A night crawl by Shirley led to the surrender of Baron Elladin to the forces of Raydor.
Having surrendered his position as lord and nobleman, Elladin left his former lands in the hands of his deputies and moved to Ulfin, the homebase of Raidorl.
Despite his failure to stop his daughterâs plan, Elladin has never had any animosity towards Raidorl. He was only looking out for his own interests.
He was not actively resisting by force, as Viscount Ulfert had done, and it was judged that no particular punishment would be inflicted on him.
After being taken into custody as a prisoner of war, he was sent to work for Raidorl.
âMr. Baron, I have this documentâŚâŚ.â
âYouâll have to have it signed by the person in charge before you can send it to finance.â
âDear Baron, we are running low on food for our soldiersâŚâŚ.â
âThe shortage of provisions has already been ordered from the Molten Company. It will be delivered in three daysâ time, so please instruct them to clear out the warehouse.â
In the administration office of the former Viscount Ulfertâs residence, Baron Elladin instructs his subordinates and clears his desk with composure.
Working there are Royle and the new civil servants he has recruited.
How Royle replenished the civilian staff that was lacking in the Royal Army surprises Raidorl. He approached the merchant associations based in the two towns and got them to send men to help.
Although he had inherited the baronial family after the sudden death of his brother, Royle had always wanted to leave the nobility and become a merchant.
As a result, he had a good relationship with the merchantsâ association in the eastern border region and was able to use his contacts to obtain their help.
This was a good opportunity for them to find new employment, as the town was in financial difficulties due to the war and had to reduce its workforce.
As a result, a kind of bureaucratic group was formed around Royle, and the shortage of civil servants in the army of Raydor was solved.
âThe Baron, notâŚâŚRoyle, is a hard worker. Even though he was deprived of his nobility, he works so hard.â
While watching Royle from a distance, giving orders to his subordinates and working hard, Raidorl mumbled to himself on a sofa in the corner of his office.
In the past, Raidorl used to work at a desk every day, but after Royle took care of most of the work, he was no longer needed.
Now, he only has to check and sign documents that have already been processed and give instructions on important matters.
He was now free to relax on the sofa and have a cup of tea while he worked.
âFather never regarded his position as a nobleman as anything but a burden.â
Shirley replied as she sat down on the sofa opposite him and sipped her tea in an elegant manner.
She was a young girl, about the height of Raydorâs waist, and today she is wearing an incendiary dress with a slit up her leg.
She sometimes crosses her legs in a showy manner and glances at Raidorl. Raidorl confirms that sheâs trying to seduce him, but he has no taste for young girls and ignores her, sipping his tea.
âWhen he was in the service of the kingdom, he was frightened of when the empire would attack, and after he turned to the empire, he was frightened of when the kingdom would send assassins against himâŚâŚ.Now that he is no longer a nobleman, he is finally free from the fear and responsibility of being a lord. This may be the height of fatherâs life.â
ââŚâŚSo not everyone wants position and power. Apparently, for Royle, being in an unworthy position was a painful experience.â
When he first arrived in the town, Royle looked pale and frightened, but since he started working as a civil servant, he has been working with a radiant face, as if he had been brought to life.
It seems that the position of a civil servant was his calling, his ideal self.
Sven, sitting next to Shirley, also nodded his head in agreement with Raidorlâs words.
âAt any rate, it is good to see that the shortage of civil servants has been remedied. Now I can concentrate on my job as a military officer.â
âOh, I donât know if Sven can be a military strategist.â
âAt least Iâll be able to do better than Shirleyâs honey trap.â
âMumuâŚâŚ mock me!â
While Shirley gets angry, Sven laughs and puffs his chest out.
They were like brother and sister, smiling at each other. Raidorl, too, had a smile on his face as he took a sip of his tea.
âNow that we have civilian staff, then we need to have military staff. I would like to have someone other than Darren who can lead on the battlefield.â
âIn the meantime, we are appointing ten men as captains from among the newcomers, but âŚâŚ itâs hard to find people who can lead a hundred or a thousand men.â
Sven also put his hand over his mouth and said, âHmmm.â
A good military officer is even harder to train than a civilian officer.
No matter how many times they sit at their desks and go through their books, they will never be able to use them properly if they donât have experience in battle.
There are not many people in the country who have experience in commanding a hundred or a thousand soldiers and have never served anyone.
âThere is one person who has a lot of experience in that field. Heâs smart, experienced and good at what he does. Thereâs only one person I know whoâs like thatâŚâŚ.â
âWhat, you have an idea?â
âYes,âŚâŚ, heâs an eastern nobleman like me, but heâs a bit difficult to please,âŚâŚ.â
Sven slurred his words and wrinkled his brow.
Raidorl was about to mention the person, wondering about the condition.
Before he could do so, however, the door to the office opened and Darren entered.
âExcuse me. Your Highness, Raidorlâ
âHmm?ăWhatâs the matter?â
âItâs âŚâŚ,the Baron Oigist has sent for you.
âOigistâŚâŚwas one of the noblemen who switched sides, wasnât he?â
Raidorl confirmed, and Darren nodded, looking slightly nervous.
On the sofa facing across the desk, Sven opened his mouth for some reason and was amazed.
âI spoke to him brieflyâŚâŚ and he said he had some disturbing newsâ
âUm?â
Darren handed him a letter in a sealed envelope.
Raydor took it casually and immediately smiled.
âLetter of challengeâŚâŚ?â
On the front of the envelope was written in large letters.
When Raidorl turned it over, he saw the name of the sender of the letter.
âFrom: âŚâŚâŚâŚ Justy Oigist?â
âHaaaaâŚ..â
Sven covered his face with his right hand and made a mournful sound.
âThatâs who he is, he has a clear head and quite smart, but in the end he can only come to conclusions with muscle. You headstrong brainiacâŚâŚ!â
âBy any chance âŚâŚ you were saying just is about his guy?â
âYes, thatâs right. Thatâs right, Your Highness. âŚâŚ!â
Sven exhaled in disgust, looking as if he had taken on the weight of the worldâs burden.
âThe most powerful warrior in the eastern part of the kingdom, along with the Princess Slaughter of Ilkas, is Justy Oigist, the Lion of the East. Heâs a muscle-bound spectacle who loves spears and the battlefield.â