Leo hurried back to the farm and reported the events he had experienced while on patrol.
“I discovered and removed one zombie north of here.”
“Good job.”
“The next thing is the important matter I mentioned. I encountered a group. They were individuals wearing armor and carrying a flag with a bear drawn on it, but they didn't seem like invaders. They were heading toward the tower.”
“That would be the Glover family.”
The academy territory was a district under royal jurisdiction.
However, the administrative affairs of this place were divided and operated by the central nobles.
The Glover family was one of those entities.
“I thought it was about time they showed up.”
“What is with that tone, as if you already knew.”
About three months had passed since the awakening.
By this point, the groups that were going to fail had failed, and the rest were divided into those who succeeded in surviving.
Once survival was secured, the next step had to be taken.
Generally, that meant the consolidation of forces.
Those with talent and capability would band together to be reborn as a larger group.
The Lord of the City was a predator among such people.
If they succeeded in removing the zombies inside a city.
It meant the infrastructure within was preserved.
Self-sufficiency was possible!
What was needed now were talented individuals to manage it.
“What kind of intention did they come with?”
“What else? They probably came to take the Knight Order.”
“To the city?”
“Yeah.”
Leo’s eyes flashed.
“Shouldn't we also ask them to take us? If it is a city, it seems like it would be much better to live in than here.”
“It is so if you think simply.”
Joshua stood up from his seat.
He was a man who had played this game several times.
Of course he had considered going to the city.
‘This is quite a headache.’
He had tried growing a group diligently while helping a Lord.
In those cases, the Lord, fearing his position would be taken, would execute the player.
Conversely, if one did not show ability, they were kicked out.
He had also tried playing to stay right in the middle.
In that scenario, the Lord would make wrong choices and eventually meet ruin.
[Clever] advised him to head to the tower.
Whether to join them or not was a later problem, but making an impression came first.
“For now, I have no choice but to go and see.”
“Are you planning to go to the tower?”
“Yeah.”
“What should we do?”
“You guys wait here.”
“Understood.”
Leo seemed disappointed but did not pester him.
In this regard, he was clearly different from Talleon or Gavinu.
He knew how to control his emotions.
This is a quality more important than anything else as a leader.
As expected, he was a bastard worth the effort of raising.
“If you hear the cry of a hawk from the sky while I am away, blow a whistle.”
“A hawk? A whistle?”
“If it discovers the signal and comes down, just place it on a branch that is easy to see.”
Leo bit his lip hard this time as well.
Once again, he suppressed his curiosity.
Excellent, truly excellent.
I liked the fact that I didn't have to waste my breath explaining very much.
“One egg.”
“Huh?”
“It is a reward. Whether you roast it, boil it, or raise it like the egg you received last time, do as you please.”
“Is this a reward for the patrol? This is already the eighth time I have gone on patrol. You never gave me anything like this before.”
“Do you hate it? Then let's act like this never happened.”
“N-No. Thank you.”
Was a carrot a bit insufficient?
Well, if he continued to do well like this, the day he would receive a larger gift was not far off.
“Hey.”
As I rose to head to the tower, Leonard called out to stop me.
“What?”
“Are you taking that with you?”
He gestured with his eyes toward the staff I was holding.
It was a weapon finally completed through bloody effort over the past fifteen days.
A gem like a blue sapphire was embedded in the end of a bent branch.
[Broken Heart]
-Increases the owner's mana. The effect rises as it exceeds the limit of magic.
“I am just worried it might cause unnecessary misunderstanding. Carrying that around draws attention just by itself.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“It is advice, not worry! If a problem arises for you, it is a headache for me in many ways as well.”
“Rest assured. I won't have a reason to use this.”
“If you aren't going to use it, it is better to leave it behind as I said.”
“There are things that show an effect just by being held as an ornament. Just keep quiet and do the work I assigned you well.”
Even if it was not fired, just possessing it was a threat.
It was a yardstick to gauge the opponent's military power.
That was the first use of this staff.
* * *
Rodwell sat by the window of his office as usual and looked at the scenery outside.
Recently, Joshua’s outings had become frequent.
Along with him, the three boys who followed him went as well.
Sometimes Tania joined them too.
Where were they heading?
He could not confirm it from his current vantage point.
He considered sending a tail, but he did not want to break the trust with the boy.
It was a surprising thing.
He deferred judgment out of consideration for a student's trust.
In the past, he would not have even been able to imagine such a thing.
“Hmm?”
He furrowed his brows.
Beings he had not even considered were walking toward this place.
Was it retaliation from another Knight Order?
It was not.
If it were them, they would not have invaded so sloppily.
Though faint, something like a flag was visible.
“I really hope they don't make things any more annoying for me than this.”
Recently, he had been having such thoughts.
That he might collapse himself.
That he wanted to be at ease.
He thought that the truly scary thing in this world was not the zombies.
It was the silence and the gloomy aura created by their appearance.
Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
“Captain, I think you should come down.”
“Understood.”
He tidied his appearance neatly.
When he went down the stairs, the other party entered the entrance at just the right time.
The subordinates inside the tower all gathered and stood on guard.
“I don't think this is proper etiquette for guests.”
“Identifying yourself comes first before talking about etiquette. Who are you?”
Rodwell asked while glaring.
The humans who intruded quickly took off their helmets and revealed their faces.
It was a tall, handsome young man.
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Rodwell. We are squires following Sir Kundel, the second son of the Glover family.”
“Sir Kundel. I have a memory of having a tea party together a very long time ago. If you are squires of Sir Kundel, you wouldn't be people from the mainland, you must have come from Saint Stalia. You have gone through much trouble coming a long way. It must have been a distance of at least 200 kilometers. Did you come without a word?”
“That is correct. If it is alright, we would like to stay here for a few days and discuss the current situation with you. Please allow our stay.”
“It should be fine. Lucille, give these people rooms to stay in and some snacks. We will talk after you have caught your breath.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Sir Rodwell.”
They disappeared beyond the stairs under Lucille’s guidance.
The remaining soldiers gathered together.
They didn't even have the luxury to head to the conference room.
“This is a huge opportunity! Sir Rodwell. Isn't Saint Stalia a city with walls? The fact that they are alive is proof that the city is safe.”
“The situation in the tower was tight, so this is good. Those people must have come to escort us.”
The subordinates, whose faces had been dark until the morning, muttered with excited faces.
No one suspected it was a trap.
They were only chasing hope.
Interpreting things positively was not bad, but Rodwell thought the subordinates were being excessive.
“Calm down.”
Rodwell wrapped his head tightly.
He planned to take along a useful friend to the place where they would talk.
To feel out the opponent's inner thoughts.
However, he didn't like any of them.
To avoid getting caught up in the opponent's pace, one must be skilled at hiding their emotions.
In that sense, everyone was a dud.
They were already smirking at the thought of going to the city.
“It is quite noisy.”
Joshua entered through the open door.
Rodwell felt like a sweet rain was falling from a clear sky.
He pushed past the subordinates and approached the boy quickly.
“Joshua! You came at just the right time. I missed your face very much.”
“I didn't know you liked me that much, Sir.”
“It is not about liking. It is about trusting. Anyway, that is not the important thing.”
“I know. Guests have arrived, right?”
Rodwell swallowed a groan.
This boy had come here while already knowing everything.
Who had come here.
Why he needed him.
He moved calculatedly while predicting the future.
Since that was the appearance the boy had shown all along, there was nothing strange about it.
He just thought it was wondrous.
The boy was smiling.
That smile was different from the smiles the subordinates wore.
It was not about clinging to hope, but as if trying to grasp reality.
It felt like the composure of a human trying to survive.
“I need your help.”
“It is only natural, but I cannot do it for nothing.”
The subordinates' spirits were shaken.
He was no exception.
In a world where it wouldn't be strange for everyone to collapse and go crazy.
It felt as if the boy was the only one who wouldn't collapse.
* * *
There were choices for the player.
Depending on that, several routes were connected like roots.
Even so, one could not perform actions that went beyond the creator's predictions.
Let's assume the current situation based on experience.
Rodwell leaves for Saint Stalia.
Rodwell stays in the tower.
These two were all the choices the player could see.
The player could indirectly influence what choice Rodwell would make.
Indirectly.
This part was important.
Rodwell had never once asked for an opinion in front of a diplomatic mission.
However, how was it now?
Even though a second-in-command named Lucille was right there, he sought him out first.
He had gained trust.
Influence that was not there when he first arrived at the tower had been created.
Now he had risen to a position where he gave advice to him directly.
[Clever] advised him.
It was regarding Rodwell’s current psychological state.
He was driven to the edge of a cliff.
In other words, it meant the possibility was high that he would accept the mission's proposal and head to the city.
No.
How much effort did I put into creating this connection!
I couldn't let it be taken away by something like the Glover family.
Rodwell must continue to stay in the tower and become my reliable companion.
“Are you ready?”
Rodwell asked right before entering the room.
“Yes, I am ready.”
“Do not worry about things like the opportunity to speak, you can run wild however you want. Anyway, you just need to see through those guys' schemes and negotiate in a way that is advantageous for our Knight Order.”
“If the negotiation ends to your liking, Sir, what kind of reward will you give me then?”
“You greedy bastard! Let's talk about that after everything is over!”
I was not in a hurry regarding the reward either.
I was just giving him a word.
Since I might receive unnecessary glares if I requested it later.
He opened the door.
There were a total of eight people in the Glover family's mission, but only three attended the meeting.
The man sitting in the center looked like the leader.
A large scar, as if cut by a knife, remained on his right cheek.
“I am called Osmond. I am a member of the Glover family and a royal guard of Saint Stalia.”
A noble's private army.
In other words, it meant he was a private soldier.
Even if he was not a noble, as long as he came as part of a diplomatic mission.
It was not a stretch to consider his statements and actions as the same as those of the Glover family.
“You have gone through much trouble coming a long way, Osmond. So, is Sir Kundel safe?”
“Yes, he is safe.”
“Does that mean Stalia is safe too?”
“That is correct. The damage is quite large, but we are currently doing our best to restore it.”
Every time he finished speaking, Osmond’s expression was full of himself.
As if the blood of the Glover family itself was flowing through his body.
“Pardon me, but the boy over there?”
“Ah, have the rumors about this bastard not reached Stalia? I will introduce him. He is Joshua Pallarion.”
“Pallarion... No way, the successor of that fallen noble?”
“Why are you so surprised? bastards who were nobles and then stripped of their titles aren't just one or two.”
“But I understand that there were many bad rumors about that boy even among the students.”
“He was a problem child.”
“And the reason for calling such a friend to this important place?”
“I called him because it is important. This bastard is acting as my advisor.”
“A-An advisor, you say? Not Lady Lucille?”
“When it comes to using his head, he is much better than her.”
Osmond crumpled his face for a moment.
The rumors circulating were very malicious.
And the majority of them were the truth.
His own kin wouldn't have predicted that he would appear reborn like this.
“Wouldn't Lady Lucille feel bad?”
“Why would she? No way, did the two of you talk alone while I was away?”
Osmond’s eyes widened.
He quickly composed his expression to hide his surprised emotions.
However, it was already too late.
Rodwell was not a person who would miss that moment.
“Well, let's talk about that later, and proceed with the talk you originally intended to have.”
“...Understood.”
Osmond cleared his throat and continued his answer.
“Currently, Stalia has stored shelters to survive the winter and food to eat during that time in the warehouses. And when spring arrives, preparations to grow crops are also complete. Not only that! We have established a force of 50 combatants, consisting of 30 warriors armored with horses and armor, and 20 mages. They are elites who can be sent out for exploration even in the freezing cold.”
A force of 50 combatants.
Thinking of it in the context of the era and the situation, that scale was certainly amazing.
It was not a stretch to be proud of it.
But I shouldn't be impressed here.
I must check if it is a proper group by nitpicking point by point.
“What makes such an amazing group regretful enough to seek me out in this far-off place?”
“Haha, I am sorry. Explaining our group just went a bit too far. It seems I became a bit conceited.”
“It is a relief that you know.”
Rodwell acted brazenly.
Regardless of the situation in the tower, this kind of posture is important in a place of negotiation.
“Then I will also reduce the small talk and go straight to the main point. I propose to Sir Rodwell. How about joining hands with our Glover family and merging our groups?”
What was bound to come had arrived.
My goal was to keep Rodwell in the tower.
Simply keeping him was not enough.
Even if the day comes when he eventually leaves this tower.
I must make him a partner who will work with me in the future as well.