Chapter 9

The night before his departure, Todd couldn't fall asleep.

No matter how many times he closed his eyes or tossed and turned in bed, sleep wouldn't come.

Since arriving in this world, Todd had done many things.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he had caused many things to happen.

He had failed far more often than he had succeeded, but he had a few successes to his name.

Relying on his knowledge from his previous life, he had successfully recruited talent and developed military equipment.

Thanks to his efforts, Todd now possessed the nearly strongest reinforced heavy armor, Shiranui.

However, no matter how powerful his weapon, Todd had no experience in actual combat against people.

All he had done was train himself, endure the harsh training from Lyonbach, and participate in the ogre extermination.

He regretted not having at least experienced something like bandit extermination, but it was too late for that now.

Departure was already set for the next day.

His mind was sharp, yet he couldn't fall asleep.

The uncomfortable night was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

It brought him back to reality, and he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Brother, are you still awake?"

"Yeah... come in."

It was Edward who had come.

At ten years old, the beautiful young boy had only become more refined.

His profile, illuminated by the candlelight, was as beautiful as the statue created by the artist who had been invited to the palace not long ago.

In a game, they would be rivals for the throne, but Todd and Edward remained good friends.

Todd believed the biggest reason for this was that he had already been excluded from the race for the throne.

His mother, the queen, had already abandoned him and left him to his own devices.

The king, too, mostly ignored what Todd did, only occasionally scolding him.

Now, Todd lived quietly in a shed at the back of the palace, immersed in his research, but no one ever said anything to him.

However, living in a shed was not ideal in many ways.

So Todd still slept in his own room at night.

Todd was considered a bad debt, a wayward son who had strayed from the path.

This was the view of most of the nobles.

As a result, few people supported him, and the majority opinion was that Edward would succeed the king.

"Tomorrow, you're heading to the eastern Ernesia mountain range, right? For an inspection, I believe."

"Yeah, the ongoing raids are not a good situation. I hope we can negotiate a resolution."

"Are you planning to fight? With a very small team, leaving no trace of a mobilized force?"

Due to their parents' presence, the opportunities for Todd and Edward to meet openly had decreased over the years.

Additionally, Todd spent much of his time on development and research.

Even though he had been abandoned by the royal family, he had almost no free time.

(Not good... It's clear he's figured it out.)

Officially, it was an inspection, but Edward seemed to have a good idea of what Todd was planning.

Including himself, there were only five combatants: Lyon, Renge, and the three members of the Royal Guard.

Despite this, Edward had guessed that it would be a battle, not a reconnaissance or inspection, which surprised Todd.

His father probably saw him as a child trying to play with his own toys.

The opinions of the surrounding nobles were likely similar.

But Edward was different.

While he might not know the exact methods, he had sensed that Todd was planning something.

Perhaps it was because they were family, but Todd couldn't help but smile at Edward's growth.

He was excited about Edward's promising future.

This mission was a significant one that would determine the kingdom's future strategy.

It would show how powerful and useful the reinforced soldiers and heavy armor were.

The return of the age of knights was on the horizon.

Whether the kingdom could keep up with this major wave depended on how much Todd could accomplish.

But even with his knowledge from his previous life, Todd was just an ordinary person, not a genius or a hero.

There was a real possibility that he could die in the battle against the mountain people.

If that happened, would Halt and the others stay in the kingdom?

If no one else would hire them under the same conditions, they might return to Akitsushima.

Moreover, he needed someone to take over after him.

He had originally intended to entrust this to Lyonbach.

But... adding one more person to the list shouldn't change the outcome.

Thinking that he could trust Edward, Todd decided to share a part of his knowledge.

—The future he knew and the necessary preparations for it.

The battlefield would be dominated by mobile knights wearing special equipment called mobile armor.

Therefore, Rinsugaya needed to develop mobile armor as soon as possible.

Since no one would believe him, Todd had to do it himself.

"If something happens to me, I'll leave the rest to you, Edward. Halt should be able to handle it if you entrust it to him."

He had the minimum number of people in place.

Even if he died, as long as Halt was there, they should be able to develop the mobile armor.

What was needed next was manpower, a secure environment where nothing would leak, and large-scale production facilities.

Edward listened silently, nodding as Todd described the vague future he foresaw.

"To be honest, I know it sounds like I'm just telling a tall tale. You don't have to believe everything. But it would make me happy if you at least knew the methods to prepare, just in case."

"Brother... why...?"

Seeing Edward's face, which looked as if he were seeing something unbelievable, Todd realized he had made a mistake, but it was too late.

Edward's cute face was tense, and his expression looked like a mix of anger and sadness.

He had said too much.

The lack of sleep and the tension of the upcoming battle had made him let his guard down when Edward came, and he had said things he didn't need to.

Scratching the back of his head, Todd thought, "Not good."

Given Edward's intelligence, he must have guessed Todd's true feelings.

Why had Todd suddenly started talking about his research, which he had never mentioned before?

He must have realized the reason.

"Brother... do you intend to die?"

"I have no intention of dying. But you never know when something unexpected might happen. It's just something to consider, you know?"

"No, I don't want that!"

Edward hugged Todd, who had been sitting up.

There was no trace of the calm, princely second prince.

The person hugging Todd tightly was just a worried younger brother.

Todd's chest, where Edward's head was pressed, was slightly damp.

When Edward looked up, large tears were streaming down his face.

【Shinko's Request】

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