Ch.4Chapter 4. Laying the Foundation (1)

“Huff, huff… Let’s rest a bit.”

Plop.

I sat down on the roadside and called Lunarian to stop.

I don’t know why I’m already this exhausted after walking for what doesn’t seem like that long.

I never knew having low strength stats would be this inconvenient.

“Ah, yes…!”

Lunarian, who had been walking ahead, came close to where I sat and slowly settled beside me, speaking apologetically.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t rent a carriage… We’re almost at our territory, so let’s take a proper rest. Ah, here’s some water.”

I took the water bottle she handed me and gulped it down.

As the liquid entered my tired body, I could feel my head spinning.

Only then did I notice her extremely apologetic expression, and I spoke directly.

“By the way… are you still using honorifics?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“As of today, I’ve been commissioned into Lunarian’s army. That means you, Lady Lunarian, are my lord. As a ruler, I don’t think it’s appropriate to use honorifics with your subordinates like this.”

I wanted to convey that treating subordinates as subordinates is the right path for a ruler.

Among modern people educated about equality who have an inherent aversion to class systems, this might be praised as “true leadership” or “lack of authoritarianism.”

But this was clearly the medieval era with a class system in place, and moreover, it was a chaotic time.

In an unpredictable situation, a ruler being excessively humble was never the right approach.

After hearing my words, Lunarian… once again hung her head with a dejected expression.

“I… see. But I feel nothing but gratitude toward you, Swen.”

“Toward me?”

Lunarian blushed slightly and said:

“Yes. Except for the comrades who’ve been with me from the beginning… you’re the first person to join our army. So, if it’s alright with you, I honestly want to show you proper respect.”

‘So I’m essentially the first subordinate to be commissioned into Lunarian’s army?’

I recalled my experience playing as Lunarian.

Recruiting subordinates was incredibly difficult.

Well, that was natural since the nation was shabby and the ruler’s reputation was mediocre.

No one played as Lunarian unless they were going for a “king’s return” concept playthrough.

“Let’s do this then. When your lordship is alone with me, you may speak comfortably, with or without honorifics. However, when there are third parties present—when other retainers are around or in front of soldiers—I’d like you to treat me as other rulers treat their subordinates. How does that sound?”

“Like… other rulers?”

“Yes. To command many people in the future, no matter how difficult it may be, it’s important to appear as someone capable of doing so. Values may differ according to the era, but given your ambition, shouldn’t you strive to appear as a leader befitting this age?”

Unfortunately, this was an age of barbarism.

To provide stability to numerous soldiers in this era, one needed to be a strong leader.

But.

Hearing my words, Lunarian made a troubled expression and said:

“That… ambition, is a bit… I just… wish for everyone to live in a peaceful world, so rather than ambition, I’d prefer to call it a dream—”

“My lord.”

I deliberately cut off Lunarian’s words.

An ordinary ruler might find it unpleasant for a mere newly commissioned subordinate to interrupt them.

No, beyond unpleasantness, they could have my head cut off if they so desired.

“Y-yes.”

She didn’t show any displeasure at all, just waiting for my words like a docile lamb.

“Have ambition. In an age without dreams, those who harbor dreams are only killed. Didn’t you say you want to bring peace to everyone? A ruler who gets caught up in trivial matters like word choice cannot bring peace to a continent at war. Do you understand?”

“…Peace to a continent at war… you say.”

I looked straight into her eyes.

Her red irises trembled pitifully.

No matter how many times I looked, she didn’t appear to be the ruler who would unify this continent, but…

I had 100% confidence in my intelligence stat of 100.

“Yes. Don’t be faint-hearted. If my lord develops the capacity to be a ruler capable of unifying the continent… I, Swen, will surely fill that vessel with the Garand continent.”

“…!”

Hearing my words, she… blushed slightly.

It feels redundant to mention again, but she truly is beautiful. A delicate beauty that makes one want to protect her.

She gave the impression of a flower blooming alone on a cliff.

I couldn’t fathom how she ever thought of becoming a leader.

“…I understand. If you say so, Swen… I won’t shy away from having ambition.”

“That’s good.”

To lighten the mood, I casually changed the subject.

“It seems the distance from where I was is longer than I expected.”

“Huh? Ah… well, yes. It’s not so far that we couldn’t make the journey in a day, though.”

Lunarian nodded and responded to my comment.

This woman.

She had come to recruit me five times.

So for all five times… she had traveled this long distance back and forth.

I suddenly understood that story from a certain novel where someone was recruited after being visited three times.

Wasn’t it grateful that she kept coming to find me, someone without any particular fame?

‘Well, since I’ve been commissioned, I should do my best rather than half-heartedly.’

I looked up at the sky.

The sun was still up, but… it would be best to return to the territory before dark.

My body hadn’t fully recovered, but I couldn’t just rest forever.

“Let’s get moving.”

I slowly got up.

Somehow, moving my body was still burdensome, and I hadn’t yet adapted, but this body was ultimately something I had to get used to.

“Ah, yes…!”

Hearing my words, Lunarian stood up and once again took the lead, walking through the undergrowth.

*

“Huff, huff.”

Damn it.

My body, which I had resolved to “adapt to quickly,” was already putting me through trials.

To be in this state just from climbing a hill path.

I began to think that my strength stat might be lower than the 10-15 I had estimated.

“We’re almost there… are you tired?”

The sun was already setting.

It would be dangerous at night, and camping would mean wasting a day.

From the perspective of Lunarian’s army, which could be attacked at any time, it wasn’t good to waste time unnecessarily on the road.

“No… let’s go, quickly. I’m fine…”

I wish my strength would increase if I did something like exercise…

This game, being outdated, didn’t have commands for training to raise stats.

Given that all my predictions so far have been accurate, this world seems to follow the game’s rules strictly despite appearing normal… but without knowing how this aspect applies, I couldn’t act with certainty.

“…Hmm.”

Lunarian thought for a moment, then approached me and said:

“Um, Swen.”

“…Yes?”

Lunarian looked at me, then turned her back, bent her waist, and casually said:

“Would you like a piggyback ride?”

“…What???”

What did she say?

Did I hear wrong?

“Swen, you seem very tired… if you don’t mind, you can get on my back. We’re almost there.”

“No, that’s not the issue…”

I wanted to say something, but my legs were trembling so much that words wouldn’t come out properly.

I recalled Lunarian’s strength stat.

It was certainly above average… but is this really okay?

Looking at her after hearing that, I couldn’t detect any sign of strain from her.

Still, as a man and a subordinate, being carried on the back of a female lord seemed too pathetic.

But.

‘…Isn’t wasting time unnecessarily more pathetic?’

Thinking realistically, wouldn’t it be better to just accept the ride here?

With that thought, I leaned against her without hesitation.

“I’ll be in your care.”

“Yes!”

She balanced well with me on her back and stood up.

Am I on the lighter side?

Well, my arms are thin, my legs are thin… overall, I did feel quite slender.

And I hadn’t been eating much.

Riding on her back, looking at her profile, I thought:

‘For peace, she wants unification, huh.’

One might think there would be quite a few users with the desire to “unify this continent as a ruler striving for peace”—

But in this game, there was already a separate ruler for such a concept.

Makana Karelia.

The legitimate heir who inherited the bloodline of the Makana Kingdom, which was destroyed by Serpina’s empire before its fall, in its previous unification efforts. Karelia now leads the Karelia army.

With an extremely righteous personality, she was essentially the rival and arch-enemy of Serpina, who played the role of “tyrant” in this game. She was a ruler with emerald green eyes that exuded that feeling.

Given that you could learn the basics of the game by doing something like a tutorial while leading the Karelia army, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the protagonist nation.

Although the talent pool was narrow, they were all SS-class, and if you could endure the early stages, they could be operated as effectively as Lynn Brans’s forces, so it wasn’t exactly a beginner’s nation.

So, what I’m trying to say is—

Lunarian’s army was truly a nothing entity in this game.

Nothing special, and they never took the lead in anything.

This was true even within the game where all correction values were randomly assigned.

Among the nations that always perished in the early stages, there was Lunarian’s army.

It meant they were a weak nation that would “never” achieve unification unless a user aiming for a bizarre “king’s return” concept took control.

Nevertheless.

I, no—

My brain with its intelligence stat of 100 is convinced repeatedly.

That Lunarian’s army will unify this continent.

World unification that’s impossible for Serpina’s army, Brans’s army, and Aeshus’s army.

‘I don’t understand it, but.’

Since my predictions in this world are always right, I had to stick by her side, come what may, under the premise that this prediction is valid.

That’s how I was able to safely enter the small city of “Zeilant,” the territory of Lunarian’s army.

*

“Is this the place?”

A small, decaying castle.

Dark market alleys devoid of vitality.

A landscape exuding an eerie atmosphere.

My first impression upon entering Zeilant, which was merely classified as a “small city” in the game, was as follows:

An abandoned city.

“Yes, it is. This is the house where you will reside, Swen.”

With a serene face, she pointed to a decaying wooden house and spoke to me.

Well… I didn’t expect to live luxuriously in a place like this, so I wasn’t disappointed.

“When day breaks, please come to that castle in the center. Then… I wish you a peaceful night.”

After bidding farewell to Lunarian, I entered the wooden house.

A creaking, unpleasant sound was heard, and a very small room with a tiny window letting in moonlight welcomed me.

Inside, apart from an old bed to sleep on, there wasn’t any furniture.

The house may be in this state now…

But as the city grows, I’ll be able to stay in better places.

‘Let’s sleep for now.’

I lay down on the old bed.

My life as a strategist was about to begin.