I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 77. The Dauphin’s Advisor

Yul looked over them one by one. These soldiers were men who had served under Count Pasek.

Count Pasek, the very pinnacle of incompetence. Usually, when the upper stream rots, the lower stream follows—but there were quite a few exceptions.

And the moment Yul sensed something was off, he cut it out immediately, which was why the soldiers present were all on edge.

It was their first time seeing someone called Yul de Provence, yet his influence was overwhelming. The Dauphin, Lui Trombon, trusted him implicitly and let him do whatever he pleased.

“Since I dismissed Major General Pasek, I’m sure many of you feel uncomfortable. However, I am Count Yul de Provence, appointed with the Dauphin’s full trust to reform this thoroughly rotten army. Some of you may be retired today. Some may retain your current positions. Others may receive unprecedented promotions. We’ll proceed with individual interviews, one by one.”

Though he spoke politely and formally, it was an introduction that sounded no different from saying he would be chopping heads off cleanly—an ice-cold declaration.

Some swallowed hard. Then, one by one, like sheep being led to the slaughterhouse, they entered the meeting room.

Godfrey Bachet waited for his turn. He watched as some who had gone in before him came out seething with anger, while others emerged with awkward expressions.

One of them was his close friend.

“Arnaud? Did you get fired, too?”

“I-I got an extraordinary promotion.”

“What?”

“Godfrey Bachet! Colonel Godfrey Bachet!”

When his name was called, Godfrey went inside. There stood a young man examining documents with a serious expression.

“Godfrey Bachet. Third son of a fallen lower noble family. Thirty-eight years old. Your ancestors were members of a knightly order?”

“Yes. The Levant Knights.”

The young man raised his gaze and looked at Godfrey.

“Hm. How many years did you serve under Count Pasek?”

“Six years. Before that, I was stationed in the east.”

“I’ve read the records. You easily repelled the Demon King’s forces that drifted into Frangia.”

"At the time, it was easy because the enemy was armed with cold weapons. I’ve heard that now even the orcs are armed with firearms."

“You must have seen how that man ran the army while serving under him. What do you think needs correcting? Go ahead and criticize your predecessor—this won’t leak outside.”

“Count Pasek values appearances over competence. That’s why he selected commanders based on that.”

“And?”

“He treats key personnel as mere decorations. His adjutants are nothing but yes-men, and staff officers like aides, logistics officers, and engineer officers aren’t even summoned to meetings.”

“Sounds like you had plenty of grievances.”

“You told me to speak honestly.”

“Very well done. From now on, you’re a Major General.”

“……Pardon?”

“Looking over the army units, I noticed huge disparities in manpower by regiment. Some have fewer than four hundred soldiers, while others have over a thousand. You were promoted to Major General about a minute ago, yes? From now on, you’ll take charge of reorganizing the regiments immediately.”

“T-that, is that really possible?”

“Do you think now is the time to worry about procedure?”

“No, sir.”

“Then begin.”

As Godfrey Bachet left with a dazed expression, his close friend Arnaud strode up proudly.

“My exceptional promotion? No less than Brigadier General! That’s a brigade commander!”

“I just insulted that pig bastard a bit and got promoted to Major General.”

“What? How badly did you insult him!? I should’ve cursed more!”

“Is that really what matters right now? No—never mind. Reorganizing the army comes first.”

Godfrey Bachet grabbed what little hair he had left and hurried off.

* * *

‘Who am I? I am the God of Restoration.’

Yul gazed at Lui’s army as it steadily returned to order over the past few weeks, intoxicated with satisfaction.

At the very least, it was far removed from the previous total mess.

Yul didn’t possess deep knowledge of strategy or tactics. That was why he needed capable advisors.

The newly promoted Godfrey Bachet looked like a soldier through and through.

Even if the appointment turned out to be a mistake, he would at least be better than Count Pasek.

'The restoration of the military is finished. Now for the talent.'

Yul had told Lui to gather capable people, but Lui had indiscriminately gathered all sorts of individuals, forcing Yul to re-interview them one by one.

The interesting part was that Yul cut every single person Lui liked.

Almost without fail, the people Lui favored were corrupt and incompetent…….

In that case? Choosing those whom Lui did not like would be the wiser option…….

What stood out were commoners Yul had recently taken note of, or lower nobles who were little different from commoners.

Among the nobles, there were those who had purchased patents of nobility to become credentialed nobles, 'nobles of the robe' who held administrative posts, or 'military nobles' who weren't nobles by blood but earned merit serving as officers.

Their common trait was that they were lower nobles marginalized from power. They were also fervent supporters of the Sun King.

Among them, Martin Ferrand immediately caught Yul’s eye with how logically he spoke.

“If you were to devise a strategy from the Dauphin’s perspective? In this current three-way standoff, what would be the wisest course?”

“The Duke of Dawn’s forces are too strong right now. We shouldn’t confront them head-on yet—we should avoid them. Reclaiming the capital comes first.”

He firmly maintained that the capital had to be recovered immediately.

“There’s no time. We must strike the capital at once.”

“And after reaching the capital? How do we handle the siege, and even if we take it, how do we stop the fifty thousand troops that will come afterward?”

“There’s no need to consider a siege. We can take the capital far more easily than expected. I have many contacts inside and have gathered information from them.”

“Internal circumstances?”

“The ones shouting about founding the Kingdom of Lotharingia are corrupt high nobles. The lower nobles are extremely dissatisfied. Even now, discontent is rampant among the lower nobles in charge of the capital’s defense. We may be able to open the gates through them.”

“And after that?”

“We just need to bring in the dormant Marquis Bernier of the north. He commands a force of nearly twenty thousand.”

In the north, there was Marquis Bernier, who was in charge of the border of a country to the northeast.

“But won’t Valtin be in the north?”

“I believe maintaining good relations with Valtin and temporarily withdrawing troops will suffice. Even if Valtin does invade, we can repel them without issue.”

“How long until the capital falls?”

“The Duke of Dawn’s forces will march north once the autumn harvest ends. We must finish this by this summer.”

Every word Martin Ferrand spoke was sound. After discussions with the advisors, Yul decided to adopt his proposal.

“Count of Provence?”

“What is it?”

“Um, you always seem to keep your forehead covered.”

“Ah. You’ll know when the time comes.”

Yul kept his forehead covered, not yet revealing that he was a Seaborn.

The Polymorph skill itself had only recently become known, and he believed revealing it now would only cause confusion.

* * *

Lui’s forces continued to swell, growing to fifteen thousand.

Following Yul’s advice, official notices were circulated declaring that noble titles would be granted to those who aided Lui, and requests for support were sent to surrounding nobles.

Wealthy commoners who had power and money but no outlet for it, along with many nobles, joined the cause, bringing their own troops.

The most encouraging development was the arrival of a knightly order.

The “Crimson Watchers” knight order, which had been lying low on White Mountain Hill in the south, joined them.

It was an order of three hundred knights capable of wielding aura, who had secluded themselves at the monastery on White Mountain Hill and served as sentinels along the border with the Kingdom of Aragon.

They did not use firearms, but instead wrapped their armor in aura to block projectiles and cut down anything before them with their swords, boasting overwhelming combat power.

And then, Lui grew complacent.

“So… I don’t really have to do anything?”

“What did you just say……?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I mean, you know. I just did what you told me, and people gathered, the army grew……. Ah, anyway, thanks.”

This guy’s personality seemed to be changing. Until now, he had been moving with motivation and urgency, but he was starting to grow sluggish.

Why does he remind me of a sloth…….

“Get a grip. We haven’t even started yet. We have to march on the capital within a month.”

“O-okay.”

Lui immediately looked dejected. No, if he were a teenager, that would be understandable, but this guy was in his thirties.

He’d been raised as a precious child, so a single sharp word made him wilt. Judging by this, he seemed starved for praise.

“You’re doing well.”

“……Really?”

“You’ve gathered an army, built a support base that backs you, and you’re sending letters to influential nobles every day. You even agreed to a gamble where everything would be decided within a month. Even if you trust me and support me, that’s not a decision just anyone can make.”

“T-that’s true, right?”

The way his face split into a grin—it was the type who’d feel good just from a routine compliment after asking ChatGPT a question.

“Anyway, it’s time to head out.”

“Alright.”

Lui donned armor made entirely of gold and mounted a white horse whose mane gleamed as if woven from gold itself.

It was a breed imported from the East, a horse the Sun King had ridden whenever there were ceremonial occasions. The symbolism would be immense.

“You memorized the speech?”

“Yeah. I’ve got this…….”

He stepped out onto the hill. Below him, fifteen thousand soldiers watched.

“Brothers! Today, I lay down the title of Dauphin and stand here as a soldier just like you! Our capital has been trampled! The traitor’s flag hangs in the holy cathedral, and the people are holding their breath under the blade!”

Lui’s voice was magically amplified, loud enough to carry across the entire plain. His heartfelt speech came through clearly.

“I admit it! The enemy outnumbers us! But true strength does not come from numbers—it comes from ‘legitimacy.’ The rebels stole the throne with guns and swords, but we will defeat them and reclaim our country!”

Yul clicked his tongue in admiration. The way he shouted with bulging veins—he was the spitting image of his real father, the Sun King. Perhaps because of that, murmurs spread through the ranks, soldiers whispering in astonishment that the old Sun King had returned.

“I will lead the charge! Take up your swords! Take up your swords and reclaim what is ours! Seize the rebels’ gold and share it among yourselves!”

At those words, the soldiers raised their weapons and cheered. Even if they didn’t understand everything else, the promise of looting the enemy’s gold clearly caught their interest.

“Montjoie!”

“Saint Denis!!”

Watching them, Yul thought to himself: these guys still aren’t a proper army—they’re closer to barbarians.

In any case, the troops began their march toward the capital.

It was late summer.