The princess, accompanied by Count Lawrence, the countess, and Victor, walked together into the mansion.
As the princess looked aroudn the mansion with curiosity , the head of the royal knight and commander of the expedition watched the count with a careful eye, after all he was one of the most influential lord in the kingdom, as it was literally from his land that the weapon the kingdom uses in war are available.
Victor, his mouth movements visible from the side of his scarred cheek, turned and addressed Count Lawrence,
"Count Lawrence, may I ask something?"
"Please, Sir Victor, you may call me Lawrence. Also, please proceed," the count graciously responded.
"Then you may call me Victor too. I just wanted to ask if proper scouting has been done around the dungeon," Victor inquired, locking gaze with the count.
''Well seems like you three have important matters to talk about'' the countess spoke as she excused herself as she did not like to hear any conversation about war. Which was understandable since she was already worried by the fact that an entire army of monsters was near her mansion.
As the countess left, Count Lawrence turned to the head of the royal knights and shook his head, a sense of gravity in his expression, "Unfortunately, no, Sir Victor. It was precisely my son's request for no more scouts to be sent there."
"May I ask why?" the princess chimed in, her highbrow raised in curiosity. Scouting the terrain before the battle was a common practice, and the absence of such a request seemed unusual.
The count explained, "You see, Your Highness, in the letter, everything I said was reported to me by my son. He mentioned that when he first discovered the dungeon, he felt observed. Near monsters were certainly watching the situation. When, thanks to the goddess, he came back, he explicitly stated not to send any more men. If they did, the dungeon master could realize they were discovered and preemptively strike, pillaging and raiding the land before it could be stopped."
"Seems like your son has a sharp mind for strategy," Sir Victor commented, his eyes scanning the mansion's surroundings.
Count Lawrence beamed with pride, "You don't know how much I am proud of him. You must know that a few weeks ago, I showed him our troops drilling. You know what the first thing he said was?"
"How inefficient," the count continued, turning to face Sir Victor. "Sir, the tactic that each kingdom has used for centuries was labeled as inefficient before he absentmindedly offered a few pieces of advice to improve the army's performance. You want to know what the results were?"
At this point, all of them halted, locking eyes with the count, recognizing the significance of the matter being discussed.
"There has been at least a 300% improvement in the rate of fire, along with the time between each shot being reduced to almost half"
A profound silence engulfed them, each participant contemplating the weight of the count's revelation. Sir Victor broke the silence, "Are you telling the truth, Count Lawrence?"
The count solemnly nodded, "I swear on my house that every word is true."
The count's admission left Sir Victor and the princess astounded. "Your son is certainly... well-endowed on the military side, sir," Sir Victor remarked, still trying to comprehend the revelation. If the count's words were true, it hinted at a potential revolution in the army's tactics.
"I am both proud and scared of him, sir," the count admitted, nervously scratching his neck.
"Scared? Why would you be?" Sir Victor questioned, genuinely puzzled.
"I've never enlisted a tutor to teach strategy to my son," the count confessed, his gaze fixed on the head of the knight, determination evident in his eyes.
"So, you're suggesting that your son achieved these outstanding results without any formal military education?" the princess inquired, her tone neutral.
The count nodded in affirmation, and a heavy silence enveloped them as they grappled with the implications of what it meant.
Favian was a natural genius.
The princess continued with an air of skepticism, "Apologies for what I am about to say, but for reference, we are talking about the same guy who is rumored to have been drunk each night and went playing around, doing nothing all day." As the words hung in the air, Sir Victor looked at the princess with wide eyes, registering the audacity of her question.
In normal conversation the owner of the house could have even thrown them out from the mansion as this was nothing less than an insult.
Luckily the count was aware of the shocking situation and ignored the slight.
Unfazed he replied, "Yes, I will not deny that he is the same boy. I would have almost not recognized him in these last few weeks if it was not for his habit of drinking alcohol and being bored by almost anything that does not interest him. But, by the Goddess, if in these last few weeks he has not saved the life of my family and the entire kingdom, I don't think I need to pinpoint what would have happened if he had not discovered it."
"The entire kingdom would have fallen," the princess spoke in a serious tone. "My congratulations. It seems like you have a genius as a son."
"Count Lawrence, may I ask something regarding your son?" Victor asked, eyeing the count.
"Please do ask," was the count's response.
"Would I be allowed to have him by my side during the raid? I would like to see his behavior in such an expedition from close quarters.If what you say is the truth, I am most interested to see what his paste is made of "
"It would be my honor to allow my son to walk near such an esteemed man , Victor," Count Lawrence replied, a sense of pride evident in his voice.
And like this any plan, Favian had to drink himself out in the safety of the mansion was reduced to dust as his father , decided to throw his only son inside a bottomless pit , which was 'the army'.