The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

TL: xLordFifth

ED:

Chapter 47

“The 10th unit has successfully exited the gate. No casualties. 15 missing individuals have been rescued!”

As Bernard relayed the news, sighs of relief could be heard from all around.

“Phew.”

“Ah, is it over?”

Looking at the situation board on the map, the nearly 50 red dots had significantly decreased, leaving only about 15.

Clap Clap!

Bernard clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention before briefing them.

“Current time is 9:30 AM. We have confirmed that all 35 F-Grade gates targeted in the first phase of the operation have been cleared. Out of a total of 1,046 personnel deployed, all have safely returned except for 5 with minor injuries. The number of civilians rescued totals 563, and the confirmed number of casualties is around 230. Master, your orders!”

Raul took a moment to review the situation board before stepping up to the podium to speak.

“I would like to extend my commendations to all the squad leaders and commanders who have led us to successfully capture the gates without significant damage. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, many citizens of the kingdom were able to save their lives. I hereby officially declare the completion of the first phase of the operation. Until further orders are given, ensure the troops are provided with ample food and rest. Well done, everyone. That’s all!”

Clap Clap Clap!

“Wow!!”

As Raul announced the end of the operation, the members of the operation room burst into applause and cheers.

It was a celebration of the successful completion of their first large-scale operation under the guild’s name.

Although there were still gates and lives to be saved, it was time to give the forces some rest.

Even if they rotated, they had fought in the gates an average of more than three times throughout the night.

“F-Grade gates were manageable, but E-Grade is a different story. Not only will the rank of monsters appearing increase, but so will their numbers.”

No matter how important it was to rescue the missing, it couldn’t take precedence over the lives of his subordinates.

It was right to attempt the E-Grade gate capture only when the forces had rested and were fully prepared.

“Phew, I’m tired.”

Even after dozing off briefly in the operation room, his body felt stiff from tension.

After all, it was his first time commanding such a large force.

In his previous life, he had moved alone or at most with a 5-person party.

Fortunately, he had many excellent subordinates.

In particular, Philip with his command trait and Bernard with his administrator trait had significantly lightened Raul’s burden.

They meticulously assisted him with practical aspects he was unfamiliar with.

And the presence of the knights was always reassuring. Each one was a powerful human weapon and a skilled commander.

Members of large knight orders like the Golden Bear were continuously trained to command forces whenever needed.

Instead of training separate officers, knights took on those roles.

“How’s the territory doing?”

Despite sending countermeasures and information to his brother and father, the appearance of far more gates than expected had left him uneasy.

Raul hurried to the communication room and infused mana into the communication crystal sphere.

– Oh dear, our youngest! Your face looks all but halved. Why such a long face? Was the training insufficient?

After waiting for a while, the face that appeared in the crystal sphere, Dylan, started speaking with a jovial smile.

“Brother! This is no time for jokes. What’s the situation?”

– What’s there to worry about? We had information and prepared perfectly.

The situation of the Ashton county relayed by his brother was beyond what Raul had imagined. The count of gates that appeared throughout the Count’s territory was none less than a hundred, with D-Grade gates accounting for ten of them.

But what remained now was….

“What did you say? They’ve been cleared out, all of them?”

Before even half a day had passed, the gates in the county were swept away.

Seeing Raul’s dazed expression, Dylan laughed out loud.

– Hahaha, so Raul can make such a face, too. I was worried you were losing your cute side, but this is a relief.

Raul, irritated by Dylan’s snickering, shouted.

“No, that’s not the point! I told you to leave the D-Grade and above gates alone because they’re dangerous!”

– Leave them? So, what, were you planning to come and use your peculiar power to do something about them??

Dylan looked at Raul’s face for a moment, then crossed his arms and spoke seriously.

– Little brother, I think you’re under some misunderstanding. The Count Ashton family is strong! Do we look so weak to you that we need to worry a child of 15?

“…….”

Dylan’s forearms bulged with a creak.

– We are always ready to face our enemies. Hundreds of knights honed in real combat, tens of thousands of elite troops that thoroughly protect the territory. So, Raul!

Dylan uncrossed his arms and smiled.

– You don’t worry about the territory and just do as you wish. The back is covered by father and your brother, you see.

Raul was slightly moved by Dylan’s words.

There wasn’t a single point in his brother’s words that was wrong.

He had been so proud, having formed his own knights’ order and commanding nearly a thousand subordinates.

Back home, there was the Golden Bear Knights Order teeming with knights no less skilled than Philip, Jake, and Pierce, and if you included the second and third-order knights, squires, and knights belonging to clans, the number of knights alone would exceed a thousand.

And the soldiers? The territory was overflowing with elite troops hardened through battles with monsters from the forbidden areas.

Honestly, Raul’s subordinates couldn’t hold a candle to the Count’s family’s forces.

‘I still have a long way to go. But someday…’

He resolved to cultivate the power to truly protect the Count’s family.

Raul, feeling somewhat lighter, opened his mouth.

“Yes, I was mistaken. You’re right, brother. But you know we can’t be complacent, right? This is just the beginning.”

– That’s right, little brother. But, there was actually something I forgot to mention…

Raul rubbed his temples as if it was a headache upon hearing what came next from Dylan.

‘E-Grade, D-Grade gates not vanishing…’

It seemed the situation he feared was happening.

* * *

In Raul’s office-cum-meeting room.

Raul, Bernard, and nine knights were gathered together.

“So, how did you tackle the D-Grade gates?”

Asked Jake, Raul chuckled and said.

“The veterans went out for a walk.”

“Excuse me??”

Of course, it was unlikely they knew the internet slang from Earth.

“Count, Commander of the Golden Bear Knights, and other elders seem to have taken action.”

“Oh my, why would those of respectable ages go running around in the field?”

The Count Ashton’s family had no Sword Master.

However, there were three individuals who were infinitely close to being called Sword Masters.

The current head of the Count Ashton’s family, Count Melvin.

Commander of the Golden Bear Knights, Sir Trevor.

Commander of the domain, Sir Ernest.

All three had passed their fifties but were actively serving in their prime.

Besides these, there were at least five knights who had reached the pinnacle of expertise.

Yet, those had already retired from active duty and were seldom seen, but this time they seemed to have taken up swords themselves.

‘It must have been father’s request.’

Anyway, this event truly made one realize what the ‘power of a prestigious family’ really means.

And also that the apparent power is not all there is.

“The problem isn’t that. There’s a gate that doesn’t disappear even after being cleared.”

“What? Isn’t that a serious issue!”

They didn’t even know yet that gates which had disappeared were re-emerging.

Now, there’s talk of a gate that doesn’t even dissolve.

“That’s why we need to check it out for ourselves. To see why the gate isn’t dissolving. If there’s any other way.”

At Raul’s words, everyone nodded.

“Should we prepare the troops?”

Bernard’s question was met with a shake of Raul’s head.

“No, we’ll go with a small elite group this time. Just me, Philip, Jake, and Pierce.”

“Isn’t that too small a number?”

“From what I’ve heard, it seems the folks on the other side handled a gate on their own; we can’t be outdone. Oh, we might need to rescue survivors, so let’s get support from about 10 mercenaries.”

“Understood.”

As Bernard left to select the personnel, Jake said with an excited expression,

“Ah, this reminds me of the old days, doesn’t it? It definitely feels more liberating just moving amongst ourselves. Should we pack some lunchboxes?”

“Old days? That was just two months ago.”

Pierce questioned with a dry voice and expressionless face, prompting Jake to sigh.

“This is why I dislike archers, you know? It’s just a joke, a joke!”

“This is a meeting attended by the Master. Refrain from unnecessary comments.”

“Oh my, such a stickler. Sometimes you’re even worse than the commander himself. Oh, not that I’m badmouthing the commander!”

Eventually, after being smacked on the back by Philip, Jake closed his mouth.

* * *

“Hmm.”

“What should we do?”

Raul and his company were advancing through a gorge to find themselves facing a huge cliff.

An E-Grade gate was hardly a challenge. The monsters that appeared were Ratmen and Goblins.

While Ratmen soldiers and Goblin hunters, not seen at F-Grade, made their appearance, they were essentially the same to Raul and the knights.

The gate was straightforward, as the canyon stretched on; they merely needed to push forward, eliminating monsters along the way.

The real issue arose after they had cleared out all the monsters.

As they approached the cliff, a system message popped up.

-Gate clearing conditions have been met.

-Warning: A hidden space has been discovered. The Hidden Quest [Guardian Extermination] has been generated.

-If you do not accept the Hidden Quest, you will be automatically returned in 30 minutes.

‘Check the quest!’

[Hidden Quest: Guardian Extermination]

Rank: D+

Objective: Defeat the Gate Guardian.

Description: A powerful Guardian is protecting the gate. Defeat the Guardian to neutralize the gate!

Reward: Experience points, gold, low-tier random item box

“Did you all see that?”

The knights nodded to Raul’s question.

“Well then…”

Although they had to break it, there was something else that needed to be checked first.

Raul called over the mercenaries that followed him to investigate the cliff.

However, they found nothing and felt nothing out of the ordinary.

‘Just as I thought… It’s made so that only players can even approach it.’

He had somewhat expected this.

After all, whether it was gates or dungeons, they could have been sufficiently tackled even at the level of connect NPCs.

In terms of combat power, the NPCs were overwhelmingly stronger than the players.

But then, how could the game function?

For this reason, there were strict restrictions placed on dungeons and gates.

Firstly, NPCs could not enter the rooms of Gate Guardians or dungeon bosses.

No matter how powerful the superhuman, if not a player, they couldn’t close gates or dungeons.

Secondly, NPCs couldn’t receive any rewards in gates or dungeons.

This setting was similar to the divine domain found in the free city (Player Zone).

In the end, players were absolutely necessary to handle the gates and dungeons plaguing Connect.

It was a game mechanism designed to ensure players, as outsiders, were welcomed in the world of Connect.

‘Infinite gate regeneration with a player zone applied… Isn’t this just telling us not to block it?’

Had Raul been a mere game player, he might’ve been delighted, but for him, Connect was reality.

It seemed like a solution was necessary.

‘Let’s take care of the quest first.’

“Let’s go in!”

“That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear!”

And shortly after.

The E-Grade Gate Guardian, ‘Black Curse Goblin Warrior,’ was cleanly eliminated not even ten seconds after appearing.

(To be continued)