I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 35. Hero (2)

Becoming a celebrity has its multifaceted pros and cons.

In a capitalist society, fame often translates directly into money and power.

This principle holds true to some extent even in the Empire, which is infinitely closer to 14th-century Europe than to the 21st-century Republic of Korea, which was tainted by mammonism.

However, where there is light, there is also shadow.

Fame can also attract unnecessary attention.

The sixteen letters that came for me and the people I don't even know who have requested to visit me would be a case in point.

Normally, I would have met most of them, but not today.

There are things to take care of, and my physical condition is not at its best.

I had Karen refuse most of them.

However, no matter how much you filter, there are people you must meet.

Starting with the church, visitors came one by one.

First were my squad members.

“Captain!”

“You’ve worked hard. Really… how….”

“Captain! Thank you!”

“It’s only right that Luark would bestow his blessing. If it weren’t for you, Captain, we would all be dead.”

Not only the room, but also the hallway and stairs were packed with muscular men.

Although it’s the largest room in the Ash Mercenary Band’s barracks, it’s too small to accommodate the nearly one hundred burly figures.

On top of that, there are no soft-spoken men among those who live by the sword, so when each of them said a word, my ears were ringing.

Among them, some were biting their lips and their eyes were red, or their faces were flushed from crying so much.

“…I have no hobby of blushing with grown men.”

“Captain! That’s disappointing!”

“Uahahaha!”

“Seeing you have the energy to joke, you’re back on your feet! Our Captain!”

I can’t take it anymore.

It feels like the carbon dioxide concentration in the room is rising in real time.

I had Karen quickly send the squad members out.

What remained in the room, which felt like a typhoon had passed through, were the two squad leaders and Olif.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

Olif’s greeting was simple.

“And thank you.”

“I’m grateful to you too. You went through a lot protecting the squad members.”

He, along with the two squad leaders, had led the squad members in my place in the labyrinth where I was not present.

Without their efforts, quite a few squad members would have been sacrificed inside the labyrinth.

“It was truly awesome! Seriously! The way you disappeared after saying ‘Hold your positions!’ and then appeared with your sword plunged into the vampire bastard’s heart, that, what do you call it? Thrill? Erection?”

“Y-you perverted old man!”

“Ah! That’s not it! No, that’s not what I meant, really!”

After Olif, it was old man Brol.

He, who was staring blankly at the door Karen had stormed out of, scratched his head and said.

“Anyway, swordsmanship, magic, and now holy power. How is it that no matter how much we peel you back, Captain, something new keeps coming out?”

“It’s because I’m a man like an onion.”

“……?”

“Is there a problem?”

“…I think I might have hurt my ears in the battle. Hey, Miss Karen! What’s a good medicine for the ears?”

To not understand such a high-class joke.

It was a joke I had thrown specifically tailored for an old man.

The barbarism of the Middle Ages.

Anyway, visitors continued to come after that.

“Brother! Are you feeling better? Try some of this. It’s goat liver grilled in butter. Perfect with alcohol!”

Old man Poodle visited with a delicacy wrapped in yellow paper.

“The administrator is calculating the payment. Come find me when you’ve fully recovered.”

Viscount Pewin, a doting grandfather to his granddaughter, personally paid a visit with heart-pounding news.

“……”

“You came all this way and have nothing to say?”

“…I don’t.”

Our Alina stalker.

Tamber, who hadn’t come with the priests during the day, also visited separately around dusk.

“Tamberin.”

“It’s Tember.”

“Same difference. Anyway, you’ve worked hard.”

He seems somehow dejected.

The reason is obvious even without asking.

The Empire’s ascetics are a difficult force to handle.

The fact that they constantly mutter doctrines they have reinterpreted on their own, even in normal times.

And the fact that when they jump into battle, they go half-mad, ignoring orders and everything else.

The fact that a junior paladin commanded such men and returned safely is something to be praised.

Considering how he used to follow Alina around and harass her in the past, he’s still detestable, but….

Well, he’ll be paying for that for the rest of his life.

I patted his shoulder, meaning ‘do well’.

“…Thanks to you. I was able to endure.”

Tamberin’s expression as he left the room was indescribably odd.

After sending him off, I stretched out on the bed in a star shape.

After spending the whole day meeting guests, I felt like all my energy had been sucked out.

Still, just as the priest said that the injury itself was completely healed, the lingering pain had also subsided considerably.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, an unexpected guest arrived.

“Ash.”

I would have sent him away if I could, but he was someone I couldn’t.

“…I greet Your Grace the Archduke.”

Blue eyes that shone even in the darkness.

The eyes that even the Empire’s nobles feared stared at me.

“Can you get up?”

“…It’s possible.”

“Then let’s go. I’ve prepared a carriage.”

The invitation he delivered was also of a kind I couldn’t refuse.

“The Emperor is looking for you.”

Shit.

At this time of night?

* * *

We didn’t leave right away.

The Archduke had accepted my request for an hour’s leeway.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was being considerate of my physical condition out of the kindness of his heart.

It was more likely because I was in a sorry state.

“…You’re right. It would be better to wash up before we go.”

I had been unconscious since the battle ended until today.

Although Karen had wiped me down a few times, it’s impossible to completely wash off the blood, sweat, and dirt that had covered my entire body with just a wet towel.

The smell was no joke either.

The Archduke probably also thought it wasn’t right to meet the Emperor in this state.

SHWAAAAA-

There is one surprising fact.

Even on this medieval fantasy continent, plumbing exists.

Actually, considering plumbing existed since Roman times by Earth’s standards, it might not be that surprising.

However, unlike the common image of a barbaric Middle Ages, the Empire’s technology is quite advanced compared to other surrounding countries.

Excluding things like magic or the status of the church, it’s closer to the Renaissance era.

Just look at the development of gunpowder technology.

‘Since a lot of money came in this time, I should procure some gunpowder weapons as soon as the opportunity arises.’

SHWAAAAA….

I enjoyed the pouring stream of water while reviewing my future plans.

For reference, not all mercenary bands or soldiers use such shower facilities.

The barracks with connected plumbing is a privilege provided because our mercenary band signed a formal contract with Viscount Pewin.

Even here, only the two squad leaders, Olif, and I have private rooms with attached bathrooms.

The rest of the squad members use the communal bathroom on the first floor.

It may sound like a complaint of the rich, but it’s a little disappointing that there’s no hot water support.

As the cool stream of water fell from the ceiling, I stretched out my hand.

When I entered the bathroom, I had hidden a few items among the change of clothes placed in the corner.

The belongings of the necromancer, Tribus.

[[Small Subspace] is active.]

A round shimmer forms in the air.

I put my hand inside the hazy entrance, the size of a basketball.

A cool sensation enveloped my skin.

A feeling as if only the part below my wrist was not in this world.

As if it were floating alone in the cold emptiness of space.

After fumbling inside and confirming the existence of the mask, I put in Kha’ulder’s Staff and the statuette.

I had put the staff and the statuette deep inside my luggage in the barracks, but from now on, I plan to store them in the subspace.

Now that I’ve started to attract the attention of the church and the Emperor, I need to be more thorough.

Getting the subspace trait at a time like this can be called a stroke of heavenly luck.

Because the contents of such a subspace cannot be detected with spells.

That’s what differentiates it from the expansion backpacks made at the magic towers.

‘It would be good to put a few more things in for emergencies.’

The name is ‘small’, but the actual size is large enough for a grown man to squeeze himself into.

I can pack various things.

Like a survival kit for when I’m stranded.

Or emergency funds.

I also organized a few items in my head to use when acting as Tribus.

If I just wear a mask and go around in my usual clothes, I’ll eventually arouse suspicion.

“Are you ready?”

After enjoying the luxury of making the Archduke wait for a whole hour, I got on the carriage.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes.”

The carriage lurches forward.

The ride on a road that hasn’t been managed for hundreds of years is not very good.

Although it was repaired for a short period during the process of retaking the fortress, that was limited to clearing major obstacles.

When I lifted the curtain, the waning moon was shining outside the window.

It was a night where the moon was particularly bright.

The three to four-story buildings lining the street cast deep shadows in the darkness, illuminated by the moonlight.

Some of those buildings had hung out torches, protesting to the moon that it wasn't the only source of light in the middle of the night.

The shadows dancing along with the flames meant that someone was using that building.

High probability it was a barracks for mercenaries or soldiers.

Low probability, a warehouse or a merchant company’s temporary residence.

Breaking the silence, Gabir spoke.

“Do you know the proper etiquette to observe before the Emperor?”

“I know some of it.”

“Then I’ll add a few more things. First, when you enter the room….”

An unexpected lesson in etiquette.

It’s all stuff I know anyway.

I responded appropriately and let it go in one ear and out the other while reviewing my plan.

The plan for the conversation I would have with the Emperor.

‘He’ll probably ask me to join the Imperial family’s secret knight order.’

There’s no doubt.

The fact that he’s calling me secretly at this time of night makes it certain.

Actually, this was a situation I had anticipated since I noticed the Emperor’s appearance.

For me and my squad members to survive, his plan had to go awry, and at the same time, we had to repel Count Calvenia’s army.

To achieve both, some great variable had to arise.

Naturally, the Emperor would be interested in that variable.

In this battle, the variable was me.

I just couldn't picture a scenario where someone else was put forward.

“We’re getting off.”

The carriage stopped.

I got off with the Archduke.

It’s the command post building, which I haven’t visited in a long time.

We passed the guards who opened the door and saluted, and went upstairs.

While climbing the stairs, the Archduke warned me in a low voice.

“Keep silent about everything that happens today. Otherwise, your life may be in danger. Understood?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The destination was the 6th floor.

The place the Archduke headed to was a corridor leading to a secluded warehouse.

Swords and spears were scattered here and there, and armor, bricks, and plaster buckets were piled up with only minimal organization.

It wasn't a particularly hidden place, but it was a place one wouldn't have a reason to visit.

Rustle.

The warehouse manager, who had been half-dozing, lifted his head.

Wiping his saliva, he stood up awkwardly, looked back and forth between the Archduke and me, and then knocked on the door.

The moment my eyes met his dazed ones, I felt the hair on my arms stand on end.

Inside his intentionally unfocused pupils, a powerful aura that couldn't be completely hidden was blazing.

A high-ranking knight.

No, even higher than that.

“Come in.”

Just then, a voice came from beyond the door.

Following the Archduke, I opened the door and went inside.

The inside of the warehouse was completely different from the outside.

Antique furniture and appropriate lighting. A plush carpet. Bookshelves half-filled with books.

It couldn't be called the height of luxury, but it was a sight hard to find in a fortress at the very front of a battlefield.

At the far end of the room, which was decorated like an office, a blond young man stood by the window.

In his mid to late 20s. A face characterized by blond hair, clear features, and blue eyes.

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

The Emperor of the Empire.

“You’ve worked hard, Archduke. You’re a little late.”

The moment he turned towards me, a familiar notification window popped up.

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is active.]

If this were a game, a notification like this would have also appeared.

[Louis Carlos uses [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]

[The effects of [Lord’s Unyielding Mind] mutually cancel each other out.]

A world that had become first-person from a limited omniscient third-person strategy perspective.

No additional notification window pops up, but I can feel it.

It’s gone.

A certain superiority I used to instinctively feel when looking at other people.

The unconscious conviction that I could persuade or deceive the opponent no matter what.

“…Raise your head.”

It feels like I’ve thrown off my armor in the middle of a battlefield.

Feeling a strange awkwardness at my faintly quickening heartbeat, I raised my head.

A single drop of cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

It’s certain that the effect of [Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is gone.

But it doesn’t matter.

“Archduke Gabir.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’m sorry, but….”

The Emperor.

That bastard’s expression is just as odd.

The fact that the effect of [Lord’s Unyielding Mind] was canceled doesn’t mean that only I suffered a loss.

“…could you leave us for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with this friend separately.”

It means it’s the same for him.