novelraw Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Chapter 110
What awaited the Count as he entered the drawing room to welcome Trimia was a quite handsome ronin .
The mana felt from his body was terrible, but looking at his firm spirit, he was clearly a veteran who had experienced all kinds of hardships.
'It worked out well. The master of the Count's family cannot ignore a guest, so I'll have to kill some time here.'
Thinking so, just as he approached the ronin, the ronin opened his mouth with a bright smile.
"Ah! It's truly an honor to finally meet you. I am called Trimia."
The Count, who was walking toward him with a reciprocal smile, stopped in his tracks and scanned the ronin's appearance.
Leather armor that prioritized only functionality, leather shoes comfortable for running, and disheveled hair as if he hadn't washed for days.
"Hahaha! I am ashamed to meet the Count, called the hero who saved the country, in such a state. Didn't Ian tell me to hunt monsters before coming to the fortress?"
"...Yes?"
The Count asked back, forgetting even the fact that he hadn't yet received the Prince's greeting.
No matter how much of a scoundrel that guy Ian is, he couldn't possibly give orders to a Prince of a nation.
Even if Ian had given the order, there was no way any royalty in the world would personally go out to hunt monsters.
"From the moment I said I would leave the palace and gather soldiers, he earnestly requested it. That I must experience at least some combat before participating in the war."
Sven nodded silently.
"So when I asked what I should do, he told me to hunt monsters in the vicinity before borrowing soldiers from the nobles."
"Hoh..."
The Count sincerely admired Ian's deep scheme .
By dealing with monsters that noble families couldn't handle, it was a method to appease the nobles who were worried about monsters while also revealing his martial power to pressure them in secret.
The most important thing was that in the process, the Prince's army, a gathering of a ragtag group, would be reborn as elite soldiers in a short period.
'If one has to gather a ragtag group and create an army in a short period, it's a good method. But if they are people with little experience hunting monsters...'
The Count, who was pondering deeply, hardened his face.
In the process of engaging in combat with a gathering of a ragtag group, injuries and casualties inevitably occur.
As casualties increase, commanders tend to become insensitive to death or hide their emotions.
And the worst type of commander he considered was the kind who regarded soldiers as consumables.
"How are the soldiers?"
At the Count's question, Trimia smiled brightly and asked him to lower his speech.
"How could a Count of the Kingdom speak to the Prince..."
"Even children in the countryside know that the Count's family is loyal to Moner, not the Royal family. Besides, since His Majesty the King threatened to depose me if I truly help Moner, I am merely a prince with a time limit at best."
At Trimia's candid words, the Count burst into laughter inwardly.
He had been through too many battlefields to be fooled by the Royal family's deception of pretending to care for Moner now.
Instead of intimidating the young Prince, the Count asked in a polite voice.
"Are the soldiers alright? Since they were not accustomed to fighting monsters, there must be many injured."
Even if it was a question that offended the Prince, there could be no soldiers groaning without receiving treatment.
Understanding that heavy expression, Trimia smiled awkwardly and said.
"At first, I worried a lot that there might be injured or casualties, but there was support from the Holy Nation, and following Ian's advice, we emptied the Marquess's storehouse to obtain healing potions, so we had enough to spare. We also received a lot of elixirs called 'Stimpacks' through the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild."
Then he plopped down on the sofa and provoked Sven.
"I think a short time won't be enough to change the Count's mind, would you spare me some time?"
The Count asked for the Prince's understanding, left the drawing room, and looked for the Secretary-general.
"Send someone to the Prince's army to check their condition. If there are any injured people, and how many died on the way."
"Was there a battle on the way?"
At the Secretary-general's question, the Count pondered for a moment and told the truth.
"He said they hunted monsters."
Without needing further explanation, the Secretary-general nodded and quickly moved his steps.
'Strange.'
The Count watched the retreating Secretary-general for a moment, then entered the drawing room again.
'To spare time even while suspecting.'
Since he only showed his face, he could have just cut it short saying he was in a hurry.
He could have called the Northern nobles or had the Secretary-general take charge of the guide.
The reason he said he would spare time even though his suspicion wasn't cleared was because of his eyes.
Clear and upright eyes that didn't waver an inch.
'Being moderately crazy seems to resemble that guy Ian too...'
The Count chuckled and stepped inside the drawing room.
Deep-rooted distrust toward the Royal family wouldn't change in just a few hours, but if he had to see his face for the next few weeks, it would be better to get at least a little closer.
* * *
"Hahaha! Finally, finally a person has been born in Reime!"
"Count, it's hurtful if you say it like that."
At the sight of the Count bursting into a roar of laughter saying a normal person was born in that dirty Royal family, Trimia continued with a sad face.
"Do you think I wanted to inherit Reime's blood? To bring up a painful wound..."
"Hahaha! You're right, I was wrong!"
The gaze of the Count, who laughed heartily, turned to Trimia.
'Is this guy really a Prince?'
No matter how much he thought about it, it couldn't be.
Somehow, the Prince in front of him despised the Royal family even more than the Count.
He definitely heard rumors somewhere that he was a crazy Prince, but the Prince was more human than any royalty he had ever seen.
"What? The Young Lord said that?"
"Yes, the moment our eyes met, he looked at me and called me the Righteously Mad King ."
"Oh my, I will apologize on his behalf. It's because he's such a reckless guy, please understand."
"N, no. Doesn't the fact that Ian called me that mean I am material for a King ? Since anyone challenging the throne must possess madness, I think Righteously Mad King is as good a title as a Sage King ."
It was an excuse the flustered Ian made up randomly at the time, but Trimia believed those words firmly.
"That is also true. Since there is no King who isn't crazy, a rightfully crazy King would be a Sage King!"
Trimia, who was looking for an opportunity while talking with the Count, continued.
"There is something I realized while hunting monsters."
"What is it?"
Ian, who spoke of the importance of combat and experience, said he wished the Northern nobles could also experience combat if possible.
Of course, what Ian hoped for was just a defensive battle on the castle walls, but...
"Killing monsters was much more difficult than I thought. Monster flesh and blood scattering, soldiers' shouts and screams ringing out simultaneously; it is shameful to say, but even while calling myself a commander, I lost my mind several times."
Sven nodded silently.
The experience of killing monsters is not much different from killing people. Fighting monsters is not different from war with humans.
Commanders overwhelmed by the madness of the battlefield often lose their minds.
"Right. It must have been difficult, but gaining experience in advance was really a good thing. If this were the first battlefield you faced, it would have been difficult to even come to your senses."
Toward the Count who nodded as if proud, Trimia leaned forward and said.
"So about that... shouldn't the Northern nobles also share this precious experience?"
* * *
Three days after the Prince arrived.
A new wind blew in the fortress, which had been full of heavy atmosphere ever since the news of the Orc invasion spread.
"Who do you think will win today?"
"Of course, the Prince."
"Don't ignore Baron Diez! Didn't he catch more than three Goblins last time!"
"Even so, it's hard to beat the Prince."
Nobles accompanied by their family troops competed to hunt monsters, and the winner of the day became the protagonist of the banquet that night.
Even for the fortress soldiers who caught Goblins alone, watching nobles hunt was amusing.
"I'll bet on Baron Diez today."
"I'm telling you the Prince will win!"
"No, why get annoyed over that? Suspicious...? They said Royal spies are rampant...!"
"Even if the Reime King is worse than a beggar's foot wrap, the Prince is a good person, you idiot!"
Soldiers enjoyed the nobles' competition in a relaxed atmosphere, and the nobles became accustomed to the darkness of the demonic beast forest and fighting monsters.
"Uh? Uh! Someone is coming over there!"
"Ohh! Is that crest Viscount Dotran's family? What, isn't that a Hobgoblin?"
"Oooooh!"
Viscount Dotran, who had failed hunting because the number of monsters decreased due to the Orcs' great migration, finally succeeded in hunting a Hobgoblin.
"This might be a bit difficult? How many Goblins should a Hobgoblin count as...?"
"Three?"
"Ay, isn't a Hobgoblin stronger than three Goblins?"
While the soldiers gathered on the walls voiced their opinions, Baron Diez appeared from the forest.
"It's Baron Diez! Baron!"
As the soldier who bet money on the Baron shouted loudly, Baron Diez waved proudly from below.
"Uh? Don't tell me that's..."
"T, Troll...?!"
"It's a baby Troll!"
Soldiers who discovered the rare Troll shouted in unison.
"Even for the Prince, a Troll is too much!"
"Unless he catches an Ogre, how can he beat a Troll!"
Soon, the Prince came out dragging one Hobgoblin and six Goblins, but the moment he saw Diez, he waved his hand as if admitting defeat.
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Diez! Diez! Diez!"
* * *
"Congratulations. Even if it's a baby, to catch a Troll. Truly magnificent."
At Trimia's words, Diez's shoulders rose on their own. As much as he was prepared for death the moment he first faced the Troll, this hunt was a glorious achievement.
"I really almost died, but fortunately, the family knights handled it excellently."
"Is that so? You seem to have excellent knights. The future of the Baron's family is bright."
Diez admired quietly at the Prince's bright smile.
Even if it's a friendly competition, to admit defeat so excellently and praise a tiny Baron's family...
The Prince spared no encouragement and interest not only for the winner but for everyone who participated in the hunt.
The more he did, the more Diez and the Northern nobles were satisfied with their choice to support the Second Prince.
No matter what anyone said, Trimia was a royal with the qualities of a Sage King unmatched by anyone.
"Now, then, you really worked hard. Baron Diez! Enjoy the winner's rights to your heart's content!"
With those words, as Diez and the soldiers walked toward the castle gate, the sound of shouting his name shook the ground.
'To be recognized by Moner's soldiers, what an honor...'
While enjoying the lingering feeling,
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With the sudden sound of bells, the knight order that rushed out of the fortress quickly surrounded the nobles and shouted.
"Evacuate immediately!"
Just as Diez, turning pale at the shouts and screams ringing from all directions saying a large monster appeared, was evacuating to the fortress with other nobles.
""""""Waaaaaaah!!!""""""
A shout louder than ever before burst out from the fortress.
""""""Special Mission Unit! Special Mission Unit! Special Mission Unit!""""""
At the spectacular return of the Special Mission Unit dragging the corpse of a gigantic Serpent King over 5 meters long, the fortress thrilled.