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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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Yuma was terribly tired.
So he didn’t understand why everyone was looking at him with eyes full of fear.
Thud—
Being exhausted, he sat down in the chair directly in front of him.
Coincidentally, that seat was facing First Prince Schwarze.
“……”
Yuma stared straight ahead in that state.
He had no particular intention.
He was just too tired to move his head.
However, for Prince Schwarze, who was directly facing Yuma, all sorts of thoughts couldn’t help but cross his mind.
‘This bastard…!
Is he warning me!
Telling me not to provoke him!’
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“I know you’re thinking of sending me to the southern border front.”
On the way to the conference room, he had been able to hear the details from Viscount Bennett.
The plan was to first resolve the crisis at the front, then dig into the barbarian country of Pineon to find the White Night clan.
Bennett had originally intended to emphasize one more thing to Yuma.
That it would be good if he appeared to be someone who only listened to Princess Brigitte’s orders.
That’s what he was going to say.
But just before going out to greet Yuma, because of the footage shown by Red Tower Master Eldrie, he couldn’t bring himself to utter such commanding words.
He had only said that he hoped Yuma would claim to take on the role of Supreme Commander for this war as the princess’s sword.
And Yuma fully understood the intention behind those words.
It was to give authority to Princess Brigitte.
And he had no aversion to that. Because it aligned with Yuma’s own thoughts.
Yuma decided to put on a grand act of bravado.
“I will stand on the front lines. Because I believe it’s the duty of one who stands on the soil of this Astes Empire.”
The problem, if there was one, was that to others, this didn’t seem like bravado at all.
In any case, he intended to proceed shamelessly.
“And I have no intention of following anyone’s orders on the battlefield.”
Gulp—
Someone swallowed hard.
And most felt their breath catch.
The footage they had just seen.
It gave legitimacy to anything Yuma said.
Even without taking any action, it created an intimidating atmosphere.
Yuma slowly scanned the faces of the nobles.
“I have no intention of listening to anyone’s orders on the battlefield. What position should I hold for that?”
A moment of silence passed.
It was none other than First Princess Brigitte who broke that silence.
A smile formed on Brigitte’s lips.
“There’s only Supreme Commander. Such a position. No one on the battlefield can go against your will. And you don’t have to listen to anyone’s words.”
Yuma slowly tilted his head.
“Is it alright even if I don’t give orders?”
Brigitte grinned.
Because she felt like they were having a private conversation, not in a conference hall.
“Anyway, Yuma, won’t you become a one-man army, annihilating the enemies on your own?”
“I suppose it will be like that.”
Because that’s how it had been so far.
The nobles couldn’t keep up with the flow of this bizarre meeting.
They couldn’t utter a single word in this situation that seemed like a casual conversation between the two.
Brigitte decided to conclude this situation now.
“I declare here and now. I appoint Yuma as the Commander-in-Chief, the Supreme Commander of this war. And when this war is successfully concluded, I will bestow upon him the title of Grand Duke. If anyone has any objections, step forward.”
As soon as Brigitte finished speaking, the eyes of the nobles, suppressed by fear of Yuma’s existence, widened.
Grand Duke?
For someone who held no title at all to suddenly become a Grand Duke!
From the nobles’ standpoint, they couldn’t help but dislike this radical declaration.
“…I think the bestowal of the Grand Duke title is a matter that needs careful consideration, Your Highness First Princess.”
While most were dissatisfied, only one noble stepped forward to voice that dissatisfaction.
So Brigitte leisurely continued to explain the reasons.
“Yuma has already achieved numerous merits. He suppressed an act of rebellion that included a former Ten Seats level person. He single-handedly defeated a dragon that appeared in Rubelt County. Is there anyone in this place, no, in this empire, who could achieve the same feats as this Yuma?”
All the nobles remained silent.
Brigitte looked at Prince Schwarze, her older brother.
Schwarze also couldn’t say anything.
“His merits might be a little lacking, that’s why I added the premise of ‘after this war ends.’ If Yuma achieves merits in this war as well, I believe he will be fully worthy of the Grand Duke title. If anyone has any objections, speak now.”
Schwarze, looking at Yuma who had unintentionally ended up sitting directly across from him, said:
“If you receive the Grand Duke title, which land would you like to be granted?”
He didn’t feel like expressing any dissatisfaction about the Supreme Commander issue.
From most nobles’ perspective, it was a situation where half of the Ten Seats, the core of imperial power, had been decimated because of him.
In the current situation, Yuma was the only one who could stand at the forefront of the battlefield.
Schwarze intended to determine if Yuma had a desire for power or material greed.
Even if not now, to possibly approach him behind Princess Brigitte’s back later.
However, the words that came out of Yuma’s mouth were beyond the range of prediction.
“Well… I’ve been moving around busily, so I don’t know much about the empire’s territory yet. If there’s a land with nice scenery, I’d appreciate a recommendation.”
Schwarze’s mouth gaped open.
“A recommendation… you’re asking me? For the land you’ll receive? A land with nice scenery…?”
“Yeah, as a prince, you should know well, right?”
Schwarze felt his vision go dark!
‘I do know well, but what kind of madman would make such an outrageous statement to the First Prince of a country!!’
Schwarze felt a terrible sense of powerlessness and loss at himself for not daring to say such thoughts directly to the dragon slayer before him.
Born with the noblest bloodline in the country, this was the first time he had felt so powerless.
Yuma was still staring at him with a bored expression.
As if he didn’t expect any answer at all.
“…I’ll think about it and give you a recommendation later.”
“Alright, I’ll look forward to it.”
He didn’t look forward to it at all. He was just tired.
However, the gazes of those around were different.
He was the Supreme Commander of war, completely toying with the First Prince.
Supreme Commander Yuma slowly rose to his feet.
“I’ll ask one last time. If anyone has any objections to me becoming the Supreme Commander for this war, speak now.”
Yuma slowly scanned the assembly.
The nobles instinctively knew.
If they didn’t speak now, there would be no more chances to object.
However, even knowing this, they couldn’t say anything.
Schwarze felt a terrible sense of powerlessness.
The warrior Yuma.
He had managed to speak to him.
And it had become a meaningless slip of the tongue.
“Then, I’ll take it that there are no objections and take my leave.”
Yuma strode out.
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A night passed.
When Yuma opened his eyes, he was in an empty room where guests of the First Princess’s palace stayed.
After sleeping in the luxurious bed, his body finally felt refreshed.
Soon after, the sound of knocking was heard from outside.
“Come in.”
The one who opened the door and took a step in was none other than the head butler, Royan.
“Her Highness First Princess Brigitte insisted on having breakfast together, since you’ll have to depart for the campaign first thing tomorrow morning.”
Originally, he had planned to stay in the imperial palace for at least three days, but due to an urgent message from the front lines, the schedule had to be moved up.
It was because the barbarian country Pineon had suddenly started moving.
“Understood.”
Yuma sat in the dining room of the First Princess’s palace, facing the First Princess.
“Yuma.”
Brigitte had asked the chefs to prepare a feast of sorts for Yuma, who was about to face war.
So what appeared before Yuma was none other than a steak.
It wasn’t bad to eat a tender steak from the morning.
“It’s delicious.”
Brigitte smiled proudly as she watched Yuma say that.
“You need to eat well to defeat the enemies well, so I prepared this with sincerity. Hmm, yes. To put it in perspective, with the heart of a wife sending her husband off to the battlefield.”
The example seems a bit strange.
Yuma wiped his mouth with a napkin.
To others, it looked very dignified.
“How far has your faction formed? When I’ve done my job, will you be able to ascend to the throne immediately?”
This time, Brigitte showed a bitter smile.
“You’re underestimating me too much. Of course, I’ve now formed a fairly equal faction. This is all thanks to you. Now the factions are evenly matched. I suppose they’ve realized how powerful you are as a force.”
There was a lack of support from a few counts, but that was a problem that would be resolved with time.
Once this war was completely ended, Yuma himself would represent the empire’s military power.
“What kind of clan is the White Night clan?”
It was Yuma who asked the question.
The existence he needed to find after breaking through the barbarian country.
The White Night clan.
“A clan where legend and reality coexist. Even I only became certain of their existence after receiving the oracle through the Holy Maiden this time. They clearly existed hundreds of years ago. But it wasn’t certain whether their lineage had continued until now.”
Such a clan didn’t appear in [Loop Blood] either.
“What are their characteristics?”
“Skin as white as snow. Blue hair. And red eyes. Sword skills bordering on the mystical… These are the characteristics that have been passed down in legend.”
Yuma etched these characteristics into his mind.
Brigitte’s head turned towards the direction of the small training ground within the princess’s palace.
“Her name was Hestia, wasn’t it? The feline swordswoman. Were you interested in that type, Yuma?”
Yuma stared blankly at Brigitte for a moment.
Was she asking if he had such unusual sexual preferences?
Yuma inwardly clicked his tongue.
“She’s useful. She has talent with the sword too. Like your knight, I’ve just kept her as my guard.”
Brigitte’s eyes shone.
“Oh ho, Yuma. Is she a raw talent you’ve discovered? Now that you mention it, I’m getting interested too.”
She was indeed a raw talent.
She had the potential to achieve Sword Master level, after all.
Brigitte’s gaze narrowed slightly.
Two blue-lit eyes met.
Brigitte slowly opened her mouth.
“I felt a moment of jealousy. The being you chose… from that perspective, I became quite sincerely envious. Cloney must have been jealous too. Of that Myojok.”
Cloney?
Yuma tilted his head.
Given Cloney’s personality, she might feel jealous of others, but it didn’t seem likely she’d feel jealous of Hestia.
Although Hestia was older, even from just a few days of observation, Cloney was the one taking care of Hestia.
It felt like an eldest daughter diligently looking after the youngest.
“Where is Cloney?”
In response to Yuma’s words, Princess Brigitte stood up and answered.
“They’re both at the training ground. They’ll be training at opposite ends, I suppose. Hestia is receiving instruction from my guard knight Michael. Cloney is being taught by Red Tower Master Eldrie. Since they can only train for a day… every moment must be precious.”
Yuma followed Brigitte as she walked ahead.
Their destination was the small training ground.
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