Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 93 - I Want to Provide Rear Support

Chapter 93 – I Want to Provide Rear Support

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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We climbed to the second floor of the manor and were shown into a great room.

The room had a calm interior of wooden walls and floors. In the middle stood a long table that could seat about eight people. Three men sat on each side and one at the far end, facing each other.

The moment I entered, every face turned toward me.

“Hm, Baron Van! You’ve finally arrived!”

Seeing my face, the man at the far end stood up as he said that.

It was none other than His Majesty King Dino En Zora Berlinet.

“We had already mostly settled the procedure for the capture of Scudetto, but now that you are here, that changes matters. Let us draw up a strategy once more, this time adding the Baron’s strength.”

In high spirits, His Majesty said that and beckoned me over. But the burly middle-aged men around him all wore dubious expressions.

“…Um, excuse me. Ah, I’m the newcomer here, but please take care of me.”

If I just gave a suitably humble greeting, it would probably be fine. With that light attitude, I bowed my head and took the lowest seat at the long table. Panamera sat down heavily in the chair on my right with a smile.

Then, last of all, Daddy passed by expressionlessly and sat in an empty chair around the middle of the long table.

Glancing lightly over everyone, His Majesty opened his mouth.

“Now then, ordinarily we would ask for aid from the lords neighboring the royal capital, but this time time itself is a critical factor. We shall gather the directly involved forces of Marquis Fertio’s Knight Order, the Border Knight Order, Count Ferdinand’s Knight Order, Count Ventury’s Knight Order, Viscount Panamera, and Baron Van… and with those forces, we shall capture Scudetto. Are there any objections?”

When His Majesty said that, a thin, droopy-eyed middle-aged man looked at me uneasily. He wore fine armor without a single scratch on it, and a windmill-like crest was engraved on the shoulder.

So that was Count Ferdinand. It was my first time seeing him, but just as the rumors said, he had an unconfident expression.

Count Ferdinand looked like he wanted to say something for a moment, but in the end he said nothing and averted his eyes from me.

Hmm. Didn’t he resemble Arte from before she gained confidence, just a little? I guess they really were parent and child. Even if his face was thin, it was still a handsome man’s face. Arte’s beautiful-girl looks made sense.

As I was thinking that, a white-haired, grandly built man seated opposite Arte’s daddy knit his brows and stared at me closely.

“…By Baron Van, do you mean that child sitting there?”

He said that in a hoarse voice.

“Yes. My name is Van Nei Fertio. I only just became a baron the other day…”

When I gave my name with an awkward smile, the white-haired man narrowed his eyes sharply. That must be Count Ventury, then. Nice to meet you. Which meant the remaining person was either His Majesty’s attendant or one of the knight order commanders.

“…Your Majesty, please stop this bad joke. What could a child like this possibly do…”

When Count Ventury said that and turned around, he saw His Majesty smiling as if amused and shut his mouth.

“A joke, hmm. Very well. Everyone would think so, but once you see Baron Van fight, your mind will change. Look forward to it.”

At His Majesty’s cheerful remark, I involuntarily raised one hand and spoke.

“Ah, excuse me. I’m not taking part in the battle to capture Scudetto.”

I said it with about the same casual tone as saying I couldn’t make it to the next company drinking party, and everyone’s eyes went round.

Then Count Ventury’s and Daddy’s eyes narrowed sharply, while Count Ferdinand looked puzzled. Count Ventury shifted his gaze from me to Daddy.

“I would like to hear what this means. Taken at face value, this would mean, would it not, that he took part in the war merely for appearances because he cherished his child too much?”

When Count Ventury said that in a low voice, Daddy, to whom the matter had been thrown, frowned and glared back.

“…You believe I would resort to such a petty trick? I have sent my eldest son, acting family head, into battle. There would be no meaning in withdrawing my youngest child alone.”

And he said something truly awful.

That youngest son isn’t even ten years old! You should be objecting to him coming to the battlefield in the first place! Show a little more affection!

There were all sorts of things I wanted to say, but I swallowed them and plastered on a smile instead.

“No, my father has nothing to do with it. I am simply worried about my own territory.”

When I said that, Count Ventury’s and Daddy’s eyes grew even sharper.

“This is a national crisis. Are you saying you would withhold your cooperation in order to protect a tiny village that could be blown away with one breath?”

“For a child, your view is far too narrow. Even if you protect your own tiny territory, if Scudetto is used as a base for invasion, your position will only grow worse. One would hope you could grasp at least that much.”

The two old men let their anger show.

Receiving that anger head-on, I smiled lightly and nodded.

“I understand that much. On the contrary, do you two understand my position? You great nobles who came here leading armies in a national crisis may never once have imagined the circumstances of a lone lord struggling to protect one tiny village.”

Van-kun is angry, you know. Really, genuinely huffy.

I thought I had spoken in a tone that brooked no argument, but their faces only grew sterner, as if they were on the verge of saying something back.

But His Majesty stopped them.

“Hmm… If you are going to say that much, then explain why you will not take part in this battle.”

How kind. I love His Majesty.

I cleared my throat once, looked around at everyone, and began.

“Thank you very much. First of all, I was appointed lord of a truly tiny village that looked as if it might collapse at any moment. By chance, three knights, a retired old butler, a maid, and a slave boy chose to come with me of their own will, but aside from that I received no support whatsoever. Even so, I worked hard, and in about a year I made the village bigger and stronger. Now we have no trouble with food or clothing.”

When I first explained the background, everyone’s eyes turned to my dear daddy. Daddy simply glared down at me with a sour face.

Ignoring that, I continued.

“Even so, it is still a small village. I have brought the knight order that was only just formed there, and I have also hired many adventurers to come here. If the Kingdom of Yerinetta were to attack my village in that state, we would have no chance of winning.”

And with that I voiced an excuse that had rather obviously been put together on the spot.

His Majesty and Panamera, who knew the situation in the village, wore slight wry smiles, but the others lacked information and could not immediately object.

Just as I thought that and was about to continue, it was unexpectedly Panamera who voiced a doubt.

“You think there is a possibility Yerinetta will target Baron Van’s territory… but why? Count Ferdinand’s fort may have strategic value. But honestly speaking, there is no value in sending troops against the tiny village Baron Van describes, is there?”

At that question, all eyes turned toward me.

After prefacing it with, “This is only speculation,” I answered.

“…They launched a move to capture Scudetto, which they had been unable to take despite years of trying, and captured it in the blink of an eye. The wyverns were one factor, certainly, but the biggest reason was their adoption of the black spheres as a weapon. Looking at it from the Yerinetta Kingdom’s side, this is completely different from the skirmishes up to now. I can only think they entered this with considerable resolve and confidence. If they are truly aiming to crush the Kingdom of Scuderia, then they will not stop with taking Scudetto. They will immediately move to seize other key bases as well. To do that, the important thing is to prevent defenders from holding out in long sieges that take time to overcome.”

After saying just that much, Panamera raised one eyebrow and groaned.

“…In other words, the nearby villages and towns used for supply as well?”

“All they need to do is render them unusable as quickly as possible. In other words, they will burn them down.”

When I said that, everyone grimaced and fell silent.