chapter_0021

21 – The Princess’s Staff

21 – The Princess’s Staff

The archery range behind the Crone Castle.

Having some free time for the first time in a while, I went to practice archery for some exercise.

“Huuh… Hwaap!!”

Squeak—

I had heard in my past life that archers were not agility characters but strength characters.

I completely agreed with that statement.

The draw weight of the beginner’s bow was 25 pounds (11.3 kg), which was by no means a light weight.

Moreover, the war longbowman’s bow had a draw weight of a whopping 120 pounds (54.4 kg).

In short, it was incredibly heavy, and I had to exert all my strength to barely pull the bowstring.

“Grrr…”

With all my strength, I managed to pull the bow and aimed at the target about 50 meters away.

Controlling my trembling hands, I waited for the moment, hearing the screams of my back muscles.

Not yet… just a little more!… just a bit!!……… now!

Thwump-!

The moment I released the bowstring, the arrow flew from my hand.

Propelled by the 120-pound draw weight, the arrow shot toward the target like lightning and hit dead center.

Thwack-!

“Direct hit!!”

Clap clap clap clap—

“Phew…”

As my arrow struck the center of the target, the guards and retainers applauded.

One of the few abilities I had discovered after my reincarnation was this.

I didn’t know if it was the blood of that race awakening from my past life or Calix Crone’s talent, but I was good at archery.

Clap clap clap—

“Impressive, my lord! Your archery skills are truly unmatched.”

“Is that you, Hart?”

Hart came over, applauding as he approached after witnessing my archery skills.

It was Hart who had encouraged me to try archery.

As a lord, he suggested that it would be good to learn some martial arts, and from there, I discovered this talent.

Hart praised me as the best archer in the territory and consistently recommended that I practice, but I didn’t shoot often.

Because after shooting about three times, muscle soreness was guaranteed the next day.

I handed the bow to Lana and approached Hart.

Hart had come to see me for a reason.

“A messenger from the Platinum Council has arrived. It seems there’s something you need to confirm, my lord.”

“From the Platinum Council?”

The Platinum Council was a policy-making body located at the center of the empire, similar to the Roman Senate.

While their basic functions were similar to those of the Senate, the difference was that they drafted proposals, which were then approved by the emperor.

Of course, due to the feudal system, they didn’t have absolute power like the Roman Senate, but from the perspective of the lords, they were a troublesome entity if they became adversaries.

I immediately went to check the messenger from the Platinum Council.

The content was simple.

“There’s been a rebellion in Dreyhart.”

“In Dreyhart!?”

I had heard of Dreyhart, the city of slaves located in the southeast.

Among the various cities in the World Archive, it boasted an overwhelmingly insane setting, making it unforgettable even if I wanted to forget.

Summarizing the news brought by the messenger, it went as follows.

A few days ago, slaves in Dreyhart had revolted, and the Platinum Council sent troops to suppress it, but they were utterly defeated.

After much deliberation, the Platinum Council made the following decision.

“Whoever suppresses the rebellion in Dreyhart will be granted the rights to govern the slaves of Dreyhart and all governing rights of the territory.”

“The governing rights of Dreyhart!?”

“Yes, that’s what it says.”

Noah had every reason to be surprised.

Governing rights meant, in short, becoming the lord of that region.

While it wasn’t uncommon for a single family to manage two or three territories or effectively control them, such lords were all called ‘great lords’ and held significant power.

The Platinum Council was saying they would allow this as a reward for suppressing the rebels.

Even though the rebels had wiped out the lord family of Dreyhart, this was an excessive reward.

They could have brought in nobles from other regions who were originally from Dreyhart, or they could have made it a direct territory of the imperial family.

The fact that they didn’t do that clearly indicated there was another reason.

“My lord, I believe there was some influence from the imperial family in this matter.”

“I think so too.”

Nodding at Noah and Hart’s words, I agreed.

No matter how badly the suppressing forces were defeated, granting governing rights was too excessive a reward.

The only reason the Platinum Council could put such a reward on the table without anyone objecting was simple:

The higher-ups wanted it.

“It seems there’s a lord they want to nurture from the imperial family.”

It was likely that there was a prince or princess they wanted to raise as a lord, and they intended to bolster their power.

I suspected that this was a joint agreement between the prince and princess.

If they truly wanted to nurture someone, they could have simply ordered them without attaching the condition of ‘whoever suppresses the rebellion.’

The reason they didn’t do that was that both wanted to nurture a lord, hence creating this condition to incite competition.

Surviving in such a political arena was giving me a headache.

“My lord, this is a golden opportunity for us to expand our territory!”

“I completely agree with Noah. We have Ricain and Sharen the magician with us, so there’s a good chance.”

The two spoke to me together.

Ricain was originally a capable knight, but honestly, he had limitations in terms of brute strength.

Those limitations were completely resolved when Sharen joined, providing magical support.

With Sharen’s magical assistance and buffs, the Crone Knights, led by Ricain, had become several times stronger than before, and it seemed the two believed it was worth a shot.

But I…

“We… the Crone family will not participate.”

“What!?”

“My lord, this is too good an opportunity to pass up.”

In my past life, I had conquered Dreyhart in the World Archive.

I had seen how the slaves were treated there, and even in a game, it was too horrific.

“The slaves of Dreyhart have been oppressed their whole lives. Are we to suppress them with swords and magic? I… I believe that is wrong.”

Yes, it was wrong.

There are things in this world that should not be done by people, and to me, this was one of those things.

And as someone who wanted to be a lord who was moderately loved, I didn’t need such an excessive reward that would create enemies around me.

The two nodded at my words.

“If that is your will, my lord, we will follow it.”

“I will follow it too, my lord.”

Hart looked a bit disappointed, while Noah… had an expression that seemed deeply moved.

What’s this? I didn’t say anything particularly moving?

Thus, we decided not to directly participate in the rebellion suppression operation and only provide rear support while making a show of the Platinum Council’s orders.

A week later, on the plains of Dreyhart.

Noah, Lana, and I watched the gathering knights from a hill.

The sight of countless knights, soldiers, and magicians assembling to prepare for war was a magnificent spectacle.

“Just as expected, those two families have joined.”

“There’s nothing they’re hiding, so it’s a bit anticlimactic.”

And among that group, only two flags were raised.

The two families that supported this rebellion suppression operation were the Lion Family, who, as the prince’s axe and a battle maniac, had wanted to join right away and were the first to lead their knights here.

And the second family was…

“There you are, Lord Calix.”

I turned my head at the voice coming from behind.

There stood the protagonist of this story.

A slender man in his forties with a brown mustache, his name was Baron Zeras Silla.

He was the lord of the Silla family, one of the princess faction families located to the west of our territory.

He was the second family that had supported this suppression.

“Greetings, Lord Zeras. I hope you’ve been well.”

“I’ve been well, thanks to the princess’s grace. Hohoho!”

He approached me amicably, stroking his mustache.

What’s this guy doing? Did he eat something wrong?

“I heard from the princess that you received a ‘gift’ from her as well.”

“Ah… yes, I received a very large gift.”

I glanced at Lana.

Seeing my eyes, Lana responded by making a V shape with her fingers.

…It seems Lana has learned something strange from the school students again.

“Let’s all cheer each other on, as we’ve received great gifts from the princess! Hohoho!”

He seemed to have mistaken me for someone who had completely become part of the princess faction after receiving her gift.

I hadn’t properly responded, so why did he think that?

“Oh! The princess asked me to convey her gratitude for choosing rear support for me.”

“Ah… yes, I understand.”

It seemed the princess understood my actions as a concession to Baron Zeras for her sake.

I responded appropriately.

“Well then, after this suppression operation is over, let’s have a drink in Dreyhart and talk about gifts. Hohoho!”

He replied as if he had already received the governing rights of Dreyhart and went on his way.

By the time Baron Zeras had disappeared, Sharen descended from the sky.

“My lord, I have set up the Eye of the Sky magic.”

“Good work, Sharen.”

Sharen had set up the Eye of the Sky magic so that I could see the war from afar.

She looked at Baron Zeras’s retreating figure and said.

“That person is Lord Zeras.”

“Sharen, do you know Lord Zeras?”

“Yes, I heard about him briefly when I visited the Blue Magic Tower before.”

I had a rough idea of who he was since I had been attacked by Lord Zeras in the game.

Sharen provided additional information about him.

“I heard there was a lord in the south who could have been the successor of the Blue Magic Tower. When I sensed his magical power, I felt it was him.”

Yes, if Hadem was the ‘prince’s axe,’ then Zeras was the ‘princess’s staff.’

While not quite at Sharen’s level, Zeras was an SSR-level magic character just one tier below, and his arrogance stemmed from a certain confidence in his abilities.

If Hadem was terrifying, the fact that Zeras was also participating in the suppression operation made me send a message of support to the slaves of Dreyhart, even if only in my heart.

Thus, the “Dreyhart Rebellion Suppression Operation” began.

A word from the author (author’s note)

Thank you, [Maryu]!!!

I will repay you with a good work!!!

How will the Dreyhart rebels fight against those two?

Please look forward to the next chapter!!