Chapter 146

When I vaguely mentioned the ‘strategy’ from the Future Diary to Peralta.

Peralta immediately noticed something, made a surprised expression, and spoke of me as if I were a great ‘strategist’.

…Though I had only mentioned what was in the diary.

‘So I told him to come out and explain so I could understand it well… Surely he’ll explain it properly on his own?’

As I tried my best to maintain my usual expression and looked at Peralta.

Peralta bowed his head to me with a thoughtful breath.

“Your Highness. I am truly sorry, but I have only understood a certain extent of the miraculous ‘strategy’ you have conceived, and I have not yet understood it in detail.”

“……”

“Therefore, if you are alright with it, would it be permissible to hold a knight order meeting, organize the details completely, and then report to you, Your Highness? I was thinking it might be better to announce it to the other officials and knights after you have approved the contents.”

It was a great relief.

That Peralta didn’t say, 「“I don’t really know, so please explain it, Your Highness.”」.

‘He wants to hold a knight order meeting first… In any case, it was Peralta who came up with the idea of digging a ‘nation-scale trap’. I just gave him a small hint, so he should be able to come up with the strategy faster than the future in the Future Diary.’

“Do so.”

I answered briefly and immediately stood up from my chair.

I intended to end the meeting before Peralta or the other knights could ask questions about the ‘strategy’ I had mentioned.

‘Because if I say more than the hint from the Future Diary, I might change Peralta’s thoughts. …And honestly, I don’t know how I’d answer if I got a question about the strategy.’

When I stood up from my seat, everyone who was looking at me straightened their posture.

Everyone’s gaze was quite intense. Especially from the knight order—Jereuth’s gaze was fierce.

He might be mistaking me for a great strategist.

Ahem ahem—.

Feeling a bit awkward, I cleared my throat and came down from the platform.

“Then, this concludes the meeting. The knight order will immediately begin a meeting centered on Peralta… Olivia, you will consult with Commander Jereuth and change the kingdom’s internal affairs to a wartime system.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I also entrusted the matter of internal affairs to Olivia. I should study it myself later when Olivia brings the report.

‘What I need to do now is check the Future Diary. I need to see if Peralta has come up with a proper plan, and how the future changes with that strategy.’

Clank— clank— clank— clank—.

As I crossed the center of the banquet hall towards the door, the knights I passed bowed their heads.

The sound of their armor folding and my footsteps matched perfectly.

The officials, following the knights, also bowed their heads, though a bit awkwardly.

In the past, such treatment would have been a bit burdensome.

But now, it didn’t feel so burdensome.

It felt natural, like that.

***

—His Highness, Leonardo, is departing!

Kwoong—.

The king went out of the meeting hall—the Crimson Banquet Hall—and the door closed.

Peralta, who had not taken his eyes off him until the moment he left, quietly swallowed dryly.

‘He is truly… an amazing person. Everything was part of the plan. From the time of the purge, raising the army, and deploying that army in various construction projects—all of it was to prepare for a ‘war’ that might happen someday.’

The Plank Kingdom was a weak nation. It was slowly growing stronger thanks to the grace of the great king, but compared to the Angla Empire in the northwest or the Osius Kingdom in the northeast, it was thoroughly weak.

Looking back at history, the empire and kingdom in the north had constantly tried to use the sea routes to attack the Plank Kingdom. Bypassing the natural fortresses of the ‘Wasteland of Ruin’ and ‘Foothill's Rest’.

The Jerpan Archipelago beyond the southern sea was not an ally either, so they had to be careful.

‘That’s why our kingdom’s army’s basic tactics are all specialized in defense. The first thing soldiers learn is also a defensive formation called the ‘Plank’s Shield’.’

What was the most effective in that ‘defensive tactic’?

Of course, it was to quickly build fortresses and set up positions. Even a simple fort made of earth plays a great role on the battlefield.

‘His Highness already knew that. That for the peace of our kingdom, we need an army specialized in defense, and the pinnacle of an army specialized in defense is for all soldiers to be familiar with the ‘construction’ of fortresses and positions…!’

Whether that was Leonardo’s thought or not, only Leonardo would know.

But from Peralta’s perspective, he couldn’t help but think that all of this was the great king’s groundwork.

‘He can ride a Gryphon freely, his swordsmanship is amazing…. And his horsemanship is beyond question. As a knight, I can’t even reach His Highness’s heels. As a man, the comparison itself is a sin.’

Peralta had no intention of competing with Leonardo as a ‘knight’ or a ‘man’.

He just admired him. His lord.

‘Can I complete the strategy that His Highness has thought of…?’

—Even as he thought that.

‘No, His Highness said he trusts me. If I don’t trust myself, isn’t that insubordination?’

As Peralta was lost in thought for a long time.

He realized that everyone in the banquet hall was looking at him. He hadn’t noticed because he was too deep in thought.

“Um… why are you all looking at me?”

Peralta spoke cautiously at the gazes directed at him.

Jereuth, who had approached him at some point, said to Peralta.

“His Highness said so, didn’t he? To hold a knight order meeting with you as the center.”

Come to think of it, the king had said so.

“So, what should we do? I will follow your instructions, Peralta.”

“M-my instructions? You, Commander?”

“Because His Highness said so.”

Jereuth spoke as if it were the most natural thing.

Peralta found it burdensome, but he still nodded.

‘…This is a task His Highness has entrusted to me with his trust. I must do it perfectly.’

“To materialize the strategy His Highness spoke of, we first need to accurately know the current forces our kingdom has. Therefore, Commander, Lady Olivia, and Lord Barut, and the elf… Elder?”

“My name is ‘Elvandor Lo Terra Roterion’. You may call me Elvandor.”

Elvandor said, slowly approaching.

“Ah, yes! As for Lord Elvandor, I would be grateful if the four of you could remain for now. The others may leave now.”

At Peralta’s words, the officials and the remaining knights nodded and left the meeting hall.

As they left, a few knights lightly patted Peralta’s shoulder and back. It was a cheer of encouragement.

As everyone was quickly leaving.

The elf, Silvia, who had received the attention of everyone in the banquet hall—not just the men but also the women—said to Peralta.

“Human. Can’t I attend that meeting too?”

“Pardon? Um… of course, you can, but having only the Elder as the representative of the elves should be fine—.”

“You said you need to know the full strength of the elves, right? Then it would be better for me to attend.”

“Since the Elder will be attending the meeting—.”

“The Elder is absurdly strong even among elves. He doesn’t really know the skills of ordinary elves. So he might volunteer for excessive sacrifices, saying that elves can do anything. I will attend the meeting to prevent that.”

Though he had only exchanged a few words with Silvia, Peralta could definitely feel it.

‘Ah… this elf doesn’t trust humans very much.’

Silvia had said, 「“I am the one who knows the strength of the elves properly, not the Elder.”」—but what she was really trying to say was probably something else.

‘What this elf is trying to say is 「“The elves will not bear excessive sacrifices.”」. They will fight to help our kingdom… but they won’t make great sacrifices.’

In any case, Peralta had no intention of making excessive demands on the elves. So the strategy itself would not change much.

‘But what bothers me is… are the other elves also like that? If all the elves have such a negative attitude, it could affect the morale of the entire army—.’

As Peralta was thinking that.

Jereuth stepped forward and spoke.

“Silvia, you seem to be afraid of the war. Or perhaps you’re afraid of the monsters. Are you worried you might die?”

Silvia frowned her beautiful forehead at Jereuth, who was criticizing her.

“…What? I’m afraid of monsters?”

“Am I wrong? If not, why are you using the word ‘sacrifice’? In war, there is no such thing as sacrifice other than dying.”

“What kind of sophistry is that? No matter how much of a war it is, fighting harder is a sacrifice—.”

“Then you don’t know war. I repeat, in war, there is no sacrifice other than death. It is only natural to give your all and do your best when you go to the battlefield.”

“……”

“For the able and strong to step forward and fight to protect the weak, that is not a sacrifice, it is ‘honor’. That is what my queen and your sister, Victoria, said. I have made that my life’s creed.”

“…My sister said that?”

“Yes. She, who taught me ‘chivalry’, said so.”

Silvia fell silent at Jereuth’s mention of her sister. She could not refute the words of her respected and beloved sister.

“You seem to know less about Victoria than I do. If Victoria were here right now, she would have grabbed you by the hair and dragged you to a room for a ‘mental education’. Given Victoria’s personality, she certainly would have.”

“……”

“If you are afraid of the war or have no intention of fighting with all your might, then get lost. The most dangerous enemy in war is an incompetent ally, and even more useless than that is a cowardly ally.”

“W-what? I have no courage? You, a mere human—!”

Regardless of whether Silvia was provoked or not.

As if he had nothing more to say, Jereuth said to Peralta.

“We’ll have the meeting in my office.”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

As expected of Jereuth. To shut that elf’s mouth in one go.

Barut, Olivia, Seria, and Elvandor followed behind Jereuth and Peralta as they left the banquet hall.

Elvandor said as he passed by Silvia.

“Silvia. I understand your feelings of wanting to protect your family. I understand that you are worried. It’s because Victoria died early because of a human.”

“……”

“But that is why we must join forces even more. For the sake of the last ‘gift’ that your sister, Victoria, left in this world.”

Silvia immediately understood what Elvandor meant by ‘gift’. Because it was the meaning of Leonardo’s name.

“……”

Squeeze—.

So angry that she couldn’t say anything to Jereuth’s insult, Silvia bit her lower lip hard.

Her beautiful ruby lips turned even redder.

Then—.

Tatata!

She immediately stuck behind Jereuth and followed him, saying.

“I will attend the meeting too. Let’s hear about this sacrifice and honor that you say my sister spoke of!”

At Victoria, who was shouting at his back—

No, at Silvia.

Jereuth felt as if he had gone back to the past.

‘…She is really similar to how Victoria was when I first saw her.’

First love was something that was not easily forgotten, no matter how much time passed.

Men were originally like that.

***

Three in the morning, Jereuth’s office.

“Then…! This concludes the strategy meeting for now. I will organize the meeting’s contents and report to His Highness. You have all worked hard!”

A long meeting that had continued without a break since early afternoon.

Hoo-.

When the meeting ended, everyone looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh as if by appointment.

They were all people who were used to difficult and complicated lives, but they were tired because they had debated so heatedly with so much concentration.

Among them, Silvia subtly turned her gaze to look at Jereuth.

‘…He wasn’t called a hero among humans for nothing.’

Peralta had definitely led this meeting. But whenever the meeting dragged on or came to a standstill, Jereuth had properly set the direction of the meeting.

He had shown his charisma even in front of the big shots, the Giant elder and the Elven elder.

‘And… he certainly seems to know war really well. He’s much younger than me, but I guess he has a lot of experience.’

Throughout the meeting, Jereuth mentioned all the variables that could occur on the battlefield. Variables that Silvia herself hadn’t even thought of.

Jereuth, feeling the gaze, casually turned his head and asked Silvia.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“No, well… can’t I look?”

Speaking aloofly, Silvia looked elsewhere, and Jereuth also turned his gaze away.

But inwardly, he had thought of it again. The memories.

‘Her tone is similar too. …This is why I didn’t want to let her into the meeting.’

He was a knight. A knight facing a war that would change the fate of the kingdom.

To such a person, only the safety of the kingdom and the king should be precious.

Anything else precious would only become a burden on his heart.

So Jereuth had intentionally tried to distance himself from Silvia. So that nothing precious would come into his life.

‘…But I already—.’

As Jereuth was thinking.

Barut stood up from his seat and said.

“Then I will return to the village for now and tell the other Giants about the meeting’s contents.”

“I need to go rest. This long meeting is tough on an old man.”

Elvandor also stood up similarly to Barut.

Jereuth also intended to leave the office along with the two of them. It was to get away from Silvia as soon as possible.

But then, Silvia said to Jereuth.

“…Jereuth?”

Why was she calling him again?

“Um… I’m sorry for speaking ill of you earlier. For saying ‘a mere human’. It seems there are things to learn from humans as well.”

“I don’t mind.”

—he had said, but Jereuth couldn’t help but mind.

“You’ve worked hard too, Silvia. When you go outside, the knights will guide you to the royal palace. In the royal palace, receive guidance from the maids and you will be assigned a room.”

Jereuth said, trying his best to sound uninterested, and headed for the door.

But then, Silvia stopped him.

“Um…. If you’re not tired, can we talk a little more? There’s a lot I want to hear about my sister.”

This was driving him crazy. No. This was really not good.

Though his head was clearly thinking that.

“…If it’s for about an hour.”

Though he knew this was really not good, Jereuth couldn’t help it.

The atmosphere of Victoria that Leonardo had exuded when he first came to meet him was too thick in Silvia.

***

Now, past three in the morning.

I was alone in my room, staring intently at the still-unchanged Future Diary, feeling impatient.

‘Damn it…. Why isn’t the diary’s content changing?’

I had told Peralta to draw up a strategy, and I had decided to follow it unconditionally, so the diary’s content should have changed.

But the content of the diary was still the same. The content of my future self regretting not following Peralta’s strategy.

‘…Is Peralta’s strategy really so absurd that I just can’t bring myself to follow it?’

This would completely ruin everything—.

As I was thinking that.

Sassassassak—!

“!”

Finally, the content of the diary began to change.

The letters were erased, rearranged, and rewritten.

But… the first paragraph was not good at all, it was very bad.

…….

Peralta’s strategy.

The core of that strategy was to lure the monster army into a ‘trap’.

The monster army was not foolish, so to lure them into a trap, a suitable ‘bait’ and reason were needed.

The one who volunteered to be that ‘bait’ was Jereuth.

He, who was practically the commander-in-chief, the great knight that the monster army most wanted to kill, became the bait.

Thanks to Jereuth becoming the ‘bait’, Peralta’s strategy was almost a success.

The monster army chased Jereuth and the detached force into the ‘trap’.

Their eyes were bloodshot with the desire to catch Jereuth.

—Catch him!!

—If we catch that bastard, victory is ours!!

—Kiyaaaaaaa!

—Jereuth!! You cowardly human! Stop!!

—Chieeeeeek!!

The problem was…….

Kwaaang-!

The prepared trap, the ground collapsed greatly.

—U-uaaaaaak!

—Kiyaaaak!

—T-the ground is collapsing!

—Retreat! Re…!

—St-stop…!

Though the majority of the monster army fell into the trap.

Jereuth, too, had been greedy in trying to lure them in perfectly and had failed to get out of the trap’s range.

“…Commander!!”

A few steps ahead, right before my eyes, Jereuth sank into the ground. He fell into the trap.

That brief moment stretched out, and time seemed to pass slowly.

Perhaps that was why I could see the changes in Jereuth’s expression from moment to moment.

“……!”

At first, he was flustered by the ground collapsing.

Then he looked at me, gave a thumbs-up, and smiled.

“Your Highness, I leave the rest to you.”

“……!”

“To Silvia, too—.”

…….

After reading up to here.

Thud!

I closed the diary.

‘…This isn’t it. The future I want.’

I wanted the best victory.

But Jereuth dying was not the best victory.

‘I have to change it. The strategy.’

As I was thinking that.

I heard the voices of Elly and Peralta from outside the door.

—Head Maid, is His Highness sleeping? I have organized the meeting’s contents and have come.

—Um… no, he is still awake. But it’s late, so—.

Before Elly could finish her words.

I immediately opened the door and said to Peralta.

Click-!

“Come in, Peralta.”

Let’s change it. Your strategy, a little.

So that Jereuth doesn’t die.