Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Princess's Staff
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Cron Castle's archery range lay behind the main keep.
With some rare free time on my hands, I headed there to exercise and practice my bow.
"Hoo... Hup!!"
Screeech—
In my past life, I'd heard that archer characters weren't agility builds but strength builds.
I wholeheartedly agreed.
This beginner's bow had a draw weight of 25 pounds (11.3 kg)—no light load by any means.
And war longbows for longbowmen pulled at a staggering 120 pounds (54.4 kg).
In short, it was ridiculously heavy, forcing me to tense every muscle in my body just to draw the string.
"Grrraaah..."
I strained with all my might and finally nocked the arrow, aiming at the target about 50 meters away.
Steadying my trembling hands, I lined up the shot amid the screams of my back muscles, waiting for the perfect moment.
Not yet... a bit more!... Just a little!!......... Now!
Thwang—!
The moment I released, the bow jerked out of my grip.
Propelled by that 120-pound draw, the arrow streaked like lightning and struck dead center on the target.
Thuck—!
"Dead center hit!!"
Clap clap clap clap—
"Phew..."
As my arrow buried itself in the bullseye, the guards and retainers burst into applause.
This was one of the few talents I'd discovered since reincarnating.
Whether it was the blood of that nation from my past life awakening or Calix Cron's innate gift, I didn't know—but I was damn good with a bow.
Clap clap clap—
"Impressive, my lord. As expected, your marksmanship is unparalleled in the realm."
"Hart, you've arrived?"
Hart approached, clapping at my display.
It was Hart who'd first suggested I take up the bow, saying a lord should master some form of martial art. That's how I'd uncovered this talent.
He'd sung my praises as the territory's finest archer and urged me to keep at it, but I rarely practiced.
Why? Because after three shots, muscle pain was guaranteed the next day.
I handed the bow to Rana and walked over to Hart.
He wouldn't have come without good reason.
"A herald from the Platinum Council has arrived. It seems like something you need to see, my lord."
"From the Platinum Council?"
Platinum Council
The empire's central policy-making body, akin to Rome's Senate.
Like the Senate, they handled legislation, but the key difference was that they proposed bills for the emperor's approval rather than deciding outright.
Of course, the feudal system meant they lacked the Senate's absolute power, but to lords like us, crossing them was a headache waiting to happen.
I went straight to check the herald's message.
It was straightforward.
"A rebellion's broken out in Dreihart."
"In Dreihart!?"
I'd heard of Dreihart, the slave city in the southeast.
Among World Archive's myriad cities, it boasted an overwhelmingly insane setup—one you couldn't forget even if you tried.
Summarizing the herald's report:
A few days ago, slaves in Dreihart revolted. The Platinum Council sent troops to suppress them... and got utterly crushed.
After much deliberation, the Council issued this decree:
'To the one who quells the Dreihart rebellion: all slaves and governing rights of Dreihart shall be yours.'
"Governing rights over Dreihart!?"
"Yes, that's what it says."
No wonder Noah was shocked.
Governing rights meant becoming the lord of that domain, plain and simple.
Sure, some houses managed two or three territories under their banner, but those lords were all dubbed "great lords" with immense power.
The Platinum Council was offering that as a reward for quelling the revolt.
Even if the rebels had wiped out Dreihart's ruling house, this was an excessively generous prize.
They could've brought in nobles from elsewhere familiar with Dreihart or made it an imperial demesne.
Doing it this way screamed ulterior motives.
"My lord, this feels like imperial influence at play."
"I agree."
I nodded at Noah and Hart's assessment.
No matter how badly the suppression force failed, handing over a territory was too much.
The fact that the Council dangled it without opposition pointed to one thing:
The higher-ups wanted it that way.
"Looks like the imperial family has a lord they want to groom."
A prince or princess eager to build up their own lord—and their faction.
My guess? This reeked of a prince-princess agreement.
If they truly wanted to prop someone up, they could've just ordered them to suppress it—no "the one who succeeds" clause needed.
Instead, both sides had candidates they favored, so they cooked up this contest.
Surviving this political snake pit was giving me a migraine.
"My lord, this is our golden chance to expand the territory!"
"I fully concur with Lady Noah. With Captain Rikain and Mage Sharen on our side, we have real potential."
They both pressed me eagerly.
Rikain was a capable knight, but his raw combat prowess had limits.
Sharen's entry changed that—her magic support and buffs elevated him completely.
The Cron Knight Order under Rikain's command, bolstered by Sharen's spells, was several times stronger than before. Knowing this, they thought we could pull it off.
But I...
"We... the Cron Family... will not participate."
"Pardon!?"
"My lord, it's too good an opportunity to pass up."
In my past life playing World Archive, I'd conquered Dreihart once.
I'd seen how those slaves were treated. Even in a game, it was brutally horrific.
"Dreihart's slaves have been oppressed their whole lives. Crush them with swords and spells? I... I think that's wrong."
Yes, it was wrong.
There were lines no person should cross, and this was one.
Besides, as a moderately well-liked lord, I had no need for a flashy reward that'd breed enemies.
They both nodded at my words.
"If that's... your will, my lord, we'll follow."
"I'll stand by you, my lord."
Hart looked a touch regretful; Noah... profoundly moved, for some reason.
What? I hadn't said anything that inspiring.
And so, we opted for rear support only, saluting the Platinum Council's order without direct involvement.
* * *
One week later, Dreihart Plains.
Noah, Rana, and I watched from a hill as knights amassed below.
The sight of countless knights, soldiers, and mages gearing up for war was nothing short of spectacular.
"Just as expected—those two houses joined up."
"They're not even hiding it. Kinda deflating."
Only two banners flew over the gathered forces.
Two houses had volunteered for this suppression op.
First: the Lion Family, the prince's axe and battle maniacs. True to form, they'd jumped in immediately, arriving first with their knights.
And the second...
"Here you are, Lord Calix."
I turned at the voice behind me.
There stood the man of the hour.
A lanky fortysomething with a brown mustache: Viscount Jeras Silla.
Lord of the Silla Family, one of the princess faction houses to our west.
He was the second house to sign on.
"Greetings, Lord Jeras. Keeping well?"
"Thanks to the princess's grace, thriving. Ho ho ho!"
He twirled his mustache and approached me chummily.
What the hell's with this guy? Eat something bad?
"I heard from the princess—you received a 'gift' from her too, eh?"
"Ah... yes, a grand one."
I glanced at Rana.
Meeting my eyes, she flashed a V-sign.
...Rana's picking up weird habits from the academy kids again.
"Let's give it our all—we who received the princess's grand gifts. Ho ho ho!"
He seemed convinced I'd fully joined the princess faction after her "gift."
I'd never confirmed it—why assume?
"Oh! The princess asked me to thank you for choosing rear support on her behalf."
"Ah... got it."
Sure enough, she'd interpreted my decision as yielding to Jeras for her sake.
I gave a safe, neutral reply.
"Once the suppression's done, let's share gift stories over drinks in Dreihart. Ho ho ho!"
He spoke as if Dreihart's rights were already his, then departed.
As Lord Jeras vanished, Sharen descended from the sky.
"My lord, I've set up the Eye in the Sky spell."
"Good work, Sharen."
She'd installed it so I could monitor the battle from afar.
Gazing at Jeras's retreating figure, she said,
"So that's Lord Jeras."
"Sharen, you know him?"
"Yes, I heard about him during a brief stop at the Blue Tower."
I knew Jeras from the game—he'd attacked me once—so I had the basics.
Sharen filled in the gaps.
"They say a southern lord was once in line to succeed the Blue Tower. His mana suggests it's him."
Right—Hadem was the "prince's axe"; Jeras was the "princess's staff."
Not quite Sharen's level, but an SSR-tier mage one step below. His arrogance stemmed from real skill.
Hadem alone was terrifying; Jeras joining too? In my heart, I cheered Dreihart's slaves on.
Thus began the Dreihart Rebellion Suppression.