“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Taking Nord into custody. It was a conclusion born from a multitude of thoughts that intertwined within me.
It was a statement made after careful consideration, judging that it would be beneficial to us.
Even when Evia asked me, staring into my eyes as I turned, I could nod without wavering or hesitation.
“You know we’re short on personnel, right? If that’s the case, securing a reasonably trustworthy individual, even temporarily, is a big deal. Whether he can work or not needs to be investigated, but if we train him, he should be of some use.”
The immediate issue for our faction is resolving our personnel shortage.
The burden on each individual in our faction is dangerously high.
With upcoming meetings with the Japanese Government and the addition of dungeon management, things will become dire. We need to take action soon. Even knowing it might be like adding a drop to a parched stone, I think the fiancé’s younger brother is quite a valuable prospect.
“…That’s true.”
Evia, having heard my words, considered the pros and cons of the matter and indicated a leaning towards approval. There’s also the matter that it’s better to entrust him to a reliable person than to have him exploited by someone untrustworthy.
“I can also completely control the marriage interview situation under me. As for education, well, it will be Spartan, but I can train him in a way that does not involve fighting.”
If I may say so myself, there’s no experience like actual combat. An opportunity to learn under us, who are in the process of building a territory, is rare. It’s undeniable that while we’ll minimize overtime, the considerable workload will allow for significant experience to be gained.
“Jiro-, if we send Nord to you, what happens afterward? It’s a bit more than undesirable that it would be perceived that the Nordis family has fallen under your command.”
“I don’t think there will be a problem with that. We can simply have him come under the guise of training. While he will technically be a subordinate, it would be best to consider him as being dispatched as a helper.”
There are many potential issues, but they are all within the scope of what can be dealt with later.
“His status will be that of a dispatch member, thus guaranteeing the Nordis family’s standing. The excuse will be studies in organizational management to gain experience as a future successor.”
“Ho, those are not bad conditions. If I were to take care of Nord, it would inevitably be seen by others as me spoiling him. The same applies to Evia.”
“In that regard, you, being family, can also secure a third-party perspective.”
Even if it requires troublesome procedures, I want to secure personnel here. The flow of events makes the idea seem not bad.
“Can you discipline him?”
“Hahaha! Do you think I, who endured firsthand training from an instructor, would offer gentle guidance?”
Laughing off Evia’s words about disciplining him, my lips curl into a crescent moon-like smile.
“Hic!”
My efficient training methods have been honed by a black company. Combined with the ability to gauge limits taught by the instructors, I am confident in my ability to provide the most efficient guidance.
“Oh! That’s reassuring, isn’t it, Eve?”
“Yes! With this, Nord can rest assured too.”
“So, it’s a brilliant plan, is it?”
Nord-kun seemed to flinch at my smile and imposing presence, but that’s not an issue. In conclusion, all family members except Nord-kun have given their approval, so it has become a choice of three options.
From here on, the choice will be Nord-kun’s.
“Now, since it has neatly become three choices, what do you say, Nord-kun?”
“No, wait a minute! Why is this conversation progressing without me! Is this strange? Where did my opinion go!?”
And so, Nord-kun, who is reluctant to give up. In a way, it shows remarkable courage to voice his opinion here, but…
“You’re welcome to say it, but I don’t really recommend it.”
That courage needs to be maintained until after death; otherwise, it’s meaningless. I sense his desire to make a selfish request and his assumption that I can be deceived. I have dabbled enough in mind games to pick up on such things.
It’s not killing intent, but pure pressure. The intent behind my gaze is to choose your words with resolve.
With a crescent smile and an unsmiling gaze, I face Nord-kun.
“Ah.”
I understand all too well the desire to voice your opinion. However, Nord-kun, selfishness and opinion are different. Opinion should be used when seeking the best course of action. Words used to push one’s own convenience are called selfishness.
“If you have a constructive opinion, I’ll listen. If they are words that only consider your own convenience, you understand, right?”
I didn’t become a general for frivolous reasons or on a whim. People in positions of authority have limited choices in the end. You might lament that this means a lack of freedom, but from others’ perspective, having choices is a blessing.
“The time when you could simply bask in the sweet rewards is over. If you desire more, you must pay the price. The price to be allowed to bask in sweet rewards… but you cannot pay it, can you?”
That is life. You always have to look at the hand of cards you’ve been dealt and choose the best move from there. If you want strong cards, you must put in corresponding effort. In his case, he had the powerful hand of the Nordis family. As a result of resting on that hand and doing as he pleased, he has arrived at this conclusion. It can only be described as self-inflicted.
Well, perhaps because Evia trained him, his hand has become full of trash.
“…”
His mouth opens and closes like a goldfish’s, as if trying to say something to me, but he cannot. Currently, my mind is in a quasi-combat state, calibrated for instructor-level engagements. I can instantly enter combat, but given the difference in our abilities, he might falter and nearly lose consciousness. Cold sweat trickles down his face, and words fail him. If he’s going to push for his own will, I need him to overcome this pressure and offer his opinion.
“So? You have an opinion, don’t you? Go ahead and say it. I’m planning to market myself as a general who listens to people, after all.”
“Nonsense, then suppress that pressure. At Nord’s current strength, he can’t even speak.”
Evia admonishes me with a wry smile at my lighthearted joke. However, she doesn’t seem to intend to stop me. While her words try to halt me, her attitude is one of observation, and she seems prepared to listen to Nord-kun’s opinion.
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
And then, I slightly reduce the pressure.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
As if the tension in his body was released, Nord, bracing himself on his hands on the floor, dripping with sweat, begins to regulate his breathing.
“Why are you… so strong now?”
“Well, perhaps the fruits of hellish training?”
“Hell wouldn’t be that harsh. I’d pass even in a place where those two are together.”
“Hahaha! I can’t deny that.”
“Don’t joke around!! Why does someone like you have talent!! It’s absurd!”
And so, it’s only been a little over a year since we met. We meet occasionally, and each time, Nord-kun calls my increasing strength unreasonable.
“I’ll tell you something good, Nord-kun.”
As Nord-kun laments the difference in talent, still dripping with sweat, I let out a deep sigh.
“Talent is just an excuse when you talk about it.”
“Huh?”
I say this with a wry smile. Nord-kun is stunned by my sudden words, but he doesn’t back down and say “never mind” here.
“Whether you have talent or not, you won’t know until you try. When I first joined the company, I was labeled as having no talent and was ridiculed, but now I’ve been promoted more than anyone else in the company!”
The word “talent” is convenient. If one achieves something, they have talent. If another succeeds, they can be said to have talent. Conversely, if one fails to achieve results, they can say they lack talent. The word “talent” is often accompanied by excuses. People may tell themselves they have talent, but most often, they say things like, “That person has talent, but I don’t.”
“If you have the time to make excuses about lacking talent, it’s much better to take action.”
And in the case of such people, they tend to become passive towards the things they attempt. Fearing failure, they try not to make further spectacles of themselves. How can the presence or absence of talent be determined by one or two failures? Must everything be successful for talent to exist? Does talent only exist if one accomplishes everything with a 100% success rate? That’s certainly not the case. Talent is merely a trigger, at best, a slight difference in how quickly one improves compared to others.
“I’ve come close to death countless times. When I met Oniō Raidou, I was on the verge of death from the start, and then it was day after day of being beaten senseless. I fought heroes midway, and I was caught up in rebellions. I fought desperately to resist them. Before I knew it, I had become a combat maniac.”
“That’s why! That’s what having talent means!! You can say that because you’ve succeeded at everything!”
“How rude, I’ve experienced failure after failure. I simply didn’t flinch at those failures and bounced back.” Regretting failure is good. However, what’s important is not to stop there. People say it’s meaningless to fail and die. That’s true, and indeed, if you die, it’s meaningless. Nord-kun, overcome with despair, declares me talented. It’s true that I had a talent for magic aptitude, and a few screws loose in my head make me less fearful in combat. That could be considered a talent, but it’s not like I was particularly blessed. To show this, I expose my upper body, taking off my jacket. In Eve’s presence, it would normally be rude to remove one’s clothes, but…
“!”
“This is…”
“Well.”
“Can you still say I have talent after this?”
I need to show him reality here. So, pushing past some hesitation, I remove my jacket and reveal my upper body. Nord-kun’s eyes widen, Kaden-san looks impressed, and Eve-san is simply surprised. I can feel the gazes of the other maids and butlers who were waiting, but there was no disgust. The numerous scars etched onto my body. I have no intention of boasting, but…
“These scars are the count of my failures. If you say I have talent, it’s perhaps the talent to survive even after failure.”
Scars from a golem’s sword. Scars from being blown away by an instructor. Scars from being eaten by an Evoluter. Scars from clashing with a hero. Scars from fighting a Seraph. Scars from fighting a god.
“Nord-kun. The people you call talented are probably those who can survive without bearing such scars.”
None of these scars were acquired during a successful victory. Some are from battles where I nearly died, and others are from battles where I narrowly won. I have never achieved a victory as clean as you might imagine.
“Talent, talent, talent. If you keep repeating that and stand still, it’s much more constructive to write more documents or swing your sword. It’s better to challenge even with a low probability than to give up, declare you can’t do what you want, and live a boring life to decay.”
Effort is something to be accumulated, not something that is rewarded. Whether it is rewarded depends on oneself. “It’s more beneficial to enjoy life with a lighter heart. It’s best to have few failures, but zero is impossible from the start. And if you stop to dwell on each one, you’ll never have enough time.” However, effort is essential for success. “Do you know? Success won’t come unless you try.” And if you want to succeed, you have no choice but to act.
Today’s word: Naturally, you must act to create a probability.
Thank you for your usual feedback and reports of typos. If you find this interesting, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc. I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Various Things in Our Secret Base!! Please check that out as well!!
