The Security Captain's Last Drink
The drunkard was Bert Hux's superior—the man who commanded the security detail of the Ernest Fief army. He never appeared in the original story, or if he did, it was as a nameless extra. I had no idea who this bastard was.
His name was Gion Pirean. He looked like a complete waste of space, but apparently he was a knight. Of course, not every knight possessed outstanding combat ability. A commoner needed real martial prowess to earn a knighthood, but the children of quasi-nobles and aristocrats required no particular skill. They simply pulled each other up the ladder.
Gion Pirean seemed to be one of those—a man who'd become a knight on the strength of his parents' status. I couldn't detect even a fragment of swordsmanship in him. I honestly doubted he knew how to hold a blade.
Putting a clueless idiot like this in a post as important as Security Captain made no sense. Was there some internal politics I wasn't seeing? Perhaps his parents were nobles of considerable influence. Blood ties were a problem no matter where you went.
"*Hic!* This wine is damn good. Goes down smooth as honey, but it's strong as hell. That's how liquor's supposed to be, hahaha!"
He was the type who never stopped talking about himself once the drink took hold. That was a stroke of luck for me. Thanks to his drunken rambling, I was picking up information not only about the man himself, but about the Ernest Fief army as a whole.
"*Hic!* Kh—the Count's being ridiculous. Flying off the handle over one lousy defeat! *Hic!* You should've seen him in the command tent just now—I nearly pissed myself. *Hic!* And now Baron Horton's the one taking the fall. *Hic!*"
Baron Horton was a character who actually appeared in the original. He was the commander of the Deus Knights and the 0th Battalion Commander of the fief army. The 0th Battalion was the main fighting force of the Ernest Fief army—infantry, cavalry, and archers combined.
In other words, Baron Horton was a senior commander occupying the highest posts across the entire fief army. He was the second most powerful man in the Ernest forces after Count Ernest himself. In the original, he dies at Jin's hands near the end of the territorial war. Judging by the game itself and the sourcebook's descriptions, he'd been a thoroughly incompetent commander.
"Baron Horton, you said? What's going to happen to him?"
"*Hic!* He's the one who insisted we hold a hard defense, so he took the blame for eating that first attack. *Hic!* Sounds like he'll be stepping down as 0th Battalion Commander. *Hic!* And Baron Melun's going to take the seat. Tch, that insufferable bastard! The Count handed him overall command of the whole fief army. Once that smug prick gets his hands on real power, nothing but headaches from here on out… Khh…! The world's spinning."
Baron Melun.
Another man from the original. He was the vanguard commander of the Ernest Fief army, and he had the feel of a mid-boss for the territorial war chapter. A swordsman of formidable martial ability, he was an opponent who gave Jin a genuine struggle. The sourcebook mentioned him as well—a talent gifted with both strength and intellect, but one who never rose high in the Ernest Fief army because he didn't know how to flatter.
His original post as vanguard commander was certainly an honorable one, but calling it a high position was a stretch. In any army, the truly high seats were the ones that commanded the most troops. The fact that a man the sourcebook itself certified as exceptional had now risen to a genuinely high post was something I needed to watch carefully. The Ernest Fief army might not fight the way they had in the original at all.
In the original, the Ernest forces waged a guerrilla campaign in the mountains of Mount Aden, stalling for time. The operation was designed to wait for the War Mage Division departing from Ernest County.
But I knew every last one of their ambush sites. If things unfolded according to the original, I could wipe them out before the War Mage Division ever arrived. Even if I couldn't, I could intercept the War Mage Division in advance. I knew their route of march.
But if they don't move the way they did in the original, that's a problem.
I was going to have to meet this Baron Melun. I glanced toward the supply pile. My eyes met Arme's, hidden among the crates. I jerked my chin toward the drunken Gion Pirean.
Arme nodded. She drew a small dagger from her clothes and crept out from behind the supplies. Pirean, thoroughly wrecked on the wine I'd given him, never noticed her approach.
"*Hic!* Khh… getting drunk…"
A wet, ugly sound.
"Ghk!"
With that pathetic last word, Pirean died. That made two Ernest Fief army officers down already.
I'd love it if things kept going this easily. If I could just assassinate Count Ernest, or Baron Melun, or Baron Horton while I was at it… That's too much to ask, isn't it?
Greed was a dangerous thing. Assassination was always a double-edged sword. And unlike this worthless bastard, perfectly assassinating a swordsman with real ability required a stroke of heaven-sent luck. Considering that the original Baron Melun had driven Jin to the brink, trying to kill him would be no different from attempting suicide.
I collected Gion Pirean's blood and mixed it into a fresh Transformation Potion. Arme stuffed Pirean's corpse into the same supply pile where she'd hidden Hux's body, then stripped him of his armor. I drank the potion and became Gion Pirean. Pirean was a higher-ranking officer than Bert Hux, which meant my movements would no longer be constrained.
I pulled on Pirean's armor and stepped out of the tent. The mood throughout the camp was subdued.
The soldiers slouched about, talking among themselves, and most of the conversation was about the next battle. They were carrying the weight of defeat. Losing this last fight seemed to have left a deep scar.
"Security Captain, sir. Shift change is complete."
Two soldiers with spears approached and reported. I answered them as naturally as I could.
"Hmm. Is that so? Anything unusual during your watch?"
"Sir?"
"Hm? Did I say something wrong?"
"Ah… no, sir. You said something you don't usually say, so I was caught off guard for a moment. Nothing unusual to report."
So this Pirean bastard had been a complete washout. Even I, who'd never served a day in any army, could tell the man hadn't been doing his job. No wonder the soldiers reacted like that.
And that soldier was the same one who'd let me through earlier. An enemy spy had infiltrated the camp—about as significant an incident as you could get—and he hadn't noticed a thing. The Ernest Fief army was a disaster from top to bottom. Or was this just a testament to how good my Transformation Potion was?
"Good work. Go get some rest."
"Ah… yes, sir."
The two soldiers turned and headed for their tent, exchanging words in low voices as they went.
"Why's he acting like that today? Did he drink poison or something?"
"The logistics officer said earlier—the Count tore into everyone. The Security Captain probably got an earful too."
"Fair enough. If I were in command, I wouldn't look kindly on a parasite who just sits around eating rations either."
"Shh! Watch it. Lots of ears around here."
A perfectly natural assessment, given the attitude this man had shown. In any case, I headed toward the command tent. I was wearing Gion Pirean's body now, which meant I could come and go as I pleased. The command tent, however, was equipped with specialized gear that could detect stealth skills, so Arme would wait outside. I stepped inside.
Several officers were already there. Count Ernest was absent, but Baron Melun was present. He had appeared in the game, so I knew his face. The officers seemed to be discussing plans for what came next.
"Security Captain. What is it?"
Baron Melun's question. He was a knight of sturdy build and sharp eyes, radiating the presence of a finely honed blade. His bearing was similar to Count Coulomb's in some ways, and entirely different in others.
If Count Coulomb was a keen rapier, this man was a sharp longsword. From the standpoint of leadership, Baron Melun would likely be rated higher than Count Coulomb.
"I've come to report an unusual incident."
"…That's unlike you."
This Pirean bastard. Even his own superior assessed him like that, and he still held the post of Security Captain. I couldn't even begin to guess how absurdly well-connected he'd been born. Baron Melun was a sharp man. I'd have to be careful.
"The scale of our defeat gave me a sense of crisis. It's true that I've been negligent in my duties until now, but I intend to show a different side of myself going forward."
"I'm glad you realized it, even if late. Frankly, I was never pleased with the way the Security Captain has conducted himself, but I don't dislike a man who reflects. Well then. What did you come to report?"
"Our sentries spotted suspicious movement around the camp that they believe to be human. The numbers aren't large—five or fewer, they said."
"Movement? Hmm… Most likely enemy reconnaissance."
Of course, what I'd just said was a lie. The sentries had reported nothing unusual to me. That said, Coulon Territory's army had in fact sent scouts, so my words were at least half true.
"If the enemy starts gathering intelligence on us, we'll have a serious problem. I'll personally take a small force and capture them."
"The Security Captain, personally?"
A look of genuine surprise flickered in Baron Melun's eyes. From the sound of it, this Pirean bastard had never taken the initiative on anything in his life. Guard duty was a fundamentally passive assignment to begin with, and a man like Pirean was never going to be the type to step forward and do the work himself.
Baron Melun didn't answer right away. Had I overplayed the change in character? If Melun caught on, this would get ugly.
"The enthusiasm is commendable, but overreaching has a way of ruining the work."
"You're certainly right. My apologies. I overstepped."
Better to pull back here. Pushing too hard would only invite suspicion. I was about to withdraw when another officer spoke up.
"A moment, Baron Melun. I don't think giving the Security Captain a chance would be such a bad idea."
"Knight Commander. I'd prefer you address me by my title, if possible."
"My apologies. You've only just become 0th Battalion Commander, so I'm not used to it yet. In any case, he is the Security Captain in charge of the entire Ernest Fief army's defenses. Capturing enemy scouts is his duty."
Baron Horton was a typical sycophant, complete with a goatee. If I had a subordinate like that, I'd have his head off without a second thought.
I couldn't decide which was more impressive—that Count Ernest had appointed a man like this as Knight Commander, or that a man with a face like that had managed to become Knight Commander at all. In the original, he was portrayed from start to finish as an incompetent relic of a failed system.
A distinctly cold current flowed between Baron Melun and Baron Horton. I could tell immediately that Horton hadn't spoken up out of any goodwill toward me.
He was almost certainly counting on me to fail. And my failure would become a stain on Baron Melun, who currently commanded the main force. Melun now held overall command of the Ernest Fief army, after all.
A single incident like that wouldn't be enough to have him dismissed as 0th Battalion Commander, but if enough of those negative marks piled up, his position would weaken. In other words, Baron Horton was trolling in order to eliminate a rival.
"This is a time to quietly focus on defense and reorganize the troops. There is no reason to invest resources in something unnecessary."
"Unnecessary? You consider eliminating the enemy's scouts unnecessary?"
"I received command of this army from the Count. Judging the situation and issuing orders is my responsibility. Not yours, Baron Horton."
"That autocratic attitude does you no favors. Well, gentlemen? What do the rest of you think?"
Baron Horton put the question to the surrounding officers. They glanced at his face, then answered in voices that carried no conviction.
"I… I believe Baron Horton's judgment is correct. Leaving the enemy's scouts alone is dangerous."
"I think so as well."
"I believe it would be good to give the Security Captain a chance."
From the look of it, most of the officers were in Horton's camp. Baron Melun was excessively upright. He might have made an excellent subordinate, but as a superior or a colleague, he was uncomfortable to be around.
I suddenly felt sorry for the man. He was, along with Bert Hux, one of the only two functioning adults in this trash-tier army, and here he was, isolated for it. Then again, in a world of one-eyed men, the one with two eyes was the monster. Perhaps that was only natural.
But if this was the army that had beaten Coulon Territory's forces, just how much of a wreck was Coulon's army? It had looked functional enough from the outside, but it might well be packed with deadweight of its own.
"…Very well. I'll permit the operation. But if you fail to capture the enemy before midnight, you are to return immediately."
Overruled by the officers' consensus, Baron Melun spoke with a look of clear displeasure.
"I'll keep that in mind. Ah—and the logistics officer said he wished to sortie with me."
"The logistics officer, all of a sudden? Why?"
"He… doesn't seem to trust me, I think."
"…I see. Bert Hux. That man is certainly an upright and capable talent. He'll be promoted soon enough as it is, so this would be a good opportunity for him to gain experience. Take him with you."
"Yes, sir!"