Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Calculations Must Be Thorough (3)
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Seven days and nights had already passed since we arrived at the garrison.
I spent that time so busy I couldn't even catch my breath.
I had to confirm that the plans from the last meeting were being properly implemented, and I also had to establish a new system for my newly organized centuria.
On top of that, I ran myself ragged ensuring the allied city's forces could keep pace with our movements.
It was also my job to hound the supply officer to procure necessary items, including the flame pouches.
That alone was enough to make me lose track of the days, but I also had to show my face to the two knights from time to time.
Rangfin Haime had changed completely since returning from the plains.
I’m not just talking about his attitude toward me.
The knight who used to throw tantrums at every turn, making the centurions throw up their hands in defeat, was gone. Now, he spent his time quietly, never leaving his tent.
Even when I happened to visit, all he did was listen silently to what I had to say. He didn’t make any demands or whine.
It seemed like something was weighing on his mind, or perhaps he had much to think about.
And for some reason, the sight of him was strangely familiar.
Gunther had looked just like that when he was deep in meditation, trying to clear his mind of worldly afflictions.
Of course, Rangfin Haime wasn’t forgoing food and drink to meditate all day like Gunther, nor was he radiating a sacred aura day and night.
He simply kept his mouth shut, as if he’d taken a vow of silence, lost in his own thoughts.
He didn't need any looking after, nor was he any trouble at all.
Rocarno Matiasi was the opposite.
“You’ve come at a good time. I was just waiting for you.”
Every time I visited him, he would talk nonstop, as if he had a million things to say.
“The knights of the mainland are all bundles of vanity.”
“They simply cannot understand that sometimes, one must look to the future rather than the present.”
“It seems the stars granted them their blessing, but not their guidance.”
Some of it was slander against the mainland knights; the rest was tales of his own heroic deeds.
“When I was on the mainland, I tell you, just setting foot on that land made me feel as if chivalry itself was taking root. But as I spent time there, I realized that not everyone on the mainland was honorable. Men who knew nothing of chivalry paraded around as knights, and it was a miserable sight to behold. Still, I persevered, forged my own path, and after a long period of endurance, the starlight finally descended upon me, and I received the words of a sacred promise. The first time I faced the starlight, I made an oath separate from the Vow. I would live for chivalry and die for chivalry. It was with that spirit that I returned to my homeland—to become a beacon for the people here who know nothing of chivalry, to teach them honor. But it was not an easy decision, and my heart as I left the mainland was…”
Every time he opened his mouth, it was “on the mainland,” “the mainland,” “the mainland was,” making it utter agony to listen.
Rocarno Matiasi was a horrifically garrulous man.
I had no way of knowing whether he was always this talkative or if all the words he’d bottled up without anyone to talk to were now bursting out at once.
If I had my way, I would have asked him where the knightly virtue of treating silence as gold had gone, but I had to bite my tongue.
I couldn’t let a moment’s impatience ruin the goodwill I had painstakingly bought with so many insincere words.
“Knight. May I enter?”
Rocarno Matiasi’s chatter always ended with the arrival of the mercenary captains.
I was grateful to them for freeing me from the dreadful monologue, but the looks they gave me were anything but friendly.
Envy, jealousy, vigilance.
The emotions in their eyes were uniformly hostile.
It seemed they were unhappy that I was spending time with Rocarno Matiasi instead of them.
I later learned that there had been a rather absurd deal between the frontier knight and the mercenary captains.
Something about establishing a knightly order if they distinguished themselves in this war, and accepting the mercenary captains as members of said order.
That was the gist of it.
To be sure, not every member of a knightly order had to be a knight.
In fact, such cases were exceedingly rare.
Apart from the prestigious orders, the vast majority consisted of about five pairs of knights and squires, with the rest of their numbers filled out by cavalry.
But under no circumstances did a knightly order ever accept mercenaries as members.
Especially not when the order’s commander was no more than a low-ranking knight.
It was the delusion of a frontier knight, or perhaps he was just playing at being one.
It was nothing more, nothing less.
I didn’t know if the mercenary captains were aware of this, but it was clear that I was a thorn in their side.
“Tsk. I told you not to disturb my time unless it was for an urgent matter.”
Unfortunately, the more they vied for his attention, the colder Rocarno Matiasi’s gaze toward them became.
He seemed thoroughly displeased that his enlightening(?) conversation had been interrupted.
“Our apologies, Knight. There is something we must discuss with the Centurion regarding the sortie…”
Despite knowing this, the mercenary captains stubbornly dragged me out of Rocarno Matiasi's tent.
Of course, for me, who was looking for any opportunity to escape the dreadful chatter, it was a welcome development.
“Listening to the Knight’s honorable deeds is truly the moment I look forward to most in my day, but unfortunately, I have duties to attend to and must take my leave.”
“Fulfilling one’s duty is also an honorable act. It is a shame, but I will not keep you any longer.”
Once we were out of the tent, the mercenary captains would drone on about something completely useless.
I hadn't expected anything else.
Their goal was to separate me from Rocarno Matiasi; there was no way they had any real business with me.
After the same situation repeated itself several times.
“You must be busy, so we’ll be on our way.”
As always, after spouting some nonsense under the guise of official business, the mercenary captains turned to leave, but I called them back.
“Haaah.”
First, I let out a sigh.
I don’t have time for this.
I was already running myself into the ground, having taken on far too much.
“I have a piece of advice for you.”
The mercenary captains’ eyebrows twitched.
They looked as if they thought some greenhorn who’d landed a centurion position thanks to his Cradle background was presumptuously trying to lecture them.
But that attitude lasted only until I got straight to the point.
“The first way to earn a knight’s trust.”
The mercenary captains flinched, then perked up their ears while pretending not to.
“A neat appearance.”
Knights were bundles of vanity, a tribe that would risk their lives for dignity and decorum.
This was especially true for someone like Rocarno Matiasi, who was steeped in an inferiority complex regarding the knights of the mainland.
Even if you were to act as his subordinate, you had to look the part.
No knight would be pleased to see his underlings walking around in rags.
“Neat?”
“Rags?”
The mercenary captains blinked.
It seemed they had no idea what state they were in.
Then again, mercenaries were the sort to consider filthiness a sign of manliness.
Some even left the blood on their clothes and armor to show off their skills.
“You know, wash your faces. Comb your hair neatly. It would be good to wash your clothes, too. Better yet, be reborn with a decent face if you can.”
“...?”
“At the very least, a person shouldn't reek of a rotting corpse.”
At my words, the mercenary captains sniffed themselves.
But what could they possibly smell with noses so accustomed to the stench?
“Listen or don’t, it’s up to you.”
I’m too busy for this.
With that, I left the mercenary captains behind and headed for my tent.
“Hah.”
A sudden sense of self-pity washed over me.
I was starting to get confused whether I was here as a commander or a nanny.
But it couldn’t be helped.
In my past life, I had experienced firsthand how envy and jealousy could eat away at a person.
I had to prevent their discontent with me from clouding their judgment.
If the mercenary captains were to foolishly rebel at a critical moment, there would be no greater loss.
Especially with an important battle looming, not even the smallest seed of discord could be left to sprout.
Lately, unpleasant rumors about me had started to circulate, one by one.
That I had stolen the glory Rangfin Haime had earned, that the command staff was funneling merits to me because of my Cradle background, that they were placing too much trust in someone who would flee to the Cradle the moment things got tough.
For now, the majority still supported me, so the rumors were just whispers among themselves, but if I were to slip up even slightly, they would raise their voices as if they’d been waiting for the chance.
I couldn’t let that happen.
At least a minimum level of trust needed to be maintained until the clouds of war hanging over the 13th Front were completely cleared.
Only then would my words carry weight with the command staff.
For that, I had to endure not just playing nanny, but anything worse that might come.
“I’m so tired.”
Still, I couldn't help the mental fatigue that was piling up.
“Centurion.”
When I reached my tent, Trainee Bella, who had been reassigned as my aide when I became a centurion, was waiting for me.
“Were you at the allied city’s barracks again?”
“They’re the biggest uncertainty.”
“Still, I think you’re pushing yourself too hard…”
The trainee’s gaze was filled with genuine concern.
I had to admit she was right.
I was overdoing it.
To exaggerate slightly, there wasn't a single thing, from one to ten, that my hand hadn't touched.
It wasn't that I didn't want to take it easy.
But I knew one thing for certain.
If I take one more step now, our allies can advance one more step in battle.
A single drop of sweat I shed now was equal to a drop of our allies' blood on the battlefield.
“If you have any worries, you can tell me. My father used to say that a commander is a lonely person. I might not be much help, but I can at least listen.”
“Actually, there is one thing I’m worried about.”
“What is it? I’ll listen.”
The trainee’s face was so serious it almost looked like she felt a sense of mission.
“I’m worried I might not grow any taller if I keep this up.”
“...?”
I wasn't just saying it; I was genuinely worried.
Was my physical development, so much slower than in my past life, a result of overexerting myself?
What if my height stopped growing for good, and I remained a dwarf?
“That would be a really big problem.”
As I stomped my feet in genuine distress, the trainee let out a sigh.
No, I’m being completely serious here.
* * *
On the tenth day exactly after my return.
“All forces, march out!”
Our army left the outpost.
To retake the plains we had lost.
“It’s raining again.”
As if on cue, a light rain began to fall.
This once again confirmed my conviction that this rain was by no means a natural phenomenon.
I didn’t know for sure, but this rain must have played a decisive role in why the 13th Front fell so helplessly in my past life, and why the Empire completely gave up on retaking the plains and the fortress.
But this life would be different.
This battle, from start to finish, would be fought solely with the strength of soldiers, not knights.
Rangfin Haime and Rocarno Matiasi would also participate in the battle as single soldiers.
They might be ridiculously skilled with a sword and unbelievably tough for mere soldiers, but that was all they would be.
The protagonists of this war were the soldiers.
Our army advanced slowly, cutting across the plains.
Three thousand combatants, and another thousand non-combatants assisting with menial tasks, bringing the total to four thousand.
Despite the legion-sized force, the commanders’ faces were fraught with tension.
They had experienced firsthand how hostile these plains were to our forces, so it was only natural.
“We will soon be in enemy territory!”
“Scouts, do not ignore even the smallest sign! Report immediately!”
“Be prepared to draw your swords at any moment!”
The centurions, their faces grim, shouted at the top of their lungs.
The allied city’s forces marching alongside us grew tense as well.
Our already slow pace of movement slowed even further.
But not a single person complained.
Because everyone knew.
The moment their slow, deliberate steps came to a halt.
When the final rest was over, countless lives would be extinguished.
Perhaps for some, this march felt like a punishment, a procession toward the jaws of hell.
Perhaps some wished this march would never end.
But there is no road in this world that goes on forever, and the march that seemed as if it would continue indefinitely finally came to an end.
“Halt the unit!”
“Centuria, halt!”
At last, our army reached its destination.
Deep into the front line, a place exactly one day’s journey from the besieged fortress.
The battlefield I had chosen.
“...He’s, he’s smiling again.”
I overheard a trainee’s murmur.
“Mmmph…”
I took a deep breath.
The faint scent of blood carried on the damp wind.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded like crazy.
Only then did I truly realize it.
Where it was that I stood.
Right now.
“To fall, or not to fall.”
I stood at the crossroads that would decide the rise or fall of the thousand-year empire.