Chapter 808 – 808. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
“Y-you! You’re the woman who took Nepia back then, aren’t you?! I’m sure of it! There’s no way I could have mistaken you! Nepia! Where is Nepia now?! Answer me!”
It was unpleasant.
The fact that a mere soldier, who didn’t even look like a knight, was blocking my path, and that he was ignoring me and speaking to Yuria so presumptuously. No, even if he were a knight, it would have been just as unpleasant.
I was about to open my mouth in annoyance when Kyle stepped forward before I could.
“Terius. What is this rudeness?”
His voice was so cold that I doubted if it was the Kyle I knew. Startled, Terius stumbled backward before immediately kneeling on the ground and bowing his head.
“I-I’m sorry. I was unintentionally rude. Please forgive me.”
“……”
Kyle glared at Terius before turning his head to Yuria. His face was gentle.
“Sorry, Yuria. This guy has a tendency to not see his surroundings when he gets excited. You weren’t startled, were you?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
Yuria glanced at me. Kyle belatedly spoke to me as well.
“Eugene. Terius made a mistake. Can you forgive him?”
“Brother. You’re not going to just let it slide with an apology, are you? I’d be a little disappointed if you did.”
“……Disappointed? What are you talking about? This is just a minor incident.”
“A mere soldier blocked our path and shouted. Unless it was for an important matter related to the military, he blocked us for a trivial personal matter. Even a commoner during peacetime wouldn’t be easily forgiven, but this happened during wartime, and a soldier did it. This should be dealt with under military law.”
Terius, who was prostrate on the ground, flinched, and Kyle swallowed hard.
“……Eugene. I’ll apologize like this. Can you please forgive him just this once, for my sake?”
“No. If it were just my matter, maybe. But my knight, my soldiers are watching. What would my soldiers think if I easily forgave him here?”
I looked at Kyle with calm eyes. Kyle was flustered before sighing.
“…Let’s end it with five lashes.”
“Ten. If he were my soldier, I would have cut off one of his arms. No, considering it’s wartime, I might have even cut off his head.”
“Terius isn’t just a regular soldier. He’s an Aura Expert. He’s not a knight, but he has the potential to become one.”
“Alright. Let’s do five.”
“Eugene…. You’ve changed. Did the war make you like this? Or….”
“Brother. I haven’t changed. The old me is me, and the current me is me. Isn’t that right, Yuria?”
“Yes, Master. You haven’t changed.”
“……”
Kyle closed his mouth with a complicated expression.
I looked at Terius. The iron ring on the ring finger of his left hand, which was on the ground, caught my eye. It was as crude as the iron ring Nepia wore around her neck.
‘Judging by the fact that he called Nepia’s name… is this guy Nepia’s childhood friend?’
I never imagined he would be under Kyle. I desperately held back the urge to smirk.
“Nepia is a slave working in my mansion. How do you know Nepia?”
Terius raised his head. He looked at me with pleading eyes and opened his mouth.
“Nepia and I are friends who were separated a long time ago. Please, let me meet Nepia!”
“Nepia isn’t here. She’s in my mansion. And what do you intend to do by meeting Nepia? Nepia is already my slave. She’s my property.”
“…I know. I’ll pay. I’ll buy Nepia’s freedom. Please… release Nepia.”
There was no way I would. Nepia was a maid who was perfect for my liking. Moreover, she was competent as the acting head maid. Releasing such a Nepia would be insane.
“How much? How much will you pay?”
“100 million…. I can pay 100 million Ner right now!”
He had more money than I thought. With the price of slaves having fallen due to the war, he could buy about two or three decent slaves.
However, I scoffed.
“Fool. Do you know how much money it cost to raise and educate Nepia? Moreover, Nepia is a beautiful child. Even if I sold her to a slave trader, I could easily get 1 billion Ner.”
“1 billion Ner…! That’s absurd!”
“What’s so absurd about it? Nepia is superior to most nobles. Her beauty, knowledge, age…. She lacks in nothing. If you want to buy Nepia’s freedom, bring 2 billion Ner.”
“…2 billion… 2 billion….”
Terius muttered as if he were in a daze. To earn 2 billion while working as a mercenary, he would have to toil for at least 10 years. Unless he was a mercenary with some reputation, but Terius, as I saw him, was a mere rookie.
“…Eugene. 2 billion for a slave is too much. From what I see, 1 billion seems appropriate.”
“Brother’s words make sense. 1 billion. Bring 1 billion. Then I’ll give Nepia her freedom.”
“…1 billion.”
Terius’s eyes returned to focus.
“Are you really going to give Nepia her freedom for 1 billion?”
“Do you think I’d go back on my word? Everyone here heard my words, and Brother Kyle is a witness. My name is already on the words I’ve spoken. I don’t care if you borrow money from someone. Bring 1 billion. I’ll give Nepia her freedom.”
“Baron Eugene Prukerus. Please wait. It won’t take long.”
A burning determination filled Terius’s eyes.
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I promised. I promised Nepia that we would meet again…! I promised that I would find her no matter what!”
“Is that so? Then keep that promise.”
“Definitely…!”
I gestured to Kyle. Kyle nodded and called the soldiers. Terius was grabbed by the soldiers and dragged away. A moment later, the sound of skin tearing was heard five times.
I went inside the military tent.
The preparations for the meeting were already complete. Documents were organized on a large desk, and a large map was placed on one side.
Floy and I sat on chairs. Yuria, as my personal maid, was sent ahead to the military tent where I would be staying. She would clean the tent there.
People gathered in the conference room. They were the officers leading Kyle’s army. There were over 10 of them, and each one was talented. As expected of the protagonist. His ability to gather talent was outstanding. No, in Kyle’s case, it was more accurate to say that talent gathered around him on its own.
‘There’s an elf and a dwarf too. Knights and mercenaries, adventurers… there’s even an assassin. They’re quite unique.’
Among them, one person caught my eye.
She was a woman with short crimson hair. Her eyes were very sharp. Her crimson eyes were as cold as ice, unlike their color. She was a slender beauty with long legs. Her chest was a C cup, and she was wearing an officer’s uniform. Her skirt was short, but she looked modest because she was wearing black stockings.
I immediately recalled her name. She was a character from the original story.
‘It’s definitely Scarlet Bunclow.’
She was one of the generals that Kyle from the original story trusted. Her personal martial prowess was unremarkable, but she was excellent at managing and commanding an army.
‘I want her.’
Currently, I lacked a commander. Originally, Yuria, Melissa, and Floy were in command, but their roles were not to command the army. Yuria was the head maid, Melissa was the leader of the special forces, and Floy was the commander of the knights.
‘There isn’t a suitable commander in my army right now….’
To pick some random guy and put him in the position of commander? My instincts wouldn’t allow it.
‘Has Scarlet sworn loyalty to Kyle? They seem awkward….’
Recalling the original story, Scarlet acknowledges and follows Kyle in the latter half. Until then, she had only cooperated with Kyle, not pledged her loyalty.
“Everyone’s here. Let’s begin.”
With Kyle’s words, the meeting began. An elf man who introduced himself as the reconnaissance leader explained the current situation.
“We have received information that the support troops from the Valt Kingdom have departed. We must either capture Mavelot Castle within five days or give up.”
“I think we should give up. We cannot guarantee victory with 5,000 support troops.”
“But wouldn’t it be worth a try with 5,000 support troops? I think it’s possible.”
“Listen to my plan. We should cut down trees and tie them together like rafts to create a huge bridge. If we can cross the river with that bridge… we can win.”
“Nonsense. Do you think the enemies will just stand by?”
“Alright, alright, everyone’s too excited. Calm down and state your opinions calmly.”
The meeting was noisy. Kyle listened to everyone’s opinions without dismissing any of them and mediated so that the meeting could proceed smoothly.
Scarlet, who had been sitting quietly, opened her mouth.
“Let’s use catapults.”
“Catapults? Do you think the castle walls will fall with just that? There’s magic on those walls.”
“I meant to use the catapults not to attack the walls, but to fill the river with rocks to create a path. Trees burn and break easily, but rocks don’t. If a temporary path is created, we can begin the siege.”
“That’s plausible. But what about the rocks? There are no rocks nearby.”
“With the 5,000 additional support troops, we can bring rocks from the rocky area here.”
Scarlet’s finger pointed to the map. It was a bit far away.
“…It won’t be that easy. The enemies also have mages, and even if we create a path with rocks, it won’t be a complete path. There will be a large number of casualties.”
Someone spoke about Scarlet’s detailed plan. That a proper bridge could only be created by filling the gaps between the rocks thrown by the catapults with the bodies of our own soldiers.
“This is war. Sacrifices must be made.”
Scarlet said coldly without changing her expression. At that, Kyle and most of the others made uncomfortable expressions. Most of the people here had gathered, admiring Kyle’s strength and beliefs. They couldn’t easily accept the sacrifice of people.
“Good. Let’s go with that plan. What’s your name?”
“…Scarlet Bunclow. I’m the commander of the 3rd Division.”
“Wait a minute, Eugene. This plan is essentially a frontal assault. There will be too many sacrifices. There must be a better plan.”
“Brother. I think this plan is the best. If it’s not this plan, I’ll go back.”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
“I don’t intend to force sacrifices on your army, Brother. My army will lead the advance. That’s all I have to say. Give me an answer by tomorrow.”
I got up from my chair and left the tent with Floy.
•••
I met Scarlet secretly, calling her into my tent without Kyle’s knowledge.
After listening to Scarlet’s opinion at today’s meeting, I realized that Scarlet had not yet pledged her loyalty to Kyle. Kyle had not yet changed her ruthless beliefs.
“I will accept Baron Prukerus’s private meeting. I would appreciate it if you could get straight to the point as I don’t have much time.”
“I’ll get straight to the point. Do you have any intention of coming under me instead of Brother Kyle?”
“…Is this a recruitment offer? I expected it.”
Scarlet spoke calmly, not surprised at all.
“Have you sworn loyalty to Brother Kyle?”
“No. I am only working with Kyle due to circumstances. Don’t you know? I thought you knew everything and called me here.”
Her crimson eyes seemed to be observing me.
“Of course, I know. Scarlet Cloburn, the vice-commander of the A-rank mercenary group Aero. Isn’t the reason you’re with Brother Kyle because Aero’s leader decided to go under Kyle?”
“Yes. That’s correct. The leader was captivated by Kyle.”
“Weren’t you captivated?”
“…I acknowledge that Kyle is a great person. But he’s not quite the right fit for me.”
I grinned. Her words were very positive for me.
“What do you want?”
“First, I’m curious about how much authority you can give me.”
“If you come under me, you’ll be the supreme commander. You’ll be able to command 20,000 soldiers, excluding the knights.”
20,000.
That was the entirety of my army, including the slave soldiers.
“Second, I would like you to respect my plans. I don’t want my plans to be dismissed as absurd.”
“I liked your plan, though?”
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t care how many soldiers die. Soldiers and slaves can be recruited as many as needed. Ah, but please treat the elite soldiers with care if possible. Unlike slaves, they cost a lot of money and time to raise.”
“Yes, Eugene.”
“What’s the third?”
“…The third is unnecessary. I’ve already heard the answer. Now, I should ask you a question, Eugene. What is the price?”
“Absolute loyalty, where you give me your body and soul.”
“……”
