novelraw Chapter 90 : Chapter 90
Chapter 90 : Chapter 90
Chapter 90
The conversation with the Count continued until morning.
It would have been quick if I could have just relayed the information about the Orcs, but he wanted to know everything that had happened from beginning to end.
"It's a series of unbelievable events."
"If you don't believe me, call Vergil and ask him."
"Hmph, you think I'd believe that brat who pledged his sword to you?"
The Count spoke with a face that was a mixture of disappointment and relief.
"You've worked hard.
Thanks to the information you've obtained, we can prepare for the war."
"I just did what I had to do."
The Count, who was silently tapping the table, suddenly asked.
"After this battle is over, the fortress is yours."
It was a sign of his acknowledgment, but before I could express my thanks, the scoundrel within me answered instead.
"It was mine from the beginning, how novel."
"Ha?
Hahaha!
That's right, it was yours from the beginning!
Hahaha!"
The Count, who had been laughing for a long time, said in a firm voice.
"As you said, the master of this fortress is Moner.
It has always been so, and it will continue to be so."
The Count, who had pledged his sword to the former Duke, was calm, as if he was just stating a fact, but the meaning behind his words was heavy.
"From now on, you will have to prove that you are a Moner."
‘Since you haven't been a Moner until now.’
I could understand even without the Count explicitly adding those words.
Everyone doubted my qualifications and questioned my abilities.
Unlike the name 'Moner', which was like a sturdy fortress wall, all I had was a dirty reputation.
And yet, I could answer with a smile.
"Before this battle is over, everyone will acknowledge it."
There was just over two weeks left until the arrival of the Tyrant .
The war would begin before that.
"That the myth of the House of Moner will be rewritten under my name."
"...I certainly hope so."
With those words, we ended the conversation, and I headed to my room and fell asleep as if I had fainted.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock.
"Ughhhhh."
Knock, knock, knock.
Strange.
I feel like I just lay down.
Knock, knock, knock.
No, it's not a figurative expression, I really just lay down.
I had just finished a happy shower and laid my body on the bed.
Knock, knock, knock.
It seems the person outside is not going to give up.
"Come in!"
When I shouted, full of annoyance, a familiar soldier came in.
Was his name Derku?
He was the cold-hearted soldier who had ignored Hoodwock's desperate cries.
"Ex-excuse me!
A-allegiance!"
"What is it?"
"The, the Count has asked you to attend the meeting……."
No way.
"I just got here."
"Yes, yes, the… the Count hasn't slept yet either… he said a commander must always set an example."
"Example, my ass."
I raised my body, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, with great annoyance.
I could fully understand the Count's desire to show me off.
Just by attending the meeting, the commotion of last night and the nonsense rumors about the scouting party would completely disappear.
If I wanted to become the master of Moner, it would also mean that I should get to know the commanders of this fortress as soon as possible.
And I was sure there had been many calls and a lot of pressure to see me.
"But still, a person has to have a conscience……."
Thinking of it as the weight of being popular, I followed Derku to the meeting room.
"I heard you hate Hoodwock that much."
"N-no, sir!"
"Hoodwock was frothing at the mouth, saying he had taken care of you with affection and love, but you repaid him with an exorcism prayer."
"N-not at all, sir!"
"You think everything a senior says is a lie?"
"That's because he keeps saying things that don't make sense……!
Ah, no, I'm sorry!
I'll correct myself!"
While teasing the new recruit whose reactions were so entertaining.
* * *
When I arrived at the meeting room, Count Sven greeted me with a cold voice.
"You're late."
It didn't seem like anything good would come out of my mouth, so I answered with a smile instead.
What a conscienceless human.
How did a human like that surpass his class and reach 6-star?
"As you can all see, the scouting party has returned safely.
Contrary to the rumors, there was not a single casualty."
At the Count's indifferent voice, the commanders gathered in the meeting room each let out a gasp.
"Ha……."
"How……."
"Now, now.
The scout leader has not yet rested after completing his mission, so we'll have a separate explanation later.
Let's deal with the urgent matters first."
It seemed his goal was to show my healthy appearance, as the Count quickly moved on to the next agenda item.
Well, if he were to explain everything that had happened, one or two hours wouldn't have been enough.
"First, let's start with the matter of support from the northern nobles."
As soon as the Count's words ended, the commanders each raised their voices.
"After compromising this much, we should naturally accept it.
Aren't we on the verge of battle?"
"Even if greasy knights enter the fortress, will they move according to our will?
It might be different in the future, but right now, I think it's poison."
"That's if there's a guarantee they'll provide support in the future.
If the nobles see that we have no chance of winning, they will immediately pull out and pretend the support never existed."
"So you're saying we should bring poison into the fortress?
To put it bluntly, what will you do if the chain of command starts to break down?
Are you going to punish a knight from another family with military law?"
"Then, as a next best thing, we should at least bring in soldiers……."
"They say they're trainees, but we won't know if they're trainees or conscripts until they arrive!
Instead of having riff-raff waste our food, we should increase the supplies for the fortress's excellent elite soldiers !"
The opinions on both sides were tense.
The support from the northern nobles was sweet, but an undisciplined allied force was no different from a ragtag mob.
The best choice would be to accept the support troops of the nobles and then deploy the troops of each noble family to different sections of the wall, but if one section of the wall were to fall, the entire fortress would collapse.
While the noisy meeting continued for some time, the Count, who had been contemplating, opened his mouth.
"What does the scout leader think?"
Simultaneously, all eyes in the meeting room turned to me.
The blazing eyes seemed to be shouting that their opinion was correct, but the answer was already decided.
"We must refuse."
"Scout leader!
The fortress is so short on troops right now……!"
"Quiet.
The scout leader is not finished."
Doubt and distrust began to fill the blazing eyes, but I, who had dealt with hundreds of nobles in the game, was confident.
Because if the nobles had moved, it was because they thought it would be to their advantage.
"The nobles never do anything that will result in a loss.
Their offer must be because they think supporting Moner will be beneficial to them."
Even if the Count had expressed his intention to refuse, if they had offered to dispatch troops once again, the meaning was simple.
"If we refuse again and make an unreasonable request, they will have no choice but to accept.
No, perhaps they will believe that we will definitely win and increase the scope of their support."
The nature of the nobles, who tried to get a bigger piece of the pie in a winning war to gain honor and real power, had never changed.
"Interesting words.
Then what more can we request?"
"Command authority during the war, all war supplies including the food that each force will use.
And you should specify that the troops can be withdrawn at the discretion of the person in charge."
At my words, the meeting room began to buzz again.
If we made an unreasonable demand, the noble families might change their minds again.
Seeing that the debate was about to start again, I added more words to end the meeting a little sooner.
"Let's think of it simply.
Without command authority and food, it's an army we can't use even if we have it.
Also, if we receive soldiers who only waste food and can't send them back, it's no different from taking on a burden."
A demand that was both rude and the bare minimum that Moner needed.
"Hmm… that's true."
The Count looked around the meeting room for opinions, but no one opened their mouths.
"If everyone agrees, let's move on to the next agenda item.
We've received a message from the central government……."
The meeting continued for several hours.
Even though I didn't mention any information about the enemy's scale or speed that the squirrel had brought, as the war drew closer, big and small problems piled up.
The Count asked for my opinion every time a debate arose, and if there were no objections, he agreed with my opinion.
As the meeting continued, the Count's intention in calling me without even letting me sleep became clear.
‘Their eyes have changed.’
Just by expressing my opinion and debating, the eyes of the commanders, which had been flashing with suspicion and distrust, had changed.
Just as the suspicion and distrust in the commanders' eyes were completely gone and replaced by curiosity and interest, the Count announced the end of the meeting.
"That's all for the morning meeting.
There's a line of people eagerly waiting for the scout leader's return."
I looked at the Count since we hadn't talked about anything important yet, but the Count slowly shook his head.
‘Is there another reason?
Is it because I was too honest and said the information came from a squirrel?’
Various thoughts came to mind, but I didn't think the Count would ignore the information I had worked so hard to bring, so I bowed and left the meeting room.
* * *
I thought about sending a message to Trimia and the central government, but I didn't think I could last, so I headed to my room.
The fatigue from the continuous march was one thing, but I hadn't slept properly since the Demonkin appeared.
Creeak.
-You're too late, human!
The moment I entered my room, Calua, who was lying on a cushion in a corner of the room, shouted.
"Why are you here?"
-The stupid human moved me here!
I bit the stupid ones until they moved me here!
In an instant, a nightmarish image flashed through my mind.
"If a soldier loses a hand after being bitten by a Drake……."
At my cold voice, Calua jumped up and shouted.
-N-no!
I bit them lightly!
They bled a little, but I didn't eat them!
"Then that's a relief."
With a wave of relief, I lay down on the bed.
"I'm really tired, so don't wake me up until dinner.
If you're hungry, go find Reina."
-That female has already come and gone several times!
She's worried about you!
"Ah, tell her not to worry……."
Before I could finish my words, a powerful demon of sleep washed over me.
* * *
[System patch in progress…… 32%]
* * *
King of the Orcs, Tyrant, Great Warrior.
There were many names to refer to him, who reigned as the king of the green skins, but no title truly captured 'him'.
Because among the titles that called him, 'player' was not one of them.
『Lost Chronicle』, which had been losing players due to its ridiculously difficult level, enjoyed explosive popularity with a major update.
Unlike 'Monarch Mode', gamers could experience a completely different world through various modes such as 'Different Species Mode', where they became a different species in the game and explored the world, or 'Academy Mode', where they became a disciple of a famous NPC and achieved their master's goal.
'Dominant', who had been called by countless names since coming to this world, was one of the many players who had enjoyed the game.
The world's first player to achieve the feat of continental unification as the different species 'Orc'.
"...Things have gone to shit."
The throne, led by eight great warriors, was a symbol of victory, but Dominant, who sat on that throne, was lost in thought with a distorted face.
"The World Tree, I shouldn't have trusted that chewable bitch."
It was a mistake to think it was a hidden piece or a special privilege.
There was no way 『Lost Chronicle』 would be that kind.
"Tsk, it's no use regretting the past.
First, I'll take the fortress and then think about the next plan."
Front Hold would surely be full of suitable enemies.
"Just killing all the humans there should be enough experience to level up.
Or I could build a kingdom on that land."
In the first place, he had planned to leave the forest if the plan failed.
Unlike the monsters of the depths , he was confident he could tear apart all the races that couldn't even enter the forest out of fear.
"So this isn't running away from the forest.
A great warrior doesn't run away from an enemy.
This is… yes, a conquest .
Not an escape, but a conquest."
The tyrant's eyes, on the verge of war, burned red with excitement and anticipation.