kscans

1

Night falls. A corner of the Izanel (Special District) is faintly shrouded in a color reminiscent of scattered fairy dust. Two carriages quietly entered.

“The prince has arrived. Two carriages. Eight knights. Two of them heavily armed, they seem to be quite skilled,” Jurchaga reports upon returning to the room. Shortly after, a butler arrives to escort them. He briefly glances at Bard’s attire before uttering,

“Please, this way.”

Bard is currently dressed in demonic beast leather armor. The leather armor craftsman, Nitei, had completed the repairs overnight as requested. The armor was delivered to the mansion in the afternoon.

Jurchaga, following proper etiquette, opens and closes the door, and quietly sees off Bard and Karz. He pretends to be a regular servant as there are people watching. However, Jurchaga doesn’t usually perform servant duties in this mansion. He was originally a spy under Count Linz and is now moving around on Bard’s orders. Bard has clarified that Jurchaga is not doing servant work. This became true midway. Bard told Jurchaga about the fall of the Principality of Zarban and the path Karz Rowen had taken. He then ordered Jurchaga to gather information widely to see if anything suspicious was happening.

They are led through a complex passage. It’s hard to navigate in the dark. Bard is unsure of his location within the main building.

In front of the room, two knights stand guard. They are wearing light armor of the royal guards, meaning they are Julelan’s escorts.

Beyond the guards, the lord of this house, Count Zembrulji, Sawarinkizugar Toad, stands. Behind him, two knights of the Toad family, trusted by the count, Knight Nido and Knight Husban, stand. Count Zembrulji glares at Bard’s leather armor. From the perspective of a city noble, it’s customary to dress up when meeting someone of high status, like the count himself. But according to Bard, what else should a knight wear in a formal setting other than armor? Count Zembrulji doesn’t say anything to Bard. However, he does say to Karz following behind,

“Lord Karz, you cannot enter this room with your sword. Please remove it.” (t/n: as usual, Lord here is -tono (pronounced -dono)

The count, with a tense expression different from his usual gentle demeanor, said. Bard told the count that Karz Rowen’s sword is meant to protect the crown prince and cannot be removed.

“Lord Bard, don’t be unreasonable. You may be close to him, but this is not the issue here,” the count said, just as a voice came from inside the room.

“The crown prince has decreed. Karz Rowen is my brother and the most trustworthy. I permit him to carry his sword.”

With that said, the count had no choice but to remain silent. With a disgruntled expression, he glared at Karz once before urging Bard to enter the room. Bard and Karz entered.

In addition to Julelan, there were two heavily armored knights in the room. One of them must have opened the door earlier. Their armor looked incredibly sturdy. They were fully armed, their face guards down. Bard wondered if the protection of the crown prince was such a formidable task.

The room was oddly bare. Aside from a large tapestry hanging behind Julelan and a huge painting covering the opposite wall, there was hardly anything else, not even a desk. It was as if there was nowhere to hide. Eight lamps were placed on the eight candlesticks, and the walls were made of white shining stone, providing ample light. Karz glanced at the painting on the opposite wall. As a former royal, he might have an eye for art. Bard, however, knew nothing about paintings.

Then the count entered, followed by his two knights. As they tried to enter, one of the royal guards standing at the entrance said,

“Hold on, Count. Lord Karz Rowen is allowed to carry his sword, but others are not.”

The count roared in anger.

“How rude! How can my knights protect our esteemed guest without their swords!”

Bard thought it was strange. This was not the usual count. Yelling loudly in front of the crown prince was far more disrespectful than any issue with clothing.

“Fine. I permit the knights of this house to carry their swords. However, only one of them,” Julelan said. Bard was impressed. He saved the face of the stopped knight and considered the count. Moreover, if only one knight carries a sword, the two heavily armored guard knights cannot be breached. Knight Nido entered the room with his sword, and Knight Husban left his sword against the wall before entering.

The last to enter, Knight Husban, closed the door. Bard was startled. Knight Husban didn’t just close the door, he bolted it.

“What are you doing?” one of the heavily armored guard knights began, but the count’s roar drowned him out.

“Kill him!”

2

The huge painting on the opposite wall fell. Behind it were nine soldiers. All of them were holding crossbows, mounted on three-tiered wooden stands.

Bard reacted reflexively. He jumped between the archers and Julelan, spreading his arms wide to block them, his back to the archers.

Arrows would be flying any moment. He would take as many arrows as he could with his back. There were heavily armored guard knights on both sides of Julelan. If he could buy even a moment, they would protect Julelan.

The next moment, Bard saw something unbelievable. The two guard knights drew their swords and prepared to thrust. Clearly, they were aiming at Julelan.

A gust of wind rushed past Bard. It was Karz. But Bard’s experienced eyes told him what would happen next. It was too late. Julelan had no sword. There was a wall behind him. No matter how fast Karz was, he couldn’t deflect two swords at the same time. How could Karz’s thin sword possibly defend against the attack of a heavily armored knight?

In the time it took to think that, Karz swung his sword. The sword emitted a brilliant red phosphorescent light. He thought he heard a sad animal cry.

The next moment, several things happened almost simultaneously. The right hand of the heavy knight on the left, still holding the sword, was cut off at the wrist. A red line of rupture ran from the right side to the left shoulder of the heavy knight on the right. Bard felt a heavy impact on his back. The swords thrust by the left and right heavy knights pierced the air. Karz had kicked Julelan forward, knocking him down. Several arrows hit the falling heavy knights, making a metallic sound.

The middle of the tapestry was widely spread vertically. There was a hollow behind it, and Julelan fell into it.

Bard turned around. Several arrows were sticking out of his back. Some had fallen to the ground. The arrows used for assassination would naturally be poisoned, a thought that briefly crossed his mind.

In front of Bard, Knight Nido of the Count’s house was about to draw his sword and rush towards Julelan. Bard stood in front of Knight Nido. Knight Nido swung his sword at Bard. Bard was unarmed. However, he was not defenseless. He lifted his left elbow and caught the sword between his fist and elbow. A dull sound was heard. Knight Nido must have thought that Bard’s arm would be cut or severely injured. Seeing Bard unharmed, he was taken aback. Taking advantage of this, Bard’s fist exploded in the middle of Knight Nido’s face. Knight Nido was thrown back, knocking down Knight Husban.

By the time Knight Nido and Bard made contact, Karz had already run past them towards the archers. It takes time to reload a crossbow. They probably didn’t think they would need a second arrow. A sad cry echoed again, and a trail of squiggly red light danced above the assassins. In the blink of an eye, all nine archers had an arm cut off.

There was a loud, continuous knocking on the door. Voices were calling out, “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

In front of Bard, the count had been desperately searching his pocket for something since earlier. Unbeknownst to him, a small figure rushed over and pickpocketed him.

“Ah, it’s poisoned after all. I wonder what kind of poison it is.”

A leisurely voice, completely out of place, echoed. Jurchaga leaned against the wall, pulling out a luxurious dagger from its sheath and examining it.

“Y-you! Where did you come from? Give that back!”

As the count rushed towards Jurchaga, Bard’s right backhand struck the back of the count’s head. The count was spun mid-air and slammed onto the floor, falling unconscious.

The knight Nido, whom Bard had punched in the face earlier, was unconscious, blood gushing from his nose. Knight Husban, trying to get up, was immobilized with a sword pointed at his neck. Of course, the one holding the sword was Karz.

The voices asking about the situation inside the room through the door were growing more intense. Julelan got up and commanded in a strong voice, “Stop making a fuss! There’s no danger. I’m opening the door now, so step back from it.” Bard thought that Julelan had developed a good, firm voice. Julelan gave Jurchaga instructions with his eyes. Accepting them, Jurchaga put the dagger back in his pocket, pulled out the bolt, and opened the door.

Two knights who had been waiting outside came in. They were shocked at the carnage inside. At this point, Bard realized that he didn’t know whether these two were enemies or allies. However, Julelan quickly resolved the issue.

“It’s a rebellion. Arrest these criminals.”

He said, pointing at the knight Karz was holding at sword-point, and then at the count. Indeed. If they obeyed this order, they could be considered allies for now.

Then, a groan was heard. It was the guard knight whose right arm Karz had cut off earlier. He had fallen, but now he got up and charged. He held his sword as if to embrace it with his left hand, and his right hand, from which the wrist had been cut off, was attached.

Once again, Bard stood in front of Julelan. And to ensure that Julelan was not injured in any way, he took the most certain method.

That is, he took the thrust in the middle of his abdomen. Bard clenched his fists tightly, put strength into his lower abdomen, and braced his legs firmly. The charge of the heavily armored knight was indeed powerful. The tip of the sword bit into the demonic beast’s leather armor, but it could not penetrate. Still, the pressure of the sword caused Bard some pain. However, the heavily armored knight could not advance a single step from there. The eyes inside the helmet were wide open in astonishment, Bard could see a glimpse of it.

Bard’s right hand pressed down on the head of the heavily armored knight, whose movement had stopped. Bard grabbed the helmet around the ears with his large, rugged fingers, swung it around to the left, and then slammed it into the white shining stone wall. The wall shook with a tremendous noise. Pointing at the fallen knight, Julelan commanded.

“That man too.”

3

“Your pickpocketing skills are impressive.”

Julelan said. This was in the guest building that Bard and his group were using. Fortunately, it seemed that only the count and a few others had plotted the rebellion, and there were no further attacks afterwards. Even so, it seemed better to return to the palace immediately,

“The two most trusted and skilled royal guards have betrayed us. It’s dangerous to move hastily. We might be attacked on the way. After we leave, the evidence and witnesses might be disposed of. We’ll send a messenger to the palace. We need to be picked up, and we need to investigate here. Old man. For now, take me to the room you’re using. I have a favor to ask.”

Julelan said, and had Bard guide him to his room. Bard didn’t know the way, but Jurchaga guided him. This man never gets lost, whether in the forest or in the mansion.

As he walked through the mansion, Bard thought about several things. One was about when the battle started. He thought he heard a whisper.

“Cry, Van Fleur.”

It was Karz’s voice. But it was strange for Karz to say such a thing. Was it the ferocity of the battle he saw afterwards that made him think so?

One was about Karz’s fighting style. It’s not just about speed and technique, but also about the sharpness and the trail of bright red light. That… that’s similar to the phosphorescent light emitted by Bard’s own magic sword, Stavros. It’s similar. A sword that emits phosphorescent light and demonstrates unreal power. It’s very similar. What does this mean? But that sharpness, which cut through the heavy, hard, and thick armor like paper, is abnormal. Even with that, he couldn’t stand up to the General of Greed. Then, how strong was the General of Greed?

One was about the use of the crossbow. He didn’t know that nine archers could line up in such a narrow space. Also, a longbow can’t maintain its firing state for very long. But with a crossbow, you can wait for a long time in a state where you can fire at any moment. In other words, the crossbow has the potential to be effective in base defense and standby shooting. Shooting at positions and angles that can’t be aimed at with a bow. Waiting for an enemy who doesn’t know when they will appear, or a high-speed moving enemy to stop for a moment, and shooting immediately. Even non-skilled people can make few mistakes, and it’s easy to adjust the aim, so if it’s close-range shooting, there’s a reasonable way to use it. If you shoot densely with short, heavy, and hard arrows, you might be able to blow away even a heavily armored knight. Especially if it’s a high-powered crossbow like Auro is trying to make. However, an excellent commander is needed to use it effectively. The individual archers don’t need to be highly skilled, but they need to be trained to respond to commands. In that case, the commands must be unified into simple ones.

One was about tonight’s attack. It’s strange. It doesn’t sit right. It’s disjointed. The way they went about such a grand scheme as regicide was clumsy. And the count doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would think of such a thing. He didn’t even seem to be thinking about it. His thoughts are not yet well organized, but the behavior of the traitorous royal guards was also somewhat strange.

By the time he had thought about these things, he had arrived at his room. He had four knights guard outside the room, and Julelan sat heavily on the sofa. At Julelan’s suggestion, Bard, Karz, and even Jurchaga sat in chairs. Julelan said he was thirsty, had Jurchaga taste the wine, and then drank it. After having another glass, he said, “Your pickpocketing skills are impressive.”

This was about Jurchaga’s skill in pulling the dagger from the count’s pocket earlier, but not just that. Julelan had once had a letter from his mother to Bard pickpocketed from his pocket. By this Jurchaga. In other words, it was sarcasm. So when Jurchaga, who was praised for his pickpocketing skills, said,

“Eh, really? Hehe, is that so? If you praise me so much, I’ll get embarrassed.”

He watched with a complex expression as he laughed. Then, changing his mood, he said,

“Show me the dagger.”

“Okay. Be careful, it’s poisoned.”

After Julelan had looked at the dagger for a while, he put it in his own pocket.

“I’ll keep this. Old man, you’re okay, right?”

This meant whether Bard had been poisoned by the arrow.

“Yeah. I checked it first, but the arrow wasn’t poisoned.”

“I see. It’s a very clumsy attack, to say the least. But I didn’t expect to be betrayed by the royal guards. I heard those two were particularly trustworthy knights. It’s a good thing Karz had his sword.”

Bard said that it was thanks to Jurchaga. When the carriage arrived, Jurchaga said,

“Karz, I think it’s best not to let go of your sword today. Just a feeling.”

Jurchaga is a man with an extremely high ability to avoid danger. When this man says, “Just a feeling,” it’s based on an intuitive analysis of information and cannot be overlooked. So he thought he should let him carry a sword as much as possible, even if he had to force it. Hearing this, Julelan said,

“I see. Jurchaga. Thank you.”

And then he continued,

“But I’m hungry. Today has been very busy with the crown prince’s ceremony and all. Is there any food?”

When Jurchaga said there were leftovers from the food he bought at the lunch stall, he asked for it, had Jurchaga taste it for poison, and then started munching on it.

“By the way, Jurchaga. How did you know about that secret passage?”

To Julelan’s question, Jurchaga replied,

“Well, even a rabbit thoroughly investigates the area around its burrow. Even if it’s just a borrowed nest.”

It seems that this man discovered the secret passage himself. Noble houses’ secret passages are not something you can find even if you search for them. However, it turned out to be a great achievement to secretly wait in the hidden passage of the room used by the crown prince. But if it were discovered, it would not be a trivial matter. But well, this man probably won’t be found. Thinking so, Bard remembered another thing he didn’t understand.

“Karz, you rushed to Jule and cut down the traitor, then kicked Jule away. It looked like you knew there was a secret passage.”

When asked, Karz replied.

“I sensed Jurchaga’s presence behind the wall, so I knew there was a hidden hole or something. When I rushed over, he opened the tapestry for me, so I was able to kick in properly.”

Speaking of which, he had kicked the crown prince. But Karz didn’t apologize at all. Well, it’s okay, Bard thought. Jurchaga’s manner of speaking is also so friendly that it wouldn’t be strange if he were punished for rudeness, but Julelan doesn’t seem to mind. This room is now a place where only family members can relax.

4

The outside is noisy. It seems that the knights have arrived from the royal palace. Julelan told the knight who came to the room to strengthen the guard as he would spend some time in this room, to blockade the mansion, to treat the injured, to escort the criminals to the royal palace and start questioning while treating them, to hide the fact of the attack as much as possible, and to bring Barry Toad, the senior priest, here. Barry Toad, the priest, arrived at the mansion after the incident, gave the servants minimal instructions to calm them down, and then confined himself to his room. The count, who is believed to be the mastermind of the attack, is the priest’s younger brother, and the priest is the eldest son of this house, so he is in a position where he must wait for judgment.

Barry Toad, who entered the room, tried to take the posture of a sinner. Julelan did not allow it and made him sit in a chair.

“Barry Toad, Privy Councilor. We can’t afford to lose you now. You understand the current situation, don’t you? I will not allow you to resign. I ask for your cooperation in the appointment ceremony tomorrow and the events that follow. I will depart as planned. Without you, the absence would be too worrying. By the way, I have a question. Did the count not know about the secret passage behind the tapestry?”

That’s right. The count, the master of this house, seemed to know nothing about the secret passage. If he knew, it would be strange to say where he entered. Wouldn’t you put a guard in the secret passage to cause such a big incident?

Barry Toad’s answer to this question was that he had not told him. Barry Toad, who was originally the heir to this house, of course knew about the secret passage. But he said he had forgotten to tell the count. He said he had kept quiet, thinking he would surprise him at some point. It was an answer that made you feel powerless.

5

“Well, old man. I’ll put it bluntly. I’m going to appoint you as the commander of the central army. Chantillion is the deputy. Come to the royal palace tomorrow morning for the appointment ceremony.”

He didn’t quite understand what the words meant. The commander of the central army. He knew what that was because he had been taught a lot about it on the long journey from Lordvan Castle.

The king of Parzam has been carrying out military reforms over the past few generations. The core of this is the expansion and maintenance of the royal army, i.e., the army under direct control of the country.

Originally, war was a leisurely affair. If the king decides to attack a hostile city or country, he first asks the powerful knights to participate. The knights who respond to this gather their relatives and subordinate knights. The military power gathered at this time is the power of the knights themselves. The number of people and equipment gathered depends on the powerful knights.

Even if they win the battle, the king cannot do as he pleases afterwards. The knight who performed well will demand territorial rights and tax collection rights in the city. The knights who participated in the war must be allowed to loot for a few days. The knight who got the prisoner will start negotiating the ransom. Attacking the next city right away is a dream within a dream.

In the past, before invading another country, the king visited the powerful nobles in various places to discuss the conditions of participation and create a contract. If you try to make twenty contracts, it will take months. Even if you call the powerful knights to a defensive battle, you must first make a contract with the knights who have rushed to the scene.

To break this situation, the successive kings of Parzam have made advance participation contracts with powerful nobles in various places in case of emergencies. And gradually switching the service to the king from military power to money, they have been maintaining the royal army. This was made possible by the decrease in demonic beasts and the calming of wild animals, which led to the flourishing of agriculture and transportation. The rapid increase in population, triggered by the large amount of green flame stone from the Mordos mountain range, pushed this forward.

The royal army of Parzam consists of three armies, upper, middle, and lower, each with a commander and a deputy who command half of the army. In other words, the Parzam royal family has six direct control standing armies, excluding direct control armies with specific missions or territories. In terms of seating order, it is in the order of upper army commander, middle army commander, lower army commander, upper army deputy, middle army deputy, lower army deputy. Among these, it is customary for a member of the royal family to become the commander of the upper army, and currently Julelan is the commander of the upper army. Therefore, the position of the middle army commander is equivalent to the highest position in the military, with no superiors within the army except for the royal family. Therefore, it is also called the “Dessa Entra (Great General)”. (t/n: original word is Daishogun, big general or italian call generalissimo)

It is not right to give such a high position to a foreigner, let alone an old man who knows nothing about the way of war in the central plains and has no rank or crown.

6

“Your Highness. No matter what, you can’t convey it in such a way. Lord Bard. This is not about actually leading an army. The commander of the central army was served by Lord Napara Fujimo. Lord Napara was a prince of another country, but due to circumstances, he became a guest general in this country and started to go to the battlefield. His martial virtue and strategic eye gradually came to be used heavily, and he served as a general for three generations of king. One of the reasons why King Wendelland was able to ascend to the throne was the strong support of General Napara. Anyway, he is a person with a lot of trust in the army. However, he has almost no connections in the country and his political ambition is low. This General Napara has been in poor health since last year and has offered to resign as a general three times. Each time, we have persuaded him to stay, but this time he has decided to take a temporary leave of absence due to illness. Several powerful knights are aiming for that vacancy. After all, once you become a general, you are called a general for life even after you resign, and there are some privileges. Also, during your tenure, you are given a large amount of discretion in military actions. It’s easy to line your own pockets if you misuse it. The appointment and dismissal of generals is the exclusive right of the king, but if the great nobles and senior officials discuss their opinions and strongly recommend someone, they cannot be ignored. Especially now that Prince Julelan is acting as a proxy for the king. However, something interesting happened. Today, after the ceremony of the crown prince, a privy council meeting was held, and the personnel of the central army commander was discussed. However, for some reason, the Argolide family did not want to speak at all. Seeing this, the other great noble families also refrained from speaking. In the end, several candidates were nominated, but the opinions were scattered. Then, an unexpected person was recommended from the Marquis of Gadusha. It’s you, Lord Bard. I agreed with that and there were two recommenders. All the other candidates had one recommender. Based on this, Crown Prince Julelan decided to appoint you as the commander of the central army.”

No, that’s ridiculous, Bard thought. Bard doesn’t know anything about the way of war in the central plains. He doesn’t know the political or military situation in this country. He is completely an outsider. Why did this Marquis of Gadusha, whom he has never met, recommend Bard? When he said that, Julelan gave him an answer.

“That’s why, old man. You don’t belong to any faction. If anything, you’re a crown prince’s faction. The situation is tense right now, so not all factions necessarily want to take the post of central army commander aggressively. But they don’t want to let other factions take this post either. If it’s you, old man, you won’t benefit or harm any faction. For us, we don’t want to leave a post with strong speaking power like the central army commander vacant. It would be a problem if a knight with a different opinion from the king about the military system and operation sneaked in there. What we need now is someone who won’t do anything extra even if he becomes the commander of the central army and will quit without making a fuss when the time comes. Besides, you were supposed to be given a certain status as the tutor of the crown prince. The senior officials welcomed the plan to make you a nominal central army commander for a short period of time in exchange for not giving you a title or territory. It’s not a problem that you don’t have any military achievements in this country. The claim of having led the knights against the demonic beasts for forty years is formally sufficient. This country has appointed foreign-born knights as generals before. We want you to fill the post until General Napara returns. Also, it seems that the Marquis of Gadusha has heard about you from Seifert and the Count of Linz.”

The Marquis of Gadusha had been sending large sums of money to Idora for many years. It was Bard who exposed the crime of Caldos Gwendell, who had been embezzling the money. It makes sense that the Marquis of Gadusha has a favorable impression of Bard. But what does he mean by “something smells fishy”? Julelan, making eye contact with Barry Toad, whispered.

“The King’s illness is strange. Some suspect it might be poison, but the royal physician has served the King for many years and there’s nothing suspicious about him. Also, there seem to be suspicious points about General Napara’s illness. Then, the eastern fortress was attacked by a horde of demonic beasts. To top it all off, two major cities in the west have rebelled. Rebellion itself is not uncommon. They justify a war with the royal army, show their power, and get their demands met. But this one is different. I can’t say for sure, but I can see the shadow of the western superpower, Shinkai. I’m going to lead the army here. I’m taking almost all the movable forces, so there won’t be any soldiers left for you to command. This is a good opportunity.”

As he said this, Julelan took a bite of the meatball he had taken from Jurchaga and gulped down his wine. Jurchaga promptly refilled his wine, and then took a new goblet from the side table and poured wine for Barry Toad. Barry Toad, with a look of relief on his face, drained his wine. Jurchaga then took a meat bun from his pocket and handed it to Barry Toad, saying, “This is all I have.” With a truly happy face, Barry Toad bit into the meat bun. (t/n: of course they’re thirsty, they talked for so long)

“That looks delicious too. Is there any more? So, old man, let me be clear. You won’t be commanding the army, but if something happens and the army gets involved, it’s your responsibility. Nine times out of ten, something will happen. You’ll probably have to take the fall.” (t/n: original text said ‘have to cut your belly out’ -> seppuku)

That’s fine. Even if he have to take the fall, it just means he’ll lose his head. He don’t need a general’s position. Rather, if it’s for Julelan, he don’t mind being beheaded. Satisfied, he asked if he could go around the stalls in the capital.

“No, you can’t. I need you to go to Corpus Fortress. There’s been a report of a horde of demonic beasts. According to a fast horse report, there are about twenty. If the number is correct, it’s a number that even Pakula had never seen at once. There seems to have been a lot of damage. The knights of Mithra should have gone to subdue them, so the matter should be settled. I want you to check the situation and teach them how to deal with the demonic beasts. In this country, there hasn’t been a demonic beast for decades, maybe a hundred years. There have been reports of them appearing from time to time, but it’s doubtful if they were really demonic beasts. They don’t know how to fight against demonic beasts at all.”

“I see”. If that’s the case, Bard thought, there might be a role for him.

“Take Chantillion with you. You don’t have to hurry back. Inspect the towns and villages in the south and take two or three months to return.”

Oh, Bard thought. Despite the many troubles, this is a rather leisurely mission. At that moment, Julelan’s words at Lordvan Castle came back to Bard. “I want to show him a wider world,” Julelan had said. “Him” referred to Chantillion. Under the guise of inspection, Julelan was asking Bard to show and make Chantillion feel the world. There might also be a desire to keep Chantillion away from the suspicious happenings in the capital.

When asked what would happen if General Napara did not recover his health, the answer was that they planned to welcome another person as general. However, this person is not a knight of this country and lives far away, so they are still in the preliminary stage of negotiation for the invitation. Chantillion’s appointment as vice-commander came from the Argolide family. First, he would transfer his registration to the main Argolide family, take the seat of the vice-commander of the central army, achieve certain military merits, retire from the royal army, go through the procedure of granting the right to succeed to the throne, and then gain experience by the side of the head of the family. However, depending on the situation, he may temporarily take the seat of the commander of the upper army. There is currently no candidate for the commander of the upper army when Julelan starts to take on full-fledged political duties as the king’s representative. Chantillion, who has royal blood, can take this post. Because of this background, the Argolide family did not interfere in the personnel affairs of the central army this time. Bard nodded.

“Will you accept? That helps. I have one more favor to ask. Can you lend me Karz and Jurchaga for a while? Please.”

To Bard’s surprise, Julelan put his right hand on his left chest, closed his eyes, and bowed his upper body forward. With such a deep bow, there was no way to refuse. However, Karz and Jurchaga were not exactly Bard’s subordinates.

Bard looked at Karz. The eyes that looked back at Bard conveyed acceptance.

Bard looked at Jurchaga. Jurchaga, with his hands clasped behind his head, said to Julelan,

“Prince. You’re is Master Bard’s disciple and family. So, you’re like my little brother. I’ll help my brother out.” (t/n: as usual, Jurchaga call him Bard-Danna)

Everyone was taken aback for a moment. It was strange for Jurchaga to treat Julelan as a little brother in many ways. First of all, the way he spoke was decisively strange. It was strange, but for some reason, no one felt like blaming him for his carefree speech.

“Um. I’m counting on you.”

Saying this, Julelan showed a smile. That smile seemed to mean, “I’m going to work you to death.” I wonder if Jurchaga realizes that.

This was something Bard realized later, but for Julelan, this was a difficult situation. King Wendelland was popular, trusted by the military, had great military achievements, and had high political insight. And everyone knew that. However, Julelan was a prince who seemed to have sprung up suddenly and had to become the crown prince without getting to know the high-ranking knights of this country well enough. Moreover, the domestic and foreign situation is not peaceful, and he has to act as the king’s representative. Trust requires a track record. The quickest way to build a track record is through victory in war. That’s why he decided to command an army that was deliberately lacking a central army general and vice-general. That way, the credit for victory would be Julelan’s alone. He had just started to move things in that direction when he was almost killed by his most trusted guard and a long-time servant. He was anxious. He sought reassurance to fill that anxiety in Karz and Jurchaga. Julelan believes that they, being Bard’s family, will never betray him.

7

There was a knock, and food was brought in. It was said to be at Kamler’s instruction. The servants of a certain rank or higher are restrained, so Kamler himself can’t go to the kitchen. He got permission and gave instructions to the servants, and the food was cooked in front of the knights who were watching.

Bard was very hungry, so this was a relief. Barry Toad and Karz would feel the same. I’m not sure about the cunning Jurchaga.

The food was a bag-shaped bread filled with finely chopped meat and vegetables. Delicious! Even taking into account the fact that I was hungry, the taste was amazing. The filling inside is good, but the bread itself has an unbelievably delicious flavor. This must have been prepared in advance for supper. If Kamler were here now,

“As I told you, I can make delicious bread anytime.”

He would have said with an annoying face. Bard, munching on the bread, washed it down with wine.

“Hmm. This is something. The cook of this house is good.”

Julelan, who seemed unsatisfied with just taking Jurchaga’s food, bit into the new dish. After finishing one and about to bite into another, he put the bread on the edge of the table, turned to Jurchaga, and asked with a mischievous smile,

“Aren’t you going to steal this bread?”

It seems he was still holding a grudge about having his letter stolen before.

“Oh. You’re counting on my skills, huh? I can’t let you down then, can I?”

With a genuinely innocent smile on his face, Jurchaga raised his right hand in front of him, skillfully twisting and turning his fingers. The movement of his fingers was so intriguing that it made one wonder if he could perform magic-like techniques with them. Then, he asked,

“By the way, was that knight who came in earlier with that thing for tasting really from the royal palace?”

Julelan narrowed his eyes for a moment, showing a thoughtful expression.

“Hmm. He looked familiar. What?”

The last exclamation was a surprised voice when he saw a stuffed bread in Jurchaga’s left hand. Julelan was a top-notch knight. He should have been watching Jurchaga’s hand all the time to make sure it didn’t do anything naughty. He couldn’t have missed the movement of taking the bread. When was the bread taken?

Jurchaga, although it was rude, raised his right foot high. He was barefoot. He had taken off his shoes at some point.

Jurchaga had drawn attention to his right hand, stretched his foot under the table, pulled the cloth under the bread, and caught the bread with his foot. Then, he must have switched it to his left hand under the table.

“A good trickster, you see, pretends to do something with his right hand. Then, he does something with his foot. I’ll take the tuition fee.”

Saying this, he happily ate the stuffed bread.

“Pretending to do something with the right hand, huh. Hmm. I see.”

“Yeah. And you know, the crown prince was so desperate not to be deceived. Such people are easy to trick.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s true. I learned something.”

Julelan said. Then he returned to the royal palace. With Karz and Jurchaga. Jurchaga managed to pull off a humble attitude and choice of words. As if he was indeed a lowly person working in the palace.

8

The next morning, Bard was summoned to the royal palace and appointed as a general. It was his first time entering this luxurious palace, but he was too busy to indulge in sentimentality. Normally, the ceremony would be held in front of the soldiers, but this time it was a simplified version, witnessed by only a dozen or so senior officials. He performed the salute to the general, received a dagger engraved with the royal seal, and the seal of the central army general. The salute to the general is a series of formalities performed when appointed as a general. On the way to Parzam, he was taught this formality and even asked to demonstrate it, which he found overly unnecessary. But it turned out to be useful. So, did Julelan already have the idea of promoting Bard to general at that time? Bard thought he had grown into a man who could not be taken lightly.

After that, Chantillion’s appointment ceremony was held. He had already transferred his registration to the main family and was calling himself Chantillion Argolide. His golden long hair was cut short. Perhaps it was a change of heart?

Bard discussed with Chantillion. They would inspect Corpus Fortress. Then they would inspect the southwestern part of the kingdom. The period would last up to three months. They would prepare clothes and equipment that looked like wandering knights. They could bring servants to Corpus Fortress, but from there it would be an inspection by Bard and Chantillion alone. They would arrange for someone familiar with the road to Corpus Fortress.

He presented these conditions and stated that he wanted to arrive at Corpus Fortress as soon as possible. Then Chantillion, after exchanging a few words with the accompanying knight, said,

“Then let’s depart in a moment. I will prepare and come to pick you up.”

Bard was impressed. Chantillion came to pick him up on time, bringing two knights as servants. The four of them set off, left the royal capital, and arrived at the city of Gaidou to the east of the royal capital before the gates closed, where they lodged for the night.