Conscription 2

After hearing Kaislan’s explanation, I had a lot on my mind.

Of course it did. The moment I show myself in public, I’ll be dragged to Military Command, and my clan will be sent to the dangerous front lines without me.

‘Should I stay hidden underground like this?’

I’ll lose three comrades.

Having seen the records, the thought of being separated from my companions makes me extremely uneasy.

But……

“You have to go, Captain.”

As if he could read my mind, Kaislan spoke to me in a persuasive tone.

“…Must go? What do you mean?”

“Judging from the official notice, it hasn’t been very long since the summons order was issued. It’s still before the deadline, so nothing is wrong yet, but if you fail to report once the deadline passes, it can grow into a major problem.”

“For example?”

I shot him a look urging him to clearly explain the consequences, and Kaislan went on carefully.

“First of all, it would leave a massive stain on your reputation. No matter what our circumstances are, from the outside, it will look no different from desertion. People will think you fled because you were scared of war.”

In short, my name would be dragged through the mud.

Considering how much I’ve benefited from my reputation over the years, it’s not like I don’t understand its value.

But…

“That doesn’t matter. Next.”

My instant answer made Kaislan pause for a moment, but he soon broke into a smirk.

“As expected from you, Captain”

“Anyway, next.”

“…Second, the clan itself will suffer. As I said, it will be regarded as desertion. Once the war ends, all of us will stand trial. And we’ll receive the harshest punishment. Desertion is treated as one of the gravest crimes under military law.”

“What exactly is that harsh punishment?”

“Execution. Military law values ‘making an example’ above all.”

Unlike the first point, this wasn’t something I could just brush off.

Unless, of course, the entire group planned to hide in the sewers forever.

“What if… Noark wins the war? Then we won’t be punished for desertion, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Kaislan looked directly at me and answered firmly.

“The Royal Family will not lose.”

“How can you be so certain? The fact that they even issued a summons means the Royal Family is desperate enough to need explorers.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t believe they’re truly cornered. They’re simply borrowing hands to reduce damage to their own forces.”

Kaislan said this was just his personal opinion, but I couldn’t ignore it.
After all, he used to be a soldier.

He would know the Royal Family’s strength better than anyone here.

“Is there a third reason?”

“The third reason… is you, Captain.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. You won’t be executed like we would, but in the worst-case scenario, they could use ‘desertion’ as justification to strip you of your title.”

His expression was so serious that I wondered what he was getting at.

“Losing my title, huh…”

Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the title itself.

But the problem was my clan members.

If I kept my noble status, I could at least attempt to prevent their execution.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Captain, but can I say something?”

I stopped thinking and nodded.

Kaislan then looked at me with the eyes of a soldier.

“We didn’t choose to follow you because we wanted to become your lackeys.”

“……”

“We simply wanted to walk the same path as you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the others nodded in agreement.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say.” Amelia, for her part, looked genuinely pleased by the remark.

“You must go, Captain. The Royal Family will not lose. And if you want to keep living in this world, you need to go now.”

I had no option but to agree with them.

“…Fine. I’ll go. But before that, there’s something I need to do.”

“…Something to do?”

What else could it be? If I leave, we’ll be separated.

“I’m appointing a vice-captain.”

We need someone to lead while I’m gone.

***

The vice-captain position had remained vacant since the clan was founded.

I hadn’t left it empty on purpose; I had wanted to fill it for a long time, but…….

‘It just turned out that I’m only doing it now.’

Well, there were many reasons for the delay.

Firstly, everyone found the position burdensome.

And even without a vice-captain, everyone handled their responsibilities well.They also preferred a flatter hierarchy.

The vice-captain position had remained vacant since the clan was founded.

I hadn’t left it empty on purpose; I had wanted to fill it for a long time, but…….

‘It just turned out that I’m only doing it now.’

Well, there were many reasons for the delay.

Firstly, everyone found the position burdensome.

And even without a vice-captain, everyone handled their responsibilities well. I also wanted to maintain a more equal footing among the members.

“Vice-captain?”

“Yes.”

There was a common saying in this world: an army of sheep led by a lion is stronger than an army of lions led by a sheep.

That’s how important the leader’s role is.

Therefore……

“Does anyone want to nominate themselves?”

I glanced around, but no one raised a hand.

Kaislan seemed a bit ambitious, but……

‘Those two are a bit unexpected.’

Both Versyl Gowland and James Carla had been vice-captains of well-established clans, but despite their qualifications, neither of them seemed interested.

In a way, they were the most qualified for the position, yet they seemed completely uninterested.

Perhaps they understood how demanding the role was because they had held it before.

Makes sense.

Our clan isn’t like others.

Being vice-captain here would bring obligation more than power.

So who should it be?

I slowly scanned the group.

There was one thing I was certain of:

The vice-captain role wouldn’t be filled simply because I chose them. For instance, even if I appointed Auyen as vice-captain, who here would actually listen to him?

Only someone who could establish their own authority within the clan through their own strength could take that position.

In that sense…….

Meland Kaislan.

This guy at least had the minimum conditions fulfilled.

He had experience leading a group, and being a former soldier, he had a certain charisma…….

‘Above all, he’s skilled in strategy and tactics.’

His weaknesses were his poor information-gathering skills and his rigid views, which made him less adaptable.

Simply put, he was a bit slow when it came to making split-second decisions.

‘Amelia Rainswales.’

Amelia is the exact opposite.

She always thinks and judges rationally, and having experienced all sorts of things, she’s good at improvising.

However, her grasp of coordinated group movement was weaker than Kaislan’s, and while she did have some charisma, she still preferred to work on her own.

Still, as one of the original members, the clan would accept her without issue.

Then:

Versil Gowland.

…She’s also a decent option.

Having joined us shortly after the Ice Rock Expedition, she had been with us long enough, and she even had real experience serving as a proper vice-captain.

Well, I do think she falls short in charisma compared to the other two.

Still, that was likely only because she was just a regular member now. If she became vice-captain, she would probably change.

She’s quite capable when it comes to strategy and tactics, and judging by how she usually talks, she doesn’t seem particularly rigid or stubborn.

When I thought about it like that, Versyl seemed like a blend of Amelia and Kaislan. Somewhere in the middle, maybe.

After reviewing the other members, I narrowed the candidates down to these three.

Erwin and Misha might be the original members, but they aren’t cut out to become leaders.

“Um… Can I become the vice captain?!”

And Aynar wasn’t even worth considering.

“You sit down.”

“Why! You said anyone who wanted to should speak up!!”

“…You are excluded.”

“That’s too much! Bjorn!! How could you treat me—”

“Pheneline, the captain is speaking. Be quiet.”

As Amelia narrowed her eyes, Aynar immediately quieted down like nothing had happened.

“……”

Sigh. Moments like this made me think Amelia really was the perfect choice.

“Let me say this ahead of time, I’m not doing it.”

“…Huh?”

“It just doesn’t suit me.”

Honestly, you’re the only one who thinks that.

She had this habit of undervaluing herself.

It’s similar to how she never wears skirts or colorful clothes like Erwin or Misha.

As if she thinks nothing suits her?

Even without trying.

“But don’t worry. No matter who becomes vice-captain, I’ll work hard to help them like I did for you.”

Well, with her saying all that, I couldn’t exactly push her into becoming vice-captain. So I chose to give up on appointing Amelia altogether.

“Since there are no volunteers, I will decide on my own—.”

“Me! I said I’d do— ow! Why, why are you pinching me?!”

Misha pinched Aynar on the hip as she kept insisting, and that was enough to resolve the situation.

“Since there are no volunteers, I’ll choose. Meland Kaislan and Versyl Gowland. I believe the two of you are the most suitable for the vice-captain position.”

“If you entrust me with it, I won’t shy away from its duty and weight.”

“Me too… Someone has to take the role eventually anyway.”

Alright, since I had their approval, there was only one thing left for me to do.

“We will begin the voting now. Each of you will come to me one at a time and whisper the name of the person you think is best suited to be vice-captain.”

“Whisper…into your ear?”

“Don’t worry! I’ll keep the secret!”

“……”

James Carla looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but said nothing more.

And then…

“Alright, let’s start!”

And so began our barbarian-style secret vote.

The first to begin the voting was Erwin, whom I called forward.

…Huh?

Did I mishear?

“Amelia Rainwales.”

“I just think she’d do the best job.”

“No, but you have to pick between the two…”

“Then just mark mine as abstaining. I don’t really care who gets it.”

“…Understood.”

So, starting off with one abstention (Amelia).

“I’ll go with Ms. Gowland……. She looks a little nicer than Kaislan…….”

Second up, Misha chose Versil.

…Though I’m not sure what being nice has to do with being the vice captain.

It’s like picking a class representative in primary school.

For a second, I thought this might just be a popularity contest, but the next few votes put my mind at ease.

“Versyl Gowland.”

Amelia spoke that single sentence and then returned to her place.

“I would like to cast my vote for Miss Gowland.”

Former vice-captain James Calla.

“If I had to entrust my life to one of them, I would choose Miss Gowland.”

Sven Parav, with his extraordinary survival instincts.

“I’ll vote for Versyl Gowland.”

Lyris Marone voted without any particular reason.

That made five votes for Versyl.

“I vote for Kaislan! A knight is better than a mage!”

“Um… we can all hear you from here.”

Aynar didn’t seem to grasp the idea of a secret vote, since she openly gave Kaislan her first vote.

In that case, the result is already decided.

Since the candidates themselves couldn’t vote, the outcome was more or less already decided. Still, because I wanted to hear the opinions of the remaining member, I called the last person up to vote.

“I, I……”

Auyen Rocklob, the plunderer-turned-navigator.

Who would this guy choose?

“I… still think it has to be the Madam.”

A completely unexpected line.

“Madam…?”

“Ah, no… I mean Ms. Raines. No matter how much I think about it, she seems the most suitable for the vice-captain position……”

Heh…

Well, that was unexpected.

“Alright, return to your seat.”

“Sorry for saying something unnecessary…”

“It’s alright. You have every right to express your thoughts.”

Kaislan and Versyl looked a little tense.

The other members were also waiting eagerly for the results.

“Don’t worry, Kaislan! I’m sure everyone picked you! A knight is better than a mage! You’re obviously the winner!”

“Haha, don’t flatter me so much. Miss Gowland is quite capable as well. We’ll only know after we hear the results.”

Hmm… This had become a little awkward. Even so, I had no intention of skipping the announcement.

“I’ll announce the results. Versil Gowland received five votes and will take on the role of vice-captain of our Anabada Clan with effect from today.”

As I revealed the results, Kaislan showed a mix of mild disappointment and relief.

“If Ms. Gowland got five votes, then I must have got three. With that difference, it’s not too disappoint—”

“Emily Raines got two votes, Melend Kaislan got one vote. That’s all.”

Kaislan paused for a moment before replying, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

I shrugged casually, and Kaislan shouted as if what I’d said was absurd.

“But Miss Raines wasn’t even competing for vice-captain!”

Well, that part was true.

That was why I thought about keeping that fact to myself. But in the end, doing so would have compromised the fairness of the secret vote.

“Don’t worry. All votes cast for Raines were counted as no vote.”

So cheer up.

“Kaislan, you came in second.”

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