Fortuitous Encounter in the Game Becomes Reality – Episode 11
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Fortuitous Encounter in the Game Becomes Reality – Episode 11
4. Time of Growth (1)
My body still felt creaky, but I quickly approached the treasure chest and reached out my hand without hesitation.
[You have acquired 500 billion Root. Please enter the account in which you wish to receive the deposit.]
My assets were swelling at a frightening pace.
Right now I effectively had about 635 billion in funds; that might not be much compared to the wealth hidden in the fortuitous encounter, but to me it was an enormous fortune.
Above all, at the next stage my available funds would increase into the trillions of Root, so I needed to think about how to manage them.
[You have acquired Mangyeong.]
Next, the treasure to follow after "Subspace" and "Elixir" landed in my hands, and I frowned at the unexpected item.
'What is this?'
The thing named Mangyeong turned out to be none other than a pair of glasses.
I quickly checked Mangyeong's detailed description.
[Mangyeong]
-Glasses with built-in functions of appraisal, observation, clairvoyance, and far sight.
-Identifies the purpose, usage, and stats of living beings and objects.
-Identifies the emotions of living beings and whether their words are truthful.
-Allows you to see what lies beyond obstacles.
-Allows you to see things located from several hundred meters to tens of kilometers away.
I couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
For someone like me who is very suspicious of people, this was an incredibly useful item.
With this, I could clearly distinguish between enemy and ally.
As expected of a gift from Archduke Lucas, it wasn't some random trinket tossed out carelessly.
[Mangyeong will be transmitted to reality. Please log out and check your inventory.]
And just like when I obtained the Elixir last time, the item in my hand evaporated along with a flash of light, and a notification message appeared.
[A 4th Circle is being created.]
Then, as always, along with the circle-creation message, the tuning of my synchronized body began.
* * *
It was my first time creating a circle while surrounded by so many knights, so I was a bit worried, but just as always, no one noticed anything strange.
Fortunately, the circle-concealment technique was working properly.
Before long, we reached our destination, the Western Army Headquarters, and when I submitted my report of joining up, the local army staff tilted their heads as they looked at me.
"Hm? You're the second son of the Lawrence viscount family?"
As if to say, what are you supposed to be?
Unlike me, who was acting as a lord, they were nobles who actually held titles themselves.
"If it was the Lawrence viscount family, I thought that big-built young lord would be coming."
"Right, Cedric, was it? I heard that as a child he drew everyone's expectations at once with his excellent learning ability."
"No, that wasn't Cedric, it must have been the younger brother. Didn't they say he became an idiot after taking poison?"
"That's right. Yes, now I remember."
"Hm? Wait, this younger brother they're talking about…"
Even if nobles are precious, across the entire kingdom there are hundreds of noble families.
The Lawrence viscount family might be a lord's house, a noble among nobles, but because it was located out on the frontier, it wasn't particularly famous.
Even though there were some irritating remarks mixed into their conversation, I nodded with a smiling face.
"Yes, I'm that younger brother who took poison when I was little."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
"You don't look like an idiot, though. Rumors really can't be trusted."
You're the ones remembering it wrong.
"A pleasure, I am Baron Evans, chief operations staff officer of the local army headquarters."
"And I am Baron Miller, deputy logistics staff officer of the local army."
As the key staff members introduced themselves, I bowed repeatedly and kept saying, "It is an honor to meet you."
Nobles can be divided into two types.
Nobles who have a domain, and ordinary nobles who do not.
Lords have titles that are permanently hereditary, whereas ordinary nobles mostly hold non-hereditary titles.
A non-hereditary title, unlike a hereditary title, is not passed down to one's children, and is usually held by high-ranking officials in the administration or military.
That is why lords are called nobles among nobles.
These people were probably dispatched from the military to efficiently manage the local army.
Even if they were non-hereditary titles, they were 5th-rank nobles, so it was only natural to show them as much respect as possible.
"Let's see, the conscripted forces from your viscounty were… five Vanguard and fifty Vanguard candidates, if I recall?"
"Vanguard candidates" refers to ordinary knights.
The basic Vanguard equipment, Force Armor and Force Sword, were so expensive that it was impossible to arm every knight with them.
Because of this, when an existing Vanguard is too injured to be deployed to the front, ordinary knights put on the equipment in their place and go out to fight, so calling them reserve Vanguards was not exactly wrong.
In response to the question from Viscount Miller, the support chief of staff, I nodded and reported the state of our forces.
"Yes, that's correct. Five Vanguard, fifty knights, and 1,000 soldiers."
"Ah, you don't really need to tell me about the soldiers. The war will end at the Vanguard line anyway."
At that overly candid remark, I gave an awkward smile.
Even in a fantasy world, soldiers of this era of advanced civilization are hardly going to just swing spears and shoot bows in a mundane fashion.
It is an army fully equipped with firing-type artifacts.
In the case of the soldiers from our domain, they are elite troops armed with artifacts that have an effective range of 1 km and can fire up to 300 rounds of Magic Arrow (2nd Class) without needing mana recharging.
Ordinarily, one should be offended and protest that there is no reason to be treated like this…
Unfortunately, everything he said was true.
No matter how expensively the soldiers were equipped, in the face of a Vanguard's defensive and offensive power, they were no different from a medieval army holding bows.
Modern magicians are reluctant to participate in war for this very reason: the Vanguard.
A Vanguard cannot be faced unless you are an archmage of 7th Circle or higher.
"The Vanguard System was also created by Archduke Lucas."
For reference, there is no reason for magicians to be looked down on just because their opportunities to play an active role on the battlefield have decreased.
As you can tell from the current era designation "Magitech Century," the foundational technology of this society is magic.
Knights may be the ones who play active roles on the battlefield, but the side with greater influence in society is, without question, the magicians.
"Hmm, let's see."
Support chief of staff Viscount Miller brought up a hologram in front of him and started looking for something.
Before long, he seemed to find the data he wanted and spoke with a deliberately solemn expression.
"The Lawrence Domain Army has been organized as the 2nd Independent Brigade under the 3rd Division of the 2nd Corps. As brigade commander, you are to assist your division commander, His Excellency Count Otis, well."
"Yes, understood."
There is no need for nobles to formally salute each other.
I offered a polite noble-style greeting, placing my right hand over my left chest, and then left the local army staff headquarters tent.
In front of the tent, Staff Officer Sir Haman, the knight order, and Arcia were waiting.
For reference, I had Arcia dressed in the domain army commander's full-dress uniform so she would stand out a little less.
"The Lawrence Domain Army has been organized as the 232nd Independent Brigade."
"So that means it's the second independent brigade under the 3rd Division of the 2nd Corps."
"The division headquarters is Dennin Fortress, 30 km to the north."
"Very well. Please board the train."
As expected, even though we had been called by the nation, we were still a house's private troops, so we were not mixed in with other units and were formed as an independent brigade.
This was just as Father had predicted.
However, the one variable was the disposition of Count Otis, the division commander.
"If I remember correctly, Count Otis is a great lord of the eastern region, right?"
If his personality is nasty, we will have no choice but to suffer.
Hoping he would be at least somewhat flexible, I once again boarded the casualty train.
* * *
Since the area we are currently in is a military zone, the casualty train ran at reduced speed, and it took over thirty minutes to reach the division headquarters 30 km away.
I steeled myself to slip him a hefty bribe if necessary and went to pay my respects to Count Otis, the division commander.
However…
"Hm?"
A young man with fine features greeted me in the division headquarters commander's office.
Even without knowing anything else, you could tell just from his attire that he was not a count.
"Might you be the brigade commander belonging to the 2nd Independent Brigade?"
"That's correct."
"His Excellency the Count has not been feeling well and has returned to his domain. You do not need to submit any separate posting report."
Returned to his domain?
I could not quite make sense of it and asked him.
"By any chance, are you the young lord of House Count Otis?"
His clothes did not look at all like those of the heir of a great noble house like a count's, but since the other party might simply have a modest personality, I was careful in how I behaved.
If a lord cannot participate in the war, then, as in my case, his son has to hold the position.
"No, I am Count Otis's staff officer."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, if you are concerned about His Excellency the Count's absence, there is no need to worry. Until the war actually breaks out, he plans to commute by teleport."
A war might break out, and yet he is leaving his forces at the front and commuting back and forth.
As expected, great nobles operate on a different scale.
Is this not behavior that completely shatters common sense?
If, by any chance, war breaks out while he is away, the use of teleportation will become impossible due to interference with spatial coordinates by the enemy.
In other words, it means we might end up fighting without a commander at a critical moment.
This implies that he fundamentally believes he can detect the enemy's attacks in advance, or is confident that even if something happens, he will come to no harm.
Suppressing the hollow laugh that threatened to escape, I asked:
"Understood. Could you tell me which brigade headquarters our unit will be using?"
"Yes, I will assign you a guide right away."
Count Otis's behavior was absurd, but from my standpoint there was nothing bad about it.
'When the man himself is like that, he's not going to complain if his subordinate plays games a bit at the front, right?'
Surprisingly, the start is good.
If things keep dragging on without the war actually breaking out, it would be perfect.
* * *
Count Otis was truly a top-class commander.
After having a luncheon with several commanders the day after deployment, there was no occasion to see his face again.
Each subordinate unit had assigned security and reconnaissance missions, but since these were matters that Sir Harman could handle on his own, I was able to focus on my game without any interference.
My connection time was almost the same as when I was at the mansion.
Thanks to that, I quickly raised my level, and a week later I was on the verge of reaching level 120, where I could create a 5th circle.
Given the nature of this place, I had expected it would take two months to reach level 200, but at this pace it looks like I can drastically cut that time.
"Master."
While I was thus engrossed in Chronicle Online as usual.
Arcia's unexpected words threw me into great confusion.
"Someone has entered the room."
"What?"
"It doesn't seem like they've come with good intentions."
Arcia's warning, linked to reality.
I hurriedly logged out of the game.