Chapter 132 - Eureka

Inside Valdrova Castle.

The young ladies all stayed together in one room, waiting for things to settle down, while the young noblemen held a competition to choose the Supreme Commander.

Ferda decided to remain only as an observer.

He was better suited to excelling in tactics than devising overall strategy.

Among the participants were renowned descendants of famous war heroes who had come from all over to build connections with Ferda.

The one who stood out the most was a giant of a man.

’Jonathan Sina.’

Jonathan Sina, the Iron Wall, had been one of the twelve members of the expedition sent to defeat the Demon King.

His descendant had inherited his ancestor’s name, and he resembled Jonathan Sina’s statue so perfectly that one could almost believe he was the man’s reincarnation.

Among the descendants of the legendary expedition members, Jonathan Sina was by far the best known to the public.

Watching him, Ferda suddenly grew curious and asked Isabella,

"As far as I know, Jonathan Sina wasn’t very intelligent. Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"What about his descendant?"

"He is exceptional in tactics, but when it comes to strategy, he is exactly like his ancestor."

Then why the hell did he enter this competition?

Jonathan Sina’s descendant wasn’t the only surprise.

There was another unexpected participant.

Olivia Arken.

The Imperial Princess herself had entered the competition.

She was the only woman participating.

She was no longer wearing her usual dress that exposed her chest.

Instead, she wore armor forged from the rare metal Alterium, which was both light and durable. It had no unnecessary curves, focusing entirely on combat efficiency and practicality.

Her long hair had been tied up neatly, and she wore no makeup.

People often said seeing a woman’s bare face shattered the illusion, but she gave no such impression.

If anything, her fresh, pure appearance made her even more captivating, causing the men around her to steal glances in her direction.

She maintained a delicate balance between her graceful beauty and her authority as a commander.

"Since this competition is being held during wartime, we will grade everything quickly and announce the results immediately. There will be ten questions, each worth one hundred points."

Isabella served as the examiner.

Though only in name.

The real evaluator was Mori, seated beside her.

After listening to every answer and comparing it with the reference materials, no one judged more objectively than she did.

If the participants started complaining about being judged by a little girl, things would become troublesome, so it was better to rely on the authority of a Dragon.

"Um, Administrator. May I ask a question?"

Although she was merely the administrator of a small village, the Dragon horns on her head made every young noble address her respectfully.

"Go ahead."

"Where is the legendary adventurer, Eri?"

"Indeed. Rather than holding this competition, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for that person to command this operation?"

Even among the nobility, Eri was a legendary figure.

Countless noble titles had been offered, yet Eri had refused every single one and simply disappeared.

It was undeniably disrespectful, but Eri’s achievements were so extraordinary that even such behavior was forgiven.

If one could establish friendly relations with Eri, they would gain an incredibly dependable ally.

"That... person will be operating independently. They have been assigned a small elite special operation for this crisis. Strategic information will be shared with the Supreme Commander selected today."

To stand shoulder to shoulder with a legendary adventurer.

The young nobles became even more motivated.

"The first question concerns managing limited supplies."

How to utilize military supplies.

How to deal with soldiers deserting.

The questions focused on knowledge every knight should possess, so anyone who had studied warfare could answer them.

"And finally... you will soon be engaging in full-scale combat against Monsters..."

They were asked how battles against Monsters should be conducted, and each participant proposed a strategy.

"We should charge forward with knightly valor and break their momentum..."

"If we stab them through the waist and sever their core..."

Every answer was dreadful.

They spoke as though fighting humans or large-scale conventional battles, showing absolutely no understanding of how Monsters fought.

Quite a few even received zero points.

"Monsters must be fought differently. Rather than relying on the bravery of knights, the army should adopt a defensive formation centered around magical forces."

Surprisingly, only Olivia received an overwhelming score.

Ninety-eight out of one hundred.

That meant she not only understood the textbook theory but also knew it had proven effective in real combat.

Several more questions followed.

Then the final results were announced.

"I will now announce the results. The Chief of Staff is Olivia Arken."

Naturally, the actual scores were not disclosed.

If the others learned how utterly Olivia had crushed them, it would be a devastating blow to their pride.

"I accept the Administrator’s decision, but may I ask what I lacked?"

Though he claimed to accept the result, it was obvious his pride refused to acknowledge it.

He had no idea that his opponent was the Slave Sage who possessed the Library of All Things.

Using Mori’s analysis, Isabella pointed out every flaw in his answers with sharp precision.

Unable to make any further excuses, he fell silent.

Olivia accepted the insignia of the Chief of Staff and delivered her inaugural speech with a proud expression.

"Although I have become the Chief of Staff, I have no intention of looking down on any of you. What we need now is a united will. Let us all become one!"

Many admired her abilities.

Yet quite a few were secretly dissatisfied.

Naturally so.

The position they had spent their entire lives aspiring toward had suddenly been taken by the Imperial Princess.

No matter how much they adored her, having her step into their domain inevitably wounded their pride.

Some of those who had idolized her until today might now begin to question that image.

’Still, I understand why she stepped forward herself.’

If command had been entrusted to those incompetent fools, everything would have collapsed before it even began.

Trusting Olivia’s judgment, Ferda congratulated her.

"Congratulations on becoming the Chief of Staff."

"No. This is only the beginning."

Ferda read the look in her eyes.

It seemed she wanted something.

"Your Highness the Regent, we are allies, aren’t we?"

"We share the same objective, so I suppose we are."

"Then let me ask differently. How much do you trust me?"

The sudden question left him unable to answer immediately.

She had been a dependable ally when she taught him to dance and offered a solution to the rumors.

But after she unexpectedly broke the scenario, he had begun to doubt her.

Can I really trust this woman?

"What is it that you want?"

"You intend to deploy soldiers using the Magitech Rifles, don’t you? You’re planning to put them into full operation for this Monster subjugation."

"That’s correct."

"Then hand command of those troops over to me."

First the position of Chief of Staff.

Now command of the army as well.

"Why?"

"My intentions are exactly what you see. I’ve already proven that I’m superior to the other men here and earned this position. This isn’t the time to hesitate. It’s time to push forward."

She tapped the table with a slender finger.

"As both Chief of Staff and commander, I want to prove my abilities. I want to distinguish myself in this campaign and return with great achievements."

Without hesitation, she voiced the same ambition every young noble who had entered the competition possessed.

"What do you think we can gain from each other? If I achieve remarkable success in this campaign, even the Empire won’t dare ignore me."

"So you’re aiming to enter politics."

"Exactly."

Olivia smiled faintly.

But Ferda remained unconvinced.

"Weren’t you trying to become a Saintess in order to enter politics?"

"Of course. That’s one path. But isn’t this an excellent opportunity as well? I have to seize it."

Like everyone else, she intended to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

Yet something about her words carried an unmistakable sense of urgency.

He understood why.

’Becoming a Saintess is anything but easy.’

Even nuns who devoted their entire lives to the convent rarely reached the Fifth Enlightenment.

’And Olivia never became a Saintess.’

She had never even reached the Fourth Enlightenment.

She failed to attain even the Fourth Circle.

In the end, she became a femme fatale who brought the Empire to the brink of collapse in one final desperate struggle.

Perhaps it would be better if she entered politics as a commander instead.

She truly excelled at tactics, and her eloquence was impressive enough to amaze even Erika.

But if only he could accept all those talents at face value.

She had once said it herself.

She was nothing more than a jewel displayed at an auction.

And if that jewel suddenly grew legs and walked away, more people would hate it than admire it.

’Still...’

Her abilities far exceeded anything Ferda had imagined.

He sensed the possibility that she might influence others in ways he had never anticipated.

If the Imperial Princess secured her position and Ferda also earned merit, that would be ideal.

Even if she failed, he would lose nothing.

"It won’t be easy."

"I know. When has anything in my fate ever been easy?"

Olivia smiled.

Ferda decided to hand command over to her.

"William, the captain of the Public Security Force, is currently researching troop deployment. I’ll appoint him as your adjutant, so discuss the matter with him."

"The knight cadet from House Yurei? Understood. By the way..."

Olivia casually asked,

"I don’t see the Duke Yurei’s son anywhere. Considering his family has a long tradition of military commanders, I assumed he would naturally participate."

Why bring that up now?

Though uncomfortable, he forced himself to answer calmly.

"I don’t know either."

"I suppose he could have run away... or perhaps gone to another territory."

Recognizing the subject was unpleasant, she let it drop.

Ferda trusted Olivia’s abilities, but he still believed it was too early to tell her about Marcus Yurei’s death.

After bidding farewell, Olivia left to prepare for the war.

"What happened to Yurei?"

Ferda asked Luri beside him.

"We buried him. We thought it would be better to preserve the body with preservation magic and inter it rather than letting his disappearance create unnecessary complications."

"And his army?"

"I asked around. They’re apparently helping prepare the defenses in Count Consilus’s territory."

"I see."

"By the way..."

Luri glanced sideways at him.

"Do you realize that Princess Olivia is beautiful, Lord Ferda?"

"I do."

He wasn’t blind.

He simply wasn’t interested.

"Not everyone is as dense as you are, Lord Ferda."

"I know that too."

"So you’ve also considered the possibility that Princess Olivia could take those troops and have them defect to the Empire?"

"I have."

He had imagined William, her adjutant, becoming captivated by her beauty and eloquence and joining the Imperial Knights.

"If he falls for something like that, then that’s all the man was worth."

Ferda could only hope William would not betray the ideals he believed in.

***

After the Chief of Staff had been appointed, Olivia began constructing various battle scenarios through strategic planning and mock combat exercises.

While everyone was busy, Erika came to see Ferda.

"Your Highness the Regent Ferda, do you have a moment?"

Ferda nodded.

"Are things going smoothly on the adventurers’ side?"

"Yes. We’re organizing an elite unit for a special operation, and that’s actually why I came."

"How can I help?"

"It’s about someone I’ve been looking for. Even Isabella doesn’t know where he is... so I thought perhaps you might."

"Who is it?"

"The Armored Knight."

The Armored Knight.

The man who had contributed more than anyone else to the construction of Hestia Village.

"I’ve heard that during the Monster attack he displayed unbelievable speed and strength. Is that true?"

"It is."

"His reputation seems well deserved. I’d like to place him at the vanguard and ask for his cooperation."

"Hmm..."

The Armored Knight.

He looked a little foolish, but Ferda believed he was fundamentally a good man.

As Erika said, his presence would greatly benefit the special operation she was planning.

"Unfortunately, I only spoke with him once myself. If anyone knows where he is, the Administrator would."

"I see."

As far as Ferda knew, the man had disappeared somewhere about a week before the Festival of the Beginning of Spring preparations began.

When Hanson, his closest associate, had been asked, he guessed the man had briefly returned to his hometown.

But since the Armored Knight hardly spoke at all, even that was only Hanson’s speculation.

"Then it can’t be helped. I’ll put him on the back burner and ask Jonathan the Iron Wall’s descendant if he’d be interested instead."

"Very well."

Even though her business was finished, Erika did not leave.

She finally voiced the words she had been hesitating to say.

"Bella told me."

"Yes."

"She said you’re having problems with the water supply..."

"That’s right."

"Are you absolutely certain you don’t need our help?"

The village’s situation was steadily growing worse.

"Vernel asked for three days."

"It’s already been four."

Vernel had failed to meet the deadline.

He remained locked inside his room, endlessly tinkering with books and crystal spheres.

"If you’re considering morale, this is your last chance. The people aren’t fools. They’ll realize the water is running out. Once resources become scarce, morale will naturally collapse."

She was right.

Preventing disaster was always better than cleaning it up afterward.

To say he wasn’t anxious would be a lie.

He was walking a path without knowing whether it led to an exit or even deeper into the labyrinth.

At times he wondered whether he should have chosen the safer road and simply accepted a small loss.

Hope and courage were essential for adventurers.

Ferda was a man who believed both were useless.

"I’ll wait."

And yet...

He continued walking forward.

"Do you really believe that man Vernel will succeed?"

"I don’t know."

Ferda had no idea what Vernel was doing or what he was trying to accomplish.

But there was one thing he did know.

"He never said he had failed."

Vernel had not given up.

"So it isn’t over yet."

As long as the man holding this land’s lifeline had not surrendered, Ferda would continue believing in him.

"If you stubbornly cling to uncertain hope, the damage will only grow. Even now—"

"Bwahahaha!!"

A sudden burst of manic laughter interrupted Erika and echoed thunderously through the hallway.

Erika turned toward the open door.

There stood a naked man with greasy, matted hair, running about like a madman.

Then he shouted,

"Eureka!!"