Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Victory Feast and Merits
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Seated with that guy Juras, I was passing the time in a daze, eyeing the passing dishes and savoring them with my gaze alone.
'As expected of the south's Byulang....'
The Byulang Kingdom was a nation where diverse spices could be cultivated thanks to its climate. Fishing was well-developed there too.
The complete opposite of barren Crossing, one might say.
As such, the varieties of cuisine were incredibly diverse, but with my helmet on, all I could do was smack my lips while staring.
Compared to what Eonia made, the taste would probably be inferior, but these were foods I'd never seen before—I wanted to know what they tasted like.
'Should've brought Eonia along.'
She could've perfectly recreated them after just one bite.
'At least if I could try them, I could describe them to Eonia later.'
But there was no way to eat.
Did he notice that?
"I'll have them set aside some food for Anton separately. That should do it, right?"
That guy Juras. He's surprisingly quick on the uptake.
He continued speaking.
"By the way. You said you had something to ask me? Wade."
"Can you tell me? How you figured out Byulang's spy network.... And why you assassinated Byulang's king...!"
"...Heh, hahahahaha!"
His burst of mad laughter drew the eyes of everyone in the banquet hall.
Juras laughed uproariously, unperturbed.
Then he spoke in a chilling tone.
"It seems it was quite the shock. Good to know I didn't fall short of your expectations."
"You're really the one who did it...!"
This mad bastard. And he shows up to a party hosted by Byulang's prince. He must be that confident he wouldn't get caught, but to me, it was a boldness I couldn't even imitate.
As I glanced around warily, Juras upped the ante.
"Truth be told, that's exactly why I chose this venue for our chat. I wanted to show you something."
"Show me?"
"Wade, take a good look. This scene right here is Byulang's reality."
"Byulang's reality...."
I took a fresh look at Byulang's nobles.
'I see what he means.'
Byulang's nobles were dressed in mourning clothes, but there wasn't any real grief on their faces. If anything, they seemed to anticipate a dramatic shift now that the king was dead.
"The late Wilfried Schwarzer was no tyrant. If anything, he was close to a wise ruler. He'd even designated his successor in advance. And yet, look at this mess. That's precisely why I assassinated Byulang's king."
"That's your reason? It's hard to understand just from that. Care to elaborate?"
"I'll explain it all at once. Come to Carsten soon. I'll tell you everything, including what Uncle's hiding."
Fair enough—the venue wasn't ideal for spilling the rest. Who knew when this guy's deed might get exposed.
I anxiously wished the party would just end already.
Contrary to my hopes, the victory banquet's atmosphere began to heat up.
My stomach was growling more and more fiercely, and I was biding my time for an opening to slip away.
The chance came when the ballroom dance began.
Juras, who had been sitting with me, headed off to meet Kaien, drawing all eyes that way.
Seizing the moment, I slipped out and took a seat in the corner of the garden that Anton had shown me.
The garden outside the banquet hall was relatively quiet.
After changing clothes, I settled in a spot out of sight and savored the food Anton diligently delivered while gazing at the moon.
'Why Juras assassinated Byulang's king.'
With my thoughts organized, a few guesses came to mind.
'If that's the case, then Juras's goal is....'
Thinking of that goal made me dizzy for a moment. Pondering it alone would just complicate things further, so I switched to something else.
'What'll happen when we return to the academy.'
Dunan, our instructor, was dead, and the continental situation had shifted dramatically.
It was obvious that training for us, who would enter Pensilon Academy next year, would intensify greatly.
'I thought things would go smoothly once we got into the academy.'
Because that's when the main story I knew would unfold.
But the story I knew had already derailed. Byulang Kingdom, the protagonist's sturdy backer, was in dire straits.
'Probably because of my actions.'
The chances were high that my actions had triggered a butterfly effect.
'Well, I've decided not to cling too tightly to the story anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter.'
From now on, I'd move according to the situation at hand.
And preparations for that were in place.
I had territory, private soldiers, and retainers. Compared to game Als, who had jack shit, I had plenty of power.
Even if the main story had veered off, it probably wasn't completely broken. Big flows like this Chimera War erupting could still continue.
'Juras surely has his own plans. I'll hear them out and decide my future course.'
Rustle! A sound came from nearby.
I thought it was Anton with more food, but no.
"...Ah. Someone was here first. Sorry. Did I disturb you?"
The one who appeared, saying that, was a plain-looking woman. Her features were beautiful enough to call her a beauty, but the fatigue etched on her face dulled it.
She looked utterly fed up with the party.
"May I sit here too? I don't think there's any other spot this quiet and atmospheric."
I shrugged, as if to say suit yourself.
She sat across from me and gazed bitterly at the moon.
I calmly continued my meal.
Then, out of nowhere.
"...You. You're Wade, aren't you?"
She said it bluntly.
"I don't remember seeing your face at today's party. With looks that striking, it'd stick in my mind."
She spoke with growing certainty.
"And eating here like this. Makes sense. You couldn't eat in the banquet hall. These are dishes from the party, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Seeing them but not being able to eat was driving me nuts."
I decided to admit it coolly.
She already seemed convinced, so denying it was pointless.
Besides, even if she knew my face, there wasn't much she could do with it.
"You're really Wade...! You...!"
"Figures. With a pretty face, I get suspected like this. Guess I need to fix that."
Stunned at first, she soon asked in disbelief.
"You're so young.... How old are you exactly? You look even younger than me."
"Can't tell you that. And I won't give my name either."
That was why knowing my face didn't matter.
Without my personal details, it was useless.
I might run into issues later if I met her as Als, but the odds were slim.
As if reading my mind, she murmured lowly.
"Don't you know I could draw up a composite sketch of you?"
Gillas Melbourne had seen my face before, but it was so brief he couldn't make a proper sketch.
She, however, was observing me intently.
I curled my lip and replied.
"You, of all people, should know that's suicide."
"...!"
"You know who's behind me, right?"
"Crossing Republic...!"
"And I have connections in Caliper too. Hope you behave so you don't end up vanishing without a trace."
Just in case, I'd tell Anton about this.
"Urgh! Think I'm scared! Go ahead, try it!"
Her eyes held fear, but also courage.
I grew curious about her identity.
"But who are you?"
"What.... You were talking to me this whole time without knowing who I am?!"
She opened her eyes wide in genuine shock.
"Did you ever tell me your name? Doesn't feel like we've met before."
Yet she seemed familiar somehow.
She bit her lip and shouted.
"I'm Sophia Veron of Bekavia! The genius princess you faced in the Carrington Battle!"
That explained the familiarity.
I'd never met her in person, but I'd seen her illustration.
She looked worn out compared to it, but now I was sure.
But.
"Genius... pfft! Princess.... Saying it yourself... pfbt!"
"Ugh.... It's just to make it easy to understand...."
She knew it sounded embarrassing and flushed red.
She soon let out a deep sigh.
"To think the one who humiliated me was just a kid. All my drive's gone. I figured you were some grizzled veteran general."
"Reality can be harsh sometimes. More importantly, changed your mind about spreading my sketch?"
"I know. Bekavia gains nothing from it. No reason to clash with Crossing or Caliper right now."
"Good to know you're quick on the uptake."
"Hoo...! I was gonna give you an earful if I met Wade.... Not like this."
Sophia had been harboring resentment, but learning my age seemed to dispel her venom.
She realized I hadn't fought Bekavia out of malice.
"You were used by Crossing without knowing better. No point getting mad at you then."
"Yeah, something like that. Want to try some of this? It's good."
I was bored without a chat partner anyway.
I decided to pass the time chatting lightly with Sophia.
*
*
*
On the way back to the territory after the victory banquet finally ended.
My close aides were putting on airs, as if to say it was finally here.
Merit recitation time.
Eonia was fired up to claim first place in merits this time, and even Anton was tense, awaiting his.
Ymir and Gaspar, meanwhile, couldn't care less.
"Come on, you two are taking it too seriously. Alright, hold on a sec."
For all my words, I'd prepared for the merit recitation too.
With my prepared items in hand, I first announced third place.
"I'll only announce the top three in merits. But hear me out—everyone did great. So don't get too hung up on the rankings. Third place goes to Ymir."
"An honor."
Ymir had scouted ahead against enemy pincer attacks in the first battle where General Dunan died, lent strength against Three Great General Rexit, gathered Pallean grass in the final battle, and slyly guided Anton into a trap-filled area to lure the enemy in.
"So, third place. Here, take this."
"Young master. This is...?"
"I heard beastkin need combs for tail care as essentials. You've always used that worn wooden one, Ymir. Bought you a nice one last time. Was waiting for the right moment to give it."
It was a fairly expensive comb bought in Elfide.
Ymir smiled warmly.
"Truly grateful. If it's not too much trouble, could Young Master comb it for me later? That would be the greatest reward for me."
"Of course I'll do it."
The mood was good up to here.
But.
"A reward?!"
"...."
Things grew more hostile between Eonia and Anton.
The moment rewards appeared, this wasn't merit recitation anymore—it was merit distribution.
Gaspar, meanwhile, seemed to realize he was fourth.
"If there were rewards, I should've worked harder. Next time, give me a more important mission."
"What? I haven't announced yet. You could be first."
"No way. Obviously those two are one and two. Hurry up and announce. I'm curious who takes first too."
As he said, Eonia and Anton had put up evenly matched performances in this war. Unlike the last where Lutger dominated for a clear first, this time it was close.
Eonia was trembling at the fingertips with tension.
My head started to ache, so I suggested making it a joint first, but Eonia wouldn't have it and spoke up.
"Als, sir. Embarrassing as it is to say it myself, in the first battle I sniped the enemy unit commander with an arrow, and in the duel with that man, our perfect teamwork destroyed his weapon."
"Right, and you led the guerrilla unit in the final battle for a huge contribution."
"I also commanded the logging operation, fetched that book from Rainpol at your personal request...."
Eonia rattled off her contributions nonstop.
Anton, displeased, finally interjected.
"Lady Mirabel. Flaunting your merits unnecessarily isn't befitting a retainer, I believe."
"What?!"
The two locked glares.
A joint first would leave neither satisfied, so I decided to settle it.
"No more dragging it out. First place in merits: Anton, it's you."
"Y-Yes...! An honor beyond my station! I don't know where to put myself!"
"You rescued General Dunan in the first battle and led him to the rear, and in the final battle, the time you bought enabled the fortification ploy's success. The officers you trained executed the plan perfectly too."
On top of that, he'd slain key enemy force Rexit and captured enemy supreme commander Kraus Faulkner alive.
Eonia's merits were great too, but Anton's edged them out slightly.
"Here's a modest reward."
A handkerchief embroidered with the Ilrain baron's crest and baby clothes.
No material value, but heavy symbolic weight—like full acceptance as one of my people.
"Truly grateful. Haha, Iliya will love this."
Anton smiled contentedly as he took them.
"Now for second place...."
Eonia looked utterly shocked.
"Three straight seconds...."
"Come on, don't mope like that, Eonia."
"I'm not moping...."
Saying it while on the verge of tears killed her credibility.
"It's unfortunate second, but... it's fine."
I patted her shoulder, then decided to give a killer reward to cheer her up.
The classic "one more treat to stop the crying kid" tactic.
"Here, take this."
"Th-this, th-this is...!?"
Eonia gasped, taking the rapier embedded with a large gem.
Giving a treasured sword as reward meant highly valuing their loyalty.
In this world too, a treasured sword was the highest reward from one's lord.
I whispered to her.
"Objectively second in merits, but to me, your performance was first. You did amazing, Eonia Mirabel."
"Gasp...!"
Eonia swallowed hard.
No empty words. She'd synced with me the most in this battle.
"No, the honor is mine. Thank you, Als, sir!"
And with that, the tide turned.
"...Heh. Hehe. Hahaha."
Regaining her composure, Eonia flashed a triumphant smile at Anton.
Anton eyed the sword with undisguised envy.
By the way.
She threw a fit about ditching all other weapons to make this rapier her main, so it took forever to talk her down.