Survival Plans (2)

Thanks to his screaming, the people around him were startled when they noticed me, and they all stood up and assumed a cautionary posture.

Some of the soldiers looked frightened.

At this point, isn't the lord himself almost a disaster?

Well, the important thing now is the commander.

I walked over to the building in the middle of the barracks, the command center of the army.

It was also the place where the soldier from earlier had run into.

"Hey, what's with all the excitement?" <Commander >

"It's....The...lord is here!" <Guard >

The commander and captains also gathered to play poker.

The amount of money at stake here is far greater than at the gambling tables outside.

Since the commander is like this, the soldiers are also indulging in gambling in the morning.

There really is no future for them.

"His Excellency has arrived? Ha! Sir!" <Commander >

When the commanding officer noticed me, he pushed past the soldiers and ran up to me.

The soldiers who had been gambling with him also stood up and straightened their posture when they saw me.

His Excellency is a term of endearment for nobles, but commoners were not to use this term at all, except in rare cases when they are attempting brownnosing.

This term was primarily used among the nobility from dukes to counts but none lesser so, to put those lesser nobles in their place, showing they were not much better than mere commoners.

Commoners called me lord and could not call me your Excellency.

Julius Aquitania is a low-ranking nobleman with a fiefdom.

Yes, I was a Viscount now.

And as a military commander, he's also a nobleman, of course, a lower nobleman, probably a baron and a vassal of the Aquitanian family.

______________________________________

[Burke Gordon]

[Age: 38]

[Martial Force: 33]

[Intelligence: 23]

[Command: 20]

[Affiliation: Commander of Aquitanian Territorial Army]

[Loyalty: 10]

______________________________________

I checked the information.

Turns out I was right, he was incompetence itself.

Even though he was a commander, his martial force was lower than that of a soldier.

He became a commander because he was a nobleman.

However, even if he employed an incompetent nobleman as a vassal, how could he let such a person command the army?

Even if Julius is incompetent, this is terrible.

"What can I do for you this morning? Heh." <Commander Burke>

When Burke walked up to me, he rubbed his palms together and started laughing.

It seemed Julius had appointed him as his commander out of familiarity.

He didn't care if he wreaked havoc on the army, but he cared for his close vassals.

And the fact that he was close to Julius.

Needless to say, it was proof that he's scum.

"Is the outside gambling under your supervision?" <Julius >

"Yes, of course, since His Excellency allowed it. Anyone who gambles is obligated to pay me a gambling tax. Hahahaha." <Commander Burke>

A tax on gambling?

Ridiculous.

I shook my head and whispered in the head chamberlain's ear.

"Landers." <Julius >

"Yes, my lord." <Landers >

"Has he been in command of the army all these years?" <Julius >

"No. The last lord your father had a different one..." <Landers >

"But I replaced him with this man?" <Julius >

"Yes. Well, yes, sir." <Landers >

So that's what this is about.

The former lord, in other words, Julius's father died of illness a few years ago.

Julius has only been in office for a short time and even then he was only 14 when he rose to the position of lord, ruling a territory when you aren't yet an adult till your 16...

As soon as his father, who had been guiding him, died, he became like a fish out of water, doing all kinds of evil deeds completely out of control.

"So, where is the former commander now?" <Julius >

"...Yes?" <Landers >

"I'm asking where is the former commander?" <Julius >

If Julius had replaced him, he would at least be better than the man in front of him.

It's an immutable truth that tyrants try to keep their loyal subjects away from them, right?

"Baron Haddin is locked up in a prison cell." <Landers >

"Oh, I see." <Julius >

Luckily, he doesn't seem to be dead.

Because he's a nobleman?

Well, that was good.

It's not easy to find a suitable commander in one day, but it's different when I have a strong candidate.

Of course, I have to examine the candidate carefully before I decide.

So returning to the issue at hand.

"I see. So you're the one who made them gamble during training hours?" <Julius >

"Yes, I did, didn't I?" <Commander Burke>

I don't think he heard the whispering between me and the head chamberlain, but he noticed that the atmosphere was suspicious and he looked at me strangely.

"Throw Commander Burke in jail immediately! He's guilty of disturbing the discipline of the army!" <Julius >

Right in front of him, I gave him a stern order.

Burke jumped in surprise.

"No, sir! What do you mean? I'm Baron Gordon! Baron Gordon! You cannot arrest me" <Commander Burke>

So what do you want me to do? There was no need to answer.

He was a man who was not worth dealing with anymore.