Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

52

It felt as if a puzzle had been solved.

‘So that’s it!’

What Jurass had been aiming for was this from the beginning.

He foresaw that Albad would join forces with Madon to attack Caliper, and that Caliper would thwart it and emerge victorious in the war from the start.

‘He used me as insurance for that.’

When I asked Jurass to send Kubel soldiers, he willingly paid 800 million silans. This was a situation where he would have to resort to desperate measures if he didn’t receive it from Caliper.

He had his reasons. By leading Caliper’s victory and at the point where Albad made an unbreakable treaty with Caliper, Madon would be left defenseless.

“They say there are 300 ships ready in the port city of Gose in Crossing. If they suddenly head south and strike the rear of Madon, we will push forward, and Madon will be subjected to attacks from above and below.”

In that case, Madon wouldn’t be able to respond at all. Unable to handle the already chaotic situation, they couldn’t stop this attack.

“Then the war will be a short decisive one.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Yes, it will minimize food consumption. Or perhaps we might become even more prosperous by plundering the food Madon has stored.”

I glanced at Anton.

“Anton. Did you know about this too?”

“I didn’t. I knew that there had been an increase in the construction of transport ships in each port city since last year, but I thought it was for trade, not for carrying soldiers to strike the rear of Madon.”

“Since last year. That Jurass…”

How far ahead is that guy looking?

I couldn’t figure him out at all. It was almost frightening.

“If this happens, most likely Madon will perish. But what about territorial division? If it’s a joint operation, we should divide Crossing and the territories.”

“We will take over the northern territory of Madon, and Crossing will take the southern territory. Crossing has always wanted the fertile lands.”

“But in that case, Crossing’s territory will be divided vertically. It’s fine now, but if the alliance with Caliper is broken, it could be problematic.”

“I thought the same. That’s why I thought you were involved in this.”

“Me?”

“Crossing thought we would take our northern territory in exchange for all of Madon’s land.”

“Ah.”

“Yes. In that case, Rainfall would have been completely absorbed into Crossing. But Famillion was adamant about wanting Madon’s southern territory. He said that even if our alliance broke and the land route was blocked, he could make do by pioneering through the seas.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. The Caliphean Sea lies between them, and the sea route could be cut off quickly.”

“I thought the same, but it seems they have other plans there too.”

“…”

What Juras was plotting through Madon’s southern territory. I had a gut feeling that it was anything but ordinary.

“I came to ask you about the success of this matter today and also to deliver an apology.”

“Is it about the fake Wade taking the lead?”

“Yes. Even if it’s fake, someone claiming to be Wade leading our army can instill a great sense of danger in the enemy. It has strategic value.”

“If that’s the case, there’s no need for you to apologize. It’s Salion’s side that put forth the fake.”

“Even so. I hope there are no other ill feelings.”

“You need not worry about that. Rather… if things go this way, the situation will become intricate, aligning with the situation in the West.”

“An alliance between Europe and Tunkai. I was concerned about that too. Surely… in the coming spring, the continent’s situation will be greatly shaken.”

The impending fall of Madon would also have an impact on the upcoming Chimera War.

This signaled the beginning of a major rift in the story I knew.

Wrapping up the tumultuous winter of my 16th year.

Having secured admission to the High Academy, I spent my time training with Master Ilya in martial arts.

In between, I diligently continued learning writing from Estelle, preparing for erotic fiction writing.

Amidst this, a joint operation between Crossing and Caliphe commenced.

Crossing deployed a surprise attack with 300 warships, striking Madon’s southern territory with 20,000 troops. The next day, as if on cue, Caliphe descended with an army of 60,000.

Caught in a double blow, Madon fell into chaos, and taking advantage of this, Crossing’s second general, Creeper Nolac, launched an attack on the capital, leading to its fall.

With the king and royals captured, it was originally up to the local nobles to band together and reclaim the capital, but Madon’s foundation was not strong.

Many prominent nobles had brought in mercenaries from other countries, lacking strong loyalty to the nation.

One of the key figures, Julian Craig, broke his loyalty, sparking a rebellion and leading troops westward. Other prominent nobles followed suit, fleeing west with soldiers and commoners.

If those who fled west had united their forces, the story might have been different, but divided into five factions, they fought among themselves to claim kingship, plunging into internal strife.

Crossing and Caliphe aimed for a swift elimination, but the five factions causing chaos in the west proved to be more formidable than anticipated.

With most of Madon’s military strength and over 60% of its population absorbed into the west, they could have mustered an army of up to 100,000 when needed.

Missing the opportunity for annihilation, the Blang Alliance extended its influence.

Swiftly enveloping the rogue factions into an alliance, they devoured those forces.

Once they entered Blang, there was nothing more they could do.

Thus, Caliphe took the northern territory of Madon, Crossing took the south, and the Blang Alliance took the west, leading to the fall of the Madon Kingdom.

While not a complete victory, by occupying over 60% of Madon’s territory, Crossing and Caliphe now controlled the far eastern lands of the continent.

Not wanting to sit idly by, the Albad Kingdom brought in Beccabia to invade Crossing, but with Juras leading 100,000 in defense, unlike the south in Madon, the harsh winter in the north made the Albad & Beccabia coalition retreat without much gain.

***

Before I knew it, the spring of my 17th year had arrived.

Anticipating that this year would be even more tumultuous than the last, I began preparing to head to the High Academy.

Although the capital of the academy, Alpensard, was not far, I had planned to commute by carriage, but due to the required month-long military training for cadets, I had to pack my belongings.

Usually, Yumir and Eoga would take care of this, so I only intended to show up, but the luggage they prepared had piled up so high that I had to look up at it.

“What’s all this? The luggage is too much.”

The luggage that was packed was so much that it was difficult to fit it all in one carriage.

Eo tilted his head, asking, “But weren’t you planning to stay for a month?”

“Just because I’m staying for a month doesn’t mean I need a month’s worth of clothes. Three sets are enough. I’ll receive military uniforms, and if needed, I can wash them myself.”

“Huh? Lord Alss, you wash clothes yourself?”

“Well, usually I leave it all to you or Yumir, but I can handle washing clothes too, you know?”

Eo smiled warmly, looking at me as if I were a child shouting loudly about becoming a president when I grow up.

“Lord Alss, washing clothes isn’t just about soaking them in water.”

“And you think I don’t know that!?”

He’s been treating me like a kid more and more. Well, it’s comfortable for me to leave everything to him.

With only one bag of luggage, I received farewells from acquaintances as I headed to the gathering place where the Rainfall cadets were assembling.

“Lord Alss… Please take this.”

“Thank you, Casey.”

“Stay strong!”

A 10-year-old girl handed me a bouquet, her cheeks blushing.

She was the daughter of a florist, a familiar face in Rainfall.

“Lord Alss! Please take mine too!”

“Mine too!”

Thanks to Casey and five other girls who brought bouquets, I found myself boarding the carriage with arms full of flowers.

Seeing this, my classmate, Bannings, sighed, unable to contain himself.

“You’re truly remarkable, Alss. Well, not that I don’t understand… but can you spare me just one flower? You already have Estelle, don’t you?”

“Well, the giver’s intentions matter. Would you give one?”

“Fair point.”

Having reduced my luggage, I could neatly arrange the bouquets inside the carriage.

After a few hours, the carriage arrived at a midway point where all the students gathered for a sort of ceremony.

During this process, an uncomfortable companionship began with students from other academies.

“Ugh! Going with the riffraff from Julia. Disgusting.”

The ones expressing discomfort were from the Gransel Academy.

“Riffraff? Watch your mouth, Gransel’s bumpkins.”

Growling Salion faction and Helian faction. But clearly, the upper hand was with the Salion side.

It was all thanks to the fake Wade. Casper Millias was there.

Casper stood with a grimace. As a former Julia Academy student, the looks from Julia students towards him were complex.

“It’s Wade. Wade’s here.”

“The treacherous brat. Heard he rose in rank even in this Madon War?”

“He’s quite something. Why doesn’t the Helian Marquis apprehend the Millias Viscount even with Wade present…?”

Perhaps because they were just kids. They genuinely believed in this blatant impersonation. While abroad, Wade’s story of Bayolaf was popular, in Caliper, Casper was gaining attention.

Not just the kids, but even some uninformed nobles and soldiers thought Casper was Wade.

“Is he lucky or unlucky, I wonder.”

Originally, Casper was in a position where he could never impersonate Wade. This was because he had been captured as a prisoner during the war with Albad.

However, there was an issue when he was captured as a prisoner.

“Wasn’t there a problem with Madon and Albad having friction over the distribution of prisoners?”

At that time, Albad took key figures Milias Viscount and Gilbert Salleon, while Madon took the rest as prisoners, but Madon failed to properly identify Casper’s status.

Confusion arose due to the tension with Albad, and it was also because there were too many prisoners to confirm one by one.

In the midst of this, Madon’s army suffered a major defeat, leading to some negligence in prisoner management, and hundreds escaped.

Seeing Casper absent during the prisoner exchange, it seemed he was one of the escapees.

As an alibi was established, Gilbert Salleon deemed him suitable to impersonate Wade without hesitation.

“I wonder if he knows he’s being used as a scapegoat.”

He would be pitiful if he didn’t know.

Apart from that Casper guy, all the key figures of his age group were on Salleon’s side.

Luan Chase was one of them, as was Erina. On the other hand, Kate McMillan, who had previously applied to be my partner, was the only one from the Julia Academy.

Bannings prodded my side and whispered, “They say Kate McMillan is the leader of her age group. Our faction doesn’t have prominent figures.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“Al, aren’t you supposed to step up? Judging by performance alone, you must be the best in the Helian faction, right? No, you might even be in the top three overall.”

“Performance isn’t the most important thing.”

“Well, the power of the family is more important.”

Our Rainfall Academy stood apart from any faction and watched from the sidelines.

Amidst the kids’ skirmishes, a man who seemed to be a leader shouted, “Get on your carriages! Load your belongings onto the baggage carts as efficiently as possible!”

Since everyone’s belongings were scattered, it seemed they were trying to consolidate and load them onto the carriages.

“Oops.”

If flowers were loaded onto those baggage carts, they would either be crushed or disappear altogether.

“I can’t just leave these… I’ll have to find a separate carriage.”

“Hey, let’s go together. I’ll chip in for the money.”

Bannings, worried we might get caught up in the rivalry between the two factions, followed behind me.

“If that’s the case, can I come too?”

Another male cadet officer also tried to follow us.

He was an impressive freckled guy.

His skin was very pale, making his freckles stand out even more, and his white skin emitted a sense of frailty.

“And you…?”

“I’m Dorothy Grimwood. I’m from Nardan Academy. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Alis Eileen. I’m from Rainfall Academy.”

“If I recall correctly, Rainfall operates the academy jointly with Crossing, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Wow. You guys really come from an unusual place.”

Bannings, who was standing nearby, started to fidget.

“Wait a minute. Grimwood, are you from the Duke Dunean’s family? You wouldn’t happen to be…”

“hahahaha, you got it? That’s my father.”

“Gasp!”

The General’s son. Dorothy was enough to be at the core of her peers.

“Oh, please don’t be on guard. I want to get along well with the Grancel folks too.”

“If that’s the case, it’s fine. Ilene and I are both from the Helian faction.”

“Don’t worry about that. Weren’t you looking for a carriage? There’s space available on that luggage carriage over there. You can hop on without paying separately.”

Accepting that offer, the carriage following Dorothy.

Encountering Erina who was about to board the guest carriage.

“Oh my, oh my.”

Erina was almost treated like a goddess by her peers.

Bannings was ecstatic just to be facing her.

There were issues related to Wade, the gazes around, making it awkward for me.

Hence, I had informed not to act awkward in situations where there were gazes around, though.

“Nice to meet you, everyone.”

Swish! Erina greeted, unfolding her fan. Her presence drew the attention of others.

After exchanging light greetings with the others, she immediately turned her gaze towards me, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Ilene seems to be quite a lively figure, isn’t she?”

“Yes, it’s overwhelming to keep carrying pollen around. So, may I go ahead, Miss Leona?”

“Leona… you say? You guessed right with just one letter.”

Bannings gave a sarcastic remark, ‘Don’t even know her name!’ but even the recipient understood it was done deliberately.

“Sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else.”

“Oh dear. Are you playing tricks again? And if it’s hard to carry flowers, I can share the load.”

“Is there a need to go that far? Just let me go my way.”

It’s troublesome to be around Erina.

Various gazes were already fixed on us. The Salion faction members were glaring as if they would pounce at any moment, and the Helian faction members were also keenly observing us.

It seemed alright with Dorothy, who had more influence than me, but still.

“Shall we say our goodbyes here?”

“….”

Swish, thud! Swish, thud!

Erina expressed her displeasure by repeatedly opening and closing the fan.

“Where is your carriage?”

The problem was Bannings, who spilled everything, whether true or false, in response to that question.

Erina brightly proposed, “Then why don’t you ride in my carriage?”