Chapter 132 - Eureka

Inside Valdrova Castle.

The young ladies all waited quietly in one room, while the young noblemen held a competition to choose the commander-in-chief.

Ferda decided only to observe.

He was better suited to playing an active role in tactics than devising an overall strategy.

Among those in the competition were famous descendants of war hero families who had come from various places to build ties with Ferda.

The one who stood out most among them was a giant of a man.

'That must be Jonathan Sina.'

Jonathan Sina, the Iron Wall, one of the 12-member expedition sent to defeat the Demon King.

He had been named directly after his ancestor, and in truth, he was the spitting image of Jonathan Sina's statue, enough that one might think he was his reincarnation.

The descendant best known to the public from the expedition was Jonathan Sina.

Ferda watched him, then asked Isabella out of sudden curiosity.

"As far as I know, Jonathan Sina was known to be stupid. Is that right?"

"That is correct."

"What about his descendant?"

"He is outstanding at tactics, but when it comes to strategy, he is the spitting image of him."

Then why the hell did that bastard enter?

Sina's descendant was not the only surprising element.

An unexpected person had joined them there.

Olivia Arken.

The Princess of the Empire had also participated.

She was the only woman in this competition.

She was not wearing her usual dress that exposed her chest.

It was armor made from a rare metal called Altrium, light yet sturdy, and it had no pointless curves, focusing solely on combat and practicality.

She had put up her long hair and arrived with a bare face.

They said seeing a woman's bare face could kill the illusion, but this woman gave no such impression.

If anything, the strong sense of purity made her seem refreshing, causing the men around her to steal glances.

She walked a dangerous tightrope between that pure image of hers and her role as a commander.

"Since this competition is being held in wartime, we will grade and decide quickly. There will be ten questions in total, with each question worth 100 points."

Isabella conducted the judging.

Even that was only in name.

In reality, Mori, seated beside her, was in charge of it.

No one was more objective than her when it came to listening to every statement, comparing it against the materials, and assigning scores.

If they started asking what a little girl was doing judging them, it would become troublesome, so it was better to borrow a dragon's dignity.

"Administrator, may I ask one question?"

She was only the administrator of a single village, but because she had dragon horns, the young noblemen behaved politely.

"Please speak."

"Where is this person called Eri, the legendary adventurer?"

"That's right. Rather than holding a competition, I think it would be more appropriate for her to take supreme command in this matter..."

Even among nobles, Eri was a famous figure.

Countless noble titles had been offered to her, yet she had vanished without even pretending to accept them.

It was a rude act, but she was so exceptional that even that was tolerated.

If they could only establish friendly relations with her, she would be the most reliable ally imaginable.

"That... person will be moving independently. She has been entrusted with a special operation by a small elite force in this situation. She will share strategy with the supreme commander chosen today."

A chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with a legendary adventurer.

The young noblemen's motivation burned even hotter.

"Here is the first question. It concerns how to handle limited supplies."

How to use war supplies. How to deal with soldiers deserting...

The questions centered on matters that could be called basic knowledge for knights, so anyone who had studied war could answer them.

"This is the final question. All of you will be engaging in full-scale combat with demonic creatures..."

They were presented with how a battle against demonic creatures should be conducted, and they offered their strategies.

"By showing knightly spirit and charging to break their momentum..."

"If we stab into their waist and sever their flow..."

Every single one was disastrous.

They were speaking in terms of fighting people or fighting beasts, without any understanding of demonic creatures.

There were no small number of zeroes.

"Demonic creatures must be fought in a different way from them. You must move in a defensive formation, relying not on the courage of knights but on magical forces."

Surprisingly, only Olivia received an overwhelming score.

Ninety-eight out of 100.

It meant she knew not only the textbook answer, but also that it had been applied in actual combat and produced results.

Several more questions followed in that manner, and the scores came out.

"I will announce the results. The chief of staff is Olivia Arken."

Of course, the scores were not disclosed.

If they learned that Olivia had utterly crushed them, their pride would be wounded.

"I will accept your result, Administrator, but may I hear where exactly I was lacking?"

He said he would accept it, but he was really acting prideful because he could not acknowledge it.

He did not know that his opponent was the Slave Sage, who had the library of all things inside her.

Through Mori, Isabella already knew the incorrect points and sharply pointed them out, and they could no longer force their arguments and had no choice but to shut their mouths.

Olivia put on the chief of staff's epaulet and delivered her inaugural address with a triumphant expression.

"Though I have become chief of staff, I have no intention of disregarding any of you as individuals. What we need now is united will. Let us become one in that regard!"

Some admired her ability, but there were still those who inwardly found the sight displeasing.

It was only natural.

The Princess had abruptly risen to the ideal position they had devoted their entire lives to.

Even if she was a Princess they adored, if she stepped into their domain, their pride would have been shaved away.

After today's events, some of the people who had held fantasies about her might begin to question them.

'But I understand why she stepped forward in person like this.'

If the reins were handed to those substandard fools, they would have driven everything straight into the ground before it even began.

Trusting Olivia's judgment, Ferda offered her his congratulations.

"Congratulations on becoming chief of staff."

"No. This is only the beginning."

Ferda read the look in her eyes.

It seemed there was something she wanted.

"Regent, we are allies, are we not?"

"We share the same goal, so I suppose we are."

"I should phrase that differently. How much do you trust me?"

Because she asked so suddenly, he could not give a clear answer.

Until she had taught him to dance and suggested a solution to the rumor, she had been a reliable helper.

But ever since she had suddenly broken the scenario, he had become uncertain.

Could he really trust this woman?

"What is it you want?"

"You have a plan to use magical engineering rifles to operate soldiers, don't you? And you intend to proceed with it in earnest for this demonic creature subjugation."

"That is correct."

"Please hand that command authority over to me."

After chief of staff, now the command authority over the army?

"What is your reason?"

"My intention is exactly as you see. Right now, I have proven that I am superior to the other men and stood in this position. This is not the time to do things half-heartedly, but the time to accelerate."

She tapped the table with her slender finger.

"As chief of staff and as a commander, I want to prove my ability. I want to achieve merit in this situation and return home."

She did not hesitate to reveal the ambition that every young nobleman who had participated in the competition had carried.

"What do you think we can gain from each other? If I achieve great results in this subjugation, even the Empire will not dare ignore me."

"An entry into politics, then."

"That's right."

Olivia smiled faintly.

But to Ferda, it was not appealing.

"Were you not trying to become a Saintess in order to enter politics?"

"Of course, that is one method. But this is also a perfectly good opportunity, isn't it? I should seize this chance."

Like everyone else, she expressed her intention to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

However, Ferda felt a strange impatience in those words.

He could understand why.

'Becoming a Saintess is certainly no ordinary difficult task.'

Reaching the fifth realization was a stage even nuns who had dedicated their entire lives to a convent could not attain.

'And Olivia did not become a Saintess.'

She did not reach the fourth realization, in other words, the 4th Circle.

In her final struggle, she became a temptress who tilted a nation and threw the Empire into chaos.

It might be better for her to enter politics as a commander.

She truly was deeply versed in tactics, and her eloquence was enough to make even Erica marvel.

But how wonderful would it be if he could accept all those abilities exactly as they appeared?

She had once said it herself.

That she was like a jewel placed on an auction block.

If that jewel grew legs, more people would dislike it than welcome it.

'Still...'

Her abilities were beyond what Ferda imagined.

He sensed the possibility that she might somehow be influenced and her abilities put to use.

If the Princess gained a foothold and Ferda gained achievements as well, that would be good, and even if she failed to gain one, it would by no means be a loss.

"It will not be easy."

"I know. When has anything in my fate ever been easy?"

Olivia smiled.

Ferda decided to hand the command authority over to her.

"The one currently researching troop operations is William, the security captain. I will appoint him as your adjutant, so speak with him."

"The knight cadet of Duke Yurei's house, yes? Understood. Come to think of it..."

Olivia casually threw out a question.

"I do not see Duke Yurei's young nobleman. He is from a family with some background in command, so I thought he would naturally participate..."

Why had she gone out of her way to bring that up?

It was uncomfortable, but Ferda forced himself to answer calmly.

"I do not know either."

"Well, he may have fled, or he may have gone to another territory."

Knowing it was an uncomfortable topic, she glossed over it vaguely.

Ferda believed in Olivia's ability, but even so, he judged that it was too early to tell her about Marcus Yurei's death.

Olivia gave her farewell and moved to prepare for war.

"What did you do with Yurei?"

Ferda asked Luri beside him.

"I buried him. Rather than making things troublesome by erasing all traces of him for no reason, I thought it would be better to cast preservation magic on him and bury him."

"What about that army?"

"When I asked, they said they were preparing to defend the fortress together in Count Concillus's domain."

"I see."

"By the way..."

Luri glanced at him and asked.

"Lord Ferda, do you know that Princess Olivia is beautiful?"

"I know."

He simply had no interest; it was not as if he had no eyes.

"Not everyone is as wooden as you, Lord Ferda."

"I know that too."

"Then you are saying you have also kept in mind that Princess Olivia may take those troops and have them naturalized into the Empire?"

"Yes."

It was not as if he had never imagined William, her adjutant, being charmed by her eloquence and beauty and incorporated as an Imperial Knight.

"If he falls for that, then it means he is only that much of a man."

Ferda only hoped William would not disappoint his own convictions.

After the chief of staff was chosen, multiple scenarios were being constructed around Olivia through strategy and mock battles.

While things were at their busiest, Erica came to see Ferda.

"Regent Ferda. Are you available?"

Ferda nodded.

"Are things with the adventurers going smoothly?"

"Yes. I was in the middle of forming an elite force for a special operation this time. I came because of that."

"What would you like me to help with?"

"It is nothing else, but there is one person I was looking for who is not here. Isabella said she did not know either... so I wondered if you might know, Regent."

"Who is that?"

"The person called the armor knight."

The armor knight.

He was the man who had been the greatest contributor to the construction of Hestia village.

"I heard that he showed tremendous speed and strength during the demonic creature attack. Is that true?"

"It is."

"I thought that reputation might be useful. I want to place him in the vanguard, so I was thinking of asking for his cooperation."

"Hmm..."

The armor knight.

Though he seemed a bit stupid, Ferda had thought he was fundamentally a decent person.

As she said, if he were there, he would be a great help in the special operation Erica was planning.

"Unfortunately, I only spoke with him once. If it is his whereabouts, the administrator would know best."

"Is that so?"

He was not certain, but he had heard that the man had gone somewhere a week before the Start of Spring Festival was being prepared.

When he asked Hanson, the man's closest associate, Hanson had said he had gone to visit his hometown briefly.

But since the man did not say a single word, that was only Hanson's guess.

"It cannot be helped. I will put him lower on the priority list for now and ask the descendant of 'Jonathan the Iron Wall' whether he has any intention of trying."

"Please do."

Though her business was finished, Erica did not leave.

She brought out the words she had been rolling around in her mouth.

"I heard from Bella."

"Yes."

"That there is currently a problem with the drinking water supply..."

"That is correct."

"Are you truly sure you do not need our help?"

The village's situation was growing more serious by the day.

"Burnel asked for three days."

"And four days have now passed."

Burnel had failed to meet the deadline.

He was still shut inside his room, fiddling with crystal balls and books.

"If you are considering morale, this is the last chance. The people are not fools, so they will notice that water is running short. If resources become scarce, morale will naturally break."

It was a sound argument.

Preventing the problem was better in every way than dealing with it after it exploded.

It would be a lie to say he was not anxious.

He was walking through a situation where he did not know whether this was the exit or whether he was falling into an even deeper labyrinth.

The thought that perhaps he should have chosen the safer path and accepted a small loss kept rising up in him.

What one needed for an adventure was hope and courage.

Ferda was a man who believed those two things were useless.

"I will wait."

Even so, Ferda moved forward.

"Do you think this person named Burnel will succeed?"

"I do not know."

Ferda did not know what Burnel was doing now or what he was attempting.

But there was one thing he knew.

"He has not said that he failed."

Burnel had not given up.

"So it is not over yet."

As long as the man holding this land's lifeline had not given up, Ferda would simply trust him.

"If you indulge in pointless stubbornness when nothing is certain, the damage will only grow. Even now--"

"Ha ha ha!!"

A voice suddenly laughing like a madman cut off Erica's words and rang loudly through the corridor.

Erica turned toward the open door.

There stood a naked man with matted hair, running like a lunatic.

He shouted this.

"Eureka!!"