The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 198 – Part 1.
The national mobilization order.
This included academy students as well.
Exceptions were only for royalty like Princess Rosa or students from noble families who had lobbied in advance.
Rinoa was also released around this time.
The king had intervened, using the mobilization order as a pretext, as keeping Rinoa in the palace any longer would have caused too much gossip.
Returning to the mansion after a long time, Rinoa faced the new faces with a tired expression.
“I’m so shocked, I’m speechless.”
She smirked looking at Eonia’s belly, then looked at me reproachfully.
“Wade, you were even less principled than I thought?”
“No, no. You misunderstand. We went through the proper steps…”
“Quiet, you philanderer.”
“I’m telling you, we followed the proper steps!”
Rinoa, seemingly no longer interested in my love life, didn’t say anything more about it.
With the mobilization order issued, the topic had to shift in that direction.
Lucretia, who briefly stopped by the mansion despite her busy schedule, gave a concise briefing on the situation.
“There’s no need to take it too seriously. This mobilization order is for efficient containment.”
Luc spread out a map of the Southern Continent and circled Iswakan, a hub city located in the center of the continent.
“The enemy has made Iswakan their base. They’re trying to spread out from there. Currently, the army is blockading the surrounding areas and controlling access, but they’re struggling.”
This is because the size of the army is pitiful.
In this world, armies are inadequate. The Savior Alliance doesn’t even have the concept of an army, and the Ellan Kingdom only has a few battalions of royal guards, garrison troops, and security forces.
The total number is at best 20,000.
It’s a number that makes you realize how insane our Central Continent was, waging wars with hundreds of thousands.
“So that’s why they issued the mobilization order.”
“Yes, it’s to gather combat-capable personnel to completely blockade Iswakan. After that, the plan is to form an elite unit to recapture Iswakan and execute the enemy leadership. That’s the gist of this operation.”
“Oh my, is it okay to tell all the operation objectives to low-ranking people like us?”
If Luc had been my adjutant, I might have punished her severely right away.
“Huh? Is there a problem?”
Her attitude was that there’s no issue in telling since we’re on the same side anyway.
Well, the army here probably hasn’t suffered from things like spies, so it’s understandable.
I’m certain that if Juras were the enemy, they would have planted hundreds of spies in this army.
And if war broke out, those spies would assassinate all the military officers, and the war would end just like that. That’s the kind of situation that would unfold.
“The palace is well-prepared against spies, right? I’m suddenly worried.”
“I don’t know why you’re worried about that, but there’s no room for spies to infiltrate the palace.”
“Anyway, I understand. We just need to hold our designated positions, right?”
“That’s right. You’ll be under the command of your academy class, so please keep that in mind.”
At this, Rinoa’s expression darkened.
Her standing in the class was not good, to put it mildly.
On the other hand, I was somewhat at ease since I could act together with Erina.
“And… Miss Elena, I request that you accompany us as a private mercenary I’ve hired.”
“Alright. But basically, I’ll act to protect Elaine’s safety. Please understand that.”
Luc seems disappointed, perhaps because she was hoping for Elena’s assistance.
“That’s all I have to convey. Now, please make your preparations.”
After Luc left the mansion, lively chatter broke out.
The five of us embarking on this journey are myself, Erina, Elena, Rinoa, and Anduha.
Meissen and Mother decided to continue running the cafe that had just gained momentum, and Eo, unable to accompany us due to her pregnancy, agreed to guard them. Even in her state of lost memories, she’s not likely to lose to ordinary thugs, so she should be helpful.
Still, in case she might overexert herself, I also instructed Bisketa to assist.
That wise woman should be able to handle any situation intelligently.
‘Everyone’s full of enthusiasm.’
Not just those not participating in the expedition, but those joining were also highly motivated.
“Those undead bastards… How dare they!”
Erina, still upset about the delayed publication of ‘Their Circumstances 2’, was determined to exterminate them in one go.
“This is the first big event I’ve experienced since repelling the great army of the Fensillon Empire.”
Elena also seemed interested in the spectacular event of the undead invasion.
Rinoa, perhaps tired from the interrogation at the palace, seemed relieved to be returning to her home ground in the Southern Continent.
I was also full of enthusiasm, so our steps towards the Southern Continent were not heavy.
The Academy students moved in groups of classes, as Lucretia had instructed.
The scale was enormous.
Not only our freshmen but also upper-class students were all summoned, bringing the total to a staggering 10,000 people.
Adding to this, when they gathered all the available graduates, the number reached a whopping 50,000.
‘This is why they don’t need an army.’
Each individual is a combatant skilled in magic or martial arts.
If one were to try to overcome them with regular soldiers, it would take at least a million troops.
‘Well, using magic doesn’t make them invincible either.’
Perhaps due to lack of large-scale war experience, the command structure itself was nothing special. With their strong individualistic tendencies, they were vulnerable to spies, traps, and ambushes. If it were me, I could probably annihilate them all with about 80,000-100,000 regular soldiers.
Anyway, it’s a formidable force.
“Next! Classes 17, 18, 19, 20! Board the ship!”
Our Class 17 was almost the last to board. They even packed us in so tightly it was hard to breathe. It meant we weren’t considered a force worthy of good treatment.
As if to prove that this treatment was justified, the kids in the class were terrified.
“Um, will we really be okay? I heard the number of undead soldiers is estimated to be over 60,000! That’s more than us!”
“It’ll be fine. They’re just corpses after all. And, and we’ll probably be in the rear support anyway.”
Naturally, their gazes turned to me in this situation.
“Hey, Wade! You said you went into the Forest of Lament with Lucretia before, right? Did you fight any undead soldiers?”
“Yeah.”
“Really!? How was it? Were they strong?”
“In terms of movement alone, they weren’t particularly strong. But the ones I faced had anti-magic spells cast on them. It was difficult to use magic. So instead of magic, I crushed their heads with weapons.”
“I-I see. Physically crushing the head… I should make a note of that.”
Everyone was listening intently to my words.
But then Mello, who disliked me, cut in with an unpleasant voice.
“It’s obviously a lie! If you really fought undead soldiers, how could you have come back alive? Even entering the Forest of Lament is a lie! They say no one comes back alive from there! Just because some people escaped from the Forest of Lament at that time, this guy Elaine is also lying about having entered the Forest of Lament!”
“But Mello, Lucretia, a senior member of the Royal Guard, accompanied him?”
“Lu-Lucretia has nothing to do with it. I’m talking about that guy Wade.”
“Well, if that’s the case, Wade fought on par with Dayan in the training ground battle. Those who saw it directly even say Wade overwhelmed him?”
“That’s just because Dayan went easy on him.”
Really, he’s so consistent it’s almost cute at this point.
Maybe Mello’s influence was stronger than mine, who often skipped classes, because the others started avoiding talking to me, watching Mello’s reactions.
Normally this might have annoyed me a bit, but now I didn’t really care.
“Sir Ars. Since we’re on the ship, would you like to have a meal on the deck? I have a packed lunch.”
“Packed lunch…? Don’t tell me you made it, Erina?”
“No, your mother made it. What? Is it not okay if I make it?”
Erina seemed to want me to deny it, but I’m firm on this point.
“Of course not. That would be really bad.”
“Ugh, I can learn to do it too!”
“I thought so too, but I’ve found that people have their own places.”
Erina has no basic concept of cooking. Having grown up as the precious daughter of a duke’s family, she had never cooked anything until coming to this world.
She says that even making tea counts as cooking, but honestly, even the tea she makes isn’t very tasty. Of course, I don’t say that in front of her.
“Grr! Just you wait. Soon I’ll trick you into eating a lunch I packed, saying it’s from your mother.”
“Why would you do such a cruel thing…?”
“It’s not cruel! Besides, you probably won’t even notice, right? It’ll taste exactly the same as your mother’s cooking. Then a month later, surprise! It was actually me all along! That’s what I’ll say. Who knows? Maybe even today’s lunch that I said was from your mother was actually made by me?”
“Hahah.”
“Did you just laugh at me!?”
Various gazes were directed at us as we headed to the deck.
Most were looks of envy.
I don’t mean to show off, but that’s how it seems to appear to others.
Thanks to Erina, I wasn’t getting irritated by Mello’s aggro. Whatever the other kids said or however they looked at me, it didn’t affect me.
Moreover, Erina was popular among the girls, which helped suppress strange rumors about me.
I had asked her to introduce me to others to expand my social circle, but Erina never introduced me to other girls.
“Hmm, it does taste like my mother’s cooking.”
“You don’t look very satisfied for saying that.”
“Well, aside from the taste and care of my mother, it’s just average. Besides, I always had a top-class chef by my side.”
“You mean Eonia…”
“Sigh, I didn’t expect Eo to forget even her cooking skills. I hope she regains her memories soon.”
“J-just you wait. You thought it was Eonia’s cooking, but lo and behold! My Erina’s cooking skills were this good all along~! That’s what will happen.”
“My Erina?”
“Ah, ahem!”
As we were chatting like this, a rough-looking sailor holding a bottle of alcohol approached us.
“Stop being all lovey-dovey and get out of the way! I don’t care if you’re Academy students or whatever, but the deck is ours!”
Perhaps because the voyage had gotten into its rhythm, it seemed the sailors had come out to take a break. The man in front of us appeared to be quite senior, as other sailors were trying to hush him, saying they couldn’t stop him.
“Sir Ars. Let’s go somewhere else.”
Erina pulled on my sleeve, saying we shouldn’t run away just because we’re afraid of trouble.
“It’s okay. I’ll handle this.”
“What?”
“Just watch.”
I made eye contact with the man.
“Huh? What is it!”
The man didn’t seem particularly hostile. He was just in a bad mood due to the recent surge in workload.
I cast Charm and spoke to him.
“Would you mind waiting until we finish our meal? The sea breeze feels nice, and I’d like to enjoy it a bit longer.”
“…”
The man reflexively tried to get angry, but soon hesitated and closed his mouth.
Then his pupils shook, and he nodded.
“…Alright. You landlubbers must be enjoying the sea breeze. Fine then!”
As the man moved away, Erina whispered with wide eyes.
“What did you just do?”
“Light magic. The spell name is quite complex, but simply put, it’s charm or enchantment.”
“Ch-what?”
Erina’s expression immediately turned serious. I understood her concern.
I had also vowed not to use it carelessly after using it on Margarita on the elves’ island last time.
The problem wasn’t just its immediate effectiveness, but its lasting effect.
So I decided to use it only on men if possible.
Even if my charm effect is strong, it doesn’t completely change a person’s values.
That’s why using charm on men only creates goodwill, not romantic feelings. Of course, it might be dangerous if used on a man with such preferences.
“Impressive, right?”
“It certainly is impressive. I’ve heard about such magic in the light attribute, but… I’ve never heard of it having such a strong effect in a single use. If it was that effective, it should have been very famous. I’ve never heard such stories.”
“The non-mage who checked my attributes said it was on par with a saint. Saints are loved by many people, right? Many men fall in love with saints. Think of it as similar to that.”
“Indeed, you’ve always had a similar tendency, Sir Ars. If it weren’t for that indifferent attitude, who knows how many would have been entangled…”
Erina nodded.
“I think it’s okay as long as you know not to use it carelessly.”
“Still, depending on the situation, I won’t hesitate to use it. Well, I’m sure we can handle the aftermath somehow.”
“That’s the difficult part. Do you know how much Princess Rosa struggled last time?”
“That wasn’t my fault. I didn’t even use charm then.”
“Anyway!”
Erina suddenly brightened up as if something occurred to her.
“Would you use it on me once?”
“…No.”
“What?”
“I’ve decided never to use it on acquaintances.”
If such cases increase, it could lead to a situation where all my relationships are invalidated.
All the relationships I’ve built would be attributed to the charm. So I had no intention of using it on acquaintances.
Erina seemed to understand this decision, although she was visibly disappointed.
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