who was muttering in a low voice, ��How can she speak when all she has is her head?��Goretzka instructed the Royal Guards to examine the bee��s head and body parts. He thought that if the enemy was a demon general, that ck jewel should certainly be there. Seyfart also instructed the surrounding knights to remain vignt.

    In the midst of all this, Welner, who hade to his senses, let out a deep sigh of relief. Next, he went straight to Lily��s side who was sitting there with a stunned expression. He knelt on one knee in front of Lily, took her hand, and looked at her face.

    ��I��m sorry. I scared you. I��m sorry to keep you waiting, Lily.��

    ������

    Lily��s hands touched Welner��s armor and cheeks, as if confirming that he was not her imagination. A trembling voice escaped her lips.

    ��Um, Welner-sama, right?��

    ��Oh, right.��

    Welner responded with an expression of ��What in the world?�� and became flustered differently than before. Lily hugged Welner with tears streaming down her face.

    ��Li, Lily!��

    ��Thank God��thank God, Welner-sama��! You are safe and alive��!��

    Lily cried out in his chest, while Welner looked around and asked for help with a distressed expression on his face, but the group of Royal Guards and the others only looked at him with warm expressions.

    Neurath and Schunzel couldn��t help but smile wryly at him as well. After all, they witnessed Welner leap into the hidden staircase of the temple, shouting, ��I��m not weak enough to stay calm even after my preciousdy has been kidnapped!��

    After a dozen or so rapid-fire rants to his inner circle, Welner turned his thoughts back to Lily.

    ��Uh, Lily, we should go back to the royal capital once anyway. I��m dirty, you see, as well.��

    ��The Royal capital����

    Hearing those words, Lily looked up. For a moment, Welner gulped at the sight of Lily��s desperate eyes, wet with tears, in front of him.

    ��Yes, yes, Welner-sama, the barrier of the royal capital is in trouble.��

    ��Barrier? I��m sure there��s not a single person who knows that ce����

    Up to this point, Welner and the others still did not know that the monster they just fought was <b><i>Juliane</i></b> in the first ce. That was the reason why they did not understand Lily��s sense of urgency.

    Lily��s expression was not rxed and Welner silently urged her to go on.

    ��Um, you see. Um, the other person said. She said that she damaged the barrier. That barrier has multiple interlocking����

    With so many eyes on them, Lily was unable to directly mention Juliane��s name, so she tried to convey the situation to Welner in a hushed voice. Welner managed to pick up Lily��s statement, but for a moment, he had a confused expression on his face, but it soon became clear to him.

    ��Remember the damaged underground library�� it was there. There was a different magic circle painted on the floor of that underground library that <b>she</b> mentioned.��<hr>

 Chapter 208.1

    Chapter 208.1

    T/N: Fixed the double pasting of content. Sorry for trouble.<hr>

    A group of knights galloped past, their horseshoes ttering.

    ��So you are saying that the barrier in the royal capital only appears to be safe!�� (Seyfart)

    ��It may not be a problem right now, but I think the results will be different if they were to activate the barrier at full force!��

    Grand Duke Seyfart and Welner were riding towards the royal capital with the Royal Guards, so they had to shout at each other on horseback because of all the noise.

    When Lily had a short talk with Juliane before the battle, the information she heard from the other party was shocking. She informed Welner about it as soon as she could.

    Because of the sensitive nature of the information, Welner could not openly discuss it with people, so he decided to only tell Seyfart, Goretzka, and the deputymander of the Royal Guard about it.

    The fact that the barrier in the royal capital was alreadypromised needed to bemunicated to the royal pce as soon as possible.

    Welner tried to use his Skywalk to return immediately, but Seyfart stopped him.ording to Seyfart, there were people who would argue about procedures and rules in any situation, so it was better to avoid any issues and deliver information smoothly.

    As per protocol, Royal Guards could carry any sensitive information directly to His Majesty or Crown Prince. They would also not be stopped by anyone in the process.

    Welner gave them an uneasy look, but eventually agreed that there was no point in causing problems in such a ce.

    So Goretzka and several members of the Royal Guards returned to the royal capital ahead of the others by Skywalk, while Welner and the others were traveling with the troops returning to the royal capital.

    The infantrymanded by Seyfart��s subordinate, a knight, was following behind with the infantry apanying the wounded.

    ��So, how could they have damaged the barriers, though?�� (Seyfart)

    ������ (Welner)

    ��Um, Welner-sama?�� (Lily)

    ��Be careful not to bite your tongue!�� (Seyfart)

    Lily suddenly noticed that Welner had a scary look on his face, and as soon as she called out with a dubious expression on her face, Brave Disbelt shook so much that Lily panicked and clung to Welner.

    In fact, Welner did not have an opportunity to answer because his attention was mostly focused on controlling the horse.

    Welner had some idea as to how demons managed to damage the royal capital��s barrier, but he decided not to think about it for now. After all, it would have no use in solving the great problem at hand, the battle for the defense of the royal capital.

    ��We��ll talk about itterrrr��.�� (Welner)

    ��I, I understand.�� (Seyfart)

    Welner had neglected his horseback riding training, believing that riding at an average level would be enough. However, the current situation made him regret inwardly that he should have practiced more, but it would be a matter for the future.

    ��

    Arriving at the royal capital and passing through the city gates, they found the ce to be noisy, but not chaotic.

    As soon as Welner and the others dismounted from their horses, one of the nobles came down from the top of the city walls.

    ��I��m d you made it in time. I am d you are safe. We have a carriage ready for you.�� (???)

    ��Oh, Count Harfolk. You too, Sir, have worked hard.�� (Welner)

    ��Lord Welner, and Miss Lily, whom I have not seen before, I am Fit Wilke Harfolk.�� (Harfolk)

    ��I am Welner Von Zeavert. My most courteous greetings to you, your Excellency the Count.�� (Welner)

    ��My name is Lily Hearthing.�� (Lily)<hr>

    <b><></b>

 Chapter 208.2

    Chapter 208.2

    Count Harfolk, whomanded the second right wing in the battle of the Hildare ins, belonged to the Military Faction, but he was one of the moderate members of the faction. He was also rted to Marquis Nolpot.

    He was a goodmander and had a good sense of valor. He was also not a bad-looking man, but he had some ring faults that were the reason for him not having many acquaintances.

    Lily and Ate, who dismountedte, were a little taken aback by Count Harfolk��s distinctive perfume, a blend that was difficult to describe. Welner had also heard Marquis Nolpot say with a wry smile, ��He��s good, but his sense of smell is just����

    Although Welner also found the smell concerning, he was more focused on giving instructions to Max and the others.

    ��What��s going on in the capital?��

    ��We��ve captured most of the groups involved with Coffin Sarg and others who might cause a disturbance. We��ve been able to clean up the problems on the streets before the uing battle.��

    ��I��m d to hear that.��

    Regardless of whether a leader was highlypetent or not, just the presence of one was really significant. From this point of view, even before the attack on the royal capital happened, the disappearance of Leppe, who acted as leader for these troublemakers, from the royal capital would also have a significant impact.

    Originally, security forces also maintained a list of dangerous persons. The kidnapping of Lily, the sister of the hero, had prompted the security guards to round up all the suspicious people. The Coffin Sarg and others who had gathered to cause amotion were also captured by the guards.In fact, the person responsible for the roundup was Count Harfolk himself, but he did not show the slightest hint of such a thing.

    ��How is Count Yerring?��

    ��He is recuperating.��

    Welner, who had been seriously wounded previously, had been treated and was now in almost fully functional form, so there was no way Count Yerring, who was only stabbed, to still be undergoing treatment.

    There was no doubt that the dy was for a different reason but was being masked as treatment. However, Welner and the others didn��t need to ask any more than that at this stage.

    ��All right, Lily, you will go with me to the royal pce. Ate will also apany us, okay?�� (Seyfart)

    ��Ye, yes.��

    ��Yes.��

    Lily nodded at Seyfart��s statement, and Ate bowed her head. Nominally, she was under surveince, so Ate had no choice but to say yes.

    ***

    ��I want Lord Welner to head for the south gate. Preparations should be underway.��

    ��Are the powders alright?��

    ��We can deal with the messed up onester. We would probably be working on an all-nighter again. We apologize for forcing you into this����

    At this time, the Zeavert Knights should have been working on something, but because of them being dispatched for emergency reasons, their progress would be dyed. However, the refugees of the old Triot, who heard that work was rted to Viscount Zeavert, voluntarily gathered to help with the work that the knights had left behind.

    However, they kept wondering why the knights were carrying some kind of cargo which should not be the work of a knight, or how the work was being carried out.

    ��I understand. Then I will take up my duties there.�� (Welner)

    Seyfart said with a nod, ��Mm, good luck.��

    Welner was also involved in the nning of the operation to defend the royal capital, so he understood what he was supposed to do. He next turned to Lily.

    ��I��m going.�� (Welner)

    ����Yes, take care.�� (Lily)

    Welner nodded in response, hopped on Brave Disbelt, and started to ride away. Lily stepped forward, and her hand was slightly raised, but she didn��t say anything and stepped back to stand next to Seyfart.

    Max and the rest of the knights followed Welner as they passed in front of Lily.

    Seyfart turned his attention to Lily and said, ��I think you should have said something.��

    ��To tell you the truth, I miss him. I wish I could be there for him. But����

    Lily responded in a small murmur, looking in the direction Welner rode off in, which was already far enough away that only the slightest dust speck that a horse could make could be seen.

    ��I��m sure that Welner-sama would not look his best if he was only staying by my side.�� (Lily)

    ��Hmmm.��

    Seyfart only responded with a hand to his chin, which may have been intended to hide a wry smile.

    ��Well, we can��t let Lord Welner see us not doing anything, so shall we head for the royal castle?��

    ��Yes, sir.��

    The next day, when each of them had worked as hard as they could, countless monsters were seen approaching from the walls of the royal capital at sunrise.

    From this day on, the battle to defend the royal capital would begin.<hr>

 Chapter 209.1

    Chapter 209.1

    First spotted from the west wall of the royal capital were a group of harpies. The flying group of about 50 creatures was something that the kingdom��s guards had never witnessed before, but they already knew that enemies would be arriving soon.

    Because the monsters still looked down on humans other than the heroes, it was anticipated that enemies woulde in waves. Everyone understood that the situation was currently in favor of the kingdom. Therefore, the guards and the knights on the ramparts had enough time to exchange a few small private words as they prepared to intercept the attack.

    ��It starts from those flying monsters, after all.��

    ��I heard that Viscount Zeavert was investigating it, but how did he discover that?��

    ��Maybe he heard about this from the heroes. As I recall, the Viscount and Hero Mazell��s sister����

    ��Before you waste your breath talking about nonsense, get ready!��

    The knight shouted a reprimand to the guards who were exchanging a casual conversation. The guards hurriedly prepared their crossbow ballista, lining up the liquid-filled vessel and adding moreponents to it, while waiting for the enemy to approach.

    Of course, Welner did not remember all the monsters in the game. However, he did remember that this harpy appeared in thebyrinth dungeon of the Heavenly King of the Wind. They were troublesome opponents.

    ��

    In the game, monsters (demons) with confusion-type abilities were very troublesome to deal with, but ironically, in the current situation, they were not so frightening. After all, in a group fight, even if one or two soldiers got confused, there would be plenty of ways to deal with the situation.

    Of course, if someone like Mazell became confused, anyone around him should run away as fast as they could. However, it would be easy to contain one or two confused normal soldiers.

    Rather, one should be more wary of a poison attack, so it was best to strike those harpies before they could get close enough to fight.

    Welner knew from his previous life that the kingdom��s army would be at a significant disadvantage if the enemy was watching them from the sky. Therefore, Welner insisted that it was necessary to first take away the enemy��s ��eyes�� by taking down this flying squadron, which would be the advance guard of the opponent.

    Welner was more aware of the dangers of aerial patrols than the Knights, but any knight who had served as guards of ramparts knew that the view from above could be considered as an advantage. Therefore, everyone agreed with Welner��s opinion of aiming at taking down the aerial units, and preparations were being made for this purpose.

    Evacuating as many people as possible from the border to the royal capital was part of this strategy. The Royal Army, which had confirmed in Finnoi that the enemy also needed to eat, had seeded in starving the enemy as it was marching to the royal capital by giving them no one to attack.

    ��

    Eventually, when the enemies were approaching within a certain distance, a signal was sent in the form of a metal te reflecting light toward the inside of the city walls while preparations for the final battle were being made within the city walls.

    The west gate was opened and infantrymen rushed out of it. The harpies saw this and began their descent at increased speed.

    The soldiers rushed back inside the city walls, but the harpies continued their descent toward the still-open gate. If Welner had been on that battlefield, he would have described it as a hungry vulture biting the bait.

    A series of strange sounds urred above the city walls. Numerous metal containers flew from the height of the city walls further up into the sky at an angle. Then, just as the harpies were about to elerate further to rush into the city gates before they closed, liquid poured down from overhead, causing the harpies to make strange movements as they struggled in the air, and thens covered them from overhead.

    The group of harpies became visibly disoriented.

    What Welner thought and proposed at this time was the stic bottle rocket of his previous life. Having remembered the mysterious gasses generated in the sealed bags during the experiments with the magic stone, Welner thought that it might be possible to make the tool itself fly, not as a weapon, but to deliver the trap to a distant ce.

    Although lightweight containers such as PET bottles did not exist, he had already experimented with thin metal containers to gain some distance if arge amount of gas could be generated at once inside the container.

    The rockets were thenunched diagonally upward from the top of the city wall aiming at a distance just ahead of the descending harpies. The rockets were made from lightweight monster materials and had a conical top, which helped in increasing the flying distance.

    <b>(T/N: Imagine Net Gun or Net Launcher)</b>

    Thes were pulled by the rockets from above the ramparts and spread wide, trapping the harpies which ran into thes because of their momentum.<hr>

 Chapter 209.2

    Chapter 209.2

    Thes were made of monster materials, so they could not be cut off so easily, and above all, they could not be easily shaken loose once the wings and feet of the harpies got entangled into them. Although thes were onlyrge enough to fit humanoid opponents, it was more than enough to trap its prey.

    These harpies proved Welner��s hypothesis. As Welner had predicted, the harpies�� ability to fly was hampered by the wind magic tools that were still consuming magic power from the surrounding area at the edge of thes.

    If all they had to do was send thes flying, they could have done so with arrows from their crossbow. But to stop those harpies in their tracks, PET-bottle rockets were better as they could carry things like <b><i>liquid</i></b>. The liquid that was poured down on harpies from rockets was not just water.

    The harpies writhed in disgust, pping their wings and shaking their heads in an attempt to shake off the liquid they had been drenched in. All those movements caused harpies to get further tangled up ins.

    Although that liquid had the effect of harassing monsters and making them run away, it did not have enough power to damage the monsters.

    ��

    <b><i>Some time ago��</i></b>

    As the opinion began to coalesce around the idea that potion to repel monsters should be used as ast resort to protect the residents who had evacuated to the city, Welner spoke up.

    ��What if we just dilute it and use it in a diluted manner?��

    A stunned air spread through the conference room at such an unexpected suggestion.

    The potion to repel monsters was originally a concentrated solution to be sprayed on the ground to produce an effect. That meant that even if the solution was diluted, it should still have some effect if it was directly sprayed on the opponent. In order to be sure, they tested its effect on the monsters in the suburbs of the royal capital.

    As expected, it really had an effect on monsters. However, to make it really useful in war situations, diluted potion needed to spread to arge distance.

    There was a limit to the distance that could be covered by aiming the potion manually. That was where PET-bottle rockets provided a solution, spreading the potion much farther than being thrown manually or scooped up and sshed directly.

    ��

    <b>Back to the present��</b>

    The diluted potion that was carried by the PET-bottle rockets to the top of the harpies fell on their bodies, causing the monsters to act confused for a moment, but it was enough distraction for an opening. Welner also once consideredunching a steam explosion as a follow up, but decided not to do so because heating the potion would have destroyed its effectiveness.

    Max, who had been watching harpies writhe in pain from a distance on the ramparts, asked, ��What do you think that potion feels like to monsters?��

    Welner, who hade up to the ramparts to check his luggage, answered, ��I don��t know, but I guess�� it��s like having a bunch of ants crawling all over your skin, right?��

    Welner��s reply caused not only Max but also Augen, Valcay, Neurath, and Schunzel to frown.

    ��I don��t even want to imagine that feeling, sir.��

    ��I felt bad when you said it, as well.��

    Even Welner, the one who made thement, responded with a subtle expression on his face, and while he was doing so, the battle situation changed. Countless arrows started raining down from the top of the ramparts.

    At the initial stage, the few harpies that were covered withs might still have been able to avoid the barrage of arrows. However, because the harpies were distracted by the effects of the diluted potion, they became even more entangled in thes one after another, bing so tangled that it was almost impossible for them to escape.

    In a very short time, more than 50 harpies crashed to the ground. No sooner after that attack, Welner and the others descended the ramparts, revealing the results of the attack.

    Having seeded in blinding the enemy��s side, the second phase of the operation started, which involved the kingdom��s army going outside the city.

    ��Let��s go out!��

    ��The Zeavert Corps, move out, too!��

    Following the other units, the Zeavert Corps,manded by Welner, also moved out of the city. There was something to be done before the enemy��s second column arrived.

    The Kingdom��s army, fired up by the fact that none of its allies had suffered any losses in the first battle, hurriedly rode to its nned position.<hr>

 Chapter 210.1

    Chapter 210.1

    The ground trembled. Vibrations echoed.

    The surrounding Knights who had apanied Welner on his reconnaissance mission looked pale, but he could not say anything because Welner himself was gulping air.

    In Welner��s sense, he could only identify it as if ��A building is walking toward us��. Neurath gulped next to him.

    ��It��s huge.��

    ��Extremely so.��

    The giant eagle��s head protruding from the center of the group was striking, but apart from its size, the overall design was simr to that of a Gryphon. The eagle��s wings might be a symbol of its need to lead the group.

    The problem was its size. The closest Welner coulde to imagining it was a six-story condominium moving on the ground. He could only think of a final mid-boss. That being was Mubrial the Wind, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    The boss who had been seen on the game monitor was of course of a size that would be typical of a boss character. But when he saw it in real life, its presence was different.

    ��There really is a big difference, huh?��Welner recalled seeing an artwork in his previous life, a work in which the protagonist fought a giant whose head seemed to peek over the top of a city wall.

    Welner couldn��t help but mumble to himself, ��I can��t do the acrobatic movements protagonist did��, perhaps with a bit of escapism mixed in his mind.

    Surrounding that boss were probably Cyclops. The Mubrial in the center was too conspicuous, but the Cyclops also outnumbered the Finnoi and Anheim Demon Generals in size, if not in agility.

    There were more than a dozen of them, each of themrger than a two-story house, moving around with a huge club that looked like a block of stone, perhaps the size of a car. It was like a battering ram moving on two legs. No wonder the seemingly solid walls were easily knocked down in the game.

    The Dark Knights were deployed around the center of the group, numbering more than 20000. One of them could easily take on several human soldiers, but the horses on which the Knights were riding were also a different kind of magic beast called Bicorn.

    In the game, yers could damage both of them at once, but in reality, you need to think about how to deal with them separately.

    The unicorns were said to be the protectors of purity, whereas the Bicorn were said to be the protectors of impurity. In the game, the Bicorn was treated just as a different color of unicorn, but in reality, the Bicorn I saw had a kind of bewitching atmosphere to it.

    ��So Mazell has been fighting such monsters.��

    Welner blurted out once more as he watched from a distance. At the same time, he could not help but realize that his experience of living in this world for more than ten years since his reincarnation had affected him to some extent positively. It had made him mentally stronger.

    He was inwardly impressed by the fact that the adventurers were also dealing with such monsters, but he was determined not to be outdone and regained his spirit.

    The Cyclops, however, was not a mid-boss, but a random-encountered monster that was fought over and over again in a dungeon, and Welner had also fought simr opponents many times in the game.

    The thought of Mazell continuing his journey to defeat the Demon King while fighting such beings sent a cold sweat down Welner��s spine.

    As he reflected on the fact that he may have underestimated the difficulty of Mazell��s journey, Marquis Nolpot, who had arrived a short-distance away to inspect the situation, spoke up.

    ��That must indeed be frightening. I understand. But remember, everyone. We all have families in the royal capital. We should not be frightened here.��

    Marquis Nolpot��s voice was calm and had the gravitas of experience. He also maintained a calm demeanor himself, and even his appearance gave off an air of reassurance to the soldiers. Gradually, calmness started to be restored in the surrounding soldiers.

    Seeing this with honest admiration, Welner also called out to his immediate troops.

    ��Don��t panic. Their siege won��tst that long. At most, we would only need to hold out for a few days.��

    Although this was only a rough estimate, Welner believed that the raid��s limit would be until Mazell defeated the Heavenly King of Fire.

    In the game, defeating the Four Heavenly Kings may have been the g for the destruction of the Royal Capital, but whether that would also happen in reality was a question that remained to be seen.

    ��The enemy attack has been expected, so we are well-prepared for it. We will <b><i>win</i></b>.��

    This might only be half true at most. After all, the one leading the attack on the Royal Capital would not be an opponent against whom they could be assured of victory even if they were well-prepared.

    Of course, there was no reason to tell soldiers all of this and decrease their morale.

    ��Okay, Lord Welner, let��s go.��

    ��Yes!��

    Marquis Nolpot��s voice was answered by Welner, who also turned his horse��s direction.

    Among the demon army, harpies were the first to reach the city walls probably because other demon units were big in size and moved rtively slowly. Confirming that his earlier decision to crush the harpies had been effective, Welner returned to lead his soldiers as they prepared for the attack.

    On the top of the city walls of the royal capital, there was probably no one who was not terrified by the approaching demon army as they could feel vibrations getting stronger.

    Normally, it was the job of the soldiers on the city walls to fire arrows from a height beyond the reach of the enemy��s attack.

    However, watching their current enemy��s huge bodies, it was easy to imagine that once those giant demons reached near city walls, they would be able to easily crush the city walls.

    Count Harfolk and Count Muelle, who were inmand on the ramparts, tried to calm down the soldiers�� agitation by making them focus on tasks at hand.

    ��Listen, don��t mistakenly drop <b><i>them</i></b> before it is the right time.��

    ��Install the projectiles in the catapults, and do it quickly.��

    While following orders, soldiers would not have time to think about useless things.<hr>

 Chapter 210.2

    Chapter 210.2

    Several soldiers put boxes on the small catapults set up in a line on top of the city walls, and they also proceeded to prepare ballistas to be used in the pursuit.

    It was not difficult to take aim at the demon army, which was walking towards the royal capital at a steady pace, perhaps they were doing this to intimidate the humans.

    ��Release!��

    ��Fire!��

    The huge wall-like demonic army entered within the range of attack, which had been tested and confirmed many times.

    Next, a nket of boxes flew from the catapults ced on top of the city walls. To be fair, demons should have been able to avoid most of the flying boxes and containers, but the demon army, which approached as a single group, did not try to avoid them at all.

    Demons only tried to knock them down and brush them off as they were about to hit them. However, even that was enough, and when the boxes shattered, a white powder spread all over the area.

    The people who had thrown the boxes had taken refuge within the walls of the royal capital sat down in fear, and the soldiers above the walls looked at each other as they watched what happened next.

    The Dark Knights around the giant demons, Cyclops, were also caught in the chaos and some of them were even crushed during the confusion by Cyclops, causing their ranks to be thrown into disarray.Even though the boxes, that rained down on the Dark Knights, were intercepted and smashed overhead, powder inside them fell down, causing some of the Bicorns (basically like horses) to go berserk and shake the knights riding on them off their backs.

    ��Looks like it worked����

    Count Harfolk spoke up, somewhat stunned. He understood that the contents of the sealed jar, which he had been told not to open, not to tamper with, and not to touch because of its danger, were more dangerous than he had imagined.

    In Welner��s previous life, calcium oxide, also called quicklime, was industrially made from limestone, which was formed through both biological and nonbiological processes, such as the umtion of corals and shells in the sea.

    Calcium oxide could be made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) or shells to over 825��C in a high-temperature furnace, and its primary use was often as a material for cement.

    However, this calcium oxide had the property of rapidly heating when water was added, rising to nearly one hundred degrees Celsius before turning into water calcium oxide, which was also used in Welner��s previous life to heat double-bottomed lunch boxes by overheating when a string was pulled to warm the lunch box.

    Even a small amount of water, like sweat, could start the reaction.

    Because of these properties, quicklime had also been used as a weapon in Welner��s previous life. In 80 BC, the Roman general Sertorius deployed choking clouds of caustic lime powder to defeat the Characitani of Hispania, who had taken refuge in inessible caves.

    The reason this tactic was not widely used was partly because it was difficult to prepare quicklime, but it was also difficult to preserve it in medieval times because it reacts with moisture in the air.

    There was also the fact that there was no way to protect one��s own soldiers, so it could not be used in a melee situation because of the risk of self-destruction.

    If Welner had been an orthodox historian, he would never have read about it.

    Knowing that there was no cement at the time of the aqueduct construction, Welner thought that there was probably very little limestone as well, and that the properties of this quicklime were also unknown. He consulted Seyfart to see if this could be used as a surefire way to blind their opponent.

    The recent expansion of trade with the maritime nation of Zarlois was also a blessing for Welner. They could now import arge quantity of shells and bring them to the royal capital. Thus, they had an abundance of raw materials.

    Seyfart, who had tested and verified the benefits of this tactic, used airtight containers so that quicklime could be stored safely. He also made sure that the location it would be stored would be a dry ce.

    The staff in charge of the project had also been silenced withrge sums of money for their treatment after they tinkered with the product. Apparently they faced a great deal of trouble dealing with the materials involved.

    The main objective of this strategy was to hit the Bicorns so that they would be stunned, making the Demon Army��s lose their advantage, allowing only the soldiers of the kingdom to engage in tactical maneuvering.

    However, the results were greater than expected, and it was undeniable that Welner was only hoping that it would be effective against the Bicorns.

    It was unclear whether he was able to make the Cyclops lose their eyes, but at least the pain and disgust he caused them exceeded Welner��s expectations.

    The rampage of the gigantic demons on the spot caused chaos even among the Dark Knight Squads, and they lost dozens of riders before the sh even started.

    Because of the chaos that was created, the Dark Knights were forced to move away from the lumbering Cyclops. There was no formation in their ranks, just a mass evacuation. As a result, the Dark Knights lost their military advantage.

    It was at this point that Marquis Nolpot and his men, who had already marched out of the castle, made their move.<hr>

 Chapter 211.1

    Chapter 211.1

    The first to move among Marquis Nolpoth��s forces were not cavalry but infantry.

    The infantry stopped when it saw a group of Dark Knights who had just escaped from the rampaging giants and immediately pointed their crossbows at them.

    Just as the Dark Knights noticed this and tried to fix their formation, the infantrymen pulled the trigger of their crossbows, sending countless iron balls flying, knocking the Dark Knights off their bicorns.

    The demons had extremely high durability as well as defensive strength, so if they had been attacked with <b>ordinary </b>crossbows, they would not have fallen from the Bicorn.

    In contrast, the impact of the bullet crossbow��s iron balls was more impactful. Although it was not a fatal blow to the Dark Knights, a monster in full-body armor, they could not escape the heavy impact.

    The heavy iron balls flew at high speed and knocked the knights off their horses, leaving them unable to catch or control Bicorns, who had lost their vision.

    (T/N: Bicorns are horse-like demons/monsters.)

    Marquis Nolpoth, who saw many, but not all, of the Dark Knights fall from their horses, waved a red g and gave the signal.

    At the signal, the sound of a whistle echoed across the battlefield. The next moment, the Bicorns started running toward the sound, causing the fallen Dark Knights to be kicked and crushed by the Bicorns that were supposed to be their mounts, causing an indescribable confusion.Although the Dark Knights, who were still riding Bicorns, pulled on their reins in dismay, the Bicorns, who had lost their senses, still suddenly started running.

    Before the Dark Knights had time toe to their senses, a squad led by Viscount Davrak, charging with battle-axes, cut inside the group of Dark Knights from their nk and started killing them.

    The advantage of the whistle, an item that Welner had known in the game, was that it could be used to attract demons to an area and engage in battle to earn game EXP.

    However, in reality, even adventurers would not try to attract demons unless they have a great need to do so. Therefore, it was only natural that Welner wondered why they would have developed such a tool to attract demons in the days of the ancient kingdoms.

    But Welner changed his mind when he thought about it in the context of mass warfare. He realized that being able to attract the demons meant being able to guide the demons. Tactically, this tool could separate the part of the enemy forces that heard the sound of the whistle from the main battlefield.

    It would make more sense if the whistle were originally intended for use in a group battle against a demon army, rather than for use against monsters individually, as in RPGs. Welner thought so and used the whistle to separate the Dark Knights from the main enemy forces as well as separating the Bicorns from the Dark Knights.

    The Dark Knights did react to the sound of the whistle, but the movement speed of a full-body armored Knight and a quadrupedal beast differed a lot.

    Marquis Nolpoth��s army ignored the Bicorns, who had been drawn by the sound, and started to attack the Dark Knights, who had fallen from their horses. As the Bicorns were removed from the scene, the Dark Knights started to fight back.

    ��

    ��Here theye, get ready!�� (Welner)

    ��Ha!��

    Welner quickly checked the entire situation as he saw a group of Bicornsing towards them.

    So far, everything was going ording to n. For now, they only had to take care of the approaching Bicorns.

    Calmly, Welner gave the order.

    ��Ready!��

    The knights dismounted and stood by in response to Welner��s voice. Next, they formed a line and lifted the long spears that they had left lying on the ground. After that, they poised like stone pikes on the ground, holding spears at an angle where their whole bodies were positioned to support their weapons.

    A group of Bicorns plunged head on into the wall of spears that Max, the leader of the Zeavert knights, had prepared for them. The Bicorns screamed in pain, and soon a line of <ince-pierced-Bicorn</i> formed, as Bicorns failed to stop in time because of their momentum. More indescribable screams and sounds of impact echoed, along with vibrations.

    Typically, the line of spears, a defense tactic using long-handled spears, were used to stop the horsemen rather than to knock them down. After all, it would be stupid for a knight who was riding a horse to rush into a wall of spears.

    Demons, however, were not originally sensitive to the emotion of fear. Moreover, many of them have been blinded. Therefore, they did not stop halfway and elerated themselves into the tips of the spears.

    Some of the Bicorns, still breathing, struggled to move their bodies, which had been pierced by the spears, but there was no way they could get out of the situation.

    ��Mage squad, take care of it!��

    Welner called out, and the magician team behind the line-of-spearsunched their first attack. Considering that magic was less powerful in a group battle, everyone chanted magic in turn, not all at once, but in a lopsided fashion, with various attack magic flying through the air.

    Unlike bows, area magic could not be easily avoided. The magic was aimed only at the Dark Knights, who were still barely on top of their Bicorns, and as a result, they were hit by concentrated attacks. In the end, the Dark Knights fell to the ground.

    Although a lot of Bicorns were ughtered, there were still many left. Those Bicorns entered into another frenzy, rampaging many Dark Knights.

    As a result, enemy forces were in a hot mess. Then Welner��s new instructions fly.<hr>

 Chapter 211.2

    Chapter 211.2

    ��Aim at all of them from the left and right! The magician��s group is now moving!��

    Troops from Augen and Valcay rushed in from either side. These two troops also dismounted, all of them carrying a long-handled ive. Their objective was to cut off the legs of Bicorns.

    In this world, horses were expensive and were more often captured and used as a reward for fighting against a nation. Therefore, Augen and others were surprised when they were instructed to do so, but they epted it without much resistance because they were dealing with demons anyway.

    And as both units ran around with the objective of neutralizing the opponent��s strength rather than defeating them one by one, confusion spread among the group of Bicorns who were caught in between the screams.

    The Bicorns, being demons, were dangerous enough, but because of the favorable battlefield situation, the soldiers�� sense of fear was at least halved. It also boosted the morale of the soldiers to know that their strategy was working.

    The troops of Augen and Valcay rushed into the midst of the enemy and cut off Bicorn��s legs one after another. Barely escaping the chaos, the Dark Knights were about to get into a fighting position when they were randomly hit by a unit that hade around the perimeter of this localized battle.

    The greatest disadvantage of the sorcerer corps was its mobility. Unlike soldiers, whose training begins with walking in the first ce, magicians were closer to being indoor soldiers, and it was difficult for them to keep up with knights and infantrymen. Therefore, they would normally be used in the same way as archers for base defense and first battles.

    But that would not be enough to make full use of their abilities. So, Welner consulted Seyfart and had him prepare a chariot drawn by two horses forbat use.

    It was a three-man chariot with one coachman and one to twobatants, but by recing thesebatants with magicians, the chariot became mobile and could even be made to cast magic while moving.For this reason, conversely, the Zeavert Corps contributed most of its horses to the chariots to increase their numbers, turning the Zeavert Corps into an infantry corps, but they were given approval as a specialized force in taking away Bicorn��s mobility. This was in consideration of the overall situation.

    It would normally be an unbing instruction for a knight, but there were fewints from the Knights of Zeavert. Perhaps it was because they have adapted to Welner��s way of thinking in a strange way, saying that they had no choice but to follow amander who knew what they needed to do.

    The fast-moving sorcerers�� corps moved around to the rear faster than the enemy and began to use magic to beat down the enemies who had escaped the confusion and emerged from the battle. A knight on foot could not catch up with a two-horse cart. As the line of Dark Knights ran around to force a close battle, the mercenaries led by Gekke rushed in, turning Dark Knights one after another into mere immobile armor.

    ��We��reing too!��

    The main force led by Welner, confirming the situation, also moved in. With Max, Augen, Valcay, and others in tow, Welner himself led the charge, stabbing through a group of Bicorns that had lost their legs, cutting off their heads, and smashing their skulls. Everyone followed Welner��s lead and began to stain themselves with Bicorn��s blood.

    The Zeavert forces faced about half of the Bicorns that had been moved in their direction, finishing the batch with the support of the sorcerers�� corps.

    At this time, the battlefield was divided into four main areas.

    Originally, Dark Knight troops were divided into north and south. It happened because of evacuation when the giant Cyclops, which was in the center of the demon army, went on the rampage.

    At the front of the city gate, the ballista opened powerful fire on the Heavenly King Mubrial and the Cyclops, with Mubrial neighing loudly in displeasure.

    Meanwhile, the Dark Knights force that escaped to the south was further divided into two areas: where Bicorns suddenly ran to <b><i>and</i></b> where Dark Knights originally evacuated.

    After Bicorns ran away, left off Dark Knights began to engage in fierce battles with the army of 30000 men led by Marquis Nolpoth.

    Then, the 250 men of the 1st and 2nd Order of Royal Guards, who had made arge detour from the north gate,unched a charge against the 10000 Dark Knights who had taken refuge on the north side.

    The First and Second Order of Royal Guards did not have the same tools as the forces deployed on the south side. Instead, they have a towed carroballista, which should be called a tank by this world��s standards.

    With the carroballista leading the attack, the two knight orders dared to charge as a group. The Dark Knights, on the other hand, were caught off guard, and confusion spread in their ranks.

    The two knight orders coordinated skillfully, and when the first knight order on the right wing strengthened its attack, the second knight order on the left wing loosened their attack, and when the first knight order was about to be pushed back, the second knight order went on the offensive, cutting the knights of the Demon Army from their nks.

    The Knights skillfully used whistle, arrows and banner signals, and in no time at all, they began to reduce the Dark Knights to a mere handful.

    The biggest miscalction of the demon army was that they did not anticipate that the human side was waiting for their arrival and did not even assume that they would fight back with full preparations.

    Moreover, since the human side seemed to have abandoned their towns and viges and fled, they assumed that more human forces were probably hiding inside the city and were helping in the defenses. They had not anticipated that humans would make such a bold move at all.

    The kingdom��s army, on the other hand, was well-prepared for the attack. There was no reason for them to stay in the city and let the enemy attack unterally.

    Above all, even though the size of the enemy was unknown, they were able to find information about the types of monsters that would attack them. They could even make a prediction of the enemy��s strength to a certain extent.

    There was a difference between being ambushed by a mysterious enemy and knowing that the enemy was going to attack and having a good grasp of the enemy��s information.

    First, they would destroy the opponent��s eyes, harpies, then strike to make the opponent lose mobility, and finally, they would dare to fight a defensive battle against the Forth Heavenly King and Cyclopes.

    In the form of counterattacking the demon army that had been advancing for a long time, the kingdom army had been advancing the battle situation favorably up to this point.<hr>

 Chapter 212.1

    Chapter 212.1

    The timeline goes back.

    While Zeavert��s forces were holding off the Bicorns, Mubrial, one of the four heavenly kings, seemed to be slightly displeased with the surrounding chaos, but he did not stop andunched an attack on the royal capital.

    Mubrial��s original goal was to steal and bring back the magic crystal of the royal capital. To be fair, he believed that he alone was more than enough to aplish the goal. But the reason why he decided to bring his subordinates with him was <b>not</b> out of consideration for the resistance of the humans, but out of consideration for the time and effort it would take to search for the crystal, and also to strengthen the demons that apanied him.

    Recognizing that there was too much of a gap in their abilities, Mubrial showed little interest in the human tricks being yed around him, preferring instead to m his giant eagle��s talon into the walls of the royal capital.

    Ignoring the screaming and scrambling of the soldiers on the ramparts, Mubrial brought his foot down.

    Most of the buildings would have copsed with this blow, but the ramparts didn��t break.

    Mubrial��s eyes shed with doubt so he stood up on his hind legs and then mmed both his front talons down again on the ramparts. The soldiers who werete to escape screamed and fell from the ramparts.

    However, even with his powerful strike, the ramparts did not break. Not even the uneven hedges of the ramparts were chipped off.

    One of the Kingdom��s knights, who had been slumped down in front of a huge foot that could crush several people at the same time, snapped out of it and ran away. Mubrial, not even looking at the escaping knight, tilted his eagle head in wonder why he was unable to break the city walls.Shortly thereafter, a sound of something slicing through the air reached Mubrial and Cyclopes. The counterattack from above the city walls had begun.

    With his strong defenses and the size of a huge building, Mubrial should not have been affected by a crossbow or even an ordinary ballista. However, arrows shot from the ballista pierced not only Mubrial but also Cyclopes, and the arrow heads dug into Mubrial��s body.

    Mubrial screamed in displeasure and struck his talons over the ramparts once more, continuously knocking down the soldiers there. However, soldiers were not intimidated.

    Soon, arrows flying from the other side pierced various parts of Mubrial��s body. The soldiers, realizing that the walls themselves were unbreakable, were now on the offensive, determined not to let demons get over the walls.

    Surprisingly, the Mubrial and Cyclopes suddenly started screaming in difort and pain. This was because the arrows that pierced their bodies were not ordinary arrows.

    The arrows that the kingdom��s army wereunching this time were made of metal, knowing that the arrowheads would berger and heavier. Some of them were even designed in a manner to heat up using magic stones to increase their damage level. To put it extremely, it was as if an iron bar had been turned into an arrow and driven into the opponent��s body.

    Because of the arrows�� weight and imbnce, even if they wereunched with Ballistas, their uracy was low and the range shortened. Therefore, they were being fired using ballistas from very close range.

    The effect of this tactic was not so bad on a giant like Mubrial, but on Cyclopes, it worked extremely well.

    In human size, it would be like a five-sided nail stuck in your body that keeps overheating and burning you from the inside out. Not only have Cyclopes suffered loss of vision, but they have also begun to burn from the inside out.

    Mubrial, too, was furious and tried to strike the city wall in his fury, but was stopped in midair just before he hit the wall.

    ��

    The King and the surrounding ministers besides him breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a report from the watchtower, where there was someone monitoring the condition of the city walls.

    ��Mage Captain, you have done well. It appears that the barriers are functioning properly.�� (King)

    ��I��m d to hear that, your highness. If it weren��t for Miss Hearthing hearing about the issue in the city barrier, we would have been in danger.�� (Mage Captain)

    ��So I heard. You did a good job, Miss Hearthing.�� (King)

    ��I am not worthy of such praise, your highness.�� (Lily)

    Lily, who had been kneeling, bowed her head deeply, as if nervous, as she was praised by the King.<hr>

 Chapter 212.2

    Chapter 212.2

    Underground library had three areas: an archive room where Welner and Lily read books, a secret chamber where Juliane��s soul was sealed and a room from which the capital��s barrier was operated.

    Although the city barrier was operated from a separate chamber in the underground library, magic circles that were drawn for that purpose were quiterge, and thus they even spread out to the archive room where Welner and Lily read books.

    Because of tight security, it must be really difficult for Juliane to mess with the chamber from which the city barrier was operated. Thus, Welner and team decided to focus on the other areas while trying to find the issue with the barrier.

    Welner noticed that one of the shelves of the archive room seemed to have been moved recently, so they decided to check that area first.

    It turned out that the magic circles were also drawn on floors and the original purpose of the carpet was to protect them.

    And the magic circle painted on that section was indeed damaged. This was probably done to keep it from being discovered until the attack on the royal capital. Although the floor itself was not badly damaged, part of the magic circle had been erased.

    The Mage Captain and researchers turned pale when they saw this. Even if a magic circle could be drawn, there was no way to draw it without knowing what kind of pattern it had been. The researchers were about to examine the data when Lily, who had received permission to enter the archives and see the magic circles, spoke up.

    [It looks familiar to me. I can roughly tell what kind of patterns were drawn on it.]

    Of course, Lily was not familiar with magic circles. However, the design of this magic circle was the same as the one on the floor of the ce where Juliane had abducted her. She had no idea what the lines meant, but she remembered the approximate shape of a picture or pattern.Even though she could only make out the general lines, once she knew that much, she immediately informed researchers about it.

    Investigators were immediately dispatched to check the details. As a result, it was determined that the magic circle that had been erased could be restored by investigating the magic circle in the ruins.

    ��The normal barriers are designed to repel monsters from approaching, but it seems that by supplying arge amount of magic power with that magic circle, the strength of the city walls can also be improved.��

    ��I didn��t realize that the water and sewage systems of the royal capital themselves were part of arger barrier.��

    It was enough to make the Mage Captainugh when he discovered that as soon as the magic circle was restored, the magic tool researchers immediately started organizing and discussing details without regard to the ongoing battle.

    ��Hmm, does that mean that it �C what had been sealed in the underground of the royal capital �C was resurrected and damaged the barrier before the demon king��s resurrection?��

    ��The other party said so.��

    Knowing that the war was going in the Kingdom��s favor so far, Lily, who was asked about the situation back and forth, albeit briefly, managed to finish exining the situation, though her voice was somewhat trembling in front of the King, and let out a small sigh of relief.

    There was no doubt that she was somewhat puzzled as to why she was here. However, from the perspective of the kingdom��s upper echelons, she was one of the most important people in the kingdom, and therefore, it was safer for her to be here. In this sense, there was some gap in perception.

    ��I didn��t realize that one of the Demon Generals (Juliane) had been revived before the Demon King��s resurrection.��

    ��About that, it appears that the other party (Juliane) was not a Demon General.��

    Royal Guard Deputy Commander Goretzka, who was present with Lily, interjected. The King and the Prime Minister looked at Goretzka, and Goretzka exined that he could not find a ck gem that remained after defeating a Demon General.

    The King and the ministers agreed that it was a different entity from Demon Generals, keeping in mind that it (Juliane) also melted at the end.

    ��The priestess (Juliane) who brought about the Demon King��s resurrection��shall we call her a Demon Priestess?��

    ��Mm. How she escaped from the underground library itself is still unclear, though.��

    Lily and Goretzka each have aplicated expression on their faces at the ministers��ments. From their point of view, it would not be a good thing for them to mention Juliane��s name in the presence of other ministers who didn��t know about the situation, so they had to exin the situation in a somewhat vague manner.

    Of course, it was agreed that detailed information would be given at ater date, but it was certain that there were people who wanted to hear some simple information. It was also true that, especially for the nobles and ministers who are not directly involved in the defense of the royal capital, curiosity took precedence since there was nothing to do currently.

    ��Did Viscount Zeavert say anything about that?�� (King)

    ��He seemed to be aware of something, but I didn��t have an opportunity to ask him about it in detail����

    Lily answered the King��s question with a bow of her head. The king nodded. The situation being what it was, it seemed inevitable. As soon as the King spoke further, the entire building vibrated loudly. Screams leaked out from nearby areas were loud enough to be heard even in the conference room where the King and ministers were having a meeting.

    ��What happened?��

    ��I��ll find out immediately.��

    One of the knights who had been ordered to investigate left the room and soon returned. He said that a number of windows in the corridor had been broken, and that some people had been injured as a result.

    ��Was there a break-in?��

    ��No, I think it was probably the result of some kind ofrge-scale magic.��

    ��Be on the alert, just in case.��

    ��Yes.��<hr>

 Chapter 212.3

    Chapter 212.3

    Crown Prince Hubert and Duke Grunding, who were checking the battle situation from the observation tower, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the city walls werepletely unaffected by Mubrial��s blow.

    ��It��s a big deal that those barriers are intact, right?��

    ��Mm.��

    Initially, when two of them heard that the capital��s barrier had been destroyed, theirplexion turned bleak, but since it was restored in time, they were able to mentally rx.

    The barrier also prevented city walls from being destroyed. If the city walls had been destroyed in several ces by multiple Cyclopes, demons would have invaded from there. In such a situation, it would have been impossible to defend the royal capital.

    ��What is the status of the battle outside the city?��

    ��I don��t know for sure, but there have been no reports of a disadvantage.��

    As soon as one of the knights who was standing by responded in this way, the flow of air changed. It was no metaphor. The Mubrial, with his head visible above the ramparts, suddenly began sucking in air with a loud intake sound. Even Hubert and the others on the tower, who were a good distance away, were forced away from the window by the sudden gust of wind.

    Mubrial pped his wings, and countless numbers of light-reflecting objects flew over the city walls and into the sky of the royal capital.The next moment, Mubrial roared. A huge storm of wind erupted from within the eagle��s beak, sending the soldiers on the city walls flying through the air, blowing off the roofs of the houses near the city walls, and creating a huge explosion in the sky over the royal capital, sending shockwaves all around. The screams of the royal capital��s residents ovepped with the explosion.

    At the same time, a point of light, swallowed by a huge storm in the middle of the explosion, sucked in the wind and created a ck haze around it, which further transformed its appearance. Soon, Mad Demons spread their wings and began to fly over the royal capital.

    (T/N: Mad Demons are a type of demons.)

    ��Is that����

    ��He created demons. That means that the things he threw into the air were demon cores.��

    Duke Grunding and Crown Prince Hubert were surprised to hear that Mubrial had created demons by throwing the nucleus first and then sending a huge storm of magical power and wind into them as if to strike them.

    Furthermore, the situation also changed near the city walls. The Cyclopes, who had barely regained their vision, grabbed the Dark Knights who were fighting around them and threw them into the city.

    The situation was enough to astonish the soldiers.

    In Welner��s previous life, he had read in history books about the use of catapults to shoot human corpses into castles. It was done to spread a gue from the corpse or to psychologically scare the opponent.

    Unlike humans, however, demons could still move and fight even after they crashed through the roof of a house in the capital, destroying the building underneath.

    The Dark Knights, who were able to sessfully infiltrate the capital after being thrown by force inside the barrier, pushed aside the debris, stood up, and started rampaging with their swords.

    Hubert was surprised but not upset. From the tower that served as the frontlinemand post, Hubert unfurled a g of a different color and shed it on a metal te to indicate the position of the guards inside the castle.

    When the roads of the royal capital were originally repaired, many of the roads were given names, which was helpful here. The colors of the gs and the points of light were enough to designate their purpose to some extent. While issuing instructions from a high vantage point, he sent out orders to destroy each of the Dark Knights who had been thrown into the castle.

    The wounded Dark Knights were easy prey for the guards, who had not been in action up to this point. The Knights shouted with confidence as they attacked the Dark Knights without fear.

    At the same time, the airborne Mad Demons were also attacked, as Ballista arrows shot up from below.

    The ballistas were simply tilted at a 90-degree angle so that they could be shot upward, but since their target was demons that flew, they used arrows simr to the type set up on the city walls.

    This type of ballista, however, had also been improved: it could be mounted on a turntable and moved on a pedestal like the Carroballista so that it could aim at a wide area in the sky by adjusting its direction and angle.

    This anti-air ballista was purposely ced in the city center of the royal capital and inside the pce.

    It was because Welner organized a specialized knight unit that was supposed to destroy flying forces that might enter the city at an early stage of the battle by concentrating fire on opponents while they were still descending and from various angles and directions.

    The airborne interceptor ballistas were mainly operated by noblemen��s knights, but there were also those who attended the school with Welner and Mazell. A second and the third attack was directed at the Mad Demons who had descended on the Ballista.

    Not all adventurers participated directly in the battles outside the city.

    In order to better organize adventurers that stayed inside the city, they were divided into two groups: a group that would focus on attacking the invaders, and a mobile force which would help defend the citizens.

    The adventurers that were inside the city would scatter potions to prevent Mad Demons from attacking Ballistas. Those with bows aimed their arrows at the demons, along with Ballista��s arrows, which were automatically hoisted up, to pierce any approaching Mad Demon.

    Overseeing the entire battle, Crown Prince Hubert dared not take any action against those outside the city walls, leaving the Cyclopes to the forces outside to deal with them.

    A group of Mad Demons headed towards one of the watchtowers, but they failed to get close enough to attack because of the elites of the Mage Corps and Royal Guards.

    What was probably a miscalction for the Mad Demons was that they were unable to use ranged magic as they wished. This was because the magic circles to strengthen the barriers were sucking up the magic power of the inner part of the capital. So, all the Mad Demons could do was just to fly within the royal capital.

    Immediately thereafter, another roar emanated from the Mubrial, and vibrations shook the surrounding area. Crown Prince Hubert frowned upon seeing this. However, he did not show any sign of being upset after that, and focused his thoughts on sendingmands from the tower with Duke Grunding.<hr>

 Chapter 213.1

    Chapter 213.1

    Welner, who had destroyed the Bicorn group outside the city, was indeed surprised by the subsequent actions taken by the Demon Army.

    However, he was unable to see that Mubrial had created Mad Demons in the sky above the royal capital because of the city walls. All that was visible was Mubrial preparing for a roar as he sucked in air and exhaled it, which was then followed by Cyclopes throwing Dark Knights into the city.

    ��That��s ridiculous.��

    ��No human would be able to use that strategy.��

    Welner had never thought that Mubrial would be able to move demons into the city by such a forceful technique as throwing them into the city, but this was no time for admiration or dismay.

    Welner immediately called out to the surrounding knights to regroup and create a new formation. Because of the huge size of the opponent, attacking alone or in small numbers would only result in a counterattack.

    ��Don��t think about defeating the Cyclopes. It will be inefficient. Damage their legs first to stop them from moving. Aim for their heels.��

    ��Ha!��

    ives were designed for this purpose. If one got too close to a Cyclops, they risked being trampled, but using this weapon made that risk less likely.Marquis Nolpoth��s troops were steadily culling the enemies by using a single unit to further divide the enemies from the center and then destroying each of them separately. Just as Welner was thinking that Marquis Nolpoth��s troops would be fine, Mubrial moved again.

    Welner��s force was so close that they could barely stand the storm-like winds. The Bicorns and Dark Knights were sucked up and swallowed up by it.

    Mubrial pped his wings and countless stones fell from them. Welner and the others immediately understood what was happening. Those stones were ck magic stones.

    ��Welner-sama, that��s!��

    ��Alert! More enemies!��

    Schunzel��s voice ovepped with Welner��s angry voice, and the Zeavert squad readied for action. Shortly thereafter, a haze spreads out forming into Bicorns and Dark Knights, and they descend to the ground.

    Welner looked bitterly at this, wondering if this was how small fry mobs sprang up endlessly in the game. It seemed to be true that a demon��s core was different from a magic stone, but he had not thought that magic stones could also be used as a catalyst to create demons.

    ��Ah, damn it, that��s how it works�� it��s all starting to link up.��

    ��What?��

    ��Nothing, Augen! Your squad should head to support Marquis Nolpoth!��

    Marquis Nolpoth was hurriedly reorganizing the frontline in face of the neers as the neers�� arrival would inevitably cause chaos.

    Fortunately, from their position, Welner and his team could cut in from the nk of the enemy group attacking Marquis Nolpoth.

    Welner did not hesitate to give the order. The objective was to give Marquis Nolpoth, thergest force on the southern front, time to regroup.

    ��Max, use your whistle to draw in as many new demons as possible, Valcay, cut into the nk of the enemy that Max��s troops have pinned down! I will leave the rest to Max to direct!��

    ��What about Welner-sama?��

    ��I��ll take Gekke and the rest of the mercenaries with me, you take care of the rest!��

    Welner rushed out with the mercenaries. Behind him, the whistle of the magic flute sounded, and the Bicorns who were heading towards Marquis Nolpoth changed direction.

    Welner and the mercenaries moved away from the battlefield to get behind Mubrial and Cyclopes.

    ��What are the Knights going to do?��

    ��They can take care of themselves.��

    Welner replied shortly to the mercenary who asked him as he ran. In truth, Welner did not have that much time to spare. He would have to stop his opponent once before he could retreat into the city.

    The best solution would be to immobilize the Cyclopes without killing them.

    Therefore, he would rather instruct the mercenaries to cut off only the arms and legs without killing the Cyclopes who were now also throwing Dark Knights into the royal city.

    ��And anyway, why isn��t that big guy going into the royal capital himself?��

    ��Perhaps it��s because of his big body that would make him a big target or the effect of the city barrier will be higher on him.��

    Welner answered that shortly as he caught his breath. Welner could not exin more than that to the mercenary, but he started to wonder if that was really the case.

    After all, with that huge body, it might be impossible for Mubrial to retrieve the magic crystal out of the basement of the royal pce.

    Welnerughed at the thought of Mubrial identally stepping on the crystal and breaking it, and being scolded by the Demon King.

    ��Change weapons, strike from the left, and rush in!��

    Welner shook off his silly imagination and charged in. The mercenaries ran through the midst of the blinded Cyclopes, iling their arms, and digging their weapons into the legs of anyone in the way.<hr>

 Chapter 213.2

    Chapter 213.2

    The ground-shaking vibrations and footsteps that apanied the demons�� screams and yells along with the mercenaries�� spirited voices as their massive bodies moved made Welner��s ears ring with pain and his headache.

    Each of them, including Welner himself, had changed their weapons to their specialty, so they had a good grasp of the situation. It was as if they were running around in a chaotic situation with elephants running amok, wielding weapons and hurting their opponents.

    ����It��s a wild idea, but that��s the way to do it.��

    Welner could not think of any other good ideas at present. He had some concerns for a moment, but as long as they disabled some of the Cyclopes, they couldn��t continue to throw their forces into the interior of the royal capital in the literal sense.

    ��Neurath, Schunzel, you guys fight while protecting the wounded, don��t worry about me!��

    ��Ye, yes!��

    Welner was in a hurry. After giving instructions to Neurath and the others, he ran through the crowd and got under the belly of Mubrial��s huge body. He thrust his spear into the ground, pulled out a spare magic whistle from his magic bag, and blew it loudly under Mubrial��s belly.

    Immediately, there was a differentmotion than before. Cyclopes around Mubrial rushed toward him, and their huge bodies hit Mubrial so hard that he turned his head away from the royal capital, not understanding what had just happened.

    Mubrial, who was a senior-level leader, was immune to the effects of the magic whistle. However, it did have an effect on the surrounding Cyclopes. Cyclopes, obscured by the whistle at close range, rushed forward, crashing into Mubrial because of his huge size.Later, the newly created Dark Knights and Bicorns that heard the sound of the whistle also rushed towards Mubrial. Mubrial, under the illusion that he was being attacked by the enemy, struck the demons in the opposite direction. An indescribable havoc broke out further in the center of the demon army��s core troops.

    Welner abandoned his whistle under the belly of the Mubrial and took up the spear, piercing the Bicorn that rushed towards him. It screamed and fell backward, and was struck by Cyclopes.

    At the same time, the mercenaries attacked the Cyclopes, which turned their backs, and the Cyclops, having lost its vision, swung their arms aimlessly at the mercenaries, hitting the Dark Knights instead.

    Mubrial writhed ufortably. Welner rolled on the ground, ducked, and shed spears with a Dark Knight who approached him amidst the confusion.

    Welner thrust his spear several times, sliding its tip at the armor of his opponent, but his opponent ignored the damage and continued to sh at him. Welner caught the heavy blow, parried it, while using the momentum to distance himself from his knight-suited opponent while being mindful of the surrounding noise and Mubrial��s movement above his head.

    ��As expected of a mob demon from thetter half of the game, strong.��

    Welner acknowledged the difference in cold sweat. He had to admit that it was quite difficult to win a one-on-one fight against this opponent. But the reason he was able to evenst so far was because Welner himself had gotten stronger.

    Although he was unaware of it, he had fought together with Mazell, a hero who had defeated the Demon General Gezarius in Anheim, and it was Welner who had killed Juliane. Welner was stronger than the average knight.

    In this one-on-one fight, Welner would have to fight with all his might, but ironically, Mubrial saved him. Irritated by the surroundingmotion, Mubrial started stomping and knocking away the Cyclopes, which refused to stop their rampage.

    Mubrial��s huge body and massive legs shook the earth as he moved around, making it difficult for Welner and his foe to make a move as well as the others in their surroundings. Welner also had to fight while moving around to avoid being trampled by Mubrial.

    Sometimes the vibrations would even cause Welner to lose his bnce, but because of this, neither side could deal a decisive blow because his opponent was also suffering the same effect.

    Meanwhile, the battle situation around them changed again. From the ramparts, with ballistas and crossbows resuming fire on the enemy below the city.

    At about the same time, Marquis Nolpoth rallied his men andunched a powerful counterattack, cutting off the enemy forces from the south, and the knights in the north also regrouped, crushing the newly manifested demons and cutting into the demon army.<hr>

 Chapter 213.3

    Chapter 213.3

    Mubrial started inhaling heavily again. Welner, who was standing in the pit of his stomach, could see it. At this rate, new demons might be created again, he thought. When he looked at the Dark Knight in front of him with a hint of impatience, something else appeared in his vision.

    Without even a moment to think, Welner started running. With all his might, he thrust his spear through the Dark Knight��s shoulder, and then let go of it, he then grabbed a ballista arrow that had fallen to the ground, heated and red from the inside.

    The sound and smell of burning flesh rose from Welner��s palm.

    ��Gghhhh��!��

    It was like clutching a burning iron rod. Although Welner had a leather glove on his hand, that too was soon worn out due to the high temperature, and it was burning Welner��s palm as it was. But Welner ran further, enduring the pain. He ran up to Mubrial��s hind legs.

    Welner thrust his arrow into Mubrial��s leg, which was as thick as a tree several hundred years old, or more precisely, at the gap between the w and the flesh of the hind leg. The burning metal rod was forced into the inside of Mubrial��s w, which was as big as a child.

    Mubrial, a demon whose sense of pain differed from that of humans, was indeed startled. He had never experienced such an attack.

    Unable to bear the difort any longer, Mubrial stopped ��inhaling�� and opened his eyes. Seeing Welner nearby, he immediately swung his hind legs around and stomped on the ground.

    Welner rolled around to get away, unable to stand up as his whole body was hit by the vibrations and the kicked-up dirt.Welner��s foe, Dark Knight, was caught in the attack instead and was sent flying to the ramparts, where he was mmed down and stopped moving.

    Everyone on the battlefield understood that Mubrial had suddenly changed his move, even though they did not know what was going on. Those who were able to attack from a distance focused on targeting Mubrial, while those who could fight at close quarters rushed in to cut down demons surrounding him.

    The demons, whose leader Mubrial was upset, were slow to respond. They were pushed in at once. The battlefield quickly moved to Mubrial��s periphery, and sword fights, screams, and blood sprays began to cover the area.

    Mubrial let out a scream and soared into the air. Mubrial circled once in the sky and started to fly away from the royal capital. Both friends and foes looked at it for a moment, then the Kingdom Army cheered.

    The demons remaining on the outskirts of the royal capital were ughtered and crushed. The demons were so shaken that they were running around, but there was no escape. One after another, they were hit by countless des and pierced by arrows, and their corpses started to pile up.

    As the sun was setting, the only people moving outside the city were the knights and soldiers of the Kingdom Army and the mercenaries. Once again, the Kingdom Army cheered, and the city��s inhabitants responded.

    It was then that Welner was discovered, battered in the literal sense of the word. He had not been mortally wounded, but had lost consciousness at some point. When he was pulled out from among the motionless armor and the carcass of Bicorns, he was covered in blood, tallow, and dust, and looked like a muddy madman.

    He was quickly brought back to the city and given medical treatment, and after being wiped with a wet cloth all over his body, Welner finally regained his human form. One of the knights, looking sincerely sorry, called out to Welner in the treatment room.

    ��Viscount Zeavert, I��m sorry about this but����

    ��Yeah, reports, right? Got it, I��ll be there in a bit����

    Welner looked depressed as he downed a mug of water, but this was because he was indeed exhausted.

    Still, Welner felt obligated to do his duty and went to Marquis Nolpoth��s main camp near the gates, but the marquis looked surprised and allowed him to return the next day to report to him.

    When Welner returned to the Zeavert residence, he was greeted by a surprised-looking udia and Lily, who had returned earlier. When udia and Norbert asked him if he was okay, Welner told them that he was fine, but that he was tired anyway, and went to his room.

    Lily followed him in a panic and opened the door to his room. Lily hesitantly called out to Welner as he staggered into the room.

    ��Welner-sama, um, at least your jacket.��

    ��Lily.��

    ��Yes?��

    ��Are you all right?��

    Lily looked surprised for a moment, but immediately nodded.

    ��Yes, I��m fine, thanks to Welner-sama.��

    ��I see�� that��s good����

    ��Welner-sama!��

    Lily rushed over and tried to support Welner just before he fell, but it was impossible for her, who didn��t have the strength to support a man who was already on the verge of falling down. So Welner ended up falling down on top of Lily.

    ��Eh, um, Welner-sama? Um, you know.��

    Even if Lily moved around, she could not get Welner off her. Welner was of a different size, so she was unable to push him away. In a mild panic, Lily called out to Welner for now, but he did not respond to her call.

    Lily could not even move until another maid, concerned about herte return, came to check on her and saw her on the floor in a cuddly position.

    The maid, startled, went to call udia and the others, and by the time udia saw the scene, she had a look of dismay on her face. This longest day in the royal capital was over, and soon the date had changed to the next day.<hr>

 Chapter 214.1

    Chapter 214.1

    I asked, ��So you arrived at the royal capital right after that?��

    Mazell replied, ��I don��t know how soon we arrived, but when we got here, the Heavenly King was gone.��

    ��Is that the reason why Mubrial, the Fourth Heavenly King of Wind, retreated?�� (Welner)

    ��I am not convinced that��s the only reason.�� (Mazell)

    I listened to Mazell��s story as I sipped my tea. The tea was probably good, but my head was still half-asleep, so I felt the heat more than the taste.

    I was not even sure of the exact time right now, but I think it was most likely around the time when morning sun was rising, but I couldn��t see outside because there was no window in this room.

    Anyway, I was woken up earlier than my normal wake up time, when it was still dark outside, and was brought to the royal pce. Ah, so sleepy.

    But the post battle processing must have continued even after the Fourth Heavenly King was driven back yesterday. Many people were probably working without sleep, so I could notin about that. I heard that my father, who was a minister, did note home yesterday.

    ��So you guys are helping to aid in the relief efforts in the royal capital. That��s tough.�� (Welner)��That��s about all we can do.�� (Mazell)

    If Mubrial was that strong, the Heavenly King of Fire must have been apelling enemy. How strong have they be to be able to fight against one of the Heavenly Kings and then immediatelye back to the royal capital to help with the rescue operation?

    Of course, the residents must have been thrilled to see the brave Mazell pulling victims out of the rubble and the saintly Laura treating the wounded, and if it leads to good publicity for Mazell and his team, that��s a good thing.

    ��You killed the heavenly king faster than I thought you would.�� (Welner)

    That��s what I really wanted to know. I was honestly surprised at how quickly Mazell returned, as I thought we would be in a siege for a few days. So when I said that, Mazellughed at me.

    ��It was so much harder raiding in the dungeon than we expected. Without Welner��s warning to avoid using me stuff, we wouldn��t have been able to deal with the Heavenly King we faced.�� (Mazell)

    ��Come to think of it, I remember mentioning something like that.�� (Welner)

    I seriously had forgotten. Mazell didn��t seem to mind it though and was smiling. Eventually, not only their group but other people also said, ��It is typical of Welner.�� What did all this have to do with me?

    ��Well, it sounds like you��ve been through a lot, as well.�� (Mazell)

    ��So much has happened. I��m honestly a little embarrassed by what has happened.�� (Welner)

    I responded as I put down my empty teacup. I was actually embarrassed because I had put Lily in harm��s way and almost died myself.

    Lily reced the tea cup with a new one, so I took it without hesitation. I could finally enjoy the taste of the tea.

    ��But I guess, you wanted an exnation regarding what relevant events have happened.�� (Welner)

    Actually, I couldn��t bring up Lady Juliane��s name in front of the majority, but we do need to have some sort of victory ceremony starting around noon today. I understand that His Majesty and the Crown Prince would like to know all the details of the situation before that.

    That��s why Lily was called together with me. After all, even I had not heard theplete details from Lily. I didn��t have time for that.

    While exining to Mazell the information about Mubrial, the Heavenly King of Wind, whom we would fight next, I thought about how I would exin everything to His Majesty and the others. I felt so heavy.

    While I was thinking and talking, someone who looked like a chambein entered the room and called for me, so I, Mazell, and Lily moved to the other side. This was a very secluded room, so there would be a minimum number of people to talk to and secrecy would be maintained. It was a good thing we didn��t have to hide anything from each other.

    ��Viscount Welner Von Zeavert, Mister Mazell Hearthing, and Miss Lily Hearthing are here.�� (Guard)

    ��Let them through.�� (King)

    A Royal Guard opened the door behind which stood two Royal Guards, and a man who looked like a chambein called out to them.

    The room was smaller than expected, but His Majesty, Crown Prince Hubert, Laura, old Uwe, the Prime Minister, and Grand Duke Seyfart were there. There were no guards in the room. I guess there must be one somewhere, but I did not know whether it was behind a hidden door or not. Perhaps Goretzka-san was there, I thought.

    With this in mind, I entered the room and was about to kneel immediately when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince called out to me.

    ��Formality is useless. As a matter of fact, I don��t have time to spend on formality.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��I humbly thank you for your consideration.�� (Welner)

    I guess it was because Mazell and Lily were also there. At any rate, I gratefully ept their kind words.

    ��Then, let me ask you to exin the situation.�� (King)

    ��Yes.�� (Welner)

    I then exined what happened to the best of my knowledge, starting from how I went to the church to investigate the situation etc.<hr>

 Chapter 214.2

    Chapter 214.2

    After he finished listening to me, the Prime Minister spoke with an apologetic look on his face.

    ��I am sorry. I didn��t expect it to be High Priest Leppe.�� (Prime Minister)

    ��No, I didn��t see iting either.�� (Welner)

    In fact, I was fooled as well. I think it could not be helped since High Priest Leppe was rather pro-royalist until that moment, even if it was just an act. It was only natural that a man who was normally an extreme church supremacist would stand out more. I hope this would result in a better atmosphere in the church.

    I wanted to ask about the missing High Priest Maravois and what happened to Count Yerring, who was being treated under medical treatment, but I held back from those questions until after I had exined everything His Majesty and His Highness wanted to know.

    ��I understand that much. Next, Lily, I would like to hear more about what you know.�� (King)

    ��Ye, yes.�� (Lily)

    His Majesty��s gaze turned towards Lily. Lily exined in detail what she had heard from the other party and the story of Knott, the eldest son of the Marquis of Coltrezis, while Mazell looked surprised.

    After listening to Lily��s story, the royal family members were silent. I expected this reaction when I heard that the first king had assassinated his sister, the saint. It was a heavy silence, but then the Crown Prince spoke.��Interesting, but I can��t entirely believe it�� Oh, I don��t mean to imply that I think you are telling a lie.�� (Crown Prince)

    Thetter part of the statement was directed at Lily.

    In reality, a royal family that had survived a period of warfare in the first ce was more or less a mass murderer, and there was no such thing as a clean royal family. That��s what I think, but what Mazell and Lily think was another matter.

    Anyway, when I asked why they think so, His Highness opened his mouth.

    ��ording to what Lily just said, the other party who called herself Juliane said that she heard the Demon King��s voice after her death and became his subordinate, but I don��t recall any other instances of such a thing.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Ah!�� (Welner)

    I raised my voice involuntarily. His Highness was not wrong.

    ��They say that the Demon King was meekly sealed away. Despite this, I also feel a little ufortable that the previous hero did not leave behind his sword that was used to seal the Demon King.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��That is certainly true.�� (Welner)

    Grand Duke Seyfart nodded as well.

    ��Was the person who called herself Juliane the real Saint Juliane or did she believe herself to be Juliane? I think we need to start thinking from that point of view.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��I see.�� (Seyfart)

    ��Deceptive information, huh?�� (Welner)

    His Highness shook his head at my question.

    ��As long as Juliane and the like have already disappeared, there is no way to find out the truth anymore. However, it is dangerous to believe what they say unconditionally.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Indeed, I wouldn��t go so far as to say that the Demon King can manipte people��s memories, but he may have the ability to influence their thought process.�� (Uwe)

    Certainly, if a person had been deceived to believe that something was true, then their statements would also feel like it had fragments of truth weaved into it to someone who didn��t know anything. And if more people were made to believe the same thing, then it would be a <b><i>fact</i></b>, fooling everyone. Basically, a very deceptive tactic that could easily be applied.

    The person who imed to be Juliane may have believed things she said to be true, but whether they were actually true or not was another matter.

    ��We can believe such assumptions but still be skeptical about it. Everyone should do as much as possible to see the whole picture.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes.�� (Welner)

    ��Indeed.�� (Use)

    Mazell and Lily nodded, most likely not understanding what this implied. I, on the other hand, was sweating inside. Was there some kind of sophisticated psychological information warfare propaganda being transmitted behind the scenes?

    If someone from the Demon King��s side had told Juliane��s ��story�� to Mazell, especially if it were someone he could believe in, it might have made Mazell question his reasons for protecting the Bain kingdom. As a result, it might have even created room to drive a wedge between Mazell and Laura��s rtionship of trust.

    If the person who called herself <b>Juliane</b> could prepare the body for a new demon general, that might be great, but even if she could not, she might have been nting seeds of confusion to divide us.

    On the other hand, since there was no evidence to the contrary, there was a possibility that everything ��Juliane�� said was true, so rather than denying everything she said, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince corrected Mazell and the others�� thinking, telling them to remember, but be skeptical.

    In a way, the Crown Prince had closed the crack that the Demon King��s side was perhaps trying to make between the Royal Family and the Heroes.

    And to me, who had probably grasped the whole picture, they looked at me like they were telling me not to say anything unnecessary. Yes, I understand��

    I guess this was what it means to live in the world of politics, but this kind of exchange was just in scary.<hr>

 Chapter 214.3

    Chapter 214.3

    That being said, there was something I really needed to say. My stomach hurts.

    ��By the way, Your Majesty, there is something I must tell you about. I hope you will forgive me.�� (Welner)

    ��Go ahead.�� (King)

    After receiving permission from His Majesty, who had a slightly doubtful tone, I kneeled on the spot.

    ��Since it was my retainer who killed the demon priestess, I humbly ask that you forgive me for the punishment of my subordinates who were working under mymand.�� (Welner)

    I could feel the presence of doubting from all over the ce, but I was prepared and followed up.

    ��However, regarding the body that the demon priestess was <b><i>using (possessed)</i></b>, may I respectfully ask you a question? Where is Her Highness, the First Princess?�� (Welner)

    (T/N: Here First Princess is referring to the Crown Prince��s younger sister and Laura��s elder sister.)

    For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.When I thought about whose body <b><i>Juliane</i></b>��s soul originally possessed, I could think of no other person. It must be the First Princess, whose name I could not even remember. Her memories were really blurry, as if <b><i>erased</i></b>. Maybe this was why I always felt that I was missing <b><i>something</i></b>.

    Perhaps the First Princess had something to do in the underground library at that time. And then she found that hidden passageway. Perhaps she was drawn to it, but we don��t know that anymore.

    Then, behind the hidden door, the person who called herself Juliane possessed the First Princess��s body. That was also why she was able to easily leave the underground library in the first ce.

    Underground library had three areas: an archive room, secret chamber where Juliane��s soul was sealed and a room from which the capital��s barrier was operated.

    The reason Juliane did not touch the main structure of the barrier itself was because she did not have the key to enter the room where the barrier crystal was located.

    Thus, she opted to mess with the magic circles that extended to the archive room. After all, no one would find it strange that the First Princess wanted to read books in the archive room.

    After everything was done, she disappeared, slowly forgotten by those around her.

    As a matter of fact, if inducing thoughts was one of the Demon Lord��s abilities, it would make sense that no one would talk about the First Princess. This may be the reason why only the archives have been modified, and why it was a perfect crime.

    Another possibility was that maybe the royal family covered up everything about her and pretended that she didn��t exist at all. Maybe both.

    Besides, this part of what the person who called herself Juliane told Lily may be true: She said that the Demon King��s power would dye her opponent��s soul from the distortion and wounds. For this part, there was no reason to lie.

    Let me put myself in the position of the First Princess. Crown Prince Hubert, who would be her elder brother, seemed to be a real genius, while her younger sister, the second princess Laura, was the most saintly woman in the history of the world. For her to bepared between the two would have been too harsh.

    Even if the nobles around her may have no malice towards her, I think they must have taken the First Princess very lightly. It would be understandable if she had some distortions due to the constantparisons. That may have been the point that she was hit by Juliane.

    If this were a correct assessment, it would mean that I was the one who had injured the body of the first princess, a member of the royal family, for whatever reason. So I bowed deeply on the spot.

    His Majesty and the Crown Prince seemed to be having a brief discussion, but I continued to bow my head. Eventually, words escaped from His Majesty��s mouth.

    ��I don��t know what you misunderstand, but the First Princess died of illness when she was very young.�� (King)

    I looked up in surprise, but then I looked into His Majesty��s eyes and understood. These were the eyes that said, ��That��s how it is��.

    Certainly, it would be a scandal in another sense if the First Princess had anything to do with the resurrection of the Demon King. Along with the possibility that the first king assassinated Juliane-sama, it could cause a huge mess. On the other hand, if she went missing or something, many fakes might appear.

    Considering all of this, King decided to politically settle the matter by saying that since the First Princess died of illness at an early age, this would not be recorded or remembered. Royal family would likely bribe noble families.

    ����Is that so? Please forgive the misunderstanding of this subordinate of yours.�� (Welner)

    ��There were many problems and intense work to be dealt with. There are times when we make mistakes. Don��t worry about it.�� (King)

    ��As for the demon priestess, I want you to give me a report about herter.�� (Prime Minister)

    ��Yes, your majesty.�� (Welner)

    After His Majesty, the Prime Minister took over from the side. He wanted me to write a story that made sense. I would take the facts with me to my grave.

    But while I understand this decision politically, I felt a little sorry for the First Princess. She had spent her life in the royal pce sandwiched between a talented elder brother and a promising younger sister, and now she had been made to look like she had never existed in the first ce.

    Once I was done dealing with all of this, I would go to the ruins to give flowers for her. I might as well forgive her for aiming at Lily, but that was beside the point.<hr>

 Chapter 215.1

    Chapter 215.1

    After that, His Majesty and the Crown Prince began to discuss the issue of relief for the victims and the response to the cursed weapons, etc., but it was old man Uwe who broke the ice.

    ��Well, Lord Welner. How is the matter of the investigation going?�� (Uwe)

    ��Uh, yes. I think I��ve caught up with the shadows and can see the scales of their tails.�� (Welner)

    I was beyond amazed and impressed by the guts of this old man to interrupt His Majesty and His Highness. Moreover, in a sense, it was astonishing that even His Majesty and His Highness did not condemn him.

    Of course, old man Uwe only interrupted them knowing that the important conversation was over. He would not do such a thing when they were discussing a big issue.

    I think the royal family thought of old man Uwe as a wise man or something �C a person who sometimes pointed out things that were right on the mark, so we couldn��t ignore him.

    By the way, the phrase ��without shadow or form�� was also used in this world, but in this world, the origin of the phrase was a dragon, which was not funny. It was said to be based on ament made by a man who stood in a wilderness where no building shadows or such could be seen after a dragon had blown away all the people and towns.

    In this world, dragons were real cmities, and without exaggeration, a single dragon could destroy a town or so. Even in video games, dragons appeared as mid-bosses or final bosses, possessing terrifying power.

    I wonder if it was a little ironic that this world was based on a game.��Shall we leave the talks at that?�� (King)

    ��Surely, we don��t want to mix up the events. Your Majesty, I��m going to borrow Lord Welner.�� (Uwe)

    ��Hmm, you may do so, well then, Zeavert and Hearthing, as well as Seyfart, you may leave.�� (King)

    As His Majesty gave his approval, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Falkenstein nodded their heads with expressions that did not quite conceal their wry smiles. In fact, His Highness and the Prime Minister must be quite annoyed by old Uwe.

    Anyway, Uwe, Mazell and I bowed and left the room, leaving only His Majesty, His Highness, and the Prime Minister. Grand Duke Seyfart had some business to attend to, so he left as well.

    ��

    ��Welner, about earlier���� (Mazell)

    ��Well, about that���� (Welner)

    Mazell spoke up as soon as the servants had prepared tea and left the room. Don��t look so worried.

    I was sure that Mazell had mixed feelings because I was the one who put Laura in a tight spot, even if indirectly, but that didn��t mean that I had any particr reason to let the other party (Juliane) kill me. But of course, I have no intention of settling the matter by saying that I had no choice.

    And more than anything else, Mazell, I��m d that you didn��t get your hands stained with that kind of blood (Juliane��s).

    ��I told you before, didn��t I?�� (Welner)

    ��What?�� (Mazell)

    ��I��ll handle all the trouble here.�� (Welner)

    I could say with all sincerity. Even though I had my own problems, I had no intention of making Mazell, who was going head-to-head with a small group against the Four Heavenly Kings the size of a walking mansion, have any more unnecessary burdens or problems.

    Laura responded to me and Mazell with a serious look on her face. Oh, this might not be good.

    ��Even though I am called the second princess, all this time, I did not even think about my own sister until just now. So���� (Laura)

    ��That��s enough.��

    I strongly interrupted, which, I thought, was impolite, and Mazell and Lily were surprised. One should not really do something like this with royalty, you know.

    It was not a good idea to let Laura think in that direction because she was not responsible for any of this.

    ��I heard that the Demon King taints his opponents from the wounds in their hearts. Let��s leave it at that.�� (Welner)

    It would be more likely to cause problems if one of the Hero team members were to suffer a psychological trauma. I��d rather have her hate me for killing her sister, but I knew Laura wasn��t the kind of person who would be able to do that.

    I didn��t know the rtionship between Laura and her sister, since I never met her. If they were not on good terms, she would not have said something like that.

    I decided to bring up this truth during our meeting so that the hero party members would not be surprised when they find out about itter from someone else. After all, it would be disastrous if Laura found out about it from the Demon King himself in mid-battle.

    ��If you think it��s a problem, I hope you (Laura) can go and beat the Demon King to death quickly. Mazell, you as well.��

    I said so half jokingly and half seriously. It was necessary for Laura to make it clear in her mind that it was the Demon King who was at fault and that there was no need for her to feel guilty.

    Besides, I had no idea what kind of evil steps this troublesome Demon King would take if we didn��t deal with him soon. Please go and defeat him as soon as possible, I would like to say.<hr>

 Chapter 215.2

    Chapter 215.2

    Lily opened her mouth to say something but decided to stay quiet in the end.

    The reason why Lily stopped talking when she was about to say something to Laura was because she realized that if she spoke words offort, she would burden Laura��s heart.

    It urred to me that in the game, the First Princess was supposed to have died in the attack on the royal capital. Certainly, that would have saved me from feeling guilty in the game. Inparison, the real world was a pain in the neck. Haah.

    ��So do me a favor, Mazell.�� (Welner)

    ��I��ll take care of it.�� (Mazell)

    Mazell was not so dull that he couldn��t understand what I was about to say. Perhaps what Mazell was the dullest about was the other party��s affection for him. He was simply living the trope of an old video game character.

    ��Now then, let��s talk about the results of the survey.�� (Uwe)

    Once again, old man Uwe was sketchy. I appreciated that he changed the subject because it would have beenplicated if this conversation had continued, but he sure was a blunt old man, wasn��t he? No, maybe he was still paying attention to this.

    ��From what I��ve heard, the Heavenly King who attacked the royal capital is injured, and I��d like tounch a follow-up attack, but there are some things I need you to confirm���� (Uwe)��Yes, that��s right. But how should I exin it?�� (Welner)

    It was a concept that did not exist in this world, after all. After thinking for a moment, I decided to speak.

    ��Do you know the idea of Prima Materia?�� (Welner)

    ��Prima Materia?�� (Uwe)

    ��If you look at this world in detail, basically, everything is made up of the same material, which is the rule of Prima Materia.�� (Welner)

    In my previous life, that would be a subject of research for a particle physicist. To be honest, I didn��t know much about physics. Besides, the first roots of alchemy, the primordial matter, Prima Materia, would probably be more correct to be involved in this world. I may know something about it, but that didn��t mean that I was an expert in alchemy.

    The concept of Prima Materia in alchemy was that animals, nts, and the universe were all created from the same raw material. In other words, the most obvious property of Prima Materia was being able to change its form and be whatever was defined by the alchemist as long as that material existed in the world.

    Under this concept, if you make y into the shape of a cat and define it as ��cat,�� it would start walking and purring. This should be the origin of the idea of homunculus and so on.

    Of course, this was not possible in my previous life.

    ��To exin this very metaphorically, first of all, there is water in the reservoir.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes.�� (Uwe)

    ��If you put this water in a round container, the water bes round, and if you put it in a square container, the water bes square.�� (Welner)

    I know it was a rough exnation, but I couldn��t find any other way to describe it. Anyway, as he nodded his head, I went on with my story.

    ��And different kinds of materials can be used as containers or vessels. Like wood, for example. If water is poured into a wooden vessel, the water will keep its shape, but if it is a container made of salt, it would be dissolved by water and would merge with it.�� (Welner)

    ��Vanishing�� without a ��vessel�� was a statement made by the person who called herself Juliane. In short, without a vessel of some kind, the ��soul�� could not maintain its state or existence.

    Conversely, even monsters were essentiallyposed of Prima Materia, the first ingredient of this world.

    Mubrial��s action of creating a monster stone after absorbing monster materials may have been to return the body to Prima Materia and remake it into a new monster stone. The question of how he could have done that, however, was something I didn��t know.

    ��You mean to say that the magic me doesn��tst for a long time because it dissolves into the world?�� (Uwe)

    ��Saying ��returning to the world�� or ��overwritten by the world�� would be more urate, I would say, but that��s generally what I mean.�� (Welner)

    Perhaps the vessels that existed in the world, human beings and minerals alike, wouldst a long time. On the other hand, if a vessel was created with a ��spell�� and Prima Materia was poured into it, the vessel would notst long.

    If you put Prima Materia in a vessel called a magic stone or a magic tool, it wouldst longer than if you cast a spell.

    I imagine that the lifespan they have in this world would be the limit of the vessel. A scratch on a vessel could be repaired, but a vessel that had reached the limit of its time could not be repaired any more regardless. Just like why recovery magic did not work on aging, the same could be said to the limits of a vessel that was affected by the rules of this world.

    When I exined this, Lily asked, ��Water made with magic won��t disappear, can you exin what is going on with that?��

    ��There��s no way to find out currently, but I think it simply is a result of the world not identifying <b><i>water</i></b> created by Prima Materia as <b>real</b> water as itcked impurities and thus not modifying its existence.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes�� Hmmm��..�� (Uwe)

    The air created by the wind magic tool was <i>a mix of certain gasses</i> at the moment when it was still contained within the bag, but it gradually changed when it was overwritten by the rules of this world as if to dere to the artificially created air by magic, ��This is how an atmosphere should be.��

    On the other hand, when it came to water, even if what was created was 100% pure water (H20), unlike normal water, it could only be perceived as a tasteless unhealthy liquid as itcked minerals in the form of impurities. Thus this world didn��t recognise it as water at all and didn��t override its existence.

    Soil may start out as a standard mix of certain minerals, but I suspect that it would gradually be one with the surrounding soil. If there were microscopes in this world, we could have experimented with soil, but I have never seen a microscope in this world.

    I think the reason why magic fire was overwritten by the world was that it may break the bnce of this world if it was allowed to exist forever like water etc.

    Anyway, regarding one��s existence, the rules of this world still apply to them as the top priority. Even the self-proimed Juliane was unable to escape that rule and in the end, her existence was also dissolved into this world.<hr>

 Chapter 215.3

    Chapter 215.3

    ��What is put in a vessel made of the word ��spell�� melts and disappears, and what is put in a vessel made of magical tools is absorbed and changes, and in the grand scheme of things, we may be able to make such a distinction.��

    In the game, even if you use magic on the battle screen, once the battle was over, whether it was a blizzard or a meteorite that was used, it would disappear.

    From what I could tell, it seemed like magicians were using Prima Materia that was converted into a source of existence using a spell, and that spell could only affect a small area. Like affecting only a target object, for example.

    ��Using water as an example, you could say that the existence that possessed the demon priestess (Juliane) had been transferred from one container to another, and slowly enough, she would slowly merge with every new vessel she transferred into until her existence couldn��t retain its ego anymore and end up being absorbed by the world.�� (Welner)

    ��I see. I have my questions regarding that, but I won��t doubt what you said.�� (Uwe)

    Old Uwe nodded thoughtfully.

    ��In a way, this is simr to what Old Uwe was trying to tell me before, right? That the reason why there was originally no magic or magic power before the existence of the Demon King appeared in the Ancient Kingdom is that the Demon King may be the one controlling the source of magic itself.�� (Mazell)

    ��I still wonder if that really was the case, you know?�� (Welner)

    Please don��t bring up the word ��magic power source�� so casually. I��ve been trying not to mention it. I wondered if he was not thinking that far ahead, or if he had lost the will to conceal it.Anyway, in my mind, primal magic power was a Prima Materia, and using it for a short time creating great power was magic, and using it for a rtively long time with moderate power would be a magical tool. The current hypothesis was that it was something that could be controlled by spell chanting or magic circle.

    But at the same time, magic circles and spell chanting were not the basic rules of this world. So they would eventually be swallowed up by the rules of this world.

    Currently, the only way to break the bnce of this world would be to use Prima Materia, an external source of power not belonging to this world.

    In that sense, the Demon King probably continued to create and disperse the Prima Materia as long as it existed. To put it simply, Demon King was like a factory continuously dripping out pollutants (Prima Materia) in the atmosphere of this world.

    The reason why people be stronger when they absorb EXP (experience) in the game may be because primal magic power also helps them build muscles or something like that. In fact, it may be like absorbing primal magic power.

    And at this point, I could only imagine that pollutants (Prima Materia) were mixed in with the atmosphere, which then gradually umted in the body of beings in this world. Even if there were still some questionable areas that remained, I felt the general idea regarding how humans were able to use magic was correct.

    In fact, I would not havee up with this idea without the information about the myth of ��God splitting up and taking charge�� that Lily found for me. I think the myth was expressing the fact that originally they were all the same thing.

    ��I��d like to confirm many things, if you don��t mind, but���� (Uwe)

    ��Uwe, as expected, it��s about time.�� (Mazell)

    ��Sigh, there��s no choice.�� (Uwe)

    I reluctantly stood up after Mazell said so, but the old man Uwe didn��t hesitate to show his dissatisfaction at all. Seriously, this old man�� I was worried for a moment that he was going to stay in the pce until all the riddles in his mind were solved.

    ��To be honest, I��d prefer to leave it to someone in the research profession to handle any more of this.�� (Welner)

    ��You don��t feel up to it?�� (Uwe)

    ��I don��t want to do it.�� (Welner)

    I asserted. I didn��t know anything about the difference between magic circles. Maybe Lily would notice the different types of magic circles.

    I further added, ��I��d probably rather be a regr nobleman than a researcher. I can��t even be called a knight.��

    Hearing it, old man Uwe gave me a slight re as he said, ��Don��t be foolish.��

    ��Do you think I��m stupid?�� (Welner)

    ��Indeed.�� (Uwe)

    Mazell and Laura wereughing at the bluntness of old man Uwe��s words. Or rather, I wanted tough as well.

    ��You may not have killed the Heavenly King who attacked the royal capital, but you have made him think that he would not want to fight Mazell, the hero, on the battlefield where you are present, and as a result, you have forced him to retreat. You have certainly won. How many people in other countries could do such a thing?��

    I have a problem if you put it that way. It was true that my standard was Mazell, but that couldn��t be helped, you know.

    ��One person who understands his weakness and can create ways to make use of his strength will be able to surpass a hundred knights. You may not be that great when ites to power, but you should be able to stand above the knights as a greatmander. You should reevaluate your value.�� (Uwe)

    Was I being lectured?

    I wondered why Laura was nodding her head. I wondered if there was some misunderstanding.

    ��Don��t lose the opportunity in front of you because of your strange modesty or misunderstanding.��

    ��I understand.��

    What were they expecting me to do? I have a bad premonition about this.<hr>

 Chapter 216.1

    Chapter 216.1

    Mazell and his group were nning to meet up with Luguentz and his group, and head to the location of the request immediately. They would have liked to pursue Mubrial instead of heading to Valgau, but it was not possible because of the King��s sudden request and Mubrial would have returned to his dungeon by the time they finished.

    ��Welner, do you know anything about this request?�� (Mazell)

    ��Oh, yes, I know a little.�� (Welner)

    I didn��t want them to rush too much and put themselves in danger, but going back and forth from where theyst came was a lot of time lost. Not to mention the number of days, but in reality, even just moving around was bound to cause fatigue.

    In terms of game events, this request was an event that was outside the game��s storyline, so it would have been fine to not put it up in priority, but knowing the situation in the kingdom, I could not help but understand the King��s decision a little.

    ��I heard that there��s a demon that haunts the vicinity of a town called Loitok (located in Valgau), so the king probably wants you guys to defeat that demon first.��

    ��Okay, we will do that.��

    Loitok (located in Valgau) was part of the Valgau Family��s territory. The current Queen was a member of that family. I guess her parents must be begging her for help. I didn��t know whether she was a loving wife or a dependent.

    In Valgau, the power of the noble families was so strong that they had to bnce the power like the shoguns in the Muromachi period in Japan of my previous life. So it would make sense if the King would request Mazell, a heroic man, to give priority to domestic issues.Well, I doubt if the hero party heading to Valgau first instead of taking care of Mubrial immediately would be a good thing for the Kingdom, but it was not the King��s fault that the noble families were so powerful, so it would be a bit harsh to me him for it.

    ��Is everything going to be okay over here?�� (Mazell)

    ��I don��t know.�� (Welner)

    Mazell asked me that, and I was torn on how to answer. I had no idea what would happen after we survived the attack on the royal capital.

    In the first ce, so far, I only thought about somehow preventing the attack on the royal capital. But in reality, time would continue to move forward even after that.

    ��Even if something happens, I��ll figure something out.��

    ��That��s very typical of Welner, huh?��

    Mazellughed at me. I was more worried about Mazell, who was about to fight with Mubrial, the fourth heavenly king of the wind.

    I gave Mazell my best wishes and a message to Felix and the others. While Mazell and Laura were speaking with Lily about something, my sleepiness was getting stronger by the minute.

    ��

    All three of them were talking to me, but I did not remember what they were talking about.

    I recalled leaving Mazell and the others, heading back to the office, telling Neurath and Schunzel, who were waiting for me, that I was going to take a quick nap, and lying down on the couch. I did not have my watch with me, so I did not know exactly, but I think I was asleep for about two or three hours.

    And now I visited Grand Duke Seyfart��s office. I had a cup of strong tea beforeing here, but I was still feeling a little sleepy as I walked down the long corridor. I had thought that the size of the royal pce was troublesome, but I had no idea that it also had such an effect.

    Maybe it was the broken windows in the corridor that let the outside air in. The number of broken pieces of ss might have been a lot, and it looked like some of the windows were left broken for a while, making me hope that it would not rain.

    (T/N: Above paragraph is talking about windows broken during Mubrial��s attack.)

    ��You look tired.�� (Seyfart)

    ��I��m sorry, sir.�� (Welner)

    ��It can��t be helped, can it?�� (Seyfart)

    His Excellency the Duke was smiling. It was indeed a little problematic for him to be sleeping soundly in his office.

    ��So, are we going to talk about the future?�� (Welner)

    ��Yes.�� (Seyfart)

    He offered me a chair, so I sat down without hesitation.

    ��The victory ceremony, which will take ce this afternoon, will be brief.�� (Seyfart)

    ��I understand that it will be mainly practical.�� (Welner)

    ��That��s right.�� (Seyfart)

    If we increased or decreased the number of noble territories today, the kingdom would be in trouble if there was a need to rebnce itter on. Considering all of this, today��s victory ceremony was decided to mainly involve only tactical evaluation of mary rewards and honor.

    Incidentally, the city was in a state of festivity throughout the night because the enemy was driven back. It seemed that reconstruction work finally started this morning. I waspletely asleep, you know.

    Also, it seemed that some aristocrats came to the Zeavert��s mansion in the middle of the night, wanting to see the face of the distinguished Noble who led the defense of the capitalst night.

    Some of them might have wanted to show that they were important, or they might have wanted to make a request in the midst of the excitement. Or maybe they were trying to curry favor, especially those whoughed at me or called me a waste-of-money viscount.

    My mother turned them all away, but that��s another story. Norbert was making a list of visitors with a smile on his face.<hr>

 Chapter 216.2

    Chapter 216.2

    ��There are many things that need to be coordinated. The big ceremony will take ce a littleter.�� (Seyfart)

    ��Is it that many?�� (Welner)

    ��There are noble families that have been destroyed recently, some of them died in yesterday��s battle.�� (Seyfart)

    Did they also have to deal with the cleanup? Some noble families might have been involved with Coffin Sarg and other troublesome groups. Thinking about it, dealing with noble families was going to be a major headache.

    Actually, having too many noble families was a problem, but having too few was also a problem.

    Noble families acted like local lords. If a noble family responsible for a particr territory got wiped out, there would be no one to take care of administrative matters such as infrastructure development, maintenance of public order, and collection of taxes.

    Even if bandits appeared, there would be no one to give orders to defeat them, which would be a big problem for the people��s livelihood.

    It might be difficult to understand, but in my previous life, it would be as if the prefecture governor and all government offices rted to the country no longer existed. Eventually, everything would fall into disarray.

    Considering the sess of the war up to this point, it would be necessary to make adjustments so as not to create a political vacuum by having some of the aristocratic families promoted to the rank of nobility.Moreover, if noble families were carelessly demoted tomoner families or thoroughly crushed as punishment, everyone working for them would be suddenlyid off and unemployed. There was also the danger of a mass outbreak of people.

    It would take time to consider whether a light punishment would be enough or whether they would have to be crushed.

    ��Besides, there are still some bigwigs left.�� (Seyfart)

    ����Is it the Coltrezis House?�� (Welner)

    ��Yeah, they do have arge territory.�� (Seyfart)

    He didn��t deny it.

    Moreover, that phrase meant that there would be at leastrge-scale reduction of Coltrezis House��s territory, even if the family itself was not destroyed.

    The eldest son of Coltrezis House was apanied by High Priest Leppe and a demon priestess who was thought to be part of the Demon Army, so there was no way to get away with it now, was there? Speaking of which��

    ��How is Count Yerring doing?�� (Welner)

    ��He is recuperating from his injuries.�� (Seyfart)

    The Grand Duke presented me with a file, so I took a look at it. Count Yerring had prepared arge number of rations as well as armaments at the count��s main estate��hmm?

    ording to the recovered documents from Coltrezis House, it also appeared that emissaries frequently went back and forth in Yerring House��s territory. Meanwhile, they seemed to also be trying to create a new faction in the royal capital. Hmmm��

    ��You mean that he was making arrangements on both fronts?�� (Welner)

    ��Wisely, perhaps.�� (Seyfart)

    Count Yerring might not have anticipated the attack on the royal capital, but he must have another purpose for making the connection with the High Priest Leppe. But it seemed that High Priest Leppe, who was trying to create chaos in the inner city, chose Count Yerring as his coborator.

    As a result, Count Yerring was nning for both the eventuality of an attack on the royal capital and the eventuality of no attack on the royal capital.

    If the royal capital were to suffer catastrophic damage, he would have been able to bring in arge amount of relief supplies and gain the reputation of the people. He would have the delicious part all to himself if he had been making preparations. He might even have thought of evacuating the surviving residents of the royal capital to his own territory.

    On the other hand, if the royal capital was safe, he could again choose what to do with therge number of supplies. He could bring the goods to the royal family and sell them as a favor, or he could use them as aid if the Coltrezis House attempted a rebellion. Moreover, it seemed as if they were aiming for that purpose.

    ��It appears to me that he was nning to betray the Coltrezis House as well in the end.�� (Welner)

    ��You see it that way as well.�� (Seyfart)

    ��They could stab the rebellious Coltrezis House��s army in the back when on the battlefield, after getting support supplies. And if they could get the general��s head during that battle, that in itself would also be a great sess for their cause.�� (Welner)

    ��If he partnered with a powerful noble affiliated to the Kingdom��s side, the country would have no choice but to recognize his achievement, as they could not afford to ignore a powerful noble.�� (Seyfart)

    Was he aiming for the position of Kobayakawa Hideaki in Sekigahara? What was different from Kobayakawa Hideaki was that he seemed to be trying to create it by his own will and actions.

    I see, so he was trying to establish a rtionship with me, who was reputed to be the Crown Prince��s favorite. I guess it was because he thought I would be of great use if he decided to make his army, which would have been a part of the rebel army led by Coltrezis House, betray Coltrezis House at the right moment.

    On the other hand, if Yerring House ended up not being on good terms with me, they could sell their position of merit to a house that did not have good rtions with Zeavert House.

    Perhaps if he had managed to convince me to be his subordinate, he would have betrayed Coffin Sarg and High Priest Leppe as well. One could say that Count Yerring had an Owl-like ambition.<hr>

 Chapter 216.3

    Chapter 216.3

    ��But I also think that Leppe didn��t fully trust Count Yerring.�� (Welner)

    ��I agree.�� (Seyfart)

    If High Priest Leppe and Count Yerring had a close connection, Count Yerring would have captured Neurath, Schunzel, and the others at that time, regardless of their wish. In other words, it could be assumed that Count Yerring had not heard of the impending attack on the royal capital at that time.

    Perhaps Count Yerring��s desires were too strong for him to ept the destruction of the royal capital, and he could not ept High Priest Leppe��s use of Coffin Sarg. Nevertheless, he was unable to deny the value of using them, to the point that he did not get rid of them to appeal to the royal family.

    High Priest Leppe, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving this kind of ambitious and aristocratic person beside Laura��s children. Eventually, he was going to get rid of Count Yerring at some point as well. That was why he did not exin the crucial part of his n. So both were only trying to take advantage of each other.

    If both parties had really joined hands together, dealing with them might have turned out to be more troublesome than it was.

    ��It is the end of the road for those two ambitious parties, isn��t it?�� (Welner)

    ��Well, that��s how it is.�� (Seyfart)

    But there was no reason to show this to me�� the ce Count Yerring got supplies from was Farlitz in the southeast of Bain kingdom, wasn��t it? It was a friend of Delitzdam, the country that had caused so much trouble for us. But Count Yerring had nothing to do with Farlitz. Ah, so that��s how it works����So it is Farlitz who is really helping the Coltrezis House behind the scenes?�� (Welner)

    ��That��s what I think. We can��t just leave things as they are when we have other countries involved.�� (Seyfart)

    I was so busy that I forgot that when I was attacked on my way home from dinner at a fancy restaurant with Mazell and his friends, the attackers used weapons from other countries. Was that part of the game story?

    ��In this case, it could be said that Ate-san prevented a major uprising before it happened.�� (Welner)

    ��I��m sure there will be some punishment for what she did, but it won��t be harsh.�� (Seyfart)

    ��I��m d to hear that.�� (Welner)

    ��Hmmm. But that��s another interesting matter.�� (Seyfart)

    ��I do wonder what would happen if the Coltrezis House started an independent rebellion in a fit of desperation. After all, they still have a rtionship with Farlitz.�� (Welner)

    Well, since it had been proven that Coltrezis House had rtions with other countries, they would probably have to face severe punishment, such as demotion to the rank of viscount, but even so, the family name would remain intact if they surrendered quietly.

    However, looking at the actions of Coltrezis House up to this point, I didn��t think this would be the case.

    If the Coltrezis House were to defect to Farlitz, Farlitz would be happy to ept them even if they had to wage a war.

    ��In that case, you will be asked to join the suppression force.�� (Seyfart)

    ��Me as well?�� (Welner)

    ��It is bing more and more important whether you are in that army.�� (Welner)

    The royal capital siege obviously gave a lot of information to diplomats from other countries, and I��m sure Farlitz was no different. That��s why I had to n not to use theser beam pointer until thest minute.

    But, well, other countries would naturally look into the existence of the mysterious white powder, and it would probably lead them to discover that it was my idea. I doubt that the Royal Army would lose to Coltrezis House, but if I refused to participate in the war, it might give the General and me a bad reputation.

    ��Until then, you will return to being your father��s assistant.�� (Seyfart)

    ��I understand.�� (Welner)

    I wondered if this could not be helped. I guessed that my father, the Minister of Ceremonies, must be very busy with the procedures for the promotion of the nobles to knighthood for their merits, or the deputation or deprivation of knighthood as a result of punishment.

    I thought so, but then the Grand Dukeughed a little.

    ��Your father did mention that he will wait to give you a sermon until after he is done with his work.��

    I almost fell to my knees. It was true that I had made many blunders as a nobleman, such as chasing Lily by myself. As the head of the count family, I could understand why my father would scold me, but could it be that helping him with his hard work was part of my punishment?

    Wouldn��t it be better to be lectured from the start?

    ��You look terrible. You should wash your face before the victory ceremony in the afternoon.�� (Seyfart)

    ��Thank you for your advice���� (Welner)

    Could I cry?<hr>

 Chapter 217.1

    Chapter 217.1

    I left Grand Duke Seyfart��s room and went to Marquis Nolpoth��s office to make a dyed report of my arrival.

    The report itself was epted, but he was worried that I was pushing myself too hard, half lecturing me. I apologized, but I couldn��t think of any other way under the circumstances.

    Anyway, after finishing my report, I returned to my office and quickly grabbed a light meal. This was in preparation for the afternoon. There was no time for a leisurely lunch. While nibbling on the bread, I gave instructions to Neurath and the others.

    ��Neurath, call Max and see if he can get me a list of Zeavert��s service members and casualties. I want a list by the end of the day.�� (Welner)

    ��Understood.�� (Neurath)

    The families of those who died or got injured fighting for our House needed to be properlypensated. Even if it cost a lot of money, it was not something we should or could try to cut costs on.

    The amount of money that would be paid out would depend on various factions. For example, the degree of injury, reason behind death etc.

    A knight who died in battle because he was forced to save his allies could not be treated in the same way as a knight who died because he did not listen to instructions and charged forward on his own. This differed from modern warfare, where a uniform amount of money would be systematically paid to those who died in battle.

    Of course, rewards could not be neglected either. This time, since it was not a battle against humans, there was no need to think about the difference between the enemy being a famous knight and a soldier, but I understand that it was hard not to be appreciated for the work you had done.That was the reason why I had to pay them properly, and of course, they would be happier if they were recognized for their work immediately after it had been done. If we didn��t deal with it in a hurry, it might even be a source of dissatisfaction. I would leave the preparations for that to Max, but I would need to give him instructions.

    ��Schunzel, please interview the mercenaries and make arrangements.�� (Welner)

    ��Ha.�� (Schunzel)

    In case you were wondering, there was a remuneration listed in the initial contract, but it was the employer��s obligation to pay additional remuneration if employees worked above and beyond the contract. Moreover, there was also the question of reputation as an aristocrat involved. If you get a reputation as a stingy aristocrat, it would affect youter on.

    We also needed to check if they would prefer to be paid in cash or in the form of practical goods such as weapons and armor.

    ��Lily, you can return to the Zeavert Mansion early today. Neurath, tell Max to escort her.�� (Welner)

    ��Understood.�� (Lily)

    ��Yes, sir.�� (Neurath)

    In fact, there wasn��t much for Lily to do today. The victory ceremony would start this afternoon anyway. It was too much of a hassle.

    ***

    ��First ce in the Order of Merit, Count Zeavert.�� (King)

    ��Ha!�� (Welner)

    At the sound of His Majesty the King��s voice, my father, the head of the Count��s corps, bowed his head. His Majesty showered words of praise on father. Well,pliments cost nothing.

    ����Therefore, to reward the Count for his service on this asion, we grant Count Zeavert an exemption from external import duties.�� (King)

    A slight buzz urs. This was a fairlyrge, though not direct, reward. Trade with other countries conducted from the territory was permitted, but it was usually subject to a considerable tax. Not having to pay those taxes in the future would be a big deal in terms of the territory��s finances.

    However, it was the national side that decided which goods could be exported or imported. If the export or import of a particr item could lead to severe impact on the kingdom��s domestic market, noble��s territory could be prohibited to exporting or importing that particr item. Of course, there would be no problem with domestic distribution.

    Considering this, it would be easy for the Royal family to ensure nobles didn��t earn too much from foreign trade.

    ��In addition, Zeavert House will be granted additionalnds, which will be announced at ater date. The Chambein shall record this in the name of the royal family.�� (King)

    ��Yes!�� (Welner)

    By ��in the name of the royal family,�� he meant that this promise would be kept, even if the generation changed. If the King��s name was used, it could be undone if the King suddenly died, but if the royal family��s name was used, it would be the same as a contract with the state. It would be like a written pledge that never changes.<hr>

 Chapter 217.2

    Chapter 217.2

    ��Also, Viscount Zeavert.�� (King)

    ��Ha!�� (Welner)

    I bowed deeply as he called out to me. But I almost shook my head at the line that followed.

    ��I am aware that the Viscount is heavily in debt.�� (King)

    ��Oh, as you say, sir.�� (Welner)

    Ugh, I never thought that story woulde up here.

    I could hearughter all around me. I blushed unintentionally, but then His Majesty��s words followed.

    ��But I understand that the debt was all for the good of the country. In fact, I am aware that the development and experimentation of such various tools would not have been possible without prior research.�� (King)

    I know it may seem like that, but it was not the case. Well, there was no way that I could say, ��I��m sorry, I��m just using the knowledge that humanity has umted in previous generations��. It was embarrassing to be praised based on someone else��s knowledge.Moreover, I was sure that some of the attendees misunderstood my blush as embarrassment over the fact that my efforts to hide my embarrassment had been revealed. Wow, this was a bit of torture.

    ��I recognize that you deserve a special award for your long-term efforts and service to your country without regard to your own disgrace. Therefore, the state shall assume all your debts and reward the viscount with an equal amount.�� (King)

    ��Yes?

    Eh, wait a minute. That would almost be like being in debt to the government from the beginning, since most of the money was borrowed from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I think that the amount of the debt and my financial reward would be quite a lot of money.

    My debt was the result of my loyalty to the country, which was highly valued by the government, which showed its gratitude by taking over all the debt and giving me a financial reward.

    The country benefited greatly from this. I never thought they would use my debt in such a political way.

    I guess the budget for this would be raised by destroying some noble family, right? It was an unexpected turn of events, to be honest.

    ��In recognition of his insight, I am appointing Welner Von Zeavert as the new head of the Third Stable Master. The Third Stable Master will be under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince, so keep that in mind.�� (King)

    This time, there were shocked voices all around me. I was astonished as well. Wait a minute, I was still a student.

    A Stable Master was literally the head of the stable. To be precise, the highest rank was the royal Stable Master, who managed the horses and carriages of the royal family. The numbered Stable Master��s main duty was to manage the official horses and carriages, which were used by the knights, diplomats, and other emissaries to distant ces.

    The reason why there were multiple Stable Masters (along with multiple stables) was to prevent all the horses ending up out of service when a sickness struck the stable.

    However, of course, the horses themselves were taken care of by horsemen and other specialists. Therefore, it was not unusual for people who were not necessarily experts in horses to be assigned to this position.

    In fact, in the Middle Ages, an old duke who had given up his real power to his son and practically retired was appointed as a Stable Master of the royal court.

    In that sense, a Stable Master was more of an honorary position.

    On the other hand, horses were both a luxury car and a chariot in this era. In other words, it was an extremely important national asset. Therefore, as the person in charge of managing them, the position and sry offered was quite high.

    The highest-ranking Stable Master, the royal Stable Master, would be paid between 7,500 USD and 11,500 USD <b><i>per month</i></b> in my previous life. Other stable managers would also receive about 7,000 USD <b><i>per month</i></b>. And I was also paid a stipend as a viscount.

    (T/N: Above figures are very high based on Japan��s economy. They may not seem that high in the USA itself.)

    The Stable Master always apanied royalty on horse-drawn carriage parades, always staying near the carriage. This was a precaution in case something happened to the horses pulling the carriage, but he was one of the people who could always be near the royal carriages, so to speak.

    Furthermore, since the division rted to military horses was also included, the Stable Master oversees the ounting division of the stables as well as the administrative division. For example, he had the right to select merchants in the purchase of supplies, the warehouse division, and the technical division, including craftsmen who make horse tack and cksmiths who make horses�� hooves.

    They would also be consulted on military matters concerning the horses.

    So, this position of Stable Master was an important one, both in everyday life and in military service.<hr>

 Chapter 217.3

    Chapter 217.3

    In addition, if, for example, an illness urred in the stables, Stable Master must immediately report it directly to the royal family. This meant that he would be in a position to go directly to the office of His Majesty the King or the Crown Prince without being questioned by anyone.

    Lastly, it was a position where one��s work was immediately noticed, and if a young nobleman took the position, it would be obvious that he had risen in the ranks. There were even examples of people who went from Stable Master to General.

    When I think about it calmly, I was a little too young to do this at my age. Well, it was an honorary position, so I wonder if I could manage to be a Stable Master and a student or something.

    I looked far away to the point of being aware that I was trying to escape reality for a bit.

    And I could also understand why I was given such a position, the hint was from old man Uwe in the morning, saying, ��You would give it a shot, won��t you?��. It was a prepared stage, and I was prepared to ept it.

    ��To reward you for all your hard work, I��m going to ask you what you want in particr. Let me know if there��s anything you want.�� (King)

    ��Yes, I��ll take your word for it and ask for a favor.�� (Welner)

    I bowed deeply once and spoke out. I had originally intended to do so, but it was my fault that I had to say it under these circumstances, so I��m not going to hesitate or get upset now.

    ��Very well. What is it?�� (King)��After defeating the Demon King, I intend to take Lily Hearthing as my wife. I ask Your Majesty to be aware of this.�� (Welner)

    A murmur escaped from those around me. I couldn��t see them because I was bowing my head, but I was sure His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was chuckling.

    As I was thinking that, His Majesty replied to me in a tone of voice that contained a hint of a smirk.

    ��Let me remind you. On the asion of the marriage, the royal family will present Zeavert with a souvenir.�� (King)

    Again, surprise. At the same time, I could hear the clicking of tongues everywhere. Oh dear, some still hadn��t given up, huh?

    The conversation between me and His Majesty up to this point had been quite political. First, I didn��t say ��I want you to approve��, of my marriage to Lily, and His Majesty didn��t say ��I approve�� either.

    This was to avoid setting a precedent where a nobleman would have to ask for His Majesty��s permission every time he married amoner. I was simply showing that it was His Majesty��s decision whether he would keep my wishes in mind.

    I also mentioned ��Hearthing��, Lyly��s family name. This was not only to say to those who might have originally wanted Lily as their daughter-inw, but also to those who were trying to have an indirect rtionship with her by adopting her as an adopted child.

    There was an even bigger aspect to this. The country had not taken a protective stance towards Lily, even though Mazell was a national hero. If a nobleman directly had asked Lily to be his wife, Lily would have had no excuse to refuse except her own wish.

    However, when it came to the fianc��e of a noble who held the rank of a royal Stable Master, it would be difficult to interfere in any way.

    At the same time, the inclusion of the phrase ��after defeating the Demon King�� meant that I understood Lily��s position as a banner in the event that Mazell failed to defeat the Demon King, as I exined in the subtext.

    I, myself, did not believe that Mazell would fail, but I also needed to be considerate of others who think he could fail. That��s why I used this phrase.

    In response, His Majesty granted my wish by saying that the royal family would give me amemorative gift. Moreover, he did not use the word ��gift�� but ��present�� to describe the souvenir. This was the reason why people around me were surprised.

    The word ��gift�� implied that it was given from a higher person to a lower one, but ��present�� was more friendly. In other words, it meant that the royal family was willing to recognize the rtionship. Moreover, the fact that it was said ��to Zeavert,�� and not to me personally, meant that the rtionship between the royal family and the count was also implied.

    In other words, by showing this exchange to the people around me here, I was appealing to them that the country should be happy to recognize the engagement of the sister of a hero to the family of a warrior who fought against the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army and drove them back.

    I would utilize everything to stop others from messing with my loved ones, no matter what the country��s intentions were.

    ��Thank you for your kindness and support. I pledge my continued loyalty to you.�� (Welner)

    I bowed deeply, and my part was over. The apuse from those around me must have been both goodwill and calction. My drowsiness had flown away, but that was okay.

    Father told me that the nobles who were nning to marry off their daughters to me would be clicking their tongues that night. I did not want to hear about that.<hr>

 Chapter 218.1

    Chapter 218.1

    As soon as I got home after the victory ceremony, Lily came to tell me that my mother wanted to see me. Ugggh, there was still one more thing left to do.

    ��It��s Welner.�� (Welner)

    ��Come in.�� (Mom)

    When it came to public affairs, we usually talked about it in the parlor. I wondered what was going on for the mother to call me in private.

    ��First, thank you for your hard work yesterday. I have also heard about your war sess. I am honestly pleased.�� (Mom)

    ��Thank you.�� (Welner)

    It was true that I went to bed as soon as I got back yesterday, and it was early this morning, so I didn��t have a chance to talk to her properly. It was nice to get apliment, but that didn��t seem to be the end of it.

    ��But this is just where I have to ask you: Do you consider yourself a knight?�� (Mom)

    ��What?�� (Welner)No, I didn��t intend to be a knight in the first ce. But that did not seem to be what she meant. Her next words hit a bit of a sore spot.

    ��As a knight, you need only to look at the people you serve, the people you protect, and the enemy in front of you. But if you lead a troop, you are obliged to inform those who went to the battlefield under your direction and who went through the line of death with you about your location and ns. <b>Do not act alone.</b>�� (Mom)

    (T/N: She is concerned about Welner not telling his troops about what he was nning to do and also about Welner fighting Mubrial alone at the end. Not only that, Welner also fell unconscious just as the battle ended and waster found in a pile of Bicorn corpses in injured state.)

    ��Yes.�� (Welner)

    ��I understand that you were fatigued. I know you were injured. However, after arriving at the mansion after getting medical treatment, you should have told someone to inform Max or Frenssen that you were safe, no matter how tired you were.�� (Mom)

    (T/N: When Welner waster found in a pile of Bicorn corpses after battle, he was directly taken for medical treatment. He woke up after some time and went straight to Marquis Nolpoth��s main camp to report. Then, he came straight home. Later he fainted almost immediately on Lily.)

    Ugh. Come to think of it, I had never notified them that I was safe or anything. Indeed, if it were me, I would have been concerned too if someone had been injured or something. It was not a matter of just saying, ��Someone will take care of it for me��.

    Mom continued, ��Max and the rest of Zeavert Knights would probably have spent the whole night worrying about what had happened to you.��

    ��I was not considerate enough. I will be careful in the future.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes, be careful from now on. But���� (Mom)

    I froze for a moment. I never thought I would be hugged by my mother at my age.

    She continued with a slight tremble in her voice, ��As a mother, I��m d you��re safe�� well done�� foring back safely.��

    ����Thank you.�� (Welner)

    A little whileter, she asked me to go get Lily and let her go�� she must have something to tell Lily.

    But, thinking about it, I didn��t remember hearing my mother��s voice sound like that since my brother��s death. It was a wake-up call for me.

    ***

    The next day at the royal pce, I assisted my father in his office. Normally, I would not be so busy, but this was one of the most considerable wars since the Demon Outbreak incident. The ce was literally jammed with people dealing with the nobles who had made achievements and those who had died and punishing those who had cooperated with the doomsday ideology group.

    It might be closer to saying that they were in a state of frenzy.

    There were too many things that had to be done at once, such as making arrangements and confirming matters with multiple noble families.

    For example, if a noble A and a noble B were needed to be rewarded at the same time, their rewards would be affected by matters such as their rtionship with each other.

    If they had close rtionships like blood ties, either they would be ced in separate and distant regions, or one of them would be given a position while the other would be given money. This was to maintain the bnce.

    The same would apply to the noble families which were going to be punished. Punishment of a noble family that would normally be destroyed may be lightened to maintain the bnce among noble families or because of intervention of other great noble families.

    In such cases, there could naturally be a change of leadership as a punishment.

    In addition, the most urgent matter currently was to handle the session of noble families whose noble heads died in battle. As long as there was no particr problem, it would be fine if a legitimate son seeded, but if there were problems, arrangements and preparations must be made to avoid a session problem.

    The same could be applied to knighthoods. If a knight was only a Knight for one generation (the position was not inheritable), there would normally be no troublesome matters to deal with regarding inheritance and such. Of course, their family would be given properpensation.

    However, if a knight died saving a noble family, that family may ask for something to be given to the knight, as they could not afford to ignore the work the knight did. In this case, a betterpensation would be provided.

    No matter what, we would first need to identify the knights�� family members. Consideration for the bereaved families of those who have died in battle was rted to the view of ��war spirit and loyalty�� to the people around them, so it was a topic that could not be taken lightly.<hr>

 Chapter 218.2

    Chapter 218.2

    The situation in the office was a real battlefield.

    However, my father was indeed very skilled and quick in his work. He immediately handled the matters that could be done by his own authority, but for those that were difficult to determine on the spot, he would quickly instruct someone else to investigate and send the documents to me.

    That��s why I got a lot of paperwork.

    As I was checking the relevant documents, a seemingly new recruit, who was probably older than me, approached me.

    ��Viscount Zeavert.��

    ��Yes?�� (Welner)

    ��Well, I brought the material that the minister had just instructed me to investigate, but I was scolded.��

    ��What kind of material?�� (Welner)

    ��Here it is.��I understood the problem when I saw the thick book he presented to me. It angered me as well.

    ��I am not convinced that a busy minister has time to read such a thick book. The more material, did not mean the better. I want you to summarize all rtionships on one sheet of parchment paper.�� (Welner)

    ��One sheet?��

    He looked surprised, so I showed him the document I was working on.

    ��You should make a simplified version of the information you found so that your superior can judge the situation just by looking at it. It would also make it easier for your boss to find the points you consider important, as well as answer any doubts your boss might have.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes, sir.��

    ��As soon as you figure that out, be sure topile all the information. Then have another person review it just in case to prevent any trouble.��

    Yes, currently, the number of books that could be used as reference itself was not that many. However, it still had enough content that if one person had to deal with it, other people��s work would umte as well. When I pointed this out, the official said, ��I understand,�� and returned to his seat with a bloodthirsty look on his face.

    (T/N: Said recruit is a noble, notmoner.)

    In turn, another person from a different office came up to me. This person also seemed like a new recruit.

    ��Viscount, I��m sorry.��

    ��What is it?�� (Welner)

    ��Well, I was confused about something, so I asked my superior for advice, but I was reprimanded by my superior because I was not very specific about what I was trying to ask����

    Ah, that, of course his superiors would be mad.

    ��What did you ask your superior?�� (Welner)

    ��What did I ask?��

    ��If you can��t properly convey what you want to ask, then your superior can��t answer your question at all. In other words, you are wasting their time. You need to make sure you have done due diligence before approaching your superior. That��s why I am asking you what you asked.��

    ��Well, um, I don��t know where to find the materials regarding this part����

    ��Oh, it��s about that one. Then��.�� (Welner)

    Even though he��s a bit of a killjoy, I suppose there was a problem with his boss, who only reprimanded him.

    ��Viscount.��

    ��What is it this time?�� (Welner)

    Another person came again.

    ��Well, a messenger came from the gatekeeper at the main gate, saying that he is the illegitimate wife of Viscount Vesher, but that a woman is making a fuss, iming that her child has the right to inherit.��

    ��What?�� (Welner)

    I guess some people like this were expected toe out of the woodwork. It was amon urrence among the nobility. I have a feeling that the rtives and blood rtives of the self-proimed aristocratic families might be crowding in front of the gates of the royal capital at this very moment.

    ��Why didn��t you just turn it over to legal affairs?�� (Welner)

    ��I was sent by them to consult you.��

    The legal guys have thrown the whole thing at me. One of these days, I was going to double down on them.

    ��Okay. First, find out where the woman has been living all this time. As well as the ces that Viscount Vesher has visited. If the ce of residence of that woman is in an area affected by the battle, and it is difficult to find witnesses, we will make a separate investigation.�� (Welner)

    ��Understood.��

    I��ve also been assigned the job of clearing away the debris and whatnot, including identifying the refugees, and those who have lost their homes during demon battle. If we do an investigation over there, we would be able to find relevant information and put it on record pretty quickly.

    I also had to help many officials approaching me for help now and then. To be fair, I was not even sure why so many people, especially new ones, were approaching for help in the first ce.<hr>

 Chapter 218.3

    Chapter 218.3

    By the way, I have already instructed Max to distribute the cash rewards to Zeavert knights and mercenaries I hired.

    Also, what should I do with therge number of Bicorn horns I got as a spoil of war? After the war was over, Demons�� materials were given to those who killed them, so I acquired a ton of materials for being active in the field and leading the army.

    In this world, unicorn horns were considered a cure-all, but Bicorn horns were used as an energizer. It was a problem to have so many of those things. What should we do with hundreds of them?

    In this medieval society, it was a righteous thing to have more babies, so why not give them away as a reward? On the other hand, if I sold them, I could make some money. Maybe they could also be used to breed horses.

    Since Bicorn horns were expensive, they were usually used by the nobility, but with such arge amount, the price would probably go down.

    ��Viscount, I��m sorry, but����

    ��What happened?�� (Welner)

    Another questioner. Yes, superiors were difficult people to talk to, so I understand that officers couldn��t approach them for advice easily. But I wish they wouldn��t keeping to me all the time.

    After oveing all these problems, the day went on like this all day long. I think my father��s eyes looked at me asionally, but I didn��t skip work, or rather, I didn��t have time to skip work.That evening, after dinner, my father called me to his office at the mansion for a face-to-face meeting.

    ��What did you think of today��s work?�� (Ingo)

    ��I felt that a lot of people have been recruited this time. I mean, I didn��t expect them to mix nobles of different factions and make them work together. From what I heard, some nobles were assigned to convenient ces like near the royal capital, or were entrusted with important bases, while others were sent to distant ces.�� (Welner)

    ��That��s correct.�� (Ingo)

    I knew it. It appears that the royal family wanted to take advantage of the confusion as well.

    Roughly speaking, when the royal power was not very strong, the families of nobles often resided in their fiefdoms. In some cases, the wife of the head of the family even led a siege against an invasion from another enemy that urred while the head of the family was away at war.

    On the other hand, as royal power was strengthened and the royal capital acted as the central hub of the whole nation, the families of nobles began to live in royal capitals. This was simply because it was more convenient for them to keep their antennae up because information inevitably gathered in the royal capital. It was inevitable that one aspect of such information exchange meetings was that social circles develop in a spectacr manner.

    Be that as it may, in that sense, I feel that the Bain kingdom today was just in a transitional period.

    It was obvious that keeping the children of aristocrats in the royal capital in the form of academies was an aspect of hostage-taking, and many aristocratic wives who were in a more convenient position to be in the royal capital, as parents, for example, were living in the royal capital.

    On the other hand, some aristocratic families with a somewhat independent spirit, such as Coltrezis House, seemed to keep their distance from the royal capital.

    In the kingdom, there were areas that had suffered extensive damage from the demon army and areas that were rtively unaffected. So, in consideration of reconstruction arrangements and budget efficiency, it was necessary to establish a more centralized system that could move people and money efficiently.

    So, if the question had to be asked whether it was good for noble families to be independent in the current situation from the perspective of the Kingdom, it was probably not good.

    If some noble family refused support from the central government only because of their pride in being independent and self-reliant, the royal family would not be able to do much.

    This would not only negatively affect citizens, but also upset the bnce of power with the surrounding aristocratic families if the fiefdom of the aristocratic family in question became poor. In the mid to long-term, this would be detrimental to the stability of the country.

    In other words, His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intend to use the current vacuum in the country caused by the Demon Army to rethink the country��s structure itself. If this seeds, he may be praised as the ��Greatest��.

    If it fails, the kingdom itself might be shaken, but for some reason, I could not imagine a scene where the Crown Prince himself fails.

    Anyway, the royal family had begun to make arrangements to reform the entire country, and perhaps the nobles who opposed the reforms would be dealt with. The royal family probably intended to seriously destroy Coltrezis House to send a warning to the nobles who opposed it.

    Since Coltrezis House had established rtions with other countries on its own, the Royal family had sufficient justification too. Either way, I have no room for sympathy for Coltrezis House.<hr>

 Chapter 218.4

    Chapter 218.4

    As I was thinking this inwardly, my father called out to me and I stopped thinking for a moment.

    ��Do you understand the situation?�� (Ingo)

    ��I am assuming that Coltrezis House will not be able to remain as it is.�� (Welner)

    ��What else?�� (Ingo)

    ��Other than that, I am expecting that this is a good opportunity for the kingdom to recruit the knights and civil servants of the noble families that were to receive punishment, right?�� (Welner)

    ��That��s right.�� (Ingo)

    Some of the noble families that would be promoted may not have enough local information on their new assignment, while others may not have the manpower to start things moving forward. Government would need to recruit as many people as possible to proceed with the reforms of the country.

    From the point of view of someone who once lost the house they served, they could not throw away the opportunity for a new job, but that didn��t mean the kingdom could recruit just anyone, after all, it would depend on their work profile from their previous positions. Let��s see��

    ��Is working with me one of the evaluation criteria?�� (Welner)��I see, you understood that as well.�� (Ingo)

    ��I suppose the evaluation criterion would be if they insult me for working here despite my young age or just try to tter me thinking they might get easily hired if they did so.��

    This solved the mystery as to why so many new recruits approached me for help. Their superior probably directed them to approach me for help to see their reactions.

    I guess that was also one of the reasons why my rank remained as a viscount, wasn��t it? After all, it was weird that my rank didn��t go up even after contributing so much to the country as well as having so many achievements.

    I doubt that the country would limit my rewards just because I was a young man, but this was probably their aim for me to be some kind of test for every other noble while also giving me financial rewards and a new position to not disappoint me.

    ��You��re aware of what His Majesty has said.�� (Ingo)

    ��Is that about addressing me as ��Zeavert�� only instead of attaching the rank of our territory?�� (Welner)

    The point in that conversation was that there I was not addressed as part of the ��count��, which would not be strange if one would only speak of it in a superficial way. But being addressed by Royalty, there was definitely a meaning in not addressing me as part of the ��count��.

    His Majesty and the Crown Prince have also started training and organizing new staff and bureaucratic corps to carry out domestic reforms. Zeavert House was one of the leading candidates. In other words, there must be ns to raise father��s rank to Marquis, perhaps to make him a member of the leading aristocracy supporting the reform.

    (T/N: Although Welner��s father is <b><i>Minister of Ceremony</i></b>, which doesn��t sound impressive, it is basically a post just below Prime Minister. Him bing Marquis would increase his already high political power to another level. Another thing is that Welner would inherit Marquis rank in future so him not getting higher rank now is irrelevant in the Royal family��s opinion.)

    ��I guess it will be after some of the cleanup is done.�� (Welner)

    ��I also can��t say when it will happen.�� (Ingo)

    ��I see.�� (Welner)

    Thinking about it, there was an uing party hosted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Louwen, it urred to me that all the changes would be applied by that time and would be well received. If we were to coincidepleting our work with that event, then we would not have much time to spare.

    The departure to the fiefdom of Coltrezis House may be sooner than I had imagined, and that��s why I��ve been assigned the half-hearted role of helping father out. Huh��

    ��I��ll leave the preparations for the departure to the fiefdom of Coltrezis House to Max. Until then, please continue to help out.�� (Ingo)

    ��Yes.�� (Welner)

    ��I��m counting on you.�� (Ingo)

    Oh, it was rare to hear such a statement from my father. With that in mind, I went back to my room, but after a while, I began to feel strange like I made some kind of mistake.

    ��Um, Welner-sama?�� (Lily)

    ��Is something wrong?�� (Frenssen)

    Lily, who was studying at the Count��s mansion today instead of the royal pce, and Frenssen, who was putting together the internal office documents of the Order, seemed to be concerned, but he didn��t say anything.

    After some thought, I realized what mistake I made. In the end, I sighed and called out to Lily, ��Sorry, Lily, can you please get me a cup of tea?��

    ��Yes, right away.�� (Lily)

    Another sigh escaped my mouth as Lily exited.

    Frenssen turned to look at me and asked, ��What happened?��

    ��You know, sometimes talking too much is a bad thing���� (Welner)

    ��Huh.�� (Frenssen)

    Yeah, I screwed up. My father��s questioning was clearly a test of mine. And judging from his reaction, I passed it, which meant I would be offered a ce on the political reform team, no matter what I said.

    If I had made some mistake, I could have returned to being a student or at least stopped from falling deeper into this rabbit hole, but I feel like I ruined that chance myself.

    ��It seems like I screwed up.�� (Welner)

    After exining the situation, Frenssen��s reaction was toin, but to no avail. Even Lily, who made me a cup of tea, looked annoyed. I��d rather just rx.

    I took a sip, let out a big sigh, and then turned my attention to Lily.

    ��By the way, Lily, I��m sorry, but I need you to draw something for me. And Frenssen, please arrange it.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes.�� (Frenssen)

    ��Yes, what is it?�� (Lily)

    Let��s just do what we have to do. Yeah, I��ll do what I have to do.<hr>

 Chapter 219.1

    Chapter 219.1

    ��That��s all I have to say on the issue ofpensation for viges on and near the western border.�� (Council Member 1)

    ��Good. What about the border guards?�� (King)

    ��There was some disruption, but it seems to be stabilizing.�� (Council Member 2)

    ��Don��t just rely on reports from the field. Send someone to investigate. I��m sure Count Chandale will be able to investigate.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes.�� (Council Member 1)

    The main topic of discussion at the Council in front of the King and Crown Prince was the post-mortem on the recent attack of the Demon Army.

    The strategies used in defense against the Demon Army had beenrgely sessful, but it was still impossible to say that there were no problems such as confusion at the scene. The damage to the areas through which the Demon Army had passed could not be left unattended.

    The recovery from the damage to the royal capital had already been entrusted to the subordinate organizations, and the role of the national authorities had shifted to dealing with therger aspects of the situation.

    ��What about the matter of having soldiers help with the reconstruction work?�� (King)��We are moving forward with that as nned. However, we will still have to make necessary adjustments based on the situation on the ground.�� (Council Member 1)

    ��Order them to give you a report on the adjustments they have made. It will be a valuable record.�� (Crown Prince)

    Minister of the Interior Audenried and Minister of War Schundler bowed their heads in agreement with the Crown Prince��s order. This n, too, was originally devised by Welner.

    In a normal situation, soldiers would have shown some resistance to doing construction work, especiallywhen something like this was being done for the first time, but in the name of restoring the damage caused by the Demon Army, the soldiers would have little resistance to cooperating with the project.

    ��Count Zeavert, I would like you to send beans from the Count��s territory to these damaged areas.�� (King)

    ��I shall prepare it.�� (Ingo)

    Ingo, Welner��s father, bowed to the King. Due to their transport capacity and preservation technology, legumes could serve as emergency rations in such cases. The Royal Household therefore ordered Zeavert to assist in this regard.

    At the same time, it was also convenient for the Royal Family topensate for Welner��s unselfishness, as they could emphasize their confidence in Zeavert both at home and abroad by adding to his reward. Ingo knew this, so heplied without a trace of disapproval.

    ��Order to pay the inhabitants of the affected areas if they cooperate in the transport of supplies.�� (King)

    ��Where will the budgete from?�� (Ingo)

    ��I will ask the church to help us with that.�� (Crown Prince)

    The Crown Prince��sment made the nobles around himugh.

    The church also took donations in the countryside. If they were to package it as support to people, which it actually was, it would be difficult for the church to refuse.

    In fact, since the kingdom had evidence that High Priest Leppe wasplicit in the attack on the royal capital, the church was more than willing to cooperate with the government to avoid the kingdom revealing the truth to the public. Of course, it would also improve the image of the church in the public eye.

    With that matter out of the way, the agenda changed.

    ��What about the diplomats in the royal capital?�� (King)

    ��Some of them have returned to the country, iming to be suddenly ill, while others havee and gone, including a messenger presumably carrying a letter.�� (Council Member 1)

    ��If that��s the case, there��s no reason to me them.�� (Crown Prince)

    In essence, the story of an attack on the Bain kingdom��s royal capital was a major incident. What would be even more problematic, however, was the spread of rumors that the Royal Capital had been attacked, and that great damage had been inflicted. Neighboring countries may see this as an opportunity to invade the country.

    Not letting these diplomats go to their respective countries would only give rise to spection among other nations that the Bain kingdom was in a very weak state and had held diplomats hostage to avoid spread of information.

    The Bain kingdom would like to avoid having countries believe in false information and meddle with its borders. Therefore, the diplomatic representatives of each country were allowed to leave the royal capital or send out emissaries.

    ��How will Farlitz react?�� (Crown Prince)

    ��We will proceed with our investigation.�� (Council Member 2)

    Several people lowered their heads at the King��s question. It was already known that Coltrezis House and the neighboring country of Farlitz had some kind of rtionship, but the extent to which the Farlitz side would be willing to interfere was unpredictable.

    If Coltrezis House were to abandon theirnds, position and defect, it would be eptable to ignore them, but if they nned to rebel with the help of Farlitz soldiers, it would be necessary to take immediate action.

    Ironically, Coltrezis House moved more on emotion than reason, making it difficult for the leaders of the Bain kingdom to read the current situation.<hr>

 Chapter 219.2

    Chapter 219.2

    ��Please continue to make arrangements with the church.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes, of course.�� (Council Member 2)

    The previous incident had seriously aggravated the church��s position. For this reason, it was asking for active cooperation in reconstruction work of the areas currently damaged in the royal capital, as well as in the collection of information in Coltrezis territory and, conversely, in the spread of information.

    Rebellions without popr support rarely seed. The only exception to this rule would be when the people who were suppressing the rebellion did not have the support of the people.

    The current Bain kingdom was not without discontent, but there was little misgovernment, and Coltrezis House was one of the major yers creating this discontent towards the kingdom side unterally.

    The church would certainly agree to cooperate with the kingdom��s n, since it only needed to spread information about Coltrezis House��s ill doings in their territory.

    Of course, the church had its own agenda. Even though it was undeniable that church officials were involved in the demonic forces, it was more convenient to say that the main culprit was the eldest son of the Coltrezis House rather than that the High Priest was the main culprit.

    There was already the case of the trial of the Hero Mazell and the Saint Laura, and if a High Priest was found to have joined the demon army, the church��s position inside the Bain kingdom would be at risk. Therefore, the church was actively working to manipte information that it was Coltrezis House who was at fault.

    If Welner had the opportunity to know of the church��s n, he might have uttered a warning from a previous life: <i>An organization is a creature that puts the protection of the organization first.</i>��Speaking of which, I heard that in some of the surrounding countries, Lord Welner is gaining the alias of <b><i>The Demon General��s Killer</i></b>.�� (King)

    ��I would like to see his face when he hears that phrase.�� (Crown Prince)

    Foreign Minister Eckvoort��s statement is responded to by Commander Hindelman, 2nd Knight Commander, and a few of them burst intoughter. If Welner himself had heard it, he might not have understood who they were talking about.

    But his work at the Great Temple of Finnoi, a religious center, and his sesses in Anheim have already be well-known among those in the neighboring countries who have an ear for such things. This sessful defense against the Demon Army may reinforce that reputation.

    ��I don��t see any objection to having Lord Welner join you in your mission to subdue Coltrezis House, either.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��I have no objection as well, but I think we should be careful with the reins.�� (Filsmeier)

    First Knight Commander Filsmeier responded. This was probably in part due to Welner��s behavior up to this point, which had a somewhat negative impact on him.

    In this world, Welner had been fighting in a way that inflicted damage that would normally cause others to be scared in the early modern era, but it was still deemed eptable since it was used against demon armies. If he used the same tactics in a war against humans, he would attain the reputation of being a genocidal maniac.

    That��s why if such strategies were proposed to be used against humans, he would likely be opposed to it, refusing even the proposal itself. Crown Prince Hubert nodded lightly, but did not change his expression, knowing this already. Filsmeier kept his gaze fixed on the prince, watching his reaction and asked.

    ��Won��t Count Zeavert be a burden to you in terms of his position.��(Filsmeier)

    ��As a vassal, it is only to be expected.�� (Crown Prince)

    Ingo bowed his head without changing expression at the Crown Prince��sment, and some of the people around him smiled wryly. In fact, the reason the Count Zeavert remained a Count was more for diplomatic reasons.

    If Count Zeavert became a Marquis, it would not be surprising for other countries to treat him like a Duke as he already held huge power in the country And it would not be surprising if royal blood rtives of other countries would offer to marry the heir apparent (Welner) of a ��marquis��.

    Ironically, the only unmarried royal in the Bain kingdom was the second princess, Laura, who was also called a saint, so it was natural that some countries would try to have rtions with influential nobles if marriage with royalty in the Bain kingdom was difficult. Welner��s value was growing rapidly.

    However, if such an application were toe in, diplomatic considerations would inevitably arise. And, although almost everyone in the room would probablyugh at this point, there was a real danger that Welner would quickly resign from his position if there was such troubleing his way.

    This would be a disqualification for an aristocrat, but no one pointed that out any longer. In fact, Welner��s ability and achievements up to this point could not be ignored, and since influential people such as Crown Prince Hubert and Grand Duke Seyfart seemed to be amused by it, the other ministers had given up on it.

    And while a sister of a ��Hero who vanquished the Demon King�� could be rated higher than a nobleman��s blood rtive, simply being the sister of a Hero would not be enough to stop others from approaching Welner. From a national perspective, it was inevitable that she would still be regarded as the daughter of an excellentmoner.

    As a result, at this point, it was because of this that the Count��s position remained, which would make it more difficult for a higher noble or royalty from another country to approach Welner. In a way, Ingo was also probably the one who was most rxed about the situation.

    ��Rumors are spreading in neighboring countries that the Second Princess Laura is to be married off to Lord Welner.�� (Council Member 1)

    ��I would love to see it spread and see Welner��s reaction.�� (Crown Prince)

    Some of themughed saying, ��For the future, too. She is just the right age��, and it would be no surprise if she were to marry into the Count��s family because Welner had gained more than enough valor for him to be epted into the Royal Family. But, this could only happen if they had no regard for Welner��s intentions.

    Duke Grunding crossed his arms with aplicated expression on his face. It was well known that the Duke adored his granddaughter, so this matter only became a light banter.

    ��Speaking of which, how is that matter progressing?�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes, I think it is important to know that Delitzdam is no longer opposed to it.�� (Filsmeier)

    ��Continue with caution.�� (Crown Prince)

    Several issues were then discussed, such as how to cover the losses of the Knights and the urgent investigation of the waterways of the royal capital and the discovered ruins.

    During this time, other officials were busy performing their duties, including Welner, who, as assistant minister of liturgy, was busy reviewing the bnces among the nobles that had arisen as a result of a change in the head of state.<hr>

 Chapter 220.1

    Chapter 220.1

    The next day, I was allowed to leave work in the early evening, and after visiting His Highness the Crown Prince, I went to the pce with Neurath and Schunzel.

    On the way, we went around the sites that had been destroyed in the recent battle, asking about the state of reconstruction and whether there were any materials or medicines missing. In addition, I bought scrap wood to use as firewood.

    After the Great Fire of Japan, the price of timber skyrocketed because many buildings made of wood were damaged. This was amon pattern in any world. I understand that this was a good time for merchants to make money, but I couldn��t just leave things as they were.

    When I visited a lumber guild to talk to them, some of the guild members were very insistent at first, saying, ��What does a kid like you doing here?�� Well, their attitude changed just as I told them my name.

    When I told them that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was <b><i>very</i></b> concerned about the progress of the construction, they immediately promised to provide all the stock of materials they had at a reasonable price.

    I didn��t like this way of doing things, but it couldn��t be helped because the victims would be more inconvenienced if we were slow in doing things.

    In return, I promised the guild that as one of the Stable Master, I would rmend their guild for tender to repair or rebuild an old building in the near future, which seemed to have satisfied them.

    I also exined to the reconstruction workers outside the guild that the guild had promised to lower its prices, and they cheered.

    After that, we went to Mr. Bierstedt��s shop and sat down to take a rest. I received what I needed from Mr. Bierstedt, asked him if there was something else he needed, and finally asked him for any news regarding the guild ofmerce.��Is there still a disruption in goods�� distribution channels?�� (Welner)

    ��Yes, although it seems to be gradually picking up. There are some people who are afraid of another attack by the Demon Army.�� (Bierstedt)

    I put down the pen I had borrowed to write a report on the capital��s condition and thought to myself. Certainly, it was understandable that people were afraid of another attack by the Demon Army.

    On the other hand, although it was inevitable, the royal capital was amercial city. If the number of merchants visiting the city decreased, it would inevitably lead to the shortage of goods such as foodstuffs. We needed more merchants.

    ��Are Bicorn Horns worth selling in a provincial city?�� (Welner)

    ��Well, it depends.�� (Bierstedt)

    After some consideration, I decided to sell Bicorn Horns at a discount to merchants who were willing to provide us supplies we needed.

    Although I would make less money this way, it would help ease the shortage of supplies in the royal capital and also encourage merchants to take risks bying back to the capital. It could prevent potential economic crises by simting the economy.

    Bierstedt responded that some mighte if they could get that discount.

    I agreed to sell the horns by processing them and distributing them by weight ording to their cargo, instead of using whole horns. Bierstedt also added that he would make a proposal to other merchants.

    ��Also, there are rumors that the kingdom may be sending out troops in the near future.�� (Welner)

    ��Hmm.�� (Bierstedt)

    He looked at me with a probing gaze.

    ��Can I gain some extra money from that?�� (Bierstedt)

    ��When people, especially the army, move, there are always opportunities for profit.�� (Welner)

    I chuckled a bit at the merchant-like exchange. Not only was he willing to go where the customers could be found, but he was also willing to take a risk to profit. I wondered if this world would eventually developmercial methods that create targeted patrons.

    ��I hope you make a profit.�� (Welner)

    ��I hope so.�� (Bierstedt)

    Although I indirectly acknowledged that the mobilization was near, it wasn��t a big deal. As a well-connected merchant, Bierstedt would have already realized by now that the eldest son of Marquis Coltrezis was involved in the Demon Army. I suppose he was just confirming it.

    By the way, the second son of Marquis Coltrezis had not left Coltrezis��s territory all this time.<hr>

 Chapter 220.2

    Chapter 220.2

    ��I know this is a very strange order.�� (Welner)

    ��I don��t think it��s strange at all.�� (Bierstedt)

    Well, in a way, he was right. My main goal was just to request someone to transport goods. I was going to use Zeavert��s supplies, but the current tradingpany that handled the territory��s transportation of goods was busy with other matters, so I lost my chance and had to get someone to transport the supplies from another territory.

    ��And while we��re at it, I will also let you in on another profitable deal.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes?�� (Bierstedt)

    ��I want you to buy grass to be used as fodder in the Coltrezis territory or on any nearby territory to Coltrezis. I want you to do it discreetly, so that no other businesses would notice.�� (Welner)

    ��Sounds good.�� (Bierstedt)

    The warhorse was arge, strong horse with a big appetite, so the food it consumed was not negligible. A cavalry of 10,000 horses would require ��absolutely impossible to procure on the spot�� kind of grass.

    It was also important that fodder was of good quality, so as not topromise with valuable horses�� health. All in all, it was better to arrange for good quality fodder ahead of time.��If you can��t buy from a closer location, I don��t mind if you buy it from our neighboring country, Farlitz.�� (Welner)

    ��Hoh.�� (Bierstedt)

    If Farlitz or Coltrezis were nning military action, they wouldn��t sell their supplies, including grass. In other words, that in itself would be a sign regarding war preparations not only with Coltrezis but with Farlitz as well. That��s my main goal, and Bierstedt probably understood it.

    ��Yes. I��ll talk to my merchant friends there as well.�� (Bierstedt)

    ��Please.�� (Welner)

    ��There are many nobles who want to have rtions with the Viscount, so if I tell them about the Bicorn Horn, they will be more willing to cooperate with us.�� (Bierstedt)

    ��I��m not trying to be famous.�� (Welner)

    I whined, but I wondered if it was toote. After making arrangements to deliver a letter I wrote to my father in the royal pce, I moved to Rafed��s store.

    The manner in which Rafed greeted me was as exaggerated as in a stage y, but I was afraid that I was bing ustomed to it.

    Rafed offered me a cup of tea, and I said my thanks after epting it.

    ��This is an unusual tea.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes, it is. A fine tea from Resga.�� (Rafed)

    I got an uneasy expression on my face when I heard the name of that country. I couldn��t help but ask a series of questions.

    ��Do you still have contacts that could procure this?�� (Welner)

    ��Rtionships as a merchant are surprisingly difficult to break. Besides, information about my connection to the Viscount will be very pleasing to the other party.�� (Rafed)

    The fact that he wasn��t hiding his intention to use my name may not be a bad thing, but I wanted to ask him not to say such outrageous things so casually.

    ��Are they talking about me in other countries, too?�� (Welner)

    ��In Resga, they seem to be thinking about how to buy your hospitality. And in Salznach, I heard that they were talking good about how the Hero was furious with the Viscount.�� (Rafed)

    ��Why did they think so?�� (Welner)

    ��I don��t know the details, but I heard that they find the Viscount��s fighting style cowardly, and that he��s not even worthy of the nobility.�� (Rafed)

    ��Well, whatever.�� (Welner)

    At least they were aware that I was not a typical noble. I also admit that I wasn��t always acting like a noble. To tell you the truth, noble etiquette was a pain in the neck for me.

    Even in my previous life in the Middle Ages, etiquette was troublesome. In thete Muromachi period in Japan, there were even rules such as, ��When eating rice cakes, you must eat with your back rounded, and when eating rice noodles, you must eat with your back straight��.

    And theyughed at those who did not know or did not follow the manners they had decided on their own and considered them as ��ignorant��. Simply put, most court nobles and aristocrats were of a bad character.<hr>

 Chapter 221.1

    Chapter 221.1

    I asked Rafed for some deception information and then went to the backstreet slum to thank Old Man Bert.

    Neurath and Schunzel were waiting nearby, but I was struck by the fact that the tense atmosphere I had felt before was gone. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the residents seemed to have calmed down a bit.

    I was also d to hear that the work was going well.

    I thanked Old Man Bert. Human beings make mistakes by saying unnecessary things at times like this, so I was really careful. I left after leaving a minimum number of greetings and token of thanks for their cooperation.

    ��Oh, my shoulders are stiff. We still have to check the construction sites in the affected areas.��

    ��It seems to me that Welner-sama didn��t have to do some of these things today.��

    ��Well, postponing them further will only cause harm.��

    I responded to Schunzel.

    ��I felt like I was making a spectacle of myself when I remembered the way the residents looked at me as I visited the damaged areas, but that��s beside the point.

    ��The people in the affected areas didn��t seem to have lost their will to live yet, either.�� (Schunzel)

    ��That��s for sure.�� (Welner)

    Looking at the site where cheers could be heard, it would make you feel that people were no longer afraid of the Demon Army. It was necessary to confirm such voices and help motivate people at the site, so today��s detour was not a waste of time.

    With that in mind, I returned to the mansion and was immediately greeted by Lily.

    ��Thank you for your hard work, Welner-sama, but you are on foot today?�� (Lily)

    ��Yes, I��ve been to many ces today that were mostly essible by foot traffic.�� (Welner)

    ��Oh, then I will make sure to brush your jacket.�� (Lily)

    ��Thank you, please.�� (Welner)

    Lily herself didn��t mind, but it wasn��t something that a noblewoman or ady would usually do.

    I think it would take Lily some time to get used to the noble��s rules and manners, and slowly master them.

    In that sense, I wondered if it was better for her to be in a more light-hearted position so that she could spend a little more time studying.

    While thinking about this, I returned to my room to find Frenssen waiting for me. He gave me some documents and instructions on some arrangements to be made inside the Zeavert��s Knight Order. A generous reward was offered to the knights and squires who saved theirrades and colleagues, equivalent to the reward for defeating the enemy.

    On the other hand, there were apparently a couple of knights who got drunk on victory drinks and went on a rampage, so they were strictly ordered to participate in debris removal work for five days with their upper bodies naked.

    Although there were some injured, thankfully, there were no casualties. Still, I told Frenssen to make sure we paid the victim��s medical bills.

    ��Are they being a littlezy?�� (Welner)

    ��Max is angry that themander is getting too arrogant and needs to work on his training.�� (Frenssen)

    ��They angered Max���� (Welner)

    I guess it was not a problem that could be dismissed as if it were someone else��s problem.

    When you keep winning, you start to lose your edge. Although I believed that Max would take care of it, I didn��t think it was a problem that could be left to others. I didn��t have sufficient experience to do it. However, I think it was important for me to be present at the meeting.

    While I was thinking about this and signing the documents, Frenssen brought me a small jar and a package of solid food that he had left on his desk.

    ��And this here, sir.�� (Frenssen)

    ��Oh, that was quick.�� (Welner)

    ��The solid samples were made quickly, but the liquid ones will take a lot of time and effort to transport.�� (Frenssen)

    ��I see, that can��t be helped.�� (Welner)<hr>

 Chapter 221.2

    Chapter 221.2

    Just then there was a knock at the door, expecting the visitor, I asked Lily to prepare some tea, and I asked the visitor toe in.

    ��Sorry to bother you.�� (Ate)

    ��Welner-sama. I brought you a cup of tea.�� (Lily)

    ��Thank you. Are you getting used to your new life, Ate?�� (Welner)

    ����To be honest, not so much.�� (Ate)

    Ate had a troubled look on her face, but I guess it was impossible for her to get used to it in a day or two. I��ll just have to let her get used to it, but I guess I��ll have to give her a chance for a change of pace from time to time.

    Since the other day, Ate hade to live and work at the Zeavert mansion. In name, she was my mother��s attendant, but in reality, she was Lily��s escort, assistant, and educator. In the mansion, she was apanied by Lily in the guise of a chambermaid.

    The punishment from the state regarding the incident with Count Yerring was not a heavy one. A reprimand and a temporary withholding of her Knight��s title. I was also expecting that she might end up being on house arrest or something simr.

    As the incident caused by Ate could also be seen as an achievement, so it was unofficially decided that she would return to being a female knight in due time.However, since the face of a noble family was also important, the very act of suddenly attacking another noble was a subject of criticism among noble families.

    Although she was not disowned, she was severely ��reprimanded�� by her parents. Therefore, her father arranged for her to work at the Zeavert mansion in the name of re-educating her about etiquette.

    Ate was from a noble family, so there was no problem for her to work as an attendant at Zeavert mansion. Rather, her presence would make Lily more ustomed to her new position, because Lily would be expected to join the ranks of noblewomen soon.

    Since Lily was amoner, not long ago, it wasmon for her to bow down to even lower-rank nobles, but now she was on the side of those who were bowed down to by lower-rank nobles, this was a big change in position for Lily.

    For Lily to get used to this, Ate was put in the position of ady��s attendant to Lily. I was sorry to leave her in charge of the mentor��s role and the maid of honor role, but it was fine since she was okay with it. She also seemed to be enjoying the role of maid of honor.

    However, Lily seemed to be having more trouble putting her feelings into perspective when the female knight from the aristocratic ss she had befriended acted as if she were her subordinate. I could understand that. It was like a retired boss rehired as a subordinate. It was a very ufortable feeling.

    I checked the contents of the jar. It was the first time I��d seen the real thing, too. While I was sniffing, Lily put a cup of tea on the table. I scooped up the thickened contents of the jar with the teaspoon and licked it off.

    I held the jar out to Lily, who had a curious look on her face.

    ��Would you like to taste it?�� (Welner)

    ��May I?�� (Lily)

    ��I don��t rmend it inrge quantities.�� (Welner)

    ��Well, just a little.�� (Lily)

    She was so curious that she moved it from the teaspoon to the back of her hand, looked at it curiously, sniffed it, and licked it. It reminded me of a puppy sniffing the food it had just been given for the first time.

    ��It��s a little sweet.�� (Lily)

    ��Not as sweet as sugar, though.�� (Welner)

    ��What is it?�� (Lily)

    ��I think it��s a wetting agent.�� (Welner)

    That wasn��t a mistake, but it wasn��t the whole truth, either. It was a kind of alcohol called glycerin. It was a byproduct of soap making and had been around for a long time, even in a previous life.

    (Note: While glycerine in food is safe, ingestingrge amounts at once can cause side effects.)

    Glycerin itself could be made from vegetable oil or tallow, but as a painting material, it was added as a wetting agent to make pigments blend with water. In my previous life, glycerin was used as a food additive.

    Glycerin was one of the raw materials used to make nitroglycerin, which was dynamite, but as you might expect, I don��t intend to make bombs this time.

    First, I have no idea how to make nitroglycerin. Second, if I really made nitroglycerin, with themon sense of people in this world, humans would destroy themselves first before demons could. It might be more dangerous than demons, so I have no intention of making it.

    I heard that it was possible to make paint by mixing glycerin, various pigments, and sap from leguminous shrubs, etc. I don��t know the details of the process itself, but I only acquired the knowledge because it was made from leguminous nts, a specialty of the Zeavert territory.

    It would be quicker to ask Norbert how to make it in detail, and I have Frenssen looking into it as well.

    ��Don��t worry about this work. I��ll leave that to the others to deal with. Instead, I need a little favor from you.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes?�� (Ate)

    ��I��d like you to work with Ally and the others on something���� (Welner)

    I exined in detail and she agreed, tilting her head. I guess she must have wondered why I was asking for something like that now.

    ��I understand.�� (Ate)

    ��Thanks.�� (Welner)

    With that, I gave Frenssen a light signal and asked him to leave the room with the rest.<hr>

 Chapter 221.3

    Chapter 221.3

    ��Lily?�� (Welner)

    ��Ye, yes.�� (Lily)

    ��I��m sorry.�� (Welner)

    ��Eh?�� (Lily)

    She had a puzzled expression on her face. I didn��t have the words to say, but I wanted to apologize first.

    ��First of all, I put you in harm��s way the other day.�� (Welner)

    ��Oh, I thought it was inevitable���� (Lily)

    ��It may have been inevitable, but I can��t deny that I let my guard down. So please let me apologize.��

    ��Okay, I understand, please raise your head.�� (Lily)When I stood up and bowed my head, she responded in a very panicked voice. I didn��t mean to make her panic. My apology was more like self-satisfaction for me, but even so, I just couldn��t set it aside.

    ��And also, the current situation.�� (Welner)

    ��The current situation?�� (Lily)

    ��Because there��s some kind of political consideration at work, you have to be engaged with me. I am sorry that I didn��t discuss it with you.�� (Welner)

    I was sorry about this and the things that have brought things to this point. I knew that the people around me would know that the engagement was inevitable, but the fact that it was not openly announced made it seem like I was a bit of a strange guy who was doing something behind the scenes. I wanted those people to get kicked by a horse and be sent away.

    ��I have dered Lily to be my wife in the presence of His Majesty.�� (Welner)

    ��Eh���� (Lily)

    She gave me a surprised look. I have no choice but to bow my head once again and ask for her forgiveness for my selfishness and dering the engagement on my own.

    ��But I can��t wee Lily into the Count��s family just yet. I��m really sorry.�� (Welner)

    ��No, no, um���� (Lily)

    After sounding a little flustered, Lily took a deep breath. But then with a resolute voice she speaks her mind.

    ��Welner-sama has always protected me. Ever since that time.�� (Lily)

    Thinking about it, that was the first time we met. I couldn��t believe how close we were now.

    ��Moreover, citizens of this kingdom are protected by Welner-sama. Welner-sama has protected many smiles. So���� (Lily)

    After a pause, Lily continued in a clear voice.

    ��So don��t worry, I can wait. I know that you are doing this to keep troublesome people away for my safety. So, I will wait for as long as it takes for you to return your attentionto me. While you are doing your best, I will also do my best to learn so that I won��t be left behind by Welner-sama.��

    I sighed. No really, I didn��t know why such a nice girl loved me so much. I felt like I was using up all my luck in life after my reincarnation with this one.

    It couldn��t help that the hatred and resentment I was receiving from my enemies have been amplified because of my current position. But now that I think about it again, I was also doing many things that brought me notoriety behind the scenes.

    ����Thank you. It might be a little different if I give you this, but in lieu of an engagement, please ept it.�� (Welner)

    (T/N: Basically, he is just giving her a gift as a symbol of their engagement even if it was not yet officially dered.)

    I took out the box that I had prepared for her. Inside the box was not a ring, but a ne.

    The top was shaped like a bouquet of flowers made of silver work and boxwood ga, held together by a finely crafted arabesque ribbon. The decorative buttons that hold the ribbons together were made of ck spinel.

    I see, I guess I was being a little possessive myself, huh?

    ��Oh, thank you��!�� (Lily)

    I couldn��t look directly at her happy smile. I almost felt my face turn red.<hr>

 Chapter 222.1

    Chapter 222.1

    Next day. After the morning meal, Father abruptly told me that I could take the day off. Later, Mother also informed me that she had something to do today. Apparently, they nned to give me and Lily a free day to spend.

    Since they have made such arrangements, I decided to invite Lily togo out with me after arranging for a security escort and whatnot.

    Neurath and Schunzel would be the main escort, but they would guard us from a distance. There were also a few other people with them, but I guess they were just following protocols. After all, we would not be using a carriage.

    Today Lily was dressed like a wealthy merchant��s daughter or an aristocrat��s daughter. As usual, she was about to be turned into a dress-up doll, so I quickly rescued her to save time.

    For some reason, in this world, there was a custom in some areas where girls wear something simr to a <i>Dirndl</i> that could be found in my previous life. The position of the ribbon on it changes its meaning.

    [T/N: You can read about Dirndl HERE.]

    The position of the ribbon on Lily��s apron today was on the left side, which meant ��I have a lover or a husband��. If it were in the middle, it would mean ��No offers,�� and if it were on the right, it would have meant ��I don��t have a boyfriend or a husband, I��m free��.

    Lily��s ring finger was wrapped with a thin ribbon with a gold thread pattern on a white background, which her maid of honor had prepared for her. It was a substitute for a real ring.

    This was a remnant from the days when robbers would cut off people��s fingers to steal their rings. Tobat this, women started to use a ribbon instead of a real ring whenever they went out.I was happy and embarrassed that she was wearing yesterday��s ne so well.

    ��Is it okay if we focus on the area where we didn��t gost time?�� (Welner)

    ��Yes.�� (Lily)

    For the start, we headed for a ce where many middle-ss citizens would go.

    Many of the streets in the royal capital have official names, such as the names of recently established aristocratic families, but there were also many streets that have long been known bymon names, such as Ginza, a ce in prehistoric Japan where silver coin mints and money changers were lined up side by side. A corner lined with stores selling wine would be called Wine Street, and a corner lined with stores selling medicinal herbs would be called Medicine Street, and so on. It was understandable that they did not want to remember the long names of the aristocrats.

    ��Hey, young couple, we��ve got a good bottle of wine for you today!�� (???)

    ��Thank you, but it��s too early in the morning�� (Welner)

    Lily was blushing a little at the mention of a young couple, but I didn��t want to embarrass her, so I let that part slide.

    ��I guess touts like that belong to the Touts Guild, too.��

    ��Is there such a profession?��

    ��It��s pretty important.��

    The Touts Guild epted touts after checking their skills, knowledge and trustworthiness. In a way, touts also served as connoisseurs, so if a store were rmended by trusted touts, the goods store sell would be considered safe and of a good quality. If a store was not connected to a Touts Guild, one might even suspect that there might be a product adulteration.

    It was a kind of brandmercial in the medieval world.

    ��In more upscale areas like Goldsmith��s Street, there are usually no touts around. In those ces, stores don��t have touts because they mostly deal inrge amounts with noble families and rely more on word of mouth.�� (Welner)

    ��Are they all from the same guild?�� (Lily)

    ��I think that��s the mostmon pattern.�� (Welner)

    Guilds could be a collection of industries under one name, but the inner workings wereplicated. On the one hand, they were mutual aid organizations, and at the same time, they were designed to preventpetition by standardizing prices to a certain extent, so quality control was strictly enforced.

    For example, candles. To sell it, one would need to know themonly used wick, material used to make the candle, length, and thickness of candles that could be purchased from a candle maker��s guild member store and this information was strictly regted. If someone sold a candle that was too short or too thin, the seller must pay a fine to the guild in addition topensations.

    Repeatedly selling candles that were too short or too thin would result in expulsion from the guild and loss of ess to raw materials, forcing the seller to go out of business or move to another area.

    Guilds themselves were also highly localized, so it was difficult to make a nket statement, just as in previous lives. For example, in a rtively rural town, a woodworking guild may have both furniture makers and harness makers, but in a ce like the royal capital, where harnesses were used for many purposes, the harness makers�� guild was independent. In fact, there was even an independent saddler��s guild specializing in saddlery.

    In a vige, there would not be any guilds at all, but rather independent shops of all kinds.

    When it came to the Adventurers�� Guild in this world, if a request failed, the guild would often pay the client that submitted a request a fine. After all, in most cases, the adventurers who have failed did not make it back alive. In that way, it made sense why the services of the Adventurers�� Guild became too expensive.<hr>

 Chapter 222.2

    Chapter 222.2

    After walking around for a while, Lily stopped, as if surprised. Even I was surprised to see her eyes being drawn to a monster material store, but perhaps it was because it reminded her of her brother, Mazell and his current expedition.

    ��It��s a good topic of conversation.��

    ��Okay, let��s stop by for a bit.��

    I was not worried because the stuff they sold at these ces was not the stter type. I also wanted to see if there was anything I could use as a topic of conversation. So we went into the monster shop. It was one of the stores affiliated with the Adventurers�� Guild.

    It was a specialized store which disyed many kinds of monster materials. It would be more expensive, but it would be possible to see various products at once. Not only that, but it was also a high-ss department store and a wholesale store that sold products for business use. Specialty craftsmen alsoe to buy.

    Lily was interested in a powder that was sold in a jar like spices.

    ��What is this?�� (Welner)

    ��It��s a slime kernel. It is used as a drying agent.�� (Lily)

    ��Drying agent?�� (Welner)Apparently, when nkets at the vige Inns be stiff due to moisture umtion, they would sprinkle wine on them, as well as flour on top of it to dry them, and then rub slime kernel to restore their original softness.

    It seemed that it was middle-ss families and below who used slime kernels, which was monster material. I have a gap in information in this field because of my position, so this became more of a learning experience for me.

    ��So there��s soap, as well?�� (Welner)

    ��I wonder, I think there are many high-end products where they use monster materials.�� (Lily)

    ��So you have not only fur, but even bristles might be used for brushes?�� (Welner)

    ��There are toothbrushes, too.�� (Lily)

    I could understand the subtle look on the shopkeeper��s face. Monsters attacked people, so it wasplicated to brush your teeth with the bristles of a monster that had possibly attacked and eaten someone.

    Since I��ve never heard of anyone being cursed or anything like that, I think it��s safe.

    Incidentally, for example, gloves made of fire-resistant monster leather were coveted by many, including cksmiths.

    The leather of monsters was an important resource for the inhabitants of this world.

    ��Are you looking for something?�� (Shopkeeper)

    ��Nothing really, we��re just browsing.�� (Welner)

    The shopkeeper approached me, so I thought it was a good time to ask him. I wasn��t going to buy anything, and we might interact in some way in the future.

    ��Do you have any nice white leather? I would like to prepare white shoes for her that are patterned with gold threads.�� (Welner)

    ��Oh, well, is it for that? Congrattions���� (Shopkeeper)

    In this world, shoes upy the delicate position of being both a consumable item and, in the case of custom-made shoes, a luxury item. Therefore, when you bought a new pair of custom-made leather shoes, it was usually for a celebration or something like that.

    Leather made from monster material was very durable and was used by adventurers and travelers to protect their feet, and leather products made from the skins of rare monsters were treated as luxury items.

    Among them, shoes that were white and patterned with gold threads were meant to be worn at weddings. I guess he could tell that I was a nobleman by looking at my appearance. I nodded my head, and he gave me the name of his business. The measurements were to be taken by the designer, so that would have to be done another time.

    Lily was also interested in the materials used for dyeing. In the vige, most of the dyeing was done with nts and trees, so it was rare to see dyeing using materials made from monsters. The clothes in this world tend to be quite colorful, but perhaps the use of monster materials for dyeing makes it possible to have a wide variety of colors.

    This would exin why fantasy games have so many colorful clothes.

    For lunch, we decided to eat at a slightly upscale restaurant. The dishes served at such restaurants often started with a thin soup, followed by a soup and bread that was almost like a stew, a meat dish, and then fruit or dessert.

    ��Welner-sama, you don��t drink much alcohol, do you?�� (Lily)

    ��Not so much, but I don��t dislike it.�� (Welner)

    It was probably more urate to say that I didn��t have an opportunity to drink slowly. I guess I wouldn��t be able to enjoy drinking until I was a little more stable. I mean, even though there were nows against drinking in this world, I was still a student.

    ��If I find some good sake, I��ll ask them to tell me about it.�� (Welner)

    ��Yes, I��ll pick some food that will go well with the sake then.�� (Lily)

    ��I��ll look forward to it.�� (Welner)

    However, I did not expect much from this world��s sake. Come to think of it, I haven��t heard much about liquor made from monster ingredients. I wonder if monsters get drunk. I have no intention of experimenting.<hr>

 Chapter 223.1

    Chapter 223.1

    Since then, I have spent a hectic time doing paperwork, taking requests to the Adventurers�� Guild and asking

    them to make some arrangements, dealing with the affected areas, and bringing work to the refugees.

    Once, at Max��s request, I took Lily, who was dressed almost like ady, and Ate, who was dressed like a chambermaid, to observe the training of the Zeavert Knights. Currently, my father and mother were the heads of the family Knight Order, but since it would eventually be passed on to me and Lily, they wanted me to show my face.

    Lily was very positive in this regard, saying that she wanted to thank them for their role in her rescue, and the younger members of the knighthood were also very excited that a cute girl hade to visit, so it was a good thing.

    Lily nodded her head when I asked her to think about offering something to the Knight Order in her name from time to time. It was important to gain the trust of the knighthood.

    It was good that I got a chance to speak with Count Vogler in such a hectic situation. He was the one who was overall responsible for the previous refugee escort mission and the supply of the Anheim relief force. During the refugee escort mission, depending on how things went, I might have ended up directly working with this guy.

    He was a calm, middle-aged man, and, if I may put it this way, he was an internal affairs type person who was unusually good with numbers and letters in this world. He was a member of the same faction as my father, but I had a strong image of him as a staff member of Grand Duke Seyfart, so I didn��t have much of a personal connection with him. I had only said hello to him when I was on the refugee escort mission.

    ��Long time no see, Viscount Zeavert.��

    ��Long time no see, Count Vogler.��He was a sociable guy with a lot to talk about. He must have been popr in his youth. Likewise, he also casually praised me for the defense of the royal capital. He might be described as a genius, but he was simply quick-witted. He was around 40 years old, but I have a feeling that he would soon be a minister or something.

    I was able to talk a lot with Count Vogler about the supply side of things. Basically, it was about the logistics department, which was reformed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

    Until then, the logistics department was used for more of an on-the-spot, flexible, or at best, ad hoc procurement, but now it was being used for refugee evacuation and the supply experience at the Great Temple of Finnoi, the Anheim defense, and thepensation and reconstruction of the viges after the attack on the royal capital.

    Basically, although it��s still called the logistics department,it should actually be called the Supply Corps as ��supply chain�� was a broader concept.

    (T/N: For ease, we will be using the term ��Supply Corps�� from now on.)

    ��I am more surprised that you sir can understand this concept.�� (Vogler)

    ��Of course, after all, I don��t want to end up starving on the battlefield, sir.�� (Welner)

    I also have a lot to say about this. In particr, items with short expiration dates, such asmon perishables, should be on a firste first-serve basis, but if it were to be done too strictly, it would only increase the man-hours and management effort of the supply corps.

    To put it bluntly, this being a world with little bureaucracy, if we didn��t make such procedures easy to manage, we might go bankrupt at some point.<hr>

 Chapter 223.2

    Chapter 223.2

    ��Would you change the tents or mark the boxes in the order of storage?�� (Vogler)

    ��I like the idea of making it easy to understand priorities just by looking at them.�� (Welner)

    In my previous life, we used bar codes and such to manage supplies in warehouses, but of course, there is no such thing in this world. That didn��t mean we could let the food we collected go bad, so we would need to take measures such as changing the storage locations in the order in which they were collected and consuming them in that order.

    ��And, regarding the supply���� (Welner)

    ��Do you have any suggestions?�� (Vogler)

    ��I don��t know if I��d call it a proposal, more of a n.�� (Welner)

    What I was talking about was the concept of liaison in military terms. If anything, I would like it to be a systematized concept the ones they had in my previous life. I was no expert on military affairs, so I did not have to go into that much detail.

    In this world, it was particrly difficult to transportrge quantities of goods by river. Therefore, we have to think about how to do it bynd. It would not be wrong to bring in the idea of building a base of operations and operating a mobile force, plus a rear line ofmunication that links both.

    ��Roughly speaking, we will have to divide the supply line over fortified cities and forts that are usually maintained, then create supply depots that are built on the battlefield, as well as front-line battle positions, and how to transport the necessary supplies between them.�� (Welner)Transporting ��what you need��, ��in the quantity you need��, ��where you need�� The first case may be the Anheim defense battle, where supplies for reinforcements were prepared outside the royal capital in advance.

    Theplication was that in this world, monsterse out of nowhere, making it difficult to arrange procurement of supplies and maintain safe transportation lines. I suggest that wee up with a basic n for mobilizing arge army for a long period of time, such as actively recruiting adventurers in this area.

    ��Because the amount and method of supply will vary depending on whether we upy key locations in turn, simultaneously in multiple directions, concentrate on a single point, or attack a specific location continuously.�� (Welner)

    ��I see, indeed.�� (Vogler)

    Count Vogler started to have a look of difficulty when I exined some of the things that could go wrong, pulling from my memories of my previous life. I wonder if it was one thing to build a system and another to operate it.

    Even though I was only talking out of my head in this area, the count seemed to have an idea of what I was getting at.

    ��The Viscount��s opinion is helpful. I would very much like you to spare some time to discuss this again.�� (Vogler)

    ��I would be happy to.�� (Welner)

    I was rather impressed with this person who could grasp something just from this exchange. I wonder if he had the nning and practical skills to put an idea into a realistic n.

    ��Really, it��s a shame that we only have three girls left in my house.�� (Welner)

    The Count��s tone was one hundred percent joking, and I responded with a wry smile. Apparently, the Count��s eldest daughter was already married, and his second daughter had a fianc��e. I heard that the second daughter was only one year older than me, so we may have crossed paths at least at school, but I have no memory of it. The third daughter was 10 years old at the time. I hope she finds a good partner.

    Also, I have a feeling that if I became this person��s rtive, the amount of paperwork I would have to help with would increase tremendously, so I would like to decline, even if Lily was not involved.

    Be that as it may, when I asked him what he thought of the response to the Coltrezis House, he told me that Coltrezis House would suffer a drastic defeat in the near future.

    He may also know that I was making arrangements to buy grass for the horses and such, judging from the tone of his voice. I was also informed that the government was preparing a map of the Coltrezis House territory. That was good news for me and saved me a lot of trouble.

    ��Actually, I��d like to talk to you about that.�� (Welner)

    ��What is it?�� (Vogler)

    The royal capital, Coltrezis territory, and Count Vogler��s territory formed a triangle. There were a few small noble families in between, so they were not adjacent to each other, but that��s how it was positioned in therger scheme of things.

    The reason why Coltrezis House did not take any action against Count Vogler, even though he was on the royal side, might be because the Count Vogler��s army was notrge, and it was average at best in terms of quality.

    To put it somewhat harshly, from the perspective of Coltrezis House, the small and medium-sized noble families as well as Count Vogler��s territory, which was rtivelyrge but had a weak army, would not be so frightening if they were left unattended. Therefore, vignce was likely to be neglected.

    ��This is just a proposal or a consultation.�� (Welner)

    When I discussed the idea I had in mind, Count Voglerughed amused and promised to n and consult His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about it. Thank goodness I wouldn��t have to think about it. I thanked him for his kindness and left the Count��s office that day.

    However, it was only one of my ideas. I would have to think about what would happen if it didn��t work out or if the other party��s move was unexpected. Meanwhile, I should check on the status of the goods we have arranged.

    A few dayster, while I was busy with business affairs, a rumor circted in the royal capital.<hr>

 Chapter 224.2

    Chapter 224.2

    The High Priest Mvova, who had been missing, was alive and well. It was said that he was left for dead in a garbage dump at the temple, and would have died if he had been discovered a littleter.

    High Priestess Mvova was used by High Priest Leppe and almost killed by Leppe and Knot, the eldest son of the Coltrezis House, so he had a deep grudge against the Coltrezis family.

    For this reason, it appears that he was using his position as the person responsible for that duel trial to send false information to Coltrezis House��s side. I hate to say this, but there were not many groups as good at agitation as religious groups. It was probably something like the Order of Knights having suffered heavy losses.

    There was a hint that Earl Yerring had been trying to make connections with Coltrezis House for some time, and it was likely that false information was being spread from Yerring��s side as well. It was not difficult to understand why the previous Earl Yerring would have wanted to cooperate when his family was on the verge of being ruined because of his son��s misdeeds.

    Although Lord Anshelm may appear to be a viinous character, that would not necessarily apply to the rest of the family, who may not all be ambitious. Wouldn��t they hesitate to spread false information to avoid being ruined?

    ��Besides, I��m sure you��ve heard the rumors from our neighboring country of Farlitz.�� (Crown Prince)

    The one about me being Laura��s potential fianc��? Indeed, if Laura and I were to be fianc��es, it certainly would appear that Mazell and Lily would be without partners. Was that why the Coltrezis House suggested sending those two to their ce?

    ��I think there is also information about the Bain kingdom leaking to Farlitz.�� (Welner)

    ��We��re leaking information to Coltrezis House to make it seem like we barely managed to repel the Demon Army��s attack and are now putting up a front so that we simply didn��t want to show weakness in diplomacy. People will believe the information they want to believe, after all.�� (Crown Prince)Your Highness, that��s pretty harsh. You didn��t deny the rumors about me and Laura, did you?

    So Coltrezis was deluding itself into thinking that it would be fine to be aggressive because the Bain kingdom was in chaos due to the Demon Army��s attack.

    ��The Marquis Family took pride in their title. That��s why they believed that a rtionship between the princess and the heir of the Count��s family would be epted, and probably thought that the Hearthing siblings, who were simplymoners, were not a big deal.�� (Crown Prince)

    [T/N: The main family is Marquis, but they don��t have any marriageable children left that are close in age to the Princess Laura, that��s why they n to use the lesser count family to make the connection. And yes, that��s also part of their demand.]

    ��So the criteria they are using is simply their status?�� (Welner)

    ��That��s why they think that they, as a Marquis family, should be given preferential treatment.�� (Prime Minister)

    I agree with the Prime Minister��s supplementaryment. There were certainly people who changed the way they treated others depending on the title they had.

    Anyway��

    ��So you were waiting for this moment to spread the word about the truth behind that duel trial?�� (Welner)

    ��I apologize for the trouble I caused you, Viscount.�� (Crown Prince)

    The Prime Minister indirectly agreed.

    The Crown Prince then continued, ��Normally, there would be opposition to sending troops out so soon after the attack on the royal capital.��

    ��I see.�� (Welner)

    Certainly, that would be the case. The scars of the damage still remained in various ces in the royal capital. It would not be surprising if there were dissenting opinions. However, currently, it appears that the Coltrezis House��s side was going too far even ording to the residents of the royal capital.

    ��The residents of the royal capital have now personally witnessed the great strength of the Four Heavenly Kings, so they now better know the importance of the Hero Party. We will announce that the main culprit behind the attempt to bring a trial against Mazell, the hero who is supposed to be fighting the Four Heavenly Kings, was the Coltrezis House.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��At the same time, we are also making people hear that the Coltrezis House is trying to take the fianc��e of Sir Welner, who was a hero in the defense of the royal capital and who asked for Lady Lily as his wife as a reward for his service, by force using his title of <b><i>Marquis</i></b>.�� (Prime Minister)

    Your Excellency, were you not making a preposterous statement with aposed expression? However, I felt embarrassed when he told me directly, but the gist of it was that they were painting the Marquis-ss noble Coltrezis House as someone who was attempting to use their power to tear apart the young lovers who were trying to ovee the differences in their social status as a noble and amoner.

    Wow, thinking about it again from a third-person perspective, Coltrezis House would really be quite loathsome.

    In reality, it was not umon formoners and nobles to marry in this world. But regardless of that notion, when looking at it from the public��s perspective, this love affair between two people of different social sses was always an interesting topic.

    Furthermore, Lily was made a half-public spectacle in that duel trial, and what followed was the current situation after the duel trial. I think it was likely that she would be the subject of a y, although I hope that didn��t happen. Was this the reason why they made me mention my engagement to Lily as a reward in that ce?

    It seemed that Father��s reason for sending Lily and me out into the city the other day was for this purpose. If the residents of the royal capital were made aware of my good rtionship with Lily, Coltrezis House��s bad reputation would spread easily.

    My father really was a nobleman through and through to be able to think something like this.<hr>

 Chapter 224.3

    Chapter 224.3

    ��The mastermind behind the false trial, the family that took part in the attack on the royal capital by the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army, the attitude of trying to treat the hero as a vassal, the arrogance of trying to take the fianc��e of the great young general who sessfully defended the royal capital�� With all of these things being spread around, it will be clear which side people will judge to be evil.�� (Crown Prince)

    It was a technique of agitation that was often used in my previous life. If something was repeated enough times, people would start believing it to be true. At some point, it would even be a <b><i>fact</i></b>.

    Furthermore, it was true that Coltrezis House had actually done most of those things, so it would be harder for anyone to differentiate false information from correct one.

    The kingdom side could proudlybel the Coltrezis side as evil before even mentioning the deployment of troops. In fact, some people would even start asking why the kingdom was not taking actions against Coltrezis House, giving the kingdom justification to send troops.

    Depending on how you looked at it, it��s a conspiracy in the making.

    I should let the fact that I was called a great general slide. I would like to deny it, but I couldn��t do that when the person making the statement was the Crown Prince. Oh, dear.

    ��But does the Coltrezis House have any chance of winning?�� (Welner)

    ��It appears that a person who can receive oracles that you were concerned about is still with the Coltrezis family. We also discovered that it was that person who said that a King will be born from Coltrezis.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Is that the same person who also made the oracle before?�� (Welner)��I don��t have any proof, but there is no doubt about it.�� (Crown Prince)

    Even if the Demon Army managed to seed in attacking the royal capital, there would still be human forces they had to deal with.

    In such a situation, it would certainly be more convenient for demons if someone were to incite a suitable noble family to bring more chaos.

    Could it be that a member of the Demon Army, disguised as a priestess who could receive oracles, was inciting the Coltrezis family by falsely prophesying that someone from their family would be the next king? The demons might have also miscalcted, after all, they failed in their attack on the royal capital.

    In the game, a lot of nobles died in the monster rampage, so things didn��t get to this point in the first ce, so I guess the Demon Army��s ns went awry in various ways. I really didn��t care about the Demon Army��s convenience.

    In any case, it seemed that the Coltrezis side was acting because of that oracle. But no matter how you look at it, to be the King of the Bain kingdom�� oh, that��s why they want Mazell.

    ��So their immediate goal is to be a de facto independent country with the help of Farlitz?�� (Welner)

    ��From Farlitz��s point of view, it seems like they are hoping for the Bain kingdom, a potential enemy, to split. If the Coltrezis House��s territory is lucky enough to be an independent kingdom, it will be a shield for Farlitz.�� (Crown Prince)

    And even if Coltrezis House��s territory only became a semi-independent state, they figured that as long as Mazell, the hero, was their vassal, nobody would dare toy a hand on them.

    On the one hand, I think they were being ridiculously arrogant, but on the other hand, I think that they were probably hoping that things would work out that way.

    In a world where gods really do exist, it was most likely because they genuinely believed in the oracles that they thought things would work out. Of course, the existence of magic, which was thought to be a miracle of that god, was also a touchy subject, but since the information we knew was not yet public, there was nothing we could do about it.

    ��How dare Farlitz y such dirty tricks when the Demon King is still alive?�� (Welner)

    When the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister heard me say that, they both gave me a wry smile. I had a bad feeling about it.

    ��It��s because of you that the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings have failed in their attacks. It appears that there are countries thinking that even if someone isn��t a hero, they can still fight the Demon Army, depending on how they do it.�� (Crown Prince)

    ������ (Welner)

    I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. They think it was that easy when we literally were risking our lives to do it. It made me more angry with the Kingdom of Farlitz than with Coltrezis, who was being manipted.

    ��It��s not umon for someone else��s work to seem easy when you��re watching them from afar. Now, about Farlitz���� (Crown Prince)

    ��From what I have gathered, it appears that it will be difficult to procure hay from Farlitz.�� (Welner)

    I put my feelings of disappointment aside and answered as the head of the stables, and the Crown Prince nodded in agreement. I was really working hard, you know.

    ��It seems that Farlitz is actually procuring various things from the neighboring kingdom of Delitzdam as well.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��They are really eager to get involved.�� (Welner)

    ��I don��t think it will be done openly.�� (Crown Prince)

    Damn it! I was momentarily belligerent, thinking about giving them a taste of their own medicine, but I cooled down. If the other party was cooperating with a foreign country in a war against us, then diplomatic issues would be involved. I guess I have to be careful not to overdo it. It appears that there was also a purpose behind driving this nail into me.

    ��We will discuss this at ater time at a military council meeting. You must attend.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes, my lord.�� (Welner)

    For now, I should focus on what information I could get from the military council that would be heldter, and then think about how to deal with other things.<hr>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 225.2

    Chapter 225.2

    ��First, let��s confirm the enemy��s intentions.�� (Crown Prince)

    While I was still trying to make sense of the reason why I was told about the Farlitz��s situation before this meeting early in the morning, the Crown Prince spoke. He continued to look at the map.

    ��The enemy��s intention is to inflict a blow on the Kingdom��s army after prating deep into Coltrezis territory. These hastily constructed forts are meant to impede our advance.�� (Crown Prince)

    In terms of strategy, it would be called a strategy of depth defense. The strategy would be to force us to bleed as much as possible, slow down our advance, and increase casualties in exchange for increasing the area upied by the Kingdom��s army. Ifbined with a scorched earth strategy, the burden on the Kingdom��s army would be even greater.

    Even the farmers who were forcefully conscripted and inexperienced soldiers would put up a great resistance just to save their lives, hindering the movement of the Kingdom��s army while it tries to take over those newly built forts and increasing their losses.

    Such measures could not be used for long, but Coltrezis House did not care. The aim was to force the Kingdom��s army to suffer losses and buy time, putting a strain on their supply lines.

    If the Kingdom��s army advanced while taking over all the newly built forts, then both time and damage would gradually be more and more difficult for the kingdom to ignore.

    However, if the Kingdom��s army ignored the forts along the way and headed straight for the enemy��s base at Colts, then it would be in a position where their supply lines would be put at risk.

    ��Do you think the enemy understands our military strength?�� (Crown Prince)��No, I don��t think so. Rather, I think they are assuming that the Kingdom��s military force is a hastily assembled army.�� (Shundler)

    Minister of War Shundler responded to this question. I agree with him.

    If they were assuming that the royal knights had suffered losses in the attack on the royal capital, they must have thought that the attacking kingdom army would have many inexperienced soldiers, and that it would take time to capture even a fort defended by farmers. I think they were probably nning to buy time while also negotiating at the same time.

    ��It seems that they are assuming that they will eventually cut off our army��s rear and sever our supply lines. Presumably, the enemy cavalry will stay in the rear and wait for the right moment to target our supply lines.�� (Shundler)

    ��I see.�� (Crown Prince)

    Viscount Degenkolb nodded in agreement. If they cut off the supply lines and pursued the retreating Kingdom��s army from behind, the kingdom��s army would suffer heavy losses. I think they were thinking that if they could take many hostages, Coltrezis House could make up for the loss of productivity caused by conscripting their peasants into the army.

    His Highness the Crown Prince turned to look at me.

    ��Zeavert, it is safe to assume that the enemy��s cavalry will not be able to move around so freely.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��Yes, although not all of them, the purchase and transport of fodder is progressing well. It will be difficult for the Marquis�� side to keep their cavalry in motion for a long period of time.�� (Welner)

    When I replied, some of them looked surprised. It was as if they were asking if I had already made the necessary arrangements. But that wasn��t the main point. His Highness used the expression ��enemy cavalry��. He didn��t say ��the Coltrezis Knights��.

    ��However, I cannot say that we are fully prepared to deal with an external military force.�� (Welner)

    ��There��s nothing we can do about that, but we��ll be expecting it.�� (Crown Prince)

    ��What do you mean by ��outside��?�� (Crank)

    It appears that Viscount Crank was having a problem understanding. So he asked me the question. I wasn��t sure whether I should answer, but the Crown Prince gave me a look that suggested I should, so I answered.

    ��It seems Farlitz is in cahoots with Coltrezis House. If Farlitz sends out troops, we won��t be able to deal with them easily.�� (Crown Prince)

    ����What?����

    Some people let out surprised gasps and there was a slightmotion.<hr>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!