Chapter 52
The day after the Imperial Family's statement was announced.
[The Coalition of Intellectuals, the monster wave in the Ashen Forest stemmed from mere concern, not confirmed evidence……]
The Empire's authoritative academic societies hurried to issue corrections.
As a result, the citizens protesting in the Imperial Capital's central square and at the western gates disappeared.
Public opinion instead began flowing in a different direction.
"What? What? Looks like the Imperial Family is really pushing this with everything they've got."
"I thought it was just Cardenos going crazy on its own, but I was wrong. If it's a state project planned by the Imperial Family, that's a different story."
Strictly speaking, it was not quite a state project led by the Imperial Family.
But that was the only way it could appear to ordinary citizens.
Since it was true that the Imperial Family's military funding had gone into it, the statement was not entirely wrong.
The people of the Empire now viewed the expedition with anticipation rather than fear.
They were merely hopeful, however. Skepticism still outweighed their belief that it was a promising endeavor.
The Ashen Forest, whose conquest remained uncertain even if tens of thousands of regular troops were deployed.
The prevailing opinion was that a hastily assembled expedition would have difficulty conquering it.
Whatever the truth, the Crown Prince had launched an all-out publicity campaign.
"Hey. Isn't it about time we headed out too?"
"How many days will it take to reach Cardenos?"
"Big brother, let's go make our fortunes too. Everyone else is going, so we can't just sit around and watch, can we?"
It was only natural that the eyes of those chasing opportunity would light up.
The swordsmen who had been hesitating outside the gates began flocking to the West in droves.
Just as public opinion throughout the Empire was heating up,
"The tide has completely turned. We mustn't let this spark die out."
Irina, the head of the Partian merchant guild, seized the opportunity with sharp precision.
Without delay, she poured immense funds into the Empire's major media outlets, including the Imperial Capital Daily.
It could not end with a one-time article.
She continually branded the expedition as a 'leap forward for humanity' and a noble 'holy war,' etching the idea deeply into people's minds.
She made concern over whether it would succeed a secondary matter.
Now that the expedition had been elevated into a great undertaking for humanity, what if a grand ducal house like Rosenthal tried to obstruct it over a private grudge?
They would be denounced as traitors to humanity who had defied the greater cause.
This also had a powerful effect on the mercenaries and drifters who flocked to the West.
We are not going to make money. We are going to become heroes.
Since this was an expedition to the Ashen Forest, money alone could not move people's hearts.
Irina instilled in them a pride bordering on indoctrination. That alone became a psychological asset.
It prevented desertions and riots that might occur in the Ashen Forest before they could happen.
Having laid the groundwork for public opinion, Irina immediately convened an emergency council of elders.
"From this moment on, we will distribute all of Partian's available supplies to the West."
The elders seated around the round table gasped and protested at her announcement.
"Guildmaster! What are you talking about? Didn't we already send most of our military supplies to the West? Tying up even more capital would place too great a burden on the guild!"
"I agree. Even so, staking the guild's future on an expedition with no guarantee of survival is too much."
"If you intend to show goodwill, it must be done right now."
Irina continued, tapping the tabletop with her fingertips.
"The hand extended after the victory report sounds not like goodwill, but flattery. Does Young Master Astin look like someone who can be won over by flattery?"
The elders who had been raising their voices fell silent.
"This is not simply a matter of procuring supplies, but of 'getting in first.' Only if we provide wholehearted support while everyone is predicting failure will we reap a commensurate reward after its success."
Of course, it would look like madness in the elders' eyes.
Even with the public's attention focused on it and the mantle of a greater cause placed over it, success remained uncertain.
A merchant's first principle was to spread risk and invest in reliable profit.
Irina, too, had lived her entire life calculating profits and losses with meticulous care. She had expected the elders to resist.
Astin had rescued Partian when it was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Moreover, he had granted them an exclusive cosmetics license and brought them an unprecedented golden age.
Irina had been deeply moved by Astin's blind trust in him.
For the first time in her life, she had chosen a person over profit.
But before the elders, she had to wear the mask of a cool-headed merchant magnate.
Emotional justifications would not sway them.
Swish-
Irina took out a contract and slid it across the round table.
"You said you would hand Partian the exclusive distribution rights to all the magic stones and special resources in the Ashen Forest."
The elders' eyes widened as though they were about to pop out.
No one knew the scale of the resources the Ashen Forest contained, but it was certainly vast beyond estimation.
Exclusive distribution rights to all of it. If they succeeded, it was a condition that could rewrite the guild's history.
"Pulling our funding because you're frightened of failure is a coward's way of doing things. That is not our way."
Irina declared, her blue eyes shining.
"Pour in the funds and leave the possibility of success open. Young Master Astin is worth more than that."
***
It was now the ninth day since the expedition notice had been posted.
Between the Imperial Family's statement and Irina's covert manipulation of public opinion, interest showed no sign of dying down.
As a result, the number of volunteers had reached seven thousand.
Astin selected five thousand of them and swiftly completed the second-round interviews.
Naturally, warriors were not the only people joining the expedition.
Apothecaries, alchemists, blacksmiths, camp merchants, cooks, bards, reporters from the Imperial Capital Daily, mapmakers, and more.
People from all kinds of professions knocked on the city gates, each hoping to make money in their own way.
"It's incredible, no matter how many times I look at it."
Lucia took a brief break and walked between the tents with Astin.
Even with the Ashen Forest expedition right before them, the atmosphere was far from fearful.
The hammering of weapons being sharpened, the haggling voices of merchants, and reporters stopping people one by one for interviews.
It was lively and noisy, like a gigantic marketplace.
"It's nothing special."
"No, it is absolutely incredible. You gathered all these people, Young Master."
Lucia had never seen anything like it in her life.
More than five thousand people had gathered in one place with the same purpose. And Astin stood at the center of it all.
"The fates of all those people rest on your shoulders. Isn't that a burden?"
"They don't rest on mine alone. You are with me too, Adjutant."
Astin regarded Lucia as his equal.
As a comrade-in-arms he did not need to protect, and one who would fight alongside him to prevent the world's destruction.
Embarrassed, Lucia scratched her cheek.
"This may sound presumptuous……."
Lucia cast Astin a sidelong glance and smiled.
"I thought I was the most special person in the world. Thanks to you, Young Master, I'm learning humility."
He had planned all of this and was now one step away from putting it into action.
Lucia herself would have been trembling, but Astin showed no sign of tension.
Those who gazed toward heights beyond reach possessed profound minds.
Lucia could not even begin to guess how deep this man's thoughts ran.
"I used to prefer older men."
"…? Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"When you think of a man you can respect, you think of an older man, right? But being older doesn't necessarily mean there's anything to learn from someone. If an elder acts immature, I end up liking him even less. Like those four men at the Founding Festival……."
Thump-
Lucia jabbed Astin in the side with her elbow.
"You can be proud. You're the first man I've ever respected. And you're even the same age as me."
Astin could not hold back a laugh. Lucia also covered her mouth with the back of her hand and giggled.
Swish-
A few strands of silver hair fell before her eyes.
Lucia unconsciously raised both hands.
She gathered the hair spilling down her back, swept it behind her, and neatly tied it with a hair tie.
"……?"
Suddenly sensing a strange gaze, Lucia turned her head. Astin was staring at her with his pupils enlarged.
The golden eyes holding Lucia's image shimmered.
Lucia tilted her head at the change in his expression.
"Young Master?"
"……Ah."
Astin reacted belatedly and subtly turned his head away.
'He must be very tired.'
Come to think of it, he had been worked to the bone lately.
Lucia let it pass without concern.
***
I entered Training Ground One with Lucia.
A crowd packed so tightly there was hardly room to set foot filled my entire field of vision.
I slowly scanned through them, wondering whether there were any familiar faces.
There were some people among the warriors who stood out as particularly out of place.
Three men with white hair showing their age, yet their backs still straight despite their advanced years.
They were General Bermang's comrades-in-arms—the old knights I had met at the Founding Festival.
I approached them, pleased to see them again.
"It's good to see you again, seniors."
The old knights turned their heads in unison. The moment they spotted me, they smiled broadly and bowed.
Lucia and I bowed as well.
"It truly has been a long time, Young Master. And Lady Lucia, too."
"You look more vigorous every time I see you, Young Master, haha. We came here because we were thinking of volunteering for the expedition as well."
They were heroes of the Empire who had already devoted their years to the front lines.
They ought to have retired and enjoyed a comfortable old age.
"I feel sorry, as though I've robbed you of even your retirement."
The one who appeared to be the oldest of the old knights shook his head.
"Young Master, please don't concern yourself. We may all be old, but we are soldiers to the bone."
"Our swords may be dull, but we still have enough strength left to cut. Better to achieve a fitting end than let them rust."
"More importantly, we owe you a debt, Young Master. These old bodies have no meaningful use otherwise. If we can repay even a little of your kindness by offering our lives, that is enough for us."
They understood unconditional devotion and honor.
These were precisely the men the word knight was meant to describe.
I smiled warmly and clasped their hands.
The knights' way was to repay faith through action.
Leaving the old knights behind, I looked around the training ground again.
They were not the only familiar group.
There were groups quietly waiting their turn, their fighting spirits carefully reined in.
Several of them gave off a strong smell of gunpowder. It was the lingering scent of Sun Rings I had smelled countless times before.
'I knew the Ring Knights would come.'
They had already endured an ordeal that burned away their lives.
They regarded dying in the Ashen Forest as the greatest honor and the ultimate ordeal.
I was looking beyond the conquest of the Ashen Forest.
After the expedition ended, I would gather useful warriors beneath my family's banner.
If I selected the Ring Knights carefully, I could create a force rivaling a renowned knight order.
'A Ring Knight Order.'
I planned to establish a knight order directly under my command.
For a mere grand duke's heir to form an independent knight order was an act of overreach under imperial law and family custom.
Any noble who held military power was bound to arouse suspicions of rebellion.
However, if I conquered the Ashen Forest as commander-in-chief, that would be a different story.
My reputation, backed by the cause of humanity, would grow too immense for anyone to interfere carelessly.
The warriors who survived after sharing life and death with me would follow me blindly.
I would have legitimate grounds to command my own forces.
Once the Ashen Forest was conquered, I would also secure the funds to maintain the knight order.
'Justification, military force, and capital.'
The plan was fitting together perfectly.
With one overriding premise: I had to conquer the Ashen Forest.
"Big brother!"
Just as I was lost in thought, a familiar platinum-blonde head popped into view, accompanied by a bright call.
It was Celine, pushing a cart around and handing out water.
Celine scampered across the training ground and clung to me like glue.
Drops of sweat beaded on Celine's forehead as she beamed brightly.
'Big brother, I want to go on the expedition too.'
'No!!!'
Celine could not join this expedition to the Ashen Forest. Explaining why would only be futile.
This was not overprotectiveness. It was the right thing to do.
"Have you finished handing out the water?"
"Yes!"
To an outsider, distributing drinking water might look like a trivial chore.
That's only because they don't know the truth.
More than ninety percent of the volunteers were men.
Just try having Celine—absurdly cute, cheerful, and good-natured—hand out water to them.
Scarred men sat there grinning from ear to ear.
"Ohhh, holy water bestowed by an angel……."
"Water poured by the Black Lion's young lady herself! What more could a man ask for!"
Thinking back, there had been a reason military bases held entertainment performances for the troops.
They did wonders for morale.
Here, Celine was like an idol to all the uncles.
Worship was permitted, but anyone who touched her would lose a wrist.
I gently patted Celine's small head.
For some reason, Lucia looked back and forth between Celine and me.
Perhaps conscious of being watched, Lucia smiled awkwardly.
"I wish I'd had a family member like you, Young Master. I'm an only child."
In my first life, Lucia had said something similar a few times.
She had said that life would have been much more enjoyable if she had had an older brother or younger sibling like me.
It must have been an only child's hardship.
"Sister Lucy can become family too. There's marriage, right?"
Lucia's eyes, which had been smiling warmly, gradually widened.
I had no choice but to step in.
"Yoyo, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble, my soft, chewy rice-cake young lady."
"Eeeee……."
***
A tent had been set up in one corner of the training ground.
Lucia naturally followed behind me, while Celine had been glued to my side from the beginning.
Flap-
When I lifted the tent flap and entered, a wave of heat and sweat hit me.
Inside, around three hundred hulking men were packed together.
They were the people selected for the vanguard from among those who had passed the second interview.
You could not be selected for the vanguard unless you had volunteered before the selection.
They were men desperate to die before everyone else.
Clap!
I brought the unruly atmosphere under control and picked up the personnel roster from the table.
A total of 332 people.
Familiar names appeared here and there.
I set it down and turned my gaze toward them.
"You are the ones who volunteered for the vanguard of your own accord."
The warriors' eyes narrowed fiercely.
They began glaring at one another, exuding their force toward the men standing beside them.
"Before training begins, hammer this into your heads. Absolute obedience to superior orders is the first principle. No matter how strong or intelligent you are, anyone who refuses to follow orders is useless to us."
The vanguard's foremost requirement was neither martial power nor quick thinking.
It was simply whether or not they could be controlled.
Perhaps they had already realized it, because the tent fell deathly silent.
Most of them had probably already received a thorough beating from me.
"Wooooooah!!"
Damn, I thought my eardrums were going to burst.
The Tak-Tak brothers, sitting in the very front row, sprang to their feet.
The bald Bural-tak pounded his chest like a beast.
"Vanguard commander! Put me, Bural-tak, at the very front of the vanguard! For a glorious battle!"
He had enough spirit to move mountains.
It was all well and good, but every time he said his own name, he ruined the entire mood.
"I still can't get used to that fucking name, no matter how many times I hear it."
"Why the hell was he given a name like that……?"
"His parents must have hated him."
Apparently, in the barbarians' language, the pronunciation of Bural-tak meant 'the manliest warrior.'
From our perspective, it was an utterly unfortunate choice of name.
"My name is Bural-tak! I am Bural-tak, chief of the great Bone-Raking Hand tribe! If there is a warrior here braver than Bural-tak, step forward!"
He kept referring to himself in the third person. What a fucking bastard.
Lucia blushed and let out a small cough.
Even I, standing beside him, felt awkward.
"Hey, barbarian! I know you're brave, but please do something about that name first."
At last, Jenkinson said what everyone had been thinking, and they all silently agreed. Lucia nodded especially vigorously.
The easing of the tension was not a bad thing; overall, the atmosphere was fine.
Squeeze-
I felt something tugging at my sleeve.
Celine was pressed tightly against me, staring up at me.
Right, she was here too.
"Big brother. What is Bural-tak?"
"……"
I covered both of Celine's ears for a moment.
I looked around and issued a stern warning.
"Anyone who says Bural-tak in front of her is going to die."