Signs Of The Count's Family's Decline, Part 4 (Exiler's Perspective)

“Damn it. That stingy finance minister, pinching every last penny…”

Count Wind cursed as he walked.

Preparations against the King of Calamity—a mission personally entrusted to him by the king.

He had negotiated with the finance minister over the budget, but in the end, he had only managed to secure about half the amount he had originally envisioned.

Naturally, the larger the budget, the stronger the force he could assemble, and the more comprehensive the other preparations could be.

However, with the budget he had been given, assembling the force he had envisioned would prove difficult.

He would either have to reduce the number of personnel or compromise on their quality.

“And this is supposed to be a national crisis…”

The thought infuriated him.

Then again, the finance minister undoubtedly valued his own position, career advancement, and power more than the nation’s survival. In that respect, the count was no different.

To put it bluntly, he had little interest in whether these measures saved the common people or whether they ended up becoming casualties.

What mattered to the count was how the king would evaluate his performance.

And whether he could achieve enough to preserve his reputation at court.

Yet with such a limited budget, his mission had already gotten off to a difficult start.

“Damn it! Now that the budget’s been finalized, I’ll just have to make do with what I’ve got…!”

Grinding his back teeth in frustration, the count headed toward his office.

“Hmm… So we haven’t managed to recruit enough personnel…”

A special force tasked with preparing for the King of Calamity.

To assemble this force, he had called for volunteers from the kingdom’s knightly and mage orders, but the response had been disappointing.

For starters, the existence of the King of Calamity could not be publicly disclosed.

Its existence remained strictly classified.

Consequently, the unit had officially been advertised as an ordinary special operations force.

As a result, hardly any of the elite knights and mages the count had hoped to recruit had come forward.

Neither the knightly order nor the mage order had been willing to spare their best personnel.

“Damn them. They think they can make a fool of me…”

The count spat out the words.

It was at that moment.

His eyes fell on one of the assembled knights, and he suddenly froze.

(That man—)

They had never met in person.

But the count knew about him.

When he had previously investigated his wife Emily’s affair, this young man had emerged as her lover.

He was one of the knightly order’s most promising young talents.

With his handsome, refined features and charming demeanor, he was said to be exceptionally popular with women.

According to the investigation, he had met Emily through a mutual friend, but—

Just then, the young knight turned toward him.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

At first glance, it was a pleasant, charming smile.

Yet to the count, it seemed strangely provocative.

(I stole your precious wife right out from under your nose.)

That was the triumphant message the count imagined lurking behind the young man’s smile.