episode_0083

The Count of Lithuania, whom I met for the first time in about half a year, had not changed at all since before Gilbert left the mansion.

Eyes that seem to see through the other person and an expressionless face.

A neatly trimmed beard and graying hair neatly swept back.

Everything was the same, including the neat clothes without a single wrinkle and the trained muscles breathing quietly within them.

The only thing that changed was that the pressure that had been pressing him until the moment he left disappeared.

“Long time no see. Father.”

“You did something fun.”

The Count, who had put aside the agenda he was checking, finally raised his head and looked at Gilbert. It was a cold look that made you feel cold just by looking at it, but it did not contain the same disapproval as before.

Gilbert could see that his benchmark had been passed.

“It was nothing special.”

“That cocky personality is still the same.”

The Lithuanian Count clicked his tongue.

“You managed to get a knighthood. Is this the answer you spoke of?”

“Did you get the answer?”

When the Lithuanian Count asked Gilbert again, he made eye contact with Gilbert as if sizing him up. There wasn’t even a single blink, as if he was trying to reveal everything that was hidden inside.

A suffocating silence began to fill the office, with only the occasional sound of the two people breathing.

How much time has passed?

The Lithuanian Count, who was silently looking into Gilbert’s eyes, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

The Count, who looked like he wouldn’t bleed even if he stabbed him, burst into laughter. It was so fun that he even slapped the desk with his palm in a frivolous manner, as if he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Gilbert, who had never seen the Count of Lithuania smile even in the game, was embarrassed to see him like this.

Why did the man not even smile?

I had doubts, but I didn’t show them. Because his senses were telling him that it was best to remain silent.

Eventually, the Count stopped laughing as if he had stopped laughing and glared at Gilbert as usual.

“You’re cocky. My father doesn’t have a braided hair.”

“For all that, you seemed happy.”

“You couldn’t let go of the half-hearted, half-hearted nature you had inside of you.”

“Do you want to throw it away?”

“There is no need for someone to wander around the Hart family that protects the border. In that respect, your rebellious temperament is probably a narrow pass.”

When the words ‘passing’ came out of the Lithuanian Count’s mouth, Gilbert was inwardly delighted.

Even if you were kicked out of the Count Hart family, you would still have a place to entrust, but you needed to stay here to proceed with the main scenario.

Although the Count’s words were thorny, they contained benevolent intentions, so it was clear that they would be of great help to the progress of the scenario. One way or another, the fact that he was at the forefront of the operation to eradicate the resistance did not change, so the possibility that Gilbert would also have a say increased.

“I never expected that you would become the princess’s only priest. I can’t believe he’s the sword saint’s exclusive disciple. For a guy like you, it was pretty good.”

“Was it unexpected?”

“Ha! Don’t cross the line. Even so, what you did doesn’t mean that it will disappear anywhere.”

The Lithuanian Count’s eyes became sharp again. It was a reminder that no matter what the current evaluation, the essence remains the same.

However, both the original Gilbert and the current Gilbert had a rebellious temperament. He wasn’t the type of person to get discouraged by a little glare.

I just looked into the Count’s eyes with my usual gaze.

Even this seemed surprising to the count, and he soon relaxed his eyes and smiled.

“It looks like things have changed. Previously, he would not have even been able to raise his head like a dog with only its tail, but now he is looking straight into his father’s eyes.”

“Half a year is not a short time.”

“That’s it. I was just surprised because I didn’t expect anything from you. Rather, you came with Dietrich’s youngest daughter?”

Dietrich Nord Tristitia. When the name of the current Count Tristitia was mentioned, Gilbert nodded.

“Yes.”

“Keep in mind. Dietrich That guy is such a fucking idiot. No matter how much you are, if you make the same mistake as before, I have no choice but to kick you out, regardless of the evaluation so far.”

It’s a previous mistake…

Gilbert suppressed a bitter smile. The previous mistake that the Count of Lithuania was talking about was what Gilbert had originally done with Lily.

Count Tristitia, whom I met in person, was clearly a serious idiot. He was the kind of person who wouldn’t be surprised if he declared war on the Hart family the moment he made a strange mistake with Camilla.

“That won’t happen.”

“If you watch, you will understand. Anyway, I understand the answer you gave me. But don’t let your guard down. If you show up like before again, there won’t even be a chance. You can just leave now.”

After giving him a cruel warning, the Lithuanian count ordered him to be banished. Seeing him immediately pick up the documents he had put aside, it seemed like he was going to dismiss Gilbert and continue with his work.

However, Gilbert had no intention of going to the funeral ceremony. Now that the scenario of him being kicked out of the House of Hart was out of the way, it was time to deal with why he came here.

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to get out?”

The Lithuanian Count, who had handed over the documents, asked without even looking at Gilbert. It was a sign that there was no more time to devote to him, but Gilbert still had some business left to do. It was time to hear directly from the Count about the movements of the barbarian tribe, or rather the Sigurdians.

“What is the trend of the Sigurdians?”

The Lithuanian Count, who was quietly flipping through documents, raised his eyes and looked at Gilbert, who was standing blankly. It seemed like he was trying to figure out what he meant by saying this.

However, since Gilbert’s expression didn’t change much, there wasn’t much that could be discerned.

Finally, the Count sighed briefly, threw the folder aside and looked up.

“What does it mean?”

“It is literally. I heard that their behavior has become strange recently… is that correct?”

“… It looks like there are minions of the intelligence guild inside the territory. Even though I said I would cut them out, they are still like weeds.”

“Looking at my father’s reaction, I know that what he said is true.”

“Ha. What would you do by hiding it? Even if you rot, you should know that you are also a member of the Heart family. It’s just as you said. I recently received a report that their movements are unusual. They probably didn’t have the talent to endure the drought that continued day after day.”

The words that came out of the Lithuanian Count’s mouth were almost similar to what Gilbert had heard in Wild Rose. It was definitely the information power of a wild rose handling information in the back alleys. Even news from distant Wiesbark did not have a large margin of error.

“It was not long ago that the warchief was elected, so by now, they might be preparing to elect the warchief and advance here. No matter how much scouts you use, it is virtually impossible to sneak into their territory.”

“Are you preparing for war?”

“We are the family that protects the gateway to the empire. If they attack, it is natural to counterattack.”

These words were identical to the lines in Tactical Combat. However, the difference from the game was that the person listening was not the playable character Ian, but the custom character Gilbert.

Gilbert quickly summarized what he could glean from his brief conversation with the Count.

First of all, it was highly likely that the election of the warchief had already been completed and that the Count of Lithuania was preparing for war.

If he did not step forward, it was clear that a clash would occur and both sides would suffer great damage. Even without assuming a tactical combat scenario, war has always been structured so that both sides suffer damage.

And the damage will be passed on to the residents living in Wiesbark.

After completing the simulation to the worst possible situation, he remembered why he came here. War was always won by not fighting.

“If the cause is food shortage due to drought, if we provide them with food, there will be no need for war.”

“Did you become an idealist without me even seeing you? Their fundamental problem is the barren land and the terrible continuous drought. Even if food is provided, the fundamental problem remains unless the drought is resolved. Do you really think they can tolerate that? Leave this fertile land alone?”

Gilbert remained silent at the Count’s cynicism. The count’s words were correct. No matter how good Gilbert was at tactical combat, he didn’t know how to solve the drought.

But if you asked me if I could make it rain, of course I couldn’t. Because such a thing would have been impossible without God.

Moreover, even Gilbert had doubts about whether they would follow what the Count said.

Given the setting, the emotional gulf between the people of the Empire and Sigurd was so deep that it was not a problem that could be resolved with a few words.

But it wasn’t that there was no way. If Sigurdians were following Tactical Combat’s setting, there was one way to solve this problem.

“Then I will take charge of that war.”

“That’s funny. I also heard that he was at the forefront of the operation to eliminate the Resistance and that he prevented the attack on Demeia Academy. But this incident is different from those incidents. It is literally war. The battlefield is a terrible place where the life and death of soldiers can be determined by your single word.”

“I know.”

“He said not to cross the line. A place where you can say that so easily…”

The Lithuanian count continued speaking in an angry tone, but at some point fell silent. The Count of Lithuania was furious because of Gilbert’s immature remarks, but the moment he looked into Gilbert’s eyes, he was unable to continue speaking.

Ironically, his son was wearing eyes that he had seen for a really long time. Gilbert, who knew nothing about war, had a look in his eyes that only a person who had overcome a battlefield full of cruelty and death could have.

What on earth did you see?

Was there something he hadn’t heard?

The Count of Lithuania could not easily say anything as he looked at his eldest son, who had become a different person in half a year.

“Are you confident?”

Instead of continuing what I had just said, I asked a question.

“Is there a battlefield you can confidently enter?”

It was a dumb question and a wise answer. Even if you prepare thoroughly, there is no battle you can win, and being confident in a battlefield full of all kinds of variables was an extreme poison that a commander should not have.

The Count of Lithuania tapped the desk and thought for a moment. Should he trust his changed son and entrust him with this war? Or should he go ahead with his original plan?

After pondering for about an hour over a cup of tea, the Count made a decision.

“Good. Then this battle…”

smart!

“Count. A guest arrived in a hurry.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb anyone?”

“But I am a guest that the Count must know.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue slightly at the uninvited guest who came just before accepting. Just when I thought everything was over, they sprinkled ashes. I promised myself that I would not forgive anyone easily.

“Must know? Are you making a fuss because someone came to visit?”

“Lady Nobilitas has come to visit.”

“The Lady of Nobilitas?”

The Count’s eyes turned to Gilbert.

Gilbert also widened his eyes at the mention of Lady Nobilitas.

As for the daughters of the Nobilitas family, there were only two of them. However, if this person is the one who will find the Hart family.

“That’s right. Lady Lily is begging to see the Count.”

No, why is he coming again?

As Gilbert expected, the person who came to the Hart family was Nobilitas’ second son.

It was Lily Roseus Nobilitas.