Chapter 263
....yes that sounds like it.
Thanks to the enhanced hearing, you can hear soldiers whispering among themselves and getting anxious all over the base.
I languished on the sofa and lamented in my heart.
I\'m not angry.
Rather, I want to understand.
How can I not understand your heart?
The guys who are my bosses are like,
‘Hey? ‘Let\'s go catch a dragon this weekend!\' I\'ll secretly gossip.
That\'s it.
Even if you make a cause, not everyone knows it.
It\'s really sad.
As expected, in order to hunt dragons, the first thing to do is to look at the disorganized atmosphere of the soldiers, right?
‘...I can\'t help it this time.\'
I have no choice but to use my hands before the soldiers\' agitation gets worse.
I\'m sorry, but understanding and strictly governing are two different things.
next day.
“Those who spread rumors that lower the morale of soldiers within the unit must be dealt with strictly according to military law.”
I gathered the nobles and knights and spoke sternly.
I spoke again, pretending to show my displeasure in front of them.
“Speech from those who demoralize the upcoming fight against the dragon must never be tolerated. I will not just skip this.”
It\'s a pity, but the military has to be strict.
otherwise the ally will die.
Accordingly, I ordered the knights to seek out the soldiers who had discussed desertion the night before and punish them by example.
False rumors and attempted desertion are punishable by death.
This is the only thing I can\'t lower the sentence.
This is because discipline breaks down once you start looking at them.
The soldiers who saw it firsthand began to crack down on themselves.
However, simply trying to control it strictly and suppress it with fear will only backfire in the end.
“Call the soldiers. I will tell them myself about the necessity of this fight.”
? ? ?
There is no need to make a seat because there is no time.
Just gather the soldiers together.
And I installed magic tools for amplification to deliver my voice everywhere.
I wiped the smile from my lips and solemnly left the house and took the first word out of my mouth.
“Listen. Brave people who fought for the kingdom of Ernesia.”
Except for my own voice, I dare not even hear breathing properly.
“I already know that there are doubts among you. They questioned the decision to insist on fighting the dragon.”
Some soldiers tremble in fear.
I pretended not to see them on purpose and continued my speech.
“I understand your fears too. Who wouldn\'t be afraid to fight against a dragon?”
Simply urging them to fight would not increase their morale.
In order to fight, you need to give a reason.
The courage to stand up to the dreaded dragon doesn\'t just come from memorizing verses of poetry.
“But what if we don\'t fight? Is there any guarantee that that evil dragon will not attack Ernesia Kingdom?”
I shook my head.
“Is there any law that authors who dare so casually sow plague in our lives won’t?”
Silently, subtle anger rises among the soldiers.
Among the soldiers here, there must have been quite a few who suffered from that contagious disease.
As the fight continued, before I fell exhausted and forgot the anger, I emphasized once more why we were here taking up arms.
“The threat does not disappear unless the dragon is defeated. That\'s why I, too, came up with a proposal to subdue the dragon despite my fears.”
Again they focus on my words.
“I am afraid too.”
Whose mouth is so good at telling lies?
But even these lies are sometimes important.
Because you have to empathize.
A reckless hero is respected, but not sympathetic.
People sympathize with cowards, not heroes.
Even I have the courage to face my fears.
This is important.
“But make no mistake. I am not here with the courage I never had.”
The commander\'s courage is of no use to his subordinates.
All they need is one thing.
“I have a plan to catch the dragon.”
I shouted again and again with confidence.
“You may not believe it, but. Dragons are just creatures of enormous size and power. It\'s not a creature that never dies. That\'s why, if you guys step forward... if you follow my plan, you will surely be able to defeat that gigantic body and step on it!”
You can defeat a dragon.
My voice shouting confidently, and the expressions of the soldiers show a feeling of bewilderment.
yeah, i wouldn\'t believe it
Who had ever asserted that he could hunt a dragon with such certainty?
“Hunting dragons is not a hero! Just for the kingdom! You are fighting for your hometown!”
I pointed to the soldiers.
“It can\'t be called a battle without sacrifice. But I do not turn a blind eye to your battles. Now, warriors of the kingdom of Ernesia. Please trust me and follow me. If so, I will defeat the dragon so that the feat can be accomplished.”
I came back from my speech.
It was because there was a need to teach the commanders the detailed strategy to hunt the dragon right away.
“It was a great speech, Mr. Arell.”
A nobleman came up to me and flattered me.
“I’m sure the soldiers will understand Arel’s will and fight bravely.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seeing that, I sighed and shook my head.
I feel embarrassed that I came all this way to go to war with a guy like that.
“There\'s no way a speech like this would give you courage, right?”
Why can\'t these guys tell the difference between courage and madness?
Do you think that everything will be solved with mental power?
“Then why… did you give such a speech?”
“To emphasize that I will never run away. That is all.”
It was just to confirm once again that my will was strong.
That would make them a little nervous too.
“If...the morale of the soldiers...
“If that\'s the case, don\'t worry.”
To the aristocrat who was puzzled, I lightly explained the plan as if it were nothing special.
“Because I have already prepared a way to boost morale in a very realistic way.”
The agitation of the soldiers did not disappear.
However, the opinion of wanting to escape as easily as before has decreased.
He also understood that if he couldn\'t hunt the dragon, he would become a threat to the kingdom of Ernesia.
The most decisive is that.
Declaring that I will not turn away from them.
It was officially promised that soldiers who were sacrificed in this fight or those who were injured would be paid a fair price.
And when the dragon was defeated, the profits from it were also decided to give a reward for those who fought bravely.
If the kingdom\'s budget is insufficient, I decided to give it at least with my own personal expenses.
....In the end, what boosts their morale is the commander\'s money.
Yes, it is not human reckless courage to catch a giant monster.
sure money
and one more.
“I\'ll have to call in a special guest to defeat the dragon.”
“Special guest? Who are you?”
“ah? There is such a thing.”
I was just grinning.
“Since ancient times, it\'s best to fight a monster with a monster.”
“yes?”
“There is such a thing.”
If that side takes out a dragon.
I\'ve been thinking about this too.
is not it?
I looked somewhere.
That place is
the imperial castle of the Merman Empire.
Pena Amret Janil returned to the villa where she originally stayed and had been clutching her head and groaning for several days already.
It wasn\'t particularly uncomfortable.
In the first place, this place is different from the house she has lived in since she was a child.
Ironically, even though it was the house I lived in, I didn\'t live comfortably because I was paying attention to others.
But now, thanks to everyone, those gazes have temporarily decreased, so there was no reason to be uncomfortable at all.
....It was another reason that troubled her.
Specifically, because of who.
“...Ugh, why did I say that at the time.”
It\'s been several months since I left Fahilia, but Pena is still restless as she recalls the memories of those months ago.
Exactly what I\'m ashamed of.
At that time, Pena herself thanked Arel, but after a while, looking back with a calm head, I felt embarrassed for some reason.
“I’m crazy, I’m crazy.”
Just ‘thank you.\' I wish I could have finished it in one word, why did I wear useless sagittarius?
As an individual, what are you going to repay?
What was he thinking at the time?
‘...Well, at that time, I just thought of pushing something strange.\'
I felt like I had to force myself into something.
Even if it wasn\'t, there was no guarantee that Arel would see him again for a few months, maybe even more than half a year, as he was soon on the battlefield.
No, there is no guarantee that we will meet him privately again after the war.
That\'s why, for some reason, Pena felt that at that time, she had to try to come a little.
Did he want to make an excuse to meet him again later?
To be honest, I don\'t even know myself.
Why?
What was it that made you nervous?
“Ah, I
don’t know.
It was from then that my feelings were so complicated.
He overheard Arell talking to the escort knight, Asha.
Originally, I might have been disappointed.
He heard that the reason Arel helped him wasn\'t just for Pena himself.
However, Pena, who listened to their conversation until the end, couldn\'t hide her excitement for some reason.
I don\'t know why.
‘Me too... that\'s weird, isn\'t it? Why?\' In fact, I understand a little bit why.
It was a surprise.
Until then, Pena thought that Arel helped her because of calculations.
It was meant to prevent and check the collusion between the Empire and the Holy Nation.
I reached out my hand for that, I just thought.
On the one hand, I also thought that it was comfortable.
Because all royalty are like that.
He, too, is only moving for profit in the end.
I didn\'t hate it though.
Wasn\'t she at least better than those who hated her because she had talent in spiritism?
Pena just thought so.
However, the conversation she heard that day was far from the ordinary royalty she had imagined.
‘Did I say that people\'s talents shouldn\'t be buried unfairly..?\'
Why did I unknowingly cry at those words?
Perhaps, unexpectedly, he had in mind the past days.
And that\'s when the problem started.
For some reason, she couldn\'t see Arel properly at all.
Strangely, the words I heard then echoed and became confused.
At that time, it was very difficult because Arel smirked at him as if he knew everything.
and.... after the talks.
Arel left the place as if she literally ran away, leaving Pena behind.
At that time, she reflexively cried again and ran after it to Fahilia.
And then I left a bunch of people in front of him.
‘...What the hell are you going to do in return?
Am I... I really don\'t have any countermeasures?\'
Although Arel often made fun of her, that might be true.
Pena had no choice but to admit that fact now.
“Haa... I might be a real fool...
” “Hmm? Did you know that now?”
“Yeah, now I’m desperate… Huh?”
who answered now?
There was no way a lady-in-waiting would dare to intervene in Pena\'s self-talk.
I don\'t know why, but the ladies-in-waiting just watched Pena, who had returned from Fahilia, from afar with warm eyes.
Then who the hell said that now?
Before that, the voice is very familiar!