The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 34
Alpensard, the capital of Calliper.
Duke Hellian was busy moving about in preparation for the upcoming war.
“What’s the status of Alvard?”
“We’re currently gathering information!”
“What about Beckavia?”
“It seems they intend to watch the situation for now!”
His complexion was not good. He had an expression that suggested he wanted to throw everything away right now if he could.
An aide approached him and whispered. “Your Grace. There’s someone who urgently wishes to meet you.”
“Ugh, I’m busy now! Tell them to come later!”
“He said you would see him if I mentioned Elaine. Does that ring any bells?”
“…!”
Thud! Hellian threw down the stack of documents he was holding.
“Let him in. And I’ll be taking a short break, so clear everyone out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ars’ expression also looked quite sour when he visited the duke’s office. Ars spoke abruptly.
“I didn’t know you people were this stupid. A war with Alvard? Are you joking?”
Hellian lowered his head. “I have no words, even if I had a hundred mouths. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either.”
“Hmm. It seems this proceeded regardless of your wishes, Duke.”
“Yes. The situation was quite complicated.”
The background of this war lay in the internal power struggle within Calliper.
The factions divided between Saleon and Hellian. The two factions had reconciled, but they were still keeping each other in check behind the scenes.
“You know that the importance of the military increased after the Battle of Foldick and the Three Lions War, right?”
“Of course it would.”
“Our side had much more influence over the military. The Saleon faction was just barely hanging on.”
The Saleon faction wanted to increase their influence over the military. If they could do that, they could naturally take away the power of the Hellian faction.
“Such a thing couldn’t suddenly become possible. But one variable emerged.”
“A variable?”
“One of our faction members who had influence over the military. Marquis Millias family switched to the Saleon faction.”
“…!”
Marquis Millias has turned his back on the Hellian faction.
“Don’t tell me that’s…”
“Yes. The incident with you at the party must have been the trigger. That foolish fellow. Well, I could have understood up to that point… The real problem is that they, having gained part of the military power, instigated the king to plan for war. Those idiots! They should have known what price they’d have to pay if they lost!”
“They must have thought they could win. The objective war situation is certainly favorable.”
“Damn it!” Duke Hellian couldn’t hide his anger.
Ars shrugged his shoulders. “If the conditions are right, I could lend you my strength. Such opportunities are rare, you know?”
“I appreciate that, but there’s no place for you in this war.”
Due to special circumstances, Calliper’s army would be divided into three in this war.
The Hellian faction’s 40,000 troops. The Saleon faction’s 30,000 troops. And the royal family’s direct 10,000 troops. A total of 80,000 troops.
“Dunan will be in charge of our army. Even if you came, it would only cause confusion in the command. Moreover, from the Saleon faction… Wade is coming out as the commander-in-chief.”
“Me? This is new to me.”
“Not you. Casper Millias. The guy who impersonated you.”
“Haha! That’s really unexpected. They’re entrusting the commander-in-chief role to that guy?”
“They’ll probably change his name. After winning the war, he’ll say he wasn’t Wade. That others just called him that on their own. They plan to gloss over it like that. They’re trying to milk Wade’s name for all its worth, build up achievements, and then cover it up.”
“They’ve put some thought into it. But will they be able to build up those achievements? I hate to say this, but Casper’s abilities are quite ordinary.”
“Ordinary… You’re overestimating him quite a bit.”
“He’s called a prodigy. He’s outstanding among his peers.”
“Outstanding among his peers. It’s really funny hearing you say that. Well, they seem to think that part will work out somehow. They plan to use Casper as a figurehead while the strategists of the Saleon faction pool their wisdom to fight the war.”
“What about the royal family’s direct troops?”
“Prince Avilan will lead them. They’ll be in charge of supplies from the rear, so they won’t play a major role.”
A war caused by internal political issues in the Kingdom of Calliper.
Ars nodded, realizing there was no room for him to intervene. “I hope you win. So that the fallout doesn’t reach even a cadet like me.”
“I hope so too. But if worse comes to worst…”
“Let’s talk about that when the time comes, Duke.”
“Yes, I just hope we don’t have to have that conversation.”
Ars left the office.
Duke Hellian heaved a deep sigh and started working busily again.
* * *
Having confirmed that there was no place for me to intervene, I had no choice but to watch the war unfold.
Originally, when a major war broke out, even cadets were sometimes called up, but this war was primarily fought by the nobles’ private armies, so cadets weren’t summoned.
I returned to the academy, hoping that the worst-case scenario wouldn’t unfold.
After returning to Rainpol Academy after two days, chaos was unfolding there as well.
‘I didn’t expect this to happen in just two days.’
I had anticipated it to some extent. But still, it was too fast.
“You monster!”
“Hahaha! Die after getting hit by this, you freak!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Trash bundles flew towards Estelle. She just endured it with her gaze fixed on her desk.
‘Sigh, in the end, they’re just kids.’
I felt bitter inside, but I thought it couldn’t be helped. The behavioral psychology of children is all similar.
No matter how many times you tell children to mature, they won’t listen.
What made me angry to the point of losing my mind was for a different reason.
“You get out of here too!”
“Where do you think you’re going, you beastkin! Slavery suits you guys!”
Trash was being thrown at Yumir, who was assisting Estelle.
For a moment, I thought I was losing my mind.
Yumir was the most precious person to me. Even more so after learning the hidden truth about Ars.
Yumir remained unresponsive regardless, but I couldn’t stand it.
“Hey, you. What do you think you’re doing?”
“Huh!?”
Grab! I grabbed the arm of the boy throwing trash and kicked him away.
Thud! The guy rolled on the floor.
“Who the hell are you, you bastard!”
He seemed to have a big head, as he immediately charged at me with a red face, but of course, he was no match for me.
I dodged the recklessly swung fist and kneed him in the solar plexus. Then I grabbed his collapsing upper body and threw him.
“Didn’t I say I was a cadet? If you knew and still came at me, you’ve got guts. Or should I say you’re stupid?”
“Kuhuh! Kuhuck!”
“Stop this vile behavior now. Unless you want to see something worse next time.”
“You… Do, do you know who I am?”
“Who are you? Are you a prince or something?”
“What…?”
“If not, don’t even bring it up.”
Silence engulfed the classroom. The students who had been throwing trash together looked awkward and pretended not to notice.
I sat down and sighed.
‘I acted unlike myself.’
It was something Eonia would do. Yumir seemed to know this too, as she sent a reproachful look telling me not to do it again.
As for Estelle, she had been staring at me with wide eyes like a rabbit ever since I beat that guy up.
“Lord Ars…! You don’t have to do that for someone like me!”
“Pardon?”
I guess it could be seen that way. Right now, Yumir and I are supposed to be strangers.
“Ah… That’s right. My blood boiled without me realizing it. I should be more careful next time.”
Still, this show of force seemed to have had an effect, as no one threw trash at Estelle or Yumir anymore.
Along with that, Estelle started to talk to me more actively. It seems she’s starting to believe that I really don’t care about appearances.
The guy from Crossing who I had hit was glaring at me, grinding his teeth… But no matter what backing he might have, he was no threat to me at all.
After that incident, Estelle and I started hanging out together so much that we could be called buddies.
It wasn’t a bad situation for me either.
I could take care of Estelle’s mental health, and thanks to her sticking with me, I no longer had to deal with invitations from other girls that had been a nuisance before.
I’ve even reached a level where I don’t notice the stench coming from Estelle at all anymore.
“Are you… Really okay?” Estelle asked cautiously while we were having lunch together.
“About what?”
“I was wondering if it’s really okay for you to eat with me.”
“Is there a problem?”
As I looked around in confusion, Estelle spoke with difficulty. “It’s… Because of my… Body odor…. I was wondering if it doesn’t upset your stomach…”
“Ah, if it’s about that, it’s fine. I told you I don’t mind it in the first place. And it’s not body odor, it’s unavoidable due to your illness. I’m sure Estelle’s natural scent would be fragrant.”
“Uh…! Y-yes….”
Above all, recently, mealtime has become enjoyable and my mood has improved.
Since Yumir went to Estelle, Eonia has become responsible for my meals.
Eo seems to be the type to make only the foods I like, so unlike Yumir who forcibly includes only healthy foods, my meals have become extravagant.
Even Yumir frowned when she saw my lunchbox full of meat and all sorts of stimulating sauces.
Finally, unable to hold back, she says to me, “Mr. Elaine. I think you should be less picky with your food.”
“What do you mean? You’re speaking as if you know about my eating habits, Miss Yumir?”
As I played dumb, Yumir made a rare stern expression.
“Hmm~ I wonder what delicious thing I should ask Eo to make for tomorrow.”
“Ugh…!”
Yumir, unable to do anything, just stomps her feet in frustration.
At that moment, Estelle speaks up as if she’s made a decision.
“Why… Why are you treating me so well, Lord Ars?”
“Do I need a special reason?”
“Yes, because I can’t understand otherwise. Unlike me, you’re someone admired by many people. Even I can tell. How other young ladies look at you. That you don’t need to bother with someone like me.”
“Haha… That’s all meaningless. It’s just like looking at a well-made doll.”
Anyway, it seemed Estelle wanted a reason. She couldn’t understand if it was just out of sympathy.
There was a reason, as she thought, but since I couldn’t reveal it, I decided to make something up.
“It’s an investment for the future.”
“Pardon?”
“When you recover from your illness, you’ll become a great beauty. Then I’ll naturally gain a friendship with a beautiful woman.”
“Hehe, what’s that supposed to mean?” She chuckles, knowing I’m making something up, but not finding it unpleasant to hear.
“Then I should get better soon, for your sake too, Lord Ars.”
Estelle finally shows a positive attitude towards treatment.
I suppose the mental care is working properly.
“Did you find any clues about your illness? You look happy.”
“Yes, I recently learned the cause of my illness. I think I’ve also found someone who knows about the treatment.”
It was the Kuravel Holy Kingdom official that Eo had found.
‘The growth of the Kuravel Holy Kingdom, was it?’
She was said to be like a mother to Eo, and the woman who effectively led the Kuravel Holy Kingdom.
A meeting with her was scheduled for the near future.
“That’s great. Don’t treat me like a stranger later when you get better and become pretty, okay?”
“Of course not.”
By then, we were finishing up lunch.
“Brother! There he is!”
A group approaches, pointing at me.
It was that guy who got hit by me last time. I think his name was Hubert.
He seemed to have brought along someone he knew, as next to him was a man with sharp eyes.
Judging by his attire, he looked like an active officer of Crossing, not an academy student.
“Are you Elaine? I heard you hit my brother.”
“And?”
“I understand you got angry because my brother did something stupid, but resorting to violence first means you did something equally stupid. Do you realize that?”
To think they’d come for such petty revenge.
Feeling it wasn’t worth dealing with, I signaled Yumir to chase them away, but.
“I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t understand.” Yumir said that and turned away primly.
To think that Yumir would sulk! It seemed like she was making a cute protest about the side dishes from earlier.
“Hahaha!” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. They seemed to think I was mocking them and narrowed their eyes.
Still, they seemed to have at least some sense of discretion. If a Crossing military officer harmed an academy student from Calliper for no reason, it would cause a stir.
“Tch, seems words won’t do. You said you’re a cadet, right? Fine. I’ll personally handle you in the upcoming joint cadet training. No hard feelings. Just, if you like using your fists so much, I’ll let you use them to your heart’s content.”
“Oh my, then I’ll have to skip the academy that day.”
“What?”
“When is that again…?”
“You…”
Although the other person was being polite, it was ultimately unreasonable. If he wanted to lecture someone, he should have done it more strongly to his brother, not me.
Then Hubert speaks up as if he’s been waiting for this.
“Then do that if you want? If you’re not there, those two will have some business to attend to. Puhaha!”
“…Hey. Don’t cross the line.”
“Ugh! C-Come at me if you dare!”
“Sigh. Alright. I’ll participate in that joint training or whatever. Happy now?”
“Ha, hah! Good, be prepared, Elaine!”
Unlike the triumphant Hubert, his brother seemed to have a headache. He must have clearly realized where the fault lay after seeing this scene.
“I think I listened to my brother’s side too much. I’ll make sure to lecture this guy properly. Still, make sure to come to the training. It’ll surely be a good experience for you too.”
As they left, Estelle grabbed my arm with a desperate look.
“You don’t have to go to the training. If Ars gets hurt because of me…!”
“Huh? Ah, that’s fine. That won’t happen.”
Hubert’s brother seems to have grasped the situation to some extent. Even if he were to go all out, he probably doesn’t have the skills to hurt me.
I reassured her several times that it was okay, but Estelle just couldn’t relax her expression.
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