Chapter 135: An Act of Master and Servant
We all turned at once to the direction of the fire and stared.
Except for Jerry, the men present were speechless.
I was truly surprised by this.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hmm.”
When I nodded, Henry immediately turned around and called out, “Someone!” as he strode away.
“Don’t take me lightly, yeah? I mean, with flames that massive, there’s no way you wouldn’t know it was the real deal.”
“Don’t say that; it’s also Henry’s job to do just that.”
“Is that really how it is?”
“You wouldn’t just take your subordinates’ reports at face value, would you?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Hearing this from me, Jerry seemed to understand.
“However, I’m impressed you managed to grasp that. The supplies depot that’s been made independent—no, that scale is more like a collection point. That kind of information should be a closely guarded secret for the other side.”
“That’s easy, you know.”
Jerry said proudly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk.
“Oh?”
“For instance, these girls here—they were sent willingly from the household, no jokes or anything. It’s just how it is.”
“Fumu, I see?”
I prompted him for more while nodding in agreement.
“No matter how much you try to hide something, the locals will find out. Unlike those scumbags, I keep good relations with the locals.”
I see, it makes sense to me.
“So, you were able to learn that from them?”
“Exactly. I don’t even have to look into it; the locals bring this information to me. Those scumbags just sit there with their noses in the air. What was it again… um… E, Elera?”
“Eila Nouf.”
“Yeah, that’s the one!”
Jerry pointed at me emphatically.
Then he suddenly realized what he did, retracted his finger, and laughed awkwardly.
“He’s the great-uncle of my lord’s father, right?”
“Indeed. A collateral branch of the royal family. By the way, although he is the great-uncle of the former Emperor, his actual age isn’t much different from mine.”
Nobility naturally forms into “large families,” and with the various combinations of arranged marriages, so with distant relatives, the relationships and ages become disproportionate.
“I feel sorry for my lord, but having someone like that in the countryside would only tarnish the royal family’s reputation.”
“Is it really that bad? He did defeat the Imperial Army, so isn’t he regarded as somewhat of a hero?”
“My lord overestimates that bastard. His shortcomings are such that the locals willingly share their secrets with me.”
“Fumu…I see”
I nodded and looked at the girls Jerry had brought along.
I recalled Jerry’s earlier words.
Even if I didn’t personally choose these girls, Jerry had promised to favor them as a token for getting this far.
If that’s true and if he regularly interacts with the locals in such a manner, and that it’s in stark contrast to Eila Nouf.
It makes sense that locals would be fond of him and share information.
“However, wouldn’t that cost a lot? Maintaining such ‘friendliness’ all the time?”
“Well, that’s because of your teachings, Your Majesty.”
“Mine?”
“Absolutely! Well, I didn’t hear it directly, so it’s secondhand information, but….”
“Hm?”
What is that about? I tilted my head, confused.
Then Jerry closed his eyes and recited dramatically.
“Those who hate sharing are third-rate nobles. Those who grit their teeth and fulfill their duties out of sheer stubbornness are second-rate. And those who do it as a matter of course, without even thinking of it as a burden—that’s what makes a first-rate noble.”
After finishing that statement, he opened his eyes and looked at me again.
“I heard that from somewhere.”
“I see, I have indeed said that before.”
Those were the words of my predecessor, and I consider them a guiding principle. So, strictly speaking, they aren’t my own words—but I chose not to point that out and instead looked at Jerry with an inquisitive gaze, urging him to continue.
“I found that by following that advice, things went smoothly.”
“Well then, while we’re at it, let me give you a piece of advice.”
“—Ah! Yes! I will listen carefully.”
Jerry changed his expression, knelt down right there, and bowed deeply.
“After effortlessly accomplishing something, you may seldom feel rewarded. However,”
“…”
“If I give to a thousand people, and just one returns something, that will yield a profit—a great success. Just like you.”
“I have received your words with utmost regard.”
Jerry said this and then lay down on the ground, trembling with emotion.
☆
Jerry said, “I’ll reap it all,” and took his unit back with him.
The girls he brought along were sent back as they were.
If it was about a “playboy,” Alice could handle that, and having fewer collaborators who could lie would make it harder for the truth to come out, so the girls were sent back.
With all the commotion, the sun had completely set in the west and the night had fallen.
Even so, the flames from the granary burning down on the other side of the mountain dyed the night sky brightly.
“This will make the battle significantly easier.”
“Yeah… but still… he was quite the man.”
Neil, who had been watching the entire situation closely but had hardly spoken during it all, finally spoke up.
“That’s true.”
“The fact that His Majesty discovered that is indeed impressive.”
“He’s just one in a thousand; it wasn’t intentional.”
I smiled slightly.
“If that’s the case… I think it’s even more impressive.”
“Hm?”
“If even one out of a thousand returns after being nurtured… even if you decide in your heart to do it, there’s a good chance you’ll lose heart halfway through.”
I thought that made sense.
It’s the story of “pretending to hold out is second-rate; doing it without hesitation is first-rate,” but I decided not to say it.
“That aside…”
“Hm?”
“What now?” I looked at Neil.
He was gazing at the direction Jerry had gone, which was now just darkness.
“It’s such a waste that he caught the eye of His Majesty. If he altered that attitude even a little, he could have risen even further.”
“Hahaha, did it seem that way?”
“Huh?”
Neil looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“About that…..What does that mean?”
“Jerry’s attitude, that was intentional.”
“Huh?”
“He’s acting in the same way as I am.”
“Why would that be?”
“Think back to the time I told him I would give him one word of advice.”
“One word… he kneeled, if I remember correctly…”
“Indeed.”
I nodded, recalling Jerry’s behavior from that time.
“Didn’t you feel a sense of discomfort in that behavior?”
“Discomfort? No… I thought he was just acting appropriately.”
“That’s right, he was acting appropriately. Even in front of the throne, there was no room for complaint about his conduct.”
When I said this, Neil nodded. He had a “so?” expression—then immediately had a realization.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“It’s a cliché, but what’s strange is not being strange. Jerry had just behaved in a way that angered Henry moments before, yet at that moment, he showed perfect conduct based on proper etiquette.”
“Why would he do such a thing?”
“I told you, it’s the same act as mine. Jerry is currently playing that character. It seems he couldn’t deceive his feelings when it came to my real advice, though.”
“……”
Neil stood there, mouth agape, at a loss for words.
“He pretends he can’t do something when he can. No, before that, he calculates his own background into the performance. He must have put in considerable effort behind the scenes.”
“Isn’t that overestimating him?”
“Do you really think so?”
“…No. I think it’s impressive that someone could rise that far from being a bandit.”
“That’s right.”
As I nodded, I looked in the direction Jerry had gone, just as Neil had earlier.
I recalled when we first met.
Back then, he was just a bandit leader, but now he has grown into a general who plays the part of an idle fool and seduces the populace to grasp enemy confidential information.
I reaffirmed that paving the way for him back then was indeed the right call.
And then, I reconsidered how to handle Jerry.
Should I let him accrue military achievements in the borderlands for a while longer, or should I recall him to the imperial capital to assign him to the Imperial Guard?
Or should I send him to the Turhive front to assist Jessica huh.
Suddenly, Oscar’s figure appeared in my mind.
This time it was okay, but there might come a time when I need to be cautious about Oscar again.
In such circumstances, it would be advantageous to have someone like Jerry near the capital with a certain amount of military power.
No, even if that’s true…
It would go more smoothly to let him accumulate a bit more military achievements before entrusting him with the Imperial Guard.
I figured it’d be better not to force things—that way, we wouldn’t provoke or alarm Oscar unnecessarily.
So, from that perspective.
I thought that I would give Jerry more importance in this battle.
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am a bit lazy these days.
Thanks for the treat. 😊