CH 136

Ambitious man

***---***

The morning after Sekiguchi-san took her own life, I received news from Fred and went to the territory of the Duke of Drevis, where the First Prince faction was concentrated.

In the grasslands on the outskirts of Lauf, where the Duke's mansion was located, soldiers were preparing to depart before dawn.

We decided to watch the departure from the shadows.

On top of a small hill overlooking the grassland, there were men in gorgeously decorated armor protected by knights in metal armor.

And behind those men, there was the figure of the First Prince Alphonse.

The noble men of the faction didn't wear helmets, but they did wear armor and gauntlets.

However, Alphonse's clothes were light as if he were going out hunting.

He sat down in a folding chair, stared straight ahead and pretended not to move, and seemed to be busy looking around with only his eyes.

"Is he not wearing armor on purpose? Or is he unable to withstand the weight of the armor?"

[ He can't withstand it. I guess he's deliberately pretending he's not wearing it. ]

"Is that so ..."

Alphonse was sickly pale and thin like a crane, and I didn't think he could hold the weight of his armor and walk around for long.

Or should I say, his legs had been shaking since a while ago, and he was constantly wiping the sweat from his palms on his trousers.

Is he cold, scared, or nervous ... Either way, he didn't look like a general.

Next to Alphonse, there was the figure of Torvil, who played the role of staff officer.

The reason why he's been licking his lips since a while ago was probably because he's nervous.

Diagonaly behind Alphonse was the figure of Diethelm.

That one also didn't wear armor and was dressed in something like a luxurious knight's uniform, with a pale face and was trembling.

It's a little hard to tell if he's cold, scared, or acting.

Under the row of nobles, messenger soldiers one after another brought the news that they were ready to depart.

There were twelve nobles, and it seemed that they were the First Prince's hardliners.

Sitting diagonally to the right of Alphonse was the lord of this place, Duke Drevis.

Sitting across from him was Count Langhain.

Next to him was Count Saruel, and it seemed that those three played a central role in the faction.

Duke Drevis was a fat man in his late forties with a Kaiser beard.

Twisting the ends of his beard must be a habit.

Count Langhain was not as tall as Alphonse, but he was a slender, tall, middle-aged man with baldness on the top of his head.

Even though he was about to leave for battle, he looked up at the passing clouds as if it were someone else's problem.

Count Saruel, in contrast, was a stout and petite man with a mustache and beard.

That one, with his arms crossed, kept his eyes on the messengers rushing in one after another, repeatedly tapping his foot in anxiety.

And, after the last messenger rushed in, Torvil whispered something into Alphonse's ear, and Alphonse nodded politely.

Torvil nodded back, licked his lips again, and opened his mouth at the nobles.

"Well then, everyone, it seems that the preparations have been completed, so we will depart for Lastock at this point.

The troops this time are to be relief for Lastock for the maximum outbreak of monsters, but a collision with Bernst-sama's faction is expected along the way.

Alphonse-sama has been patiently teaching Bernst-sama and Christoph-sama, who repeat the turbulence at the Royal Palace.

However, Alphonse-sama's patience reached its limit due to the behavior of Bernst-sama and the others who trampled on those feelings and continued to look down on them.

Even though the Kingdom of Resenburg is in danger of survival, Alphonse-sama made a decision that he would have no choice but to punish them if they stood in the way of trying to seize the throne.

If we lose in this battle, the Kingdom of Resenburg will be overrun by monsters and many people will lose their lives.

Alphonse-sama is looking forward to seeing everyone's efforts.

Thank you very much for your efforts.

Then, please declare your departure."

As Torvil descended, the waiting soldiers handed cups of wine to the nobles.

When Alphonse stood up with the extravagantly crafted cup in his hand, the nobles standing next to him also stood up and raised their cups.

"L, let's depart! Glory to the Kingdom of Resenburg!"

"Glory to the Kingdom of Resenburg!"

The nobles drank their wine in one gulp, slammed their cups on the ground, and marched into their ranks.

Alphonse also threw his cup down, but it didn't break and it looked like more than half of the wine remained.

The trumpets were blown, and the sound of drums echoed to keep pace.

That said, it looked like it would still take some time before Alphonse's formation at the back of the line began to move.

"Hmm ... It's kind of theatrical, and it takes a lot of time to leave."

[ Well, if more than 30,000 soldiers move, it will take time to adjust. ]

"With this, when it comes to actual combat, will it be possible to smoothly rearrange formations?"

[ It depends on the skill of the soldiers, but with such a large army, the difference in the strategy that was set up before the battle began will greatly affect the outcome. ]

"I mean, once you start, it's hard to start over."

[ Indeed, that's right. ]

From a distance, as we were watching the formations that were slowly starting to move, Basten, who had been scouting out Margrave Calvine, called out to us.

[ Kent-sama, it sees that information about the First Prince's faction has reached Havre Calvine. ]

[ Ehh? Have they already heard about the departure ceremony? ]

[ No, it's not that. Perhaps they found out that the departure date and time had been set to yesterday and notified them by means of a bird or some other means of communication. ]

[ Kent-sama, you should go see it. ]

"Yes, Fred, I'll leave this to you."

[ Roger ... I'll let you know if anything happens ... ]

I asked Fred to monitor the First Prince faction, and Reinhardt and I headed to Margrave Calvine's mansion with Basten.

The Margrave Calvine Earldom was located at the foot of a high mountain range in the northeastern part of Resenburg.(TN:Margrave = Frontier Earl.)

The Lord's mansion built on the shore of the lake looked more like a fort than a mansion, and the grounds protected by the sturdy masonry ramparts were like a scaled-down version of Volzard.

In addition to the Lord's mansion, there were barracks where the knights lived, stables for horses, and parade grounds, all of which were covered in snow.

In the dining room-like room that Basten guided us to, there were about ten men around a large table.

The furnishings in the room looked magnificent, but the men who lined up there seemed like it would be convincing to be called bandit leaders.

[ Kent-sama, the people here are Havre's close associates. ]

"It just looks like a group of bandits ..."

[ There are three commanders who lead the soldiers, and the others are like mine managers, so it's not a mistake. ]

Even when I listened to the men, I didn't hear any words like First Prince faction or Lastock, all I could hear was talk about alcohol, women, gambling, and fights.

"Havre is ...?"

[ I think he will show up soon. ]

Just when the thugs were getting tired of boasting, Havre Calvine appeared.

If I had to describe Havre in short, it would be a gorilla in a tuxedo.

His sloppily cut copper-colored hair, the lower half of his face covered in a beard, his beastly features, and his physique covered in real muscle reminiscent of Donovan-san.

Despite that, he wore a neat aristocratic outfit, and the fact that it didn't look out of place was proof that he's used to wearing it.

As soon as Havre appeared, all the men who had been talking sloppily stood up and straightened themselves.

Havre sat down in a seat with his back to the fireplace and waved his right hand in a slightly pressing motion, and the men sat down accordingly.

Until just a little while ago, it was filled with the hustle and bustle of a bar on the outskirts of the town, but now it was quiet without even the rustling of clothes.

Among them, Havre slowly opened his mouth.

"The news just arrived. It seems that the First Prince's faction will advance their entire army to the east as expected. They will soon be sending their troops to Lastock."

When Havre cut off his words, the man sitting in the middle of the table suddenly raised his hand.

"Speak, Todd."

"Hey, Havre-san, if we rushed now, wouldn't we be in time for the decisive battle?"

"We just need to arrive at the last minute. We have no intention of taking credit for fighting between factions."

Hearing Havre's words, the turmoil ran through the aides.

The people sitting here didn't know that Bernst and Christoph had already been killed.

The battle they are about to face is, so to speak, a battle that divides the world.

That said, rewards should be given priority to those who made achievements in battle.

The fact that he doesn't intend to take credit for himself means that he doesn't want to receive a reward.

"Havre-san, if you can't get credit, you can't get a reward, and it's a loss to just participate, isn't it?'

"Do you think so?"

At Havre's question, the men nodded in unison.

After confirming that, Havre grinned and divulged what was in his heart.

"Listen, this battle isn't aimed at something as cheap as a reward ... We're going to take this whole Resenburg!"

"Ueeeeee ..."

With his arms outstretched, Havre slowly rose from his seat, enjoying the astonishment of his entourage.

"Calm down! I'm going to tell you the plan now. Don't do anything imprudent!"

Staring at Havre with both hands on the table, the men all gasped and fell silent.

"We have already spoken with Barshania.

Barshania should also receive news that Alphonse's faction is moving.

Upon receiving the news, Barshania will cross the desert and pursue Alphonse's group.

In conjunction with Barshania, we will crush the place where the stupid Princes crushed each other with a pincer attack.

The three idiot Princes will go on a bloodbath, and I'll make Princess Camilla my woman, and make this country mine!"

"Uooooooooo!"

As Havre once again spread his arms wide and declared, the thugs stood up and let out a roar.

"Let's go after eating! Everyone, don't mess up!"

"Ei!"

When the waiting waiters brought in the food and the table was set up, Havre loosened his collar and relaxed his posture.

In the blink of an eye, the silence from earlier was erased, and it returned to a bar in the middle of nowhere.

It was a shockingly extreme scene, but I had to admit that the person named Havre, who made the change, was a man who was not easy to deal with.

"No way, I didn't think they were planning to take over Resenburg ... Well, it's already a definite failure."

[ Seriously. Certainly, if they intend to take over the country, there is no problem even if the stupid Princes are drugged and rendered useless. ]

"Did he make this plan without revealing it to his aides?"

[ Well, he may have leaked it to some people, but most people probably didn't know about it. ]

"But now, hearing that the country would be taken over, everyone is happy, does that mean that the current royal family is not supported?"

[ That's right, but if you look at the physique of those royals, it's natural. ]

It was an outrageous plan, but the prerequisites had already been broken, and if Camilla and Count Gleisner took countermeasures, it looked like it would end in an attempt, but I feel that the person named Havre could turn anything to profit.

If I have my genus participate, I don't think I would lose in an armed battle, but if an armed battle occurred, there would be casualties.

Women, children, and the elderly are victims of war in this world as well.

"I think Havre is a formidable opponent, but we have an overwhelming advantage in information warfare, so I don't want bloodshed as much as possible."

[ Well, since he is a man who can make plans like this, he should be able to judge whether he has a chance of winning or not. He wouldn't commit such a foolishness as to foolishly challenge a match with the preparedness for annihilation. ]

"I hope so, but ..."

Since the news from Camilla would eventually reach Havre, I decided to ask Basten to continue monitoring for the time being.

From the Calvine territory, I returned to the First Prince's place once more, asked Fred to monitor Barshania, and as a marker to grasp the location of the First Prince's faction, I decided to have Hart follow them.

[ Kent-sama ... What are you going to do about Barshania ...? ]

"Yeah, I'm planning on sending them home on the way."

[ Return ... not annihilation ...? ]

"Yeah, if Barshania feels that the odds of winning are slim, they'll withdraw, right?"

[ Are you going to make the rain of death fall again ... ]

"I won't do that. For human opponents, that's a bit ..."

[ Buhahaha, if Kent-sama wishes, I am always prepared. ]

"No, no, I'll seal that for the time being. Well then, I'll go home and have breakfast."

When I returned to the boarding house, Meisa-chan was being woken up by Amanda-san.

It's said that sleeping children will grow up, but Meisa-chan doesn't seem to grow up that much ...

After the four of us, including Meline-san, had a peaceful breakfast, it was time to move to the garrison's quarters.

Once the on-site inspection was complete, I had to send Morita-san to the Investigation Headquarters.

After Morita-san finished the interviews, he stayed at the dormitory where the teachers were staying last night.

In order to conduct an on-site inspection, it was too dark at night in Volzard, and even taking pictures was not possible, so he was planning to do it again this morning.

When I headed to the cafeteria where I was meeting with Morita-san, there was something disturbing in the air.

It shouldn't be a day when classes are held today, but there were quite a few classmates left, and they all had gloomy looks on their faces.

When I entered the dining room, whispering voices spread out, and their eyes were directed at me, but it seemed strange that they were full of sympathy or pity.

When I found Oda-sensei and Morita-san and tried to approach them, they seemed to rush to open the way, and I felt that they were strangely taking notice of me.

I thought it was probably related to Sekiguchi-san's suicide, but it was kind of uncomfortable.

"Good morning."

"Hey, Kokubu-kun, good morning. I look forward to working with you again today."

"Kokubu, did you eat breakfast?"

"Yes, I ate well at the boarding house."

"Come to think of it, Kokubu-kun doesn't live here, he lives in a boarding house."

"Yes, I was alone when I came, so the guild introduced me to a boarding house."

"Hee, suddenly living alone in a different world, Kokubu-kun is strong."

"No, it's all thanks to the kindness of everyone in Volzard. Actually, I'm completely dependent on Amanda-san from the boarding house for cooking, and when I first came here, I didn't even know how to do the laundry."

"No, no, it's a big deal ..."

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Ehh?"

Surprised by the harsh words suddenly thrown at me, I turned around and saw several girls staring at me.

"Because you were lazy, Shiori is dead. But, why are you so frivolous!"

"No ... I'm not frivolous ..."

"You are! What's the big deal. Anyone can do as much as living in a boarding house."

"You guys, cut it out. Kokubu is doing his best ..."

"Are you going to treat him like that again, Sensei?"

Even when Oda-sensei intervened, the girls' protests didn't stop.

Perhaps they were the people who chased Sekiguchi-san yesterday.

"If everyone was brought together and received a special power there, wouldn't it be natural to use it for everyone's sake?"

"That's right. Just because you were a little active, don't get too carried away."

"Don't try to make money, hurry up and proceed with our return."

"Aren't you only thinking about flirting with women?"

The words that hit me seemed to accumulate viscously at the bottom of my chest, and it felt like my heart was freezing.

Every time I let someone return, I threw up all the contents of my stomach in the Devil's Forest, Even though I fell asleep like I fainted after writhing, it was a time when I wondered if I should still be criticized.

"You guys didn't see Kokubu when he sent Kubo to Japan, don't get full of yourselves."

"That's right. He looked like he was about to die, his eyes were dead, it was a dangerous sight."

"If you saw that, you couldn't tell him to proceed with your return quickly ..."

The ones who defended me, I think it was the boys who were observing, but, was I in such a bad state?

When I instinctively turned my gaze to Oda-sensei, he nodded.

"Hey, even though everyone is in the same situation, isn't it strange to think that you're the only one who's unhappy?"

"Wait, Shiori is dead. Why do you have to say such cruel things?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, yelling at Kokubu who's working so hard?"

"He rescued us from the camp, took care of our housing, and gave us living expenses, how much do you think he cares about us?"

"Well, it's only natural because he got a cheat ability like that."

"Isn't that just stupid? Kokubu has no obligation to feed you guys, is he your father?"

"You guys aren't even working hard."

"That's why, you're the only one who's unhappy ... don't say something like that."

"Hey, even you guys couldn't stop Sekiguchi from committing suicide, so don't take it out on Kokubu."

I don't understand the feelings of Sekiguchi-san's friends, but I feel that what they're saying is unreasonable.

I'm grateful that the boys defend me, but I feel like that's a bit of an exaggeration.

Above all, such a dangerous atmosphere seemed to cause a vicious cycle.

"Hey, let's stop now. There's nothing good about us arguing."

"You, who's to blame for Shiori ..."

"It's not just my responsibility. I'm not a perfect person, but I"m going to do the best I can. Also, I got a cheat ability, but I didn't learn how to use it, so I can't do anything."

"But, Shiori ..."

"I think Sekiguchi-san did something pitiful, but I don't think that arguing with each other is avenging her death."

Sekigushi-san's friends fell silent for a while, then left the dining room with a faint line that I couldn't hear.

"Then, Morita-san, shall we go?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it seems that more people understand us, so let's quickly finish what we have to do."

"Okay, then let's go."

Together with Morita-san, who had a camera bag on his shoulder, we left the cafeteria and headed for the ramparts.