Ten days passed, and the situation remained unchanged. The upper echelons of the military had decided to launch a full-scale war with the Duchy of Diode in the spring, after the winter. Captain Lorenzo summoned Häzen to his quarters to convey this.
“I’m sorry, I was trying to convince the upper echelons, but in the meantime, new information came in. It seems General Gizal has been assigned there.”
“General Gizal?”
“You don’t know? General Gizal, the Thunder General. He is a true powerhouse.”
“…How formidable is he?”
“He uses a lightning-attribute magic staff. Does that ring a bell?”
“I see.”
Lightning-attribute magic staves are considered the rarest and most powerful among elemental magic staves. High-level mages can transform their bodies into lightning, enabling them to move at high speeds. Among the representatives of lightning-attribute magic are the [Four Dukes], including the renowned mage Mishil.
“General Gizal is said to be as capable as a Grand General, a talented and aggressive man. We will need an equally powerful mage to Dukeer him.”
“…I see.”
In other words, the fortress in northern Garna lacks a mage who can match General Gizal. The Duchy of Diode may be a mid-tier power, but to Dukeer a Grand General-level figure, the Empire would need a fierce mage at the rank of a Grand General.
“Duchess Mishil is scheduled to arrive in the spring. Her abilities are far superior to General Gizal’s. We must not let our guard down, but we should not fall behind either.”
“…I hope our intentions have not been leaked to the other side.”
If they had been leaked, the Duchy of Diode might even launch an attack. Duchess Mishil is a major figure. Her movements are being watched by the entire continent.
“They’re well aware of how reckless the Winter War is. Besides, we’ve also spread the rumor that [Duchess Mishil has been dispatched here to subjugate the Kumin tribe].”
“…I understand.”
Hazen concluded that it was futile to voice further objections to the judgment of the higher-ups. But it was fair to say that the situation had turned out to be unexpectedly complex.
Leaving the operations room, Hazen returned to his quarters, where Private Edal was emaciated from Yan’s Spartan training.
“Al Manaha Larapara Dema Rohalyo.”
“No, that’s wrong. You need to understand the meaning in the correct context. Also, your intonation is a bit off. Can you hear each word clearly? This language’s meaning changes with intonation, so you need to master that perfectly.”
“…Uwaaaaaah! Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Alright, alright. You’re an adult, so don’t act like a spoiled brat. Let’s continue.”
“…”
Purely, Hazen thought the girl was terrifyingly precocious. The way she calmly brushed off the grown man’s outburst was remarkable. This language must be quite difficult to learn, as Private Edal has been in this state for some time. However, the schedule itself is not falling behind. In fact, it’s progressing far ahead, as Yan keeps adding more assignments.
As a result, Private Edal’s average sleep time had dropped below 30 minutes.
“Yan, have you completed your tasks?”
“Yes, I have. Geez, I’m so busy teaching Edal…”
“I see.”
Despite grumbling, the monstrous girl submitted Hazen’s answer sheets with perfect scores. She had thoroughly mastered the fundamentals of linguistic systematics, biology, medicine, and business. Truly, a terrifyingly precocious young lady.
“Is the trading proceeding smoothly?”
Hazen quietly asked Yan. Fundamentally, Hazen does not trust people, so he has been withholding information from the soldier, Private Edal. Even if it were to be leaked, he has theoretical arguments to avoid being pursued. But the lower the risk, the better.
“Yes. Nandal has already wholesaled a large quantity of magic gem and put them on the market. He said he’ll bring better quality ones next time.”
“…I see. That’s well thought out.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
To hide the tree, in the forest. By mixing the magic gem, they’re reducing the risk of the sacred jewel’s existence being discovered.
“magic gem have little circulation in the Empire, so they have high market value. Nandal was really pleased that we could trade them openly.”
“That’s great news.”
A mutually beneficial relationship tends to last. Even when casting the secret-keeping contract magic, Hazen was surprised by the talk of the sacred jewel, but he gladly accepted it. He has a feeling he’ll be working with Nandal for a long time.
“…However, market value tends to drop if something becomes too abundant. Be careful that Nandal doesn’t flood the market with too many magic gem at once.”
“Of course. Nandal has a good sense of these things, so you don’t need to worry.”
“I see”
Hazen nodded, and didn’t inquire further. Since Yan has given her approval, he can trust it. This girl is on a different level from others. Her capabilities are undeniable.
This is merely Yan’s personal economic activity, and Hazen is just helping her in the capacity of an acquaintance. There are loopholes prepared, even in the law.
Hazen considers the law to be a fluid thing. Depending on the authority of the enforcer, the state of the nation, the adaptive situation, the target, and the event, various cases can be considered.
Most importantly, if it’s not discovered, you won’t get caught, and even if it is discovered, you can hush it up. If that fails, you can punish all the enforcers. That’s the extent to which Hazen views the law.
“Also, please deliver this letter to the Vashia Chieftain.”
“…I have a bad feeling about this, but fine, I understand.”
Yan sighed heavily and took the letter.
Hazen left his room and headed to the training grounds. As a lieutenant, he is entrusted with the operation of the troops. He inspected the various platoons on horseback. The 4th Platoon was organized into 10 squads of about 40 soldiers each. Hazen officially had left the 8th Squad under the command of Lieutenant Mospitza, but the actual operations were entrusted to Warrant Officer Bazz.
In the process, Hazen was shocked by Mospitza’s lack of combat ability. First, his riding skills, an essential skill for an officer, were quite poor. The simple act of [riding a horse] was awkward and tentative.
His magic skills as a mage were also abysmal. His abilities were likely among the lower end for a lieutenant.
Hazen couldn’t help but ask Captain Lorenzzo, “Why was such an incompetent placed as a lieutenant?” The answer was that Mospitza’s parents were high-ranking nobles of the 9th Rank.
In other words, hhe was an inept aristocratic brat.
Mospitza had significantly low intelligence, a malicious personality, a lack of ethics, and no sense of magnanimity. So, while Hazen had expected his magical abilities to be at least captain-level, he was disappointed.
After checking on the other squads, they finally reached the 8th squad. Sergeant Bazz was commanding the squad effortlessly, just as Hazen had expected. The squad members were also more refined in their movements than the other squads.
On the other hand, when looking at the problem child, Lieutenant Mospitza, all Hazen could do was sigh.
“Why haven’t you improved at horseback riding yet? It’s been 10 days already!”
“…I’m trying my best.”
“Hey, use honorifics.”
“…Ugh.”
Lieutenant Mospitza glared at Hazen with a shocked expression. What on earth was going on?
“You’re an officer, aren’t you? Trying your best is a given, and you have an obligation to produce results. That’s what it means to lead people. Didn’t you read about it in the officer’s manual?”
“…It’s easy to say, but actually…”
“Next time you don’t use honorifics, I’ll punish you with a cane.”
“…Ugh.”
Lieutenant Mospitza’s face contorted in shock again, his mouth agape. It seemed Hazen’s kindness and consideration had gotten through to him, and Hazen felt relieved.
Allowing two failures was an overly lenient special treatment, Hazen had to admit.
Well, he had been instructed by Captain Lorenzo to “go easy on him,” so he had no choice. This was the fate of a hired soldier, and he had to accept it.
“Do you understand the essence of why I’m trying to make you use honorifics?”
“…No, I don’t.”
“An officer must always set an exemplary standard of behavior for the non-commissioned officers. Otherwise, it will affect the morale of the military. This is something that can only be achieved in an environment where the top-down approach is thoroughly implemented. Therefore, you must always use honorifics towards your superiors and be mindful not to disrupt the hierarchy.”
“But there’s also seniority. Lieutenant Hazen is 20 years younger than me.”
“…That’s a lot of years to live to learn lot of ability. You must have lived a rather useless military life.”
“Tch.”
“Oh, I got sidetracked. I’ll tell you since you’re the type who won’t understand unless I tell you. In the military, rank is everything. You must exclude all distinctions such as seniority, gender, and social status. It’s not based on personal feelings at all.”
” …… “
Lieutenant Mospitza looked down, as if he had been thoroughly defeated.
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