The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 72
Sitting with Juras, I was absentmindedly passing time, visually savoring the passing dishes.
‘Indeed, this is southern Bülang…’
The Kingdom of Bülang is a kingdom where various spices could be cultivated due to its climate. It even had developed fisheries.
It was the complete opposite of the barren Crossing, you could say.
Thus, there was a great variety of dishes, but wearing a helmet, I could only look at them longingly.
It might not taste as good as what Eo would make, but being unfamiliar dishes, I wanted to know how they tasted.
‘Maybe I should have brought Eo along.’
If it were her, she could perfectly recreate it after tasting it just once.
‘If I could at least taste it, I could explain it to Eo later.’
There was no way for me to eat.
Perhaps noticing this.
“I’ll tell Anton to set aside some food for you separately. That should do, right?”
This Juras fellow. He’s quite perceptive.
He continued speaking, “By the way. You said you had something to ask me? Wade.”
“Can you tell me? How did you discover Bülang‘s collusion… And why did you assassinate the King of Bülang…!”
“…Huh, hahahahahaha!” His loud laughter drew the attention of the party.
Juras laughed heartily for a while, paying no mind to others.
Then he said chillingly. “It seems it was quite shocking to you. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint your expectations.”
“Are you saying you really did it…!”
This madman. And to come to a party hosted by the Prince of Bülang. He must have come confident he wouldn’t be discovered, but to me, it was a boldness I couldn’t even imitate.
As I looked around nervously, Juras added more. “Actually, that’s why I deliberately chose this place for our conversation. I wanted to show you.”
“Show me what?”
“Wade, remember this well. This scene right here is the reality of Bülang.”
“The reality of Bülang…”
I took a fresh look at the nobles of Bülang.
‘So that’s what he means.’
Although the nobles of Bülang were wearing mourning clothes, they didn’t seem particularly sincere in their grief. Rather, they seemed to be expecting the situation to change dramatically due to the king’s death.
“The deceased Wilfred Schwarzer wasn’t a tyrant. He was closer to a wise ruler. Moreover, the heir to the throne had been predetermined. Yet, this is how things are. This is precisely why I assassinated the King of Bülang.”
“That’s the reason? It’s hard to understand with just that. Could you explain in more detail?”
“I’ll explain everything at once. Come to Karten in the near future. I’ll tell you everything, including what the King is hiding.”
Indeed, this wasn’t a good place to continue the conversation. We didn’t know when his actions might be exposed.
I was anxiously waiting for the party to end.
Contrary to my wishes, the atmosphere of the victory party began to heat up.
As I grew increasingly hungry, I was looking for a chance to slip away.
The opportunity came around the time the dance began.
When Juras, who had been sitting with me, went to meet Kaien, all eyes turned in that direction.
Seizing this moment, I slipped out and found a spot in a corner of the garden that Anton had guided me to.
The garden outside the party venue was relatively quiet.
After changing clothes, I settled in a place away from people’s sight and was looking at the moon while savoring the food that Anton diligently delivered.
‘The reason why Juras assassinated the King of Bülang.’
As my thoughts cleared, a few guesses came to mind.
‘If that’s the case, Juras’s goal is….’
Thinking about that goal suddenly made me dizzy. Realizing that pondering alone would only complicate things further, I decided to think about something else.
‘I wonder what will happen when we return to the academy.’
Dunan, who had been acting as a teacher, had died, and the continent’s political situation had changed drastically.
It was clear that the education for us, who would be entering Fensillon Academy next year, would be greatly intensified.
‘I thought things would go smoothly once we entered the academy.’
That’s because it’s the point where the main story I knew would progress.
However, the story I knew was already broken. The Kingdom of Bülang, which was supposed to be a strong supporter of the protagonist, was in great crisis.
‘It’s probably because of my actions.’
There was a high possibility that my actions had caused a butterfly effect.
‘I’ve decided not to cling to the story anymore, so I guess it doesn’t matter much.’
From now on, I decided to move according to each situation.
I was well-prepared for that.
I have a territory, private soldiers, and vassals. Compared to Ars in the game who had nothing, I have sufficient power.
Moreover, even if the main story has gone astray, it’s not completely broken. There’s a good chance that major trends will continue, like the outbreak of this Chimera War.
‘Juras must have a separate plan. I should listen to that and decide on future policies.’
Then, rustle! I sensed someone nearby.
I thought it might be Anton bringing new food, but it wasn’t.
“…Ah. There was already a guest here. I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?”
The one who appeared saying this was a woman with a modest impression. Her appearance was certainly beautiful enough to be called a beauty, but perhaps due to the fatigue on her face, it didn’t stand out.
She seemed fed up with the party.
“May I sit here too? I don’t think there’s anywhere else as quiet and charming as this.”
I shrugged, indicating she could do as she pleased.
She sat across from me and looked up at the moon with a bitter expression.
I continued eating calmly.
Then.
“…You. Are you perhaps Wade?” She suddenly asked.
“I don’t remember seeing your face at the party today. If you had such a handsome appearance, there’s no way I wouldn’t have remembered it.” Soon she speaks with confidence. “And you’re eating food here too. Of course. You couldn’t eat food at the party venue. This is food brought from the party, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. It was frustrating to see the food with my eyes but not be able to eat it.” I decided to coolly admit it.
Since she was already speaking with certainty, it seemed pointless to deny it.
Besides, there’s no particular use for her recognizing my face anyway.
“It really is Wade…! You…!”
“Well. To think I’d be suspected just because my face is decent. I should get it fixed or something.”
She, who was shocked, soon asks in disbelief. “To think you’re this young…. How old are you? You look even younger than me.”
“I can’t tell you that. Of course, I won’t tell you my name either.”
This was the reason why it didn’t matter if she recognized my face.
Because it’s useless if she doesn’t know my personal information.
It might be a problem if I meet this woman as Ars in the future, but that possibility would be slim.
As if reading my thoughts, she says in a low voice. “Don’t you know that I could create a composite sketch of you?”
In the past, Gillias Melbourne had seen my face too, but it was such a fleeting moment that he couldn’t make a proper composite sketch.
On the other hand, she who was observing me intently was different.
I said, raising the corners of my mouth. “You should know. That would be suicidal.”
“…!”
“You know who’s behind me, don’t you?”
“The Crossing Republic…!”
“And I have connections with Calliper too. I hope you behave well so that you don’t become a target and disappear without a trace.”
I decided to tell Anton about this just in case.
“Ugh! Do you think I’ll be scared? Go ahead and try!”
While fear was evident in her eyes as she said that, there was also a glimpse of courage.
I became curious about her identity anew.
“By the way, who are you?”
“What…. Have you been talking to me all this time without knowing who I am!”
The woman opens her eyes wide, saying she’s genuinely surprised.
“Did you ever mention your name? I don’t think we’ve met before either.”
But for some reason, she looked familiar.
She bites her lip and shouts.
“I’m Sophia Veron of Beckavia! The genius princess who fought against you in the Carrington battle!”
There was a reason she looked familiar.
Although I hadn’t met her directly, I had seen her illustration before.
She must have been through a lot, as her impression was different from the illustration, but now I seemed to know for sure.
But.
“Genius… pfft! Princess…. From her own mouth… Puhaha!”
“Ugh…. This is just to make it easy to understand….”
Knowing that she said something embarrassing, she blushes.
She soon let out a deep sigh. “To think the one who defeated me was such a young kid, I feel all my strength draining. I thought for sure you were a veteran general.”
“Reality can be cruel sometimes. More importantly, have you changed your mind about spreading my composite sketch?”
“I know. It wouldn’t benefit our Beckavia anyway. There’s no reason to cause friction with Crossing or Calliper in the current situation.”
“I’m glad you understand quickly.”
“Whew! I was planning to give Wade a piece of my mind if I met him…. To think it would turn out like this.” Sophia seemed to have had some resentment, but it seemed to dissipate after learning my age.
She realized that I hadn’t fought against Beckavia with malice.
“You were being used by Crossing without knowing anything. Then there’s no point in being angry at you.”
“Well, that’s about right. By the way, would you like to try this? It’s delicious.”
I was feeling bored as I had no one to talk to.
I decided to spend time chatting lightly with Sophia.
* * *
On the way back to the domain after finishing the victory party.
The inner circle was maintaining a sense of gravitas, saying that what was bound to come has finally arrived.
Time for public praise.
Eonia was determined to claim the first place in military achievements this time, and even Anton seemed to be nervous, as if he had been waiting for this moment of public praise.
On the other hand, Yumir and Gaspar had an attitude of indifference to the outcome.
“Come on. Aren’t you two being too serious? Alright, then just wait a moment.”
Although I said this, I had also prepared for the public praise.
I, who had brought the prepared items, first announced the third place in military achievements.
“I’ll only announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for military achievements. Let me say this first, everyone did well. So I hope you won’t be too hung up on the rankings. First, 3rd place is Yumir.”
“It’s an honor.”
Yumir had carried out scouting operations to prepare for the enemy’s flanking attacks in the first battle where General Dunan died, and also lent her strength when fighting against the Three Great General Lexit.
In the last battle, she gathered Palean grass and cleverly guided Anton to where the traps were, contributing to luring the enemy into the trap.
“That’s why you’re 3rd. Here, take this.”
“Young master. This is…?”
“I heard that a comb for tail management is essential for beastkin. You’ve always used an old wooden comb, Yumir. So I bought this before. I was looking for an opportunity to give it to you, and this worked out well.”
It was a quite expensive comb purchased in Elpid.
Yumir smiled warmly. “Thank you very much. If it’s not too presumptuous, could you personally comb my tail for me in the future? That would be the greatest reward for me.”
“Of course, I’ll do it.”
The atmosphere was good up to this point.
“A reward!”
“…”
The atmosphere between Eo and Anton became even more hostile.
The moment a reward appeared, this was no longer just public praise but had become a merit-based reward system.
On the other hand, Gaspar seemed to have noticed that he was 4th in military achievements.
“If there were rewards, I should have worked harder. Next time, ask me to take on more important missions.”
“What are you talking about? We haven’t announced yet. You could be 1st for all you know?”
“No way. It’s obvious those two will be 1st and 2nd. Just hurry up and announce it. I’m curious too about who’s 1st.”
As he said, in this war, Eo and Anton had performed neck and neck. In the last war, Rutger had dominated, making the 1st place clear, but not this time.
Speaking of Eo, she was so tense that her fingertips were trembling.
For a moment, I had a headache and suggested making it a joint 1st place, but Eo seemed unable to accept it and spoke to me.
“Sir Ars. It’s embarrassing to say this myself, but… In the initial battle, I shot and killed the enemy unit’s commander with my bow, and in the duel with that man, I destroyed his weapon with a perfect combination with Sir Ars.”
“Yes, and in the last battle, you led the guerrilla unit and made a great contribution.”
“And I also commanded the logging operation, and at Sir Ars’ personal request, I returned to Rainpol to bring books…” Eo explained her contributions without pause.
Anton, seemingly displeased, held back before making a comment.
“Lady Mirabel. I don’t think it’s right for a servant to unnecessarily boast about their own merits.”
“What did you say!”
The two engaged in a staring contest.
It seemed that if I ambiguously made it a joint 1st place, neither would accept it, so I decided to settle it.
“Then, without further ado, I’ll announce the 1st place in military achievements. Anton, it’s you.”
“Yes…! It’s an honor beyond my station! I don’t know where to put myself!”
“In the initial battle, you rescued General Dunan and led him to the rear, and in the last battle, thanks to the time you bought us, the fortress construction strategy was able to succeed. The officers you trained also perfectly executed the operation.”
In addition to this, he defeated Lexit, the enemy’s core strength, and even captured Klaus Forkner, the enemy’s commander-in-chief.
Eo’s contributions were also great, of course, but Anton’s were slightly higher.
“This is a small reward.”
It was a handkerchief embroidered with the crest of the Elaine baronial family and clothes for the baby.
While both had no value as products, they had symbolic value. It was like a token of recognition as my person completely.
“Thank you very much. Haha, Ilya will like this.”
Anton receives the items with a satisfied smile.
“Now for 2nd place in military achievements…”
Looking at Eo, she seemed to have received a great shock.
“2nd place three times in a row…”
“Come on. Don’t be so down, Eo.”
“I’m not down…”
Saying such things while on the verge of tears lacks persuasiveness.
“It’s unfortunate that you’re 2nd, but… It’s okay, really.”
I patted Eo’s shoulder and decided to give her a special reward to lift her spirits.
It’s the strategy of giving one more rice cake to the crying child, so to speak.
“Here. Take this.”
“Th-th-th-this is…!?”
Eo was shocked as she received a rapier with a large jewel embedded in it.
Traditionally, giving a treasured sword as a reward meant that one highly valued their loyalty.
In this world too, a treasured sword was the highest reward one could receive from their lord.
I whispered to her discreetly.
“Objectively, your military achievements are 2nd, but to me, your performance was 1st. You really did well, Eonia Mirabel.”
“Huh…!” Eo gasps.
It wasn’t just empty words. In fact, she was the one I had the most synergy with during this battle.
“No, it is I who is honored. Thank you, Sir Ars!”
And with this, the tide turned.
“…Heh. Heheh. Hehehe.”
Eo, having regained her composure, smiled triumphantly towards Anton.
Anton, for his part, couldn’t hide his envy as he looked at the treasured sword.
As a side note.
I had to spend quite some time dissuading her when she caused a fuss, insisting on discarding all her other weapons and using this rapier as her main weapon.
TL NOTE:
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Awhhh cute
Poor Eo always second in the rankings.