Becoming the Third Strategist
The female leader’s smile deepened. “W-what nonsense are you spouting!” Ision stared at me in utter disbelief and shouted, while Bernhardt also looked at me with wide, startled eyes.
“You want to be on equal footing with us?”
It was the reaction I had expected. To them, I must have looked like a green rookie who had suddenly grown arrogant enough to demand equal status. I spoke clearly and deliberately to Bernhardt, who was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Equal footing. Yes, I believe my contribution—Chen’s head—is valuable enough to put me on the same level as the two of you.”
“Aha… Ahahahahaha! Look at this brazen little bastard!”
Bernhardt threw his head back and roared with laughter. Then he turned to the female leader. “What do you think of Hyunwoo’s opinion, Boss?”
Ision quickly jumped in. “This is completely absurd! A man who has only been in our bandit group for a few months becoming a strategist? It would utterly destroy the dignity and authority of the leadership!”
There was one thing I was curious about. Why did Ision hate me so much? Unlike the friendly Bernhardt, from the very first time we met until now, whenever Ision got involved with me he acted like he wanted to throw dirt on everything I did. Had I done something to earn his hostility?
With that thought in mind, I waited for the female leader’s decision.
“Starting today, I appoint Hyunwoo as the third strategist, following Ision and Bernhardt.”
The long-awaited words made my heart pound violently.
“A strategist? This is far too hasty!” Ision cried out in panic. He passionately argued that such a thing was impossible, but the female leader simply kept smiling.
“Hyunwoo lacks both experience and age for such an important position. Above all, he has only been with our bandit group for four months. His loyalty is questionable, and we don’t even know what he’s truly thinking. You must reconsider this decision!”
“I’m giving him the position precisely because I know what he’s thinking.”
At the female leader’s sharp retort, Ision froze.
“You… know what he’s thinking…?”
“Hyunwoo became a strategist to save our bandit group. Isn’t that right?”
I nodded firmly. “You are absolutely correct.”
When I opened my eyes the next morning, a smile naturally formed on my lips.
Right after the female leader’s decision yesterday, a formal appointment ceremony had been held. In front of every member of the group, she announced that because I had accomplished the great feat of bringing back Chen’s head, I was being appointed as the third strategist. Everyone present was shocked, of course, but they also cheered that the war was finally over.
Soon afterward, a private tent was built for me as the new strategist. Strategists, like the leader herself, were granted their own personal living quarters.
So last night, to celebrate my safe return and new position, a surprise party was held with Marcus, the surprise guest Nancy, Pasvachio, Jane, Haida, Evynee, and even little Peggy. Even though we drank heavily, when I woke up this morning my stomach didn’t hurt at all. In fact, I felt energized.
I stretched lazily and looked around the room. There was barely any furniture—just a table and a bed—but simply having my own space made me incredibly happy. Of course, I wasn’t truly living alone. Dana was sleeping nearby.
I could hear her soft, steady breathing, but she wasn’t sleeping right beside me. We had divided the space in half with a curtain hanging in the middle of the room. If I were to be precise, my room was also Dana’s room. All I had to do was pull back the central curtain to see her sleeping area.
At first I had considered bringing my slaves Haida and Evynee to live with me as well, but that would have left Marcus completely alone in the 15th squad’s quarters. The newly recruited Pasvachio and his family already had their own separate living space. If I left, only Marcus would remain in the 15th squad’s tent. To keep him from feeling lonely, I had no choice but to leave Haida and Evynee behind.
And now that I had become a strategist in charge of the entire unit rather than just the 15th squad, I decided to approach my role with the mindset of managing the whole bandit group. The most urgent issue to tackle was the severe manpower shortage plaguing the 15th squad. Having come from that squad myself, it was the problem that worried me most. After all, the arm bends inward.
Therefore, once the morning leadership meeting ended, I planned to leave the mountain stronghold with Pasvachio to meet someone. A while ago, before we left to hunt Chen, Pasvachio had mentioned wanting to introduce me to an acquaintance of his. Just in time, that acquaintance had sent word, so we were going to meet him.
Normally Dana would have come with us, but if she left too, there would be no one left in the 15th squad’s quarters to protect Haida, Evynee, Jane, and Peggy. So I had no choice but to leave her at the stronghold.
Ding. Ding.
Suddenly, someone began ringing the notification bell installed in front of the door.
“Lord Hyunwoo! Lord Hyunwoo!”
It was someone calling for me. I quickly grabbed a top, threw it on, and stepped outside. One of my subordinates was standing there.
“The leader is looking for you.”
“At this hour?”
It was a little past seven in the morning, and the leadership meeting wasn’t supposed to start until eight.
“I was only ordered to bring you. I don’t know the reason.”
After sending the subordinate away, I dressed properly and left the tent, leaving Dana—who was still wandering in her dreams—behind.
I had a rough idea why the female leader had called for me so early. She probably wanted to know whether the negotiations with the Ryan Hart Mercenary Company had gone well.
“Did you reach an agreement with that helper you mentioned before? You said it would take time, remember? Last time.”
“Yes. I received a definite answer that they will help us.”
“Really?”
“Actually, when we attacked Chen, I traveled with the Ryan Hart Mercenary Company. While they assaulted the stronghold, I faced Chen myself.”
The female leader, seated in her chair, smiled. “How interesting.”
While Hyunwoo was reporting the recent developments to the female leader, the time for the leadership meeting arrived. Ision reached the leader’s tent and lifted the flap to enter. Inside, he saw the female leader listening with a pleased smile and Hyunwoo speaking to her from a very close distance.
At the sight of that intimate scene, Ision froze for a moment.
What are those two talking about? No—how long have they been talking? At this early hour…
Lately, the two of them seemed far too close. Inside this bandit group, the chief strategist was supposed to be him. The seat right beside the female leader had been his for a long time.
It felt as if the woman he had admired for so long was being stolen away by another man. A surge of anxious irritation rose within Ision.
Tap.
Someone suddenly tapped his shoulder lightly.
“Hey, what are you doing standing out here?”
When he turned around, Bernhardt was already standing there. Still half-asleep, he scratched his messy hair and yawned.
“It’s nothing.”
Ision, who had been standing blankly at the entrance, cleared his throat and walked inside as if nothing had happened.
The female leader, Ision, Bernhardt, and me. Once everyone had gathered, the leadership meeting began immediately.
Throughout the meeting, I remained silent and simply listened. It was only my first day as a strategist, after all. I wanted to understand how things worked, so I carefully recorded every word spoken by the female leader, Ision, and Bernhardt, listening with full attention.
After more than thirty minutes, I had filled an entire page of notes. The female leader, Ision, and Bernhardt all stared at me with expressions of surprise and fascination.
“G-good heavens. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone bring writing tools to a meeting and take notes so diligently!” Bernhardt exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration.
I looked around at everyone staring at my notes and tilted my head in confusion. On Earth, everyone did this during meetings. Was it really that surprising?
“Is it not allowed to take notes?”
“No, no. It’s just that even our group’s greatest intellectual, Ision, has never been seen writing anything during meetings before. Seeing you scribble away so earnestly is quite novel. You seem meticulous and sharp. I like it. Wahaha. It feels like a smart guy has finally joined a band of idiots!”
“Why am I being included in that?” Ision muttered with a slight frown at Bernhardt’s words.
“There’s nothing strange about taking notes. In the beginning, it’s natural to have the attitude of wanting to learn. I simply don’t do it because I remember everything in my head.”
Ision shot me a piercing glare.
“You’ve been sitting there quietly listening the whole time. As a strategist, shouldn’t you be fulfilling your role properly? If you have any thoughts, speak up here and now. You didn’t become a strategist just to enjoy the privileges without thinking of anything, did you?”
I blinked and thought for a moment. Of course I had ideas stored in my head. Banning plunder, prohibiting the sale of slaves, turning the bandit group into a mercenary company. But I had no intention of trying to change everything on my very first day. Everyone in the bandit group would still see me—the newly appointed strategist—as nothing more than the former leader of the 15th squad. If I suddenly started pushing radical reforms, they would only grow resentful and think it was ridiculous.
They would mock the parachute recruit for doing weird things. Therefore, I planned to stay quiet for at least a month—until they truly accepted me as a strategist, until the words “Strategist-nim” no longer felt awkward on their tongues.
“It would be rude for someone like me, who knows far less than the three of you here, to start voicing opinions already. Rather than trying to do something right away, I believe it is more important to first understand the overall flow of how the unit operates. Therefore, for the time being, I intend to attend meetings with the attitude of a new strategist who is here to learn. I would greatly appreciate your understanding and encouragement.”
“Hyunwoo speaks well,” the female leader—who knew my true intentions—chuckled softly.
“Wahaha. What a commendable fellow.”
“Hm. That’s not wrong.”
If I really stepped forward, nuclear bombs would start exploding one after another. I’m giving you time to adapt, so stop rushing me, Ision. The female leader is already on my side.