How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary-Chapter 87

Chapter 87
I gathered the troops.
“Suddenly calling all knight orders, what is this about?”
“I’ll explain later. The matter is urgent. Is everyone here?”
“Johnson 1st Knight Order, 25 members. Ten on missions. Assembly complete.”
“Johnson 2nd Knight Order, 25 members. Five on missions. All gathered.”
“Crimson Comet, 30 members. Assembly complete.”
“Black Lion, 97 warriors. Ten at the gate. The rest are all here, my Lord.”
The knights of the territory, chaotic when divided into their various groups, still did what needed to be done when ordered.
The moment I gave the command, they gathered in perfect formation.
Eighty knights and ninety-seven warriors.
With ten knights away on trading business and the Lion Tribe warriors dispatched to the gate excluded, every available force had been concentrated here.
Since we had no idea of the enemy’s numbers or even their identity, I judged that it was best to gather all the power we could and strike in one blow, even if it seemed excessive.
To minimize losses and, if possible, annihilate the enemy before they even realized our interference—this was the best way.
“This is a mobility drill. Everyone mount up. Follow the road west. Ride hard on the mountain goats.”
“Huh? A mobility drill, now?”
“Maybe Crimson Comet doesn’t need it, but you lot are sloppy. Stop whining and get ready.”
“Damn it, this’ll be tiring.”
“What about us, my Lord? We don’t ride goats.”
“Warriors ride behind. Two to a goat. Leisha, you ride Ultra.”
“We’re going too?”
“It’s a mobility drill to prepare for emergencies. We’ll practice once.”
This deployment came from the revelation of the diary.
But there was no way to explain that.
So I dressed it up as an emergency mobility drill, but the mood wasn’t great.
Especially the Lion Tribe warriors, who preferred running on their own feet to riding anything, weren’t pleased.
Riding mountain goats didn’t sit well with them.
If I told them this was a real battle, it might at least raise their morale—but that wasn’t an option, and I felt a little regret.
‘Still, I need to drag them along. Who knows how many enemies there’ll be.’
“Lord Iron. Is this really fine? The warriors’ morale seems far too low.”
“That’s true. They’re always such troublesome fellows.”
Irene, on her way to the goat pens, glanced worriedly at the Lion Tribe warriors.
Was it really fine to leave them hanging like that?
Of course, those warriors would flip in an instant once they faced an enemy, but it still wasn’t good to let morale sag before the fight. Maybe I needed to throw them a bone.
“Once the operation is over, I’ll hand out plenty of beer from this trade caravan. You heard beer’s among the goods this time, right? Put a smile on those faces.”
“Oh~ ho~~”
“Human beer, eh.”
“They say it’s bitter but with a sharp kick…”
“Would be perfect with a rabbit’s heart on the side.”
“Yes, that beer. I’ve had it—it’s amazing. Any warrior who achieves merit shall be rewarded with a whole cask.”
“Woohoo~!”
They were simple enough fellows, without much greed, so they were easy to handle.
And coincidentally, beer was part of the incoming trade shipment.
Since liquor was scarce in the territory, I had ordered some as a test.
It seemed even beastmen loved alcohol—the mood heated up instantly.
“How about now? Morale’s up, right?”
“Feels more like a scam. Beer usually…”
“Well, life’s like that.”
Naturally, the knights and warriors would be the first to taste the beer.
Rank had its privileges.
Whether a battle happened or not, I had already planned to give the warriors a treat—so it was legitimate morale.
And the Lion Tribe would surely enjoy it even more after smashing enemies first.
No problem there.
“One big cask. I’m calling it.”
“Oh no, Leisha’s seriously eyeing the glory now.”
“At this rate, that cask’s already gone to Lady Leisha, hasn’t it?”
At the mention of beer, not only the Black Lion warriors but also Limond, Rudick, and even Leisha perked up.
The promise of a whole cask of beer had them in high spirits.
Warriors being that way was natural, but even the commanders… it felt a bit much.
Perhaps this was just the Johnson standard.
‘Well, as long as they fight well, I don’t really care.’
After reaching the goat pens, we quickly armed the goats with the prepared gear.
From the Johnson knights’ seasoned goats that had fought many times before, to the Crimson Comet’s goats riding out for the first time—
All of them were equipped and lined up neatly.
‘It feels like we’ve finally built some real structure.’
While I had been away with Irene at Haken, even the goats for Crimson Comet’s knights had been properly outfitted.
Their armor was made from the ogre hides we had gathered over the long winter hunts.
The only difference lay in the colors. While we favored black, Crimson Comet preferred red, so their goats’ armor was dyed crimson.
And at the very front stood Irene’s goat, “Dorongi,” clad in especially fine armor.
“You really went through with it.”
“Looks amazing, doesn’t it?”
“It does look good, but it’s clearly an overinvestment.”
“Not a single knight opposed it.”
“Whether Crimson Comet or Johnson’s knights, who would dare oppose you when you insist?”
“I don’t regret it. If Dorongi gets hurt in battle, my own life is at risk. And if I want to unleash my full strength, this was the only way.”
“You’re not wrong. Besides, you’ve always been serious about goats.”
Last winter, after we hunted down the Variant Crocodile that had crawled all the way down to the gate fortress, we gained a great deal of hide.
After processing, the hides were divided among the knights who earned merit. Irene, Celine, and I, who had faced the creature directly, each received enough to craft a full set of armor.
Celine made herself a suit of leather armor. But Irene, already in possession of the overpowered artifact “Phoenix,” chose instead to make armor for her goat out of the Variant Crocodile’s hide.
Thus, her goat now wore a suit of armor rarer even than what most knights could dream of.
Not without reason.
As a fire-attribute aura user, Irene’s steeds tended to be worn down quickly by the heat she released in prolonged mounted combat. Ordinary magic armor couldn’t withstand it.
Even enchanted barding failed to block the heat she gave off.
Because of that, Irene had never truly been able to fight to her satisfaction in mounted battles. She always had to retreat once her steed reached its limit.
But the Variant Crocodile’s hide had extraordinary heat resistance. With this armor, her goat could endure no matter how fiercely she burned.
If she wanted to fully unleash her specialty—mounted combat—this was the only choice.
Of course, even now I thought it wasteful to use such precious hide for goat armor, but the justification was so clear that I couldn’t stop it.
After all, how one used the hide they earned in battle was their own choice.
For reference, I just made armor for myself.
The armor I was wearing now was a masterpiece made from crocodile hide.
I didn’t know if it would mean much, but since it had excellent heat resistance, it would surely shine someday.
Perhaps I would encounter another Variant Crocodile again.
“Alright, everyone mount up. We ride at once. No time to waste.”
“Everyone, mount.”
The warriors climbed onto the goats behind the knights.
Naturally, Leisha was behind me.
Since she had already ridden with me on our way to Haken, she clung on quite steadily.
Having Leisha guarding my back—there was nothing in the world more reassuring.
“Are you holding tight?”
“Yes, Bear.”
“Good. We ride. Now, everyone forward!!”
“Forward!!!”
And so, Irene, Rudick, and I took the lead, with the other knights galloping behind us.
Our target was the direction of Levelium.
No, to be precise, we aimed to spot the stray foxes on the road entering Johnson Territory from Levelium.
Had we ridden for about three or four hours since leaving the territory?
In the distance, a procession of wagons came into view.
Following this road, there was nowhere else to go but our territory, so it had to be them.
“…Why are there so many?”
But the scale of the procession was far larger than I had imagined.
Of course, I knew from the vision that there were quite a number, but seeing it with my own eyes—there were dozens of wagons at least, forming a massive column.
It was even larger than the group Irene had brought from Haken.
‘What the hell is that, really?’
-Oh? Master, there are foxes there.
“Bear, there are foxes.”
“The Fox Tribe?”
“Yes. I have no idea why foxes are here.”
Though still far from the wagon column, both Leisha and I could make out some of its details.
While I was still reeling from the sheer size, Leisha noticed something unusual in the procession and nudged my side.
Among the wagons, she spotted foxes—yes, the Fox Tribe.
‘And those are… children?’
In a large cart at the center of the line, about a dozen Fox Tribe children were huddled together.
Judging by their tiny bodies, they couldn’t have been older than five at most.
Their fluffy fox tails were proof enough—they were Fox Tribe.
“That is…”
As we approached the wagons, a cloud of dust rose up from the fields stretching toward Levelium.
It seemed the armed force I had witnessed in the diary’s vision had arrived nearby.
The wagon group must have been expecting this, because they halted and reformed their ranks.
But only about twenty or so were armed.
Meanwhile, the enemy numbered at least over a hundred—maybe more, judging from the size of the dust cloud.
It was clear to anyone which side had the overwhelming advantage.
‘Who the hell are they?’
In the diary’s vision, the pursuers had all been mounted on horses.
Horses were extremely expensive strategic assets, and rarely did soldiers ride them.
Which meant every one of those men had to be knights.
That made it an utterly hopeless situation—not fleeing immediately was almost a miracle.
‘Or maybe they simply have nowhere to run.’
-That seems likely.
“Lord Iron! The path is blocked!”
Irene’s shout rang out beside me.
And she was right.
The wagons filled the road, leaving no easy way to break through with our formation.
“The wagons are moving.”
As I considered finding a detour, the wagons began to split apart to the sides, clearing a passage.
One of the Fox Tribe beastmen shouted commands, urging them to make way.
It was a face I knew well—one of the foxes that Yuria had kept as a subordinate.
‘They’ve spotted us.’
Not a bad call.
Of course, from their point of view, they were desperate enough to cling to any hope.
“The road is open. Advance!”
Now, the enemy came into clear view.
Knights, clad in iron armor, galloping toward us on horseback. At least a hundred.
More than that, but not quite two hundred.
That was enough to rival—or even surpass—the force of a small territory.
No wonder it was shocking.
Where had so many knights sprung from?
“…Those bastards, they’re from the Empire.”
“The Empire? That Empire?”
“Yes, those damnable Imperial dogs.”
Leisha’s whisper reached my ear.
So the enemy were Imperial knights.
‘Come to think of it, they do look different.’
Unlike the black-haired, black-eyed, Western-featured folk of the Ribella Peninsula, Imperials had distinctly Eastern features.
Their eyes were smaller than the kingdom’s people, their skin more like the yellow race.
In fact, they looked more familiar to me—close enough that anyone could mistake them for East Asians.
In the video, I wasn’t sure, but seeing them in person—they really were Imperial.
‘But why are Imperial knights here?’
What had gone so wrong that Imperial knights had come out of Levelium?
And worse, they had butchered the wagon folk mercilessly.
Thinking of those knights slaughtering hundreds of civilians, including those tiny children, made my stomach churn.
Even the little ones I had just seen…
“This is madness.”
At first, I came because the diary told me to save them, and it hadn’t seemed too serious.
But now—it sickened me.
Clearly, I had to show those lunatics what justice meant.
“Enemy sighted! Imperial bastards!”
“What? Why the hell are Imperials here?!”
“Those damn Imperials…”
Whether beastmen or us, all despised the Empire.
As I’d mentioned before, the Empire was like a massive, hateful neighbor—a loathsome power.
So much so that the moment our knights saw Imperial knights, they instantly shifted into battle stance.
Now that the enemy’s identity was confirmed, there was no way we could simply ignore them.
“Attack!”
Passing through the cleared road, we closed the distance.
Still atop Ultra, I hurled my greatsword with all my strength.
The same throwing attack I had once used on Sir Roman—with great effect.
Like a cannonball, my greatsword tore through an armored knight at the front, ripping both man and armor apart.
“I am Iron, Lord of Johnson Territory!!!”
“Johnson!! Johnson!!”
The symbolic roar of Johnson’s knights shook the air, and our territory’s knights charged straight into the enemy.