"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 41

A letter addressed to the Imperial Castle just arrived.

The sender was a spy infiltrated in the Sel Duchy.

At the moment it was sent during this period, I had a bad feeling, and that feeling turned out to be spot on.

In the large conference room.

At the head of the enormous table sat the empress, with ministers and military leaders lined up in order of rank on either side.

“Lord Sel… you have betrayed our empire…”

“I hear that recently the number of Eldorado believers in that country has been rapidly increasing. It is highly likely that this is related.”

“Shouldn’t we have issued a ban on Christianity after all?”

“That would be the height of folly. If you do something like that, not only will you make the Eldorado Empire your enemy, but you’ll also turn the Eldorado believers across the continent against you.”

The Four Great Powers of the Continent, the Eldorado Empire of the West.

Most of the citizens of the Empire believe in a religion called Eldoradoism, and the leader of the country is called the Pope.

This time, the one who defected is the small to medium-sized nation of Sel, located exactly halfway between the Empire and the Imperial Nation. Originally, there was a front line near the border between the Sel Duchy and the Eldorado Empire, and a standoff had continued for many years, but now that the Duchy has defected, we must re-establish the front line.

The prime minister asks the military leaders.

“The Imperial soldiers who were sent to the front lines?”

“We haven’t received any information. Perhaps…”

“It seems highly likely that we were ambushed by the Imperial soldiers and the Marquessate soldiers… such cowardly tactics…”

“Your Majesty Iris. I believe we need to send the troops immediately, but what do you wish to do?”

“……It’s too early to mobilize the imperial army. I would prefer to send the great noble army instead, but that too cannot be said to be very efficient.”

The Grand Noble Army, as the name suggests, is an army owned by the Grand Nobles, and currently, under the Empress’s orders, each army is entrusted with a crucial front line. Given the current situation where it’s uncertain which country might defect, we want to avoid moving the Grand Noble Army as much as possible.

However, there is an exception to this.

“Currently, among the great noble armies of the Empire, there is only one army that is available.”

The executives who heard the prime minister’s remarks were agitated.

“Could it be… the Grace Marquisate Army?”

“That unyielding Duke Grace?”

“Are they even going to respond to the request? They were refused last time, right?”

“I heard that they are currently in the process of constructing a trade port.”

“Then even more so…”

“Truly, a man unworthy of an imperial noble.”

“Even if you gossip, it will only reduce the number of dishes on your table. Mind your words.”

“Ugh…”

Since the meeting had become noisy, the Chancellor cleared his throat and restored the silence.

“And what will you do, Your Majesty?”

“Request the Grace Frontier Count’s army and the surrounding noble armies.”

Understood.

Everyone has a surprised expression, but there is no one who can voice an opinion to the Empress.

Are you really okay?

If this fails, at worst, the enemy’s front lines will be pushed all the way to the empire…

“Everyone, don’t worry. Grace will definitely take action.”

The Empress’s words resonated with all the ministers and executives, and the anxiety that had been piling up on the table had vanished before anyone noticed.

That’s right. If Your Majesty says so, there’s no problem.

You must have some kind of assurance

It is absolutely unacceptable to even momentarily question Her Majesty the Empress’s decision.

And then.

“Hereby, I issue the final order. Request the Marquis of Grace and the surrounding nobles to mobilize. Additionally, establish a new front called the ‘Western Front’ at the border between our country and the marquisate. Immediately conquer the Marquisate of Ser and swiftly seize their territory.”

“Huh!!”

About a week passed since then.

A request was also sent to Arden by fast horse, so preparations for departure were quickly made. Of course, Charlotte, the commander of the Grace Knights, took all her subordinates and swiftly returned to the Grace Marquessate.

Since Ryu had anticipated this outcome from the beginning, he had already thought about who to leave behind and who to take with him.

The members participating in this war are…

The stingray turned around and confirmed the cavalry waiting behind.

“Um… It’s just Lord Ryu, me, and a hundred cavalry… Is that all? It feels a bit lacking…”

“Well, it should be fine. Silver and the others will continue the construction of the port town, and we need Dylan to ensure the safety of the territory.”

Since we don’t know when the members of the Grace Knights will return, we have to proceed with only the personnel from Arden until then.

By the way, Mimi is currently in the process of evolving, but it was decided that she is still too inexperienced to fight against the hero, so she had to stay behind this time with a heavy heart.

And now, it’s time to depart.

Silver confronted Ryu.

“Lord Ryu. Rather than Sting, it is indeed I who…”

“Sorry, Silva. This team is the most efficient.”

“However…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect your daughter.”

“Huh, am I the one who is supposed to protect…?”

Setting aside this friendly parent-child knight, if you turn left…

“If you were to lose your life, I would definitely go to heaven to lecture you. Got it?”

“Big brother! Please don’t die!”

“Lord Ryu. Please, please take this old man with you…!”

For some reason, my mother is furious, my sister looks like the world is ending, and my overprotective grandfather is here.

I know that if everyone is Ryu, there won’t be any problems, but when it comes to actually participating in a war, the worry as a family member will inevitably take precedence.

“Come on, don’t cry. Lena.”

“But…”

“I promise to definitely come back by the time of the exam.”

“A promise…? Really…?”

“Ah. It’s a promise.”

“Then I’ll wait for you… *sniff*”

“Alright, good boy.”

Ryu patted Lena’s head as hard as he could.

The head of the Arden family finally addresses everyone present. Not a long, rambling speech, but a few short words.

“First, the knights who will go to the battlefield with me. Until the war is over, keep your eyes on my back and follow only me.”

“Huh!!”

“Next are the families who came to see us off. I will definitely bring everyone back alive. So just wait here without worry.”

“Yes!!”

However, everyone’s expressions remained gloomy.

Seeing that scene, Ryu smiled gently.

“Sometimes, you can leave everything to me.”

Because I…

………”Stronger than anyone else”