The Only Shot to Bolster Your Forces
Cloud let out a chuckle, his voice dripping with deliberate mockery. “This is the one chance to expand my influence, and I’m not letting you all do whatever you want. But if that’s how things turn out, I’ve got a trick up my sleeve too.”
That evening in the warm halls of Valua Castle, Leoald suddenly dropped a new topic into the cheerful dinner table. “Father, it seems Cloud has been worrying quite a bit lately.”
“What on earth is worrying him? Is the 300-Man Commander position too heavy for him?”
“Not that. The chance to pick a new 100-Man Commander has come up, and he recommended people close to him, but all of them were rejected by Count Vurmir.”
“Why?”
“It looks like the Count preferred the candidates Torres recommended. But Cloud says he’d rather work with people whose hearts match his than strangers he doesn’t even know, and he’s clearly disappointed about it.”
Sylvia jumped in right in the middle. “When you’re going to work with someone, you should work with people whose hearts match yours. That’s the only way synergy will come and things will go well, right? If I were Count Vurmir, I would have lent a hand to Cloud. In the end, the new 100-Man Commanders will be under Cloud’s command, so his opinion should be accepted wholeheartedly. It would be a great boost to our Valua army.”
“You think so too?” Leoald and Sylvia traded looks and their exchange clicked perfectly. “Big brother likes Cloud so much; it must be painful to watch from the sidelines.”
“He picked up the sword because Cloud advised him to. Seeing him so troubled makes me think the sword won’t leave his hands.”
Sylvia put on an exaggeratedly shocked expression and glanced at Lord Aaron. “Father! Big brother says the sword won’t leave his hands. Shouldn’t we come up with a plan before it’s too late?”
Leoald set down the fork he’d been holding and looked gloomy. “I don’t even want to eat anymore. From now on I’ll lay the sword down and the fork down too.”
“Why, why, Leoald! I’ll handle Cloud somehow. So hurry up and come over already. Your health is important for later marriage and all that.”
Lord Aaron was startled and tried to calm Leoald down. After dinner, Aaron went straight to his office. On the desk lay the approval documents submitted by Vurmir. Aaron unfolded them and carefully examined each recommended new 100-Man Commander. Finally he muttered to himself. “Vurmir did do his job properly.”
He closed the papers and stroked his chin. “But to calm Leoald and teach him a lesson, Cloud is necessary. Besides, seeing that the 10th Company has grown so well, that guy must be hiding some extraordinary talent. The people he recommends definitely won’t be weaklings. They’ll help make our Valua army even stronger.”
But it wasn’t that easy to side blindly with Cloud. When he was appointed 300-Man Commander, quite a few retainers had opposed him. They all rejected him on the grounds of his lowly birth. If he showed favoritism to Cloud again in this situation, their dissatisfaction would pile up and risk internal discord or division. “As lord, I can’t incite rebellion. It would be foolish of me as a commander.”
With a major war against the witches looming, unity was impossible, and especially not the kind of pointless bickering between like-minded people. Aaron agonized for a long time. And at last he reached a conclusion. To persuade the retainers, Cloud would have to prove himself with even greater presence than all his past accomplishments. “This time I’ll test your abilities. Here, Cloud. Are you a plain human or a remarkable one? Solve this assignment using every single ability you have.”
The next morning. All retainers were gathered for the meeting Aaron presided over. Near the end, Aaron announced, “We’ve decided to postpone the appointment of the new 100-Man Commanders.”
Torres, sitting at the very end, looked slightly flustered. Cloud, facing him, had roughly guessed the reason and smiled inwardly. But when Aaron continued, even he couldn’t help being surprised. “Cloud and I each recommended three new 100-Man Commanders, and all six were excellent. Choosing three from them isn’t easy. After careful thought, I’ve decided to leave this appointment up to the ability of Cloud and Torres.”
“Ability? What exactly do you mean?”
Vurmir’s question was met with no further explanation from Aaron. He gestured to the administrative steward standing beside him. The portly steward adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat, and addressed everyone. “We have a serious shortage of lumber in our territory right now. It’s because most of the city was destroyed two months ago by the witch invasion, and a huge amount of lumber was used to rebuild the war-damaged cities.”
Aaron nodded quietly the whole time. “We’re facing a major operation—the witch hunt—in just a few months. But because we used the lumber we’d purchased for war supplies to rebuild the cities instead of as intended, we’re now in a desperate situation where there’s not nearly enough lumber left to make arrows, weapons, stockades, siege engines, and so on.”
The steward sighed. His face showed how difficult the situation truly was. “Prices for lumber have skyrocketed and are still rising. Not only that, but because the citizens who lost their homes are cutting trees in the surrounding forests, we practically can’t find any wood outside the deepest mountains. There’s no usable timber left near the city. If this continues, we might have to give up on the war we’ve prepared for over a year. We might even have to send home all the newly recruited soldiers at the same time.”
He glanced alternately at Torres and Cloud. “Listen well, Cloud the 300-Man Commander and Torres the 500-Man Commander. Before we appoint the 100-Man Commanders you recommended, Lord Aaron has set a condition. The condition is that the 100-Man Commander recommended by the one who brings in the most lumber will be appointed.”
“Huh?”
“……?!” Both Cloud and Torres looked stunned at the same time. “Under the condition of 5,000 jen per kilogram of lumber, we’ll give you all the funds you need. No need to worry about size or shape. You can buy processed lumber or bring whole logs. The one who brings in the most lumber wins. The deadline is one week. Next Tuesday morning at this exact time, we’ll decide the victor with all of you present.”
The steward’s announcement left Cloud and Torres, along with all the retainers, equally stunned. Most of them looked amazed that the new 100-Man Commander appointment had turned into a contest. At that moment, Aaron finally spoke. “The two of you—will you participate? Those without courage can quit. Decide right now on this spot where all retainers are watching.”
Torres was already smiling confidently at Cloud. He had won. He answered first, full of vigor. “I’m participating! I’ll show you my full ability and make Lord Aaron happy! Just leave it to me!”
“Oh, as expected of Count Torres.”
“That guy had it figured out from the start. He wouldn’t avoid a bet like this. He’s a gambler.”
Some retainers even seemed to be cheering him on. ‘Rotten…’ Cloud licked his dry lips. He had thought the new 100-Man Commander appointment would be smoothly resolved with Sylvia and Leoald’s help, but now he felt he was trapped in a game he was destined to lose. Torres had lived in this city for a long time and had built his base. Cloud had only moved here a few months ago and was still a beginner. Torres had connections everywhere and would come at him with everything he had; there wouldn’t be enough lumber left for him to gather. The defeat was as obvious as the sun. “Cloud the 300-Man Commander?”
Cloud hesitated with his answer. Aaron called his name again. Cloud stopped thinking, stood up immediately, braced his eyes, and shouted loudly, “I accept! I will bring in an enormous amount of lumber so shocking that everyone here will be surprised! Wait one week!”
He was putting on a ridiculous act of bravado. But it seemed better than showing a lack of confidence in front of the people who would reveal his future. “This Cloud! This 300-Man Commander Cloud will make it beautifully!” He clenched his fist right in front of everyone watching. “We’ll cheer for you!” “We’ll see you in a week!”