Who Is the Victor? (2)
Finally, with about five minutes left, Vurmir opened his mouth. “Let’s go, Torres.”
“Yes!” Vurmir led Torres to the center of the training ground to declare the winner and loser of this contest. As Vurmir strode ahead and Torres followed behind, the crowd watched them in hushed silence. With the final five minutes ticking down, the winner was as obvious as daylight. Vurmir marched into the middle of the training ground and shouted in a booming voice to the surrounding spectators. “Unfortunately, due to Commander Cloud’s concession, this match ends in a draw…”
“Ooh! Look there!” someone shouted suddenly from the crowd. “Look at the sky! Something is flying toward us!” All eyes turned upward. A massive flock of birds was approaching from the distance. At first they panicked, mistaking it for a witch attack, and tried to flee in panic. But then several spectators with especially sharp eyesight cried out one after another. “That’s not witches! It’s the Elf Division!” “Heh, Commander Cloud is there too!” “The commander is leading the front!” The crowd began to murmur as they all stared at the sky. And as the countless condor riders drew closer, the crowd finally realized who they were. They raised their fists high and erupted in cheers. “Waaah!!” “Cloud is here! Cloud is here!” “You weren’t running away!” “Look at the back of those huge birds! Wood is loaded on them!” “Ooooh!”
At that moment, Sylvia, Lucy, Vivian, and everyone who knew Cloud felt their hearts flutter with joy. Even Lord Aaron, standing with the honor guard, smiled with delight as he watched Cloud. “What is this?! How is this possible! This is absurd! This is fraud! It’s fraud!” Torres stared at the reality before his eyes in utter disbelief. Cloud, riding a condor, pointed at the empty space on the left with a serious expression, his hair whipping in the wind. “There. Stack the wood there!” “Yes!” The countless condors carrying High Elves did not land; they simply dropped the loaded timber into the left side of the training ground. The piles rose rapidly, soon surpassing the height Torres had built on the right. The wood was stacked so high that even if the crowd tilted their heads all the way back, they could not see the top. “Good!” Cloud confirmed that all the wood was stacked, then flew back to the center of the training ground and leaped from the condor. He stood beside Torres with Vurmir in the middle. All eyes in the crowd were on him. They praised him as incredible and clapped enthusiastically. “I’m sorry for arriving late, my lord.” “Impressive, Commander Cloud.” Vurmir looked at Cloud with admiration as well. On his right, Torres looked at him with envy, unable to believe his eyes. “I… I won the match… but why…?” Vurmir stood in the center, took a deep breath, and looked at the crowd. “This time, I declare the winner of the contest! The winner is…”
“Just a moment.” Vurmir paused and turned around. Lord Aaron had just entered the training ground with his vassals. Aaron’s face was filled with laughter. Having filled the training ground with enough wood for the war, he could not hold back his joy any longer and leaped into the center himself. “The declaration of the winner will be made by me.” “Understood.” Vurmir bowed and stepped back. Aaron stood between the two men and shouted loudly. “Using the elves to gather an enormous amount of wood—Commander Cloud has done a truly wonderful job! As proof of the great merit of supplying the timber needed for the upcoming witch hunt, I hereby promote him from 300-Man Commander to 500-Man Commander!”
“Ooh, 500-Man Commander!” The cheer that erupted from the crowd was even louder than before. Cloud knelt on one knee and thanked Lord Aaron, his inner satisfaction blooming like flowers. ‘Yes. I’m advancing one step at a time. Far higher than any noble or royal would dare look down at me!’
After appointing Tor, Tess, and Lucy as 100-Man Commanders and expanding his subordinate soldiers into four companies thanks to the privileges of the 500-Man rank, Cloud began his meteoric rise. Thanks to Lord Aaron’s infinite trust, his voice grew stronger every day in the Valua Army. With the outstanding performances of Tor, Tess, and Lucy, he shone like no one else on any mission. At some point, Aaron began sharing important secret documents with him and even entrusted him with independent special missions. Cloud visited the Valua Castle more frequently than ever while being favored by the lord. Thanks to that, he could also meet Sylvia more often. “Uhaaa! Aah! Huaaah!” Whether in the garden full of shrubs, empty corridors, the early morning lord’s study, Sylvia’s room, the bathroom, or the armory, the two of them enjoyed the pleasure of the flesh wherever they met. Sometimes in secluded outdoor corners where people passed by, Cloud would slip his hand under Sylvia’s skirt, caress her there, and tease her. When they had a private lunch under the excuse of “conversing with the young lady,” he would have Sylvia crawl under the table, pull down the tablecloth, and while maids walked past, caress the hidden parts of her body and enjoy a thrill that words could never express. Especially during evening banquets with the vassals, the balcony sex was truly stimulating. With Lord Aaron’s voice echoing from inside and the vassals possibly arriving at any moment, Cloud rolled up Sylvia’s beautiful dress all the way to her waist and attacked her from behind. Soon they trembled in ecstasy together and released their desires. It was an incredibly thrilling experience. As he skillfully balanced work and love, the Valua Army began to sing his praises as its core unit. Among nobles and soldiers alike, the word spread that to climb the promotion ladder, one had to join Cloud’s company. “Commander Cloud! More letters have arrived from the nobles!” An enthusiastic courtship accompanied by a flood of gifts from nobles and wealthy families poured toward him. His visitors never stopped coming day or night, and some even tried to win his favor by using their wives or daughters. “I would like to borrow your wife for one night. Hehe. You must be looking at me too lightly. I am not that lewd a person who steals another man’s wife.” Each time, Cloud politely refused and sent them away immediately without any long conversation. He still felt he had not fully controlled the Valua Army, and to avoid getting entangled in corruption, he was extra cautious. The relationships with the men who had been bribed and given important posts were paper-thin—if their feelings ever shifted even slightly, an ugly expose could erupt at any time. If that happened, his hard-earned reputation would be smeared. He was paranoid about getting caught in bribes and sex scandals. “I must avoid anything that could cause trouble later.” Above him stood Lord Aaron, Vurmir, and several vassals handling administration. Even though he was only a 500-Man Commander, he knew his own immaturity. He must never do anything that would draw their attention. Yet secretly, he saw them as people he would eventually control from below. Therefore, to completely seize the administrative and military power of the Valua family, he decided the first thing he must do now was to strengthen his foundation and gather support. For that, he believed it was better to surround himself with people who had pure connections to him rather than those bound by bribes. So he tried to place friendly-to-Cloud figures around him. One example was the butler, Luffman, who had come to offer a carriage when he first met Torres in the wood contest. Cloud was grateful for even small help and had always thought of him as “someone close to my side.” Luffman had a granddaughter who was a well-rounded swordsman. One day, when he invited Luffman to his mansion, Luffman introduced his granddaughter. “This child’s name is Hilder. She has graduated from the regional swordsmanship academy and is currently looking for a job.” Cloud looked at Hilder standing motionless before him. Her clean eyes untainted by dirt, her straight nose, her firmly closed lips—all radiated an upright aura. She was wearing a uniform, not a dress. Usually women would search for an elegant dress to accentuate their feminine beauty for a noble guest, but she had worn the academy uniform. It was unexpected. Whether her grandfather had ordered it or she had chosen it herself, the overall atmosphere felt much like Sylvia’s—dignified and disciplined, proud of her principles and lacking in flexibility. In fact, Cloud liked people with the opposite style to himself. Smiling, he asked, “How old are you?” “Nineteen years old!” She answered with full spirit, her voice echoing in the rigid posture. “Um, right. Nineteen. An age when the brain is still very active. What kind of work are you looking for? What do you want to do?” “I am thinking of enlisting in the Valua Army!” “The Valua Army…” Cloud shifted his gaze to Luffman. When their eyes met, Luffman smiled mysteriously and simply stared at him. It was as if he was demanding something. Judging by his face, he had clearly had a reason for lending the carriage and for introducing his granddaughter today. ‘In short, he’s saying he wants to side with me.’ Not bad at all. Having a smart granddaughter like this would make the butler who managed the Valua family’s affairs someone close to my side. Cloud smiled brightly at Hilder. “You must definitely apply to the Valua Army. A bright future awaits you.” “Yes!”