The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 89

Chapter 89: Setting Sun

“Here is the terrain map around the capital, locations for building defenses, and the remaining military strength and resources.”

I spread the handed documents on the table and checked them. Aria, the knights’ leader, and others also contemplated while examining the information.

“… Resources seem fine, but the issue lies with the soldiers. The inability to handle large-sized creatures is fatal.”

“We don’t encounter them often on the Hume continent, and even the mid-sized monsters here are formidable, unlike on the Grusio continent.”

Unlike the Grusio continent, where powerful monsters like ogres appear as you go inland, on the Hume continent, unless you go deep into unexplored territories or dungeons, you won’t encounter strong monsters.

Knights who undergo rigorous training and regularly fight monsters may cope, but for ordinary soldiers, it’s a heavy burden. However, the most significant problem is…

“The problem is that the soldiers’ morale has dropped after hearing about my brother’s collapse.”

My brother’s influence is significant, but this incident has cast a shadow on the morale of the soldiers. Once thoughts turn negative, lifting them becomes quite a challenge.

(What would my brother do? No…)

“Report! A horde of monsters is approaching!”

As I was pondering, a soldier rushed in. Tension filled the room, but I turned towards the soldier and asked, “How long until the monsters arrive?”

“Approximately thirty minutes based on the distance and their movement speed!”

“Understood.”

After hearing that, I turned back to the leader of the knights.

“Knight Commander, can you gather the entire army?”

“I have no objections, but… Are you planning to confront them with our full force?”

“No… just a slightly better approach.”

I conveyed to the knight commander the method I had come up with…

—

Outside the defense wall, I walked alone with a sword in hand.

The gathered soldiers were positioned behind the defense, awaiting what I was about to do.

Aria and the others were on alert for any other monster hordes. If they appeared, they were ready to deal with them from a vantage point.

In front of me, a horde of monsters emerged. Leading them was a giant creature, probably three times my size, roaring as it approached.

“…I’m sorry.”

The crystals were embedded in the chests of these monsters. Most likely, they had been turned into monsters and forced to fight. However, at the moment, stopping them without killing them seemed impossible.

…That’s why.

“Deploying military attire, ‘Black-Clad Holy Army Chaos Crusader.'”

All I could do was finish it in an instant.

—

After annihilating the monsters and returning, the soldiers watching from the defense wall looked at me with a mix of awe and anticipation. However, there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

…Not a bad reaction, but it’s not enough yet. Merely replacing my brother in his position won’t suffice.

Walking to the top of the defense wall, I removed my armor. Then, to appear as arrogant as possible, I looked down on the soldiers.

“Pitiful.”

Using wind magic to make my voice audible to everyone, I let the words echo. Except for a few, the soldiers wore expressions of shock.

“All of you adults let my brother fight to the brink of death alone. Now, when my brother has fallen, are you thinking it’s impossible and giving up? And now, are you turning to me, whom you previously looked down upon?”

I included a hint of the emotions I had briefly harbored in my words.

“I have no intention of saving this country. Do you understand why? What I and my brother have experienced from you, your families, and this country has become quite famous.”

Upon hearing this, some averted their eyes or bowed their heads. They likely felt a sense of guilt.

“But the king lowered his head to me, asking me to sacrifice myself to protect all of you. So, reluctantly, I’ll protect you. However…”

Releasing magical power to intimidate, I concluded the sentence.

“Is that what you want?”

I posed the question.