A few more days passed.
I woke to the rattling vibration of the carriage.
Normally, I would have heard a familiar voice by now.
*Young Master, are you awaaake?*
But that voice didn't come. Instead, I heard a cautious knock.
"Little Duke. It's time to wake up."
It was Elizabeth. The second most senior after Lise.
My shoulders were stiff.
It was only natural after sleeping in a carriage for several days.
"Come in."
The door opened and Elizabeth entered.
In her hands were a wet towel and a stack of documents.
Looking out the window, the sun was already high in the sky.
If it had been Lise, she would have woken me before sunrise.
Gently but firmly. Sometimes by yanking the blanket away.
"I woke up later than usual."
"You were sleeping so soundly. I couldn't wake the Little Duke the way the Head Maid does."
Elizabeth said as she handed me the wet towel.
While I washed up and changed clothes, Elizabeth was organizing documents.
"What's that?"
"Reports the scouts brought in overnight. I've compiled them."
Normally this would have been Lise's job. Enemy movements, supply situations, troop morale. Condensing dozens of reports into a single page to present to me.
I skimmed through the summary Elizabeth handed me.
Not bad. It contained all the key points. But it was different from Lise's.
Lise's summaries had interpretations woven between the numbers. Things like 'this figure is suspicious' or 'this report may be exaggerated.'
Elizabeth's summary was clean, but lacked that intuition.
Well, that was only natural.
"What about Brandt's movements?"
"Still a day's distance away. They don't seem to be increasing their speed."
"Troop composition?"
"Mostly infantry, they say. Almost no cavalry."
"That's fortunate."
A brief silence passed.
"But Little Duke, I have one question."
Elizabeth carefully opened her mouth.
"What is it?"
"Leaving their main base without even cavalry. What could they be thinking to make such a decision? Could they possibly think they can defeat our army?"
"Who knows. I don't know either."
"You don't know?"
"Trying to understand fools' thinking is just a waste of our time."
History had proven that.
"But even so, he's a count..."
"The concentration of human stupidity is higher than you'd think. Those in high positions may have slightly lower levels, but it's still high. Especially if they occupy that position through bloodline alone."
"I think the Little Duke is truly remarkable."
It was an out-of-the-blue comment.
"What is?"
"That you can judge so calmly even in this situation. If it were me, my mind would already be blank."
"You're smart for your age. But when it comes to using your head, Lise is better than me."
At those words, Elizabeth's expression changed subtly.
She looked like she had something to say.
"Why? If you have something to say, say it."
She seemed to hesitate for a moment. But soon opened her mouth.
"More than the Little Duke trusts the Head Maid, she worships the Little Duke."
Worship?
Wasn't that a bit excessive?
"Of course, most of the Little Duke's subordinates are like that. But the Head Maid is like the high priestess among those worshippers."
High priestess. I almost laughed.
"It's just flattery toward someone of higher status."
"No."
Elizabeth's voice became firm.
"It's not because of high status. I've worked under various nobles, but flattery and worship from the heart are completely different."
"Different?"
"Yes. Those who flatter change their attitude when the master isn't watching. But the Head Maid is the same even when the Little Duke isn't there. No, she's even more so."
The carriage rattled once more. Dust rose outside the window.
"When she talks about the Little Duke, we feel like we're listening to a sermon."
A bit of mischief stirred in me.
"It seems you've served other high-ranking people before."
"Pardon?"
"Or you're connected to them in some other way."
Elizabeth's expression changed moment by moment.
Confusion. Wariness. And something like resignation.
It was quite a sight to see. But my interest quickly faded.
Just as I was turning my gaze back to the reports.
"Stop treating me like a fool when you know everything."
Her manner of speech had changed. The honorifics were gone. Her voice was different too.
She wasn't the respectful maid from moments ago.
This confirmed it. Her status was higher than mine.
Elizabeth was looking straight at me. Not with a servant's eyes.
Of course, that was only for a brief moment... the instant our eyes met, she lowered her gaze again.
"Oh?"
It became slightly more interesting.
It would have been more interesting if she'd kept looking me straight in the eye, but it didn't go that far.
Of course, I still didn't think her existence itself was a significant variable.
"I wasn't particularly certain. Though Lise seemed to be."
"It wasn't just that you valued my bloodline. The Head Maid used to say so. That the Little Duke doesn't view Hardenberg's future very positively."
I couldn't really deny it. It was true.
If I'd valued the legitimacy of Hardenberg that much, I would have tried to find out somehow and wouldn't have left it alone like this.
Perhaps I would have acted like Ernst, who bragged everywhere after marrying a fake.
But this world is more meritocratic than you'd think.
The Hardenberg royal family, which doesn't have a very long history, ultimately seized the empire through ability, not some grand legitimacy, and now that it's rotting away, seeking legitimacy there wasn't very wise.
"In the end, it's going as you predicted. My father was poisoned to death, but your father is still this country's greatest power."
"My father is also in danger from poison."
"I know. Dragonsbane poison, right?"
Elizabeth shook her head.
"But that's not what's important. I can't live outside my family. I'm like a fish that dies when taken out of water. But you, Little Duke, are like a frog."
"A frog?"
"Even knowing the Duke is critically ill, those people aren't panicking much because the Little Duke is here."
"You're overestimating me too much. Frogs also dry up and die if they go too long without moisture."
It was fun at first, but I was getting tired.
In the end, she was just like the others, overestimating me while missing the point.
I missed Lise.
Of course, she also overestimated me, but her overestimation felt good.
Most of all...
She always exceeded my expectations.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth continued speaking.
"You deliberately minimize yourself when you speak, but in truth, you consider even the Head Maid, whom you regard as somewhat of an equal, to be a step below you."
What was she even saying?
Just as I was about to open my mouth to refute...
"Ah..."
I felt it.
Outside. At the very edge of my detection range.
Mana waves began to ripple. Not just one. Dozens, hundreds, thousands.
"Let's talk later."
"Later?"
"Have them bring my armor."
Like a well-educated young lady, she was quick to catch on, even if not enough to exceed my expectations.
"Is it the enemy?"
There were already more people who knew about my abilities than didn't. It was no longer the kind of thing I could hide.
"Yeah. Seems like there are more than expected."
The scouts said five thousand.
But feeling the actual mana, there were far more than that.
It looked like seven thousand.
The scouts might have made a mistake, or they might have joined up with mercenary units along the way. Either way, the situation hadn't improved.
Outside the carriage, the soldiers' footsteps were quickening.
It seemed the news was starting to spread.
"What will you do?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
By numbers alone, we were evenly matched. But qualitatively we had the advantage, and especially my ability wasn't the kind you could defend against if you didn't know about it.
It was when we'd finished preparing for battle with Brandt.
"Urgent news!"
A messenger practically fell off his horse. His breathing was rough.
"Where are you from?"
"From Lantheim!"
My heart skipped a beat.
"Speak."
"Our forces were victorious! They broke through the enemy siege and entered the castle! The enemy suffered losses and retreated!"
Cheers erupted around us.
"They did it!"
"As expected of Sir Karl!"
But the messenger's face wasn't bright. He had the expression of someone with more to say.
"Is there more?"
"Duke Excellency has lost consciousness. The possibility of recovery is slim."
"Since when?"
"He deteriorated rapidly starting two days ago. The medics say there's nothing they can do."
Two days ago would be right after I departed.
"What about the magic item excavated from the ruins?"
"It had no effect."
My chest sank. My legs felt like they might give out.
But I didn't collapse.
Because Elizabeth's words came to mind.
*Even knowing the Duke is critically ill, those people aren't panicking much because the Little Duke is here.*
I looked around.
The soldiers' faces came into view. Anxiety. Agitation. Fear. It was all there.
But they weren't collapsing.
Their gazes were directed at me.
As if waiting for the next order. As if believing I could do something.
Relying on a mere thirteen-year-old kid. How ridiculous.
But I wasn't a child on the inside.
I'd lived two lives. Once I died ordinarily, and once I was still alive. One thing I'd learned during those two lives was that when a leader wavers in a crisis, everything ends.
I took a deep breath. Exhaled.
Strength returned to my trembling legs.
"Announce to all troops!"
I infused my voice with mana.
"Duke Excellency is unwell! But our cavalry has won! They broke through the enemy siege and entered Lantheim! And now, before us stand Brandt's rabble of seven thousand!"
I paused for a moment.
"But let's be honest. Are you afraid of them, who don't even have proper combat experience?"
After a moment, someone shouted.
"We are not afraid!"
When one shouted, ten followed. When ten shouted, a hundred followed.
"We are not afraid!"
"We are not afraid!"
The roar covered the battlefield.
I drew my sword. I infused it with mana as Sir Karl had taught me.
"Good! Then let's teach those fools! What real war is! The tuition will be their lives!"