Chapter 27

“Heh heh.”

The laughter didn’t stop. Whether it was laughter born of joy, sorrow, or sheer absurdity, I couldn’t quite distinguish.

Still, laughter that doesn’t stop can’t be a bad thing, right? They say it’s good for your health.

Considering my disastrous physical stats of strength 1, agility 1, and stamina 1, even this kind of laughter would be helpful.

Hmm.

Let’s think of it that way.

“The former Guiner Earldom’s holdings comprise approximately 20 square kilometers. There are roughly 134 buildings licensed for commercial use and approximately 122 buildings licensed for residential use. Agricultural land is separate, and there is the grand manor and villas where members of the Guiner family resided…”

In my room now, a middle-aged servant holding a thick stack of papers is delivering a brief summary of the territory.

A property of a scale that doesn’t even provoke a wry smile. Almost 300 buildings, plus arable land, a grand manor, and villas…

How exactly this ended up dropped into my lap, I couldn’t fathom.

I still lay stunned, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“I’ll handle most of the documents on my own. There are many contracts that include illegal aspects or unfair terms, so it will take some time to sort them out. Would it be alright if I resolve this autonomously? I will try to arrange everything in a direction that is most beneficial to you, Lord Bin.”

Heh heh, how would I know about any of that? Just please resolve it well.

I replied with a good-natured smile.

…While, of course, still staring at the ceiling.

You might say, what’s the point of forcing a pleasant smile if you don’t even turn your head towards the person speaking?

But I’m sorry, I didn’t have the mental space to worry about such trifling things right now.

“Um… even if you keep talking, I really don’t understand. Just… manage it so people can live decently. I entrust you with full authority over the estate’s management.”

I barely turned my head to the servant who was diligently flipping through the many documents and giving me a briefing.

“…Indeed, you must be overwhelmed with immediate matters. There’s no need to worry about the estate’s management. Once the war is over, I will take responsibility for cultivating it into a beautiful place where you can comfortably spend the rest of your days.”

Heh heh, I’m very grateful indeed.

…This time, I only thought it in my head, without speaking it aloud.

You might say, couldn’t I just say it aloud belatedly?

I’m sorry, but I didn’t have the presence of mind to do even that right now.

What is really happening?

Truly, I don’t know.

“Finally, please review the list placed on the table and choose the unit you will be taking on this expedition. The sooner, the better. Each name on that list is a key talent in our army, and we cannot afford to have them waiting indefinitely….”

“…Alright.”

No reply came.

Sensing something was off, I turned my head to find that no one was standing there.

……No idea when they even left.

“This is madness.”

I lay there for some time, staring blankly at the pure white ceiling.

Five, maybe ten minutes passed as I emptied my mind, breathing deeply as if in meditation.

Slowly, the feeling returned to my fingers and toes, and my brain finally began to accept that all of this was real.

‘A sudden influx of wealth is definitely a good thing, but it doesn’t make me stronger. I need to prepare for the expedition to the Akiliptus Forest right now, get ready to commune with the spirits.’

Indeed, the [Composure] skill was proving immense.

To have a mind so troubled by suddenly earning the equivalent of winning the lottery thirty times in a row, calmed so quickly…

‘I can figure out how to use the money later. It could be used to dispatch people to search for randomly generated dungeon locations… or to buy rare materials like dragon hearts and have them crafted into equipment.’

At this point, I was starting to get a little scared of myself.

Was I truly losing my mind? I had the fleeting thought to seek the counsel of a psychiatrist, but alas, such a term did not exist in this medieval age.

Here, a child with ADHD was simply unruly, and someone suffering from depression was just a gloomy sort.

Never underestimate the ‘Dark Ages’…

“Hoo sigh…”

I immediately cleared my head and began to scan the list left on the desk by the servant.

A company commander of barbarian descent and his unit were written on the very first line of the list.

Under the name of the barbarian company commander, who commanded a powerful force of six infantry platoons, three archer platoons, and eleven mages, his history and personality traits were detailed.

Oberian, son of Ksart, and his company were among the elite of the elite, with a record of subjugating high-ranking demons twice. They included eleven mages of the rare 5th Circle or higher, one of whom was even a high-ranking mage of the 7th Circle.

‘These ones won’t do.’

The Akiliptus Forest was now devoid of all demons and mutated creatures, essentially an uninhabited zone. Deploying such a highly capable unit to such a place, rather than a battlefield, would be a massive waste of manpower.

“If possible, a company with a majority of dwarves would be preferable. The more skilled with their hands, the less time it’ll take to pave roads and set up the barracks.”

I flipped through the roster quickly, searching for a unit with a significant dwarven presence.

“Ah.”

It was only near the very end of the list that I managed to find a unit that met my criteria.

Led by the dwarven hero, ‘Velua Blackhammer,’ the company consisted mostly of dwarves in its infantry line.

Compared to other units, it was quite small, and most of the members weren’t particularly seasoned, but its inclusion on the roster suggested their skill was exceptional.

‘Victor Bluebrow.’

‘Moss Redanvil.’

‘Vania Greenblade.’

I was wearing a satisfied smile, looking at the names packed with dwarves, when a familiar name caught my eye.

‘Rex Belzarc.’

“…”

My gaze could not help but halt before the name of the orc, listed as a platoon leader.

The conversation I’d had with him at the 6th Company’s funeral echoed in my ears.

To have dwarven prosthetics attached, to become an even stronger warrior…he’s already returned?

“This is promising.”

Not only did it have a majority of dwarves, making it perfectly suited for the mission of ‘outpost construction,’ but it even included a reliable warrior whose courage and ability I’d already witnessed with my own eyes.

There wasn’t a better option than this, so I rang the golden bell to summon a servant.

“You appear to have made your decision.”

Unlike before, the young servant appeared at my door, clad in attire that was now impeccably neat.

“I desire to meet the Black Hammer Bellua.”

He finished speaking, promising she’d be in my chambers within the half hour, then closed the door and vanished.

* * *

“Greetings, General! I am Bellua, the Black Hammer!”

With a booming salutation that shattered the quiet, a formidable woman, boasting a physique of raw strength, strode into the room.

Her height barely exceeded four feet, yet the muscles clinging to her arms and legs were dense and imposing.

After shaking that thick hand – the kind that felt capable of crushing my entire body into a pulpy paste in less than a second should we come to blows – I offered her a light greeting and a cup of green tea.

“My apologies that it’s not ale or wine. I have heard that dwarves possess a great fondness for drink…”

“Ha! Certainly, we dwarves appreciate our liquor, but we are not so unprincipled as to indulge during duty! Please, do not speak such things!”

Surely, I witnessed the Dwarf King sipping wine as he listened to the Sword Saint’s report with my own two eyes…

Is Bellua, then, suggesting that the Dwarf King is unprincipled…?

Truly perplexing…!

“…Then I am relieved. Have you been informed about the operation?”

I inquired, unable to entirely shake the suspicion from my gaze.

“The demonic and mutated forces that were occupying the Akilyptus Forest region have withdrawn, leaving the area essentially uninhabited. Our mission is to seize that vacant territory and establish an outpost!”

“Excellent. Prepare your troops once the detailed plan is finalized. It is a straightforward matter, so the quicker we conclude it, the better.”

I raised the cup of green tea to my lips, a satisfied smile gracing my features as I spoke.

But it was then…

“With all due respect! I believe it would be unwise to underestimate this operation and proceed with undue haste!”

Bellua downed the scalding green tea in a single gulp before responding in a resounding voice.

“…Why is that?”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at the unexpected reply and asked.

“The exact terms of the contract that General struck with the high-ranking demons at Enker Plateau, as I understand it, are for the ‘withdrawal of demons and mutants from the Akiliptus Region’!”

“That’s correct, which is why, as you said, the area is practically a no-man’s land now. There’s little chance of a battle erupting. Isn’t it a simple operation?”

“The contract stipulates only a ‘withdrawal’ of forces. Not a complete ‘abandonment’ of the region.”

Belua’s words struck me like a hammer blow to the back of the head, leaving me momentarily stunned.

“Demons are devious and cunning! There’s a high probability they’ll launch a renewed assault to reclaim the territory, taking advantage of the time it takes us to establish our forward outposts! Furthermore, since only the troops have been pulled back, I fear that ‘magic mines’ and other traps may still be scattered throughout the forested areas!”

Belua’s voice was like a massive hammer – dull and thunderous – but the content it carried was sharp as a blade.

“…Indeed, you make a valid point.”

I expressed my sincere admiration, seeing that Belua had pointed out something I hadn’t considered.

Hearing my praise, Red Hammer Belua let out a hearty laugh, clearly pleased, and slammed his fist on the desk.

…Was that the sound of wood cracking?

“I’m almost ashamed that I didn’t think of that… If we had used the word ‘abandonment’ instead of ‘withdrawal,’ things would have proceeded so much more smoothly…”

“Forcing them to pull back their forces is already a significant achievement. We would have had to storm their entrenched positions, risking our lives, but thanks to you, Lord Bin, we can fortify our own and wait for them, right? There’s no need to trouble yourself so much!”

Belua offered me a refreshing smile and words of comfort.

“…Well, yes.”

It was difficult to say it myself, but it was indeed a significant achievement.

After all, with only a single squad, I unexpectedly confronted a high-ranking demon and managed to force them to withdraw their forces from a strategic location, without a single casualty or injury.

“Still, it’s a shame, nonetheless. If only a single word had been changed, it would have been much safer.”

“Don’t fret! You’ve made the situation advantageous enough as it is! I don’t think there’s any need to blame yourself for not creating the *perfect* situation!”

Whatever Bellua said to console me, the disappointment wouldn’t fade. It was, after all, just a single word corrected.

A whiff of corpse cart, fleeting as it was, seemed to brush past my nose again.

The thought that this minor slip of mine could spark a battle that needn’t happen, a battle with inevitable casualties, made me dizzy.

Wasn’t it said that the best commander was one who achieved his aims without bloodshed?

Needless to say, I was nowhere near a first-rate commander, not even second-rate.

‘If I’d known this was coming, should I have spent less time making music with MIDI and more time reading books on strategy?’

…No, on second thought, that’s probably not it.

Who, about to be sucked into a game world and mistaken for a ‘legendary genius wizard’ before becoming a general for the allied forces, would be studying the Art of War?

Only a lunatic, the kind that would make psychiatrists say, “Yeah, even *I’m* not so sure about this…” would do something like that.

“And personally, I believe that since the Mazoku are cunning, the moment we uttered the word ‘surrender,’ they likely wouldn’t have signed the agreement anyway! That would have led to battle, and mountains of wheat would have burned!”

“I know. I realize that… Let’s talk strategy now. I’m not keen on wasting any more energy than necessary.”

She smiled at my calm request, then proceeded to boom the plan across the room, loud enough to shatter glass.

“First, we will divide the reconnaissance forces into two groups! One will identify the traps within the forested area, and the other will ascertain if any Mazoku or aberrations are lying in ambush around the forest’s perimeter!”

Bellua, unlike me—who’d parachuted in with the “Sword Saint” golden ticket and earned the rank of general—was a true soldier, a genuine expert who’d climbed through the ranks one accomplishment at a time.

“Based on the information gathered by the reconnaissance teams, the safest and most reliable approach would be to formulate a strategy and then move the main force accordingly!”

I couldn’t help but let out a quiet murmur of admiration at her flawless logic.

“If there are Mazoku ambushing around the forest, we will deal with them first…”

In these turbulent times, a company commander position in an elite unit wasn’t handed out for free.

She had preemptively planned for every contingency and even prepared backup plans for when those plans inevitably fell apart.

“However, these are just my suggestions, and the final decision rests with you, General Vihn! If you wish, we can lead the troops out immediately…”

“No, I believe it best to proceed according to the Company Commander’s plan.”

Having devoted a considerable time to the military, and with her expertise in leading operations on the ground, there was hardly a reason to refuse the meticulous strategy set forth by a professional.

“Then we will dispatch the reconnaissance team as soon as daylight breaks. As soon as intelligence comes in, we will share it directly through Hein. Your patience is appreciated!”

“Thank you. I appreciate your assistance.”

She left the room with the same vibrant smile as when she first entered.

Her voice was rather loud, bordering on ear-splitting, but there seemed to be no doubt that she was a capable adjutant and commander.