Starting the Strategy from Frieren

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Evan looked at the holy sword in his hand. As soon as he activated the system, the information about this weapon flooded into his mind.

[Incomplete Holy Sword]

[As a container that can hold the rules of the world, this sword possesses absolute sturdiness and cannot be destroyed. It also has the sharpest edge in existence, capable of cutting through any material.]

Initially, Evan felt a bit anxious, wondering if merely obtaining the sword's body without its heart would render it useless like a piece of scrap metal. To his surprise, he found an unexpected delight.

"Ahem."

The old king suppressed the cheers of the crowd and spoke to Evan, "Since you have drawn the holy sword, then surely you have received the goddess's revelation as well?"

"Of course," Evan nodded affirmatively.

The old king stroked his beard. "The world has long suffered under the demon king's tyranny. I ask you, brave hero, to set out soon with this invincible holy sword and vanquish the demon king to restore peace to the world."

Evan: "…"

He vaguely felt that this old king had seen through him as a false hero.

However, in front of everyone, Evan didn't believe the old king would expose him. After all, such a thing would be laborious and thankless for him—more harm than good.

So now was the time for them to exchange performances.

"Alas…" Evan sighed. "How I wish to journey to the demon king's castle and end his life with my holy sword's ultimate move, Ex Curry Stick! But during my drawing of the sword, I received a divine message from the goddess saying that now is not yet the time to kill the demon king."

"Why is that?"

"Because using the holy sword requires charging. It will take several hundred years to absorb enough magical power from between heaven and earth, and we still need five more years until it is fully charged."

"Five years…" A glimmer of light flashed in the old king's murky eyes. "Currently, we are in a state of war; the fluctuations in magical energy between heaven and earth might delay this charging time. For safety's sake, let's say seven years. We must hold out against the demon army for that long."

Saying this, he turned to several clearly dressed high-ranking nobles and asked, "I wonder if you lords can manage to tighten your belts and use various subsidies from the kingdom for military purposes to endure for seven years?"

"We will not disappoint Your Majesty!" The nobles initially looked troubled but soon made up their minds and assured him with determination.

Evan began to understand what was happening; the old king's questions were not meant to challenge him but rather to explain to everyone why they couldn't simply eliminate the demon king right away.

At the same time, he was motivating those nobles—if they could hold out for seven years, they could continue their extravagant lifestyles and have something to look forward to.

The seven-year timeline was also carefully considered by the old king; if it were too long, the nobles would lose patience or even give up entirely. If it were too short, there was a risk of Evan exposing himself too early and awakening their awareness.

"Hero, what do you think?" The king turned his gaze back to Evan.

After understanding these key points, Evan realized that the old king was a decent ally—at least in terms of intelligence and vision.

Even if he didn't place his hopes on defeating the demon king solely on himself right now, as long as he could demonstrate enough value, he could surely attract more investment.

"Your Majesty has great foresight; I believe under your leadership we will surely achieve final victory."

"It is not solely my achievement but rather a victory that can only be realized through the united efforts of many noble hearts," said the old king, looking increasingly fondly at Evan. He then commanded: "I previously promised to grant a title of nobility to whoever drew out the holy sword; now is the time to fulfill that promise. Someone bring me the ceremonial sword!"

A servant quickly presented a gilded sword with no blade. According to custom, the old king took it and placed it on Evan's shoulder.

"Brave hero! At this moment you should kneel on one knee and pledge your loyalty."

The nearby guard noticed Evan hadn't moved and thought he didn't understand; he quickly reminded him.

However, Evan did not comply. He merely inclined slightly. This action caused whispers among the nobles behind him. A middle-aged man sporting a gentleman's mustache stepped forward and scolded: "Even if you are a hero, you must kneel during the title ceremony! Moreover, you are clearly—"

"Charle! Step back." The old king didn't even turn around but shot a sidelong glance at him that silenced him immediately.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty," Evan said, not wanting to make things too awkward. "Because the holy sword is a token of the goddess, every action I take while holding it represents her dignity; thus I cannot kneel before you in pledge."

This was a lie.

The main reason was that he wanted to consider how Celia would feel about this situation; if she found out she had received equal treatment alongside an old man like him, she might just get furious enough to come charging in on her ancient elven tree.

"I see! Since it represents the goddess's dignity, then there's no need for those formalities; however, you must still accept your title as a viscount."

The old king was also a pragmatic person; seeing that Evan had provided such a convincing reason, he naturally wouldn't pursue it further and handed back the ceremonial sword to his attendant.

"As for territory… Baron Hicks died serving his country; his heir is still young. Since we are close to the battlefield here, let Hicks' family move to the capital for now. Once his heir comes of age, we will arrange matters differently. The territory in Shattered Leaf City will be managed by you, Viscount Evan."

"As you command, Your Majesty." That night…

The middle-aged man with a gentleman's mustache entered into the king's carriage.

"Charle! Do you know what mistake you made during daylight today?" The old king asked while sipping herbal medicine with a spoon without looking up.

"Father! I didn't make any mistakes! He accepted his title without kneeling; this will damage your authority!"

"The goddess's envoy bowed before me; pray tell how my authority has been damaged?"

"T-That was just an excuse he came up with later!" Prince Charle still felt he had done nothing wrong. "After all, how could he possibly be an envoy of the goddess? He's just a fake—"

"You are unfit to become this kingdom's heir if you cannot control your mouth." One sentence from the old king made Prince Charle tremble with fear. "Perhaps I should try cultivating your younger brother instead."

"Father… I-I'm sorry."

"Oh? Then tell me where you went wrong."

This time Prince Charle answered without hesitation: "I shouldn't have rashly reprimanded him; a true ruler should be mature and composed—important speeches must be well thought out."

"Well then! It seems your understanding has suddenly increased~" The old king smiled as he drank another spoonful of medicine. "It looks like I'll have to use your claim to succession rights against you more often."

Prince Charle: "…"