Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

82

The continent was in a state of relative peace after the Chimera War.

People predicted that there would be no more wars this year, at least.

Unless Bluran made a reckless move against Svenner, there was hardly any justification for a war.

Even if a war were to break out, they thought it would be a small-scale local conflict.

However, an event completely overturned those expectations.

The Western nations began marching towards Beccabia through Svenner and Tonkai.

Their forces numbered 130,000. Additionally, Tonkai, who had been eyeing Congo’s resources, temporarily allied with the West and planned to invade Beccabia with a 60,000-strong army.

A total of 190,000 troops. For Beccabia, a nation weakened by internal strife, it was an overwhelming force to resist.

This news was a hot topic even at our academy.

“The Western nations are invading Beccabia!”

“Barbarians entering the continent….”

Just a month after the end of the Chimera War, the cadets seemed initially frightened by the outbreak of another major war but quickly found humor in it, as it was not their own concern.

In jest, they said to Caspar,

“Beccabia must be trembling. Isn’t this an assignment for you, Caspar?”

“hahahahaha! That would be truly amusing. What do you think, Casper? Teaching those barbarians a lesson. Who knows, if you save Beccabia, you might even offer up that genius princess as your concubine.”

In response to this banter, Casper shot me a glance and grinned smugly.

“Well, if the offer comes, I might consider it.”

“Oh! The Beccabian diplomat should hear this!”

“To be honest, it’s a bit disappointing. If the Western barbarians had invaded Calipha instead of Beccabia, I might have become the chief of the army.”

“True! Since General Dune’s position is still vacant, it’s only natural for you, who led us to victory in the Chimera War, to become the chief!”

What kind of nonsense were these guys spouting?

‘Wishing for the Westerners to invade us?’

Pretending was one thing, but this was crossing a line with their remarks.

‘Could this be the influence of the factions…’

With all the factions approving of the banter, Casper behaved as if he were Wade himself.

At this point, I wondered if he had delved into method acting.

‘Or maybe he’s just spouting off without a care in the world, knowing he won’t face any consequences.’

For us in Calipha, this war was nothing more than a spectacle. Since Beccabia was essentially an enemy state, it didn’t matter if the immigrant tribes triumphed and Beccabia fell.

However, international diplomacy can change overnight.

Within Calipha itself, a strange undercurrent was flowing.

The catalyst was Beccabia’s request for support towards their ally, Albad.

Beccabia requested military aid, but Albad hesitated to agree. Positioned in the central region, Albad had too many fronts to deploy troops.

To the east was the historically hostile Crossing and Calipha, which had just emerged from a ceasefire agreement. To the south was the militarized Brulang under the guise of a civil war. In the west, there was Svenner, while to the northwest were Tonkai and Eurolpe.

With no room for vulnerabilities, Albad couldn’t afford to provide support.

Disappointed, Beccabia began to criticize Albad and seek new alliances.

And that’s when Crossing made their move.

Offering to defeat the West in exchange for a third of the territory, Beccabia agreed without hesitation. Considering Crossing’s ability to merge territories at will, it made sense.

Justifying it as a territory that should have been taken back during the Tripartite War, Beccabia accepted the proposal. Crossing appointed Jurass as the chief, organizing an army of 100,000.

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This decision also affected Calipha.

Since Calipha and Beccabia’s antagonistic relationship was mediated by Crossing, Beccabia’s reconciliation with Crossing automatically improved relations with Calipha.

To solidify this newfound situation, Beccabia sought to involve Calipha.

The Beccabian diplomat persuaded Calipha’s king, emphasizing seeking revenge against Tonkai for the death of General Dune. Adding substantial rewards to the offer, the king eventually promised a support force of 20,000.

Unexpectedly, a situation unfolded that no one had anticipated. Rather than a sudden turn of events, it was the king revealing the grand plan he had been working on all along.

The reason why General Delbado, directly under the royal family, had become an instructor for the cadets and why Beccabia had accepted the support request.

After General Dune’s death, the king, who yearned for military talent, decided to entrust the golden generation of cadets with significant military command.

When the news reached the classroom, a moment of silence fell.

Even the officers seemed surprised, swallowing their dry saliva before speaking.

“By order of His Majesty the King, some of you have been promoted to infantry commanders. Each of you will command 2,000 troops. First up, Alss Iline!”

As my name was called first, I was already promoted.

“You will lead 2,000 soldiers while maintaining your current rank. You can organize the troops as regular infantry or as part of the royal army. What will you choose?”

“I will serve as a private.”

“Good. Next, Casper Millias!”

Casper, called to duty, stood there in contemplation, unsure of what to do. Once full of confidence, he was now gripped with fear as the arrow of fate had turned towards him.

“You will lead a force of 2,000 soldiers. Will you do so as a private?”

“Uh… Yes, sir!”

In addition, from the Salion faction, Ruann Chase and Dennyan Gigglish were appointed as commanders. From the Helian faction, Joshua Herald and Dorothy Grimwood were chosen.

Three from each faction were selected.

“How should we join them?”

They were the officer candidates who hadn’t received a call-up.

The officers nodded and said, “Follow the officer candidate you wish to serve under. The choice is yours.”

Most officer candidates turned their gaze towards Casper. Whether from a faction or not, they hoped to be noticed by the factions by joining Casper’s unit this time.

Thus, as most officer candidates attached themselves to Casper or Joshua Herald of the Helian faction, Nora and Dorothy were left isolated.

Nora, being an outsider, and Dorothy, despite her noble lineage, had no officer candidate following her due to doubts about her war capabilities.

“What should we do?”

Dorothy was at a loss. She knew she couldn’t properly command soldiers.

“Why on earth was I chosen as a commander…”

Dorothy stammered.

It was a tough position. Since there was no suitable candidate in the Helian faction, she was chosen simply because she was Dounan’s daughter.

What are friends for? She decided to offer her help.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll help you when needed. We, the isolated ones, should support each other to survive.”

“Really, Alse? Can you really do that!?”

“Yes. You also helped with fertilizer development.”

“I haven’t developed the fertilizer yet… Thank you! I’ll trust only you.”

This war, which they were reluctantly dragged into, had a peculiar form.

The thought of facing head-on the Western nationals, the hidden backers, in battle brought a deep sense of unease, yet at the same time, a sense of curiosity.

***

Having indirectly become involved in the war, I gathered my aides before recruiting soldiers.

“Now that it’s settled, shall we choose people to go together? Given the nature of the military, there’s a high chance we won’t engage in combat, so we need someone to stay behind and handle administrative affairs.”

Although I said that, everyone was tense, knowing that just like during the Chimera War, they might end up commanding a large army.

The divine beings, eyeing each other, were on edge.

“Why is Eo so quiet today of all days?”

Normally, Eo would have been the first to volunteer to go.

At the mention of Eo, he flicked a glance at me.

“You’ve been acting strange lately. What’s going on?”

“It’s… nothing!”

“That’s not like you. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s… it’s nothing. It’s not the right time or place to discuss it…”

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. It’s okay, just tell me.”

“In that case…”

With cautious lips, Eo opened her mouth. What she said was truly unexpected.

“Um, it’s about the novel written by Als. The situation of those women. Do you think the protagonist and the knight ended up together in the end?”

“…Huh?”

“Oh no! I mean. Didn’t she leave the other women behind and go away with the knight? So, I was wondering if they actually ended up together.”

I couldn’t believe they were talking about a novel.

The others were also puzzled.

“Well, isn’t it up to interpretation? If that’s what you think, then sure.”

That was the beauty of an open ending, and also the dirty part. However, Eo simply accepted her own ending as the right one.

“Really! They ended up together with the knight! hehehe.”

With a noticeably uplifted mood, she smiled and asked, tilting her head.

“But what were we talking about?”

“You weren’t listening… We were discussing who would go with me to this upcoming war.”

“Oh…! I will go with Als!”

“I thought you’d say that.”

I was planning to take Eonia, Rutger, and Gaspar with me.

Gaspar was skilled as a spy and easy to take along, while Rutger, being from Albad, had a good grasp of the geography of the Bekabia region.

“Olaf, continue to look after the affairs of the state. Yumir, stay by Master Ilya’s side.”

As I was finalizing the selections…

“…Wait a moment.”

It was the Master who had been silent all along.

“There is something I’d like to suggest.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“It may not sit well with everyone… but how about this time, Als, you go alone?”

The Master continued with a pained expression.

“I thought it might be good for your growth this time.”

“For my growth?”

“Don’t you feel it too? That your martial growth has stagnated.”

“…!”

It was a piercing remark.

I, Yumir, Eo, and sometimes Anton, trained in martial arts every day, but at some point, I fell into mannerism.

The method of training played a part. The three of them were too cautious when sparring with me, fearing to cause any harm. So, I never felt a sense of danger in sparring with them.

Sparring with the Master was rewarding, but even that had ceased after her pregnancy.

“I believe you will grow more. You haven’t fully unlocked your potential yet.”

It was true.

Looking at Als’ stats in the game gave the answer.

In the game, Als’ combat stat was a base 88. Clearing a hidden enhancement quest would change the main weapon to a spear, raising the stat to 92.

On the other hand, when using a spear, I could barely reach 80. Even with a sword, it was around 85.

There was a significant difference when using a spear exclusively.

Of course, in the game’s timeline, Als was about three years ahead of now, so there was time to spare.

“What are you talking about, Ilya! If Als were to get hurt! If he were to… lose his life, what would you do then!”

“I am also against it.”

Eo and Yumir immediately expressed their opposition.

Gaspard, Olaf, and Rudger, though to varying degrees, also took a stance against it.

“The young lord is not a warrior. It is enough for him to fulfill his role as a scribe. There is no need to risk his life unnecessarily.”

“I agree.”

“Hmm. Just thinking about how his daughter would react if he were to get hurt is chilling.”

The opposition was in the vast majority. Perhaps if Anton were present, he too would have opposed.

Despite this, the master did not waver in his opinion.

“Indeed, in the short term, it may seem that way. However, you are in a position where you must tread on very dangerous ground in the future. If you were to lose your life due to not preparing for a similar crisis that may arise later? I, as your master, would curse the negligence I did not teach you in advance. It would be as if I had killed you.”

“Master….”

“A bird in a cage cannot fly far. Please understand my intentions.”

Just as others worried about my life, the master did as well. As time goes on and the stage grows larger, standing alone becomes more difficult, which is why he urged me to gain experience now.

“No, it’s not allowed!”

Yumir, unusually agitated, shouted.

“We can protect the young lord. Forever! There’s no need to unnecessarily expose him to danger!”

Eo also spoke up.

“Yeah! If Lord Als really gets hurt, how will you take responsibility?”

The master nodded in response to that question.

“If Als were to get hurt, I will pay the price the same way.”

“Again, the same way?”

“If Als loses an arm, cut off mine the same way. If by any chance he dies… you, Eonia, must take my life.”

“Ugh…!”

Eo was overwhelmed by the master’s determination, unable to speak.

Gaspard, Olaf, and Rudger, whether convinced by the master or not, were looking at me to make a decision.

“The master’s words do make sense.”

I had a similar experience in the recent war.

The confrontation with the three-headed Lexit. Back then, I was powerless. Despite having Yumir and Eonia by my side, I couldn’t finish him off due to my lack of skill and ended up in a life-threatening situation.

Anton luckily rushed in to save me, but luck may not always be on my side.

To avoid leaving it to luck, I had no choice but to improve my skills.

At the end of the discussion, I nodded my head.

“Alright. I will go to the battlefield alone this time.”

“Young lord!”

Yumir, still unable to accept it, vehemently objected, but I had already made up my mind.