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The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 46

The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 46

After finishing the military meeting, I returned to the southern city of Pollack and began dealing with the aftermath.

Since Rutger and master had taken care of the general aspects, I only needed to give final approval, so it wasn’t too tiring. However, there were a few problems.

First was the issue of refugees who had lost their homes.

Except for Twiran, all the targeted territories had been burned down, and the number of refugees alone reached 400,000.

Therefore, until the territories could be rebuilt, the surrounding territories had to accept the refugees, but the problem was that not many territories had the capacity to do so.

It was now spring after the end of winter, a time when last year’s food reserves were just beginning to run out.

If refugees were accepted, it was highly likely to lead to food shortages across the entire territory.

“Why do I have to do these trivial administrative tasks…?”

My master gives a bitter smile at my grumbling.

“Because you’re the commander-in-chief of the southern army. If you give orders now, even the great lords won’t be able to refuse. If you sort things out, there won’t be any discord.”

“I guess it can’t be helped. Hmm, first, let’s send the refugees from Bonia and Rotos to Delborough in the east. Since Delborough is a city centered on fishing, there shouldn’t be an immediate problem with food supply.”

“Will there be enough fishing boats?”

“We can use a few warships docked in Delborough as fishing boats. The lord will take care of that part. Next, tell the refugees from Noyers to stay in Twiran, whose territory wasn’t destroyed. Twiran is a place rich in farmland, so if they can get through spring, they’ll be self-sufficient. Until then, arrange for Pollack and Grancel to provide aid.”

“I’ll relay that message.”

“Lastly, regarding Ribel and Rosbel…”

Ribel was our territory. And Rosbel was the territory of the Milstein baronial family and my mother’s hometown.

“Tell both to move to Rainpol quickly. To ensure the refugees don’t starve during the move, inform Julia Academy and Alphensard along the route to prepare supplies for the refugees.”

“Understood.”

At this point, Anton speaks up, “My lord, in that case, I’ll go ahead and deliver the message to Rainpol.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already sent someone to talk to Juras. He’ll take care of it.”

“You’ve already taken care of it. That’s impressive.”

“Phew! Well, is that everything then?”

Rutger claps his hands. He says with admiration, “That’s a clean handling of affairs without any unnecessary details. Very clear-cut.”

“Despite that, various problems will arise. The existing residents of the territories won’t welcome the refugees. Well, that’s not my concern.”

“Even so, this seems like the best option to me. Let’s finish this work quickly and head back.”

“Haha, Rutger. It’s all over your face. You want to return to Rainpol as soon as possible, don’t you?”

“Uh, um…!”

“If it’s about Miss Estelle, it’s fine.”

“You said you met her in Grancel. Yes. Has her hair grown back?”

“A little. It still has a long way to go before it’s fully healed.”

“That’s something at least. I want to go see my daughter’s face soon.”

“Then shall we start the wrap-up work for your sake as well?”

At that moment, Eonia stiffened, saying what she had been waiting for had come.

The wrap-up of the war. The time for commendations had begun.

When the topic of commendations came up, Rutger chuckled, asking if there was such a thing. Anton, on the other hand, was different.

“Commendations! Ugh, there was such a thing…! If I had known, I would have requested an important role from my lord…”

“Why are you suddenly like this, Anton?”

“I apologize. Please continue without minding me.”

Anton seemed to know. That his contributions in this war weren’t that significant.

‘He’s surprisingly similar to Eo in some ways.’

It’s the point of being bound by formalities. Though not to the extent of Eonia, he at least doesn’t like losing.

“Then, fourth place in war merits goes to Anton Quinter. You did well. You assisted Rutger and excellently defended the Foldick Mountains.”

“Yes, I only did what was expected of me.”

“Next, I’ll announce the first place in war merits. Rutger Rosenberg. It’s you.”

Rutger shrugged his shoulders. “To be first among these great commanders. It’s an unparalleled honor.”

“Despite being outnumbered, you gained the upper hand against the enemy general Ushis Goldray. In the final battle, you coordinated with my movements to surround the enemy and capture their general. Without you, this operation would have been difficult to succeed. Hence, you’re first in war merits.”

Now, only second and third places remained.

Eonia seemed to have anticipated Rutger being first, saying ‘Hmph, it can’t be helped’, but she didn’t want to lose second place.

“Next are second and third place… First, Ilya Anfei. Master gathered bows and war horses from surrounding territories, relayed evacuation orders to each territory during the main operation, and quickly evacuated them. Afterwards, you engaged and annihilated the guerrilla unit that attacked Twiran, neutralizing other guerrilla units as well. Next is Eonia Mirabel.”

“Yes sir!”

“Eo, you selected soldiers skilled with bows, and in the battle with enemy forces, you broke through the center and captured the enemy general Julian Craig.”

“Yes sir!”

“So, between the two, second place goes to…”

“Huh? But, but Ars. I led the mounted archers in the initial battle and blunted the enemy’s spearhead, and I excellently commanded the soldiers from Kuravel, making them move like your limbs…”

Has the era of self-PR come to this world too? Eo started asserting herself earnestly.

“Finally, I accurately interpreted your request for popcorn and prepared snacks, and in Grancel, I quickly responded to your request for a carriage.”

“Haha, you’re counting even those as war merits?”

Objectively, Eo’s war merits were third place. Although the scale of contributions seemed similar, the role that Master Ilya played was something Eo couldn’t have done.

On the other hand, Eo’s role could have been easily replaced by the master.

‘But if I give her third place here…’

She might take unnecessary risks to achieve higher merits next time.

As they say, give a crying child an extra rice cake. I wanted to give Eo second place, but that would undermine objective evaluation, so I was troubled.

Perhaps realizing my dilemma, “Amazing, Eonia. Truly unbeatable.” Master spoke first, praising Eonia.

“Eonia, you’re surely second in war merits. Next time, I’ll definitely surpass you, so be prepared.”

“Hehe…! Really? As expected, right? Yay…! Ilya Anfei, I’ve beaten you…!”

Eo cheered quietly. Master watched her fondly. Despite only a year’s age difference, master looked much more like an elder.

“Oh my. You didn’t have to help.”

“It’s nothing. Eonia did perform well. Ars, you should tell her directly. That will make her happier.”

“I guess I have no choice. Second place in war merits is Eonia Mirabel. It’s you.”

Eo’s expression was as if she could fly. Master then patted her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Anton was looking at master with a peculiar gaze, as if truly impressed by her behavior.

* * *

After finishing the formalities, our group began preparing to return to Rainpol.

Rutger, Anton, and Eonia went ahead with Kuravel’s forces to begin the return march.

I decided to follow after finishing the final arrangements.

Meanwhile, my master, who had remained with me, approached and said, “Ars, before we return, there’s something I’d like you to see.”

“Something you want me to see?”

“Yes, I want you to see a prisoner. I’d like you to handle this prisoner’s disposition.”

“Weren’t all the prisoners handed over to the Calliper military?”

“Well… It seems this prisoner might be a friend of my master. Apparently, he held a position as a guest commander in the Madon military.”

“That might make it a bit tricky to handle.”

Most individuals with guest commander status also hold mercenary status.

It seems master, being a fellow mercenary, was reluctant to hand him over to the Calliper military.

“What’s his name?”

“He seems to go by Draken. I checked, but he’s not registered with the Mercenary Association.”

“An alias, then.”

“Yes. Just in case, I described his appearance to the Association leadership, and they cautiously mentioned a name. It seems there was someone similar among the mercenaries active in the distant past.”

A guest commander leading Madon’s guerrilla forces.

“Gaspar… They said.”

“Gaspar…!?”

I was so surprised I could only blink.

To think that one of the Seven Vassals, Gaspar the Rabid, would be discovered in a place like this.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Rabid, whom we couldn’t find any news of despite searching everywhere.

‘No wonder.’

Using an alias, of course he wouldn’t be found no matter how long we searched for the name Gaspar.

“This Gaspar. Is he by any chance a pureblooded beastkin in the form of a wolf? And does he use a large greatsword as his weapon?”

“How did you know that?”

“I see.”

There’s no doubt. It’s the same Gaspar that appeared in the game.

‘But is this okay?’

Even in the game, Gaspar was a character with many secrets.

To put it bluntly, I couldn’t understand why Gaspar was following Ars. The reason he started following the protagonist wasn’t even properly explained.

He was a character who coincidentally encountered the group, quietly tagged along, and before you knew it, was playing an active role. His background and intentions were unknown.

As such, he was a character with a very high possibility of being a traitor planted by a third faction.

Just looking at how he’s hiding his real name and operating under an alias now is extremely suspicious.

‘Still, I should meet him first.’

I decided to make a judgment after meeting him. Is he really trustworthy?

To conclude from the start, it was a bust.

“Kuhaha! So you’re that Wade. Sniff, sniff sniff! Strange. You smell like a brat.”

The beastkin laughed maliciously as he looked at me. There was no respect in that gaze.

“…And you must be Gaspar.”

“Hmph, heard it from the Mercenary Association?”

“Judging by that reaction, it seems I’m right. I hear you were an S-rank mercenary.”

“Hahaha, that was during the chaotic period right after the Fensillon Empire fell. Even riff raff could become S-rank mercenaries if they just racked up a few achievements. Look at me now. I got caught without even putting up a fight against a current S-rank mercenary.”

“Hmm.”

Certainly, Gaspar’s combat power in the game was 87, which wasn’t particularly high.

However, his true value wasn’t in one-on-one combat.

As a UR-grade card, he was considered one of the top 3 supporters along with Yumir.

Thanks to his rare traits as a master of stealth movement and ambush, there was no one who could match him as a commander of guerrilla or scout units.

“If it was right after Fensillon’s fall… That means you’re at least 50 years old.”

“Ha! You think I’m only that young? Add another 20 to that.”

“You look quite fit for a 70-year-old.”

“Don’t underestimate pureblooded beastkin. Unlike mere humans, our prime lasts quite long. Well, I’m getting old now too.”

The impression I got from this guy was undeniable wildness. A chilling sensation that I might be devoured if I let my guard down even for a moment.

“You… Would you consider working under me?” When I asked probingly, the guy growled.

“Is that why you came to see me? To make such a ridiculous proposal. How laughable.”

“I don’t think it’s strange for a guest commander to change allegiances.”

“True. That’s why those kingdoms don’t think of guest commanders as anything more than disposable cards. It’s no different from hiring mercenaries. But you’re different. You’re not just trying to take me on as a guest commander. I can feel that you’re genuinely trying to tame me.”

“Huh, you saw through me.”

“Not a chance, kid. I won’t be tamed by anyone. I just use others when I need to. As long as there’s good alcohol and bloody battlefields, I don’t care where I am. Living as I please is my unchanging creed.”

“Then why don’t we test it? Whether I can tame you or not.”

“That’s… Interesting.”

It seems Gaspar had been interested in the existence called Wade from the start.

“Well, alright. Staying with you doesn’t seem like it’ll be boring. Try to tame me before I get bored.”

“Then come to Rainpol once things are settled here. We’ll continue our discussion there.”

Unlike with Rutger, I was planning to thoroughly verify Gaspar.

‘If it seems like he’ll cause discord with the other comrades, I’ll have to cut him off mercilessly.’

That’s why the interview in Rainpol would be the most important.


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The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road

The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road

Score 9.2
Status: Completed Type: Author: Released: 2022 Native Language: Korean
I ended up possessing Ars Elaine, a supporting character in the game. Struggling to prevent my death, I pave my way.

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