Chapter 24

Chapter 24

#24. The Northern Trend (1)

Arad’s current position was ambiguous.

That said, it certainly wasn’t low-ranking.

Though the investiture ceremony hasn’t taken place yet, he’s already being treated like nobility.

Perhaps, because of this merit, he might even receive a higher title than the promised baron, one that’s inheritable rather than appointed. Who knows, maybe he’ll even get a fief or a manor.

“Man, you don’t see parachutes like this every day.”

However, if that parachute happens to be a soldier trained in all kinds of special ops, decorated with medals from countless real battles as part of an elite airborne unit, people will definitely look at him differently.

Take, for instance, how I was able to attend this meeting without any objections from anyone.

“But why the heck am I sitting right next to the Duchess?”

The problem lay in the seat where Arad currently sat.

Right now, he was seated directly to Ariana’s left.

“Could this mean they’re acknowledging my worth?”

In some ways, it made him feel like a secretary.

“Unless… is it because of that national marriage joke I made back then?”

And in other ways, it felt like they were treating him like a spouse.

“Hold on, did she actually remember that?”

As his train of thought reached this point, he felt a chill run down his spine.

If she suddenly says something like, “Ah! That was just a joke to wake me up,” his head might end up impaled on a spear.

“Ho ho ho, you two make such a good pair.”

Suddenly, Isabel, sitting to Ariana’s immediate right, let out a warm smile and muttered under her breath.

“…!”

Ariana’s ears turned slightly red at the same time.

Clearly, she had heard Isabel’s comment.

“Could I really be considered a potential royal consort?”

The doubt in his mind was almost certain now, and cold sweat drenched Arad’s back.

“I… need to go back to Earth…”

It was truly troubling. So very troubling.

At that moment, Arad wanted nothing more than to punch his past self who woke the Duchess with some terrible flirting.

“No matter how great this world may seem, it can’t compare to Earth!”

Sure, this fantasy medieval world might look amazing through a monitor or during a short vacation, but living here without modern infrastructure forever? Impossible.

“Besides! Back on Earth, there’s Jin Industries, the company I’ve poured my entire twenties into, just starting to take off!”

What should he do?

WEEEEEEEEEEEENG!

Emergency alarms blared in Arad’s mind as various scenarios began brainstorming.

“Slowly… and gradually, I need to create distance! Luckily, the Duchess did tell me to think about another wish, right? Surely she wouldn’t forget that part, would she?”

How long had he been fidgeting anxiously?

“This time, it’s clear the Empire is behind what happened in the Magic Realm. The spoils of war we took from their corpses alone are overwhelming evidence.”

“There’s no ambiguity this time compared to the death of the previous Duchess. The evidence is undeniable!”

“?”

Abruptly, the topic of the ongoing meeting caught his attention.

What started as a purge discussion had shifted to addressing the Empire’s provocations.

“We’ve crossed a river we can’t return from with the Empire.”

“They’ve crossed the line!”

“The righteous cause is ours!”

“Grudges must be repaid!”

Of course, the high knights present shouted as if ready to march against the Empire immediately.

“Your Majesty! War! It must be war!”

“The knights and soldiers of High City are prepared!”

This was a recurring topic mentioned many times before, but now that the Duchess has awakened, it was time for serious deliberation. After all, she was the ultimate decision-maker.

“It’s unacceptable! If we wage war against the Empire now, the North will perish!”

“At the very least, we must send envoys to demand a severe explanation regarding these incidents!”

On the other hand, bureaucrats strongly opposed.

They clearly sought to avoid a full-scale war at all costs.

“Faint-hearted nonsense! The Empire has essentially declared war on the North!”

“Sending envoys? They’ll just cut off our tails again, like last time!”

“Knights, regain your senses! The North is absolutely not in a position to engage in a full-scale war with the Empire!”

“The Empire’s actions are despicable, and we fully agree. But now is not the time. We must grow stronger and wait for the right moment!”

Opinions split into two factions.

Bureaucrats led by Haytai, the administrator and prime minister of the North, clashed with the northern high knights, both raising their voices and shouting.

“These guys are all spies of the Empire!”

“Hah! You’re the ones trying to ruin the North!”

“What exactly is going on?!”

“You can’t fight a war on willpower alone! Remember when we sent the Arctic Expedition last year?”

“Calling it an expedition? It was barely a single legion!”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to move even one legion? With the current situation, feeding the remaining soldiers is already precarious!”

“We can take supplies from the enemy! Unlike Orcs and Barbarian Tribes, the Empire surely has plenty of food!”

“Are we living in the age of barbarians?!”

“War isn’t some game where you wave pens around! Even in much weaker times, our ancestors successfully invaded the Empire!”

“In any case! If you’re planning military operations, start once the expedition force returns!”

“And when exactly will General Sun and the expedition force return? Who knows!”

Grrrrrrrrr-!

The knights, brimming with hostility, faced off against the unyielding bureaucrats.

“IIIIIEEEK! Do you think we’ll back down just because you’re threatening us with your killing intent?!”

Though civil servants, the bureaucrats remained steadfast against the fierce aura, true to their northern roots.

“That’s enough.”

With a single word from Ariana, the standoff ceased.

She redirected the tense atmosphere.

“Sir Arad.”

“Yes?”

Addressing Arad.

“What do you think?”

“Me?”

Fwip!

Instantly, everyone’s gaze, including Ariana’s, focused on him.

“Umm…”

“Why is she suddenly putting me on the spot like this?”

Despite feeling flustered, Arad decided to remain calm.

If he stumbled here, all the hard-earned image of competence he’d built so far would crumble instantly.

“North’s spirit dictates repaying favors twofold and grudges tenfold. But if we fight the Empire now, we won’t even be able to repay them in kind, let alone tenfold.”

After a brief silence, Arad spoke.

“I’m not saying we should forgive the Empire. But fighting them now would be insane.”

Ohhhhhh…?

The bureaucrats looked at him with quite satisfied expressions.

Khrum…

Conversely, the knights’ gazeworked showed clear dissatisfaction.

But given that Arad held the lives of four high knights and Ariana herself as collateral, they refrained from unleashing their hostility like before.

“Moreover! Her Highness hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

“Huh? I’m completely fine.”

“You haven’t regained your full abilities, have you?”

“Uh…”

“And even if you claim to be fully recovered, there’s always the possibility of late-onset complications.”

This was decisive.

“For the sake of Her Highness’s health, stability must be prioritized above all else.”

The knights, previously filled with discontent, suddenly avoided eye contact or stared off into the distance.

“Until Her Highness regains both health and strength, we must strengthen our internal foundation. Starting with Arad Salt, we should produce various goods to draw money not just from the Empire, but across the entire continent. After all, war is waged with money and supplies.”

Arad continued.

“In my personal opinion, lodging a severe protest against the Empire and demanding economic compensation seems most appropriate.”

“Will those Empire bastards even bother sneezing at our protests?”

At that moment, a high knight sneered, clearly displeased.

It was time for Arad to ease the disgruntled knights’ mood.

“The Empire has many enemies. They too bear a heavy burden in engaging in a full-scale war with us. In other words, we can do anything to the Empire except for a full-scale war.”

The Empire can’t afford a full-scale war with us! So don’t panic!

“Besides, I’ve heard that thanks to Arad Salt, we’ve even managed to avoid trade deficits recently. There’s nothing holding us back.”

“But the North still relies heavily on the Empire for spices and other food supplies.”

“If we merely express concerns that starving Northerners might flood into the central Empire due to food shortages, the Empire will likely try to buy peace with money.”

Ohhhhhh…?

This statement seemed decisive, as the knights’ expressions improved significantly from before.

Yeah! That’s right! That’s right!

Meanwhile, the bureaucrats nodded vigorously, showing even greater agreement than before.

“Arad makes sense, don’t you think?”

Now Ariana also nodded in agreement.

“Hold on?”

As Arad continued speaking, he noticed something odd internally.

“Shouldn’t you guys be thinking this much at least?”

Honestly, everyone here, especially the bureaucrats, should have already considered this much.

Even Ariana, the Duchess, would have.

“The third-party perspective provided by someone who saved the lives of four high knights allows the Duchess to make decisions without offending the knights too much. Was this Ariana’s plan?”

Ariana simply needed a way to persuade the knights while minimizing hurt feelings.

And Arad fit perfectly as the speaker for this purpose.

For now, he decided to think of it that way.

—

The first court conference after the Duchess’s awakening concluded.

“Thanks to you, I could calm down those bulls.”

As soon as the meeting ended, a middle-aged man approached me for a handshake.

He was Haytai, a high-ranking official serving as the highest administrative officer equivalent to a prime minister in the North.

“Don’t mention it. The knights probably understood deep down that they needed to hold back. They were just frustrated with the current situation.”

“I understand that too. I grew up in the North, so I know how the knights feel.”

“But it was a bit excessive. I didn’t expect them to raise killing intent in front of Her Highness… and for Her Highness to overlook it was surprising.”

“They… suspect the death of the former Duchess, Lord Bykal, was connected to the Empire. That’s why Her Highness understands and forgives their excessive reactions.”

“Is that so?”

I learned something new.

Ariana’s father and the former Duke of the Northern Duchy, Bykal Rune Lenslet, was believed to have died in battle against the Arctic Orcs.

But apparently, the Empire was involved behind the scenes.

“By the way, even we bureaucrats have no disagreements with the knights on this matter.”

Even the supposedly most rational officials in Lenslet share the same view.

“Does this mean the Empire colluded with the Arctic Orcs, just like they did with the Demon Den’s Dark Wizards this time?”

“Different from the Demon Den, they aren’t proper allies. Those Orcs aren’t reasonable beings. But the Empire likely exploited them. It’s true that the Arctic Orcs’ armaments have improved over the past few years.”

If this is true, Sigma Empire’s actions somewhat resemble CIA operations in our world.

“People are the same everywhere, huh.”

There’s no concrete evidence, but the suspicion surrounding the Duchess’s father’s death is clear.

And now, the Empire’s recent actions leave undeniable evidence.

No wonder the knights are having meltdowns.

“Not just the knights, but everyone in the North is seething with resentment.”

Even Hai Tai, the most rational and calm top administrator of the North, was visibly shaking his fists tightly in front of me.

Looking at their reactions, I could sense the driving force that allowed the North to resist for over a hundred years.

“Hmph! This old man was talking nonsense.”

“Not at all. Your insights were truly beneficial.”

“Anyway, hurry up and cheer the Duchess up. For some reason, she’s still being stiff with you, though I’m not sure why.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

After saying that, Hai Tai left the conference room.

Looking around, only two people, including me, remained in the conference room.

The knights, the witches, the bureaucrats—all seemed to vanish as if on cue.

Now, only me and Ariana were left in the room.

“Damn.”

Alone together, her beauty was mesmerizing enough to cloud my judgment about returning to Earth.

Even her slightly pouty expression added to her charm.