Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

46

Having finished the military council and returned to the southern city of Pollock, I began the post-war procedures.

The general aspects were handled by Rootger and the master, so I only needed to give final approval, thus I wasn’t too exhausted, but there were a few issues.

First, it concerned the displaced refugees.

Except for Tirran, all targeted territories were burnt to the ground, with the number of refugees reaching up to 400,000.

It was necessary to accommodate refugees in neighboring territories until the lands were rebuilt, but the problem was that there weren’t many territories capable of doing so.

It was now spring after the end of winter, and the food stored from last year was starting to run out.

If we were to accept refugees, there was a high possibility of causing a food shortage throughout the territories.

“Why do I have to deal with such trivial administrative tasks….”

I grumbled, and the master chuckled.

“Because you are the commander of the southern army. Even the grand dukes wouldn’t be able to refuse your orders in the current situation. You need to organize things to prevent chaos.”

“I have no choice. Hmm, for now, let’s send the refugees from Bonya and Rotus to Delborough in the east. Since Delborough is a city centered around fishing, there shouldn’t be an issue with immediate food supply.”

“Do they have enough fishing boats?”

“We can use several military ships anchored in Delborough as fishing boats. The lords will take care of that part. As for the refugees of Noyes, let them stay in Tirran, which has not been destroyed. Tirran is rich in farmland, so as long as they pass the spring well, they should be self-sufficient. Until then, provide aid from Pollock and Gransel.”

“I will convey that.”

“Lastly, regarding Ribel and Rosbel….”

Ribel is our territory, and Rosbel is the territory of Viscount Milstein’s mother.

“They are to relocate to Rainfall promptly. During the relocation, make sure that the refugees do not starve. Prepare supplies for the refugees in Julia and Alpensard along the route.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, Anton spoke up.

“My lord, then I will deliver the message to Rainfall.”

“It’s fine. I’ve already sent someone to Juras. They will take care of it.”

“You’ve already taken care of it. Impressive.”

“Phew! Well, is that all then?”

Clap, clap, clap! Rootger applauded, saying in admiration, “Efficiently handling tasks without any clutter. Very clear.”

“There may still be various problems to arise. The existing residents of the territories may not welcome the refugees. Well, that’s not my concern.”

“Even so, it seems like the best course of action to me. Let’s finish up here quickly and return.”

“Ha ha, Rootger. Your expression says it all. Eager to return to Rainfall as soon as possible, aren’t you?”

“Uh, well…!”

“If it’s about Miss Estelle, it’s fine.”

“You met her in Gransel. Right. Has her hair grown out?”

“A bit. She still has a long way to go to fully recover.”

“That’s something. I want to go see my daughter’s face as soon as possible.”

“Shall we get started on the final tasks, even if just for you?”

As they were about to do so, Eonia stiffened, saying that something concerning the end of the war was coming.

The final tasks of the war. The clean-up had begun.

When the conversation turned to the clean-up, Rootger chuckled, wondering if there was such a thing. On the contrary, Anton was different.

“Gongchisa! Ugh, was such a thing possible…! If I had known, I would have requested to take on a major role, even if I had to ask my lord for it…”

“Why all of a sudden? Anton.”

“I apologize. Please speak without reservation.”

Anton seemed to know. That his reputation wasn’t high in this war.

“He even has a subtle resemblance to Eorlang.”

It was about being constrained by formalities. He might not be like Eonia, but at least he seemed to dislike losing.

“So, you are ranked 4th in majors. Anton Quinter. Well done. You have excellently defended the Foldek Mountains while assisting Lord Rutger.”

“Oh, it was just a matter of course.”

“Next, I will announce the 1st place major. Rutger Rosenburg. That’s you.”

Rutger shrugged his shoulders.

“To be the 1st major among these big shots. It’s an unparalleled honor.”

“Despite being outnumbered, you gained the upper hand against the enemy commander, Sis Goldray. In the final battle, you surrounded the enemy according to your movements, capturing the enemy commander. Without you, this operation would have been difficult to succeed. Hence, you are the top major.”

Now, only the 2nd and 3rd majors remained.

Eo seemed to have expected Rutger to be 1st, and while he grudgingly accepted it with, “Well, nothing to be done,” he seemed eager not to miss out on being 2nd.

“The next majors are 2nd and 3rd… First, Iliya Anfey. The master brought archers and warhorses from the surrounding territories, issued evacuation orders during the main operation, swiftly evacuating them. Then, Eonia Mirabel.”

“Oh!”

“Eo, you selected skilled archers among the soldiers, pierced through the enemy lines in battle, and captured the enemy commander, Julian Craig.”

“Yes!”

“So, between the two, the 2nd major is…”

“Yes? But, Alss. In the initial battle, I led the cavalry to break the enemy vanguard, effectively commanded soldiers from the Kurabel Empire, and…”

It seemed like the era of self-promotion had arrived even in this world. Eo earnestly began to assert himself.

“Finally, you accurately interpreted Alss’ request for popcorn, prepared the meals accordingly, and responded promptly to the request for a carriage in Gransel.”

“hahahaha, are we considering that for a major too?”

Objectively, Eo was ranked 3rd in majors. While the sizes of the majors seemed similar, what Iliya’s master did was something Eo couldn’t replace.

On the other hand, the role of Eo’s master could easily be filled by someone else.

‘But if I were to give 3rd place here…’

I didn’t know if striving too hard to get a higher major next time would lead to a mistake.

It felt like giving a crying child another rice cake; I wanted to give Eo 2nd place, but I hesitated as it might compromise the objective evaluation.

Was it noticed that I was struggling with this dilemma?

“Remarkable, Eonia. Truly, it’s undeniable.”

The master said so, lifting Eonia up first.

“Eonia, you will surely be the 2nd major. Next time, you must surpass yourself, so be prepared.”

“hehehe…! Really? As expected, right? Aja, Iliya Anfey, I have surpassed you…!”

Eo called out triumphantly, his voice barely contained. The master watched with a pleased expression. Despite there being only a small age difference, the master seemed much older.

“I should have managed on my own.”

“It’s fine. Eonia’s excellent performance is a fact. Alss, you tell him. It’ll make him even happier.”

“It can’t be helped. The 2nd major is Eonia Mirabel. It’s you.”

Eo’s expression seemed like he was about to fly. The master patted his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Anton, whether genuinely impressed by the master’s demeanor or not, was looking at him with a subtle gaze.

* * *

Our group got ready to head back to Rainfall after finishing up at Gontisar.

Rutger, Anton, and Eonia went ahead to rejoin the troops of Kurabel.

I decided to follow after completing the final arrangements.

While doing so, my remaining master approached me and said,

“Als, there’s something I’d like you to see before we return.”

“What is it that you want me to see?”

“Well, it’s a captive. I hope you could handle the new recruit of that captive.”

“Weren’t all captives handed over to the Caliper Army?”

“Well… It’s just that this captive seems to be a friend of my master. He seems to have held a position in the guest quarters within Madon’s army.”

“Then handling him might be a bit tricky.”

Most likely because those with the status of guests usually also held the status of mercenaries. It seemed that my master, being a fellow mercenary, was hesitant to hand him over to the Caliper Army.

“What’s his name?”

“It seems he’s called Draken. I tried looking him up just in case, but he wasn’t registered with the Mercenary Association.”

“An alias, then.”

“Yes. Just to be safe, when I informed the association’s leadership about his appearance, someone cautiously mentioned a name that resembled him. It seems there was a similar person among the mercenaries who operated in the distant past.”

The guest of Madon who commanded a guerrilla unit.

“Gaspar… I think.”

“Gaspar…!?”

I was so surprised that my eyes blinked rapidly.

Could it be, one of the Seven Spirits found in such a place?

Gaspar the Wild, discovered here.

“So that’s how it was.”

The Wild, who, no matter how extensively questioned, yielded no information.

“It couldn’t have been any other way.”

Operating under an alias, no matter how many times you searched for the name Gaspar, you wouldn’t find him.

“That Gaspar… Could he be a pureblood beastman in the form of a wolf? And he wields a large greatsword.”

“How did you know that?”

“Just as I suspected.”

Undoubtedly. It was indeed the Gaspar that appeared in the game.

“But is it okay?”

Gaspar was a character with many secrets in the game.

To put it bluntly, I couldn’t understand why Gaspar was following Als. The reason for following the protagonist was not properly explained.

Encountered by chance, he quietly tagged along and eventually became an active character. His background and intentions were unknown.

Therefore, he was a character with a very high likelihood of being a traitor planted by the third party.

Just the fact that he was operating under a false name and hiding his true identity raised suspicions.

“Nevertheless, I have to meet him.”

I decided to meet him and then judge. Is he truly trustworthy?

To cut to the chase, he wasn’t.

“hahahahaha! Are you Wade? Sniff, sniff! How odd. I can smell the stench of a brat.”

The retainer who grinned sardonically at me. His gaze did not seem to show respect.

“…So, you must be Gaspar.”

“Hmph, heard it from the Mercenary Association.”

“Judging by your reaction, it seems to be true. I heard he was an S-rank mercenary.”

“hahahaha, that was a chaotic time just after the fall of the Epsilon Empire. Even mediocre folks could become S-rank mercenaries with a slight embellishment of their past. Look. Even an active-duty S-rank mercenary like him got caught without putting up a fight.”

“Hmm.”

Certainly, Gaspar’s in-game combat power stat was not significantly high at 87.

However, his true strength was not in numbers.

As a top-tier UR card, he was considered one of the three leaders in the support category along with Yumir.

Thanks to his rare attribute of covert mobility and mastery of ambush, Gaspar was unmatched among the commanders of reconnaissance and shock troops.

“If it was just after the fall of Epsilon… it means you must be at least 50 years old.”

“Hah, you think that’s all I’ve got? Add 20 to that.”

“For a 70-year-old, you seem quite agile, don’t you think?”

“Don’t underestimate pureblooded beings. Unlike humans, we have a decent prime. Well, I may be aging now too, but you get the idea.”

The impression I received from Isah was an unmistakable wildness. A chilling sensation that felt like I could be devoured if I let my guard down for a moment.

From Noble mtl dot com

“Would you… consider working under me?”

Asking in a casual tone, the lad growled.

“Did you come to me with such a proposition? Ridiculous.”

“Changing affiliation is not an unusual thing.”

“Indeed. That’s why even in that country, they think of retainers as disposable pawns. It’s no different from hiring mercenaries. But you are different. You are not just trying to accept me as a retainer. I sense a genuine attempt to tame me.”

“Hah, caught, huh?”

“No chance, kid. I am not one to be tamed by anyone. I’ll merely be used if necessary. As long as there’s good drink and the scent of blood on the battlefield, I don’t care where I am. Living as I please is my unchanging creed.”

“Then, why not try to see if I can tame you or not?”

“That… is intriguing.”

It seemed Gaspar had been interested in Wade from the start.

“Well, fine. Being around you might not be boring. Tame me before I get bored.”

“In that case, once things settle, come to Rainfall. We can continue this conversation there.”

Unlike with Rutger, I planned to scrutinize Gaspar rigorously.

‘If he seems likely to cause discord with other comrades, I’ll have to get rid of him without hesitation.’

That’s why the meeting at Rainfall was crucial.