Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
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Grand Marshal William Lucas was a soldier born and bred, for better or for worse.
Beginning his ascent as a common infantryman, he rose relentlessly through the ranks to become an officer and ultimately the Grand Marshal. He was truly a legendary and formidable figure. But precisely because of that hard-won success, he was stubbornly and dangerously rigid.
He never allowed himself to doubt the things he believed in.
If someone held a thought different from his own, he immediately and decisively judged them as wrong.
To put it kindly, he was steadfast; to put it harshly, he was incredibly bullheaded.
For a man of William’s nature, someone like Erwin represented the polar opposite of his existence.
It wasn't merely that the man was difficult to deal with—William truly dreaded dealing with him at all.
"I was merely offering my sincere congratulations."
William felt a surge of rage boiling within him as if blood might actually burst from his veins at Erwin's utterly calm tone, which showed no trace of a man who had just casually uttered a top-class military secret.
This was exactly what tormented him.
'I can never hope to read this guy's mind!'
Unlike himself, who always spoke and acted with a straightforward bluntness, Erwin was cut from a different cloth.
His words and actions likely hid dozens of hidden intentions that William couldn't even begin to fathom.
For someone as rigidly principled as himself, it was incredibly tricky and frustrating to handle.
"You call that mere speaking?! If someone had overheard you casually mentioning that secret here...!"
As he reached that point in his outburst, William suddenly realized he had just spouted something incredibly foolish.
The man standing before him was the Minister of the Empire's Intelligence Department.
A man who freely and expertly manipulated the information of the Empire—and indeed the entire world—from within the confines of his own office.
To attempt to lecture such a person on the importance of information security was utterly and profoundly embarrassing.
"Urgh...!"
Enraged but left with no valid retort, William huffed with a face that had flushed a deep beet red. Erwin spoke again, calmly emphasizing his point.
"Grand Marshal. To repeat myself, I was merely offering my congratulations."
"That is exactly the point...!"
Just as William was about to explode in anger once more, a sudden and piercing question flashed through his mind.
'Wait. Why is Minister Barrmut telling me this information in the first place?'
They weren't close by any means, but from what he knew of the man, the Minister never did anything pointless or without a hidden reason.
It couldn't possibly be a move intended just to congratulate him.
If anything, it was far more reasonable to assume it was a deliberate provocation.
William looked deep into Erwin's eyes.
They were frighteningly emotionless and stagnant eyes. Yet, strangely, there was no hint of provocation to be found within them.
'By saying he was congratulating me, he is openly admitting he knows a top-class military secret. Why go out of his way to... Huh?'
A top-class military secret.
That's right. Merlin's Staff was a top-class and highly sensitive military secret.
It was a super long-range strike magic weapon that the Empire had been secretly and diligently developing for years. That was the nature of Merlin's Staff.
Only a tiny handful of people in the entire Empire even knew of its existence.
Excluding the Emperor himself, it was only he, his closest aides including his adjutants, and a few from the Empire's research and development departments involved in the project.
'So how exactly does the Minister know about Merlin's Staff?'
Perhaps because he is the Intelligence Minister. Or perhaps because the Emperor told him personally.
If it were for such routine reasons, there would be no need for him to tell the Grand Marshal specifically.
There must be a reason the Minister would go out of his way to make the Grand Marshal aware of the staff's existence.
'The information has been leaked!'
That was the only logical answer. That would explain perfectly why the Minister had to subtly and indirectly inform him.
The Intelligence Department was a completely separate entity from the Imperial Army.
Even with all their vast privileges, they couldn't legally interfere with the internal affairs of the Imperial Army.
Let alone a military secret—and not just any secret, but a top-class, critical one.
The moment the Intelligence Minister directly and officially informed the Grand Marshal of the leak, the Imperial Army's prestige would plummet to the ground.
'Damn it! I was the fool here!'
Realizing the Minister had been being incredibly considerate of him, William suddenly shouted in a frantic and urgent voice.
"I am truly sorry, but let us adjust the joint training schedule immediately! Captain Chirner! Is that alright with you?"
"Pardon? Ah, y-yes, of course it is."
Francesca, who had been incredibly tense fearing a major clash, hurriedly nodded in total confusion at the Grand Marshal's sudden and drastic change in demeanor.
"I am truly sorry for the inconvenience!"
With that sudden declaration, the Grand Marshal left the tent with his bewildered adjutants, mounted his horse, and galloped back to the capital at top speed.
A few days later.
One researcher from the Empire's Research Division was imprisoned as a death row inmate for the crime of leaking a top-class military secret to the outside world.
Francesca Chirner couldn't help but be deeply puzzled by the recent events.
A few days ago, before the joint training could even begin, the Grand Marshal had rushed back to the capital in a panic. Now, he had suddenly summoned her to resume the training as if nothing happened.
That part was fine. But he had also specifically and pointedly requested that she bring the Intelligence Minister along with her.
He even went as far as saying it was perfectly okay if their schedules didn't align—he would come to them himself.
'What on earth is going on?'
Unable to make any sense of it, but since it was the Grand Marshal's direct request, she asked Erwin if he could possibly come along again.
Erwin had simply nodded nonchalantly, saying he would go.
And now, she found herself in this bizarre situation.
"Wahahahaha! Minister, you truly have a remarkable and sharp talent in military science too! Have you ever thought of joining the Imperial Army?"
"No."
"Hahaha! I truly like that steadfastness—so unlike today's flighty young folk!"
It was a complete 180-degree turn from his previous behavior.
The Grand Marshal seemed genuinely delighted by everything Erwin said, cracking jokes and even half-seriously attempting to recruit him like he was doing now.
It didn't look like an act at all. And given the Grand Marshal's blunt personality, he couldn't act even if he tried to.
'What the hell? Even his adjutants seem to know something... Am I the only person out of the loop here?'
The only clue she had was Erwin's "congratulations" to the Grand Marshal that day, but when she later asked what it meant, he just repeated it was nothing more than a simple congratulation.
No one would explain the situation properly, leaving her frustrated to the point of madness, but she couldn't bring herself to ruin the rare harmonious atmosphere with careless words. As she fidgeted awkwardly in her seat,
the Grand Marshal suddenly pointed at her and Erwin as if a new thought had just occurred to him.
"Come to think of it, weren't you two once formally engaged? It is odd, though. I heard the engagement fell through, yet you and Captain Chirner seem awfully close to one another."
Francesca was startled once more by his directness.
She never imagined in her wildest dreams that the Grand Marshal would bring up the topic of romance.
"So, how about it really? If I may meddle in your affairs, I think you two make a remarkably fine pair."
A fine pair.
He had clearly and openly said they made a fine pair.
'D-Did we really look like that to others?! Me and Erwin?!'
At the Grand Marshal's blunt words, Francesca hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand to hide her reaction.
Her lips were involuntarily curling up as if her spirit were ascending to heaven. And she feared she might let out a weird, giddy laugh too.
'Wh-What does Erwin truly think about this?'
If he said he disliked the idea or had no feelings for her, she felt she would surely cry.
Forget her dignity as a captain—she would probably sob right here in this tent.
Erwin, receiving a look of expectant fear from Francesca and intrigued gazes from the Grand Marshal and his adjutants, slowly opened his mouth to speak.
"I am glad that we seem to be viewed that way."
The Grand Marshal slapped his knee with a satisfied and loud "Well now!"
The adjutants went "Ooh!" in a chorus of genuine excitement.
As for Francesca herself, she was silently cheering and screaming from the very depths of her heart.
"Then...!"
"But she is simply too good for a man like me."
One of the adjutants thought to himself:
The air in the tent had just cracked with a sharp, chilling snap.
I couldn't outright deny that we looked good together and embarrass the lady in public, so I gave a vague answer and followed up by praising her qualities.
Even I thought it was a display of excellent and smooth social finesse.
"Ahem. Minister? What exactly do you mean by saying she is 'too good for you'?"
Eh, I hadn't actually thought that far ahead in my reasoning.
"Exactly as I said."
"Uh, so could you be more specific...?"
Having no particular deep intent, I didn't know what else to say, so I decided to rattle off my usual honest impressions of Francesca whenever I saw her.
"She is a remarkably hardworking woman who is blessed with a beautiful talent."
"Hardworking, you say?"
"Yes."
I took Francesca's hand, who was sitting right beside me, flipped it over gently, and showed her palm to everyone in the tent.
"You can clearly see the numerous hard calluses embedded in this hand. One might think it is only natural for a soldier, but every time we meet, new wounds and marks appear on her hands."
This is the undeniable proof that she trains with her sword without missing a single day.
"Born into the prestigious Count Chirner family, where she could have easily lived as a sheltered noble lady without any hardship, Francesca chose instead to wield the sword and protect the Empire."
She is the absolute epitome of noblesse oblige.
I returned her hand gently to Francesca's knee and continued my explanation.
"She never looks down on anyone when she speaks. She treats all people with respect regardless of their social status. I am loath to say it about myself, but among those born with noble privilege, very few are truly like her."
At the very least, I am certainly not like that.
"Moreover, Francesca's words are always considerate of others' feelings. She ponders and ponders how to speak the truth without hurting those around her."
But that did not mean she was soft or weak in any way.
"When making difficult decisions, Francesca is always resolute. She may waver momentarily on what is the absolute right path, but she never stops her forward advancement. That is exactly why her subordinates trust and follow her so loyally."
Thus, she was exemplary as both a dedicated knight and a proper noble lady—that was the core of Francesca's greatness.
"From the deep consideration in her conversations to even her refined table manners, every gesture she makes is like a beautiful painting. You can tell at a single glance how diligently she trained in noble conduct from a very young age."
This might not count as typical praise, but her noble bearing far surpassed my own in every way.
"Gentle and beautiful, trusted implicitly by her subordinates as a knight, and flawless as a noble lady. That is the essence of Francesca Chirner."
It was undoubtedly a character built on countless trials and tireless efforts. That is exactly why I called her hardworking.
"Not only is her skill as a knight truly outstanding, but she is also remarkably domestic in her skills..."
"E-Erwin. Th-That is quite enough...!"
Ah, oops. I got carried away with the list and it dragged on longer than intended.
Did I talk far too much by myself just now?
"Anyway, that is precisely why I say Francesca is simply too good for a man like me."
The Grand Marshal nodded with a convinced and wide smile, looking utterly benevolent—not at all like the man who had exploded in a fit of anger over mere "congratulations" last time.
Come to think of it, even then, after I emphasized several times it was just a congratulation, he seemed to get it right away.
I had vaguely feared him as the powerful Grand Marshal until now, but he didn't seem like a bad person at all.
That said, why were all of his adjutants grinning at me with those weird looks?
That felt a bit creepy and unsettling.