[Project: World Creator].
Abbreviated as W.C.
It’s safe to say it was everything in my life, a game I truly adored.
Once I started, six hours would fly by easily, and after finishing the game, I’d sometimes find the sun rising the next morning when I pulled back the curtains.
The experience of moving my soldiers according to my intentions, crushing enemy countries, and manipulating a nation’s politics the way I wanted was thrilling.
If that was all, I might not have been so passionate about it, but the “demon world” setting added in appropriately made the game’s atmosphere, which could have become loose, stay tense.
Truly, I could call it a dopamine machine for me.
That day was no different.
As usual, I started the game, then closed the ending screen I had already seen.
I pressed the button asking if I wanted to start a new game to find a new ending, and I watched as the screen turned white.
“Lord Branzilte. Please answer me.”
“Wait a moment, Count. His Excellency is lost in thought.”
“His Majesty is waiting! Or, is Lord Branzilte more important than His Majesty to you, Prime Minister?”
“How dare you speak so! Speak with respect, Count!”
…I was eagerly focused on the idea of seeing a new ending, when, somehow, I ended up witnessing a scene where elderly men in flashy attire were fighting.
Moreover, those clothes were worn by early medieval figures from W.C.
It wasn’t exactly a great situation.
The character I had possessed, ‘Leo Branzilte,’ wasn’t viewed favorably by everyone.
This was particularly evident in the Count’s attitude.
It was definitely not the gaze one would give to a hero.
Rather, it was closer to the look one would give to a pest that destroys a country.
I could tell because I had played the game a few times.
Leo Branzilte was a well-known schemer among the nobility.
He wasn’t shy about spreading false information to protect his own interests.
Through such political maneuvering and leveraging his wealth, he had quickly risen to a high-ranking officer in the military.
He had been easily defeated by the small country of the Phillips Kingdom in the tutorial, and then, as the commander of the Stral Rent Legion, he let the country be effortlessly stolen from the nation where the protagonist resided.
‘This is bad, really.’
I was guessing that the invasion they were talking about was the battle where they were thoroughly beaten by the Phillips Kingdom.
Leo, who looked down on his army, would carelessly wage the battle, and I’d probably cause a catastrophe just by trying to gain a single point.
Look at the king’s expression.
Does that look like the expression of someone honoring a soldier?
In fact, I almost felt like this man was a schemer, too.
I suspected the king had already been thoroughly manipulated by the nobles.
“Lord Branzilte, this battle is truly your turn to lead. If so, your contributions will only grow larger.”
I looked around.
The nobles were staring at me.
Though I wanted to run away right then, considering Leo Branzilte’s character, it seemed he had already bribed several nobles to get to this point.
The Prime Minister, who seemed to support me, had likely received a huge bribe from Leo.
If I declared ‘I won’t do it!’ now, it was obvious what the reaction of the surrounding nobles would be.
‘…It is an honor, Your Majesty. Please let me take on that task.’
…I had no choice but to respond to the king’s words, swallowing the bitterness in my heart.
The Stral Rent Kingdom.
A nation that maintains a complacent stance on external pressure without having a proper military force.
The upper echelons, as they are called, completely ignore the anxiety of the citizens, thinking they’re doing well while casually going about their business.
In such an atmosphere, it was easy for someone like Leo Branzilte, whose career was filled with flattery and lies, to take the position of a legion commander.
I looked outside from the carriage that was waiting in front of the palace gate to take me home.
The king had told me he would give me the position of 1st Legion Commander.
Up until now, everything was according to the game’s scenario.
Leo Branzilte, who had been appointed not long ago, pushed the army forward without knowing much, and in the Roger Mountain Range, famous for its steep terrain, white-clad soldiers lost their footing and caused the worst disaster in history.
Well, as a gamer, that wasn’t really my concern.
“Right now, I’m Leo…!”
My mind was spinning.
How should I resolve this?
“Maybe it’ll work.”
Having seen something like this before, I desperately shouted as I grabbed the collar of my shirt.
‘…Status window!’
Fortunately, perhaps the gods in the sky took pity on my earnest wish.
A clear rectangular window appeared before my eyes with my shout.
“Ah.”
I was moved by such a small thing.
Sighing at my pathetic situation, I looked at the window in front of me.
Name: Leo Branzilte
Job: Legion Commander (New!!)
Age: 25
Description: Third son of Duke Shern
Status: Health (D), Strength (D), Agility (C)
Traits: Archery (B), Leadership (D), Adaptability (C)
Health and Strength being D…
It was clear from the stats that it wasn’t looking good, and to roughly gauge how weak I was, I picked up a stone about the size of a fist that hadn’t been cleared from inside the carriage.
If I were the person from my previous life, it wouldn’t have been difficult to lift, but Leo’s body struggled even with this.
I felt like my strength might give out and hurt myself, so I quickly set the stone down.
“…Sigh.”
I couldn’t help but sigh.
A body weaker than an average adult male…
At least with a C rating, I might be at a normal human level, right?
With D for health, it was clear how poor my stamina was.
What was fortunate, though, was that the system seemed to feel this was too much, as there was something else below.
“Subordinate’s capabilities.”
“What’s this?”
Any information is precious.
If you know even a little, you can use it later.
When I touched the “Subordinate Officer Capabilities” tab, a wider window appeared in front of me than the previous one.
“…Rachel Lockhart?”
There was only one name listed.
Name: Rachel Lockhart
Job: Deputy Legion Commander
Age: 24
Description: The daughter of Count Luhit, an elite who graduated early from the National Military Academy
Status: Health (B), Strength (C), Agility (A)
Traits: Martial Arts (A)
Perception: She is wary of you.
I see.
Unless I make an effort, strength and health can’t be immediately increased.
This meant that I was being told to fill in the gaps where I lacked using the troops under my command.
Hmm, okay.
So, I now have such a deputy commander.
“What do you expect me to do with this!”
I heard the coachman in front gasp in surprise.
In my frustration, I inadvertently raised my voice.
“Ah, ahem.”
Right, if you think about it as the medieval era, they probably didn’t care about soundproofing at all.
I closed my mouth, feeling embarrassed.
I sank back into my thoughts.
There were many things that raised doubts, but the biggest one was why there was only one deputy legion commander among my subordinates.
For a legion, it should normally be divided into units of at least 5,000 people.
“I don’t understand the criteria.”
…Well, I’ll meet her soon enough, and maybe I’ll understand then.
No matter how impatient I am, there’s nothing to be done without information.
Soon, we arrived at the military base.
After finding the room with my name on it, I realized that Leo Branzilte’s previous rank was the commander of a large battalion.
If this were modern times, a large battalion would be a position one starts from after being an officer.
Sogari, who had received no military knowledge, must have become a legion commander without knowing anything about military matters. How could he win a battle like that?
Moreover, normally, when the position of the legion commander is vacant, the deputy legion commander takes the position.
But for Leo Branzilte to become the legion commander, it meant that he must have bribed the prime minister and others.
Well, whatever.
I put on a neatly folded military uniform.
The 1st Legion wasn’t that far away.
Since the territory wasn’t that large to begin with, the legions would be positioned close to each other.
I saw a large building that looked like a command center and soldiers receiving training with loud voices.
Now, I had to command them.
I got off the carriage and headed for the legion commander’s office.
The nameplate in front of the office already read, “Legion Commander Leo Branzilte.”
And in front of it, I noticed something strange — a box.
“Hmm?”
I opened the box.
Inside were all sorts of dazzling jewels, and a letter.
The letter inside was beautifully written, asking me to look after his son, who was about to enter the training camp, when the military assignments were decided.
Blatantly bribing like this…
A sigh escaped me.
The interior of the legion commander’s office was unnecessarily covered in gold-like decorations.
It seemed the previous legion commander had quite a bit of pride in his power.
Normally, these legion commanders are utterly incompetent.
Leo Branzilte might have played a decisive role in the downfall of the Stral Rent Kingdom, but it could be that it was already slowly rotting from the inside.
Knock knock.
At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
I naturally thought it was the maid who had returned, trembling with anxiety, and I spoke in a calm tone.
The door soon opened, and someone entered.
When I turned around to check their face, I froze in place.
A purple cloak, armor that seemed to be made to resemble the body’s muscles.
Even though she wore such a rough outfit, her slender figure was noticeable.
Above all, her dazzling blonde hair and blue eyes made me lose my composure the moment I saw her.
She saluted me.
“I salute the newly appointed Legion Commander.
With a rather high tone, her strong voice came across in a dignified manner.
“I am Rachel Lockhart, Deputy Legion Commander of the 1st Legion.”
Her gaze towards me was one of respect, like that of a subordinate towards a superior.
But there was also a sense of determination, as if she were looking at a wall that had to be broken down.