The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 104
By the time I visited Rutger’s mansion, the sun had completely set.
When I knocked on the door, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be a servant showed up.
It was an unfamiliar face, as if the previous servant had quit.
“What is your business?”
“Ah, well. I came to have a brief chat with Miss Estelle.”
The woman then let out a deep sigh for some reason.
“Wait in the reception room. The young miss will be back soon.”
“…?”
I thought perhaps another of Estelle’s friends had come to visit, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
In the reception room, four young men were sitting with haggard faces. When I appeared, they showed a lingering look of wariness.
‘Are they Rutger’s guests?’
I dismissed it, thinking it was nothing. I was planning to leave if Rutger didn’t return within 30 minutes, but he came back just as 30 minutes were about to pass.
There was a stir in the mansion’s lobby. The servant appeared in the reception room and said, “The mistress has returned.”
At that, the men hurriedly went outside.
Shortly after, what was heard was a roar of anger.
“Get lost!”
Wondering what was happening, I slowly headed to the lobby.
There were men desperately pleading, an angry Rutger, and a contemptuous Estelle.
“P-please! A chance to meet your daughter…!”
“I said get lost! You lot, if you shamelessly show your faces again, I’ll have something in store for you!”
“Ugh!”
Despite Rutger’s intimidation, the men’s resolve didn’t break. To withstand a general’s pressure, it’s admirable in a way.
Unable to stand it anymore, Estelle frowned and intervened. “I have absolutely no interest in you. I have no intention of meeting you or talking to you.”
“B-but somehow…. If you get to know me, you’ll surely change your mind! Miss Estelle!”
“I won’t change my mind. Besides, I already have a lover. A wonderful lover who’s far superior to any of you. So please, never appear before me again.”
“Who on earth is this guy!”
“What would you do if you knew?”
“W-well….”
Having grasped the situation roughly, I was about to return to the reception room, but it seems Estelle’s radar performance was better than expected.
“Ah! Ar-mmph!?”
It was Rutger who covered her mouth as she was about to call my name.
Rutger, having noticed my presence, glanced at me briefly and said to the men, “Don’t even come near the mansion from now on! Get out before I call the guards!”
The men left the mansion with slumped shoulders, but their determination still seemed unbroken.
Only after they disappeared did Rutger release his hand from Estelle’s mouth.
“Sir Ars!” Estelle approached me with undignified small steps, trying to throw herself into my arms, but I subtly avoided it.
Estelle stumbled awkwardly, then spoke in a low voice.”…What does this mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. There’s been too much of this today. I’m starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.”
“You’ve had a lot of this? You mean you’ve hugged numerous people? It can’t be that you hugged men… Who was it?”
“My mother and Sister Julia.”
“…Ah, I see!” Her tense expression relaxed instantly.
As we moved to the reception room, Estelle chattered incessantly, leading the conversation.
The main topic was Erina.
“By the way, I heard. You danced with Erina in the garden at the party?”
“How did you know that?”
“Erina told me, as if boasting.”
I thought she would be angry, but there was no such sign.
“Have you met her recently?”
“To hear about your well-being. I stayed at the Saleon mansion in Alphensard for about two days.”
“You must have become quite close if you can smile and say that.”
“W-well…. Erina… Treats me… Very kindly.” Estelle mumbled, as if trying to hide her embarrassment.
It seems Estelle, fundamentally an introvert, couldn’t handle Erina’s social skills. There was no longer any hostility towards Erina visible.
“But didn’t she scold you?”
She seemed quite angry about the book incident last time.
“Scold me? There was nothing like that.”
“Ah… I see.”
It seems she’s probably saving up for one big move after holding back for so long.
After continuing to talk about Erina-related topics, Estelle suddenly fell silent with a bitter expression.
Then she said, “You’re not asking. About those men…”
“The situation was quite clear. Did you want me to ask even though I understood?”
“Not really, but… I was hoping you would step in if possible.”
“Like a prince on a white horse? I’m sorry about that. I’m not good at pretending like that. Besides, while it might feel good at the moment, it only leads to troublesome things later.”
“I understand what you’re saying…. But you used to do that for me before.”
“Before?”
“When you beat up the guy who was throwing trash at me.”
“Ah….”
In reality, I was angry because they threw trash at Yumir, but I couldn’t tell the truth.
“What they were doing then was clearly wrong, but that’s not the case now. Besides, even then, it led to troublesome things, didn’t it?”
“Hmph.”
Estelle, with a sulky expression, suddenly stood up and held out both arms to me.
When I questioned with my expression what this signal meant, she pouted and said, “I want to dance too. It’s unfair if you only do it with Erina.”
“Yes, that’s quite direct. But there are eyes watching, you know?”
As I look towards Rutger, Estelle gives me a side-eye, hinting that I should tactfully withdraw.
Rutger heaved a big sigh seeing that and said. “Elaine. Before you leave, come to my study for a moment. There’s something important I want to talk about.”
“Something you want to talk about?”
“…It’s an important matter, so please make sure to come.”
His expression was quite serious.
At this, Estelle whispers with an excited expression. “I think maybe Wade is trying to recruit Sir Ars!”
“…Pardon?”
“This is just between us, but Father has connections with Wade. So he might be making an offer to Sir Ars!”
“No matter what, I don’t think that’s it?”
There’s no way that could be the purpose. Estelle seemed to be making a strange misconception.
* * *
When the dance time with Estelle ended, the clock was pointing to 9 PM. Worried at this hour, Yumir had come out to meet me.
However, since she was pretending not to know me in front of Estelle, she couldn’t directly say she had come to meet me.
“Miss Yumir! It’s been a while!” Estelle brightened up and grasped Yumir’s hands. “What brings you here today?”
“Well…” Yumir glanced at me briefly and made up an excuse. “I came to deliver a message to Lord Rosenberg.”
“I see! Then you’ll have to wait a bit. Father has a prior appointment with Sir Ars. Until then, why don’t you join me for some refreshments?”
Estelle led Yumir towards the reception room.
I headed to Rutger’s study.
“You’re here. Please, sit down.” Rutger first brought up the topic of war, asking about matters with the West, then quickly got to the main point. “It’s about Estelle.”
“From the context, is it about those men?”
“Yes. That level is still manageable. The problem is that there are those who are targeting Estelle with malicious intent.”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t be with her all day. She has to go to the academy too. I’m more than a little worried.”
To me, it seemed like he was overreacting, but I decided to think that this is just how fathers with daughters typically are.
“So?”
“So I was thinking of hiring a bodyguard, but I couldn’t find anyone trustworthy.”
This was because the conditions Rutger set were extremely strict.
Above all, the requirement that it must be a woman was the main issue.
“I couldn’t find such a person no matter how hard I looked. So I wanted to ask you. As it happens, you have several such individuals by your side.”
“That’s true.”
Eonia and Yumir. Master Ilya too.
“Personally, I think Ilya Anfei would be perfect, but since she now has to raise a child, it would be difficult… I was hoping you could send Miss Yumir.”
“What about Eonia?”
“Mirabel wouldn’t want to leave your side. If I force her to guard my daughter, it’s obvious she’ll only resent it.”
“That’s true. But for the same reason, Yumir won’t do either.”
“What?”
“There was a bit of an incident recently. She seems to have been quite shocked after seeing me almost die. If possible, she doesn’t want to be separated… It seems difficult for the time being.”
“Phew! Then I guess I have no choice but to call my former subordinates.”
“By former subordinates, do you mean those men who were with you in the Kalon Mountains?”
I had already forgotten their names.
“Yes. Ings and George.”
“It would be better not to call those two.”
When I relayed what those two had said and how they had acted towards Estelle in the past, Rutger exuded a murderous aura.
“Those bastards…! To do such things when I wasn’t around!”
“It’s natural. They probably thought they were spending their prime years just nursing someone.”
“Hah!” Rutger soon slumped into his chair, squeezing his eyes shut. “Then what on earth should I do…”
“As for Estelle, I’ll take measures. When Olaf returns, we’ll have more hands free, so for now, take a break and stay by her side.”
“I appreciate that. But do you have a method in mind?”
“I just thought of one.”
After hearing the method, Rutger’s eyes widened, and soon he nodded with a grave expression.
***
This war was deeply wounding in many ways.
All participating kingdoms except Crossing suffered damage that is difficult to recover from.
This applies to Tunkai and the West, as well as Beckavia and Calliper.
Beckavia’s already insufficient regular army of 80,000 was further reduced as 30,000 were killed or injured.
To compensate for this, they would have had to enlist citizens, but they lacked both manpower and resources.
Although Crossing provided aid, considering that Crossing took 1/3 of their territory, it’s like giving medicine after causing illness.
Moreover, the future outlook is bleak.
Through this incident, Crossing and Beckavia formed a strategic alliance, but looking at the shape of the territory, Beckavia is merely a breakwater for Crossing.
It has taken a shield role, taking the brunt of invasions from Svenner, Tunkai, or the West on the front lines.
Still, with the strategic weapon of an alliance with Crossing, they can maintain peace for the time being.
Speaking of Calliper, while they didn’t suffer significant damage in terms of troops or resources, they once again lost talented personnel.
The death of Second General Delbadova.
King Gareth grieved deeply and held a royal-led funeral.
Afterwards, they began discussing succession, with the main topic being how to fill the vacancy in the military leadership.
To this, Gilbert Saleon advises the king, “How about giving an opportunity to one of the cadets who achieved merits in this war? With the upcoming enrollment at Fensillon Academy, it could also serve as an external example.”
The king responds as if he had been waiting for this, “I was thinking the same. Then, would it be right to promote Casper Millias to general? He is that Wade, after all.”
His tone seemed almost mocking. Gilbert and Hellian both clicked their tongues.
‘So His Majesty had noticed too.’
‘This has become troublesome.’
They had vaguely suspected since the sudden talk of appointing Delbadova, a direct royal general, as an instructor.
It means that even the king, who had been away from the front lines, has been paying attention to the military since the Chimera War.
In that process, he must have easily found out that Casper is not Wade.
“Why are you both like that? Isn’t it true that Casper achieved merits?” King Gareth smiles slyly.
Gilbert carefully chooses his words. “Well… That is true, but…”
Casper was credited with achieving merits in this war.
He was given credit for the victory because he proposed the main operation to attack the northwestern mountains in the final Battle of Delston Mountains.
Gilbert didn’t like this situation.
If Casper rises to too high a position, the risk from impersonation also increases. It would be a good card if he could reach the position of general without the impersonation issue, but that’s not the situation yet.
So he brought up another name.
“In reality, the one who achieved the greatest merit is said to be the fourth son of the Elaine family.”
“The Elaine family? Ah, you mean Baron Berial who rules Ribel.”
“Berial has retired, and his son Max Elaine has inherited the title. Currently, he’s ruling Rainpol instead of Ribel, which has been reduced to ruins by the war.”
“That’s right. My getting old makes one’s memory worse. So? From the way you’re talking, it seems this fourth son of the Elaine family showed promise in this war?”
“Yes, according to the surviving adjutants of Delbadova, he seems to have excellent military talent. They say Delbadova evaluated him the highest before his death.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. So he’s becoming a successor to Delbadova. In that case, I definitely want to make that child a general.”
“It will be as Your Majesty wishes.” Gilbert raised the corner of his mouth. Now all that’s left is to match Erina and Ars.
However, at that moment.
“I object.” It was Duke Hellian. He glared at Gilbert and continued speaking.
“Your Majesty, great responsibility is usually accompanied by great power. If we suddenly elevate the fourth son of the Elaine family to the position of general, many who are blinded by power will approach him and his family. That won’t help his growth at all. So rather than such a special promotion, I think it would be better to give him a foundation to handle power.”
“A foundation for growth?”
“For a fourth son of a family, wouldn’t the goal be to establish a branch family? So I think it would be good to grant him territory to allow him to do so. The rank can be given later when he achieves more military merit.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
“I think it would be better to give the position of general to Casper Millias, but rather than appointing him as a regular general, I think it would be better to give him the position of special operations general.”
In fact, Hellian also wanted to give Ars the position of general, but Ars himself refused.
If he didn’t grant this request and Ars ended up joining the Saleon faction out of spite, it would be a disaster, so he was taking measures according to Ars’ wishes.
Moreover, elevating Casper to a high position would increase the risk due to impersonation, thus putting pressure on the Saleon faction.
“Hmm. Casper as a special operations general…”
The king was very pleased with this proposal. Above all, the part where Hellian agreed to Casper of the Saleon faction becoming a general.
Even though Casper was impersonating Wade, the king didn’t mind much. Rather, he highly valued such ambition.
Sometimes, position creates ability. Casper was evaluated as a promising talent separate from Wade, so he intended to accelerate his growth by giving him a high position.
Moreover, since Casper belongs to the Saleon faction, it would also be effective in balancing the two factions.
From the king’s perspective, it wasn’t desirable for the Hellian faction to have too tight a grip on the military.
“Which of the two does this Elaine family follow?”
A question about which faction they belonged to. At this, Gilbert bit his lip hard.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have proceeded with the marriage talks earlier…!’
Hellian glared coldly at Gilbert and answered. “They have connections with my family, Your Majesty.”
“I see. Then let’s do this. We’ll grant territory to the fourth son of the Elaine family according to his military achievements, and appoint Casper Millias as both Special Operations General and 5th General.”
“But there are two vacant positions. What do you intend to do with the remaining one?”
“Ah, I’ve thought about that part. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance, Regnart, but I’ve decided to reinstate Altior Saleon as the 1st General.”
“What…!?”
This was news even to Gilbert, who widened his eyes in surprise.
“Ah, Father is returning…?”
“Seeing the West participate seems to have stirred his blood. Gilbert, you should know. That Altior suffered humiliation while fighting the barbarians of the West during the Fensillon Empire era.”
“I’ve heard something to that effect, Your Majesty.”
“A new spark has been lit in the old warrior’s heart. Altior must have had such lingering regrets, which is why he hasn’t passed on the duke title to you.”
“Huh….”
The return of Altior Saleon. This was such a significant event that it made Hellian break out in a cold sweat.
“As you all know, there will be a victory party soon. We’ll also hold the appointment ceremony for Altior and Casper there, so keep that in mind.”
Victory party.
At this, both of them let out a tense sigh.
It was clear that this party would have a big impact on the future of the nobility.
TL NOTE:
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The king didn’t think that decision through fully. He’s thinking too much about only the faction aspect. Caspar directly caused the Calliper army to end up in a bad position by disobeying orders. That is not a guy you make a general irrelevant of whether he’s supposedly a great talent.
Probably because he is old.
bruh when is author gonna kill casper off. Shits dragging way too much and now just looks like lazy writing