#089
Screech–!
With the train whistle, the train carrying
departed towards the western part of the Empire.
Not a military train, but a luxury passenger car from a civilian railway company.
A first-class compartnt created by renovating an entire passenger car.
Seeing the luxurious sight that couldn’t even be compared to a military armored train, Leopold, the adjutant accompanying , opened his eyes wide.
“B-Battalion Commander? This is……”
“You followed
without even getting ti to rest after working so hard in the Elcryer territory. I should at least treat you this much.”
“Wow! The bed! It’s huge!”
Irene, who had already jumped onto the bed and was bouncing around, and Leopold, who was looking at
with eyes full of emotion.
“B-Battalion Commander. Is this alright? This compartnt must have cost quite a bit……”
“Your Battalion Commander has lots of money.”
Although it was an extravagant expense compared to the three-day travel ti, I didn’t feel particularly wasteful about it.
‘If not now, when else would I spend money?’
The Special Magical Power Unit was a unit composed of mages, and their salary was considerable.
Among the Special Magical Power Unit, as the Battalion Commander leading the entire unit, I was guaranteed an enormous monthly salary, with all sorts of reward money and additional allowances allocated.
However, there was one advantage, if you could call it that, from moving from battlefield to battlefield: while money poured in abundantly, there were hardly any opportunities to spend it, even if you looked high and low.
Food? Just eat what cos from the supplies.
Drinks? Just drink what cos from the supplies.
Clothes? Want to dress up on the battlefield? Just wear the supplied uniform.
There’s no way there would be bars or inns on the battlefield, and I had no intention of frequenting brothels like other unit mbers, so my account had beco a golden goblin full of deposit records without any withdrawal history.
“Things were so bad that when I booked this compartnt, I got a letter from the Imperial Central Bank.”
“What did they say?”
“‘There’s a record of money leaving the account, wasn’t the account holder deceased?’ That’s the nonsense they were spouting.”
“Pfft-!”
The one who killed , whom even Count Elcryer couldn’t kill, was an unnad bank clerk of the Empire.
It’s still absurd thinking about it now.
When I go on leave, I should visit the bank first and turn everything upside down.
“Anyway, I don’t get many chances to co out and spend money. So when opportunities like this co along, I need to spend as much as possible to avoid regrets.”
Saying that, I filled the order form with nurous luxury dishes, premium champagne, and decades-old wine whose taste I didn’t even know from the dining nu.
It would take about three days to reach our destination, ‘Pelgear’ city.
I couldn’t carelessly waste this rare ti.
How much ti had passed as we enjoyed the served dishes and shared drinks while catching up?
Screech–!
At the whistle in the middle of the night, I got up from my seat, holding my throbbing head.
“Ugh, damn……”
50-year-old premium wine?
While connoisseurs might praise it as heavenly delicacy, to a street rat like , it was just alcoholic rotten grape water.
Ugh, it’s so thick.
If I drink that again, I’m not human but a monster.
‘By the way, why did we stop? We should still have about a day left until arrival…’
While thinking that, I heard knocking on the compartnt door.
When I opened the door, standing there was the captain in charge of operating this train.
Seemingly well aware of the value of the compartnt I was staying in and the food I had ordered so far, he maintained a polite posture and bowed his head.
“Excuse
for the late hour, dear custor. The knights who just boarded wish to et you……”
“…Knights?”
What nonsense is this now.
At my words, the captain nodded and extended his hand to point sowhere.
The place where the train had stopped was an interdiate station before entering Pelgear city.
A group of knights had already boarded the large train.
‘Looking at their emblems, it’s Buckenheim… And Nachtval ducal family mixed in?’
The mont I recognized them, I drew up magical power to dispel the intoxication built up in my body.
Buckenheim, and Nachtval.
When knights dispatched from two ducal families of the Empire gathered in one place, it wasn’t an ordinary matter.
“……”
“You… you!”
“Oh, there he cos.”
Leopold, my adjutant, had already passed out drunk.
I, dressed in full uniform, slowly approached the knights and saluted the man standing in the middle.
“It’s been a while, Lord Carlos.”
“Hmm.”
The middle-aged knight receiving the salute with a stern expression was Carlos Buckenheim.
The heir of Duke Buckenheim had personally co leading the Knight Order.
***
“I didn’t expect to et in a place like this.”
“On my way to the western Empire to command the subjugation operation, I heard there was soone wearing an Imperial Army uniform. However, I didn’t expect it would be you……”
Hearing Carlos’s words, Eugene glanced at the captain.
The captain gave a thumbs up with a triumphant expression.
It made sense.
When such a big shot as a ducal heir arrives, making connections would help with career advancent.
From the captain’s perspective, he was doing a favor by arranging this coincidental eting.
Though it wasn’t at all welco from the receiving end.
“Eugene, Lorentz……”
“Young Master Delling. It’s been a while.”
Recognizing Eugene, Delling, who was standing next to Carlos, gritted his teeth.
A gaze mixed with anger and fear.
The shaful mory from several years ago must have resurfaced.
“Oh, so you’re that Eugene? The one who created the Special Magical Power Unit?”
anwhile, an unfamiliar voice approached, calling Eugene’s na.
A blue-haired handso man wearing the Nachtval ducal family’s seal on his shoulder.
Though he extended his hand with a grinning expression, Eugene’s face remained stiff upon seeing him.
‘Zeplant el Nachtval…’
The first son of the Nachtval ducal family, and an unprecedented bastard in this ga’s history.
He was looking Eugene up and down with interested eyes, as if he’d found a new toy.
“Eugene.”
Among the knights lined up in the back, a familiar face greeted.
Feilun.
Having at least one familiar face made him feel sowhat relieved.
While exchanging greetings with the knights who had boarded the train.
Noticing that Eugene was alone, Carlos’s eyes narrowed.
“Did you co alone?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
At those words, Carlos frowned and openly showed his displeasure.
“I heard the Knight Order definitely requested support from the Special Magical Power Unit. But just one person, what is this……”
“I heard this subjugation operation would be conducted under the Knight Order’s leadership.”
Just before an outburst could occur, Eugene cut off his words with a firm voice.
“With this many knights gathered, I don’t think my unit and I would be needed. If you still called us despite that, the role would be advisory rather than direct combat participation.”
“……”
“That’s because……”
Eugene smiled slightly and opened his mouth.
It was a deliberately provocative attitude.
“Unlike our Special Magical Power Unit, the Knight Order hasn’t had experience killing Imperial knights.”
“……”
“What… did you say……”
At those words, Carlos’s eyes sank, and Delling growled while grinding his teeth.
Magical power seeping out from Carlos.
While feeling that and preparing for any possible situation.
“Ah, wait, wait a mont.”
Zeplant, with his characteristic grinning expression, stepped between the two as if diating.
“Rebels have set up camp ahead of us. In such a situation, there’s no need for us to fight among ourselves, is there?”
“Sending just one person as reinforcent for the important mission of subjugating rebels. This is an act of disrespect towards the Knight Order.”
“Is that so? Hmm, then……”
Zeplant briefly trailed off while holding his chin.
But only for a mont.
Swoosh-!
He imdiately released magical power and thrust it toward Eugene’s head.
An attack without warning.
It was an assassination attempt filled with magnificent magical power, at a speed too fast to respond to.
Clang-!
The barrier deployed imdiately blocked Zeplant’s sword imbued with magical power.
As blue magical power light scattered and the clash sound spread, only then did the knights who noticed it falter.
“What was that just now……”
“An attack?! Couldn’t even see it……”
anwhile, confirming his attack had been blocked, Zeplant whistled as if finding it interesting.
“Ooh~! You blocked it?”
The red barrier still present before his eyes.
In that brief mont, Eugene had blocked his attack.
“Acting all high and mighty to a ducal heir, but you’re not just all talk, are you?”
“Young Master Zeplant! What is this suddenly!”
“Trash, shut your mouth.”
When Delling, standing beside Carlos, startled and tried to say sothing, Zeplant ignored his words and turned his head.
“With this level of skill, he’s a hundred tis better than most knights. I think he’s not lacking as reinforcent.”
“……”
“What do you think? Lord Carlos.”
Zeplant smiled slightly as if asking if he still had complaints.
‘What a thug.’
Thinking that, Carlos clicked his tongue and stepped back.
“If the First Young Master of Nachtval says so, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Having said that, Zeplant left towards their compartnt, accompanied by the knights.
“Suddenly using magic inside a train, such a frivolous person……”
Delling was indignant, speaking such words.
However, Carlos frowned while observing the magical power of Zeplant and Eugene.
‘The heir of Nachtval. And the mage Keiren is raising… At such a young age, already at this level?’
It was skill that showed too much difference compared to Delling.
In fact, Delling was just surprised by the sudden clash, not even noticing what kind of exchange they had.
To grow this much in such a short ti…
“Indeed, I should have killed him back then.”
Along with an odd sense of unease, Carlos said that.
The raw gem that bastard Keiren picked up from the street had now beco a threat that even he couldn’t ignore.
***
“I apologize on behalf of my brother for his rudeness. I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I got to see sothing interesting thanks to him.”
Train compartnt.
After the encounter with the Knight Order, the one who ca to visit
was Feilun, who was accompanying the Nachtval Knight Order.
“And already a Lieutenant Colonel, now you’re really at a rank I can’t even look up to.”
Feilun said while looking at the rank insignia shining on my chest.
“What are you saying when you’re leading a Knight Order?”
“That’s just the result of desperately struggling to climb up. Though it’s already overwhelming just trying to keep up with our junior.”
After snickering while saying that.
While looking at the scenery passing by outside the window, Feilun opened his mouth towards .
“How do you see it?”
“What?”
“You know without
having to say it.”
I thought while looking at the approaching Pelgear city.
The joint Knight Order ford by combining Nachtval and Buckenheim Knight Orders, about 200 mbers in size.
All of them being an elite group possessing three stroke or higher imprints, and when including the apprentice knights and soldiers under their command, the size of the subjugation force would reach several thousand.
Similar in scale to when we subjugated the Elcryer territory.
They organized such a scale of Knight Order at once, and flaunting that action.
Their ssage was clear.
“Has the Round Table Conference been convened?”
Round Table Conference.
Created when the Great Rupture first appeared, it was the organization that beca the origin of the 12 Great Magic Houses.
The twelve heroes who were the founders of each family shared drinks before the battle to destroy the Great Rupture.
A term aning the union of magic nobles, taken from the round table where they sat around at that ti.
Feilun nodded at my words and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Magic nobles who had been building different forces are gathering into one huge group. The Joint Knight Order organized for this subjugation operation is both a practice for that and……”
“A show of force sent to the Imperial faction.”
“That’s right.”
The Round Table Conference was convened, and the nobles’ power was consolidated.
It’s saying they can create forces on the scale used to strike Elcryer anyti they want.
So Emperor, don’t ss with us magic nobles.
Well, that’s roughly the aning.
“But that’s not what’s dangerous right now.”
“Then what is?”
Hearing my response, Feilun hesitated for a mont before speaking.
“The reason magic nobles convened the Round Table Conference was the extinction of House Count Elcryer. And this joint Knight Order being organized is also ant to counter the actions of the Special Magical Power Unit.”
“……”
“You probably know better than
what this ans.”
Feilun spoke to
with a hardened expression, as if warning.
“It ans the magic nobles now recognize you and your army as a real threat.”
“……”
“In such a situation, you ca here alone. It’s too dangerous.”
It’s true that Elcidore remnants are gathered here.
But this subjugation operation was just a formality to lure
in, nothing more, nothing less.
This place was a trap set up from the beginning to entice
and the Special Magic Unit.
And I entered the trap knowingly.
“Listen well. Pelgear city is completely under the Knight Order’s control. It wouldn’t be strange for anything to happen there!”
“I know.”
“You know? Then why on earth did you co here alone…!”
Screech–!
While he was asking that, the train whistle rang out.
“Tch, have we arrived?”
Feilun had to command his Knight Order.
Hurriedly standing up, Feilun imdiately ran toward the car where the Knight Order was.
“Anyway, this place is no different from enemy territory. Be careful! I’ll try my best to help too……”
Even in his hurry, Feilun didn’t stop worrying about .
While seeing him off, the phone installed in the compartnt rang.
– There’s a telegram for Mr. Eugene Lorentz. The sender is listed as the ‘Big House’ from the Imperial capital… Shall I read you the contents?
“Please do.”
A telegram delivered to a civilian train.
After clearing their throat a few tis, the attendant told
the telegram’s contents.
– ‘Uncles’ from the ‘Big House’ are coming.
A pleasant smile blood on my face upon hearing those words.
Coming alone to enemy territory?
As if that would happen.
Author's Thoughts
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