Episode 189
“It’s the Grand Duke!!”
“Confucius is back!”
The hospitality of McLane Town was even better than that of Taren.
The new year was about to begin, and it seemed that Logan, who had been away from town for four or five months since the harvest season, had returned home before the year was over.
Logan responded to all the hospitality with a smile and ran straight to the residence.
“What are you in such a hurry? I’m running out of breath. I heard you came without even saying hello to the lord?”
Dwayne, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, put down the documents in front of Logan with a bright smile.
“It’s urgent. I have to be away for another half a year, so I need to do everything I can before then.”
“yes?”
“Ah. Have you heard the news yet? There’s something like that. I’ll tell you later, so let’s report it first.”
Dwayne tilted his head, but soon straightened his posture.
“Hmm. Hmm. Since you may be curious, I will first tell you the whereabouts of Prince Ronian. He is currently working as a mercenary under the name of Roan in the southern part of the empire…” “
Ho…?”
Dwayne’s report was long, but his younger brother seemed to be adjusting to the life of a mercenary better than expected.
‘Your mother will be shocked, but… it’s a good choice, Ronnie.’
Becoming an exploratory mercenary in the southern mountain range was a good choice for growth, except for the risk.
Battles with monsters rather than humans will show Ronian a new world.
“I advise you never to go too deep. Make sure to!”
“That… my lord already did that. My wife fainted once.”
You’ve already heard that.
Logan let out a small sigh and then received a report on the results of the ascent to the top of the McLine.
“… That’s the result of what the merchant has done so far. It has made a lot more profit than expected. However, it is said that it will use all the profits from the past half year to repurchase products, open transaction channels, and establish branches in large cities. Confucius. “This is something you have given permission for…”
“Yes, of course. Just report it and accept it faithfully.”
“Yes. I understand. I have written down the internal circumstances of the territory on paper. The budget has been organized and the remaining budget is exactly that much.”
“…Okay. Are there any other problems between the officials?”
Logan asked, thinking about the noble administrators of the past.
“Of course. Thanks to the new officials, including Fabian and Lockman, organizing the budget has become much faster. It is not noticeable that Damien escaped to the capital to do what the prince told him to do.”
“…Thank goodness.”
The faithful vassal’s expression was noticeably brighter than before.
So much so that I don’t regret having to force myself to accept the title.
“As for the details of where the budget will be used…”
“I don’t think there’s a need to check that. I think you did a good job of figuring it out.”
“Confucius…”
When the large administrator looked impressed, Logan, who just hated paperwork, hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ah, are there still refugees coming into the territory?”
“Yes. With the new distribution of territories, it has decreased compared to before, but even if the new lord is a new lord, there is no guarantee that it is better than the previous lord. On the other hand, rumors about our territory have spread widely throughout the country…”
“Okay. Then. Send the refugees to the Taren region, and arrange for only those who work hard and whose identities have been clearly confirmed to live inside Taren. Food aid will also be provided steadily for a while.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Send all the remaining dwarves in the town to Taren. From now on, all Macline products will come from Taren. Pay attention to staff deployment accordingly.”
“Yes, that is already being done.”
“Good. Please take good care of me in the future, Dwayne. Don’t ever say you’re quitting.”
“Of course, Confucius!”
Dwayne repeatedly bowed his head, thinking that perhaps because he was getting older, he was crying more and more.
After briefly completing the administrative report, Logan immediately stood up to check the situation that bothered him the most.
And fortunately, that person was also on his way to the official residence to look for him.
A female knight wearing armor and slightly sweaty red hair, as if she had just been training, appeared across from me.
Then, a smile automatically appeared on Logan’s lips, and the other person did the same.
“Princess Logan! I was on my way to visit after hearing that you were here.”
“Yes. I was already planning to go find you.”
“As expected…”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to report on my performance.”
“…?”
“Are you trying to check the status of female soldiers’ training?”
No, that’s true.
For some reason, I feel a little sad… huh? Still, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.
Logan smiled awkwardly, hiding his nervousness.
“Ah. Haha. Yes, that’s right. Are you coming from the training ground?”
“Yes, follow me. I’ll show you the results.”
His confident smile seemed to convey his desire to boast about his achievements.
And that bright smile was embedded in Logan’s heart more reassuringly than any personal greeting.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
* * * When Logan arrived at the training ground, he was at the end of his running training.
I only watched from afar because I was afraid that if I got closer, it would damage the trainees’ concentration, but I was able to clearly feel the changes in the female soldiers just by looking at them.
“Haha haha.”
“10 minute break is over. Everyone return to their seats!”
“Go back to your place!”
The trainees who had just finished running outside the town, which can be said to be the basic training course for McLane soldiers, moved in perfect order, repeating the instructor’s instructions.
As soon as the trainees picked up the wooden spears placed in the corner of the training ground and lined up at equal intervals.
“Taa!”
The trainees all held out their spears in the same motion, centered around the spirit of a female trainee who stood out for her unusually tall height.
Although it still looks immature, the movement is alive and well.
It was unbelievable that they were female trainees who, just six months ago, could not even guess five and ten correctly.
Moreover, that wasn’t the important thing.
“…232 people. Are they all still the same? Surely no one dropped out? They went through the same regular training?”
That was the most unexpected and great thing.
That was probably what Eilen wanted to be most proud of.
“Yes. Not even one.”
A smile naturally appeared on Eilen’s face as she answered.
“We focused on physical training for half a year, and we also started weapons training a month ago. At least, I don’t think we are lagging behind in training compared to new male soldiers. No one gave up. We are starting to see some talented people. .”
Eilen had a polite demeanor when reporting on work.
“Talented?”
“Yes. For example, the trainee named Cassandra in the front row over there was born with incredibly strong strength and flexibility. She also has excellent senses. If she had learned swordsmanship from a young age, I think she could have become a force user by now.”
“Hoo…?”
As I followed Eilen’s opinion and turned my gaze, the tall trainee caught my eye again. However, Logan’s eyes, who were watching her closely, suddenly became unusually large.
“…And the young trainee named Evelyn is also very talented. Just looking at them alone, I think it will definitely prove that women can do just as well as men.”
“…cash?”
“yes?”
“Oh no. It looks like a familiar face. It must be an illusion.”
Even though he said so, Logan was confident that he had not seen anything wrong.
‘Why is that guy here now… Huh. ‘This is fun.’
The face of a former comrade from the Kingdom of Grandia who was active in the Grandia Liberation Front and rose to the rank of A-level mercenary for the Empire.
As it was an unexpected meeting, I was particularly happy, but reason blocked my ability to move forward.
‘Cathy probably doesn’t know me now anyway.’
Although he felt a little bitter, Logan quickly shook his head to shake off the distracting thoughts.
Thanks to my return, I have achieved a lot.
Still, there was too much work to be done in the future to express regret over one broken relationship.
However, the reaction seems to have felt a little different to Eilen.
“Do you know someone, Confucius?”
“Oh no. I think I was mistaken with someone else.”
“Hmm… let’s do something like that.”
It’s not like that, it’s really like that.
There is no fate in this life.
Even in my last life, I was just a comrade….
“I’ll have to pay extra attention to that trainee.”
“…Yes. He certainly looks talented.”
“Hmm? You can see it from this street?”
Logan tried to ignore Eilen’s eyes staring at him and prayed for his former comrade to rest in peace.
Eilen smiled while looking at Logan like that and began explaining his future training plan.
“…Once I get used to the training in the near future, I plan to practice sparring with new male soldiers.”
“Sparring training?”
“Yes. It’s to show off to the outside world. I think the number of applicants will increase if the first batch of trainees show a good performance.”
“…That’s a good idea. Let’s do it.”
“yes.”
The situation that I was most curious about and most worried about was that the training of female soldiers was progressing beyond expectations.
I couldn’t help but feel at ease.
Moreover.
“I have to go to the Empire soon, but it will probably take half a year at best.”
“You’ll need an escort force. I…”
“No. I know Eilen’s skills, but I need you to take charge of her training here. I can feel the trust the female soldiers have in you here too.”
“Isn’t this a dangerous path? Then someone who is at least a little strong…!”
“It’s absolutely not a dangerous road. In a way, it’s a road guaranteed by the emperor. You don’t have to worry.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I will return safely. As soon as possible.”
“…I will believe it.”
“yes.”
Even the problems I was worried about were easily nodded off.
Logan smiled the most trustworthy smile in the world and held Eilen’s hand tightly.
Phew.
“What is it? That stupid laugh?”
“….”
Although it didn’t work as well as intended.
How can it be that the female soldiers are the only ones who have to check the situation?
Even though I had left matters related to the Knights to my father, it was necessary to check on the newly increased number of soldiers.
‘Many of the senior soldiers will be in Taren, so discipline may have been lost…’
But.
Despite Logan’s worries, he was able to hear even more exciting news at the soldier training center.
“Awakening?”
“Yes. Among the first class of soldiers hand-picked by the Master, five people, including Trey and Adam, have awakened to the Force. They are currently on standby as trainee knights.”
Logan’s smile deepened at Kaisolon’s answer.
“Four years, just four years?”
“Yes, that’s right. Confucius’s insight is amazing.”
No matter how many wars and battles served as an opportunity to forcibly train soldiers, it was clearly significant that more than half of the time it took for a talented soldier to become a knight was shortened.
Because by all accounts, they were not people with genius talent.
“Let’s go right away. I have to go and see. First, gather the soldiers.”
“Yes!”
After checking those who had awakened and again those who survived among those selected at the time, Logan couldn’t help but smile.
‘As expected. I was right.’
Of the 1,000 soldiers initially selected, only about 500 survived.
Among them, about 100 soldiers possessed a significant level of force.
Perhaps within a year or two, many of them would be reborn as knight-level soldiers.
“Good! Thank you all for your hard work! Rest for three days starting today!”
“Wow!”
Logan smiled happily as he heard the soldiers cheering.
However, he couldn’t help but feel heavy again as a thought came to his mind.
‘The Empire is already recruiting soldiers from all over the country based on that standard. Even if there are more detailed standards that I have created…’
Will it really be a policy that significantly reduces the gap with the empire?
Of course, there were enough ways.
.”
“Yes?”
“Oh no. Good job Kai. I’ll give you plenty of bonuses.”
“Thank you, Grand Duke!”
In the next five years,
we will definitely be able to narrow the gap.
‘It’s still going better than I thought.’
Logan pledged that way and burned his fighting spirit again.
* * *
“It’s true that this happened as soon as I got back…”
His father, whom he met on the way back to the official residence, welcomed him with a smile.
“I’m sorry, father. I should have said hello first…”
“No, no. It must all be for Youngji’s benefit. Just take care of yourself while working. “You are the pillar of the territory.”
“Fortunately, thanks to the talented vassals, there doesn’t seem to be much to worry about. “I feel relieved that things are going better than I expected.”
“The meaning of those words is strange. relief? What’s going on?”
“…I thought there was news?”
For some reason, not everyone in the estate knew about the news from the capital.
As I clicked my tongue again, my father asked back with a worried face.
“What news do you mean?”
“no. I was so indifferent. sorry. Father, I think I’ll have to visit the capital of the empire sometime soon.”
“What?!”
My father’s expression changed drastically.
“…It’s an invitation from the emperor. Then I guess we can’t help it.”
When I told him about what happened in the capital, my father nodded in understanding.
“Yes. There is nothing more dangerous than going there at the invitation of the emperor.”
“Isn’t going to the empire itself dangerous? If what you say is true, the empire would be preparing for war.”
“So you can’t even touch me now. “It’s the same as openly declaring war.”
“Yes. As for your current position in the kingdom….”
“Fortunately, things are going well in the territory, so I think I’ll be able to return with peace of mind.”
“Yes. That’s a good thing.”
My father nodded with a heavy expression.
But Logan had no choice but to add something that would make his father’s face even more serious.
“…Father. I hope you keep a close eye on the capital’s movements while I’m away. .”
“Capital?”
“Yes. Especially your Majesty’s movements.”
“Why did something else happen?”
“I think your Majesty is burdened by me.”
“What?”
As Logan continued speaking, his father’s expression became more serious as expected. However,
Logan sighed softly, thinking that he had finally completed all preparations.
As preparations for the trip to the Empire were almost completed,
he suddenly received a call from Nox.
