To Save My Favourite Character, I Decided To Destroy the Game’s Plot

After the meeting, which left a lasting grudge, was over and the Ausstadt nobles had left the room, we remained there and kept planning our strategy.

They were against it, but in the end, the person with the highest power here was the Margrave Strahl.

　If we could convince only him, our opinion would be accepted without any problem.

So, we summarized the dangers of the enemy once again, and then we came up with a plan to deal with them....

"Excuse me."

　After some time had passed, there was a knock at the door of the closed conference room.

　Vassel got up and opened the door to find the Marquis Strahl's representative in the corridor.

"What is it?'

"The Marquis de Strahl has just returned. He is waiting for you in his guest room and would like to see you there."

"I see. I understand and I will be on my way in five minutes."

" I will let the Lord know that."

　After a short exchange, the agent quietly closed the door.

. "Allright . Let us hurry."

"Please gather up the maps and papers. I'll check it later."

"Yes."

The aides will begin cleaning up the meeting room immediately...

"We'll take care of it for you, and you can all go to the guest rooms together with His Excellency."

Doyle interrupts and starts cleaning up for them.

If we were to meet with the Marquis, a very high-ranking nobleman in charge of the fortress city of Ausstadt, only Schneizel and his close aides would be able to meet with him.　

We, the lower-ranked ones, are basically not directly involved unless the Marquis Strahl shows a great deal of interest in us.

　The reason why the agent didn't tell you that earlier is because it is common sense, not to mention that.

"Let's get this over with."

The rest of the members of the group start to move according to Doyle's instructions.

　What about me?

Should I follow Schneizel as his only disciple? Or should I stay here?

　The nobles who have been in charge of the battlefield so far have all been favorable to Schneizel's faction, so they have allowed me to stay.

　But this time, I don't know.

"Hey, kid, let's get going."

'Uh, yes."

If Schneizel says go, then let's go. I was sure that Schneizel would protect me if something happened to me.

　So Schneizel, his entourage, and I headed for the guest room.

　○

"I have been waiting for you."

A young woman was waiting for us in the guest room.

When we entered the room, the woman stood up and bowed to us in a beautiful manner.

"It is my first time to meet you. I am Strahl, the governor of the Ausstadt region."

"Oh, yes."

　Schneizel rolled his eyes in surprise.

　He is still in his early twenties by all appearances. In this aristocratic society, where men and women tend to be the most respected members of society, it would normally be unthinkable that such a person would be entrusted with a job along the border.

"Hmmm, are you surprised? With a name like Strahl, you must have thought I was a man, right?"

"Oh, yes. The Marquis Strahl I knew was an old soldier".

"That would be my uncle."

"Oh, Strahl, I believe that's the name he assumed?"

"He is very intelligent, isn't he? That's right. I have been calling myself Strahl since I took this position last year. Before that, I had a lovely name."

So she has a manly name, but she's a woman, and a young one at that.

　But isn't that strange?

　Even if there is no immediate successor, there must be a man in Strahl's extended family who is more accustomed to roughing it.

Even if by chance Strahl was not blessed with a male child, it is impossible for a family of a great nobleman to be without a single male heir along the border.

　Then, there must have been a situation that would have made the improbable possible.

　Well, there is a possibility that the Marquis de Strahl in front of me became the top of the list.

　That would be bad. Information transmission is slow in this world, and its accuracy is not good at all.

Strahl said that this position was taken last year. What if this place has changed drastically in the year since then?

What if there had been something that made the Schneizel factions dislike each other?

　Wouldn't that be a good reason for the nobles of Ausstadt not to follow Schneizel?

While my concerns are growing, Schneizel and the Marquis Strahl are gradually moving away from their otherworldly banter to explore and get to know each other.

If there were any implications for Strahl, Schneizel would notice at this point and switch to a conversation for that matter.

　But after waiting for a while, their conversation remained peaceful.

Then she is not a threat to Schneizel.

　As if to prove it, after the conversation was over, Schneizel touched on the main topic of today's meeting.

　He probably thought it would not be a problem to mention it.

The Marquise Strahl, listening to the meeting, has a pained expression on her face and seems to want to help somehow.

　This would make her our ally.

　People on Schneizel's side, including myself, hoped so...

　But...

After listening to the conversation, the Marquise Strahl bowed deeply on the spot.

'First of all, I must apologize deeply to you all."

'You don't say no, do you? Don't you understand the danger of this?"

From what I have heard, they must be really dangerous opponents. With our current preparations, we may lose.

"If that were the case!"

"I still cannot help you all."

The Marchioness Strahl stood up from the chair she was sitting in, and to her surprise, she bowed deeply on the spot.

"I am sorry,. I know this is very difficult to understand, but I am a "puppet" lord. The real control of this land is in the hands of a man named O'Brien."

"O'Brien, you're the most senior of all those who opposed us, aren't you?"

"Yes, indeed".

　---Yes.

　That all makes sense.

The reason why such a young woman was put in the position of the head of the family is for O'Brien to manipulate her for his own benefit.

　She had no problem rebelling against Schneizel because it was O'Brien who held the real power.

　The reason is that in the year since he was replaced by the old man Strahl, whom Schneizel knew, all circumstances have changed.

　But still, O'Brien ------ O'Brien, huh?

If that old man was O'Brien, it would be almost impossible to overcome this situation.

　I had never seen the old man's face before today, but the name O'Brien is familiar to me.

　There is a scene in the game where that name is mentioned by Ghardias.

　It was O'Brien who once competed with Galdias for the position of general when Galdias was still a young man.

　That was long before the story began, and O'Brien himself had already been killed in the war over Ausstadt in the game, so there was no further information about him, but...

　Never underestimate it.

　Even though he had lost the political war for the Grand General, the fact that he was mentioned as a rival should have been enough for him to be valued alongside Ghardias.

　Inside and outside.

Will we now be fighting two enemies?

　Huh.

If it leads to the rescue of Crescencia later on, then I guess I have no choice but to do it.