I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 47. Return (1)

The battle that almost destroyed one of the largest cities in the southern Empire ended rather anticlimactically.

When the Beastpriest of the Full Moon died, the pale moon disappeared, and the morale of the beastmen plummeted, leading to the cliché ending where they scattered in all directions.

Of course, it wasn't just that their morale had dropped.

In the place where the pale full moon had disappeared, the crescent moon that was supposed to be there returned.

If it had been daytime, it wouldn't have mattered.

The beastmen were only affected by the moon when it was out.

However, the Beastpriest of the Full Moon, Rishubak, had invaded the city at dusk to utilize his trait, and he died in the middle of the night while the battle was raging.

It was like shooting himself in the foot with his own axe.

Anyway, under the crescent moon, the power of the beastmen weakened endlessly.

The Centaurs to the level of ponies.

The Horned Ones to a level slightly less than a grown man.

And the Unhorned Ones were no different from a child who had just entered puberty.

With their bloated bodies and weak strength, the remaining remnants inside the city were slaughtered in an instant.

By the time the sun rose, the city was in a lull.

The casualties were just over two thousand.

The estimated number, including citizens, was around three to four thousand.

“Still, it was a pretty clean victory.”

That was the evaluation of the city's leadership, including the Bishop.

He wasn't wrong.

Considering that the enemy's numbers were double our own, and that their commander was a Beastpriest who used wicked arts.

The fact that the city's facilities were relatively less destroyed was also a positive aspect.

The problem erupted elsewhere.

The lord's castle was attacked.

“The culprit was Hebrun von Zarhill. The only daughter of the Vampire Duke. The heretic called the Princess of Blood.”

The Bishop said with a sigh.

His once abundant white hair seemed to have thinned in places overnight.

It must be because he was under a lot of stress.

He seemed to have a few more wrinkles too.

There were many reasons, but I was also responsible for one of them.

“A third of the lord's castle, including the vault, was blown away. The treasure of the church that you were supposed to deliver was ultimately not found.”

The treasure of the Imperial Church that was supposed to be delivered, Kashutal’s Amulet, had disappeared.

“According to the survivors' testimonies, it seems the Princess of Blood took it.”

“I’m sorry. It’s my responsibility.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was I who suggested that the treasure should be kept in the lord's castle. My judgment was short-sighted. If you hold me responsible, I will gladly accept it.”

I bowed my head.

It was a necessary action.

In fact, it was something I had expected.

I had even considered the case where I would have to take full responsibility.

The reason I fought a fierce battle in the square and achieved great merits was to prepare for this.

If I achieved a military feat that overwhelmed the mistake, they wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

However, the Bishop’s reaction was unexpected.

“No! What on earth are you talking about right now?”

“…Yes?”

“This is entirely my mistake. You gave your opinion, but I was the one who accepted it!”

There are humans who become uglier as they age, and there are people whose thoughts deepen as much as the seasons they have passed.

The reason white hair is considered a symbol of wisdom is probably thanks to the people who lived the latter life.

The Bishop of Gunterburk seems to be the latter as well.

“And you protected this city, didn't you? This city, where you have no ties. At the risk of your life.”

“…It’s my hometown.”

“I’m just grateful that you think of it that way. Not everyone who was born here thinks of this place as their hometown.”

[[Freelancer] is activated.]

[Favorability with ‘Benny Heatman’ has increased significantly.]

It seems it wasn't just for show.

Seeing as the Freelancer trait reacted.

Anyway, I was relieved.

The responsibility for the loss of the treasure was one of the biggest hurdles in this plan.

“What can we do? I think this is also Luark's arrangement. Thanks to it, we survived, didn't we? I’ll make sure that no one holds you responsible.”

“Thank you.”

“So, what will you do now?”

The Bishop asked, rubbing his less-than-abundant crown.

What should I say?

It was a subtle gaze.

As if he wanted something.

When I said nothing, the Bishop soon continued in a quiet voice.

“Count Mariel Gunterburk has died in battle.”

The Count who had reacted sharply to my demand for command authority a few days ago.

The one who possessed the traits of [Bottomed-out Patience], [Jealousy], and [Atheist] was said to have died when the lord's castle collapsed.

It was more like he was holed up in the lord's castle like a coward and met his demise, rather than dying in battle….

But since he was killed by the Princess of Blood, he could be said to have died in battle.

“I don’t know if you know, but the Empire is now in danger of being split in two.”

Anyway, the important thing was that he was from the Anti-Imperial Faction.

A relative of Marquis Ricardo, I heard.

And he didn't even have a child.

With the civil war approaching, the ruler of one of the major southern cities had died.

It was as clear as day that a fierce underwater struggle would break out between the pro-Emperor and anti-Imperial factions to replace the vacancy with their own person.

Considering that the anti-Imperial faction was hostile to the Imperial Church, the church would want to place a pro-Emperor person there.

“If you’re alright with it, I’d like to make a new request with the authority of the Bishop.”

The Bishop asked me to be his strength.

Of course, my answer was set.

“…I intend to return to Wolfskrig.”

The church wasn't the only one preparing for the civil war.

I also had things to prepare.

The essence of coming to Gunterburk was to obtain a necessary item in preparation for the civil war.

Fortunately, the gentlemanly Bishop gave up quickly.

“I see. It's a pity, but it can't be helped. You said your mercenary band’s headquarters is there?”

“Yes, we are recruiting new members.”

“You must have a lot on your mind. Travel safely.”

I left the shattered church main gate with the Bishop’s farewell.

However, I wasn't going to leave the city right away.

There was one thing to check.

***

Warlord Conquest’s probability wheel spun even in peacetime.

Most of them were bad things.

An epidemic breaking out in the territory, a large-scale collapse at a construction site, an earthquake or a flood, and so on.

Still, sometimes good events occurred.

An unexpected good harvest, the dramatic growth of a subordinate hero, the accidental discovery of an item, and the like.

Among them, the last one, the item discovery event, occurred probabilistically when an army or hero was stationed in a specific city or village.

It was something like a subordinate hero or soldier discovering something by chance while taking a walk somewhere.

What was interesting was that although it was an event that occurred probabilistically in the game, the content of each event did not change.

Naturally, my mental database contained all the text of those events.

Now that the game had become reality, I had to check if they were still really the same.

[The Dancing Whale]

I stopped in front of a shabby sign.

It was a closed pub near the red-light district.

The door was locked.

There was no sign of anyone.

Considering that gangsters or vagrants usually settled in such closed pubs, it was strange.

In the lore, I knew it was because of a rumor that it was haunted.

After confirming that there was no one around, I broke down the door and went in.

The target was the underground warehouse.

“…It’s here.”

Among the dusty liquor bottles and wooden barrels reeking of rot.

I found a small, bluish bottle.

It was an elixir with a mana-boosting effect.

An elixir with an efficacy that surpassed the Ice Deer Horn Elixir I had received as a gift from Viscount Pewin before.

‘The Ice Deer Horn Elixir was over 30 Florins.

I saved money.’

However, I wasn't going to consume it.

This thing had little effect on magicians.

It was an elixir optimized for a knight who controlled their body with mana, and a knight who had acquired aura at that.

‘It’s about time to increase Olif’s mana pool.’

The growth of subordinate heroes was as important as the expansion of troops.

Olif had been suffering from a mana capacity problem for a long time.

Despite having the talent to rise from a soldier to a high-ranking knight, the decisive reason he ultimately couldn't join the knight order was his mana capacity.

After carefully storing the elixir in the subspace, I immediately moved to the next location.

‘Three bottles of Al Tener's Holy Water.’

From a box buried in the backyard of the cemetery, I obtained holy water that was about a hundred years old.

‘[Devouring Purgatory] scroll.’

In the collapsed library warehouse, I found a lost magic book of the earth school.

“Hmm? Ash Mercenary Band? Never heard of it… well, it’s good for us if we get more clients. I’m Kambad, the one who leads the Kambad Merchant Guild. What do you need?”

I also stopped by the street where the merchants gathered.

The Kambad Merchant Guild.

It would be good to get close to this guild master later.

Although it was small in scale now, it was a guild that would soon grow rapidly.

‘The guild master has relatives on the Theocracy side.’

In the mid-to-late game of the Empire playthrough, an event where he steals the armor-making technology of the Theocracy appeared with a low probability, and the protagonist of that event was that very Kambad Merchant Guild Master.

Even if that event didn't trigger, it was also a guild that supplied the highest quality arms and rare herbs when a supply contract was signed.

“I’ve confirmed the down payment. As soon as the goods are ready, I’ll send a person to Wolfskrig.”

After making a few deals, including a supply contract for spears, swords, and armor to be given to the members, I stood up.

When I came out, the sun was already setting.

Since I had started wandering around in the morning, I had used up the entire day.

The harvest wasn't bad.

At this point, I had scraped up everything I could from Gunterburk.

Of course, it wasn't like I could get free items like this just anywhere.

This was because places with this many prepared events were rare even among large cities like Gunterburk.

Of course, if I went to the Imperial Capital, I could probably get nearly ten.

However, the difficulty level there was much higher.

“Ah, my lord. You’re here.”

I reunited with Alina in the square.

“You seem to have been busy.”

“So-so. Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes, well….”

Her expression was somewhat uncomfortable.

When I asked, there was a reason.

“I went around the orphanages a bit. I was curious… if that child was alive.”

It seems she had been looking for the blonde girl and her younger brother.

The siblings we had run into in this very square.

Since vagrants were a risk factor in the city, I was wary at first and threw them food to get rid of them, but I received a polite thank you.

After checking, it turned out they were children registered at an orphanage run by the church.

“They said she hadn't returned to the orphanage.”

The soft-hearted priest wore a bitter smile.

Many people went missing after the battle.

The officially tallied citizen casualties were about two thousand.

The number of missing people was twice that.

“They said she was a child who didn’t come out often. Maybe she’s safe somewhere?”

“…Let’s go.”

Having hope was a good attitude.

But would reality really move as one hopes?

This was a world where thousands of people died overnight.

That number might grow to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or perhaps even millions.

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is activated.]

“…….”

I might have been a little tired.

Having passed through many deaths, it was understandable.

It was just that I had an unbreakable spirit thanks to my trait.

The fear I felt when the heads of the condemned men lined up before me at the execution ground was still vividly etched in a corner of my heart.

It wouldn't be easy to struggle to survive in this crumbling world.

Rather, because I knew the ending, however vaguely.

Because I had experienced thousands of times how arduous the process of overcoming it was, I might have developed a cynical perspective.

The city gate was already visible ahead.

I shook off my useless thoughts.

It was time to go back.

A familiar tone of voice was heard.

“Oh!”

It was a short exclamation.

I turned my head without realizing it.

One of the countless alleys branching off from the main road near the city gate.

Inside, a conspicuous blonde girl was mixed in with a group of her peers, looking this way.

“Uh… Hey! Addy! Wait!”

The girl, who looked a little surprised, looked around and then shouted her younger brother's name and ran off somewhere.

The sharp voice of the little kid who disappeared from sight in an instant echoed a little longer in the alley.

Listening to that sound, I stroked the fur of the black-maned steed, Gray, as if brushing it.

The soldier on duty asked for my identification and name.

Thank goodness.

***

[Achievement Unlocked! You have defeated an enemy hero using an ally.]

[Achievement Unlocked! You have defeated an allied hero using an ally.]

[You will acquire a random trait.]

[Sensitive Ears]

[If you shout ‘Yahoo!’ in a mountain valley, you can hear the echo about ten more times than others.]

[Supply Officer]

[It becomes a little easier to haggle when making a supply contract. Caution: Haggling too much may have the opposite effect.]

[[Warrior’s Binding] is activated.]

[Bound the defeated enemy.]

[Minotaur Warrior (2), Centaur Javelineer (2), Horned One Elite Fighter (4), Horned One Warrior (19), Unhorned One Archer (2), Unhorned One Infantry (6)]