Chapter 152: The Noble’s Wandering Has Not Yet Begun
Inside the tent, I was getting dressed in armor with Alice’s help.
I was changing into my battle-ready armor.
“… Huh?”
“Is something the matter?”
Alice, who was assisting me right in front, looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
Given our height difference, she naturally had to look up at me from such a close distance.
In response to her curious, upward glance,
“I thought even if something happens, I can’t possibly say that I can get ready by myself.”
“Your Majesty…”
Alice tilted her head slightly in confusion.
As the Emperor now, and formerly a prince, she knows well enough that someone like me wouldn’t prepare myself on their own after having spent a long time with her.
At the same time, her hesitation to directly deny it or ask again led to her reaction.
I chuckled softly.
“I often go incognito, to the point where Henry gets mad at me for it.”
“Ah, that’s right!”
Alice seemed to accept that.
She understood the reasoning that I had to prepare myself when going incognito.
Of course, that’s not really the truth.
What I truly thought was that I couldn’t say I could get ready by myself, just because I had experience from a previous life.
It had been several decades since I was reborn as Noah Ararat.
In terms of life length, I had already lived longer as Noah than I had as my previous self.
My memories of my past life were fading, and my awareness of myself as Noah was becoming stronger.
I felt a strange sentiment that it was now difficult for me to prepare myself alone.
However, to be honest, this was only the second time I felt this way.
“… I’ve heard something like this before.”
I posed it as a story to Alice.
“There was once a youth born and raised in a cold village who, after growing up a little, found himself living in the capital, and when he realized that his life in the capital had become longer than that in his hometown, he found it deeply moving.”
“I understand, I too—”
Alice started to say something but suddenly stopped, realizing something.
“Hmm?”
“Oh! N-nothing at all!”
Alice panicked. She visibly and clearly blushed and frantically denied it. Then she whispered in a voice that was almost fading away, “The part of my life where Your Majesty is present has become longer…”
Though she tried to cover it up, I heard her clearly.
Well, if she wanted to cover it up, it would be kind to pretend I hadn’t heard it.
I stayed silent and didn’t say anything.
Alice was a bit flustered, but when I remained quiet, she quickly regained her composure and diligently helped me prepare, like a devoted wife.
After a while, I could see a figure outside the tent.
“It’s Henry.”
“Come in.”
Responding casually, the entrance of the tent opened, and Henry, who was perfectly dressed, entered.
He approached me and bowed formally in a familiar manner.
“The preparations are complete, Your Majesty.”
“Uh-huh.”
“The location is straight to the southwest from here, where a separated unit has been left behind. Given its scale, it should be an easy task.”
“I understand.”
“However, why is this happening?”
“Hmm?”
I tilted my head and looked at Henry.
He looked even more puzzled than I did.
“Your Majesty’s thoughts are somewhat unclear… The situation seems to be decided; it’s just a matter of clean-up or pacification—there’s a subtle nuance in the words, but it’s at that stage.”
“That’s true.”
“Why is it necessary for Your Majesty to appear here? Moreover, the order…”
Henry glanced at Alice briefly.
He understood that I, who had given the command, appreciated his efforts to consider my “face in front of a lady.”
I laughed and said,
“Where is the weakest enemy?”
“…What?”
“Since we’ve gone this far, I thought I might as well continue to hide for a while longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I came here personally, but I didn’t do anything in particular. It ended before I did anything.”
“…Whaaa”
Henry nodded slightly.
Henry is capable enough to understand without needing to switch his focus that I am discussing the “public appearance.”
“I would like to pretend that the Emperor, who did nothing, hurried to accumulate achievements only after everything was over.”
“I see, since it’s still a stage where deception can be effective, we should thoroughly play the part of a lazy nobleman.”
“That’s right. Therefore, the best opponent was one that could be considered ‘weak enough to bully.'”
“You truly are remarkable, Your Majesty.”[TN: Yes yes, even his farting will look remarkable to you guys]
“Is that so?”
“I can’t help but view things through a tactical lens. What you have is the performance of the position of ‘Emperor’—a strategy.”
Henry praised me.
Hearing Henry, a man of such caliber, sincerely compliment me, Alice, who had been quietly preparing, looked at me with an adoring gaze filled with admiration.
“Henry.”
“Y-yes…?”
“There is no superiority or inferiority between tactics and strategy; it’s merely a difference in means—tools.”
“…Indeed, Your Majesty is truly amazing.”
Henry’s eyes widened momentarily, and after being astonished to the point of being speechless, he gazed at me with even greater respect.
☆
Leading the troops into battle, I moved forward based on the information obtained from scouts, and managed to catch up to a unit that had become isolated in just about half a day.
That unit showed hesitation when faced with the suddenly appearing imperial soldiers.
They were clearly torn over whether to fight to the last breath or to flee immediately.
They couldn’t even make a decision, and their confusion was evident.
I did not hesitate at all.
Almost simultaneously with spotting the enemy, while showing the Imperial emblem, I ordered my troops to charge.
It was most undesirable to “accidentally defeat” a strong unit.
That was second only to the terrible outcome of me, the Emperor, losing my life here.
So, I had the scouts thoroughly investigate the enemy unit in advance.
As a result, I confirmed that they were nothing but isolated weak soldiers, no matter how high their capabilities were assessed.
I charged at that unit.
As Henry said, it was a complete rout.
Immediately after colliding with the enemy during the charge, they began to fall apart, and then I moved on to slay the retreating enemy soldiers.
I showed no mercy, continuing to cut down enemy soldiers from the back of my horse.
Of course, I cut down the few soldiers who appeared before me, but I also took the opportunity to strike down the weakened enemy soldiers that my own troops had incapacitated.
Even while I was “stealing” these moments, I did not cease maintaining the Emperor’s emblem through the spirits.
The power to strongly assert that I was the “Emperor,” using the emblem and presence so that individuals who didn’t even know my face could recognize me as such.
With that power, I heavily proclaimed my status as “Emperor” while striking down enemies.
By doing this, I strongly asserted my presence as the Emperor on the battlefield.
In an instant, the enemy unit faced total annihilation.
“The enemy unit has been completely annihilated.”
“Well done.”
The report came from a captain-level soldier, who cast a look of disdain at me for consistently “stealing” the merits of the soldiers.
I was secretly satisfied in my heart, having accomplished what I intended, knowing that such “petty” tales hold more credibility when coming from allies rather than foes.
From my horse, I observed the soldiers handling the aftermath and the carnage of the defeated enemies.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of discomfort.
“That’s strange…”
“What is, Your Majesty?”
The nearest captain reacted to my murmured words.
Not answering, I continued to observe while pulling my horse, attempting to articulate the source of my discomfort.
After thinking for a bit, I found the right words.
There was no indication of surrender.
The enemy soldiers showed movements of either determined resistance or retreat.
However, there was absolutely no sign of surrender.
That was a little unsettling.
Of course, I intended to completely annihilate them without giving them a chance, but they had no way of knowing my intentions, and even if they did, it’s natural to want to cling to life.
Yet, there was hardly any sign of surrender whatsoever.
That was strange and troubling.
“Your Majesty!”
One soldier came running toward me.
He seemed to be out of breath from his hurried pace.
“What is it?”
“I… I have found something strange.”
“Something strange?”
“Y-yes… how should I put it…”
The soldier who came to report had a face filled with confusion. It was clear that he didn’t know how to explain or report what he had witnessed.
“I understand. Lead the way.”
“Yes, sir!”
I ordered the bewildered soldier to guide us. We rode on horseback down a path that resembled a flower road, which other soldiers had cleared.
What lay ahead was the former center of the enemy unit, where a few supplies were present. Among the supplies was a large wooden box.
“This is it.”
“What is this…?”
I jumped off my horse and approached the wooden box. As I opened it, I found—
“…I see.”
A boy clad in noble clothing was lying inside, unconscious but alive.
“What does this mean?”
“This must be his son. Check inside the box; there should be something that proves his lineage.”
As I said this, the soldier began to thoroughly check the contents of the box and the area around the boy. After a while—
“Wow… Ah, here it is!”
The soldier rummaging through the contents of the box raised a gold plate engraved with letters high above his head, as if he had unearthed treasure.
[TN: I’ll be honest, I am in need of money right now to upgrade my laptop, so I am working a bit more on translations. Hopefully adsense will fulfill the gap. Thank you]
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