The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 20

The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 20.

A few days after returning from the Kalon Mountains.

I had to come up with a proper way to deal with Marquis Millias’s schemes.

‘Are there only two options left?’

Now that the method of checking through Rutger had failed, there were two options left.

Joining hands with the Saleon faction, or joining hands with Crossing Republic.

Of course, both were unpleasant choices.

Even if I joined hands with the Saleon faction, I would still be used, and in the case of Crossing, I couldn’t know how things would progress.

‘Crossing is too dangerous. Does that mean I should reach out to Saleon?’

Fortunately, I had a Saleon connection.

It was Erina.

I had recently received a letter from the Saleon ducal family.

They wanted to have a proper conversation again.

Probably because of the ambiguously ended conversation at the party, Erina had summoned me.

At that time, I was about to head to the Kalon Mountains to recruit Rutger, so I sent a polite refusal letter with a postscript saying ‘Please stop being clingy’. But now I might have to approach them to talk.

As I prepared to contact Saleon for a few more days,

My birthday and coming-of-age day arrived.

On this day, even brother Ferge and sister Julia had taken time off and returned home.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult, Ars. This is a small gift.”

Brother Ferge gave me a command stick used by military officers. It’s gleaming, probably made of good wood.

Brother Max gave me a poetry book of love poems. Brother Miller gave a history book. And sister Julia gave me stylish casual clothes.

“Congratulations, little one. You’ve grown up so fast. You used to follow me around calling sister, sister.”

“I don’t remember that. And sister, please stop calling me little one now.”

“Hehe, as I said before, the youngest is always the youngest! If you don’t like it, ask mother and father to work harder!”

“That’s exactly what happened.”

“…Huh?”

To my sister who didn’t understand, our parents said with sheepish faces.

It was news of the conception of a new youngest child.

Brother Ferge and sister Julia, who didn’t know this, were startled and jumped up.

Father said that as I became an adult and started helping with work, he spent more time with mother.

Thus, my coming-of-age ceremony became even more lively with the news of the youngest’s conception.

My brothers were drinking precious alcohol to their heart’s content, and sister Julia was marveling at mother’s belly, putting her ear against it.

Worried about the late pregnancy, she’s already making a fuss about finding a skilled midwife.

It was my coming-of-age ceremony, but somehow my parents had become the main characters.

“But…”

I looked around. Master Ilya hadn’t been seen for a few days.

It was disappointing for me who had been expecting a gift from the master.

“Young master.”

“Ah, Yumir. Perfect timing. I had something to ask.”

“Ask me anything. But before that… Please accept this.”

What Yumir handed over was a necklace with a peculiarly shaped blue jewel.

‘This is…!’

It was the necklace that Ars always wore in the game. At that time, I thought it was just an accessory to make the illustration look fancier.

‘To think it was Yumir’s coming-of-age gift. So this item had such a backstory.’

I was very pleased. Not just with the gift itself, but because it seemed the story was flowing according to the game’s plot.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult.”

“Thank you. But is this okay? It looks very expensive.”

“Yes, it’s fine. It’s not something I bought, but something I’ve been keeping.”

“If it’s something you’ve been keeping, that’s even more reason not to. Doesn’t it have a different owner?”

“No, the owner of that necklace is you, Ars. That much is certain.”

“…?”

It seemed like there was some circumstance, so as I was about to ask.

Swish! Just then, I sensed a presence in my room.

“Hm…? Who is it?”

All family members are downstairs, and Yumir, the only servant who can freely enter my room, is here.

I had a strange suspicion, but Yumir whispered.

“It’s Lady Ilya. She quietly entered the mansion a little while ago.”

“Quietly? Why…” I decided to ask about that after going inside.

Creak! As I quietly opened the door and entered, master flinched like a child caught snacking, then let out a deep sigh when she saw me.

It seems she was about to leave after placing a gift and letter on my desk.

“This is troublesome. I was planning to leave without being noticed…”

“You’re not Santa Claus, what are you doing master?”

I approached with quick steps and checked the gift.

It was a well-forged sword and spear.

“Thank you so much. Can I read this too?”

I immediately opened the letter.

“No, wait…”

Master made a motion to stop me but soon gave up and closed her mouth.

The reason for her behavior was written in the letter.

“…What do you mean you’ll never appear before me again? What is this about?”

“It’s exactly as written. Ars, I will no longer appear before you. So please forget about me and live your life from now on.”

“Something must have happened. Please tell me.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t talk about this…”

“Please tell me.” Grip! I grabbed her shoulders and continued speaking. “I told you before at the party. If anything happens, please consult with me. I said I would lead things in a better direction as much as possible. You promised to do so then, didn’t you? As a proud warrior, how do you feel about breaking that promise like an old shoe?”

“Ugh…!”

She soon lowered her head and explained the whole story.

* * *

A few days before I went to Mount Kalon. My master says she received a mercenary request.

The compensation is a whopping 10 million sillan. It’s a sum equivalent to half a year’s budget for our territory. In Korean won, it would be about 100 million.

However, my master did not accept this large sum.

This was because an additional clause specified that I should accompany her.

Rather, this request was no different from one sent to the mercenary Wade. Since they couldn’t send it directly to Wade, an unidentified figure, they sent it to Master Ilya, who is known to be associated with him.

“A request for me… Where did it come from?”

“Crossing Republic.”

“Crossing…!”

It was clearly Juras’s doing.

“Crossing has been recruiting soldiers on a large scale recently. Because of that, countries bordering it are in a state of emergency. The main opponents are the Kingdom of Alvard and the Kingdom of Beckavia. Those two.”

“Alvard and Beckavia…. They’re historical rivals with Crossing.”

The fact that they sent a request to me in this situation means nothing else but…

“It seems they want to use you as a military commander. It’s clear from this huge request fee.”

“Me as a commander…?”

“It’s nonsense. Giving full military command to a child who’s just had his coming of age ceremony.”

“No…. It’s illogical to use a mercenary as a regular army commander in the first place. Even if there were merits from the Foldick battle.”

“Yes, so there was only one thing that came to mind.”

“Is it because of my chess match with Juras…?”

“Yes. I felt heavy-hearted because it seemed Ars, you received strange attention and it is due to my fault.”

I understood why she was worried about me. After all, I had stepped in for my master in that chess match.

“That’s why I refused, but soon they resorted to petty methods.”

Juras. That guy does anything to achieve his goals.

He immediately caught my master’s mercenary subordinates and threatened them.

“So that’s why you were trying not to appear before me again.”

“Yes. I couldn’t be a poor master who holds back her disciple.”

“Oh my, so? What were you planning to do alone?”

“I was thinking of somehow rescuing my subordinates and living in quiet seclusion.”

“It’s useless.”

“What?”

Juras won’t give up anyway.

“This is his way of showing consideration in his own way.”

“Consideration?”

“Well, if he had really wanted to, he would have used more extreme methods. Taking your subordinates hostage is just a childish show.”

Come out while I’m still being nice.

That’s what Juras was saying.

“Capturing your subordinates to gain leverage wasn’t really meant to do anything, it was to make the impatient you tell me about it. So they’re probably safe and sound.”

But how can I handle this?

While taking the subordinates hostage might have been a formal threat, I couldn’t know what would happen if I refused.

Moreover, if my prediction is correct, this war is that war.

The Great War that was mentioned a few times even in the game where past stories rarely come up.

The Three Lions War.

‘This is a good opportunity.’

An opportunity to create a connection with Crossing.

As I wasn’t keen on joining hands with the Saleon faction, I was thinking of finding a breakthrough with this incident.

“Master, can you send a reply to Crossing? Tell them I’ll accept the proposal if they promise 20 million sillan along with a portion of the spoils of war.”

Double the compensation.

Juras accepted this proposal immediately.

Without wasting time, I began my journey towards Crossing.

The deadline Crossing set for joining was about two weeks.

There were things I needed to prepare before then.

First, I decided to explain the situation to my parents.

However, in my mother’s case, I thought worrying her wouldn’t be good for her prenatal care, so I made up a story about going on a training trip with my master and only told my father the truth.

“Hmm, so you’re going to Crossing…. This has become a complicated matter.”

My father doesn’t seem too surprised, probably because he received a hint from Brother Ferge beforehand.

“I respect your decision, but aren’t you flowing too much according to their intentions?”

“Maybe. But avoiding it won’t provide an answer either.”

On the contrary, if I only avoided it, the other side might use even more vicious methods.

“I think it’s better to face them head-on now, even if it means dancing to their tune.”

Honestly, it was a dangerous thing.

If you ask who’s truly scary between Marquis Milias and Juras Pamilion, it would be the latter.

“Baron Elaine, I’m truly sorry. Because of me, I’ve put your precious son in danger. I’ll accept any criticism gladly.” Master Ilya bowed her head deeply.

“Don’t blame yourself too much. In the end, it’s a decision my son made himself. As a teacher, you should believe in your disciple’s choice and watch over him.”

“…Thank you. I swear I will return Ars to your arms, even at the cost of my life.”

“Rather than that, it would be better if both of you return safely. I’ll pray for your safety.”

After convincing my father like that, I immediately began preparations.

After requisitioning a carriage within the territory, I decided to make a new grayish-brown helmet to cover my face.

The helmet my mother gave me was dented when it took Gillias’s blow at that time.

‘I’ll probably spend more time wearing a helmet there.’

So I decided to make a helmet that was comfortable to wear as much as possible, but the problem was that the territory’s blacksmith put too much effort into it.

“Hahaha! How is it, young master? Isn’t it a helmet that suits you perfectly? I made it based on the Sword Helmet that was said to have been used by dragon knights in the mythical era.”

“Hmm… It’s certainly splendid, but…”

I wondered how it would be used in war.

If it’s too eye-catching, it would be perfect for becoming a target for the enemy.

‘Well, I guess it’s okay. There are cases where they deliberately make the commander’s emblem flashy and see the effect.’

Still, just in case, I decided to make one more helmet of the same shape and one ordinary helmet.

Just before departing after the production of that helmet was finished.

Eonia, who had just finished her treatment, joined us.

As soon as she saw me, she knelt on one knee and said loudly, “Eonia Mirabel! I will take up my post from this moment!”

“Take up your post? You don’t need to use such grandiose language.”

It was well known that mercenary Wade had saved Eonia Mirabel from Juras, so when acting as Wade, she could fully act while revealing her identity.

That’s why I had decided to bring her along on this journey.

“We’re just comrades. Mercenary comrades.”

“I-Is that so…?”

She seems disappointed. It appears she’s very particular about formalities.

Master Ilya, knowing this tendency of Eonia’s, smiles and says, “Then how about being Ars guard knight, Eonia? It seems to suit your aptitude and would be good.”

“Huh? Ilya, weren’t you the guard knight?”

“No, I’m more like this child’s private tutor.”

“Then, Lord Ars guard knight is…”

“There probably isn’t one yet. If you take it, you’ll be the first.”

“The first…!”

At the word first, Eonia trembled and strongly began to assert herself.

She emphasized her job as the captain of the Kuravel Holy Kingdom’s guard unit and fervently hoped for the position of guard knight.

‘The image is quite different.’

In the game, Eonia’s image was like someone who had become enlightened about the world.

After all, she had lived like a dead person with a hideous appearance from burns for about 6 years.

Now, she was rescued after about 7 months. It seems that wasn’t enough time to change a person.

‘By the way, it’s amazing. To think that those severe burns were all healed.’

Eonia had regained her past splendid appearance.

Her skin, which had been like a mummy’s, had become smooth, and her hair, which had all burned off, was growing back in a bob style.

Although she looked different from the illustration I knew, perhaps due to changing her appearance during the treatment process, she was still stunningly beautiful.

“Lord Ars, please use me as your guard knight!”

“I’m sorry, but I already have a guard.”

“…Pardon?”

I glanced around and then called out.

“Yumir, are you here?”

Then, swish! As if appearing from nowhere, Yumir, wearing tight dark brown clothes, appeared.

“You’re amazing, young master. I thought I had perfectly concealed my presence.”

“I couldn’t sense your presence. I just thought you might be here, so I called out. Did father tell you to come along?”

“Yes. Something like that…”

Yumir trails off ambiguously.

“More importantly, young master. Surely you’re not referring to me as the guard knight, are you?”

“That’s right. The actual job is similar, isn’t it?”

“That won’t do. For someone lowly like me, being your first guard knight is too much. It will be criticized by someone in the future.”

Considering that beastkin are discriminated against in this world, I could understand her concern.

“I don’t care about such things at all. If you truly dislike it, I’ll reconsider.”

“It’s not that I dislike it, but…”

Rather, she seems secretly happy, unconsciously wagging her tail.

“Then let’s go with that. Eonia, I’ll entrust you with the security detail.”

“The security detail?”

Although a security knight is essentially the same as a guard knight, the work is slightly different.

While the main purpose of a guard knight is to protect important figures, the security detail leads the guard unit.

For now, there was no guard unit or anything, so it was just a nominal position, but Eonia was very pleased even with that.

“Security Eonia Mirabel! I will do my utmost to assist Lord Ars!”

Eonia blended into the group in an instant.

Perhaps born with great social skills, she achieved the feat of mediating between Yumir and master, whose relationship had been awkward.

Thus, Yumir (27 years old), Eonia (28 years old), and Ilya (29 years old) formed a combination that would later be known as the Trio Auntie.

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TL NOTE:

Schedule release sate and time will be released by this coming sunday.

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