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Other traits were deactivated. Only the Leader Trait section flashed. Leader traits were those directly tied to oneself. Traits were broadly divided into several types. The trait Louis was viewing now was Military Administration. All text was erased except for a single entry.
‘If this is real….’
Military Charisma was an outstanding trait for leading troops. Louis looked at another trait. The second was Creativity. The active leader trait under Creativity was Scholar.
You gained respect from engineers and mathematicians and influenced their research.
‘This isn’t bad either.’
History had advanced alongside the development of weapons. Whether tools used for war or those aiding internal affairs, innovation always amplified a nation’s productivity. With a mere gap in technology, differences in military and population were easy to create.
Knowing that, Louis found this trait appealing as well.
The third trait was Expansion. The active leader trait under Expansion was Diligence. The Diligence skill earned additional respect from laborers and, when you met them regularly, boosted their productivity.
‘There’s nothing bad about this.’
Worker productivity was directly tied to a city’s vitality. True to the name “Expansion,” there was likely no trait more suitable for a city that had only just begun to develop.
The fourth trait was Finance—money-related. The target changed only to merchants; the effect was the same.
After that came, in order, Organization, Religion, Defense, Philosophy, and Authority.
Philosophy could raise effectiveness with mages; Authority could do so with slaves.
‘…………..’
He didn’t know whether it was real or not. But if the explanation was right, he could choose only once.
At each stage, he had to pick one distinctive trait.
In other words, if he chose Military Charisma from the Aggression lineage at Stage 1, he could never take another Stage-1 trait again.
Stages 2 and 3 each operated independently as well.
‘…Which is best?’
The continent Louis lived on was chaos itself. It was split among so many countries that it felt like the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, and they were all clashing.
The country Louis resided in was the Duchy of Eron—the weakest state at the far frontier.
In the Duchy of Eron, the sovereign’s power was very weak, and each duke formed his own warlord faction. The Pontina family was among the weaker of those.
A revolt could break out in the country at any moment. That was how grim the mood in the Duchy of Eron was.
‘So there’s no real choice.’
Louis had always admired his eldest brother, who stood face-to-face with the barbarians. Perhaps that played a part, but for now none of the other traits seemed of great help.
In the end, after much thought, Louis chose Military Charisma from the Aggression lineage.
‘If I’d had soldiers, I wouldn’t be in this state now….’
No matter how well you managed internal affairs, if you couldn’t withstand outside raids, you couldn’t grow. Louis had felt that keenly, having ruined city after city. The history and insights he had studied were far from the field.
He decided on Military Charisma and spoke.
“Military Charisma… that’s my choice.”
The previously gray text for Military Charisma lit up.
More than that, Louis was speechless. Who was Genghis Khan?
He could not find him in the vast histories he had studied.
After reading for quite a while, Louis shuddered.
If what was written was true, Genghis Khan was a great conqueror. The military charisma of such an emperor had seeped into him. Louis opened and closed his hand.
Nothing in particular felt different. To test it, he had to survive for sure. Remaining points: 0. Putting aside his excitement, he began plotting how to get through the night safely.
Two days later, Louis was rescued—by the adjutant Dekal.
Dekal was the new adjutant of the eldest brother, Fred, and this was only the second time he and Louis had met face-to-face.
On the way to Jaksen, the city administered by the younger brother, for treatment…
Louis saw new faces, including Dekal.
Among soldiers doing light drills even while marching were centurions commanding them.
Dekal had brought three centurions, and one face drew his eye more than the others.
‘Boromir.’
Overall, he gave the impression of being a bit weaselly. For a centurion, his build was on the lanky side.
Even so, he knew how to handle a very practical sword. He was very strong in the field and knew barbarians in particular. He was a centurion trusted at the very front by the eldest brother, Fred.
That he had been moved into the rotating forces that roamed among the cities meant…
‘He must have had no results afterward.’
Last winter, the barbarians, short on food, crossed the border. Naturally, their target was the grain stockpiled by the family. Boromir fought in the field ten times and succeeded in only two missions. In the last one in particular, he lost the bulk of his troops.
Even with good skill, with results like that, missing a promotion was inevitable.
According to the reports, Boromir had plenty of tactical chances to win. But his errors kept recurring, and he fell behind in the end.
In a way, he was not unlike Louis himself.
‘Boromir’s problem…’
The light drill ended, and the soldiers took a rest.
With only the bare minimum of discipline left in place, everyone relaxed. Louis watched them from the carriage, then leaned back again.
Voices came from outside.
“Did you hear?”
“What?”
“They say the barbarians used arrows.”
“Really…? Maybe it wasn’t the Gedra tribe…?”
“No, by all indications it was them.”
“What a world.”
Louis had seen it with his own eyes as he fled: the beast who led from the very front.
‘They called him… Atila.’
Outsiders called anyone who lagged a little behind in civilization “barbarians,” but that didn’t make the barbarians’ world simple.
Their world was ruthlessly competitive as well. In truth, if they set their minds to it, the barbarians could not only plunder the family’s defended cities but even seize them.
The reason they did not do so was their custom of splintering as soon as they were left to themselves.
“Anyway… Young Lord Louis messed it up again this time.”
“This city’s damage is big… The succession question is out the window now.”
Louis’s father, Remitri, was ill. He had even fainted twice just this month.
It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any time. But his death would not end with the simple passing of a head of household. He was the head of the Pontina family, one of the factions holding power in the Duchy of Eron, and although Louis was a bastard, he still made three sons in total. The notion that a bastard could not inherit was a matter of centuries past. Nowadays he would face side-eye, but with enough ability he could outstrip his brothers and inherit.
However, inheritance aside, the death of Duke Remitri would immediately spill into local troubles.
Never mind the outside barbarians—Marquis Gangpireu next door might attack. Beyond that, blood could be shed internally as well.
The eldest son, Fred, and the second son, Pierre, were both exceptional. If they were only exceptional, that would be fine, but…
‘They’re my brothers, and every one of them has a filthy temper….’
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