Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Eureka

Eureka
Chapter 132. Eureka
Inside Valdrova Castle.
All the young ladies waited quietly in a room, while the young masters held a competition to select the supreme commander.
Ferda decided to just observe.
Instead of devising an overall strategy, excelling in tactics suited his temperament better.
Among those gathered in the competition to establish connections with Ferda were renowned descendants of war hero families from various regions.
The most striking among them was a gigantic man.
“Jonathan Sina.”
Jonathan Sina of the Iron Wall, one of the 12 expedition members sent to defeat the Demon King.
He bore the exact name of his ancestor and was practically the living image of Jonathan Sina’s statue, to the point where one might think he was the reincarnation itself.
The most publicly known descendant among the expedition members was precisely Jonathan Sina.
Ferda looked at him, then suddenly felt curious and asked Isabella.
— As far as I know, Jonathan Sina was stupid. Is that correct?
— That’s right.
— What about his descendant?
— He excels in tactics, but in strategy, he is a carbon copy.
“Why did he participate, that bastard?”
The surprising element was not just Sina’s descendant.
An unexpected figure had inserted herself into that gathering.
Olivia Arken.
The Imperial Princess had also participated.
She was the only woman in this competition.
It wasn’t her usual dress that exposed her chest.
It was armor made of a rare metal called Altrium, light and sturdy, without unnecessary curves, focused solely on combat and practicality.
She had tied back her long, loose hair and came with a bare face, without makeup.
They say seeing a woman’s face without makeup breaks the illusion, but this woman didn’t convey that feeling at all.
Rather, she conveyed a strongly pure and innocent impression, refreshing enough to make the surrounding men steal glances at her.
She walked the tightrope between her pure appearance and her role as commander.
— Since this competition is being held in times of war, we will grade quickly and decide. Each problem is worth 100 points, for a total of ten problems.
The evaluation was conducted by Isabella.
In name only, of course.
In reality, Mori, sitting next to her, was in charge of it.
No one was more objective than her at listening to everything, cross-referencing with data, and grading.
If they complained about what a little girl knew to judge them, it would be troublesome, so it was better to borrow the dragon’s authority.
— Um, Administrator-nim. May I ask a question?
Although she was simply a village administrator, the young masters were polite because she had dragon horns.
— Speak.
— Where is that person named Eri, the legendary adventurer?
— Indeed. I think it would be more suitable for that person to take overall command of this matter instead of holding a competition…
Eri was famous even among nobles.
Countless noble titles had been offered to her, but she didn’t even pretend to accept them and simply disappeared.
It was rude, but her excellence was such that even that was tolerated.
If only they could establish a connection, she would be an incomparably reliable ally.
— That… person will move independently. She has been assigned a special operation with a small elite force for this crisis. The exchange of strategy will be with the supreme commander chosen today.
A moment to stand shoulder to shoulder with a legendary adventurer.
The motivation of the young masters burned even brighter.
— First problem. How to manage limited supplies.
How to utilize war supplies. How to deal with soldier desertion…
Since it was mostly content that knights should know as basic training, anyone who had studied war could answer.
— Last. You will participate in large-scale combat with monsters…
They presented strategies on how battles against monsters should be conducted.
— Show chivalric spirit, charge, and break their momentum…
— If we stab their waist and sever their vital points…
Every single one of them was disastrous.
They spoke as if it were anti-personnel or anti-beast warfare, without any understanding of monsters.
There were many scores of zero.
— Monsters must be fought differently from them. Not with the bravery of knights, but relying on magical forces and moving in a defensive formation.
Surprisingly, only Olivia received an overwhelming score.
98 out of 100 points.
It meant she not only knew textbook theory, but knew how to apply it in real combat and achieve results.
A few more questions followed, and the scores came out.
— I will announce the results. The Chief of Staff is Olivia Arken.
Of course, the scores were not made public.
If they knew they had been completely crushed by Olivia, their pride would be wounded.
— I will accept Administrator-nim’s results, but may I know where I failed?
He said he would accept it, but in reality he was throwing a tantrum, unable to admit defeat.
They didn’t know that the other party was a Slave Sage who contained the Universal Library.
Isabella, already knowing the erroneous elements through Mori, pointed them out sharply, and they could no longer make excuses and had no choice but to shut up.
Olivia put on the Chief of Staff epaulets and delivered her inaugural speech with a triumphant face.
— Although I have become Chief of Staff, I have no intention of ignoring any of you individually. What is needed right now is united will. Let us unite in that aspect!
While some admired her skill, there were still those who were internally displeased with her appearance.
It was only natural.
The position of utopia to which they had dedicated their lives had suddenly been taken by a princess.
As much as they adored the princess, if she intruded into their domain, their pride would be undermined.
Some of those who had harbored illusions about her might harbor doubts after today.
“But I understand why she stepped forward directly like this.”
If she had handed the reins to those mediocre bastards, they would have crashed and burned before even starting.
Trusting Olivia’s judgment, he offered his congratulations.
— Congratulations on becoming Chief of Staff.
— No. This is just the beginning.
Ferda read it in her eyes.
She seemed to want something.
— Regent-nim, we are allies, right?
— Since we share the same purpose, I suppose so.
— I’ll have to phrase it another way. How much do you trust me?
Asked so suddenly, he couldn’t give a clear answer.
Until she taught him how to dance and proposed a solution to the rumors, she had been a reliable assistant.
But from the moment she suddenly broke the stage, he had become uncertain.
Whether he could truly trust this woman.
— What do you want?
— You plan to operate soldiers using magitechnology rifles, right? You plan to scale it up to a large scale for this monster subjugation.
— That’s right.
— Hand that command authority over to me.
After Chief of Staff, now the command authority of the army.
— What is the reason?
— The intention is as you see it. Right now, I proved that I am more outstanding than the other men and I am here. It’s not the time to proceed halfway, but to accelerate.
She tapped the table with a slender finger.
— As Chief of Staff and commander, I want to prove my ability. I want to achieve merits in this crisis and return.
She revealed without hesitation the ambition harbored by all the young masters who participated in the competition.
— What do you think we can gain from each other? If I achieve great results in this subjugation, not even the Empire will be able to ignore me.
— Entering politics.
— Exactly.
Olivia smiled faintly.
But for Ferda, it wasn’t pleasant.
— Weren’t you trying to become a Saintess to enter politics?
— That’s also a way. But isn’t this a perfectly good opportunity right now? I must seize it while I can.
Like everyone else, she expressed her intention to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
But Ferda strangely felt impatience in those words.
The reason was knowable.
“Becoming a Saintess is not an easy thing, after all.”
Reaching the fifth realization is a stage that not even nuns who dedicated their entire lives to convents can reach.
— And Olivia didn’t become a Saintess.
She hadn’t even reached the fourth realization, which meant the Fourth Circle.
As a final struggle, she became a vixen who destabilized the nation and plunged the Empire into chaos.
Perhaps it would be better for her to enter politics as a commander.
In fact, she was well-versed in tactics, and her rhetoric was enough for even Erica to admire.
But if all those abilities could be taken at face value, how good would that be?
She had already said this before.
That she was a jewel placed on the auction block.
If that jewel had legs, there would be more who hated it than who wanted it.
— Even so…
Her ability exceeds what Ferda imagines.
He perceives the possibility of not knowing how to win her over and utilize her abilities.
If the princess secures her position and Ferda gains merit, that’s good. Even if she doesn’t, it’s not a loss at all.
— It won’t be easy.
— I know. Where in my destiny is anything easy?
Olivia smiled.
Ferda decided to hand over command authority to her.
— The one currently researching troop operations is William, the Security Captain. I will appoint him as your deputy, so discuss with him.
— The knight cadet from the Duchy of Urey? Understood. Now that I think about it…
Olivia tossed out a question casually.
— I don’t see the son of the Duke of Urey? I thought he would participate naturally since he is from a family of commanders…
Why bring up that topic?
Uncomfortable, but he forced himself to respond calmly.
— I don’t know either.
— True. He might have fled, or gone to another territory.
Knowing it was an uncomfortable topic, she brushed it off.
Ferda trusted Olivia’s ability, but judged it was too early to speak of Marcus Urey’s death.
Olivia said goodbye and set off to prepare for war.
— What about Urey?
Ferda asked Ruri, who was beside him.
— I asked. Rather than causing trouble by erasing his existence, I thought it was better to apply preservation magic and bury him.
— That army?
— They said they are preparing for defense together in Count Consillus’s territory.
— I see.
— By the way…
Ruri glanced and asked.
— Does Ferda-nim know that Princess Olivia is pretty?
— I know.
Not interested, not blind.
— Not everyone is a stone statue like you, Ferda-nim.
— I know that too.
— Are you saying you have also considered that Princess Olivia might take that army and naturalize them into the Empire?
— Yes.
He had not failed to imagine William being bewitched by her silver tongue and beauty and incorporated as an Imperial Knight.
If he falls for that, he is only a man of that caliber.
Ferda only hoped William would not betray his convictions.
After the Chief of Staff was decided, they were constructing various scenarios through strategies and mock battles centered around Olivia.
At that busy moment, Erica came to look for Ferda.
— Regent Ferda-nim. Are you alright?
Ferda nodded.
— Is the adventurers’ side going well?
— Yes. I was organizing elite soldiers for a special operation. That’s why I came.
— How can I help?
— It’s nothing else. There is a person I have been looking for who is missing. Not even Isabella knows… so I wondered if Regent-nim might know.
— Who is it?
— A person called the Armored Knight.
Armored Knight.
He was the number one contributor to the construction of Hestia Village.
— I heard he showed tremendous speed and power during the monster raid. Is that true?
— That’s right.
— His reputation seems useful. I want to place him in the vanguard and request his cooperation.
— Mmm…
Armored Knight.
He seemed a bit foolish, but Ferda thought his fundamentals were decent.
As she said, if he is there, he will be of great help to Erica’s special operation.
— Unfortunately, I only spoke with him once. The Administrator would know better about his whereabouts.
— Is that so?
He didn’t know well, but he had left somewhere a week before the Spring Festival preparations.
When he asked Hanson, his closest assistant, he said he had gone to briefly visit his hometown.
But since he was a bastard who didn’t say a single word, it was only Hanson’s speculation.
— It can’t be helped. I’ll put him on the back burner and ask the descendant of Jonathan the Iron Wall if he is willing to do it.
— Do that.
Although the matter was over, Erica did not leave.
She brought out the words she had been chewing on.
— I heard from Bella.
— Yes.
— That there is a drinking water supply problem right now…
— That’s right.
— Do you really not need our help?
The village’s situation was becoming increasingly serious.
— Vernel asked for three days.
— Four days have already passed.
Vernel did not meet the deadline.
He is still locked in his room, tinkering with the crystal ball and books.
— Considering morale, this is the last chance. People aren’t fools, they will notice that water is running low. When resources run low, morale breaks naturally.
It was sound reasoning.
Preventing was better in every way than letting it erupt and then cleaning up.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t anxious.
He was walking without knowing if this was the exit, or if he was falling deeper into a labyrinth.
Thoughts of taking the safe road and accepting a small loss kept appearing.
What adventures need are hope and courage.
Ferda is someone who believes those two are useless.
— I will wait.
Even so, Ferda moves forward.
— Do you think that person, Vernel, will succeed?
— I don’t know.
Ferda doesn’t know what Vernel is doing right now, nor what he is plotting.
But one thing he does know,
— He didn’t say he failed.
— So it’s not over yet.
As long as the person holding the livelihood of this land hasn’t given up, Ferda simply believes in him.
— If one stubbornly persists in an uncertain situation, the damage only increases. Just look right now—.
— Euhahaha!!
Suddenly, a voice laughing madly interrupted Erica’s words and echoed loudly down the hallway.
Erica turned toward the open door.
There, a naked man with matted hair was running like a madman.
He shouted this:
— Eureka!!