When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 189

Episode 189

In the capital city of Nevorista in the Tashman Kingdom. King Ramses, Prime Minister William, the high-ranking officials, and the leaders of the 1st Legion, along with the top brass of the 11th Legion, including Jez, were in the final stages of preparations for the upcoming expedition to the Divina Papal State.

This deployment was fundamentally different from the usual missions to fight monsters at the front lines of humanity. The opponents in these front-line battles were monsters, and the battlegrounds were limited to within the Tashman Kingdom or unexplored territories of humanity.

Although fighting monsters is inherently difficult and requires vigilance, the Tashman Kingdom had considerable experience in such battles. So there were fewer points of contention in the preparatory phase. However, this time, the opponents were humans. The battleground was in a foreign nation. The expedition would involve passing through several countries to reach the Divina Papal State, making the nature of the conflict entirely different.

While there had been battles with bandit groups or minor skirmishes with other countries, large-scale confrontations between significant military forces from human nations had been rare in recent years. Furthermore, any unexpected occurrences in the transit or within the Divina Papal State would need to be addressed not just from a military perspective but also as diplomatic issues.

These differences from usual military operations were numerous. King Ramses, the heads of various ministries, and Jez and the expedition’s on-site leaders were rapidly making decisions.

Jez had anticipated this situation to some extent. He believed that the expertise of existing military staff wouldn’t be sufficient and had appointed Cynthia as his assistant. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Tashman Kingdom naturally dealt with the military. As such, the Ministry of Military Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and various other departments, naturally developed a broad perspective and extensive network of connections. Cynthia was thus a perfect fit for such cases. During this intense meeting, Cynthia excelled in taking excellent minutes, which required understanding the discussions and outcomes of the meeting. It made her well-suited for the role.

・　・　・

Jez and his team were deeply engrossed in the serious meeting for more than half a day. Meanwhile, Victor, our alchemist, was casually helping with the loading of supplies onto the ship, chatting with the guards, and occasionally disappearing with his toolbox.

Victor was enjoying his free time when he heard an announcement requesting a meeting with him. Tilting his head in confusion, he made his way to the gangway, where he found—

“What!? Dad!? What are you doing here!?”

“Still as lively as ever, Victor.”

There stood Marquess Byron Alchemis, leading the Academy members. He was the foremost engineer of the age, head of the Alchemis family, Director of the Tashman Kingdom’s Department of Science and Technology, Honorary Chancellor of the Academy, and Victor Alchemis’ real father.

With such an array of titles, it was unusual for Marquess Byron not to appear during the recent turmoil in the southern regions or the dragon attack in the capital.

“…When did you return to the country?”

In fact, Marquess Byron had been on a multi-year journey abroad, funded by the national treasury. While the Tashman Kingdom was indeed strong in military power and resources, there were other nations on the Azelion continent with superior culture, arts, science, and magic technology. His mission was to visit these countries, conduct on-site research, and bring knowledge back to the Tashman Kingdom.

During this journey, Tashman Kingdom’s second prince, Levius Tashman, had occasionally accompanied him for diplomatic purposes. Prince Levius had been constantly traveling as a diplomat. He had been the first to report the situation in the Divina Papal State to the Tashman Kingdom.

Nevertheless, due to these circumstances, Marquess Byron had been away from the Tashman Kingdom for several years. However, with the outbreak of internal strife in the Divina Papal State and the political instability across the Azerion continent, and with the possibility of the Tashman Kingdom engaging in military action increasing, Marquess Byron had cut short his travels and returned to the country. Coincidentally, it was just in time to hear rumors of a flying ship and see it in flight.

Hearing that his son Victor had apparently made the engines, Marquess Byron could hardly contain himself. He brought along members of the Academy as his entourage and came over right away.

As Byron explained his excitement, Victor, with a slightly annoyed expression, asked, 

“So? What did you come all this way for?”

“It’s obvious. Show me inside. And let me tinker with it.”

Byron’s expression seemed to say, “Why are you asking such an obvious question, you fool?” as he held up his toolbox. The old man was clearly very enthusiastic.

“Victor, I know you’re a genius. But when it comes to magical engines and control systems, I am superior to you. I’ll teach you how to maintain them, so hurry up and show me around.”

Victor was confident in his own talent and believed he was far superior to his father in terms of innate ability. However, in fields that required experience and intuition, his father was unmatched. Knowing this, Victor reluctantly guided his father around with a grimace.

“Heh heh. I’ll make sure to personalize these engines for you, so wait for me, little engines… Heh heh.”

While Victor showed signs of frustration, Marquess Byron was eagerly mumbling to himself. He was clearly excited as he was led to the engine room.