38: The Defeat of His Highness, the Younger Brother
Now, when it comes to creating a guild, guild members are essential, but just as important is the guild house.
With a few exceptions, guilds generally establish a base in a specific location and operate from there. This is not a rule set by the guild, but simply a necessary means to keep the guild members fed.
In order to live a stable life, it is best to follow the example of agricultural people.
To do this, you will need start-up funds, and the more people you have, the more money you will need, so most people rely on connections to ask someone for funding. In other words, a guild sponsor.
In my case, the branch manager of the Bernard Trading Company, one of the most well-funded companies in the country, is my sponsor, so there is no problem at all, but even for Jalnar, who has a lot of connections and wealth , it seemed that it would take some time to prepare a building and land that could accommodate more than a hundred people in this city.
Jalnar smiled forcefully at me when I casually said that I would like it to be spacious and quiet, even if it was on the outskirts of the city, so I’m sure he’ll find a good place.
He apologized and said that he would need a week or two for repairs to the exterior and interior, as well as the installation of furniture and possible renovations, but I didn’t mind if it took a month.
The people of Sagara might be impatient, but they would be relieved to know that they had a master.
That’s why I’m currently holding a meeting in the largest room of the inn I’m staying at, with several members of Sagara present. It would be suspicious to gather everyone at once during the day, so they are sneaking in under the cover of night.
The people who gathered were, first and foremost, me and Mimirila, followed by Neal and his cheerful party group. Then there was Himruru, the deputy chief whose bear ears gave off an intimidating aura, and Nyamuri and Pipiri, Mimirila’s guards and attendants. Nyamuri had fox ears and Pipiri had rabbit ears.
Both of them were cute, but it was a bit disappointing that Nyamuri’s breasts were small. On the other hand, Pipiri’s were so heavy that it made me wonder if she was okay as a back-room girl. They were so big that it made me worry.
“So, for the time being, I’ve arranged for the guild base to be large enough to accommodate all of the Sagara survivors. What are we going to do? Are we going to keep everyone together, or are we going to have them work in different places to make it easier to move around?”
“I’d like to keep those who are doing well outside as they are. I’d like to include those who are hiding in the mountains and forests, those who can’t work, and those who are adventurers.”
“How many people are there?”
“One hundred and sixty-four.”
I looked at the guild registration form. There were different places to write down adventurers and non-adventurers.
Guilds and guild houses can also create their own direct request windows, dining halls, and inns as they grow larger, so it is necessary to include such information. In our case, it would be the servants in the guild house.
Apparently, if you do this carelessly, it can be quite noisy when it’s found out.
“Well, let’s put all of them in for now. We’ll decide whether or not to include them later.”
“That would be helpful.”
I went through the entries one by one. I couldn’t leave this to Jalnar.
“So, the guild house won’t be ready right away. What are you guys going to do until then?”
“If possible, I’d like to work with Jasper and the party group, along with a few others.”
“Are you sure you want to show your face?”
“Things are different now, and it’s only natural that I want to be of service to my master, is it not?”
Upon further inquiry, it seems that the members of Sagara who are unable to work or are caretakers for those who cannot are scattered and living in hiding.
The same is true for the chieftain, Mimirira, who has been hiding in the mountains and avoiding all contact with the outside world in order to prevent the Sagara people from being identified in the event that they are discovered.
From now on, Sagara will work as a backroom operator while also operating as a member of the Alliance who has made their presence known. In such a situation, it is impossible to hide one’s face. Well, whatever floats your boat.
It seems that once the Alliance base is established, they plan to follow me around as guards or attendants, but I sincerely hope that they will spare me when it comes time to sleep.
“And as you get used to it, you will naturally deepen your relationships with the other Sagara collectives, and then all that remains is to wait for the Alliance base to be established.”
“That’s a safe plan, but will you be okay until then?”
“It won’t be much different from before.”
After that, I recorded the names and adventurer ranks (Adbel ranks) of all the Sagara adventurers, as well as the names of all those who had registered as servants. Well, I had them do it. I don’t know their names, and there are too many of them for me to be motivated to do it myself.
I lay down on the bed, listening to the sound of their work. I’m a little tired today from working on magical tools. Strictly speaking, I’m not really tired, but it’s a matter of feeling.
“Are you alright?”
Mimirira, who was sitting at the head of my bed, looked down at me. Ever since I decided to become her master, her words and actions have become noticeably softer.
Beastmen are said to be a race that is strongly affectionate towards their own kind, family, and companions, and they are also highly loyal to those who are superior to them. I suppose that since I have become her master, her attitude has naturally changed .
“Hnng.”
I couldn’t help but reach out and grab Mimirira’s tail.
From Noble mtl dot com
I’ve always said it lightly, but apparently, doing this to someone of the same s*x who is not a family member or spouse is a surefire way to get killed. I’m sure of this because I’ve heard it not only from the people themselves but also from the racial encyclopedia and from Jarnar.
But I, as her master, take advantage of my privilege to grab, stroke, and bury my face in her tail whenever I get the chance. It’s wonderfully soft and smooth, and it smells good, so it’s become a recent favorite of mine.
By the way, Mimirira has cat ears, but she’s actually a cross between a fox and a cat. So her ears and tail are a little different from a pure cat’s. Her tail, in particular, is long and covered in very rich, soft fur. It would be unreasonable to expect me to resist this.
“Um, Jasper, that tickles.”
“It feels good to me.”
“Nnnng…”
I’m not touching it now, but the base of the tail is also a sensitive area, and it’s said that females are particularly sensitive there. When I learned that, I was in an unusually good mood.
Well, there are people like Neal around, and I haven’t touched it once since we met.
Even so, I’m not taking advantage of Mimirira. I haven’t done anything masterly for her yet, and I figured that the surviving members of Sagara who don’t know my face wouldn’t be too happy to hear that a guy who doesn’t look like a master at all has taken over as their chieftain.
I know it’s a bit late to be thinking about this now that I’m already playing with her tail and ears, but I’d like you to forgive me for this as a down payment.
As I was playing with Mimirira, the others, who had been watching me with Subtle Face, seemed to have finished their work.
“We’re done, Jas. And it’s about time you let the chieftain go.”
“Don’t worry about it. This is just to increase our intimacy.”
“I think we’ve already broken through that barrier…”
Iril said in a dumbfounded manner, but I could tell that he was somewhat interested. I’ll have to sample his tail eventually.
“So what do you think we should do? Should we form the collective first thing tomorrow morning? I’ll leave the number of people and the selection process up to you.”
“Oh, you can leave that to us.”
“Then let’s do that. We’ll meet up in the morning at the inn–“
At that moment, Jarnar’s voice echoed in my mind.
‘Your Highness, would now be a convenient time?’
I raised my hand to stop Mimirira.
Jarnar called me ‘Your Highness’. This means something is up.
‘What is it? What happened?’
‘I have just received a report. –Prince Kreuz has been defeated. He is currently regrouping his army at a location some distance from the battleground and re-establishing his camp.’
“‘What?'”
I couldn’t help but speak out loud. We lost? My younger brother?
Don’t be ridiculous. We had prepared five hundred more soldiers than the enemy, and they were accompanied by the standing army and direct troops under the direct command of the king, as well as several nobles from the Concord Duchy. We had prepared for support from the surrounding territories to be ready to move at any time, and we had not gathered weaklings or neglected our preparations.
At least, that’s what I had heard.
“If it’s convenient, I can come to you now.’
“No, I’ll come to you. Shall we meet at the guild?”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting in my office.’
『I’ll be there soon.』
I ended the call and looked at the people of Sagara.
“Meet me at the guild’s cafeteria tomorrow morning. If I don’t show up, always have someone with you who can contact me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
“Jasper… sir, what will you do?”
“I have something to do. Don’t follow me.”
I said that, activated 【Colorless Room】, and jumped out the window. I headed straight for the Bernard Trading Company.
*
“It was a failed strategy and a crushing defeat due to a surprise attack.”
–Get to the point.
Those were the words that Jarnard said to me when I asked him to explain. After hearing his story, I felt that it was more a matter of underestimating the enemy than a failure.
Before I explain this defeat, I must talk about the soldiers who were sent out.
We had a total of thirty-five hundred soldiers, compared to the enemy’s three thousand.
The two main armies were as follows:
The royal army led by Prince Kreuz, with a total of one thousand soldiers. One hundred were standing troops, seven hundred were direct troops, and two hundred were mercenaries.
The Concord Duchy army, with a total of fifteen hundred soldiers. Four hundred were direct troops, four hundred were direct troops, five hundred were territorial troops from subordinate nobles, and two hundred were mercenaries.
The remaining one thousand were from several earls who had territories bordering the battlefield, and from subordinate nobles.
The standing troops are a group of professional fighters who are always prepared for war, but they are usually just a drain on the treasury. On the other hand, they are also the most reliable group of fighters when war breaks out, as they spend their days training, drilling, and hunting magical beasts.
They are quite small in number compared to the total population of the Arley Kingdom, but they are made up of the most elite knights and soldiers. They are probably the strongest in the country in terms of simple ‘soldiers’.
Direct troops are soldiers who are directly controlled by the royal or noble who owns the territory.
Subordinate nobles are nobles who are in charge of a district within the territory of a territorial noble, and the soldiers they lead are territorial troops for the higher-ranking noble, but not direct troops. This is because there is an intermediary in the chain of command. Therefore, the army led by a subordinate noble is temporarily referred to as territorial troops during wartime. In other words, they are territorial troops for the higher-ranking noble, but direct troops for the subordinate noble.
These direct troops are actually the problem, and their composition varies widely.
They are usually those who work in the territory’s security, patrols, or other tasks, but they do not receive specialized military training.
There are some who are somewhat capable, but they are not a large proportion.
The standing troops and the direct troops of the royal domain are much stronger than the soldiers of the noble territories, as they are subjected to rigorous training by order of the king.
The direct troops are also the lord’s version of the standing troops, so they are of course much stronger than the ordinary soldiers.
offline, excluding the royal army, less than half of the soldiers participating in the war have ever fought in a proper battle.
And this time, I think the underestimation of the strength of the royal army was the cause of the defeat.
The battle began with the enemy army advancing at a rapid pace, and our own forces were not able to keep up.
As a result, the enemy army was allowed to enter our territory and penetrate to a certain extent.
After the two armies met, they apparently spent some time glaring at each other.
After that, there were some skirmishes, but there was no full-scale battle, and the stalemate continued. Then one day, a scout reported that the enemy army’s numbers had decreased.
There was a concern raised in the war council that the enemy might be planning a surprise attack on their side.
Duke Concorat, who was participating in the war, suggested to his younger brother, who was in command, that “while the main force of the Arley Kingdom is being held back here, they may have divided their army to attack villages and towns.”
War is not just about repelling enemy forces or occupying territories. It can also involve capturing enemy civilians as slaves, taking all their food, or simply destroying their fields to reduce their harvest. In fact, there are even battles that are fought solely for these purposes.
In that sense, Duke Concorat’s argument was valid.
If the enemy’s divided army were to attack the towns, the civilians would be defenseless. Even if scouts were sent to confirm this, it would be too late.
The decision was forced upon the younger brother who was in command.
Of course, he would have advice from the regular soldiers and knights who were assisting his younger brother, who had come out of the royal castle with him, but the final judgment and responsibility would be his alone.
There were two choices. To abandon the civilians and maintain a solid formation here. Or to accept the dispersion of forces and reach out to the civilians.
Both were correct choices, but one would turn into a mistake.
The kind younger brother valued the lives of the civilians. He decided to divide the entire 1,500-strong Concorat Duke’s army, which was the main force.
I am proud to say that our Arley Kingdom is a victorious nation that has been expanding its territory year by year. The strength of our soldiers is recognized by both our own country and others. In addition, the force led by my younger brother is an elite force of 2,000.
The enemy’s army had also been reduced. Even if they were to be surprised by this, they might have believed that they could withstand it. Maybe they wanted to believe it.
The day after the Concorat Duke’s army left, the enemy’s attack began immediately. Of course, our soldiers met them head-on, but it seemed that the enemy had indeed divided their forces to launch a surprise attack. The enemy soldiers, who had been hiding in the shadows of a large forest nearby, attacked all at once, and our army was attacked from the front and the right flank at the same time.
That was fine. The problem was the weakness of the mixed army of lords. They were crushed in an instant, and the kingdom’s army, which was caught up in the fray, was also attacked all at once and routed.
“Ha…”
I couldn’t help but sigh when I heard the detailed information, even though it was mixed with speculation.
I think there were many reasons for the defeat. The location where they met the enemy was bad. They should have sent out more scouts. There was no end to the excuses, and if the knights who were assigned to him had made such a choice , there must have been reasons that could not be understood unless they were there.
But this was too bad.
“It was a complete oversight…”
“…”
Jarnar remained silent at my murmur. Perhaps this is what a true vassal is like.
However, this great defeat of my younger brother is too bad. If there was a reason for the defeat, it could be recovered. But the worst has already happened.
“We are currently waiting for a report from the pursuers.”
“…Jarnar. Answer me honestly.”
“Yes.”
“What will happen to my younger brother?”
“…If things continue as they are, I think the right to succeed to the throne will probably pass to Lord Daine.”
“I see. I think so too.”
I let out a deep sigh.