Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 66

Training Mission (6) – Our Conversation

Hogg-san, a.k.a Nidhogg-sama was from Zanadefol, a large country in the north. When Hogg-san was 15 he immigrated to Rudek Kingdom with his father.

Hogg-san’s father was an excellent soldier.Though, I didn’t know what happened in Zanadefol that made Hogg-san’s father have to move to our country.

Hogg-san’s father then served the Rudek Kingdom during the reign of the previous king. Because of his horse riding skill, he was appointed as a 2nd Division’s captain. He then climbed up the rank and became the 2nd Division Commander.

Luluria, who came from the southern continent, said that our country’s warhorses were large and magnificent and that our cavalry was powerful. But many people would think of Zanadefol in the north when they were talking about cavalry. Zanadefol was a country famous for its many great warhorses.

Zanadefol was a cold country. Summer was short and winter was long there. Perhaps because they needed to survive the harsh cold climate, horses from Zanadefol were stronger than horses from the Rudek Kingdom.

Just imagining the scenery of Zanadefol’s warhorses charging at me made me feel chill. Moreover, the Knight Order in Zanadefol was composed of almost entirely cavalry.

Their powerful cavalry was the reason Zanadefol could fight on more or less equal footing with the Empire even though they were inferior to the Empire in terms of national power and number of soldiers.

Hogg-san’s father, who came from such a country was above Rudek knights in terms of horse riding skills. It was no exaggeration to say that the 2nd Division’s horse riding techniques have been greatly improved under his guidance.

Hogg-san has also been familiar with horses since he was a child. At a young age, he ran around the battlefield as a member of the 2nd Division and now he was the 2nd Division Commander. 

…Anyway, that was what the story that Hogg-san told us.

Although I didn’t get to hear what I wanted, I was able to understand a lot about Hogg-san’s turbulent life.

I knew a lot of things about him from books, but this was the first time I’d heard that he was from Zanadefol. There was nothing more that I loved than listening to the life story of one of Rudek’s famous Knight Commander straight from his own mouth! So I ended up listening intently to Hogg-san’s story…even though I knew that I didn’t come here for that.

After a while, Hogg-san took a sip of his tea and let out a satisfied sigh. He must have been satisfied with telling us his story.

“But Roa-chan…you’re quite strange~” Hogg-san commented.

“Pardon?”

“I’ve been talking to you for so long, but you keep listening so intently without getting bored~ It’s the first time anyone did that~ Right, Rezol?”

“Yes. To be honest, just the fact you managed to do that makes me impressed, Roa-dono.”

…Was it fine for him to indirectly insult his Commander like that?

“Right~?”

Well, I guess it’s fine since the person in question didn’t seem to care.

“Anyway, thank you for listening to me~ I’ve taken a liking to you, dear~ Ufufu.”

(T/N: Ufufu is Japanese’s evil laugh)

Huh? I was just listening to his story because of my hobby, and for some reason, the 2nd Division Commander took a liking to me?

“I was listening because your story is interesting.”

That should be a safe reply to make here.

Even so, I wasted a lot of time now. What should I do…

After that, our conversation turned to useful tips about how to use cavalry.

To be honest, those tips would help me a lot so I ended up listening intently again.

….Yup. I don’t think this person was a bad person.

Our conversation continued and without me realizing it, it was about time for us to return.

Although I honestly felt a bit reluctant to leave, we all stood up and thanked him.

But before leaving, there was one question I needed to ask him.

“Hogg-san, even though you are from Zanadefol, have you ever had any reluctance with swearing loyalty to Rudek and King Zeurasia? Ah, I was just curious. I’m sorry if I sounded rude.”

“No, I have never felt any reluctance.”

He answered me without any hesitation.

“I see. Pardon me for asking such a boring question.”

“I don’t mind. That just means you properly listened to my story~”

“Thank you very much for today. If you have time, I would love to talk to you again.”

“I’ll welcome you then ~ I’d also love to see you again~”

Thus, the meeting between me and the 2nd Division Commander went peacefully from beginning to end.

***

“Have the people from the 10th Division left?”

A while after Roa, Wickharlt, and Diku were escorted by Rezol to leave, Heanov from the 1st Division appeared from a hidden room in the back.

“You’ve been listening to our conversation so you should know the answer~” Nidhogg replied with a sigh.

“So? Why did they come here for?”

“You know that too, right~? They just came to greet me. That boy, he looks young, but he seems to be quite promising~”

“Hmph. There’s nothing promising about being Rays’s dogs.”

“Well, in terms of being a loyal dog, you’re not much different~”

Hearing Nidhogg’s ridicule, Heanov glared at Nidhogg.

“You have no intention to change your mind…or do you?”

“Don’t worry, I will keep my promise~ I owe Lucifal a great debt~”

Having said that, Nidhogg looked at the direction of the door.

Yes, he would keep his promise. Even if that meant he has to trample that young soldier’s corpse. 

T/N: So Nidhogg is a traitor. Roa was right. I wonder what ‘big debt’ Nidhogg has with Lucifal.