Chapter 72: Night in the capital
We stay at the hotel which we used last time. Then, after Dianne"s breath and sighs, she regains her cool look as a 100-man commander.
“We will fight. Our policy as a crossbow corps won"t change”
The king"s plan for revitalizing his Trot, with or without the king, with the same outcome at the end. However, Dianne is in a position to be in time. I was exhausted.
“As far as possible, we can only go in the direction of the Sword Saint Brigade. ……As long as it is in the form of revolt, whatever the historical significance is, it"s a force that cant be overlooked”
Victory or defeat? There are no avant-garde troops……”
“There is certainly no effect of crossbow and illusion against Bonaparte, but the other Great Sword Saints should be different. Danger is big, but dividing the corps into two platoon units and operate it as much as possible with tactics using the terrain. And Sir Bonaparte……I somehow will hold him back”
“Dianne alone is the avant-garde?”
“It"s more of a diversion than that. I don"t think I can fight Sir Bonaparte alone”
Tentatively, Dianne seems to have a plan.
“Anzeros´s team will be in charge of protecting the front guard unit in a row. Even if they got old, they are still Great Sword Saints, giving priority to the support of friends while not overdoing it. It"s going to be a endurance fight. ……And Aurora will be your a.s.sistant”
Dianne gives quick instructions and measures. Then she looked at me suddenly.
“……Andy, you will rest this time”
“Eh……”
“There is also a provision. Exceptions are permitted to target specific areas or targets in combat missions and to remove the person from such missions if they have a significant impact on soldier morale”
“Eh, no……”
“Now you"re going to interfere with the operation. Look in the mirror”
It is said by Dianne and I see my face in the mirror which was in the room. ……Certainly, I was far from being calm and tense to fight by any means.
“But……I”
“I cant care if the battle starts. The other party is strong”
“……”
“And it"s better not to be at risk of dying from the beginning on the battlefield. You will know which of the hundred soldiers who are not at a loss and those who have fallen from two hundred to one hundred are worth it”
Soldiers who lost their allies in front of them lose their morale anyway. If you are ruled by fear, sadness, or anger, your ability to operate will be lost. Even if a soldier loses the role a.s.signment originally expected due to such a rubble, the combat power will be halved. That"s the way the patterns are overwhelmed by a few. If you have bearless soldiers or useless soldiers, you will only cut down your entire strength. It is better not to have a bad friend. And I was now like that cla.s.sification.
“Have a rest. ……And don"t worry about it. It"s not your fault”
“……Yes”
——————————
Dianne returned to Ba.s.son with Laila, when only the outline of the operation was given. I don"t know how many dragons can carry a troop at one time, but so many round trips wont be necessary. The corps will probably gather in the capital city tomorrow. ……And I´m not partic.i.p.ating.
“Haa……”
“Don"t be discouraged……is it impossible to say?”
“……If you can control yourself, you won"t be notified outside the field”
I cant help complaining to Anzeros, but I am sorry.
“Andy……”
“Just a littlr……I will go drink something”
I dropped my shoulder and left the hotel.
“I, I will go too”
“Andy-san!”
“Sorry. Just a little, leave me alone”
I refused to be accompanied by Apple and Selenium and I went out to the royal capital at night.
——————————–
The royal capital is my second home. I have been living here for 7 years. Reasonably I was aware of it. However, due to my age there was no edge in the bar area. I notice it after I walked out of it. There is a certain level of knowledge that “a bar is gathered around here”, but I didn"t know what nature, what kind of alcohol, what atmosphere, or what kind of bar.
“……Well, fine”
I felt like I was a little betrayed by this selfish city, but I still felt like drinking, so I entered a bar that I could see at hand. I don"t care otherwise. I only want to drink alcohol. Even if a woman was told to buy by the way, I felt that I would buy now.
“Oh, an unknown face”
“One beer and a side dish to suit to it”
Instead of being addicted to the bar-owner, I just sit back at the counter and say my order first. The barkeeper looks a little strange, but he does business with a lot of different customers, therefore he pours beer without hesitation.
“Here for you, traveler”
“Thank you……”
“Take care. This is 『Trotian´s area』”
“Trotian……area?”
The barkeeper sighed with his nose while serving hot fried potatoes.
“After the previous war, we started the segregation in the place of the taverns without permission. The neighborhood where only the Trot people gather and the foreigners gather, the thugs began to draw a line. I"m doing a shop here and if the money is good and the drinking habit is not bad, anyone can come to my shop……well, segregation is a good way to drink alcohol”
“……I"m a Trot person”
The barkeeper shrugged. If I thought that it was bad, there were a couple of thugs behind me.
“Do Trot people have a bad sense of clothes?”
“You"re from Celesta, get out of here”
……Uwaa. Seriously the worst.
“I´m from Trot. I grew up in Polka. ……I was pulled in by Celesta after the war”
“Haa”
“Even so you seem like a Celesta person. Anyway, last time there was a pseudo-beast companion who saved money by frauding”
Pseudo-beast means human beasts. It is a nickname for elves and ogres in a broad sense. ……Really the worst.
“Shut up…… I"m not a brat”
“You, its your existence itself, that is bothering”
“You"re out within three seconds or I"ll crush your nose”
The thugs have been threatening me for a long time. ……I felt that I will be thrown out anyway, so I ignored them and picked up my beer. And, I was blown out in exactly three seconds as predicted.
“Gugaa”
I just fall down with the chair. ……The taste of dry potato and blood is mixed.
“I"m too familiar with the Celesta valve and I can"t even hear Trot´s dialect from you”
“Maybe he is drinking without any money, I will check instead”
The thugs reach out to my pocket while saying what they want. A stick was put in the hand.
“It hurts!”
“Wh, What……”
I also look up as the thugs look up. There is a middle-aged man in a cape dressed in a superior cloak, and……a swordsman with a beautiful breastplate. The swordsman is known at a glance. That person is……. Erik Randall. And the cloak"s uncle.
“Good grief. So you"re telling me to put down the bouncer, barkeeper”
Stunningly swinging the cane, putting it on his shoulder, the cloaked old man talks to the barkeeper.
“Old man, dont disturbe……”
“It"s a polite manner for elders. ……You guys should get out!”
Suddenly a roar. The customers in the store shake their shoulders for a moment, also the thugs and me.
“Y, Youuu!”
It is shameful to be scared by it, so the thugs attacked the uncle at once. ……And, as Erik and the uncle nod to each other, they put their shoulders together and prepare for the attack.
“It"s time for a lecture”
“Yes”
And the thugs were beaten down by those two.
——————————–
The man in the cloak is 100-man commander Grants. Or rather.
“a.s.sistant professor Grants, I"m sorry for the trouble”
“If you think so, hire some guards who can kick back such young people as soon as possible”
He was called a.s.sistant professor and I just couldn"t understand it because it was an intellectual person.
“100-man commander……Grants?”
“Trainee Smithson……no, you"re now a 10-man captain. Come have a treat, this is my familiar shop”
100-man commander Grants sit at the counter seat gallantly. Erik sat at the other side.
“We promise to have a drink together”
“What"s up, Smithson-san. How is, Angelinsama?”
“…………”
I took a sip of the beer on the counter and frowned on the cuts in my mouth and stared at the two people who made an unexpected appearances.
“……No, that……”
“What"s wrong? No way you already break up with Angelinsama”
“…………”
……Ah. What should I talk about?
“……If you mean Anzeros, she is in the capital. Aurora and Dianne will come tomorrow”
For now, I decided to answer the two people"s interests. Then.
“Hmm, is it true? If so, can I not meet her?”
Erik is overly pleased. And then, 100-man commander Grants stopped his movement to drink his Brandy.
“……What?”
“Eh……”
“What"s……no, I see. You haven"t heard it”
Subtle reaction. I and Erik align our faces in “?”.
“……Barkeeper can I borrow a room?”
“a.s.sistant Professor Grants……ye, yes, it"s fine. Rooms 1 and 5-7 are open”
“Let"s borrow room number 1. ……Follow me, 10-man captain Randall and 10-man captain Smithson”
Suddenly, with a brandy bottle and a pottery cup, Grants stands up and take the stairs to the hotel room. I and Erik look at each other and follow him with each alcohol and side dish in our hands.
————————————–
“At this time, the crossbow corps is here and not even selling oil”
“……Grants-sensei?”
“On top of that, you were caught up in the monkey show of the king and Sir Bonaparte”
“Wait……Grants-sensei, you´re disrespectful”
……Wa, Wait.
“100-man commander Grants, how much do you know……”
“I seem to know quite well when you think of me saying monkey show!”
“Eh, but……what?”
The king"s plan is……was it known to be so well known? I thought so, but apparently it was obvious to this 100-man commander who has a decades-long career as a resident of the royal capital, as a Sword Saint.
“The engagement of the young n.o.ble Ruth and Princess Reina and when they were all together In Duke Gardner´s house, there was something I could see through, as I´m one of those who knew him well, such as Sir Bonaparte"s revolt against the king. Is exactly the same……when you understand the 600 years old history of Trot kingdom, it seems that there was a similar case before”
“……In, In that way……what is it”
“Wait, what do you mean? Bonaparte will defeat the king and makes a revolution, something else……”
“Haha, you don"t know it 10-man captain Randall”
“Th, Then what is the purpose……”
“Everything is for the future of the kingdom and the political show for their children……which is foolish”
100-man commander Grants gulps down his brandy and throws the bottle away as he says so. ……That"s true. It is a silly monkey show. A lot of alumni standouts kill each other with a smile and there is a soul and a mind that remain. There is no such thing that they have to sprinkle blood and leave on purpose.
“After all, it"s foolish……the monkey show, isn"t it?”
“You also think so. ……I think, that"s a normal nerve”
“……But, I cant stop it. I cant stop the monkey show by any means”
Both winning and losing converge on one result. There is a way to dispel the plan itself to the people, but it cant stop them simply by wasting their death. However, the 100-man commander Grants shrugged his shoulders before he poured alcohol into his cup.
“I thought you were a supporter of the soul of Trot kingdom. But you say a lot of cowardly things”
“……Even if you say that, if you win or lose it, it is nothing……a futile situation”
“Oh yes. If you kill Bonaparte or if you give up the king, the winner will be convicted and will be the foundation of the next era. Both sides are aware of it and it"s a fight they want”
“……Yes. So this fight cant be helped by intervention”
“So you give up. The enemy is strong, there are no weapons to win, no stones and no sand, so are you satisfied that you have done well? So you can forgive yourself. Without standing on the battlefield”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“What do you want to stop. What result do you want. Think what is wrong and try to raise your justice”
Kan, 100-man commander Grants slammed his ceramic cup on the desk.
“Don"t you leave everything alone? Do you think that with just a handful of help, everything is going to work, you just end up with the problem you want? You think you can save the person who really bet on life with just one arrow. Don"t give up, it"s nothing like coincidence”
“……What should I do?”
100-man commander Grants murmurs a bit more and bears me.
“What should you do? It depends on your justice. What does your justice want? What kind of future is good. Have you ever considered means to do so?”
“That is……”
I don"t want the king, old man Bonaparte and the Sword Saints to die without permission. Parents have a duty to be respected until their death. They have an obligation to see the future of their children. They have a duty to be happy with the birth of their grandchildren. They have a duty to die peacefully, telling their children that they had a happy life. ……It should be so. It should have been so. My dad is an idiot who couldn"t do that and old man Bonaparte is a f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d trying to give up.
“I don"t think you"ll be in time. ……All right, 10-man captain Smithson. Human hands aren"t attached to wield weapons. You can also make something. Holding someone"s hands. The voice can talk about any dream and love and the feet are able to go anywhere. You"re not so clumsy that you can"t understand it”
“…………”
I watched 100-man commander Grants who continues to drink alcohol at a high pace. I felt awake.
“Yes, that"s right”
“……Hahahaha. What did you forget?”
“I forgot. ……Yes, that"s right. I”
……Not a human who is good at killing and solving, nor a n.o.bleman who carries a nation. There was no need for such means and reason.
“Thank you, 100-man commander Grants”
“……Umu”
I leave 100-man commander Grants who is about to close his eyes and Erik alone and hurry back to the inn.
————————–
“Selenium! Hildsan!!”
“Waa”
“Andy-kun!? ……Yo, You look revived”
I went back to the inn and hurried to talk to them
“What?”
“I want you to make poison”
“Wh, What poison!?”
“Yes. ……If possible, it"s easy to paint on arrows, not detoxify so easily and it numbs the target instead of be lethal”
“……What are you going to do……what is all this about”
“Will you use it for the Sword Saint Brigade?”
“Yes”
I nodded strongly.
“First of all, we will stop the Sword Saint Brigade without dying”