North Baim.
Once, the name "Baim" referred to nothing but North Baim itself. Now it was a devastated urban ruin, where rubble was still being cleared and reconstruction carried on day after day.
Waiting for me in that North Baim were Adele, with dark circles under her eyes, and Maxim at her side — there to welcome me into the city.
"…I'd have thought you'd be lending a hand with reconstruction, but instead you go diving into a Dungeon. No, it's fine, really. Lyle, you're always so free-spirited like that. As long as it leads to something good in the end! But… please send some of our people back here. Clara, for instance. That stubborn Clara. Or Monica would do, too."
She hadn't done it — well, she probably had, to some extent. But the daily toll was wearing on her, and she'd been taking her frustration out on me.
As for Maxim, he just shrugged.
"Sorry about that. Adele is nearing her limit. If possible, it would really help if you could send more people our way."
At his words, I looked back and forth between Adele and Maxim.
"…No, shouldn't you be making do with the people you already have? Why don't you take a proper break once in a while?"
When I said that, Adele—
"I want to take a break! But! But… every single day, complaints keep piling on my desk under the guise of 'requests.' And no matter where I start, there are complaints! Complaints!"
General Broa, standing beside me, watched Adele — on the verge of tears — with a slightly puzzled look.
"Well, we do need to organize units and conduct training as quickly as possible. And if Lufence is breached, reconstruction will be the least of our worries."
To put it bluntly, there was no room to redirect manpower anywhere. Or rather — yes, Baim had come under my protection, but Adele and the others had been pushing themselves far too hard.
"No, you should just be doing what you can at a reasonable pace. It's impossible no matter how you slice it. As long as you're not cutting corners, you need proper rest."
From within the Jewel, the Third Generation spoke in a gentle voice.
"Oh, I see how it is. Adele is such a kind girl. Well, more like she's too serious. Reconstruction is a ten- or twenty-year project at least — I wish she'd let herself breathe a little. If she keeps this up without ever letting go, she's going to collapse."
Coming here in person, I could see she'd been overdoing it. Supplies were being prepared, the work that could be done was being done — but any further demands were beyond what we could handle.
In truth, if we funneled everything into Baim's reconstruction, we would lose to Banseim without a doubt. If anything, just the fact that I'd left Adele and the others behind showed how lenient I was being.
"Reconstruction won't wrap up in just a few years — we're looking at a ten- to twenty-year timeline. Let's pace ourselves. Work hard, but without burning out. So, with that said, Maxim… could you force Adele to take a break? Oh, and Maxim, you should take a vacation with her too, while you're at it."
When he learned that Adele was resting, his shoulders slumped with a heavy thud… and then he crumpled to his knees.
"S-She was told to rest? That's wonderful…"
No, more like she had to rest. If the person at the top collapsed, we'd be in real trouble. Solving everything in the short term was simply impossible.
Maxim wrapped an arm around Adele's shoulder and led her away. I exchanged a glance with General Broa. The general spoke.
"She's young. Hardworking, and with a strong sense of duty. That girl is an adjutant type. Though, putting someone like that in the top position is the classic way to stifle the growth of those beneath her."
She seemed like the type who couldn't delegate work downward properly. I'd been warned about the same thing before, actually. Come to think of it… that warning had come in a Dungeon too. In the Aramsass Dungeon, I'd been awkwardly tasked with breaking through to the thirtieth underground floor…
"She'll have plenty to learn from here on out. She's an important civil official, after all. We need to let her build up experience and grow."
General Broa chuckled.
"Having capable people around is certainly a good thing. Makes things easier for the rest of us."
The Seventh Generation murmured quietly.
'This one is a classic commander type. The kind who, if you try to shift work to others, will half-ass it themselves — a real pain.'
I turned my gaze from General Broa to the entrance of Baim's Dungeon. It was a cave opening that led underground. The surrounding area had been tidied up, fashioned into something resembling a gate.
It must have once had sentries and steady foot traffic, with plenty of stalls set up around it… traces of that were still visible. Even now, a few stalls had reopened for business.
"…Well, let's head in."
General Broa nodded. The detailed groundwork had been handled by me passing it to General Broa, who in turn delegated to his subordinates… that was how preparations had fallen into place. The only question now was how much we could get out of it.
——The Rufens Royal Castle.
Novem had assigned Innis as her escort. At the same time, she had entrusted a message to the Valkyries to be delivered to South Baim. With the network the Valkyries possessed, communication could be carried out without wasting much time.
She had asked them to convey that Innis was in Rufens. And also, to tell Rauno to come to Rufens as soon as his work was finished.
Novem, busy with all manner of things, was about to depart from the royal castle in Rufens to rendezvous with the engineering corps she had left behind on-site.
While she was preparing to depart with her escort, someone called out to her.
"This is Lady Novem. You look busy."
Novem turned toward the speaker and saw the person approaching them. She composed her expression and smiled.
"This is Baron Bagdia. What can I do for you?"
Baron Bagdia. **Reibel Bagdia** was a Landed Nobility of Baim in his early twenties. He had only recently inherited his title, and the Baim invasion was his first major battle.
He had been captured after losing to Lianne and had promised to cooperate. Now, he held a position leading troops under Rauno or Baldoa.
However—this man still underestimated Lianne, who was young, too young.
"I was merely curious. The Alliance Leader heads to the Dungeon and puts beautiful women to work. Isn't this a problem for her standing?"
His tone was gentle. And he was speaking the truth. Certainly, if one considered Lianne's position, she had no time to be visiting a Dungeon.
She was doing it because it was necessary, but how others perceived it was a different matter entirely. Novem answered with a smile.
"...That is precisely because it is necessary for the battles ahead that Lady Lianne is doing this. If you have any grievances, perhaps you should tell her directly?"
Reibel touched his green bangs with his fingertips.
"As a newcomer, I couldn't possibly say something like that. But I thought I should gather the opinions of the womenfolk first. The nobles of Baim look down on adventurers. In fact, to fall to the level of an adventurer and still engage in the same actions—oh, I'm saying that many people hold that opinion, not that it's my own."
The nobles of Baim inevitably saw adventurers as beneath them. A fallen noble turned adventurer was, in their eyes, a despicable existence. The higher one's rank, the stronger this sentiment became.
"Lady Lianne was driven from her home and fell to the rank of an adventurer, yet she climbed back up from there. I acknowledge that. However... given her current status, is it truly a good thing for her to continue fighting like an adventurer?"
While he was praising Lianne, he was simultaneously criticizing her. Novem replied.
"Fighting fair and square. Indeed, it is important to act like a knight. Let's discuss it the next time you meet her. Of course, I do wish such important matters would be raised during formal meetings."
Reibel smiled.
"Yes, I'll be careful. I'm still getting used to things myself, so please forgive me."
With that, Reibel turned and walked away, his escorting knights following behind him. Novem watched his retreating figure with a blank expression.
——Lianne's office.
Looking outside, one could see the castle walls and the castle town where reconstruction was progressing.
There were still few people who had migrated in, but the barracks where soldiers lived had been expanded as well, lending the area a certain vitality.
Lianne gazed at the figures reflected in the window while taking in that scene. In the room stood a single Valkyrie dressed in a maid uniform. And before the door was a young man with green hair and blue eyes—Reibel.
As befitting his rank as a baron, his clothing was splendid. Lianne did not turn around.
"...I see. So you're saying Novem has been acting unnaturally? You came here specifically to tell me that?"
Reibel spoke. His manner was gentle, his tone one of genuine concern. But Lianne caught something snagging at the edges of his words.
"Yes. I don't exactly enjoy this sort of thing either, but I felt you should be informed. I hear that Lady Lianne has entered into an engagement with the Alliance Leader. From our perspective as well, you are far more worthy of the Alliance Leader than some daughter of House Foxes."
Lianne curled the corners of her mouth upward and turned back slightly.
"Oh my, are you sure you should be saying such things?"
"One must be clear about where one stands. Besides, I truly believe that Lady Lianne is the one suited for the position of consort. Coming all the way from Fonbeau to Lufens to support the Alliance Leader—the sight of that has truly earned the admiration of many—"
"—It was the Crown Prince of your country who betrayed me once, you know. I dislike beating around the bush. Get to the point."
Reibel cleared his throat after being cut off mid-sentence, then spoke again.
"General Broa will come around, I'm sure. The vassal knight Baldoa was originally a knight of House Walt as well. He may have his reservations, but he'll accept it. The concern is what it means when we elevate our fellow knights based solely on merit. There are many who harbor dissatisfaction over this."
Lianne murmured "Is that so," then turned her entire body away from Reibel, walked to her desk, and sat down in her chair.
"Some are saying that the Alliance Leader doesn't take us knights seriously. Despite being born into a noble house, his failure to understand our position means he'll only be driven out in the end—oh, but of course, this is merely a rumor."
"Yes, I'm well aware. ...Still, it's troublesome when people spread such rumors freely. Baron Bagdia, would you continue to report to me going forward as well?"
Reibel smiled with apparent pleasure and placed his right hand over his heart.
"Of course. Gladly."
Lianne smiled back at Reibel as well—.
――In the corridors of Lufens Royal Castle.
Reibel was walking while conversing with the knights who surrounded him. It was a quiet stroll, their voices kept low, carrying on conversations that could be interpreted any which way.
"Lord Reibel, so who is your true love?"
When the older knight put the question to him, Reibel smiled faintly.
"My true love? Honestly, I don't have one. Matters of the heart get awfully messy, after all. If you dismantle things from that angle, everything else falls into place."
Another knight laughed. That smile had absolutely nothing pure about it.
"I'm counting on you. From our side, we want insurance so we're covered no matter which way things turn. Still, to think you'd head to the Dungeon at this point—"
"—Ah, that's enough."
Reibel cut the knight off with a slight smile. Then, glancing around, he confirmed no one was nearby.
"My apologies."
"Not at all. Anyone would build up resentment. Especially serving under someone whose station doesn't match their worth. Well then, let's make things a bit easier to maneuver while he's gone."
With that said, Reibel walked at the front of the group, wearing a faint smile—.
The underground Dungeon of Baim.
On the fifteenth floor below ground, I had staked out a large chamber. Surrounding me, in addition to the escort knights, was Valkyrie Number One, standing by in full combat gear.
In front of General Broa, Valkyrie Number Two was moving pieces one after another. Watching this, General Broa stroked his chin and nodded.
"...And that is why you lose. The sheer volume and precision of information available from the very start is simply incomparable."
The trump card I had used to crush the Banseim forces that invaded Baim — upon seeing it, General Broa had this to say about my Skills.
"In a way, they're the strongest there is."
However, there was something I needed to make clear.
"Those strongest Skills won't be usable in the next battle. You all need to drill the messenger duties and finer details into your bodies while there's still time."
A large room, with a messenger bursting in.
"Message! The Second Company is under attack by Monsters and cannot advance. They're requesting reinforcements!"
At those words, General Broa glanced my way, and I gave a nod.
So General Broa spoke.
"We'll send the reserve Third Company as reinforcements. Until then, hold the line defensively, and pull back once they arrive. Messenger, relay that order to the Third Company now. The route is—"
The messenger received the order, and the other messenger in the room headed off to the Third Company.
Number Two was moving pieces on the map, showing how the Second Company was gradually being pushed back. If I kept things visible like this, the others would start formulating strategies too, not just me.
All I needed to do was watch the situation and speak up only when danger arose.
"The Second Company is fragile, huh?"
General Broa must have known from the start that they were weaker compared to the others, since he nodded and explained.
"There's a great deal of talented personnel among them, but I'd say the pieces just don't mesh well. However, if they do click, I believe they'll become an outstanding unit."
If General Broa had assembled them with that in mind, I shouldn't interfere.
"I'll leave it to you. Just keep in mind that if things truly aren't working, you'll need to think of another approach. I'd like to avoid grinding them down as much as possible."
General Broa nodded.
"I'll do my best to get results. Now then, the situation is shifting again. …A portion of the Third Company has gotten lost."
The piece Number Two moved showed a cluster breaking away from the Third Company's formation inside the Dungeon.
Inside the Jewel, the Seventh Generation was slightly exasperated.
'…They can't even keep up? Their training level is far too low.'
The Third Generation burst out laughing.
'A talented group that doesn't mesh. A group that gets lost. Lots of problem children, huh. Yep, yep! That's what makes things interesting — when nothing goes the way you expect.'
General Broa placed a hand on his forehead.
"...I'll have them brought back."
I didn't say anything in particular, just watched the movement of the pieces on the map. Number Two was simply reproducing the scene I was seeing, and I was thinking about what to do next.
"If I can't issue orders right away, should I also change the instructions I do give?"
If I could use Skills, I would have been able to deploy the Third Platoon immediately and have them join up with the Second Platoon before it got into serious trouble. But what the messengers brought was news after the fact. And time had already passed.
"After a few days, I probably shouldn't use the piece placement anymore."
Since I wouldn't be able to get the latest information at all times going forward, I decided to hold off on that for future training. When Number Two heard my murmur, she looked disappointed that she would be out of a job.