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After half a year, the Count of Lithuania hadn’t changed a bit since Gilbert left the mansion.

His piercing gaze and expressionless face.

His neatly groomed beard and slightly graying hair, styled impeccably.

His wrinkle-free, proper attire and the trained muscles quietly breathing beneath it—everything was exactly the same.

The only difference was that the oppressive aura he had before leaving had completely vanished.

“Long time no see, Father.”

“You’ve been up to some interesting things.”

The Count, who had been reviewing documents, finally looked up at Gilbert. His cold gaze was as sharp as ever, but the previous dissatisfaction was no longer there.

Gilbert knew he had passed his father’s standards.

“It was nothing.”

“Your arrogant personality hasn’t changed a bit.”

The Count of Lithuania clicked his tongue.

“You managed to earn a knight title. Is this the answer you meant by ‘mindfulness’?”

“Did it suffice?”

When Gilbert asked back, the Count locked eyes with him, as if trying to gauge him. His gaze was unblinking, as if he intended to uncover everything Gilbert was hiding.

The office began to fill with a suffocating silence, broken only by the occasional sound of their breathing.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, the Count, who had been silently staring at Gilbert, burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

The Count, who seemed like he wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, laughed heartily. He even slammed the table with his palm, as if he couldn’t contain his amusement.

Gilbert, who had never seen the Count laugh even in the game, was taken aback by this behavior.

Why was this man, who never even smiled, laughing now?

Though puzzled, Gilbert didn’t show it. His instincts told him it was best to remain silent.

Soon, the Count stopped laughing as abruptly as he had started and glared at Gilbert as usual.

“You’re still insolent. No manners toward your father.”

“You seemed to enjoy it, though.”

“You still haven’t shed that rebellious streak of yours.”

“Do you want me to?”

“The Lion Heart Count family, guarding the border, has no use for weaklings. Your rebellious streak just barely passes in that regard.”

When the Count mentioned “passing,” Gilbert inwardly cheered.

Even if he were to be expelled from the Lion Heart family, he now had a place to go. But to progress the main scenario, he needed to stay here.

Though the Count’s words were sharp, they carried a favorable intent, which would undoubtedly help with the scenario progression. Regardless, the fact that he had taken the lead in the Resistance suppression operation meant Gilbert’s voice would likely carry more weight.

“I didn’t expect you to become the Princess’s only priest. To think you’d be the Swordmaster’s personal disciple. Not bad, for you.”

“Was it unexpected?”

“Ha! Don’t push it. Even so, what you’ve done won’t just disappear.”

The Count’s gaze sharpened again, reminding Gilbert that no matter the current evaluation, the essence remained unchanged.

But both the original Gilbert and the current one were inherently rebellious. A little glare wasn’t enough to intimidate him.

He simply met the Count’s gaze with his usual calm.

This seemed to surprise the Count, who then relaxed his expression and chuckled.

“You’ve changed, it seems. The boy who used to cower like a dog now looks me straight in the eye.”

“Half a year isn’t a short time.”

“Enough. I was just surprised because I didn’t expect much from you. Speaking of which, did you come with Dietrich’s youngest daughter?”

At the mention of Dietrich Nord Tristitia, the current Count of Tristitia, Gilbert nodded.

“Yes.”

“Remember this. Dietrich is a notorious doting father. No matter who you are, if you make the same mistake as before, your current evaluation won’t matter—he’ll kick you out without hesitation.”

The same mistake as before…

Gilbert suppressed a bitter smile. The “mistake” the Count referred to was what the original Gilbert had done to Lily.

Indeed, the Count of Tristitia, whom Gilbert had met, was a serious doting father. If Gilbert were to make any strange moves toward Camilla, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Lion Heart family declared war on him.

“That won’t happen.”

“We’ll see. Anyway, I’ve seen your answer. But don’t get complacent. If you show the same behavior as before, there won’t be any second chances. You may leave now.”

With that final warning, the Count dismissed him. He immediately picked up the documents he had set aside, clearly intending to continue his work after Gilbert left.

But Gilbert had no intention of leaving just yet. With the scenario of being expelled from the Lion Heart family now gone, it was time to address the reason he had come here.

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to leave?”

The Count, flipping through documents, asked without looking at Gilbert. He was signaling that he had no more time to spare, but Gilbert still had business to attend to. It was time to hear directly from the Count about the movements of the Sigurdians.

“What about the movements of the Sigurdians?”

The Count, who had been quietly flipping through documents, raised his eyes to look at Gilbert, who stood still. He seemed to be trying to gauge Gilbert’s intentions behind such a question.

But Gilbert’s expression gave nothing away, so there wasn’t much the Count could discern.

Finally, the Count sighed briefly, tossed the documents aside, and looked up.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly that. I heard their recent movements have been unusual… Is that correct?”

“…It seems there are still informants from the guild within the territory. No matter how much we weed them out, they’re like stubborn weeds.”

“From your reaction, I can see that it’s true.”

“Ha. What’s the point of hiding it? You’re still a member of the Lion Heart family, so you should know. As you said, we’ve received reports that their recent movements are unusual. The prolonged drought must have pushed them to their limits.”

The Count’s words matched what Gilbert had heard from the Thornrose. The Thornrose’s information network was indeed impressive, even for news from distant Bismarck.

“Since they elected a new chieftain not long ago, they might be preparing to march here by now. No matter how skilled our scouts are, infiltrating their territory is practically impossible.”

“Are you preparing for war?”

“We are the family guarding the Empire’s gates. If they invade, it’s only natural to retaliate.”

This line was identical to one from Tactical Combat. The only difference was that the listener wasn’t Ian, a playable character, but Gilbert, a custom character.

Gilbert quickly summarized what he could gather from the brief conversation with the Count.

First, the chieftain election was likely already over, and the Count of Lithuania was preparing for war.

If Gilbert didn’t intervene, a clash was inevitable, and both sides would suffer significant losses. Even without considering the Tactical Combat scenario, war always resulted in casualties for both sides.

And those casualties would fall squarely on the people of Bismarck.

After running through the worst-case scenario, Gilbert remembered why he had come here. The best way to win a war was to avoid it altogether.

“If the food shortage caused by the drought is the issue, providing them with food could prevent war.”

“Have you become an idealist in my absence? Their fundamental problem is the barren land and the relentless drought. Even if we provide food, the drought remains unsolved. Do you really think they’ll accept that and leave this fertile land untouched?”

Gilbert fell silent at the Count’s sarcasm. The Count’s words were true. No matter how well-versed Gilbert was in Tactical Combat, he had no solution for the drought.

And even if he could make it rain, that was something only a god could do.

Moreover, as the Count said, Gilbert himself doubted whether the Sigurdians would listen.

The emotional rift between the Empire’s people and the Sigurdians was too deep to be resolved with a few words.

But there was a way. If the Sigurdians followed the Tactical Combat setting, there was one solution to this problem.

“Then I’ll take responsibility for this war.”

“Ridiculous. I heard you took the lead in the Resistance suppression operation and thwarted the Demia Academy attack. But this is different. This is war. A single word from you could determine the life or death of soldiers.”

“I understand.”

“I told you not to cross the line. How can you so easily suggest such a thing…”

The Count, his tone filled with anger, suddenly stopped speaking. He had been furious at Gilbert’s naive words, but when he looked into Gilbert’s eyes, he couldn’t continue.

Ironically, his son now had the same eyes he had seen in veterans who had survived countless battles. Eyes that only those who had transcended the horrors of war could have.

What had he seen?

Had he missed something?

The Count, seeing his son transformed after half a year, found it hard to speak.

“Do you have confidence?”

“Is there a battlefield where one can be confident?”

It was a rhetorical question. No matter how thoroughly one prepared, there was no guaranteed victory in war, where countless variables lurked.

The Count tapped the desk, lost in thought for a moment. Should he trust his changed son and entrust him with this war, or stick to the original plan?

After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Count made his decision.

“Fine. Then this battle will be…”

Knock knock!

“Count, an urgent guest has arrived.”

“Didn’t I say not to disturb me?”

“But it’s a guest you must see.”

Gilbert clicked his tongue slightly at the unwelcome guest who arrived just as he was about to be accepted. Just when he thought it was all settled, someone had to ruin it. Whoever it was, he wouldn’t forgive them easily.

“Must see? Who’s causing such a fuss?”

“The Noble Lady of Nobilitas has arrived.”

“The Noble Lady of Nobilitas?”

The Count’s eyes turned to Gilbert.

Gilbert’s eyes also widened at the mention of the Noble Lady of Nobilitas.

If it was the Noble Lady of Nobilitas, there were only two. But if she was coming to the Lion Heart family…

“Yes. Miss Lily requests an audience with you.”

Why is she here again?

As Gilbert expected, the person who had come to the Lion Heart family was the second daughter of Nobilitas.

Lily Roseus Nobilitas.

 

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