WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈
Chapter 52: You Don't Need to Know
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The day after the Imperial Family released its statement.
[Alliance of Intellectuals: The monster wave in the Ashen Forest arose from mere concern, not confirmed evidence...]
The authoritative academic society of the imperial capital hurriedly issued a correction.
The citizens who had protested in the central square and at the western gate vanished.
Public opinion shifted in a different direction instead.
“What’s this? It looks like the Imperial Family is fully backing this.”
“I thought it was just some mad scheme by a grand ducal house, but it isn’t. If it’s a state project planned by the Imperial Family, that changes things.”
Strictly speaking, it was not a state project led by the Imperial Family.
Still, ordinary citizens could not help seeing it that way.
It was also true that Imperial Family military funds had gone into it, so they were not entirely wrong.
The people of the Empire now looked at the expedition with anticipation rather than fear.
They were only hopeful, though. Most still doubted it had a high chance of success.
Even tens of thousands of regular soldiers could not guarantee victory in the Ashen Forest.
The prevailing opinion was that a hastily assembled expedition would struggle to conquer it.
Whatever the case, the crown prince had given it massive publicity.
“Hey, isn’t it about time we went too?”
“How many days will it take to get to Cardenos?”
“Brother, let’s go make a fortune too. Everyone else is going. We can’t just stand by and watch.”
Naturally, those chasing opportunity grew eager.
The swordsmen who had hesitated outside the gates began rushing west in droves.
Meanwhile, public opinion across the Empire continued to heat up.
“The tide has completely turned. We can’t let this spark go out.”
Irina, the merchant guild head of the Patrian Merchant Guild, seized the opportunity.
Without delay, she poured enormous funds into major news outlets throughout the Empire, including the Imperial Capital Gazette.
It could not end with a one-time article.
She continuously framed the expedition as “humanity’s advance” and a noble “holy war,” driving the idea deep into the public’s mind.
Whether it would succeed became a secondary concern.
Now that the expedition had been elevated into humanity’s great undertaking, what would happen if a grand ducal house like Rosenthal tried to interfere out of private resentment?
They would be condemned as enemies of humanity who opposed the greater cause.
It also had a major effect on the mercenaries and wanderers flooding into the west.
They were not going there to make money. They were going to become heroes.
Money alone could not move people’s hearts when it came to an expedition into the Ashen Forest.
Irina gave them a sense of pride bordering on indoctrination. That alone became a psychological safeguard.
It would prevent desertions and riots in the Ashen Forest before they happened.
After securing the direction of public opinion, Irina immediately convened an emergency meeting of elders.
“From this point on, we will distribute all of Patrian’s available supplies to the west.”
The elders seated around the round table cried out in alarm at her abrupt declaration.
“Guild Head! What are you saying? Haven’t we already handed over most of our military supplies to the west? Tying up even more capital would place far too much strain on the guild!”
“I agree. To stake the guild’s future on an expedition with no guarantee of survival...”
“If we’re going to show goodwill, now is exactly the time.”
Irina rested a fingertip on the table and continued.
“A hand extended after the victory bells ring is not goodwill. It is nothing but flattery. Do you think Young Lord Astin is the sort of person swayed by flattery?”
The elders who had raised their voices fell silent.
“This is not simple supply procurement. It is getting there first. We must support him wholeheartedly when everyone predicts failure. Only then will we receive gains worthy of it after success.”
Of course, the elders saw it as madness.
Even with everyone’s attention fixed on it and the expedition framed as a greater cause, success remained uncertain.
A merchant’s foundation was spreading risk and investing in certain profit.
Irina herself had spent her entire life calculating every gain and loss. She had expected the elders to oppose her.
Astin had saved Patrian when it stood on the verge of bankruptcy.
He had even given them the cosmetics monopoly, bringing them an unprecedented golden age.
Irina had been deeply moved by the blind trust Astin had shown.
For the first time in her life, she had chosen a person over profit.
Before the elders, though, she had to wear the mask of a cold, calculating merchant.
An emotional argument would not work on them.
Swish.
Irina pulled out a contract and slid it across the round table.
“He said he would hand Patrian exclusive distribution rights for every mana stone and special resource in the Ashen Forest.”
The elders’ eyes widened as though they might pop out.
No one knew the scale of the resources hidden in the Ashen Forest, but they were too vast to estimate.
Exclusive distribution rights to all of it. If the expedition succeeded, it would be enough to rewrite the merchant guild’s history.
“Withdrawing funds out of fear of failure is the way of cowards. It is not our way.”
Irina’s blue eyes gleamed as she declared,
“Pour in the funds and keep the door to success open. Young Lord Astin is worth far more than that.”
* * *
It was now the ninth day since the expedition announcement had been posted.
Thanks to the Imperial Family’s statement and Irina’s covert manipulation of public opinion, interest showed no signs of fading.
The number of applicants had already reached seven thousand.
Astin selected five thousand of them and swiftly finished the second round of interviews.
Naturally, warriors were not the only ones joining the expedition.
Herbalists, alchemists, blacksmiths, traveling merchants, cooks, bards, reporters from the Imperial Capital Gazette, mapmakers, and more.
People from all kinds of professions came knocking at the gates, each hoping to make money in their own way.
“It’s amazing no matter how many times I see it.”
Lucia took a short break and walked between the tents with Astin.
Despite the Ashen Forest Expedition being close at hand, the atmosphere was far from fearful.
The clang of hammers forging weapons, merchants haggling, reporters interviewing people one by one.
It was as lively and noisy as a massive marketplace.
“It’s nothing special.”
“No, it really is. You gathered all these people, Young Lord.”
Lucia had never seen anything like it in her life.
More than five thousand people had gathered in one place for the same purpose. At the center of it all stood Astin.
“The fates of so many people rest on your shoulders. Doesn’t that burden you?”
“It doesn’t rest on my shoulders alone. My adjutant will be with me as well.”
Astin saw Lucia as his equal.
Not someone he had to protect, but a comrade who would stop the destruction alongside him.
Embarrassed, Lucia scratched her cheek.
“This may sound conceited, but...”
She glanced at Astin and smiled.
“I thought I was the most special person in the world. Thanks to you, I’m learning humility.”
He had planned all of this and was only one step away from putting it into action.
Lucia would have been trembling in his place, but Astin did not show the slightest sign of nerves.
Those who looked far ahead had deep thoughts.
Lucia could not even begin to guess how deep this man’s thoughts ran.
“I used to prefer older men.”
“...What brought that on?”
“When you think of a man worthy of respect, you think of an older man. But being older doesn’t mean there’s anything to learn from someone. Sometimes it’s even more disappointing when an elder acts immature. Like those four men at the Founding Festival...”
Poke.
Lucia jabbed Astin’s side with her elbow.
“You can be proud. You’re the first man I’ve ever respected, someone my age at that.”
Astin could not hold back a laugh. Lucia covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled too.
Slip.
Several strands of silver hair fell over her eyes.
Lucia unconsciously raised both hands.
She gathered the hair cascading down her back, swept it behind her, and neatly tied it with a hair tie.
“...?”
Feeling an odd gaze, Lucia turned her head. Astin was staring at her with widened pupils.
His golden eyes, filled with Lucia’s reflection, trembled.
Sensing something different about him, Lucia tilted her head.
“Young Lord?”
“...Ah.”
Astin reacted belatedly and turned his head away.
‘He must be very tired.’
He had been overwhelmed with work lately, after all.
Lucia did not think much of it.
* * *
Lucia and I entered the First Training Ground.
A dense crowd packed in so tightly that there was barely room to step filled my view.
I slowly scanned them, wondering if I would spot any familiar faces.
Several people stood out among the warriors.
Three elderly figures with white hair stood straight despite their aged bodies.
They were General Vermang’s comrades, the old knights I had met at the Founding Festival.
Glad to see them, I approached.
“It’s good to see you again, seniors.”
The old knights all turned at once. The moment they saw me, they smiled and bowed.
Lucia and I bowed as well.
“It has been a long time, Young Lord. Lady Lucia as well.”
“You look better every time we see you, Young Lord. Ha ha. We came here to apply for the expedition too.”
They were heroes of the Empire who had already devoted their years to the front lines.
They should have retired and enjoyed a comfortable old age.
“I’m sorry to take even your retirement from you.”
The oldest-looking old knight shook their head.
“Young Lord, please don’t worry. We may be old, but we’re soldiers to our bones.”
“Our swords may be dull, but we still have the strength to cut. Better to finish well than let them rust away.”
“More than anything, we owe you a debt, Young Lord. These old bodies have no better use. If offering up our lives lets us repay even a little of your kindness, that alone will be enough.”
They understood unconditional devotion and honor.
This was what it meant to be a knight.
I smiled warmly and clasped their hands.
Answering trust with action was the way of knights.
Leaving the old knights behind, I looked around the training ground again.
They were not the only familiar sort.
Groups quietly waited their turn, their fighting spirit tightly restrained.
Several carried the same thick scent of gunpowder. It was the lingering scent of Sun Ring that I had smelled countless times.
‘I knew ring knights would come.’
They had already endured the brutal asceticism of burning away their lives.
To die in the Ashen Forest was the greatest honor and another form of ascetic practice to them.
I was looking beyond the conquest of the Ashen Forest.
Once the expedition ended, I would gather capable warriors beneath my house’s banner.
If I selected the ring knights well, I could build a force comparable to a prestigious knight order.
‘The Ring Knights.’
I planned to establish my own personal knight order.
For a mere grand ducal heir to create an independent knight order would be overstepping his authority under both Imperial and house law.
A noble who held military power would inevitably draw suspicion of rebellion.
Still, things would be different if I conquered the Ashen Forest as commander-in-chief.
My reputation, bolstered by love for humanity, would grow too great for anyone to interfere with me lightly.
And the warriors who survived after sharing life and death with me would follow me blindly.
I would have a legitimate pretext to command my own loyal subordinates.
Once I conquered the Ashen Forest, I would have the funds to maintain the knight order as well.
‘Justification, military power, and capital.’
The plan fit together perfectly.
On one major condition: that I conquered the Ashen Forest.
“Brother!”
Just as I was lost in thought, familiar platinum-blond hair popped into view with a clear cry.
It was Celine, who had been pulling a cart around and handing out water.
Celine ran across the training ground and clung to me like a barnacle.
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she grinned brightly.
‘Brother, I want to join the expedition too.’
‘No!!!’
Celine could not join this Ashen Forest Expedition. The reasons should be obvious.
This was not overprotectiveness. It was the right thing to do.
“Have you already handed out all the water?”
“Yes!”
To someone watching, distributing drinking water might seem like trivial busywork.
That was only because they did not understand.
More than ninety percent of the applicants were sweaty men.
Just let damn cute, cheerful, kind Celine hand out water to them.
The scar-covered men would sit there beaming.
“Ooh, holy water given by an angel...”
“Lady of the Black Lion poured us water herself! What more could we live for?!”
There was a reason the military held morale-boosting performances.
They helped raise morale quite a bit.
Here, Celine was like an idol to a group of uncles.
They could admire her all they wanted, but the moment they touched her, their wrists would be gone.
I lightly patted Celine’s little head.
For some reason, Lucia looked back and forth between Celine and me.
Noticing my gaze, Lucia smiled awkwardly.
“I wish I had a family member like you, Young Lord. I’m an only child.”
Lucia had said the same thing a few times in my first life.
She said life would probably be more enjoyable if she had an older brother or a younger sibling like me.
That must have been the hardship of being an only child.
“Big Sister Lucy can become family too. There’s marriage, you know?”
Lucia’s smiling eyes slowly widened.
I had no choice but to step in.
“You and that mouth of yours. Lady Soft-and-Chewy Sweet Rice Cake.”
“Eeeeh...”
* * *
A tent set up in one corner of the training ground.
Lucia naturally followed behind me, while Celine had been glued to me from the start.
Flap.
The moment I pulled aside the tent entrance and stepped in, a blast of heat and sweat hit me.
Around three hundred hulking figures were packed inside.
They were selected as the vanguard even among those who had passed the second interview.
No one could be chosen for the vanguard without volunteering first.
They were bastards desperate to die before anyone else.
Clap!
I brought the noisy room to attention, then picked up the roster from the table.
A total of 332 people.
Quite a few familiar names caught my eye.
I put it down and looked over them.
“You volunteered for the vanguard yourselves.”
The warriors’ eyes narrowed fiercely.
They glared at one another, releasing their fighting spirit toward the men beside them.
“Before training begins, hammer this into your heads. Absolute obedience to orders is the first rule. No matter how strong or clever you are, I have no need for anyone who refuses to be controlled.”
The foremost qualification for the vanguard was neither strength nor quick thinking.
It came down to one thing: whether they could be controlled.
Perhaps they had already realized it, because the tent fell deathly silent.
Then again, most of them might have been people I had beaten badly before.
“Uoooooh!”
Damn. I thought my eardrums would burst.
The Tak-Tak brothers seated in the front row jumped to their feet.
Buraltak, with his shaved head, pounded his chest like a beast.
“Vanguard Commander! Put Buraltak at the very front of the vanguard! For a glorious battle!”
He had the bearing of someone who could pull up mountains.
Everything was fine, except the mood got ruined every time he said his own name.
“I still can’t get used to that fucking name, no matter how many times I hear it.”
“Why does his name have to be like that...?”
“Maybe his parents hated him.”
Apparently, in the barbarians’ language, Buraltak meant “the most manly warrior.”
To us, though, it was an unbearably awkward name.¹
“My name is Buraltak! I am Buraltak, chief of the great Bone-Raking Hand Tribe! If there is a warrior braver than Buraltak here, step forward!”
He kept referring to himself in the third person. That fucking bastard.
Lucia coughed softly, her cheeks turning red.
Even I felt awkward standing beside her.
“Hey, barbarian! I know you’re brave, but please do something about that name first.”
At Jenkinson’s words, everyone silently agreed. Lucia nodded especially hard.
It was not a bad atmosphere, at least if the easing tension was anything to go by.
Tug.
I felt someone pull on my sleeve.
Celine stood pressed against me, staring up with wide eyes.
Right. She was here.
“Brother. What is Buraltak?”
“...”
I covered both of Celine’s ears for a moment.
Then I looked around and gave everyone a stern warning.
“Anyone who says Buraltak in front of her is dead.”
Footnotes:
1. Buraltak begins with “bural,” a vulgar Korean slang term for testicles.
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