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As for the less important routine matters, they overflowed from the case and formed two piles to prevent them from collapsing. I didn’t have time to read through those. Finally, after stamping the last of the important documents, I picked up the bell on the desk. The palm-sized bell rang loudly as I shook it.

“Is there something you need?” (??)

The female secretary opened the door and showed her face.

“Is anyone waiting now?” (Yuri)

“There’s an audience waiting. Everyone else has left.” (??)

“Let him in.” (Yuri)

“Yes, understood.” (??)

She was quick to react, likely due to working under Myaro. She left the room immediately. From the pile of routine reports, I randomly selected a few to check.

One was a report on the provisions for a thousand-strong unit stationed at a certain location, and the other was an account of a dispute between the military stationed at a garrison and the local residents. While it would be good to be aware of such matters, honestly, reading through each one would be endless.

As I absentmindedly shuffled through the documents, the door opened.

“I’ve brought him in.” (??)

Entering the room was a familiar face.

“Well, well, long time no see.” (Yuri)

“It’s been a while.” (Guillaume)

With a courteous salute, it was Guillaume. (TLN: First appeared in chapter 124)

“Well, have a seat.” (Yuri)

As I gestured, Guillaume took a seat.

“Guillaume… right? Zuzu? Susu? What was it again?” (Yuri)

“It’s Guillaume Zuzu.” (Guillaume)

“That’s right, Guillaume Zuzu. What have you been up to?” (Yuri)

Guillaume was one of the knights included in the last group to escape from Kilghina, and he served as a squad leader in that battle. He was known as the top performer among his peers in the School of Knights of Kilghina, but he seemed to have a bad temperament and wasn’t very popular, as far as I recall.

Most of the returnees from Kilghina, unsurprisingly, lacked prospects for official appointments. Quite a few of them underwent interviews with the Hou Company and were employed as staff. However, being born and raised as knights, many of them couldn’t adapt to working among commoners, so only about a third of them ended up settling as employees.

As for the whereabouts of the others, I didn’t conduct detailed follow-up investigations, so I’m not sure. They might have joined the low-paying military as foot soldiers with knightly credentials, found employment elsewhere, squandered their rewards and become NEETs, or pursued various other paths.

Even among those who became employees of the Hou Company, it seems that many were stirred by the recent commotion and more than ten individuals approached me expressing their desire to fight. Without any reason to refuse, these individuals are now working within the Hou Household, treated somewhat like junior officers.

“I used up the money I received, studied at the Grand Library, and went on trips.” (Guillaume)

“I see.” (Yuri)

‘A non-working young adult (NEET), huh? No, maybe not, since he’s studying.’

“And then? Why did you come today?” (Yuri)

“To put it bluntly, I want to fight too.” (Guillaume)

“Hmm…” (Yuri)

‘I see.’

“As a foot soldier?” (Yuri)

“I have the determination for it, but if possible, I would like to be commissioned…” (Guillaume)

From his tone, it seemed like his hope was to be hired as an officer.

“But it’s late. If you had come at least two months ago, there would have been more opportunities.” (Yuri)

“I’m aware of my tardiness. I’m not adept at socializing, I’m clumsy by nature.” (Guillaume)

‘He admits it himself. What a predicament.’

“Can you speak Telor?” (Yuri)

“I’ve learned it. I heard it’s advantageous for career advancement in this era.” (Guillaume)

‘Trying to learn it for that reason, huh. Well, everyone’s doing it, so it’s not unnatural, but… I feel like I’ve seen a superficial side. I thought he lived in a different dimension, more like a maniac.’

“Let’s test how much you can speak.” (Yuri)

I switched to Telor and said:

『Uhm.』(Guillaume)

『Let’s imagine a situation where you’ve cornered a group of enemies. Try advising them to surrender.』(Yuri)

『You are already dead. Give up and surrender.』(Guillaume) (TLN: Guillaume’s conversations are written fully in hiragana, probably to show how simplistic his Telor, while Yuri’s conversation is written in mostly kanji.)

‘Wow… This is no good.’

“That’s quite bad. It’s not at a practical level. In fact, I doubt you even understood what was said.” (Yuri)

I switched back to Shan and continued.

“…I’m not good at speaking. I can read books. I’m confident with written communication.” (Guillaume)

‘Written communication… Knowing him, he probably spent all his time reading books and didn’t bother practicing dialogue. He might have done well in reading, but didn’t work on listening, speaking, or even writing much. It’s a common learning failure among people with communication difficulties.’

“Well, never mind. I’ll take your word for being a top performer at the School of Knights.” (Yuri)

“Is that so! I’m grateful.” (Guillaume)

He genuinely seemed pleased, his face lighting up.

“However, tonight, go and introduce yourself to the unit you’ll be joining. And starting tomorrow, attend the School of Liberal Arts and focus on studying Telor language intensively. If you don’t make progress, you’re out.” (Yuri)

“What! Attend the School of Liberal Arts?” (Guillaume)

‘It seems he has reservations about attending a place associated with women. Guillaume, even now, doesn’t dress neatly, has a rather logical personality, and doesn’t possess qualities that endear him to women. He probably doesn’t have many good memories related to the School of Liberal Arts. But that’s not my concern. If he doesn’t attend, he won’t be of any use.’

“I’m pushing you forward because you can at least speak Telor. In this country, there are very few Telor-speaking knights. You’re useful in that regard.” (Yuri)

“Hmm…” (Guillaume)

“You’ll be joining Dolla’s unit. Advise Dolla there. Depending on the situation, use Telor to communicate with the enemy. That’s your role.” (Yuri)

‘Whether it’s interrogation or persuading surrender, it’s always best when someone who understands the language accompanies you. Especially since Dawn Cavalry, led by Dolla, mainly engages with enemies due to their cavalry composition. While patrolling urban areas, Dawn Cavalry is lightly equipped, but they are originally a heavy cavalry unit primarily tasked with cavalry charges in field battles. The knights in the unit properly store armor at their homes. It’s not full plate armor, but rather traditional armor with armored pieces at vital points.

The style of armor might seem outdated, but it’s not that bad in reality. It’s lightweight and provides sufficient protection against minor slashes and cuts. Covering oneself in full plate armor, including armor for birds, makes one cumbersome and reduces mobility, so it’s actually not preferred. Even if you wear such armor, it won’t protect you from bullets. And if you aim for armor that deflects bullets, it becomes excessively heavy like the absurdly heavy armor Dolla used to wear, which isn’t suitable for cavalry.’

“Dolla, that skilled warrior from the bridge incident?” (Guillaume)

“Yeah. Various things happened, and his father is now promoted. Dolla will take charge of a cavalry unit of a thousand men as his successor. It’s called the Dawn Cavalry.” (Yuri)

‘He’s as strong as an adult, and he has the respect of the troops. Or rather, he’s quite popular. Dolla, at least, doesn’t hesitate to lead by example in battle, and he’s selfless or rather, lacks base desires. In reality, he’s quite desirous when it comes to romance, but it’s not apparent. He possesses several virtues considered noble for knights.’

“A cavalry unit of a thousand men… Turns out he’s from a pretty good family.” (Guillaume)

‘It feels odd to say that, but indeed, Dolla is from a good family. He’s among the upper echelon of the School of Knights.’

“But he’s just incredibly strong. Not only that, but he’s not particularly studious at the School of Knights… Well, the grades at the School of Knights aren’t that important, but essentially, he’s not good at using his brain.” (Yuri)

“And I’m here to make up for that.” (Guillaume)

“You’re smart, but you’re not suited to lead people. He’s not very bright, but he’s well-supported by the troops. You’re better off as an advisor.” (Yuri)

“I see… well, fair enough.” (Guillaume)

‘He seems to be aware that he’s not someone the troops particularly like.’

“Let’s confirm your understanding of cavalry. Describe the role of cavalry.” (Yuri)

“Understood. It’s to gain an advantage in maneuver warfare on the battlefield. In other words, it’s about striking at the weak points of the enemy with cavalry charges. And also, it’s about preventing enemy cavalry from striking at the weak points of your own forces. This includes providing relief to areas where your lines have unintentionally broken due to regular enemy infantry attacks. Essentially, it’s mobile defense… succinctly put, that’s it.” (Guillaume)

‘Well, he’s hitting the mark.’

“And what about outside of the battlefield?” (Yuri)

“Scouting. However, this is mainly done by light cavalry assigned under the infantry’s command, so it wouldn’t be the main task for a heavy cavalry unit prioritizing striking power, from what I’ve heard. Other than that, there’s battlefield combat, fortress warfare, siege warfare… anything really, but in case of victory, it involves pursuing the fleeing enemy forces.” (Guillaume)

“So, it’s about extending the gains of the battle. What are the points to be noted during such pursuits?” (Yuri)

“The point is, cavalry can’t be fully supplied with provisions. Except in cases where special vehicles like six-horse carriages are provided. Therefore, pursuits with supplies require careful attention to the distance covered during the chase.” (Guillaume)

“Just like in the textbook.” (Yuri)

‘Basically, it’s the same as what you learn in the School of Knights. However, being able to express knowledge fluently in one’s own words is evidence of understanding the essence of the subject.’

“Tell me about the precautions in military use.” (Yuri)

“When charging, terrain is crucial. Ensure sufficient distance for a charge, maximizing the impact upon contact. If possible, avoid uphill charges and opt for downhill charges. It’s advisable to avoid charging into formations with cavalry countermeasures such as horse barriers or spearheads, unless absolutely necessary…” (Guillaume)

“And?” (Yuri)

“Um… there’s more… uh…” (Guillaume)

He struggled a bit.

“Well, if you can say that much, it’s good enough. Let me share my thoughts and remember them.” (Yuri)

‘Certainly, he seems to study well. It’s fair to say he’s doing reasonably well.’

“Cavalry is weak, that’s the point. So, caution is necessary when using them.” (Yuri)

‘That’s something I’ve always thought about. Considering cavalry as weapons is odd, but when viewed as one, their performance isn’t particularly commendable.’

“A cavalryman requires as much as ten soldiers’ worth of funding. When considering training, it’s over ten times that. Regular soldiers simply need training to become effective, so it’s obvious.” (Yuri)

‘For cavalry, it involves raising and training birds that require daily care, teaching riding skills to soldiers, and ensuring proficiency in combat from horseback. The effort and time required per soldier are incomparable to infantry.’

“And yet, in most cases, a single cavalryman can’t slaughter ten soldiers. Isn’t that right?” (Yuri)

“… Well, yes, that’s true.” (Guillaume)

“If the cost to train a single cavalryman, say, six times that of an infantryman, and they could reliably defeat six enemy foot soldiers, that would be acceptable. You could make as many cavalrymen as you like and throw them at enemy infantry. But if they can only defeat three, it’s not worth it.” (Yuri)

‘Cavalry, in reality, easily falls with just a few arrows. They can also be brought down with pole weapons with hooks. Despite costing over ten times more, they don’t perform as exceptionally as infantry.’

“Well, that’s an extreme example, but there’s a tendency in reality that cavalry charges often don’t pay off. The more cavalry you use, the more you exchange for infantry, the more disadvantageous your country becomes in the long run. So, it would be better to only use cavalry for reconnaissance and have an army of infantry only. But in reality, it doesn’t work that way. Every army has heavy cavalry units for charges, and without them, they can’t win on the battlefield. Why is that?” (Yuri)

“That’s… It’s probably because cavalry possesses mobility that infantry lacks.” (Guillaume)

‘Exactly.’

“Yes. Armies without mobile forces are easily surrounded and annihilated. Cavalry, relative to infantry, possesses superior mobility. Currently, cavalry is the only force that combines mobility and striking power.” (Yuri)

So, I have no choice but to use it. In reality, they are likely becoming obsolete with the development of firearms. Long-distance shooting accuracy, rate of fire. With advancements in infantry equipment, dealing with cavalry becomes easier even without special defenses like horse barriers. The Kuran seems to continue using plate armor against the Shanti, but if we start deploying rifles in large numbers, that will gradually change.’

“Mobile forces are absolutely necessary to seize the initiative in a fluidly changing battlefield situation. Therefore, despite the cost issues, every army operates cavalry.” (Yuri)

“Hmm.” (Guillaume)

“In other words, a cavalry charge should not simply exchange casualties with infantry. What should be gained in exchange for cavalry is not infantry lives, but rather, initiative.” (Yuri)

‘Guillaume seems to enjoy this kind of discussion. His eyes shine brightly as he nods.’

“In reality, when cavalry charges, the enemy incurs losses. There’s no phenomenon where losses occur but do not contribute to the struggle for initiative. That’s what makes the issue less clear.” (Yuri)

“Yes, I understand. So, the best strategy is to wait for the right opportunity, then launch an attack at a decisive point and change the course of the battle.” (Guillaume)

‘That’s a slightly unsettling summary, but oh well.’

“I understand what Your Excellency Yuri is trying to say. I’ll remember it well.” (Guillaume)

‘That’s fine, but I hope he doesn’t clash with Dolla… Well, if he does, I can just dismiss him.’

I wrote swiftly on paper, creating a letter of appointment addressed to the First Army, signed and stamped it. Then, I wrote a letter of introduction to the School of Liberal Arts and handed both papers to Guillaume.

“While I don’t expect you to be overly diplomatic, don’t get into fights.” (Yuri)

“I understand.” (Guillaume)

Guillaume took the papers. I stood up from my chair, walked to the entrance, opened the door, and left the room.

“What’s up? You’re leaving too soon.” (Yuri)

“Well, there’s no need to see me off.” (Guillaume)

Guillaume said as he left the room.

‘What’s he on about? Who’s supposed to be seeing him off?’

“I’m done for the day too. I’m going to visit a sick person.” (Yuri)

“Hmm? Who are you visiting? Is it Her Highness Carol?” (Guillaume)

‘It couldn’t be Carol.’

“No, it’s someone else’s. It doesn’t matter who. Don’t ask unnecessary questions.” (Yuri)

The office wasn’t directly connected to the corridor. There was a small secretary’s office set up as an antechamber. Just outside the room was the secretary’s desk, where the woman from earlier was seated.

“Good work. I’m leaving for today.” (Yuri)

“Thank you for your hard work.” (??)

I headed straight for Myaro’s room, where she was resting.