It seemed there was a reason for General Wageris’s forceful intrusion into my room.
“You won’t even properly set up an appointment to meet me, when I persist you get blocked from another angle, pressure from above, complaints from my foster father—don’t screw with me!”
“Well, we attempted to follow proper procedure, but it led nowhere. When I mentioned my connection to Wold, who serves here as a finance officer, this is what resulted.”
“No, why the hell would you? If that’s what they’re doing to you, rethink the approach of meeting directly.”
Having heard Celine’s explanation as well, Helkov chimed in.
Even Wold, who should have served as a messenger to settle things peacefully, was deeply apologetic.
“I am sorry. I believe this happened because I said that even if I tried the proper channels, no one would entertain us. The General realized it would be faster to visit directly and moved immediately.”
Apparently, Wold had advised the troubled Celine, and General Wageris had used force to make it happen.
And General Wageris, still burning with excitement, turned his spearhead toward me.
“So you really are under house arrest! With your wicked cunning, you could improve things however much you wanted!”
“...Sorry, Levan. Maybe they really don’t get along after all.”
“Huh? Why are you looking at me for this?”
“Maybe because my position is the same as Marquis Strateg’s?”
“That’s not it, that’s not it. Absolutely not. Please, I’m begging you, just stay quiet.”
The moment he denied it, General Wageris glared at Levan.
“What are you saying while shutting a child away, you weakling! And who the hell is this guy anyway?”
“A guard rotated in from someone important?”
“Wait, please! My position is the same as Totos over there!”
“No way.”
Shot down by General Wageris, Levan forgot to even blink as he pleaded his case.
“When this prince makes a move, it becomes a problem! I’m on the side that wants to stop that! More importantly, wait—that shouting intrusion earlier, was that actually some kind of discussion? You looked like you weren’t getting along, but you’re actually incredibly close!”
“General Wageris always came in shouting while he was in the army. So much so that it became gossip even within the military.”
When Werrel spoke of the actual circumstances in exasperation, Ikut supplemented.
“Though his manner is intimidating, one cannot say he bears ill will; however, no matter how many times he was rebuked, he never changed. So I suppose he is someone who knows no other greeting.”
“No, it is not like that. His Highness the First Prince is, well, a profound person, so there are many aspects beyond our understanding...”
Celine tried to cover for me while averting her eyes, but what did she mean by profound?
“Well, never mind that. Speaking of which, you said you’d explain—what happened?”
I had grown somewhat accustomed to General Wageris’s greetings, and since I knew he would never launch a surprise attack, his loud appeals were, in a way, a source of reassurance.
“Oh, right! What the hell is this!”
General Wageris lost interest in Levan and slammed a paper onto the desk in front of me.
“A report? ...Ah, the merit assessment report. Huh, it’s quite highly rated. Even the lord who sent assassins, and the jurisdiction of the village that suffered bandit attacks are properly factored into the evaluation. The biggest factor is probably driving out the Saipol group. Almost no demerits. What’s the problem with this?”
“Most of the achievements are mine! Why the hell is it like this!? No matter how generously you estimate it, it’s seventy-thirty in my favor! Looking at it normally, eighty-twenty! You’ve been made out to have done nothing, you know!?”
General Wageris flared up again when questioned.
Indeed, from leading the army and commanding it to resolving Karuu Village’s problems down to its annexation, the high evaluation of General Wageris stemmed from carrying out these primary roles.
“Actually, I didn’t do anything related to the military.”
“N... o... thing!?”
Despite my simply stating an objective fact, General Wageris pressed in on me, his dissatisfaction laid bare.
Seeing this state of affairs, Levan seemed to realize various things.
“After all, you did something, didn’t you? There’s a hand at work that resolved in about a year, effectively half a year, a problem that used to take seven years?”
“Since it involves Marquis Strateg, don’t you know what reports reached the military and how the merit assessment was conducted?”
The fact that Levan the courier had been sent was likely Marquis Strateg’s doing, suspecting the truth behind this merit assessment based on the timing.
“What His Highness did on the mountain was order the general to maintain the village roads, then hole up in a hut for alchemy, and give the soldiers a bit of comfort, wasn’t it?”
“I suppose that’s not wrong? Yet if you’re angry, how did General Wageris report it?”
“The poisonous winds blowing from the south and the poison pools were put in the report exactly as I was told. The expansion of the hot springs to prevent them from becoming a source of conflict too. I wrote about the cooking tools the prince made, didn’t I? And that bedrock bath—even though I didn’t really understand the principles, I wrote that he made such a thing...”
From the way General Wageris listed them while recalling, it seemed he had reported everything he knew as my achievements.
On top of that, Celine supplemented what happened next.
“However, we were told that none of them were judged to be achievements. That they were merely hobbies of His Highness the First Prince. The military officials assigned to His Highness also raised a fuss, but they seem to have been removed by pressure from above.”
“Setting aside the poison matter, hot springs and cooking tools would be, wouldn’t they?”
When Levan nodded, General Wageris roared.
“You idiot! If this prince hadn’t said anything, no one would have known the cause of the poison! Even the people living there didn’t know! And it was this guy who realized the problem wouldn’t be solved because they were fighting over the only one! Furthermore, the ones transporting materials to build the new one weren’t our army—it was the unit the prince brought!”
“Even if you tell me that... Then why didn’t you say so?”
To Levan, who was pulling back, Celine supplemented again with a sigh.
“We did say so, but they only said that the prince’s hobbies happened to prove effective. At first, they listened with a grain of salt, seemingly unable to understand because they hadn’t seen it themselves. But from a certain point they became astonishingly stubborn and refused to accept our claims at all.”
The general’s rank is high, but above it are the top brass of the military.
There must have been pressure from somewhere telling them to keep my achievements suppressed.
Levan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, shook his head when our eyes met.
It seems Marquis Strateg isn’t involved.
And from the fact that Levan was hearing this for the first time, he probably hadn’t caught wind of it either.
“It’s within expectations, so it’s not worth making a fuss about. General Wageris, you said you got the short end of the stick in that deployment, didn’t you? Just think of it as good luck and accept the high evaluation.”
The moment I said that, General Wageris slammed his hand heavily on the desk.
And he matched my eye level, glaring at me.
“Don’t look down on me. I haven’t fallen so far that a child needs to be considerate of me.”
It seemed he took it as an insult, and I had seriously angered him.
“It’s not that I was being considerate. I didn’t agree to the deployment because I wanted achievements from the start. All I needed was documentary proof that I had led an army.”
When I began to speak of the internal circumstances, General Wageris also took a step back to listen.
“You see, I’ve only attended an official event once. I haven’t built connections with nobles. I haven’t made any moves that would get people talking, and by being too quiet, conversely, I had even lost opportunities to leave the palace.”
Like this, I wouldn’t be able to leave the palace even after coming of age.
If Father granted me a territory now, it would only invite criticism of acting above my station and unilateralism, and leaving itself would become a negative.
“This time, the enemy faction made a move. Their true aim was to drive me out of the palace and not let me return. To that end, they even tolerated my involvement with the military, which would become an achievement as a prince. So I’ve finally built a foothold from which I can move. Conversely, having too many achievements would be troublesome. I’d rather have General Wageris stand in a conspicuous place so that I don’t get attacked.”
General Wageris crossed his arms and turned away.
Yeah, he’d get mad if I said I was fully intending to use him, wouldn’t he?
“I still don’t like your methods. But the way nobles do things makes me sick too. This place doesn’t suit me, and I ain’t one to deny the way you’ve survived here.”
Having said his piece, General Wageris headed for the doorway.
It turned into something similar to our exchanges at the deployment site, so we just smiled wryly, while Levan and Wold, who weren’t used to it, were wide-eyed with shock.
“I’ll consider this time a debt. The fool who tampered with the budget has vacated his seat, and it’s looking like I’ll take his place. I’ll keep my seat warm and ready to move at any time. So when you need soldiers, tell me. Got it? Don’t go moving on your own.”
To General Wageris, who began walking after saying his piece, Celine continued while bowing her head.
“His Highness’s methods are far too precarious, and we were unable to protect him here. The General is worried in his own way. Please, when you move, give him word.”
“Ah, in that case, there’s something I’d like you to do.”
“That was fast!”
General Wageris, who had been about to leave, turned back and raised his voice, but he listened to my request explaining my anticipated future movements and left.
“But this will stir up rumors again. From the way Celine put it, General Wageris seems to have complained quite a bit about the merit assessment. And on top of that, he came shouting into my place, so...”
“They’ll probably think His Highness the First Prince committed fraud, guh...!?”
Levan, who had spoken honestly, had his mouth covered by Helkov with one hand and his ear pulled by Ikut.
He was thrown out toward the staircase door that Werrel had opened and been waiting by.
Regular update
Next time: A Year’s Changes 3