Ch.271271. Goden Mikhail Lihabart (3)

You might think I responded to the request from Sirah because of his personality. That’s just how Goden is.

But him specifically seeking me out is a highly subjective matter.

I’m no longer affiliated with the Tembris Party. I’m not part of the Duchy’s army either.

Moreover, I’ve even completed withdrawal procedures from the academy, stripping me of my student status. I’m just a resident living in Sirah.

“Shouldn’t you be discussing this with the others instead of me?”

Though my response was rather curt, Goden took it in stride as usual, showing no signs of being offended.

“I can still ask for your opinion, can’t I? You and Renias were the ones protecting the village before the troops arrived, right?”

“It could be Renias’s idea too.”

“No way. Ophelia said that while Renias might provide answers within normal parameters, she’s not the type to come up with such clever strategies. Ronellion said the same thing.”

Come to think of it, I believe Goden and the Duchess of Ardelion were something like childhood friends. Plus, all three of them came from the Empire, so it made sense they’d be acquainted.

Since he also knows Ronellion, it seems my excuses are completely useless.

“It’s presumptuous of me to say, but the units under your command have always performed well, haven’t they? Like when facing the Dibaurer in Shute, and I heard that before the subjugation of Defornice III in Algenib, you fought a round with the Lycans in Lebrant. Despite being ambushed, there were almost no casualties, right? That’s just what’s been made public.”

“And?”

“If nothing else, I know for certain that you personally protected Sirah. You defeated all those monsters with that thing you used against Defornice III. Haha, am I right?”

Goden confidently squared his shoulders and grinned, sure of his assertion.

“No, actually.”

“Huh?! Really? That can’t be right!”

“I’m sorry, but you’re completely wrong.”

It was Renias who defeated the monsters. I just shared a few effective countermeasures with the people.

“No, that really can’t be right…”

Goden repeatedly frowned and relaxed his expression with a puzzled look. When he closed his eyes with his hand on his chin, he seemed to wonder, “Could that be?” and tilted his head. Then he’d narrow his eyes toward the ceiling and shake his head again, insisting it couldn’t be true.

When that big guy got confused over such simple things, Senia would often sigh beside him and clarify things.

When the nagging started, Goden would become awkward, and Aris, who hadn’t expected it at all, would be kept in check. When those two seemed about to fight and derail the meeting, Charlotte and Michelle would often step in to mediate.

‘…Oh no.’

I can see it all too vividly.

Why do these old memories keep coming back?

“Hmm… No, no. That’s not important anyway. What I’m saying is, I’d like to borrow some wisdom from that extraordinary brain of yours for this fight.”

“I don’t know. I’m already a civilian.”

“Civilian…? Ah. The withdrawal. Even so, you can still lend us your mind, can’t you?”

So the story has spread that far. Well, it’s not particularly important gossip.

Still, since he knows, it makes leading the conversation easier.

“Since I’m no longer an academy student, I have no reason to be involved in the Duchy’s military operations. That’s why I suggested you discuss it with the others.”

The guards have probably already shared all the relevant information, and even the young people receiving treatment in this village have provided useful tidbits.

Plus there are the documents I’ve compiled in advance with terrain information, lists of frequently appearing monsters, and distribution maps.

Whether it’s information or military strength, it’s sufficient. Sufficient to eliminate the colony that has appeared in Sirah.

Yet he still wants me to participate in the battle? That’s purely Goden’s excessive opinion.

Therefore, I had to refuse.

Although I requested support from the Tembris Party and brought some of the Duchy’s forces, didn’t I already realize it? I shouldn’t get involved with them anymore.

“I appreciate your high evaluation, but that’s just your subjective opinion, Goden.”

I turned around, implying I was about to leave.

Then Goden planted a heavy statement on the back of my head, his tone devoid of any playfulness.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not my subjective opinion, Junon.”

“What?”

“The decision to support Sirah was reached shortly after the meeting began. But what about the selection of support troops? The amount of food and supplies? The method of reorganizing the units? No matter how many people we gathered, these are time-consuming tasks when the siege of Mirpark is ongoing, don’t you think?”

“…I suppose so.”

“Yet we managed to arrive just in time, when Sirah was on the verge of being overwhelmed. This was possible because the Tembris members placed their trust in you.”

Come to think of it, it was strange.

If I had sent a letter to the Tembris Party from Sirah without hesitation, they could have arrived by this time.

Despite the late hour, they quickly reorganized and prepared, bringing a well-composed unit?

“No way.”

Those guys?

“Did you figure it out?”

Goden grinned, as if confirming my guess was correct.

“Senia asked me to at least send her regards. Aris said it was fine to leave her out, but it seems she made some big mistake with you? Charlotte stopped her from saying that. Michelle didn’t say anything directly, but seeing her use the word ‘please,’ she must have been quite worried.”

“…So all of them stepped up to help?”

“It was mainly Senia, Charlotte, and Aris who helped. The rest were just worried since they hadn’t heard from you.”

“Haa.”

“Hehe. Now do you understand how reliable you are?”

It was exactly the three people I had contacted by letter.

They were the ones who helped Goden arrive in Sirah on time.

“Personally, I’d like to bring you into our party right away. So please don’t disregard our members’ goodwill. If nothing else, think of it as doing it for this village. Lend us your wisdom, Junon.”

How could I refuse when he’s bowing his head like that?

I had intended to just call for support troops and then distance myself to avoid further influence. But if I refuse now, I’d be betraying the goodwill those guys showed me.

It can’t be helped.

The time I spent wondering if it was okay to contact Tembris has turned into a blessing in disguise.

I’ll have to handle it myself.

“…Get out a map and let’s start by pinpointing the colony’s location.”

“Oh, so you’re finally going to help? Thanks, you bastard!”

“Ugh. Skip the shoulder hug. Just tell me what you plan to do after dealing with the colony.”

“Ah, about that. Since there are too many for us to handle alone, I was thinking we might wait. The Duchy’s army should be coming this way.”

Wait, he says. That means they’re not just planning to deal with the colony in Sirah.

If that’s confirmed, it wouldn’t be much different from the past.

But things were flowing in a completely different direction from what I expected.

“We need to deal with Feltibourgos first. So it’ll take some time.”

“…What?”

Feltibourgos?

Does he mean the Feltibourgos I know?

So Goden just left that thing that appeared in Mirpark?

I had a feeling something was getting tangled up.

“Tell me in detail. From its appearance to its characteristics!”

***

“Mmm…!”

A girl has her head turned, pressed against the door.

Given that she has her ear against it, she’s clearly eavesdropping, but the silver emotional signal antenna standing straight up on her head tells her:

This must be an extremely important conversation!

─────.

“Hmph… I can’t hear anything.”

But no matter how much she presses her ear, how could she hear? Annoyed at the well-soundproofed door, Renias petulantly scrapes the ground with the toe of her shoe.

In doing so, she must have kicked a hard stone instead of dirt. Tears welled up in her eyes.

-‘Wait here for a bit, Renias. I’ll be back soon.’

Junon had told her to wait, but…

“How can I just wait-!”

When she said she wanted to look around during the day, he was going to accompany her for a walk. But just then, someone who looked like a soldier came and took Junon somewhere.

This is stealing her walking time…!

Of course, she had thought he might be called away, but why now of all times!

Now that the Duchy’s army has arrived, we can relax and take some time for ourselves!

With a face full of discontent, Renias puffed up her cheeks and followed Junon to his destination.

And now that she’s here, the conversation isn’t ending quickly.

It’s been tens of minutes. If the conversation is this long, isn’t it an important matter for Junon?

It was only natural to want to eavesdrop on that conversation.

“How can I hear what they’re saying…?!”

Squatting down with her chin in her hands, Renias is still pondering how to hear the conversation inside.

Though her bottom isn’t touching the ground, squatting like that while staring at a house’s door…

If passersby were to see her, they would surely approach and speak to her. Just like now.

“Miss Renias? What are you doing here?”

Startled by the two soldiers who appeared behind her, she jumps up with a “Hah!”

Trying to hide the fact that she was just trying to eavesdrop on the conversation inside, Renias becomes a silver rabbit once again.

“Ah, well! I’m waiting for someone!”

“Someone? Who went in there?”

“Yes, yes!”

The two soldiers tilt their heads and shrug at each other upon hearing she’s waiting for someone who went inside.

That’s because this was where the temporary headquarters was located, where Goden would be.

“Um… Couldn’t you just knock and go in? If it’s Lord Goden, you could meet him now.”

“Huh? Ah. Well, um! It’s someone else.”

“Ah. So you’re waiting for someone who was called in.”

“Yes. Hehe, I need to ask what they want to eat and such…”

Good. Using the excuse of lunchtime to cover up the fact that she was eavesdropping!

The silver rabbit rejoices at finding an excuse and shifts the topic in that direction.

However, the two soldiers flinch and gulp.

“A-are you waiting to have a meal with that person?”

“That’s right. I need to ask what they want to eat because I can make it. It would be better if I knew what dishes they like.”

“Make… it? You mean you’ll cook it yourself?”

“Hmm? Yes, why?”

“Uh… Do you mean you’ll make it at… home?”

“Yes! There’s a kitchen. We have tables, dishes, and I’ve already done the shopping, so I just need to cook.”

“”…””

The two soldiers look back and forth between her and the command room door with dumbfounded expressions.

‘I absolutely can’t let our meal time be stolen too!’

Meanwhile, Renias is only concerned about losing time with Junon, burning with enthusiasm. She has no idea what her words imply.

Until now, she didn’t know.

What it means when a woman says she’ll cook a favorite dish at home for a man.

Shortly after, the two men see a black-haired man opening the door and coming out of the command room.

With such a distinctive appearance, they couldn’t fail to recognize that face.

Well… the outcome was predictable.

“Hm?”

“Kuk…! You lucky bastard! You’ve got Renias?”

“You’re the enemy of all men, Junon, you jerk! I’ll curse you forever!”

After saying that, the two soldiers disappeared from sight.

This familiar feeling. Junon has experienced it many times before and covers his eyes with his palm.

Ah. Renias must have said something that could be misunderstood again.

Soon he’ll be wrapped up like a bundle.

He can roughly guess what’s about to happen. Will he be mercilessly trampled?

Meanwhile, Goden, who has been watching this scene from right beside them, whistles and smiles suggestively.

“Renias. What brings you here?”

“Ah? Well, I need to have a meal with Junon oppa, but I don’t know what he likes…!”

“Aha. For a meal? To eat together?”

“Yes, yes! I was thinking of making something oppa likes!”

Goden places his hand on Junon’s shoulder, who is covering his eyes, with a pleased smile.

“Junon, you bastard, you’re bolder than you look? You’ve even got a girl who wants to cook for you. Hehe.”

“Huh?”

Only now does Renias realize what she’s said. As always, this silver rabbit’s face turns as red as a ripe apple.

“…Hey.”

“Wha? Don’t misunderstand! I said it because I’m jealous, jealous!”

Of course, his eyes didn’t look jealous at all.

***

Things seemed complicated, but not terribly so.

-‘Feltibourgos? It’s a creature whose body is completely rotten and decayed, covered in thick contaminants. From its structure, it appears to be a four-legged beast.’

-‘Senia says it has something like an infinite sacrificial offering ritual operating inside it. So it tries to devour any living creature it sees. To satisfy its endless hunger and thirst. Of course, it doesn’t eat those inside Mirpark Castle.’

-‘Don’t worry. They’ve already planned how to seal its internal rituals step by step. Aris has conducted many sealing battles, and Senia confidently said it’s not an S-rank or Named-grade creature, so it’s not as exaggerated as it sounds.’

Afterward, Goden explained that the subjugation of Feltibourgos was being carefully prepared, and since he wasn’t suitable for sealing techniques, he was included in the Sirah support mission.

He was confident they could suppress it early, and since they encountered the creature earlier than in the past, it wouldn’t have grown as powerful.

So it should be fine for now, but…

“Oppa, you’re worrying again, aren’t you?”

Renias, pouting her lips in dissatisfaction, poked my cheek and said that.

“We’re eating. What were you talking about earlier that’s got you like this again?”

“…Tomorrow, we’re going to destroy the colony.”

“Aha~ Tomorrow, destroy the colony… Huh? What? Destroy the colony? Are you going too?”

“That’s how it turned out after talking with Goden.”

“Wow. Finally we won’t see those monsters anymore. I’ll go with you!”

“No, Renias. You need to stay in the village.”

“Eeh?”

“Someone needs to protect the village, right? Stay with the others and keep watch. We don’t know if a back route might open up like during the great subjugation of Shute.”

“Tch. Fine.”

The number of colonies is more than expected.

Too many to handle with just Goden and the support troops.

For now, it’s better to clear out the visible minor enemies first.

That last one.

If I want to personally thrust my spear into Ashpern, that is.