Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Extra Strategist's Royal Road
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I held off on giving an answer and wrapped up my conversation with Juras.
‘Even if I couldn't choose right away….’
The timeframe Juras had proposed was two years. I had to make a decision by then.
There was only one thing nagging at me.
If I followed Juras's advice, I'd end up as an enemy of the protagonist with overwhelming certainty. The theory that Als was the final villain—which I'd been desperately ignoring—would come true.
There could be the opposite interpretation, but based on the information I had now, that wasn't worth considering.
‘There's still time.’
Starting next year, my life at Pensilon Academy would begin, where I'd cross paths with the protagonist.
The shifting political landscape might derail Juras's grand plan, so for now, I'd just watch how things unfolded.
“Whew! My head hurts. I need a little rest.”
I sank into the sofa. Normally, Eonia would have noticed and brought tea, but for some reason, there was no response.
She was just staring blankly at me.
“Eonia? What are you doing?”
“...”
“Good grief. Ymir, could you bring some tea instead?”
Even after that, Eonia stayed dazed for a long while, only muttering to herself once Ymir brought out the refreshments.
“...My eyes didn't deceive me after all.”
“What are you talking about? Come sit down already. The tea's going to get cold.”
It was as if she couldn't even hear me.
“I thought you were someone noble, but to think you carry the imperial bloodline! I, Eonia Mirabel, vow to shatter my bones and scatter my ashes for Als's great cause from here on out!”
That part must have struck a chord with her. She'd vaguely suspected my lineage from my past conversation with the King of Pharaine, but today's confirmation drove it home, leaving Eonia deeply moved.
“I'll say this upfront: I don't think of myself as imperial royalty. Just forget about that. I'm not Als Almain—I'm Als Ilrain. And if I ever found a nation, I'd abolish the nobility system entirely, so you wouldn't even be a noble anymore. Status means nothing.”
“But...”
“Well, I might keep a king system like Crossing's, so I could end up as king. Anyway, don't change your attitude just because of my imperial blood.”
“I haven't changed my attitude! I've always... for Als...!”
“Enough. Sit down here.”
Seizing the chance to correct Eonia's sycophantic tendencies, I scolded her firmly. Eonia hung her head, looking dejected. Seeing that softened my resolve a bit.
“Well, I appreciate the sentiment. Let's keep working well together.”
“Ah...! Yes! I look forward to it as well!”
In the end, I ended up indulging Eonia.
That might be why her sycophancy never got fixed.
My master, who had been watching us with a wry smile, nodded and spoke up.
“I need to clarify my position too. Als, up until now, we've just been master and disciple, but it's time to change that.”
My master smiled softly and dropped to one knee.
“I, Illya Anpei, shall become an unbreakable sword and a steadfast spear to guard your path ahead.”
“Haha... Has hearing about my bloodline changed your mind too, Master?”
“Does it seem that way?”
“No, thank you. Master—no, Illya Anpei. I'll continue to rely on you.”
Thud! Our handshake was filled with mutual trust.
Seeing that, Eonia pouted, as if wondering what made her different.
“And Anton. I'd like to hear your thoughts as well.”
Anton must be just as conflicted as I was. There was the matter of his father's death, after all.
“I hold no great grudge against Crossing. So I'll continue serving my lord in the same way as before.”
“...I see. So that's how it is.”
“Pardon? What... do you mean?”
“No, it's nothing.”
For the first time, I felt like I understood the man's true identity.
When the game's Als was branded a traitor and thrown in prison, a mysterious armored warrior had broken him out—someone beyond the Seven Retainers who followed Als.
That armored warrior, whose name and face were unknown... could it have been Anton?
Juras must have urged him on.
—The rightful heir to Pensilon that you swore to serve is locked in a dungeon. Anton, now is the time to fulfill the Quinter oath.
That would explain why Anton threw caution to the wind and busted Als out.
‘In that case, it wasn't seven retainers—it was eight.’
Even in the game, Anton had been Als's man.
This incident let me place full trust in Anton.
“Let's keep working well together, Anton.”
“Yes! I'll shatter my bones and scatter my ashes to repay your trust!”
I also explained the situation to Gaspar and Lutger, who hadn't been present. Nothing was set in stone yet, but continental unification was something I'd considered before, so I decided to loop them in.
Gaspar gave a bitter smile. Lutger looked worried.
“Continental unification... Honestly, I'm not sure it's such a great idea.”
Those were Gaspar's words.
“I've seen the end of the Pensilon Empire. I know bone-deep how rotten that nation became. I learned then that unified states all meet the same fate in the end. Sure, you might usher in an age of peace for a while, but after you're gone, it'll follow the same path. That's what worries me.”
“That's unusually serious talk from you. But don't worry about that. I've got plans for after unification too.”
“In that case... I might actually look forward to it a bit. If possible, finish your great cause before my time runs out.”
“What are you talking about? You look like you could live another thirty years easy.”
“Heh, I'd like that.”
Lutger voiced his concerns first.
“With your skills, you might be able to lead wars to victory. But running a nation isn't the job of generals—it's the bureaucrats handling internal affairs. As far as I can see, you don't have anyone under you suited for that yet.”
“I've been thinking about that too. Just to ask—for reference—could you handle that kind of internal administration, Lutger?”
“I can manage military administration just fine. But real internal affairs like agriculture, commerce, or construction... those are beyond me.”
“Hmm.”
In the game, internal affairs resolved themselves by slotting characters in the right spots, but reality was harsh, of course.
I'd gathered plenty of martial talents, but I still had zero administrators secured.
If I tried running a nation in this state, I'd be torn apart. I absolutely needed retainers to assist with internal affairs.
‘I should consult Bayolaf about that.’
I planned to give Bayolaf the role of prime minister overseeing internal affairs down the line.
With that in mind, I decided to join forces with him and start preparing for internal governance now.
*
*
*
It took a week for Bayolaf's prisoner transfer to arrive.
With Juras acting as intermediary, we secured Bayolaf first, then released Prince Romello, wrapping up the prisoner exchange.
Using Ymir and Gaspar, I concealed Bayolaf's movements, then secretly brought him to Rainpole.
I removed my helmet right from the start to greet him.
Bayolaf took one look at my face and glanced around.
“If you're looking for Wade, he's right here.”
“Haha, sorry. It's not that I have business with the body double.”
“I'm not a body double. Do you need to hear Wade's voice to believe it?”
“...You're joking, right? You're really Wade? Just how young are you?”
“I just turned seventeen. Anyway, have a seat.”
He still couldn't believe it, staring straight through my face.
“You must know how things went down this time. And you can guess why I revealed my face from the start.”
“You're forcing me into your service, no matter what.”
“Less 'forcing' and more 'now that it's come to this, I'll make you my retainer by any means necessary.'”
“Same difference.”
“It's a little different. Either way, I mean to make you follow me sincerely. You've already taken that first step, so I'll see it through to the end.”
“That step... you mean the erotic novel?”
“Did you read the one I sent?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you think? Oh, and please spare me the harsh criticism.”
But Bayolaf didn't hold back.
“As an erotic novel, it was iffy.”
“Urk!”
To badmouth something he forced me to write... My fist was itching.
He continued.
“How should I put it? I wanted a novel for men, but what you sent felt like something women would like—except for the sex scenes. It was like it was written from a woman's perspective.”
“Ah.”
Could Estelle and Erina's involvement have turned it into a romance novel without me realizing?
“So it lacked that signature erotic sense of taboo. As a pure romance without sex scenes, it's actually pretty well done, but as an erotic novel with them, it's middling.”
“Hmm.”
It was spot-on criticism. I couldn't even get mad.
“Truth is, I got help from two friends. But it wasn't ghostwriting—I wrote it in the end.”
“Hah, I figured. Well, I won't hold that against you. I can tell from the writing how much thought you put into it.”
“Phew...! Anyway, this one's a flop. Give me a little time. I'll hurry up and write the next one.”
Like the game's Als, I planned to make three visits of courtesy, but Bayolaf held up a hand to stop me.
“No, surprisingly, it might be usable as is.”
“What do you mean?”
“The flaw is just the lack of taboo. We supplement that.”
“But the text is already finished. Suddenly changing the protagonist's personality would mess up the overall tone, right?”
The only way to amp up the taboo was to intensify the sex scenes.
But the protagonist, Wilson, had become a chivalrous, righteous knight character under Erina and Estelle's influence.
There wasn't even a hint of violation in the sex scenes.
“True. Rewriting like that would make the story inconsistent. But we can tweak it externally.”
“Externally?”
I had no clue what he meant.
Bayolaf revealed his ingenuity.
“First, release it as a pure romance without the sex scenes. Even I think it's good enough—it'll sell well to women.”
“And then?”
“Then put out a 'revised' edition under a different pen name, loaded with intense sex scenes!”
Here's the gist.
Publish the pure romance under my name first, then release a pirated version with added sex scenes under another name.
Defile the existing pure work to create that taboo feeling.
“You... are you a genius?”
I never would have thought of that.
In this case, even if the protagonist's actions and personality don't line up, readers will just roll with it—it's a pirate edition, after all.
I could crank up the sex scene intensity however I wanted.
This world had no concept of copyright yet, making it possible.
“But even that might not be enough to handle the soldiers' sexual frustration...”
“Of course. I never thought one book from you would solve everything to begin with.”
With that, Bayolaf began explaining the preparations he'd made.
The erotic novel was just the beginning.
He'd already thought up other measures.
“I've recruited dancers from all over to form a dance troupe. Having them perform regular morale-boosting shows should make controlling the troops easier.”
“Certainly.”
It sounded more practical than distributing novels.
“It's not just dancers, either. I've got a circus troupe ready with all sorts of amazing acts. I gathered them secretly during my seclusion. I was planning to bring them to Rainpole soon—what do you think?”
“That... I'd love to request that on my end too.”
Rainpole was developing rapidly, but that came with side effects.
The main one was a lack of entertainment.
We'd built tons of housing, but not enough leisure or cultural facilities to boost residents' happiness.
“Why not have your circus troupe put on regular shows in a big tent?”
“Excellent. But will Crossing approve that easily?”
“No need to worry. Rainpole is basically under my control already.”
“Oho! Reliable as ever.”
Bayolaf said happily.
“This is it. What I wanted was a comrade who understands my ideas and joins me in them.”
“Did I pass the test?”
“Of course. But one more thing. I want a promise.”
“What?”
“I'll say it upfront: I love my homeland, Europa. Betraying it isn't an easy choice.”
“Officially, Europa's already abandoned you, though?”
“Even so, my feelings for my homeland don't waver. If you can't convince me to the end, I'll take my own life.”
“Hmm. So? What promise do you want?”
“A greater cause to rationalize betraying my country. Promise me that.”
“What kind of cause?”
“If it's to build a better nation, I'll follow you. Unify the chaotic continent and... root out discrimination against beastmen. Promise that and act on it, and I'll pledge my loyalty.”
From his demeanor, the latter seemed far more important than the former.
“Very well. I've thought the same about ending beastmen discrimination.”
Bayolaf sighed in relief as I accepted readily.
“Thank you. Allow me to reintroduce myself. Bayolaf Dresden. From now on...”
“I'm Als Ilrain.”
“Right, Als. I'll work for you from here on. Just call me Olaf. I'll live as commoner Olaf, not noble Bayolaf anymore.”
“In that case... Got it. Looking forward to working with you, Olaf.”
Bayolaf recruited successfully.
Now four of the Seven Retainers were assembled.