Chapter 225
(Kyle Calendar Year 512: Age 19)
The Magic Knight Order
Translator : PolterGlast
After the Third Regular Meeting ended, I remained in my seat
at the request of the Old Raccoon, Duke Klein, who is also the Minister
of Foreign Affairs. Besides me, Count Model, the Minister of
Military Affairs, and Count Gouras, the Knight Commander of the
Royal Capital, also remained.
"Demon Territory Count, sorry for taking your
time. Unlike before, you have many responsibilities in your territory, so I can
no longer summon you casually for a chat. Now then, I want you to listen to
what I am about to say on the premise that the gentlemen present here have
already shared the content and given their approval."
Um, that prelude gives me a very bad feeling...
"Regarding the unit rallying the Royal Command Mages
that you mentioned before, it is finally starting to take shape. In terms of
numbers, for now, it's about 300. Once formally launched, participation from
noble children will likely increase, so the numbers may grow a bit more."
"The Headmaster's skills are impressive as
always. May I assume this unit is a countermeasure to the threat I mentioned
earlier?"
"Exactly. In terms of just the number of Royal
Command Mages, there are more, but that's about the number we can mobilize.
And among them, I am thinking of deploying at least 250 to the west and 50 to
the north. There, I plan to deploy 1,000 newly organized archers from the Royal
Capital and 1,000 horse archers newly established within the Third Army of the Royal
Capital Knights to deal mainly with the Principality of Fearalt, or
if not that, the invasion from the north."
"Hoh! A total of 300 Mages plus 2,000 archers! That is
impressive. By the way, who will lead this unit? I surmise it would be someone
of considerable standing..."
"..."
Here, the battle-hardened Old Raccoon was holding his
head. Looking closely, Knight Commander Gouras and Count Model
were doing the same.
"Don't tell me... His Majesty himself?"
"No, we managed to stop... no, admonish him against
that. We cannot allow anything to happen to him. But... there is an even bigger
headache..."
Commander Gouras
was muttering with a grave expression. Who on earth is this person causing such trouble?
"It is natural that you do not know, but there is
someone who enrolled in the Academy right as you switched out. She is
close with your future wife and your sister..."
"..."
I haven't heard anything about that from Yuka-san or Chrisia
though...
While I was thinking that, the Old Raccoon began to
speak.
"That tomboy princess... no, excuse me. Her Highness
Clarice must have been influenced by someone, or heard about this story
from somewhere. Ever since then, she has strongly desired to participate in
this corps. His Majesty was also quite troubled dealing with her, but, well...
it reached a state where no one could stop her... and we had no choice."
"Haa?"
I didn't ask for a 'Princess Fan Club'! Is something like
that even useful in war?
True, I previously asked Yuka-san and my sister to
influence the Royal Command Mages and prepare for the future.
But... I didn't tell them to snare such big game. No,
rather, if I had known, I would have stopped them immediately. For both the Old
Raccoon and His Majesty to be so troubled... just what kind of princess is
she?!
"His Majesty was finally pushed over the edge too.
Unavoidably, it was decided that Her Highness Clarice would lead them as
the Captain of this Magic Knight Order. Accompanied by daughters of
famous nobles such as Count Gorman's daughter and Count Solis's daughter
as her aides..."
"Haa? What is that..."
"Therefore, the Third Army of the Royal Capital
Knights led by Schultz will follow as her escort, and it has been
decided that the First and Second Armies will handle the south and north."
No, that part has nothing to do with me, right?
"There is no one more suitable to train them than the Demon
Territory Count, who has a reputation for operating Mages, is the initiator
of this Magic Knight Order, and whose relatives are also participating.
We reached that conclusion among ourselves."
"We were also at our wits' end dealing with it, and
threw up our hands... Ahem! Ah, no, as the Minister of Foreign
Affairs says, as a result of rational thinking, we concluded that leaving
it to the Demon Territory Count is best."
No, Headmaster, Knight Commander, please don't
ignore me and continue. And I
haven't heard any of this from those two either...
"This story was finally decided only a few days ago. It
is only ironic that thanks to Her Highness standing at the forefront, such a
lineup was gathered all at once... So, we thought we would borrow your
wisdom."
Hey, hey! Don't push the task of dealing with a tomboy
princess that even His Majesty, the Old Raccoon, and the Knight
Commander can't handle onto me!
Wait... do my fathers, Count Solis and Count
Gorman, know about this?
"Um... what do you want me to do? This happened
precisely because even you gentlemen couldn't do anything, no, couldn't handle
her, right?"
"..."
Hey! Why is everyone blatantly looking away and standing there?
Please, look at me.
And please, don't push any more impossible demands onto me!
I'm busy enough as it is. Or are you telling me to take responsibility for this
situation because I instigated the two of them behind the scenes?
"To ensure no harm comes to Her Highness Clarice,
we want you to calculate a way to ensure certain victory in the eastern battle
and not lose. With your resourcefulness..."
"No... that's an impossible game. You never know what
will happen in battle... Certain victory? How can I guarantee such a thing? I'm
the one who wants to hear a strategy that guarantees never losing!"
No, everyone!
Even if you look at me with puppy-dog eyes... I'm the one who's troubled here.
"Ahem! Though, if those I cherish participate in
the battle, I will think of the best possible plan..."
The Old Raccoon and the dignitaries looked up,
clearly happy... No, that's not your character, is it?
Is she really such a formidable opponent that they are this
troubled? I feel like... I regretted it as soon as I said it...
"Demon Territory Count, sorry, but please!"
Is this also reaping what I sowed? Come to think of it, I
had forgotten. Even in winner voting, they bet relentlessly for a complete
victory.
Did they move the strongest piece to achieve the objective?
Is that it?
"Understood. As a major premise, please continue
efforts to avoid Her Highness's deployment. Also, please investigate and report
information on the 300 Mages: what attributes they have, and which lord or
faction they are tied to. Of course, please give me their abilities and
personality evaluations combined with this information as soon as possible. I
have a lecture for my two relatives after this, so after that is
fine."
"I acknowledge all the details. I, the Knight
Commander, and the Minister of Military Affairs will strive to do
so. You will be given a new position, budget, and personnel authority as the
Chief of Staff of this Magic Corps, so I entrust their training to you.
Of course, you need not lead them in actual combat. Naturally, I want you to
concentrate on the south. Before the war starts, you may take them to your
territory for about half a year and train them freely. That would be less
conspicuous, so I would actually be grateful. As for the students, I shall
personally make the necessary adjustments to fudge the records regarding the
likes of their class schedules, so you need not worry."
"Phew, 300 people, is it..."
"Hm? What are you saying? It's 2,300. If the archers
aren't together, it won't be much of a story, will it?"
Guh! Old Raccoon, don't just easily add 2,000 people! Where did the puppy-dog face from earlier go?
Wait, what does the person raising their hand over there
want?
"Regarding the Mages deployed for the defense of the
eastern border, I would like to select excellent ones and have them accompany
you on this occasion. If they could be trained under the Demon Territory
Count, it would be reassuring in many ways..."
"Ooh! Count Model's words also have a point. At
this stage, adding a few dozen more wouldn't cause any hindrance."
"..., Understood. Since we prioritize territory
defense, we have no leeway to divert anything else. I will strictly charge for
training plan drafting costs, training costs, stay costs, and necessary
consumable costs. Also, for rapid movement, please arrange horses for everyone
and conduct minimum riding training in advance. We don't need dead
weight."
"As for
the expenses, you may bill for whatever amount is necessary. Furthermore,
should you require equipment on-site, we shall cover the costs for that as
well. If possible... I would be grateful if you could also deploy those
crossbows you have designated as limited editions."
"Depends on the materials... limited editions are expensive, you know. Regarding equipment, I won't work
for free either. I will do business properly, is that alright? Also, please
understand that allocating materials and arms to the southern defense is the
top priority."
"Of course. If you don't take a proper profit, we would
feel hesitant too. In a business transaction between equals, everything is established
through negotiation. There should be no need for any undue reserve between us,
no?"
Tch, so you came with that hand. Wait, have you ever held back until now?
Hmph, now that I have frighteningly expensive materials, I
will squeeze the national budget to the bone, adding a solid and plentiful
markup as necessary expenses!
A certain piece of armor that was too expensive as a product
to be commercially viable came to my mind. There is a just cause, so I'll sell
that too. I will utilize this as an effective opportunity to obtain a defense
budget. I have taken his pledge!
I probably have a villainous face right now that rivals
theirs.
"Regarding the necessary materials, utilizing my
responsibilities as Minister of Military Affairs, I will prepare them
through Margrave Hamish. I apologize for troubling the Demon
Territory Count, but please let us rely on your strength."
"Count Model, understood. By the way, one more
thing. What kind of person is Her Highness Clarice in the first place?
Does she have enough skill to at least protect herself?"
Yes, a princess who is just full of motivation but has no
power other than authority is just dead weight and a nuisance.
If that's the case, I must find a reason to have her wait in
the rear and prevent her from getting involved or interfering with operations.
"Fufufu, not knowing is a terrifying thing. Sir
Gouras, could you tell him about that tomboy who was mistakenly born a
woman?"
"Yes, though I am ashamed to say... Regarding sword
skill, I believe she is currently at the rank of Sword Master, but she likely
has the potential to grow further. After the graduation of the Demon
Territory Count and Lady Carla, who was number one in the Academy,
Her Highness is the undefeated swordswoman representing the Academy in
both name and reality."
Geh, don't tell me... a Gorilla Princess?
"Regarding crossbows, she heard about the construction
of the shooting range in the Royal Capital from somewhere and was the
first to tackle it. Her skill is at the top level among the Knight Order's
archers."
Hmm... a user of both sword and bow. Not necessarily a
gorilla, but definitely a Muscle-Brain Princess.
"Furthermore, she has had a very strong interest in the
art of war and military strategy since childhood. If we are speaking of the
level of instruction taught in the Academy's Knight Training Course, she
had mastered it all before enrolling."
Haa? Who
taught such things to a Royal, and a Princess at that?
Still, the
lessons at the Academy are merely
the basics, after all. If someone starts brandishing such big-headed desk theories on a real battlefield, it would be
an absolute nightmare for us.
In that case, a Muscle-Brain Girl, a muscular Gorilla
Princess, would be cuter. My desire not to deal with such a princess grew...
"I will state this last thing. Training within my
territory will be absolutely merciless, regardless of status. Those who
complain will be sent home immediately. And if I judge them useless on the
battlefield, I will ask them to leave, regardless of status. On this point, I
will get consent from everyone in advance and have them submit a document
stating their agreement. Is that acceptable?"
I held great anxiety about having to look after them. Now
then, Yuka-san, Chrisia, what shall I do with you?
"Well
then, let us conclude here for today. As for the expedition training, I will be
taking the personnel back to Teigoon
after the next regular meeting. I ask that you please have the preparations
ready by then."
Leaving those words, I exited the conference room and walked
briskly toward the Academy.
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