How to Live as a Swordmaster of the Enemy Nation

Emergency Meeting (1)

His resolute decision that Gregory was to move with the Dawn Knight Order. Hemingway was, from the start, the kind of person who wanted to be as certain as possible, even if it meant taking risks.

That was why, although he didn't know how many people Gregory was conspiring with, he judged it was too much for Gregory to handle alone.

If things went wrong and the ordeal dragged on, it might become difficult to return to the homeland once the war began, so to alleviate that concern, he planned to have the Dawn Knight Order accompany him.

"Father, you don't have to—"

Gregory raised both hands and waved them as if to refuse.

He wanted to turn it down. Though there might certainly be advantages to moving together, he thought it would be overwhelming to use information known only to himself.

Despite Gregory's active attempts to dissuade him, Hemingway was a man of strong convictions and paid him no mind, sending Gregory away.

"That's enough. Go on now."

Because of his father's obstinacy, Gregory had no choice but to turn around and leave.

***

Gregory returned to the Dawn Knight Order.

He watched Walter's reaction for any sign about the conversation he'd had with Hemingway, but judging from Walter's demeanor, it seemed he hadn't even considered this order might have originated from Gregory's own plan.

"When are we leaving?"

"Don't get impatient. There are things that must be done before we cross into the Blandi Kingdom."

Walter smiled with satisfaction. He said the Dawn Knight Order's base was going to be relocated.

If that was the case, it meant this base—patched up with wooden repairs but looking as if it would collapse at any moment—could finally be left behind.

It was a relief, but Hemingway's summons had been to grant full approval for Gregory's immediate infiltration into the Blandi Kingdom, so the sudden announcement of a move was bewildering.

"Is that true? Where will it be moved to?"

"My brother said to move it to Lumiere."

Lumiere—a strategic key point. It's the edge of the frontier, and beyond its mountains lies the enemy nation, the Blandi Kingdom.

Relocating the Order's base there was an excellent choice not only for ensuring mobility but also for projecting the authority of the Arme Kingdom into enemy territory.

"You mean we're moving our base to Lumiere?"

"That's right."

One thing was puzzling. To move a base, there had to be a building ready for them to live in, but it was almost inconceivable that one had already been built.

Walter looked at Gregory, who had a detached expression, and spoke.

"We won't be the ones building it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Judging by what he said, it seemed the building hadn't been constructed yet. But wasn't there no one in the Order qualified to build one? Walter flashed a hearty grin, as if he'd been waiting for Gregory's question.

"The Radiant Light Order will be supporting us with temporary workers."

"Workers? From father?"

"That's right. For the duration of the war."

It was unexpected. Hemingway, who had always been so reserved, was now supporting the Dawn Knight Order.

For some reason, Walter gave Gregory a tight hug.

"Well done."

He realized it only then—the reason was himself. It had been Gregory who had requested reinforcements, and Hemingway had graciously complied, moved by Gregory's achievements.

Walter also mentioned that other things he had wanted were accepted without resistance. The new base would soon be well equipped, and each member would have the support of soldiers as well.

"So then, when will we go to Lumiere?"

"We'll depart soon."

They could choose the base site once they got there. Once that was decided, the workers supported by the Radiant Light Order would have it ready by the time they returned from the Blandi Kingdom.

So Walter immediately announced it to his comrades, and the Dawn Knight Order found themselves having to move in a hurry. Gregory realized that, though his time at the current base had been short, he had grown quite attached to it.

The new base might itself fall during the war, so the current one would be expanded and used as a temporary branch for the Radiant Light Order.

War was unpredictable; no one knew how things would end. Buildings might be reduced to ruins or captured, so it seemed reasonable.

Alessandro was delighted and thrilled about the Order's new base.

"Wow, we're moving to a better place."

Though the others didn't show it outwardly, they, too, rejoiced at the prospect of training in a bigger, grander place.

But Walter's next announcement left everyone stunned.

It was the first time Gregory saw such an expression on Ernest's face. Anyone could see it—his face was stiff and pale, his eyes wide, and his mouth gaping open in shock.

"We're going to the Blandi Kingdom ourselves?"

Ernest assumed he had misheard Walter's explanation and asked again.

"So you're saying we are to cross into the Blandi Kingdom and get people there?"

Walter replied determinedly to that reaction. It was an order from above, and there was no room to refuse; it had to happen.

Having served the state his whole life, Walter had no choice. He could only be loyal to his country, trust his brother, and follow orders.

"That's correct."

Walter began to explain the code of conduct they must follow before crossing into a foreign country. Should they be discovered in Blandi, it would be no different than passing information to an enemy nation, and they might face punitive consequences.

"Those repercussions might be direct, or at the very least, indirect."

Alessandro's face turned grim at those words. He understood what that meant.

If directly discovered, they could be executed on the spot. Thus, it was essential to thoroughly secure their safety.

For that reason, we even made our own password system, and had to meticulously plan our operation, taking extra care to prevent any slip-ups.

Feeling a chill, Alessandro despaired.

"Does that mean... we might die if we go?"

Brea muttered quietly.

"Reckless... Why would they choose this...?"

At this, Elisabeth tried to persuade her comrades.

"Didn't you all boast about wanting to be great swordsmen? Without the will to risk your life, you'll never make it!"

Ernest added his opinion to Elisabeth's words.

"A true knight completes his duties without resistance. If you really don't want to go, you can always help build the base instead."

Gregory could only watch this unfold. Their words made sense, but it was a consequence of his own actions to prevent war that things had come full circle like this.

Even so, there was no helping it. He knew that if Arme and Blandi went to war, it would be his comrades who suffered.

If they died unjustly, untrained and weak, there would have been nothing more meaningless. That was why he had tried to prevent the war.

He didn't want to see a comrade's death wasted again. So he clenched his eyes shut and shook his head from side to side.

As everyone held firm, Alessandro and Brea fell silent and hesitated, but eventually allowed themselves to be swept along.

Ernest drove the mood with resolve.

"So, everyone's going, right? That's an agreement?"

Before moving themselves to the new base, Gregory and his comrades convened for a proper meeting. It was to figure out how to make the coming operation flawless.

It was hard for Gregory to easily state his opinions there. This mission was about the Blandi Kingdom. Certainly, to gain his comrades' support and to guide their actions, he would need to know about the enemy nation.

However, since Gregory himself knew almost everything about the enemy, he judged that if he acted carelessly, he would become suspicious.

At that moment, a brilliant solution occurred to Gregory.

He believed he could persuade everyone and gain their agreement.

"Everyone, stop and listen to me for a moment."

At Gregory's abrupt action, everyone turned to look at him.