Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 47: The Diligent Grand Duke of Delinquency
Securing siblings with knowledge of another world and their respective treatment. Discussions with high officials of the Imperial Army regarding countermeasures against the Divine Warrior. The moonlit meeting with Liselotte.
After an eventful day, Lute was ready to return to his lazy days, but unfortunately, he was unable to do so.
Rather, it is no exaggeration to say that the work was about to begin, and in fact Lute was beginning to act, albeit in a melancholy way.
"Oh, Your Excellency. It is unusual for you to be awake at this hour. It's not even noon yet."
"... Azure. You said the same thing yesterday."
"That's how big the surprise is."
In fact, in Lute's case, the past few days when he's been out before noon is an exception, and usually he usually only starts moving in the afternoon. It's called his "normal behavior”.
"So how can I help you today?"
"It’s about those siblings. Do you know where they are?"
“I think in the barn outside the garden.”
"A barn? Why are they in such a place?"
"They are inventors, so they are going to convert the barn over there into a workshop for their exclusive use. They went down there to check it out."
"I see."
Although it has not yet been decided what kind of experiments and developments will be carried out, in any case it is not something to be done inside the mansion.
Even so, it would take too much time to build a new workshop, so they probably decided to rebuild one of the barns that was in a good location from the mansion.
"The barn is attached to the duke's mansion, and it is quite spacious. If development and experimentation is the main focus, that much space should be enough."
"That's what I think."
Since it is not a business, as long as the necessary tools and equipment are available, there is no problem. Since the workers are basically only the sister and brother, even if they have the best equipment, they will not be able to make full use of it.
Even without that, the siblings, Rick's standing position is an inventor to the last. It is only the starting point for the birth of technology, and the practical application of technology beyond that point is treated as part of territorial and national policy.
There is no place for the siblings. The siblings are the type of inventors whose knowledge is far more important than their actual skills. Brushing up the technology for practical use is clearly out of their field of expertise.
“By the way, Heinrich-dono is with them as the supervisor of the siblings.”
"Not an escort?"
"Yes. The escort duty will be done by another person. Heinrich will be in charge of organizing the requests of the siblings.”
"He's really doing whatever he wants...."
Lute was the one who lent them to Liselotte, but aside from that, he was surprised by Heinrich's performance.
“Heinrich-dono is a very talented person. Not to mention me, Liselotte-sama also appreciates him. It’s my personal opinion, but I wonder if he can do well as a regular official.”
"That's right. He used to be a high-ranking military official, and a very old one at that. He was one of the backbones supporting his faction from the shadows before that, though he came under me as a result of the faction's political strife. So he can work for no reason, really for no reason."
"What…I had heard he held a high position, but I didn't realize it was that high."
"That's why they pushed him under me, under a known incompetent, a terminal prince. To keep him from playing an active role."
In fact, with Heinrich being relegated to Lute, the faction he belonged to began accelerating to a terrifying rate of decline. That is how versatile he is.
“The Land Kingdom Army…It was a typical 'the lower ranks are good, but the upper ranks are generally bad' army. So the few decent upper and middle guys managed to keep things running, but the upper guys got into the fun, entertaining factional warfare. ......"
Those who are practically running the military are naturally noticed by their activities.
And attention is not only a good thing. It also means that you are an easy target for your adversaries.
"It was a quagmire to watch from the sidelines as those who had been desperately trying to turn things around at the time were disqualified or made to take the blame in place of those above them. With the decent guys at the top gone, that army was weakened at once."
"Ah... I thought all of your subordinates were excellent for their blunders during the war. That's the background."
"RIght, I know. The people down there are very good. Basically, it was a conflict-free country, but the natural threats were moderate. While the country is rich in natural resources, it is also home to troublesome magical beasts, and small-scale natural disasters occur frequently. Soldiers who were out in the field were trained in a very unsophisticated way.”
Lute's subordinates are among such soldiers who have fought in the field for a long time, and many of them are old veterans who can still stand on the battlefield even though they have been in the field for a long time.
After all, their excellence is, in a sense, inevitable.
"But sadly, no matter how good the lower ranks are, if the upper ranks are all incompetent, the army can't function. If the top is incompetent, then the army is nothing more than high-quality rabble."
"That is quite reasonable.."
“… Well, even if it worked properly, it would have ended up being trampled by the empire.”
"Is that so? From what I've heard, the invasion force would have had a reasonably hard time if it had been led by someone of the right caliber.”
"Even if it's my homeland, there's no need to think about it. It's decided because the fundamental difference in strength is different."
There is no way a small country can compete with a superpower. It is only when a balance breaker such as Lute stands in the crossfire that a cease-fire treaty can be concluded.
"But you never know what will happen in war. In fact, the invading army's rock-solid foundation was turned upside down by the hidden card of your Excellency."
"That's right. It's unbearable for an unconfirmed demi-god personality to appear early. Even I, who did it, thinks so."
“As expected, that is too much of an exception. But even without that, for example, if your Excellency had been in overall command, wouldn't you have done a lot of devious things without the power of a demi-god?"
“I don't think so. I am an amateur in military tactics. I can't even start a war against the empire. Instead of wasting time, I will capture the king, the crown prince, and other key figures and surrender unconditionally to the empire before any unnecessary damage is done."
"...In a sense, I think that's also an ideal commander."
Before there is damage to the people and major facilities, we will quickly put an end to this unwinnable war. Few commanders would be able to make such a quick decision.
But Lute would definitely do it first. Azure had no doubt about that.
The chances of winning a decent war are zero from the start. When there is a precondition that there will be no governance put in place where the people will be exploited when it comes down to it, this rationalist is sure to take action.
Even if his allies criticize him for being a traitor, Lute, who has the coldness and hardness of permafrost ice, will give up on the continuation of the nation without worrying about the slightest thing.
"... Ah. By the way, I would like to ask, what is happening to my sorry, pathetic homeland right now? I haven't heard anything since the ceasefire."
"... You're really cold-hearted, Your Excellency. Are you completely uninterested in the post-war situation of your homeland?"
"That's because I'm the Grand Duke of this country. I don't give a crap about some small, insignificant country."
Azure's expression was beyond dumbfounded, almost awe-struck, while Lute shrugged his shoulders as if nothing was wrong with him.
If anything, had it not been for this conversation, Lute would not have cared about the situation in the Kingdom of Land for the time being, or even for a few years for that matter.
It no longer comes to mind unless there is a trigger. In Lute's mind, his homeland falls into that category.
"I, Azure, am deeply moved by this knowing that Your Excellency puts the empire first."
"I don't need that."
“I see...However, I soon assumed the position of His Excellency’s secretary, so I don’t know much about diplomatic relations...Still, I would imagine that we are slowly using neighboring countries to tighten up economically."
"I guess that's just the way it is."
It was a small country that had picked a fight with a superpower that was pursuing a policy of expansion. Even if they signed a temporary cease-fire treaty, there was no way they could escape from the hands of the empire.
“…Well, I understand. I'm off to Heinrich and the others now. I don't want to get in trouble if they decide to move on when they're done."
"I'm afraid. Would you like me to accompany you?"
"Do what you want after consulting with the work you have. I don't mind either way."
"Then I will accompany you as His Excellency's secretary."
"I see. Well, whether it's you or Heinrich, it's convenient if you’re there. Just understand that there are things you shouldn't ask."
"I understand. Let me show you the way."
And so, with Azure leading the way, Lute began to move down to the siblings.