Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: It Was Always the Final Boss Who Blocked the Hero
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“Say that again?”
In the territory left behind without Rex and Duke, Third Company Captain Remesis asked his subordinate.
“If my ears aren't deceiving me, you're saying the baron next door lobbed catapult magic at our lands without knowing his place?”
“Yes, sir. Fortunately, the boulders fell outside the city, so there were no casualties, but roads and reservoirs among other infrastructure were destroyed.”
“And their justification?”
“They claim our territory is hogging the upstream water flow, causing famine.”
“Hmm...”
Remesis stroked his scruffy beard, letting out a groan.
Duke's warning from before he left the territory came to mind.
- I sense an ominous air.
“Did you foresee even this?”
“Pardon?”
“Talking to myself. Pack your gear. Our company's mobilizing. Assemble at the south gate in ten minutes.”
“Report to the lord...?”
“I'll handle it while you prepare.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight saluted and left the room.
Left alone, Remesis stared at the glowing tip of his cigarette and muttered.
“War... What a foul word I never wanted to hear.”
Finishing the smoke, Remesis wrote a brief report.
- Provocation incident at territory border. Per response manual, Third Company will engage immediately.
Remesis draped his uniform coat like a cape and exited the room.
Remesis's report was instantly transmitted to Duke and Rex via Rex's ability.
“How much longer to the capital?”
“Three days left, Master.”
Ari, handling coachman duties, replied.
Rex quickly reviewed the report inside the carriage.
He wasn't particularly flustered by the news that the neighboring baron was provoking like he wanted war, or that the Third Company had sortied.
He had already anticipated the possibility of war.
The journey chasing rumors of the ronin swordsman Peter had begun because scrutiny from neighboring territories was intensifying.
Moreover, he could check logistics flows via the system, had hints from allied Lord Sneria, and war omens were overflowing beyond that.
But now that war had actually broken out, one regret surfaced.
“Should've never let him go...”
The kindly old Peter kept coming to mind.
“No. This is right.”
But Rex soon steeled himself.
Sending Peter to her wasn't purely out of kindness.
War and diplomacy aren't one-on-one duels.
While he dueled souls with the neighboring territory, other territories' actions could drastically shift the balance.
A prime example was that mustachioed Führer whose allied nation botched things and doomed the war.
That's why Rex sent Peter to her.
In case war broke out, hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Rex shook off the unchangeable past and focused on the interface.
He couldn't fathom what confidence a mere baron had to provoke like this,
and it was suspicious how his Honor Guard and Duke seemed prepared as if they knew war would erupt mid-journey.
Beyond that, fear for the lives that would perish the moment he declared war.
But burying all doubts and fears under responsibility, he opened the long-unused system mode change window.
With trembling fingertips, Rex pressed the button on the neutral system query, devoid of good or ill intent.
Y
War had finally begun.
War had broken out in the end.
Rex, riding beside me in the parallel carriage and lost in thought, pressed into empty air, summoning a block of text straight out of a war simulation game.
Must be my imagination that I heard a voice like that.
Ari and Jane seemed to hear something in Rex's voice, unlike me.
I ignored the text blob and pretended to listen to the war declaration while sinking into contemplation for the first time in ages.
War.
The word stirred a long-forgotten thrill.
Of course, I knew full well how horrific war is.
Back in my third-rank mercenary adventurer days, I'd curse the lords sparking territory wars left and right.
But pursuing the Final Boss made decrying war sheer hypocrisy.
So I neatly abandoned complex thoughts.
I just had to play my role as the Final Boss.
Leave the complications to Rex.
Ignoring my conscience, worn down to a tiny grain of rice, I recalled the original story.
War erupting on the way back from parting with Peter matched the original.
The difference? A war started by invasion now began with cautious provocation.
Apparently, the county becoming a marquisate made a frontal assault too daunting.
But whether invading a county or provoking a marquisate, the baron's actions were equally irrational in original and now.
Naturally, such unreason had backing circumstances.
Recalling the shadows behind the baron, I spoke to Rex.
“My liege. Command me.”
As always, as the Final Boss, I would simply block the heroes shouting justice.
Weeks had passed since the baron provoked the marquisate.
The baron used the citadel as a forward base, persisting only in military provocations.
Normally, the marquis's army would crush the barony, but astonishingly, the baron held out for weeks.
This was because Rex, wary of forces behind the baron, sent only a company captain.
In other words, the baron's forces were manageable by one company.
The baron had read Rex's intent.
'Damn it.'
A king in his domain, yet mere company captain level elsewhere—it bruised his pride.
He'd been happier in his well.
But circumstances forced him out.
Disgusting allied lords would roast him alive in his well otherwise.
'Damn it. Who calls this an alliance?'
No eternal alliances in diplomacy, sure, but no word failed its role like "alliance."
Lords' alliances were like,
'I wanna fight that guy, but tangling with him at full strength sounds tiring, so you, the weaker one, wear him down first.'
Bully-pack friendship.
That's why stories, fairy tales, legends had weak foes line up before the hero.
The baron declared insane war on the marquis for this reason.
Refuse, and other lords kill him.
As the weakest ally, he was pushed first.
Once the foe weakened, they'd swoop for minimal cost.
But the baron couldn't resist this injustice.
'Goddamn royals...'
Not just weakness; the alliance topped by the royal family.
The royals' war motives were complex.
The predecessor to Providence, the Karognar countship, was notoriously strong even among royals.
Not just the strong count; a quirky scientist content with one city despite lord potential.
The count offered nobles "people laundering," the scientist sold data cheap to others,
making them untouchable militarily and politically.
Then Rex soloed the lab, ousted the count.
Shocking for royals and nobles who'd used laundering and data.
Them turning hostile to Providence was inevitable.
Some feared remaining records,
nobles feared Rex's revenge,
envied Rex's data monopoly,
coveted his territory.
Myriad interests under royal lead formed this alliance.
'Royals hiding something more, though.'
Too far above a baron's station to dig.
The baron sighed deeply in frustration.
“Hoo... Would've been better next to Sneria's territory.”
Royals offered her a chance too.
She scoffed it off as worthless.
Neighbors mocked her as clueless weakling.
But punishment for defection followed.
The alliance's second-weakest baron was sent to Sneria.
The Providence invader envied him.
Higher survival odds at least.
But complaints changed nothing.
The baron donned his overcoat for another duel, heading to the familiar battlefield.
The field was unnaturally frozen despite the season.
Amid vassals turned beautiful ice statues stood a pale middle-aged man.
“Tch.”
Irritated, the middle-aged tossed his frozen cigarette.
The baron shouted at him.
“Remesis! Today I'll surely...”
“Skip intros, business time. No honor to flaunt like you public servants.”
“Tch.”
The baron clicked his tongue for the umpteenth time.
Ignored by allies, now snubbed by a mere captain—not even marquis—it ignited thousand-fold rage.
He vented in the duel.
Baron's sharp rock projectiles blocked by Remesis's ice wall, countered with frost.
Remesis held a subtle edge.
Subtle meaning always short of the killing blow.
“Please... We can't duel forever...”
Remesis sighed at the fleeing baron as things turned disadvantageous.
He pursued diligently, but limping gait couldn't catch the fleeing baron.
“Damn this body... Should quit smoking...”
Yet he lit another to soothe his irritation.
This was Remesis's weakness.
Freezing powers excelled in offense and defense, but cost mobility.
Nerve damage made large movements hard.
Thus, once baron retreated behind walls, Remesis was helpless.
“Haa... Sorry, my lord. For being so inadequate.”
Remesis mocked himself, staring at the vanished walls like a dog that lost the chicken.
He lacked that knight's wall-slicing ability.
This world's citadels were designed against superhuman lords.
Plain stone hid barriers, enchantments, curses galore.
Only royals or direct royal affiliates could cleave them.
This citadel used lost imperial tech artifacts.
Ludicrous a baron had it, but geography chanced it to him.
Humans who could slice or vault such: thirteen in Remesis's knowledge.
He wasn't among them.
“Heading home for today, my lord.”
Remesis limped regretfully back to his tent.
His adjutant greeted him.
“Welcome back.”
“Off duty. Don't wake unless night raid.”
Remesis crashed onto the cot, eyes closing.
He recalled war's first day.
He'd argued for sacrificial siege, but Rex rejected.
- “Exhaust on the baron, how fight other lords?”
Superhuman duels were brute force, but Rex eyed territory efficiency.
Victory with razed lands or heavy losses was defeat; a handicap unlike other lords.
Thus, no siege on baron.
Long-term, sacrificing citizens to block probes sold the future.
So Rex ordered Remesis merely confront at border.
Remesis disliked Rex's softness.
“No war without sacrifice, my lord.”
His adjutant smirked at the mutter.
“Yet you always lead duels to spare your men, Captain.”
“Misunderstanding. Just doing my paid job.”
“Sure, sure.”
Remesis shot icicles at the adjutant.
Adjutant fanned them frozen, chuckling out.
“Tch.”
Alone, Remesis clicked tongue and slept.
Comforting himself that even undead deserved rest.