I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Noble, and I Swear I'll Protect the Villainess Who Got Married Off to Me No Matter What ~To Dodge Our Total Downfall, I Went All Out Training My Trash Skill [Super Recovery] Through Crazy Hard Work, and Before I Knew It, I Could Totally Wreck the Game Protagonist Who Condemned My Wife Easily - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Becoming the Supreme Commander of the Entire Army, My Sword Saint Father Swears Loyalty to Zenon and Joins His Side

“Yes, Lord Baldo, that’s exactly right. And what a king needs most is the spirit of noblesse oblige—the noble duty to sacrifice even his own life if it means protecting the people. Zenon has this rare quality of a true king more than anyone else.”

“…The quality of a king?”

Wait, hold up—I’ve literally never once tried to sacrifice myself to protect the people, not even once…?

Of course I didn’t want to see Valeria or the friends here die, but still…

“Our Asphodel ducal house is the strongest sword in the kingdom. Father raised me with the command that I must use this power to support the one who should become king… So I want to offer everything I have to Zenon.”

“…You’re saying Zenon is more fit to be king than His Highness Crown Prince Harold!?”

Father’s voice was trembling with shock.

“Yes. I’m convinced that Zenon is the true vessel of a king and that he’s destined to become one someday. And above all…”

Valeria looked straight at my face and spoke as if she’d made up her mind.

“I’m Zenon’s fiancée. I love Zenon from the bottom of my heart. He helped clear my name when I was disgraced. From now on, the Asphodel ducal house will stand fully behind Zenon and support him with everything we’ve got.”

W-Wait—she loves me from the bottom of her heart!?

Hearing her confess her love right in front of the family, my heart slammed hard against my ribs.

When I glanced over, Valeria’s face had turned bright red, like a perfectly ripe apple.

“I’m serious, Zenon.”

Just those words told me this wasn’t some convenient line to convince Father—it was her real feelings.

“Zenon, you sneaky little… You’ve completely stolen Valeria’s heart without anyone noticing!?”

“Huh!? Uh, well… yeah, I guess so.”

Alfin elbowed me lightly in the side.

I honestly hadn’t expected the girl I like to straight-up confess to me, so it took a while for it to really sink in.

“Hey, hey! I know the timing’s kinda weird, but your big sis really wants to hear all the juicy details about how you two got together!”

“‘I want Valeria to become my partner in destiny’—that’s what he told me the very first time we met, Alfin-neesama.”

“Haaah!?”

…Okay, yeah, I might’ve said something like that.

“That’s amazing!”

Neesan got super excited and started smacking me on the back—ow, that actually hurts a lot.

“I see… Love really can change a person. So my thinking wasn’t completely off the mark after all.”

For some reason Father looked convinced too.

“Confessing first like that—so bold and manly! I’m a tiny bit jealous… but yeah, in love, striking first is super important!”

Now I couldn’t exactly deny it, so it ended up sounding like I was the one who confessed to Valeria first.

Eh, whatever. The fact that I like her hasn’t changed.

I squeezed back the hand Valeria was holding.

This latest victory only happened because we worked together. As long as she’s by my side, I feel like I could face any hardship.

“…Lady Valeria. I’m honestly humbled that you evaluate Zenon so highly. If the Asphodel ducal house is willing to stand as his backer, nothing could make me happier. But let’s step back a moment. Zenon, there’s one crucial thing I need to ask.”

With just that sentence, the air in the room tightened again.

“Do you have any proof that the Saintess was the mastermind behind the attempted assassination of the crown prince? If there’s no evidence, then the argument becomes: the Saintess attacked Lady Valeria in order to eliminate a traitor for the good of the kingdom. That logic holds up, and it becomes very hard to hold the Saintess accountable.”

“That’s…”

Valeria bit her lip hard.

“Father, there’s no way Zenon and Valeria would lie, right? I believe them! Because they love each other! Do you really think two people in love would lie to you!?”

Thankfully Alfin jumped in with some covering fire.

But that was just her personal feeling, and it completely missed the point. What Father wanted was objective evidence.

“Of course I want to believe that too. But if we’re going to treat the Saintess as an enemy, we need solid proof that will convince the thousands of soldiers and officers. A great many people still believe she’s God’s messenger, you know?”

Yeah… figures.

Whether this works depends entirely on the plan I set in motion beforehand.

“…Unfortunately we don’t have direct evidence right now. However, thanks to Duke Asphodel’s cooperation, the actual perpetrator of the crown prince assassination attempt should be captured very soon. Once that happens, we can prove Valeria was falsely accused.”

“And then, as the victim, I’ll be able to formally accuse Saintess Alicia of the crime of trying to eliminate both me and my guards.”

A fierce fire of anger burned in Valeria’s eyes.

“I see. So Ernst—Asphodel—is already moving. Actually, I’m the one who requested reinforcements from the royal capital… which ended up summoning the volunteer army led by Saintess Alicia right here to this land…”

What? So that’s what happened.

My worst-case prediction turned out to be true.

The protagonist’s army from the original game—the one that kept winning battle after battle—the Saintess’s volunteer force is coming here to wipe us out.

“In that case, we’ll be able to keep them out of our territory completely.”

Father paused for a long moment, then fixed his gaze on me.

“But whether that means making you the supreme commander is a separate issue. Especially while I’m still alive and well—if we do that, even with you being the user of [Miracle of Healing] and having achieved great feats, there will still be people who won’t accept it. Controlling an army of ten thousand isn’t something you can do lightly.”

…He’s right about that.

If it looks like I forcibly took the lordship from Father, the veteran commanders who’ve admired him for years will definitely push back.

For over twenty years Father has protected this land from the empire—the trust those warriors have in him is absolute.

“That’s why, for this battle, we’ll say I was struck with a deadly poison that even your [Miracle of Healing] can’t cure. If I’m hovering between life and death, no one will complain when I pass the position of supreme commander to my capable son, right?”

“Father!?”

I was stunned.

“Y-Yeah, that’s actually brilliant. If that’s the story, no one will think it’s strange for the commander to change. Everyone will accept it.”

Even Valeria blinked in surprise.

“Hahaha, well, you see—I figured I’d turn the tables and trap that Saintess Alicia, the one who tormented my precious daughter-in-law Valeria.”

“Huh?”

“Lady Valeria, if Saintess Alicia comes here and starts scheming, please guide her to the room where I’m supposed to be lying sick from poison. Say something like, ‘Even Zenon can’t heal this poison, but surely the Saintess can,’ and so on.”

Father gave a wicked grin.

“If Duke Ernst has already captured the perpetrator of the crown prince assassination attempt by then, we can confront her with that fact right there and condemn her for attacking Lady Valeria. Since the lord of this land has autonomy granted by His Majesty the King, I can judge and punish the Saintess on my own authority. She’ll never expect the trap she set to backfire and catch her instead. She’s bound to fall for it.”

“…That’s true. With Father’s authority, we can condemn and detain Saintess Alicia the moment she sets foot in this territory.”

It really was a brilliant plan.

Even Crown Prince Harold, who adores the Saintess, wouldn’t be able to interfere.

“Exactly. Plus, on the battlefield I can hide my identity and fight as just one ordinary soldier under your command. That way we can trap the imperial army too. The final volley of arrows was coated with poison, after all.”

Father picked up one of the shattered arrows and showed us the arrowhead.

It was too dark for me to see, but with his eyes strengthened by [Super Recovery], Father could clearly make out the poison.

“Leticia will probably let her guard down too, thinking I really was poisoned. The imperial army pulled back to the border—they’ll likely get fresh supplies from the homeland and attack again. When that woman comes charging in, I’ll take her down personally as a single swordsman. I’ll make her regret ever messing around in our land.”

“You’re saying you’ll serve under me, Father?”

I was genuinely shocked.

Father is the Sword Saint—his strength rivals an entire army of ten thousand.

He couldn’t fully unleash that power while acting as commander, but as a single soldier? That changes everything.

The birth of the ultimate hidden ace.

“Exactly. What I’ve always aimed for was to become the strongest swordsman. I was never truly suited to lead ten thousand men as a general. If a son with greater talent for command has appeared, then I’m happy to hand over that seat.”

Father laughed in that big, hearty way of his.

“Zenon, I’m counting on you to take command of the Greivan frontier count army in my place. And use me—this old man—as a single sword on the battlefield. Show me what you can really do!”

Father thrust his sword into the ground and swore loyalty to me.

“From this moment forward, the sword of Baldo, Sword Saint of the Greivan frontier count, is offered to Zenon Greivan.”

“My husband, I gratefully accept Lord Baldo’s oath of loyalty to Zenon. Together, let us devote ourselves to making Zenon our king.”

While I stood there stunned, Valeria carried herself with perfect dignity—like we were already in a royal audience chamber and she was both my consort and my second-in-command.

“…Lady Lydia.”

Father muttered in a daze, as if overwhelmed.

“Lady Valeria truly is Lady Lydia’s daughter—someone who, in different circumstances, could have been called a princess without anyone batting an eye. If even she acknowledges him… then Zenon really is destined to become king!”