Three weeks after the imperial meeting, the Emperor’s official orders arrived.
The main content was the reorganization of the Eastern Allied Army.
As expected.
Even so, the reduction wasn’t going to be that severe. Only some elite troops and the wounded were being sent back. Since the war was over, the Yates territory army had also returned. Up to this point, everything felt natural. It seemed like things were finally returning to their proper places.
But the moment I turned to the next page, I froze.
“Governorate?”
The second order was somewhat absurd. It instructed me to lead the Eastern Defense Force and develop the plains. It didn’t seem too difficult. I had done something similar before. Hadn’t I turned the collapsing Delriat and the Crawford Principality into solid foundations?
However, this mission was on an entirely different level.
“Development was something I was planning to do anyway, but a Governorate is a bit……”
In truth, I had only intended to build a few villages for the staff to stay in. But now they were suddenly telling me to establish a Governorate? This meant I would have to move on a much larger scale. It was going to be troublesome in many ways.
This basically means they’re going to send migrants.
Sure enough, the following pages contained detailed schedules and objectives. Surprisingly, the number of people was quite large. The first wave of migrants alone numbered ten thousand. I wondered where they had found so many people, but the question was quickly answered.
“Ah, they’re the ones who were under the management of the Dapan Foundation.”
They were originally vagrants. On top of that, they were sending anyone who wished to migrate. Since it was newly developing land, it might become a land of hope for some. There would be that many opportunities created.
Having to build a city in the middle of an empty plain feels a bit daunting.
First, I needed to figure out what could be done here. The most obvious thing that came to mind was agriculture. The eastern plains were famous for their endless grasslands. If I planted things and found suitable crops, I could run large-scale farms. Of course, food could be supplied through the waterway anyway. Since I was the one who built it, there would be no transportation fees or tolls.
But one should always prepare for the worst.
If we ever lose access to the waterway, we’ll be struggling with food shortages.
I needed to at least secure a minimum level of self-sufficiency. I was planning to head out into the eastern plains with only a few people.
However, the person who volunteered to accompany me was somewhat unexpected.
“Commander.”
A middle-aged man with shortly cropped brown hair and a rugged face. His large build gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure. This man was Alvin O’Connor, the knight division commander who had fought alongside me across the battlefield.
“What brings the Division Commander here?”
“Heh. I heard that Your Excellency was going outside the first wall.”
“Pardon? Who told you that?”
“It was a joke. I simply guessed after seeing you making preparations.”
“Ah, I see.”
I couldn’t help but be surprised. I hadn’t even mentioned what I was going to do yet, so how could he know my movements? But if he had been watching me all this time, then the story changed.
He’s sharper than he looks.
Alvin O’Connor was quite an interesting person. Originally, he had been a Red Knight, merely a mid-level officer in the knight division. He had no special skills, but his physical abilities were overwhelming. He wouldn’t lose to most Mandus warriors. That was why he had been promoted to Division Commander, and the results had been unexpected. Contrary to expectations, his understanding of knight division tactics was high, and he was quite good at commanding as well. He also had a delicate side, taking good care of his fellow knights and juniors.
I think I know why he suddenly decided to follow me.
I had a rough idea. It wasn’t because my intuition was particularly sharp. It was simply because the reality surrounding Alvin O’Connor wasn’t easy.
“Now that I think about it, Division Commander O’Connor must also be thinking about the future.”
“As expected of you, Commander. I didn’t think you’d see through my intentions this quickly.”
If he returned to Perias, he would have no choice but to go back to being a regular Red Knight. He was a mid-level officer who had risen from regular knight to Red Knight. It would probably be difficult for him to advance any further. If he were the division commander of a small territory, it might be different. But in the capital’s knight division, it was impossible. His background couldn’t support it.
And was his ability overwhelmingly superior? To be honest, it wasn’t.
“Are you perhaps thinking of not returning?”
“I’ve half made up my mind. There won’t be a place for me anyway.”
“Still, the experience of serving as the 1st Knight Division Commander of the Eastern Allied Army isn’t something that can be ignored. You’ll also be receiving a medal this time.”
“Even so, I’m still just a knight of commoner origin. The best I can do is marry into a decent family as a son-in-law.”
Alvin O’Connor had a good sense of self-awareness. Normally, people who received medals like this would get excited. But this man remained completely calm.
“Since you came all the way here, you must have something you want. Speak freely.”
“I……”
What he was about to say was obvious. He probably wanted to serve under me as his lord……
“I want to learn from Your Excellency the Duke.”
“The swordsmanship tournament has already started, though?”
Because the war ended earlier than expected, we hadn’t been able to run the full six months. So I had opened the swordsmanship tournament for the squires early. The preliminaries were probably in full swing by now. It would still take time before a winner emerged.
On top of that, there was an even bigger problem.
“No, Division Commander O’Connor didn’t take in any new squires, did you?”
That was right. This man had nothing to do with the swordsmanship tournament. Logically speaking, even if he had been specially promoted, an adult shouldn’t interfere in a children’s fight. It was too modest a tournament for a knight division commander to participate in.
Alvin O’Connor gave a bitter smile.
“It’s not swordsmanship.”
“Then what do you want to learn?”
“Everything about Duke Carius.”
For a moment, I made a slightly disgusted expression. It was a somewhat strange statement. It felt almost like a confession between people of the opposite sex. Hearing something like that from a man made me feel a momentary sense of rejection.
Perhaps noticing my expression, Division Commander O’Connor quickly waved both hands.
“No, no. I don’t mean it in a strange way. I simply want to become like you as a person.”
“I see.”
“To be more specific, I want to learn Your Excellency’s talent recognition and management skills.”
“I don’t think I’ve shown anything particularly impressive.”
“Your Excellency placed people in the right positions. Everyone was satisfied, as if they were wearing clothes that fit them perfectly. Moreover, didn’t you instantly quell the complaints of the knights whose positions had changed?”
Now that I heard it, it sounded quite plausible. At the same time, I felt a bit impressed. Everyone had only paid attention to the flashy achievements—defeating Groskal, inflicting massive damage with the Rockfall operation, and so on. In reality, those small changes were what had made the Allied Army even stronger.
Interesting.
I had a feeling that taking him along wouldn’t be a bad idea. However, one question still remained.
“Now that I think about it, you stopped calling me Commander at some point.”
“The army is going to be disbanded soon anyway. I’ll be going back down soon too, so you don’t have to keep calling me Division Commander.”
Ah, this guy only knew half the story. I smiled meaningfully and said,
“But what should I do about this?”
“Pardon?”
“The Allied Army will be disbanded, but the Eastern Defense Force is still under my command.”
“…What?”
It seemed that detail hadn’t been written in the orders. Well, there was no need for a mere knight division commander to know such information. After all, he was someone who would be returning soon anyway.
Division Commander O’Connor’s face looked as if his soul had left his body. Then he shook his head vigorously.
“Does that mean you’ll continue to oversee the east?”
“For the time being, yes.”
“Then please take me with you as well. I will definitely prove my worth.”
“I understand what you want to learn. But what exactly are you trying to achieve by doing that?”
“I want to run my own business.”
“You mean you have no interest in swordsmanship?”
“I’ve clearly felt the limits of my talent. At my level, I probably won’t be able to overcome the limitations of my status.”
“That’s……”
It was cold, but honestly correct. Alvin O’Connor was in his mid-forties. To stand out, he should have been at the level of challenging for Aura Master by now. It was a realm where one was recognized purely by skill. But this man had not been able to break free from being ordinary.
“So you’re saying you want to do business?”
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to succeed. I’ve achieved some of my goals, but I’m still thirsty for more.”
“Hah!”
The fact that he was being this honest was surprising at every turn. I smiled and pointed toward the eastern plains.
“I can’t just accept you for nothing, so I’ll give you one assignment.”
“Yes! Please give me any task.”
“Bring me a business idea that could work out there. I’ll give you one week.”
“Do I have to worry about the means and methods?”
“As long as it’s not overstepping authority, illegal, or morally condemnable, it’s fine.”
“Understood.”
Division Commander O’Connor gave a crisp salute and quickly disappeared somewhere. I lightly shrugged my shoulders.
Then Feltron’s voice immediately rang out.
That guy’s as weird as Cordell McNeil.
“I think so too.”
—By the way, what are you planning to do here, boss?
“First, I need to figure out what’s buried here.”
When I glanced to the side, the large white beast puffed out his chest.
—Just trust me. You know how it’s been so far, right?
“Ah, have you only been getting scammed? You’ve been receiving proper compensation every single time, haven’t you?”
—I know, I know. I was just asking just in case. So, should I just look for anything?
“It would be good if it’s something that can make money.”
—I don’t really know the market prices of the human world, though?
“Then use the standard of something rare. If it’s rare to you, that means it’s also hard for humans to obtain.”
—Got it.
Adam adjusted the fit of his tuxedo with elegant movements. Then he closed his eyes tightly, as if concentrating his mind.
Meanwhile, I rode my horse across the eastern plains.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
The cool wind hitting my face felt incredibly pleasant. After riding for a while, I arrived at the place where the Mandus tribe had set up camp. Trash was scattered everywhere, and occasionally a foul stench rose up.
They could have at least cleaned up before leaving, damn it.
While I was clicking my tongue inwardly, I suddenly noticed a strange sight. At the edge of the horizon, a thick pillar of light was pouring down from the sky. It felt like an energy bombardment from a spaceship in an SF movie. Captivated by the beauty of nature, I couldn’t close my mouth.
“What could be over there?”
It was probably some kind of natural phenomenon like a rainbow. The rising sun was simply shining in that shape because it was blocked by an obstacle. There was probably a canyon or something at the end. I thought it wasn’t a big deal and slowly rode my horse toward it.
However, the closer I got, the clearer the identity of the mass of light became. That was……
A sword?
Surprisingly, right in the middle of the vast plain, a large greatsword was stabbed into the ground upside down. It was surrounded by blazing energy.
“What the hell is this?”
Without much thought, I approached and tried to pull out the sword. I didn’t feel like it was particularly dangerous. But at that exact moment—
“Khahahahaha! You fell for it, you simpleton!”
Along with someone’s voice, I suddenly felt dizzy.
Th-This is?