9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 135 - Sand and Stars (1)

“Batalland’s white flag surrender, what will happen to continental politics now? The Blue Eagles active once again! Blah blah… A rally supporting General Lucas Redan was held, yada yada… Oh! Lucas has made it big!”

“You’re being noisy, Oscar.”

When Erika scolded him, Oscar, who had been sitting on the executive office couch flipping through a newspaper, just shrugged his shoulders.

“What? You’re curious too.”

“I’m not curious about that trashy media coverage. I’m only reading it to gather information.”

Erika said flatly.

“You’re getting more and more prickly. Is it because of overwork? Or are you worried about Lucas?”

“……”

Oscar grinned mischievously as he teased her, but she only frowned slightly.

“Look at this. It’s been plastered on the front page for days now, Lucas’s photo. Did they do some retouching? He looks quite handsome, different from the real thing?”

Oscar pointed to the large photograph printed on page one of the newspaper.

「Batalland’s Prime Minister Anton Milkov signing the surrender document」

Lucas sat with his legs crossed, watching the Prime Minister with a relaxed smile.

The next page even had a photo of Lucas shaking hands with the Prime Minister. Neither of their expressions revealed anything.

“Well, the photo did turn out nicely.”

“Right? Batalland’s really in trouble too. The King’s suicide, I mean. What will happen to them now? Reading the article, they say military government will be implemented here too, but unlike with Cortana, there’s a rumor that a third party, not Lucas, has been appointed. Lucas will probably advance westward.”

Oscar had been chattering away when he glanced at Erika’s increasingly serious expression and shut his mouth.

“…Oscar.”

Erika picked up the newspaper and quietly called his name.

“What are the chances Lucas was involved in Batalland’s affairs?”

“One hundred percent.”

Oscar answered without hesitation.

“He might not have gotten directly involved. But if it’s Lucas, he would have at least taken advantage of the situation. Look at that expression in the photo. That’s the smile of someone who perfectly achieved their goal. You’re thinking he should be careful, right? Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

Erika chuckled at his flippant remark. Then she casually changed the subject.

“Namir is supposed to arrive today. I should go meet him, so I’ll head back now.”

Oscar put down the newspaper and opened his eyes wide.

“Ah, that was today? If I go with you…”

“You know you can’t.”

“I know well enough. Is Daniel coming too?”

“I don’t think so.”

Daniel had crossed over to the Great Desert with Namir in March, as soon as the war broke out.

After completing his mission, he returned home once in July, but since then he’s been staying in the Great Desert continuously.

Only Namir, who travels between the Great Desert and Schufaben, delivers letters.

‘Is it because of his mother’s situation after all?’

After Mrs. Hartmann suddenly showed up and caused a big commotion, everyone kept their mouths shut about the incident.

But if you had seen Daniel’s eyes at that time, anyone would have noticed. The wounds carved into his soul.

With the war breaking out right after that, and Daniel only returning once after crossing to the Great Desert…

‘Either way, he’s free to choose.’

Still, his seemingly escapist attitude was somewhat disappointing.

Erika quietly spoke while watching Oscar, who had fallen into absent thought.

“Oscar, Lucas would say this.”

“Huh, just leave him alone?”

“Right.”

“Got it.”

Oscar grinned and got up from the couch.

“Then I should go home and clean my room. Since Namir’s coming, I should at least dust things off.”

***

“Long live the Great Supreme Leader! It’s been a while, Director Brightner!”

A colonel in a crisp blue Air Force uniform welcomed Erika with a bright smile.

The Air Force Command was located in an open field with a large airstrip on the outskirts of Lüdelheim.

Armed soldiers strictly guarded the entrance, but when Erika showed her identification, they saluted and let her pass immediately.

“Long live the Supreme Leader. How have you been? You must have been very busy lately.”

Erika also put on her business smile and shook hands with the colonel.

“Haha! No matter how busy I am, I couldn’t possibly lack time to help with Director’s matters. Come this way.”

Erika followed the colonel with brisk steps. Her hair maintained its knife-sharp length at all times, and her neat business suit gave off a corporate atmosphere.

She hadn’t noticed it herself, but it was one of the changes that had occurred over several years.

Riding a horse the command had prepared in advance at a moderate pace, she made small talk with the colonel.

“I heard the Air Force fought a major battle recently. The Orhim aerial battle.”

“Ah, you saw the article? Or perhaps General Redan told you about it. Anyway, it was an incredible battle. We’ve been a bit busy since then, replenishing the supplies that were lost, but all of this is for the great Schufaben, so how could it be troublesome?”

Tremendous joy could be felt from the colonel’s beaming face. Erika suppressed the rising disgust and nodded lightly.

“Truly, all of you in the Air Force are genuine patriots.”

“Thank you for saying so! But Director, you’re also doing very important work. Ah, we’re almost there now.”

A wide-open airstrip stretched out before them.

Namir arrived right on time.

When a red dot began appearing in the distance, an Air Force sergeant on the runway blew his whistle and waved a large flag.

“Kuuuuuuu!”

Tan landed gently on the runway with one delightful roar.

“You came out to meet me, Director, and Colonel.”

Namir opened the glass canopy and climbed down, greeting them.

His dark skin and sapphire-blue eyes were striking, but the Air Force colonel wasn’t surprised. In fact, he seemed quite pleased.

“You’ve arrived. Please entrust the dragon to us—we’ve prepared a special meal.”

“You have to behave yourself, Tan.”

Namir patted Tan and left the Air Force Command with Erika.

There was a bit of a struggle as the colonel insisted they should have at least a cup of tea before leaving.

Staff members were waiting at the command entrance with a top-class four-horse carriage parked and ready.

“Phew, I’m still not used to it.”

Namir finally relaxed and slumped down once he was in the carriage.

“Used to what?”

“Humans welcoming me like that. Humans hate elves.”

“It’s because of the money we pay.”

Erika’s matter-of-fact response.

The Redan Company paid a hefty sum to rent Air Force facilities. Of course, it was to accommodate Tan.

Normally, it would be impossible for a civilian company to use military facilities, even if the sky fell twice, but Lucas was a soldier, a ‘hero,’ and held the rank of general with four stars on his shoulder boards.

He was in a position where only the Supreme Leader or the Ossel leadership could challenge him, but neither Kruger nor Johann Werner seemed to know or care about Lucas’s rampage, offering no restraint whatsoever.

“It’s undeniably corrupt though. A general using military facilities for private purposes.”

Lucas had said with a chuckle.

“Schufaben is rotten!”

“Sometimes I think humans are more obsessed with money than we are.”

“It’s an undeniable truth.”

“At least swindlers are rare in elf villages.”

Namir grumbled while massaging his arms and legs. Although installing a cockpit on Tan’s back made things somewhat more comfortable, sitting for dozens of hours straight was still no easy task.

“Maybe they’re not so much lining up for money as for Lucas himself.”

Erika said thoughtfully.

“Lining up?”

“Trying to get in his good graces… Since Lucas holds such a high position.”

Lucas had called it “crawling on their own.”

“That’s not important, so let’s move on. Welcome back, Namir. How are things in the Great Desert?”

“Ugh, talking business from inside the carriage?”

“Don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it…”

After his brother, Fael, suddenly barged into the Fa tribe village, Namir was forced to experience tremendous adventures following him.

Afterward, wanting to see the human world for himself, he came to Schufaben and now works for the Redan Company, traveling between Lüdelheim and the Great Desert…

‘Ugh, of all the humans I’ve met, this lady is the scariest.’

There seemed to be some irresistible force dwelling in Erika’s quiet, cold gaze.

If he shared these feelings, Lucas, Fael, and Daniel would tease him and laugh, saying he was just timid.

“So, the Great Desert?”

“Uhm, it’s fine. Still a bit rocky, but to convince the skeptical chieftains, we’ll have to prove it with results. But the humans definitely seem satisfied. Daniel’s doing really well.”

“That’s good to hear. There must be things that are hard to write in letters. Namir, you’re doing well conveying things between us.”

“Got it. Oh, I brought a letter for you this time too. I’ll give it to you when we get to the office.”

The carriage traveled down the wide avenue toward the Redan Company building in District 13.

They could see people gathered like clouds near the building.

It was a rally praying for Schufaben’s victory and General Lucas Redan’s safe return.

The carriage took a back route to avoid the people and arrived at the building.

“Take this first.”

As soon as they reached the executive office, Erika handed over a thick stack of documents.

Names of people were listed in rows. Namir, who was diligently studying Schufaben script, read through them one by one.

“There are more and more.”

“That means Schufaben is becoming harder to live in. People don’t seem to feel it urgently yet though.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

The Redan Company was currently in the midst of transporting Schufaben workers to the Great Desert.

「Test your abilities in an unknown world!」

「Let’s build Schufaben’s future with our own hands」

Emotional advertising slogans that stimulated adventurous spirit and patriotism, photos capturing the blazing sun and beautiful oases, shimmering sand.

And most importantly, Lucas Redan’s reputation and employment contracts promising higher wages and better treatment.

Naturally, people flocked to them.

It had only been two months, but already over 1,000 people had applied.

Thus, the Redan Company had become a kind of massive employment agency.

This was part of Lucas’s plan.

To keep his promise with Fael, and for his own sake.

***

February 1903.

One month before the Cortana invasion.

“Fael said he’d make me the top leader of this country.”

Late at night, on the top floor of the Redan Company building.

Lucas spoke to the White Raven Order and Bletter members, plus Namir, gathered in the executive office.

“Honestly, it’s ridiculous.”

Namir complained in his halting Schufaben.

“Right, it is a ridiculous idea. Anyway, we made a contract and we have to achieve that ridiculous thing, don’t we?”

“It seems a good idea has occurred to you.”

Richard smiled benevolently with his saintly face. Everyone knew that smile was an elaborate fake.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not, but I want to ask everyone.”

Lucas seriously replied and rummaged around for something. It was a small, thick notebook.

“Everyone, please share your thoughts.”

At his unnecessarily solemn attitude, his friends made expressions of disbelief.

After reading through the notebook, most of their expressions changed to incredulity.

“No way…”

“Hmm…”

“Brother, this is a bit…”

“Do you really think this will work, Lucas?”

These were Oscar’s, Assad’s, Georg’s, and Erika’s reactions respectively. Daniel and Richard were also murmuring among themselves, as were the Bletter members.

“It’s really dangerous. But if this plan works out as written, it would be quite satisfying, wouldn’t it?”

Only Hannah smiled brightly and defended Lucas. Seeing that sincere smile, Daniel felt slightly uncomfortable.

‘While Lucas and Richard go in different directions, this person is also a bit crazy.’

Beside him, Namir was struggling and whispered to him.

“What’s written here?”

“Ah, right. Lucas, could you explain to Namir for a moment?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll give you an easy, simple summary.”

Lucas strode over and put his hand on Namir’s shoulder.

“Company recruits people. Develop the Great Desert. Company takes the Great Desert. When Kruger dies, quietly hand the company over to Fael. The end.”

Namir stayed quiet for a moment, saying nothing. Daniel thought he would probably have more than one or two things to point out.

“Uh, that thing…”

Namir slowly began to speak.

“That’s totally awesome!”

His sapphire eyes were sparkling excessively.

“Young master.”

Assad looked at him with bewilderment.

“Good, good. Doesn’t Bletter trust Fael completely?”

“That’s true, but.”

Assad had an uncomfortable expression.

“I’ll write down my plan and everyone’s opinions and send them all to Fael to see what he says.”

“Hey, that sounds a bit ominous.”

Oscar grumbled.

After that, arguments continued for several hours, and all of that discussion was conveyed to Fael in a letter. Hannah traveled between the Great Desert and Schufaben.

Fael’s reply was this.

「Perfect.」