"Why on earth is this fellow here... If he had business, couldn't he have just sent a message through Chris or something?"
"Hmph! I didn't come to your house. I came to Tenma's house! You have no right to tell me what to do! Besides, Chris is busy with work!"
"That's my house too, you know!"
"This house is already registered as the residence of the head of the Ootori family — in other words, Tenma's estate! You, who transferred the estate to Tenma, should understand that better than anyone! In other words, since Tenma has invited me in, it's not your place to object!"
Several days after completing the commission from Lyle, one afternoon, Ernest showed up at my house for some reason, dragging along Albert and the other two idiots.
It was an unexpected visit, but since he said it was important, I invited the four of them in and we took our seats in the reception room to hear what he had to say — only for Grandpa to notice Ernest was here, come barging in, and start bickering as usual... It wasn't like they genuinely hated each other, so couldn't they just behave a little? My head was starting to hurt...
"Grandpa, please don't get so worked up — it's bad for your health. Ernest, forgive me for the late greeting."
When Primera stepped in between them, both of them quieted down immediately.
"So, what is this important matter?"
I asked, though at this point I was pretty sure it had to be something related to monsters. But if that was the case, I couldn't figure out why Albert and the others had come along with Ernest.
"Mm, I expect you've more or less guessed already, but today's business concerns monsters. In fact, two days after the ones found up north, we re-surveyed the area around the Royal Capital and discovered what appear to be monster traces on the western and southern sides as well."
"What were the people in charge of the west and south doing?"
"Sigurd handled the west, and Chris the south. However, you can't blame either of them. Both of them did report the traces themselves."
The traces found in the west appeared to be from a group of people camping, but at the time of discovery, all they could see was scattered trash and a hastily extinguished campfire — so they chalked it up to "just some lowlifes" and called it a day. They collected the trash, buried the ashes in the ground, and moved on.
As for the traces in the south, it was a wild cow that had been gnawed apart, but Chris determined it was the work of wolves native to the area and buried the cow's remains.
"However, since monsters were found on the north side, we decided to re-investigate all locations where suspicious reports had come in. And during that re-investigation, we found a near-monster corpse buried near the campsite Sigurd had discovered, and we learned that the cow remains Chris had found weren't devoured by wolves — they had been eaten by a monster."
Apparently, the discovery of the monster corpse buried near the campsite was almost pure chance — a knight dispatched for the re-investigation was surveying the area when he noticed the ground, covered in dead grass, felt unusually soft. When he dug it up, he found a body buried there. As for the cow remains, the re-investigation began during a discussion with the question "Would wild wolves really leave prey unfinished like that?" which led to "At the very least, isn't it strange that there were no wolves near the carcass?" — so they decided to take another look. The results showed that the bite marks were closer to a human's than a wolf's, and there were claw marks as if something had used its hands to tear the meat apart, confirming it was the work of a monster.
"Regarding the cow, what really bugs me is why the leftover remains weren't scavenged by wolves."
"I think that's actually a simple explanation. The wolves were probably afraid of the monster. When the monster devoured the cow, the carcass would have been thoroughly stained with the monster's scent. The wolves would have recognized that the cow remains belonged to the monster, and decided it wasn't worth the risk of stealing it and facing retaliation."
For example, it's said that brown bears are fiercely possessive of their prey, and when something takes it from them, they will tenaciously try to reclaim it.
"I see... So the wolves used their sense of smell to realize that the cow carcass belonged to a monster, and made sure to stay away from the area."
"So then, what does the story about the monsters to the west and south have to do with Albert and the others?"
To bring the conversation back on track, I asked why Albert and his companions had come along—
"This investigation revealed that the monsters' range of activity includes the Royal Capital. However, since we are currently at war with the Empire, we cannot divert the Royal Capital's knights to patrol the surrounding area. Therefore, we decided to recruit volunteers among the nobles staying in the Royal Capital and establish a temporary patrol unit. These three are the representatives of the households with the highest ranks among the nobles who have declared their participation so far. In other words, they are candidates for leadership positions within the unit."
Ernest-sama spoke as though he had put out a call to every single
one
of
the
nobles
in the Royal Capital—
but judging from the three who had been selected, it really seemed like only nobles belonging to the Royalist Faction, or at least ones on friendly terms, had actually been approached.
"And the one who ended up leading this patrol unit is the Audrey family... meaning yours truly."
Since this was a military matter, it would have made sense for Lyle-sama or a military executive to represent the patrol unit, but apparently there was no suitable candidate among the military leadership—they were all swamped with the war against the Empire and their regular duties. So it was decided that a royal family member not currently holding a position would take the role, and Ernest-sama was chosen. Incidentally, Caesar-sama and Tida were also considered as candidates, but Caesar-sama, despite having no official position, was needed to assist the King, and Tida, while of age, was rejected due to a glaring lack of experience.
"I understand that the three of them are candidates for leadership positions, but what was the reason for coming to my home?"
"Well, we've managed to recruit nearly five thousand people for the patrol unit so far, but it's still not enough when it comes to the Royal Capital's surroundings. So we're thinking of also recruiting adventurers and mercenaries, and we'd like Tenma to serve as their representative."
So the reason for today's visit was to ask me to become a leader—essentially, the representative for the recruited adventurers.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm not suited to leading a group."
"I had a feeling you'd say that... Tenma is the type who performs better working alone rather than in a group. Merlin is the same way, for that matter... Is there really no one else who'd be fit for the job?"
He had clearly come knowing I would refuse on the grounds that I wasn't the right person, but had brought it up on the off chance anyway. However, even if he asked for my input, my circle of acquaintances was narrow, and I could only think of two people off the top of my head.
"The only ones I can think of who could work as executives are Agri and Jin."
Among my acquaintances, Agri seemed like the type who could handle just about anything without a hitch, and while it was unclear whether Jin could lead a group, he was quite well-known even in the Royal Capital, and his individual combat ability should rank among the top of all adventurers—so I had suggested his name.
"Hmm, either of those two could certainly serve as a representative, but if I had to choose, Jin Zied would probably be more suitable. I hear Agri Monacart is capable as well, but in terms of name recognition, Jin Zied has the edge."
Agri was the kind of adventurer known to those in the know, but compared to Jin—who had conquered dungeons and was a regular top contender in martial tournaments—the difference in fame was enormous.
"In that case, we'll put in a request to Jin Zied, framed as a recommendation from Tenma. Well then, I'll take my leave here—if Tenma doesn't mind, the three of them can stay a while longer."
I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed, and Ernest-sama departed for the royal castle in the carriage they had all arrived in. As I was seeing them off, I asked how the three of them would be getting back, and he said a replacement carriage would be sent over later.
"Apparently that's the arrangement, so it looks like we won't have to walk home after all, Albert."
"Well now,"
"for big brother"
"—shouldn't it be"
"little brother"
"who arranges a carriage?"
"I don't need such a pushy brother-in-law."
"The way you say that, it sounds like big brother is already unnecessary."
"You've been judged unnecessary by your own real sister, Albert!"
"Well, Albert being pushy is nothing new!"
Just like that, the sounds of Albert and the others' laughter (and angry shouts) echoed through our home for the first time in a while. Before long, Amour and Aura joined in and the noise grew louder still, and before anyone realized it, lunch for everyone had been prepared, and it was decided that Albert and the others' visit would be extended. At this rate, they might end up staying through dinner.
"Oh! I almost forgot, but I had a favor to ask of Tenma."
Just as everyone was enjoying their post-meal tea, Cain suddenly brought this up.
"Ah, right, that's true. Tenma, would you train us? Once our work with the security force begins, we're going to be running into rough situations more than ever before. Besides, when we faced that monster, I wanted to do whatever I could to increase our chances of survival. If we could pick up some kind of hint from training with you, it would probably improve the survival rate of the entire squad."
"I don't mind, but... if that's the case, should I move like that monster did?"
"If you could do that, I'd really appreciate it."
"Well, even without going that far, Tenma already looks like a monster just moving normally!"
"I see... Hey..."
So, at Albert's — no, rather at Lion's request, I decided to try replicating that monster-like movement in my own fighting style. The result:
"Go, Lion! Take responsibility and go out in a blaze of glory!"
"If there are any bones left, I'll pick them up and give you a proper burial, so don't hold back — go get crushed!"
"I'm sorry! Seriously, I'm really sorry!"
The three of them surrendered almost immediately after we started.
For reference, right before we began, I had deployed "Guardian Gigant" to replicate the monster's four arms, intending to take on the three of them in training.
"Good grief, I tried putting on a serious performance because you all wanted to see the monster, and now you're not even satisfied with it... Maybe I should have leaned harder into the monster vibe?"
"No, that's not what we meant at all!"
And so, after regaining my composure, I joined the three of them for training as I normally would.
The training continued until the sky grew dark, ending right around dinner time. Just then—
"All four of you reek of sweat something awful, so please don't come any closer to
a pregnant woman
than you already have."
"Why is Eliza here?!"
Eliza had officially issued a ban on approaching Primera. Well, he was well aware that he smelled terrible right now, and the three of them were covered in sweat, sand, and dirt — if they got too close to Primera and something happened to the baby, it would be a disaster. So of course, the only thing to do was head straight for the bathhouse without going anywhere near her.
Cain and Lion both obediently listened to Eliza and headed for the bathhouse, but Albert was more surprised by Eliza's presence than by the reason for the ban, and before he knew it, he had moved carelessly closer to Primera (or rather, to Eliza, who was standing beside her). Just then—
"Hey!"
"Oof!"
Amour, who had been hiding behind the two of them, struck at him with a stick—
*Thwack!*
—though it was far beyond anything you'd call a mere tap. Clutching his stomach, he dropped to his knees.
"Primera, step back a bit more... there, that's fine. Lion! Get the filthy Albert to the bathhouse, now!"
"Right, right... come on, let's go, Albert."
And so, following Amour's orders, Lion escorted him to the bathhouse.
"So, anything useful come out of it?"
"Hmm... it was good training, but nothing that really gave me that 'this is it!' kind of feeling."
"Fair enough. Hard to say without actually fighting monsters, but even if Tenma was going easy and using less than half his strength, I don't think any one of us could handle it alone. With all three of us working together, maybe we could scrape by?"
"Monsters probably vary in strength too, so that estimate seems about right. But that's only if the three of us—with years of experience fighting together—are the ones doing it."
Well, if monsters were the kind you could find tips against just from a little training with me, the Royal Capital wouldn't have been thrown into such a panic. Besides, there are plenty of knights in this capital stronger than those three—if that were the case, Albert and the others probably wouldn't have been assigned to guard duty in the first place.
"I'll be joining you."
While they were relaxing in the bathhouse, gramps showed up carrying a drinking set. Probably because all the men except him had migrated to the bathhouse and it had gotten lonely.
"Albert is... wait, what? He's not moping? I was sure Eliza and the others had treated him like dirt and he'd be feeling down about it."
Gramps grumbled "Well, that's no fun" as he stepped into the bath, and Cain immediately moved to his side to pour him a drink.
"I wouldn't exactly say it was fun, sir..."
Albert (mid-shampoo) tried to respond—not quite a protest, but at least an answer to gramps' remark... except the old man's attention was already on the alcohol, so Albert was effectively ignored.
"Merlin, when the guard squad encounters a monster, what do you think they could do to improve their chances of survival?"
It seemed Cain had immediately moved to Gramps' side because he wanted some advice regarding the guard squad.
"That's right... if you do encounter them, the chance of dying is high, so scattering and fleeing in different directions might actually be a reasonable option."
"Merlin, sir, that's a bit uncool—don't you have any other ideas?"
It was Lion, not Cain, who interjected against Gramps' suggestion.
"What are you talking about? Turning your back on an opponent you can't beat is nothing to be ashamed of. If you were knights or soldiers drawing pay from the Kingdom, it might be a different story, but for a guard squad made up of inexperienced people like you lot, fleeing is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, if even one person escapes safely and reports back to the Knights, it would help limit the overall damage."
"That's true..."
And so, Lion ended up being the one persuaded instead.
"Gramps, could you give a slightly more serious answer? Sure, knights and soldiers running away would be a problem, but nobles like Albert running away is its own kind of problem, you know."
"Hm? ...Oh!"
At my words, Lion finally seemed to realize that what Gramps was saying wasn't all that helpful. Sure, running from an opponent you can't beat might be unavoidable, as Gramps said, but doing so would earn you dirty looks from all directions. Depending on the circumstances, some might even be stripped of their titles.
"Fleeing is certainly one option, but thinking about the long-term consequences, I'd like to at least do the minimum amount of work first."
As Cain said, even if the end result was fleeing, there was a big difference in impression between fighting and losing before retreating versus running away before even fighting.
"Gramps, stop fooling around and give a proper answer, would you?"
"Can't be helped. I was hoping to see Lion's reaction a bit longer, that's all. What comes to mind right away would be thinking through multiple patterns in advance and deciding beforehand how to act depending on the situation. For example, if you encounter a monster, first create distance and attack with bows or magic. If it gets into close quarters, never handle it alone—always surround them with multiple people... something like that. They probably train on similar things at the academy or the Knights, so it should be easy to understand. Though, if you're forced into an action outside the predetermined patterns, it could all fall apart pretty quickly."
Gramps' thinking was more or less the same as what I'd come up with myself. Well, we couldn't know how strong or experienced the other members beyond the three of them were, so there was only so safe an answer we could give.
"Patterns, huh... In that case, it might be better to divide them into categories like 'Fight,' 'Flee,' and 'Buy Time.'"
"That's right. And you'll need to keep them clear and concise, too. Even so, there will definitely be some people who mix up a few of the patterns."
"Right, especially the ones with no combat experience! That sounds about right!"
The person who seemed most likely to mess up in the current situation was enthusiastically agreeing with Gramps' suggestion, as if to say he was definitely not one of those people.
"I'd really like Lion to understand that he's the leading candidate for that."
"Well, if Lion's memory were that good, he might have gotten top grades during his student days."
Lion had reportedly placed near the top of his class based almost solely on physical examinations, so if his memory were sharper, it wouldn't have been strange for him to compete for the top spot.
While Albert and Cain talked about Lion's student days, the man himself was completely oblivious to their conversation (including the insults) and was presenting patterns he'd thought up to Grandpa. Well, about half of them—or no, eight or nine out of ten—were rejected by Grandpa, though it was said that among those rejected, there were a few ideas that could be usable with some refinement. Incidentally, Albert and Cain hadn't put forth nearly as many ideas as Lion, so after getting out of the bath, they were warned by Grandpa about it.
Albert's Side
"I can't believe I was told I'm inferior to Lion as a commander... and specifically about planning operations."
"Well, now that it's been pointed out, it's true, I guess..."
The day we went to consult at Tenma's mansion, after the bath, Cain and I were scolded by Merlin. According to Merlin, "Setting aside whether they are useful or not, which do you think is more capable as a commander: the one who doesn't propose ideas or the one who proposes many?" He continued, "While it may not be necessary for a commander to think of every strategy, if one only executes strategies devised by others, that person doesn't necessarily have to be a commander. Lion probably isn't thinking that far ahead, but taking the initiative to act is also essential for a commander."
"Besides, even though we went there specifically to consult, just relaxing in the bath as usual was, frankly, incredibly rude."
"Yeah. If it were a normal situation, Merlin probably wouldn't have said anything, but the reason we went to consult was to improve our survival rate... meaning, to survive. We deserved to be scolded."
Because we had gathered at Tenma's mansion for the first time in a while, we ended up acting just as carefree as usual. Because of that, we strayed far from our original purpose—or rather, it's pathetic to say, but we almost completely forgot about it. The only ones who saw our behavior then were Tenma and Merlin, which is why it didn't become a bigger deal, but if it had been otherwise, I might have been removed from my position in the guards.
"If I were removed from my position for that kind of reason, it would cause trouble for my family as well... I informed Father about this incident on the battlefield. Probably within a few days, along with an angry letter, a gift of apology to Merlin will be sent."
"Me too. If I kept this secret and it came out later, I don't know what would happen... Well, I hope it would only go that far, but it could go as far as losing Father's trust, or worse, Merlin's."
Cain seemed to have the same thought as me. Honestly, if it's just being scolded by Father, I can endure it and have confidence to make amends. But trust, once lost, won't come back. Maybe I'm already in the process of losing it, but before it's completely gone, I need to show sincerity... It might be a calculating thought, but losing the trust of Tenma or Merlin is incredibly frightening.
"So, here's the thing. Today's meeting is scheduled to end before the evening, so after that, shall we go apologize to Merlin?"
"Yeah. I think that's best. Probably, Father will also send something from the Marquis Samons family, but our apology and the family's apology should be separate. If we do them together, one of them... no, our apology might be seen as just an afterthought."
"Then let's head there as soon as it's over."
Thus, Cain and I visited the Ootori household to apologize to Merlin again, but... even Lion, who didn't understand the situation, followed along, and for some reason, joined us in bowing (without understanding the meaning), so Merlin and Tenma were trying to suppress their laughter. Because of that, the apology ended up feeling rather anticlimactic. Incidentally, Merlin and Tenma weren't angry at all, but Primera was quite furious, and after the apology, we were scolded by her. Moreover, when we learned that Primera had already apologized to Merlin and Tenma beforehand, we felt incredibly embarrassed.
Albert's Side - End
A little while ago, while working on the book for volume 12, I became curious about something and reread the beginning... only to realize now that I had written it as the 'Gilstr Republic' instead of the 'Gilstr Empire'.
It was also incorrectly written in the book version, and it couldn't be fixed, so going forward, the long-used 'Gilstr Empire' will be the official name. I am truly sorry for the mistake.