"Money, power, and military strength—each is indispensable if one wishes to rise to the political stage of the kingdom.

"It's well known that during the terrifying war a few years ago, King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Sorcerer Kingdom wiped out the kingdom's main forces. Even now, the army hasn't recovered, and local militias are still not fully recruited. Currently, the only force with elite combat power is the royal guard directly under the old king.

"To lead the royal guard, one must be the Warrior Captain. In other words, whoever can push their own candidate to become the Warrior Captain will control the military power of the royal guard."

Sitting quietly in her leather chair, EeDeChi nodded silently: "Indeed, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

"The most revered Warrior Captain ever, Gazef Stronoff, died on the battlefield a few years ago during the horrific war with the Sorcerer Kingdom. The royal guard is now leaderless and directly overseen by the king."

"Unable to find a warrior as excellent and reliable as Gazef, the position of Warrior Captain has remained vacant for years. But this year, the king has issued announcements nationwide to begin the selection of a new Warrior Captain."

"The second prince and many of the major nobles have started to prepare their candidates, sending their own warriors to compete in the selection. As I understand it, the most promising candidate under Princess Renner is Brain Unglaus. I'm sure you've all heard of this genius swordsman. He's like half of our kind, having once achieved 'orichalcum-level' rating purely through Martial Art…"

At the table, EeDeChi chuckled: "Ha! This boy is called a genius swordsman? I think there's a misunderstanding about what 'genius' really means."

In the entire tavern, only Tony spoke from the high platform, while the adventurers below listened intently. Therefore, EeDeChi's laughter, though deliberately subdued, seemed unusually out of place.

Tony's displeased gaze shifted towards her, and the surrounding adventurers frowned, looking at EeDeChi.

Barrett quickly put on an apologetic smile and made a universally understood gesture among adventurers, indicating that his companion was just a fool and asking everyone to disregard it.

Seeing Barrett's gesture, the displeasure on the others' faces faded, and they resumed listening to Tony's speech.

EeDeChi tilted her head in curiosity and asked Barrett, "What did that gesture mean?"

"I meant that you're a very smart person, and they should be listening to your advice," Barrett said. He could lie effortlessly when charming women, without even thinking about it.

"I see," EeDeChi said, understanding, and nodded in satisfaction.

Old Tony continued with his plans: "But the current situation is rife with undercurrents, and there's plenty of backdoor dealing in the Warrior Captain selection competition. From what I know, some nobles have sent dozens of warriors to compete.

"They use a rotating strategy to defeat other contestants and then deliberately lose to their own people. This way, with dozens of people's help, they can easily push a highly-ranked warrior forward.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Princess Renner's side doesn't have many warriors or mages, so they can't do this to control the competition. Brain will have to rely solely on his own skills against the nobles' organized forces, and he might get sabotaged.

"But our Adventurer's Guild is never short of skilled warriors and mages," old Tony said, looking around at the various adventurers below. "Princess Renner hopes that we adventurers will participate in the tournament and stir up the already murky waters even further."

"Try to eliminate as many of your own opponents as you can, and when facing off against Brain, deliberately lose to him, to help Brain Unglaus become the next Warrior Captain."

"The employer offers a reward, and adventurers complete the task. However, this time, Princess Renner has offered a reward to all the adventurers in the kingdom, hoping that we'll take on her task. The generous medical fund provided by the princess and her supporting nobles will be our substantial reward."

"When the Warrior Captain selection tournament reaches its climax, various casinos will undoubtedly set up betting pools, wagering on who will be the next Warrior Captain. At that time, if we bet all our money on Brain, we could make a huge profit…"

…

The night was deep, but the Golden Harbor tavern was brightly lit. The speech by old Tony, the president of the Adventurer's Guild, had ended, and the adventurers below were in heated discussion.

Most adventurers had no objections to old Tony's proposal. Only a few felt that it was too closely tied to the nobles and the royal family, which clashed with the adventurers' value of freedom.

The small number of opposing voices was quickly drowned out by the loud applause. Old Tony then proceeded to a non-anonymous vote. The results showed that the vast majority of adventurers agreed to take on the "mission" issued by Princess Renner.

With the contract in place, a large, loosely organized machine was about to start operating. The elite adventurers who had come to the meeting would be dispatched nationwide to participate in the tournament.

The Adventurer's Guilds in various regions would also receive communication from the capital's Adventurer's Guild, issuing announcements and encouraging adventurers to join the Warrior Captain selection and support Brain Unglaus.

"This kind of match-fixing is clearly the sort of thing only a deep state could pull off in secret. Yet here you are, discussing it openly in a rented tavern like it's some grand, legitimate scheme. Do you really think the Second Prince and his supporting nobles are deaf?" EeDeChi lay back in her chair with a look of disdain.

Seeing her attitude, Barrett couldn't understand why a naive girl, who would be easily scammed even buying dates from a merchant, had the nerve to act like she had vast political experience. And what was with this "deep state" nonsense?

"This is an open conspiracy, so there's no need to hold secret meetings like some dark sorcerers. We adventurers aren't involved in anything that can't be seen in the light of day. The employers who came before have already offered rewards and signed contracts, so adventurers will naturally agree to serve them," said a figure in a blue mage's robe. The two turned to see old Tony standing behind them.

EeDeChi glanced at him, said, "I told you, Tony, putting your bet on Brain is a bad idea. The boy's swordsmanship is average, and his mental fortitude is lacking. After I beat him once, he looked like he was about to crack. His character isn't brave enough!"

As EeDeChi spoke, she wiggled a finger for emphasis.

No, no, no, Brain is the bravest person I've ever met. My God, he even dared to have a crush on you. Barrett thought about the blue-haired swordsman's sincere eyes, feeling a swirl of emotions. Of course, he didn't dare to say this out loud.

"You've defeated Brain?" old Tony asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course, I defeated him quite easily," EeDeChi said casually, as if she were talking about the taste of the soup she had for lunch, not trying to show off.

This was actually an exaggeration. While Brain had been defeated by her, his swordsmanship and Martial Art skills were indeed at an exceptional level among ordinary people in this world.

Old Tony stroked his goatee and looked at Barrett. "Is what your companion says true?"

"Absolutely," Barrett nodded in agreement. He had seen the captain fight several times and had never doubted her combat abilities.

"Hehe, no wonder it's strong women and weak men, strong women and weak men," old Tony kept nodding, staring at Barrett, and repeating the term "strong women and weak men" several times.

Barrett shot him a glare, wondering if he should yank this guy's goatee off before EeDeChi got the chance.