CHAPTER 165

Elric gave up trying to argue any further.

No matter what he said, Mephistopheles would likely dismiss it as nothing more than excuses.

『Why not accept that girl's feelings while you're at it?』

Finally, realizing that he could no longer provoke Elric, Mephistopheles stopped laughing, though his grin remained firmly in place. 

There were even tears in the corners of his eyes—of course, since he was in spiritual form, there was no way he could actually cry, making it clear that this was all a deliberate act.

『It's rare to find a woman as strong-willed as her, isn't it? Surely, you're not so clueless that you can't see her feelings for you.』

[As I said, I don't have the luxury to worry about that right now.]

『Oh, please. You've never been in a relationship before, and now you're scared to start one. Just an excuse, really.』

[...Could you just shut up?]

Elric decided that if he continued talking to Mephistopheles, he'd only get more frustrated, so he chose to ignore him.

Instead, he focused on Zeraitz, whose face was still twisted in anger.

How would the rumors spread from here?

And how would the Crown Prince react?

Elric found himself somewhat curious.

***

Zeraitz and the main camp assigned the Weyl family's camp area to the eastern side of the military camp.

It was relatively close to Wynz Territory, allowing them to move quickly in case of any enemy activity.

'They're hoping we get badly beaten in this war. It's so obvious that it's almost laughable.'

Elric chuckled as he watched the Weyl family's camp being swiftly constructed.

It was clear to him that all of this was Zeraitz's doing.

Of course, if he confronted the main camp about it, they would claim that it was all based on "strategic placement," but who would believe that?

Only an idiot wouldn't see through it.

Rumors about Elric and Isabelle being in some sort of relationship were already spreading rapidly throughout the camp.

There were even whispers that the Crown Prince had gone to see his old flame, only to leave in such a foul mood that he couldn't hide it.

The 4th Inspection Bureau tried to suppress the scandal, as nothing good would come from the Crown Prince's reputation being tarnished. But the more they tried to quash it, the more the rumors spread like wildfire.

Though people feared openly acknowledging the rumors, in secret, they were surely having a great time with them. The juicier the gossip, the more people seemed to enjoy it. And the bigger the scandal, the more it would infuriate Zeraitz.

And now, this was the result.

'Originally, they planned to place the Weyl family close to the main camp and push me further away, to create distance. But that won't be as easy as they thought.'

Because of his lingering feelings for Isabelle, Zeraitz had tried to distance Elric from the Weyl family, but Elric had anticipated this. That was why he agreed to Isabelle's suggestion to create the scandal.

He guessed that Zeraitz would likely keep sending him to the most dangerous battlefields from now on.

But Elric wasn't worried.

The Weyl family might look fragile from the outside, but their internal unity was solid. As long as they weren't recklessly pushed into impossible situations, they wouldn't falter easily.

Besides, Elric had come here to build his reputation, so he had nothing to lose.

In fact, the more he thwarted Zeraitz's interference, the more his fame would grow.

He hadn't raised his family's banner for nothing.

'The real issue lies with these people.'

Elric narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the Melvinger camp.

There, a group of young people was busily working, setting up tents and erecting poles.

"Whoa, whoa!"

"Make sure that's secure! It almost collapsed!"

"Sorry! Should I put it here?"

"Pull the line tight! And make sure we have enough room for the banner!"

"Hey! What are you doing?"

It was noisy, like a marketplace. In contrast to the Weyl family, who were efficiently setting up their camp, the scene at the Melvinger camp was chaotic.

However, despite the disorder, there seemed to be some hierarchy forming within the group.

Throughout the march, people had either dropped out or stepped up to take leadership roles, and they had already started to establish some order among themselves.

Elric hadn't intervened much with the group called the Star's Legion, nor had he built any close ties with them.

They had followed him out of admiration for his mysterious and bold actions, and Elric had decided that there was no need to shatter that mystique just yet.

However, he was careful to maintain just enough distance to avoid alienating them entirely.

At present, two people had taken leadership roles within the Star's Legion.

"This part needs to be reinforced like this. If the central pillar isn't strong enough, the roof will collapse. And if the tents aren't fireproofed, any surprise attack could easily set them ablaze, so even though it's a hassle, we need to do it now."

One of them was someone Elric recognized.

Brian, who had served as an examiner for the magus certification exam.

When Elric first heard that Brian had joined the Star's Legion, he was astonished.

Brian had nonchalantly explained that he had always admired prestigious magic families like the Melvingers.

He mentioned that his father had been saved by the Magus of Star during the Great Demon War thirty years ago, and he had always felt a sense of duty to repay that debt.

Being an elite who had held a fifth-grade administrative position at a young age, Brian quickly rose to prominence within the Star's Legion.

His focus was on establishing structure in what had been a ragtag group.

Prioritizing effectiveness and efficiency, he ruthlessly eliminated unnecessary elements in the chain of command.

Even now, he was educating the members, many of whom were unfamiliar with organized life, on what was needed. Thanks to his efforts, the Star's Legion was beginning to look more like an actual organization.

The other person in a leadership role was:

"Everyone else is working hard. How can you slack off here? If you're going to be useless, just leave. Don't lower everyone else's morale."

He was sternly reprimanding those trying to avoid their responsibilities. Some people even tried to challenge him, asking, "Who do you think you are?" But he didn't back down.

In fact, his attitude suggested that if they wanted a fight, he was ready for it.

His name was Ate.

He shared a name with the mythical figure cursed by the God of Misfortune, and his intimidating presence matched his large build.

Only someone like Brian could stand up to him, which made many of the members feel uneasy around him. However, his strictness quickly brought discipline to the group.

If Brian played the role of strategist, Ate acted as the practical leader.

Thanks to Brian and Ate, the Star's Legion, which initially appeared to be a disorganized mess, was beginning to take shape.

However, that was only the foundation.

They still lacked the trust and cohesion needed to go into battle as a unit.

'They haven't fully established themselves yet, and there's no trust between the members. Taking them into battle now would only lead to unnecessary casualties.'

The best way to solidify an organization like this quickly would be to throw them into combat a few times.

Those who couldn't handle it would naturally fall away, while those who survived would form strong bonds forged in life-and-death situations.

But Elric didn't want to take such a reckless approach and risk lives just to toughen them up.

'There must be a better way.'

As Elric was deep in thought, he noticed some commotion at the entrance of the camp.

'Hmm?'

He turned his gaze toward the source of the noise and was startled.

"Elric Melvinger, my dear friend! How wonderful to see you here again!"

A man with his hair slicked back approached, flanked by a small group of guards, greeting Elric loudly.

When Elric saw who it was, the members of the Star's Legion gasped and stepped aside.

"T-That man is...?"

"The Black Lion! Prince Cromhel has arrived!"

"Huh...! I heard rumors that they became friends after the assassination attempt, but I didn't think he'd visit in person!"

The members watched in awe as Prince Cromhel approached Elric.

For many of them, Cromhel was as much a figure of admiration as Elric.

The influence and impact that these so-called "new stars" had on the younger generation were immense.

"I always knew you were a bit unorthodox, but I never imagined you'd pull off something so outrageous in front of my dear brother, the Crown Prince! Hahaha!"

Cromhel opened his arms wide and embraced Elric, clearly overjoyed to see him.

Elric, however, wore a slightly awkward expression.

The last time they met, Cromhel had been excessively polite. Now, all that formality was gone.

Still, Elric tried not to show his discomfort. After all, Cromhel was one of the few people in the imperial family who treated him kindly.

"It ended up that way," Elric replied.

"Hmm? Why so stiff? That's not like you. Weren't we supposed to be friends?"

'Ah, so that's why he dropped the formalities.'

Elric was beginning to understand what kind of person Cromhel really was.

"People are watching."

"So now you want to keep things professional? Didn't you already cross that line with the Crown Prince? Heh."

It was clear that Elric wouldn't win this verbal sparring match.

"Maybe... you're right."

"Of course! There's no need to be so formal here. And aren't these people all here because they follow you into battle? That makes them my friends, too."

Cromhel glanced around at the members of the Star's Legion, his smile growing wider.

"And if we're all friends, we should at least have a good time together."

With a loud clap of his hands, a group of soldiers suddenly marched into the camp, each carrying a barrel larger than a person.

The members of the Star's Legion stared wide-eyed.

Cromhel's grin widened.

"I know you're all busy, but let's take a break and have a drink. After all the hard work you've done, you deserve it, don't you?"

The members, astonished that their idol was offering them drinks, quickly began cheering.

"Shall we?" Cromhel asked Elric with a playful glance.

Elric couldn't help but chuckle and nod.

Only then did he understand why Cromhel had made such a grand entrance and greeted him so warmly.

He had come to boost Elric's standing and offer his encouragement.

'He's also probably sending a message to the Crown Prince, showing that I'm under his protection. Still... I appreciate it.'

Elric was grateful for Cromhel's thoughtful gesture.

Perhaps this was all part of Cromhel's way of winning people over. If so, Elric thought it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two from him.

With a smile, Elric sat down across from Cromhel, telling everyone to take a break before continuing their work.

Soon, the Melvinger camp was buzzing with excitement.

[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]