Yuma was extremely tired.
He didn’t understand why everyone was looking at him with such fearful eyes.
Thud!
Too exhausted, he plopped down into the chair right in front of him.
Ironically, that chair faced the First Prince, Schwarze.
“……”
Yuma stared blankly ahead.
He had no particular intent; he was just too tired to move. Yet, from Schwarze’s perspective, a million thoughts raced through his mind.
‘This guy…! Is he warning me? Telling me not to provoke him!’
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“I know you’re planning to send me to the southern border front.”
On his way to the conference room, Baron Bennett had filled him in on the details. First, deal with the crisis on the front, infiltrate the Barbarian Nation Pineon, and find the White Night clan.
Bennett originally intended to emphasize one more thing to Yuma.
He wanted him to appear as someone who only listens to the orders of Princess Brigitte. However, right before heading out to meet Yuma, he couldn’t bring himself to say such commander-like words because of the video Eldrie, the Master of the Scarlet Magic Tower, had shown.
What he wished for was that Yuma would claim he wanted to take command of this war as the Princess’s sword.
And Yuma understood well the intentions behind that remark.
It was meant to grant authority to Princess Brigitte.
He had no objections to that since it aligned perfectly with Yuma’s own thoughts.
Deciding to put on a grand show, he declared,
“I will stand on the frontlines. That’s what I believe is the duty of someone standing on the land of the Astes Empire.”
The issue was that it didn’t sound like a bluff at all to anyone else.
Regardless, he was determined to be shameless.
“And I have no intention of following anyone’s orders on the battlefield.”
Gulp—
Someone swallowed hard.
Most felt a lump in their throats. The video they had just seen added a chilling weight to Yuma’s every word and inaction.
Yuma slowly scanned the faces of the nobles.
“I won’t listen to anyone’s orders on the battlefield. What position would I have to sit in to do that?”
A moment of silence lingered.
The one to break that silence was none other than the First Princess, Brigitte.
A smile graced Brigitte’s lips.
“Only the Supreme Commander would suffice. No one on the battlefield can go against your will then. You won’t have to listen to anyone.”
Yuma tilted his head slowly.
“Is that okay? Not giving orders?”
Brigitte smirked.
It felt as if they were not in a conference hall but having an intimate chat just the two of them.
“Uh? Yuma, aren’t you just going to turn into a one-man army and slaughter our enemies?”
“That seems likely.”
It’s how things have gone until now.
The nobles could barely keep up with the bizarre flow of the meeting.
It felt like a casual chat between the two, and they couldn’t muster a single word in response.
Brigitte decided it was time to wrap up this situation.
“I hereby declare that Yuma is appointed as the Supreme Commander of this war. If he successfully concludes this war, he will be awarded the title of Duke. If anyone has objections, step forward.”
As soon as Brigitte finished speaking, the nobility’s eyes bulged in fear of Yuma.
A Duke, huh?
An individual with no titles suddenly gets the title of Duke!
From the nobles’ perspective, this shocking declaration was hard to swallow.
“…I think the matter of granting the Duke title needs some consideration, Your Highness the Princess.”
Although most harbored discontent, only one noble dared to voice it.
So Brigitte calmly continued to explain her reasoning.
“Yuma has already achieved countless merits. He suppressed a rebellion involving former Ten Knights and single-handedly defeated a dragon in Count Rubelt’s territory. Is there anyone here, or anywhere in this Empire, who could achieve feats like Yuma?”
All the nobles fell silent.
Brigitte looked at her older brother, Prince Schwarze. Schwarze remained equally tongue-tied.
“His achievements might be a little lacking, which is why I added the condition for after this war. If Yuma earns merits in this war, he will certainly be worthy of the Duke title. If anyone has objections, speak up now.”
Schwarze found himself unintentionally facing Yuma directly and spoke up.
“If you receive the Duke title, which land would you like to be bestowed?”
He had no intention of expressing discontent over the Supreme Commander issue.
To most nobles, the situation had already created a void in the Empire’s power structure.
At this point, Yuma was the only one who could step up to the front lines.
Schwarze was trying to gauge whether Yuma had any ambition for power or material greed.
Just in case, later on, he needed to approach Princess Brigitte secretly.
But what came out of Yuma’s mouth was beyond anyone’s expectations.
“Well… I haven’t moved around much yet, so I don’t really know the Empire’s territories well. If there’s an appropriately scenic land out there, I’d appreciate a recommendation.”
Schwarze gaped in disbelief.
“You want me… to recommend a land for you? A scenic land… for the land you’d receive?”
“Yes, you should know well as a prince.”
Schwarze felt darkness closing in on him!
‘He knows, but what kind of crazy person speaks such nonsense to the First Prince of a nation!!’
“Are you really going to say such nonsense to the First Prince?!”
Schwarze felt a terrible sense of helplessness and loss that he couldn’t even dare to express such thoughts directly to the dragon slayer standing before him.
In all his life, born from the noblest of lineages, he had never felt this powerless until this very moment.
Yuma was still looking at him with a bored expression, as if he expected no response at all.
“…I’ll think about it and give you a recommendation later.”
“Sure, but don’t expect much.”
He wasn’t expecting anything at all; he was just tired.
However, the gazes of the people around him were different.
They were the war general completely toying with the First Prince.
General Yuma slowly rose from his seat.
“I’ll ask one last time. If anyone has any objections to me becoming the general of this war, speak up now.”
Yuma slowly scanned the room.
The nobles instinctively understood. If they didn’t speak up now, there would be no chance to protest further.
Yet, even knowing that, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything.
Schwarze felt intense helplessness.
God of War Yuma. He had tried to say something against that guy, and it had turned into a nutrient-deficient blunder.
“Well then, I’ll take it as there are no objections and take my leave.”
Yuma strode out confidently.
*
A night passed.
When Yuma opened his eyes, he found himself in an empty room designated for guests at the First Princess’s palace.
After finally getting some sleep in a luxurious bed, his body felt rejuvenated.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Stepping in was none other than his chief attendant, Royan.
“Her Highness Princess Brigitte insists that you join her for breakfast. You’ll be departing for the front lines tomorrow morning.”
Originally, he had planned to stay at the palace for at least three days, but urgent news from the front caused him to expedite his schedule.
The movements of the barbarian nation Pineon had suddenly begun.
“Understood.”
Yuma sat at the dining table facing the First Princess.
“Yuma.”
Brigitte had already requested a lavish feast for Yuma as they prepared for war.
Thus, what appeared before Yuma was none other than steak. Eating steak for breakfast wasn’t half bad.
“It’s delicious.”
Brigitte smiled proudly as she watched him enjoy his meal.
“You need to eat well to defeat the enemies, so I prepared this with care. Mmm, yes. To put it another way, think of it as the feelings of a wife sending her husband off to war.”
That comparison was a bit strange, wasn’t it?
Yuma picked up a napkin and elegantly wiped his mouth.
“How has your faction been forming? By the time I finish my part, will it be enough for you to ascend to the Imperial Throne right away?”
This time, Brigitte wore a bittersweet smile.
She smiled.
“You underestimate me too much. Of course, we’ve now reached a point where the factions are somewhat equal. This is all thanks to you. Now the factions are balanced. You must have realized how powerful your presence is.”
Though there was a lack of support from some counts, that was a problem that would resolve itself over time. If we completely end this war, Yuma himself would come to represent the Empire’s military force.
“What kind of clan is the White Night clan?”
Yuma asked the question.
An existence they needed to seek out beyond the Barbarian Nation. The White Night clan.
“A clan where legends and reality coexist. It wasn’t until I received the oracle through the Holy Maiden this time that I was certain of their existence. They definitely existed hundreds of years ago, but it wasn’t clear whether they had continued to survive until now.”
Such a clan had not appeared in [Loop Blood] either.
“What are their characteristics?”
“Snow-white skin like that of a white ghost. Blue hair. And red eyes. Near-mystical swordsmanship… at least, those are the legendary traits passed down.”
Yuma engraved those characteristics in his mind.
Brigitte’s gaze was directed toward the small training ground within the princess’s palace.
“You said her name is Hestia, a Cat-Folk swordsman, right? Did you have an interest in that type, Yuma?”
Yuma stared blankly at Brigitte for a moment.
Is she seriously asking if he had some kind of unusual desire?
He clicked his tongue internally.
“She’s capable. She has talent in swordsmanship. Just like your knights, I have her to guard me.”
Brigitte’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, Yuma. So, she’s a raw gem of talent? Saying that makes me curious too.”
She was indeed a raw gem of talent.
She had the potential to become a Sword Master.
Brigitte’s gaze narrowed slightly. The two blue eyes met. Brigitte slowly opened her mouth.
“I momentarily felt jealous. The one you chose… in that aspect, I genuinely envied you. Cloney would have felt jealous too. Over that Cat-Folk.”
Cloney?
Yuma tilted his head.
Given Cloney’s personality, he thought that she wouldn’t feel jealousy towards Hestia, especially since Hestia was older. Just a few days of watching her, it was clear that Cloney was the one looking out for Hestia, like an attentive eldest daughter caring for her youngest sibling.
“Where is Cloney?”
In response to Yuma’s question, Princess Brigitte stood up.
“They are both in the training ground. Training at either end, I suppose. Hestia is with my guard knight Michael. Cloney is likely receiving teachings from Eldrie, the Red Tower Master. Since they can only train for a day… it’s probably a race against time.”
Yuma followed Brigitte, heading toward the small training ground.
