Chapter 10

Yuichiro’s mouth smirked involuntarily when he heard the phrase ‘anti-goddess army’. “The head of the group is…” he asked Goat, with his palm covering his snickering lips that were almost burst into laughter.

“Of course, it’s the commander-in-chief of the army. In fact, he is so enraged that a goddess who has unexpectedly transferred from another world will take command of his army. So, I believe it is safe to say that he controls roughly three-fourths of the army.”

“Isn’t that different from what you said yesterday?” You told me I have an entire army under my command, right?”

“Well, things change with the passage of time,” Goat replied brazenly.

[Tch, he’s so eager to get out of this]

After kicking Goat’s shins, Yuichiro looked to his left and right. “I believe we sent out five short-range scout units. Where’s the last platoon commander?” Yuichiro inquired curiously.

“Platoon Commander Marcos hasn’t returned yet,” Tyet replied on behalf of Goat, who was cowering in pain and clutching his shin. Yuichiro’s expression turned slightly stiff.

“Give me the direction of the group that hasn’t returned was heading to right now,” Yuichiro spoke while pointing to the map, and Tyet soon took out something that looked like a white chip. On the map, a single white line was drawn.

“Marcos’s platoon headed northwest from am Wallace. Assuming they keep moving during midnight, their scouting range should be about 20,000 roth. In between from their approximate position is…” Another white line crossed over the symbols drawn on the map. The crossed symbols consisted of a line of rectangles, indicating a castle or a city.

Yama immediately exclaimed in disbelief, “Lord Weldham’s stronghold?” Belz gravely continued to Yama’s remark, “Lord Weldham is a middle-class aristocrat in Jeweld. He was originally a merchant who ran an iron business, but several decades ago, he purchased a and became a noble. Currently, he governs the city of Am Abbey.”

“Is there any problem with this Lord Weldham’s stronghold?” Yuichiro asked while tapping his fingers on the map. After a moment of silence within the camp, Evelise spoke up. “Lord Weldham is being suspected of treason.”

“Treason?”

“Am Abbey is well-known for its iron ore. Since we have a lot of iron-melting engineers, we also produce guns in large quantities. Therefore, we believe they are selling the guns to the neighboring country of Goldar.”

“You mean he’s selling weapons to the enemy?”

“Yes, sir. Either Marco’s platoon is currently held captive by Lord Weldham or…”

“—they have already been killed.”

Yama’s eyes instantly sharpened at Yuichiro’s blunt words. Yuichiro, on the other hand, was silently boiled with rage and slowly looked up at the ceiling. A stream of thoughts gradually formed above his head.

‘The probability of survival after their disappearance drops to 70% within 24 hours, 50% in 40 hours… Since it’s 50%, is it worth the to gamble?’ Yuichiro muttered to himself while organizing his thoughts. He lowered his head and saw everyone’s faces.

“Did you see any enemy invasion while scouting?” Yuichiro’s unexpected question caused Goat and the other four platoon commanders to instantly straighten their backs.

“Yes, Captain Ogami. We didn’t see any enemy soldiers in the direction the four groups were advancing,” Goat answered. Yuichiro nodded in return and kept speaking, “In the unlikely event that the enemy forces invade, this castle should last two days. Right?” When Goat heard Yuichiro’s warning, he immediately stifled his smile.

“I’d like to believe that even the most thick-headed military officers could accomplish this much,” Yuichiro added. While his words dampened the mood, they did not appear half-hearted. He then gave a slight nod and said, “Prepare to leave. We’re going to Am Abbey. A minimum number of personnel will be going, with a return date of two days. The objectives will be locating the whereabouts of Marcos’s platoon unit and eliminating Sir Weldham if he is indeed with the enemy forces. That’s all.”

After Yuichiro left the camp, a stout man pointed in his direction, yelling angrily, “You call this man a goddess? Isn’t he just a middle-aged man?!”

As Yuichiro heard this, he couldn’t help but want to say, ‘You’re just a fat, bald old man, aren’t you?’ However, he restrained himself since that was not the words you say to someone you’ve just met. On the contrary, he turned around and looked at Goat. Noticing this, Goat whispered into Yuichiro’s ear with a faint smile on his lips, “He’s Lieutenant General Gadelman, the next highest ranking general after the Commander-in-chief. Also known as the hysteric funky geezer.”

Yuichiro couldn’t help laughing after hearing the straightforward nickname. In return, Gadelman’s face turned red as he puffed angrily, “What are you laughing at?!! You didn’t even say your greetings and even have a secret meeting with a fallen aristocrat!”

“Ah, by the way, the fallen aristocrat is me,” Goat raised his hand as if ridiculing the stout man, although he didn’t need to. Observing the situation in front of him, Yuichiro burst out laughing at Goat’s mockery gesture. Yuichiro thought it was a refreshing and condescending attitude.

At that moment, Gadelman’s face became redder and redder as he fumed with rage. It was as if a balloon bomb was on the verge of exploding. “What is the bastard goddess plotting? He should have stayed in the castle and comfort the king!” Gadelman snickered.

This time around, Yuichiro laughed hysterically, clutching his stomach in his hands. Gadelman’s lips twisted and faltered after seeing Yuichiro’s reaction.

“Hahaha… You say some funny things…” Yuichiro praised him condescendingly and leaned forward to meet Gadelman’s line of sight, who was shorter than him. Then, he whispered slowly into the man’s ear, as if to warn him, “Thank you very much for your very amusing joke, but we are in such a hurry now, so I will save your monologue for next time,” and walked away. Behind him, Yuichiro is followed by Goat and four other platoon commanders. A few footsteps later, he heard a screeching voice behind him.

“A fake goddess intends to destroy this country! An evil incarnate!”

After he was labeled as a bastard, he was called a fake, and lastly, the personification of evil. Yuichiro pondered that it was tough being a goddess and his mind spoke, ‘No wonder they went insane and vented their frustration on the servants.’ Yuichiro then shook his head from side to side and threw a glance at the people behind him.

“It seems like if you’re with me, you’ll be treated as an evil follower.”

Although the phrase ‘evil follower’ sounded somewhat comical, the five people responded in a casual tone.

“Great!” Goat declared.

“That’s super nice,” Tyet said.

“A superior officer who does nothing but bark is unworthy of respect,” Yama snickered. “Likewise, “Belz agreed with Yama’s comment.

Evelise concluded, “I will do my best to fulfill my role.”

As for Yuichiro, he lightly shrugged his shoulders as he stared at the five oddballs.

It took him less than five minutes to return to his room and get ready. He changed into his military uniform and put on his laced boots. Then he put on his backpack and slung his AK47 over his arm. That was all he needed to do.

Just as he was leaving the room, he saw Temeraire running toward him, gasping for breath. His long hair was slightly disheveled. “I received a report from Goat. Are you taking part in the mission?” Temeraire asked.

“It’s not much of an actual mission. We’re just a small group out on reconnaissance.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll slow me down,” Yuichiro replied apathetically.

As he finished speaking, he noticed the corners of Temeraire’s eyes dyed faintly red. The man stared at him, then said bitterly, “You still know very little about this world. You need me.”

“I’ll decide if it’s necessary or not. It’s just a hindrance if someone who has never trained in combat follows me.”

“You can abandon me if I get in your way. There are plenty of people who can replace me.”

Yuichiro felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort well up from the pit of his stomach at the mention of having replacements. It was a strange irritation that could hardly be described as disgust or indignation. He reached out and grabbed Temeraire’s lapels with his arm. He slammed Temeraire’s back against the inner door with great momentum. “You fucking dog, can’t you do what I tell you?!” he growled. Temeraire returned his gaze with unexpectedly calm eyes.

“I am acquainted with Lord Weldham. He’s a notorious philanderer. When I met him at an evening party, he was so taken with my face that he invited me to be his fifth wife.”

Yuichiro became dizzy once more when he heard the phrase ‘fifth wife.’ ‘A man for a wife and the fifth?’ Yuichiro frowned.

“So what?”

“I’ll complain to him about being assaulted by the Goddess and wanting his help. Then I’ll tell him that I only escaped from the royal capital with a few escorts and that I want him to hide me. I believe we can easily sneak into the castle this way.”

“Are you planning on using yourself as bait?” Temeraire wore a thin smile as Yuichiro inquired. It was a chilly smile tinged with resignation.

“There are many who can replace me anyway,” Temeraire replied, echoing his earlier words. A small lie was told by the man.

Yuichiro purposefully pushed Temeraire’s chest in response to those hateful words. Without glancing back at him, Yuichiro ordered, “Get out of those long, draggy clothes.” Temeraire’s hand reached out to him as he walked away, stopping him. “The black hair stands out,” the man said as he wrapped a bandana around his head. “You can’t help the color of your eyes, but please try to conceal them as much as possible.”

Yuichiro shook off the hand and wrapped the bandana under his eyebrows with his own hands. He then exited the room, not looking back. He paced down the corridor toward the castle gate. A small hand appeared from between the bushes as he approached the gate. The hand grabbed him by the hem of his jacket. When he looked down, his gaze was drawn to Noah sitting in the shade of tall bushes.

“What are you doing here?” Yuichiro immediately expressed his dismay. Although the man in front of him is a king, albeit in name only, he had no idea that Noah would be hiding in a place like this. Far from being a king, he is like an orphan who has lost his place.

“Where are you going?” Noah asked in a sullen tone. Yuichiro answered honestly, “Am Abbey,” while sighing at the young man’s rebellious childish attitude as usual.

“I’m going too.”

“What?”

“I’m coming with you.”

[Temeraire and this kid. Do they think they’re going on a picnic?]

Yuichiro was getting fed up with their carelessness and brazenness to come along with him as if it were a natural thing to do.

“We’re not going out to play. I’m not bringing you along.”

“Temeraire’s going too, right? Then I have the right to accompany you as well.”

[Now he’s starting talking about right…]

Yuichiro grew increasingly irritated by the situation’s pettiness. Noah suddenly lowered his brows while he was silent. He then raised his eyes to Yuichiro, concerned and anxious.

“Urmm… Yesterday… Are you okay?”

“Ahh?”

“Last night…”

Translator’s Notes

No particular comment for this chapter but I would love to hear your comments below.