Chapter 182

======[Amin]======

‘Let’s ambush the empire in the midst of its civil war.’

Under normal circumstances, Amin’s suggestion would never have been accepted. However, those who held the authority to stop him and the intelligence to foresee the consequences of his plan had mostly left with Orhan to the east.

It wasn’t Orhan’s fault for being careless. He probably never expected Amin to come up with the insane idea of attacking the empire. In fact, if it weren’t for the cunning instigation of the shamans, Amin would have been grumbling while guarding Ordos.

The low-ranking warriors, who had no interest in complex politics, didn’t oppose Amin’s promise of battle and plunder. They were also tired of idly wasting time in the capital without participating in the great war.

The only obstacle was defying Ser Khan’s orders… but Amin’s boldness shone here. Or perhaps, his recklessness was on display again.

If you didn’t think about the consequences, forging a command was simple. A command to send troops to shake things up if the empire fell into chaos. A single stamped piece of paper turned Orhan’s unspoken words into Ser Khan’s secret orders.

“If Ser Khan returns, execution won’t be enough!”

“Just deliver results. That’s all. If things go wrong… we can just escape with our families.”

Jargal groaned, but Amin waved him off dismissively, as if he had no attachment left to the land of Aishan.

It wasn’t entirely baseless nonsense. Amin’s maternal family was a powerful clan, and if they defected, many tribes would welcome them.

If Orhan’s forces ever launched another eastern campaign, they might be wiped out like weeds in a wildfire… but Amin was confident. Confident that his father, Orhan, would never get another chance to attack the east.

Once the empire’s civil war was resolved, they would bare their fangs at Aishan for breaking the agreement and launching a preemptive strike. Too preoccupied with that, they wouldn’t even glance eastward, wasting time helplessly.

‘In the end, they’ll be trapped in Ordos and die.’

Orhan was already past fifty. How much longer could he live? At most, not even twenty more years. After that, there was nothing to worry about.

He didn’t have high hopes, but… maybe those shamans would take care of Orhan somehow.

Amin had a plan. At least, in his mind, it was a perfect plan. Jargal, listening, could only sigh inwardly.

======[Hasharl]======

After leaving Leonor with Asha, I returned to the 1st Prince’s Palace around 3 a.m.

“I’m glad to see you returned safely. It seems it wasn’t a trap?”

Despite the late hour, Leopold was still awake, waiting for me in his office. The matter concerning Leonor was an important variable, so it made sense for him to stay up waiting… but if he dozed off during tomorrow’s court meeting, it would be a disaster.

Oh well, not my problem. He’ll figure it out. If he can’t stay awake, he can just chug some black tea.

“The letter was indeed from Leonor herself. There were no suspicious signs along the way.”

Not just human presence, but I also checked for any magical traces, so I was certain.

“That’s a relief. So, can we assume Leonor has decided to entrust her safety to us?”

“Hmm… that depends on what we discuss next.”

I sat on the office sofa and nodded. Persval quickly poured me a cup of black tea. Wow, he’s gotten quite perceptive. Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeding him meat.

People really do perform better when they eat meat. That old tale about bears eating garlic and becoming human is definitely a lie. They must have feasted on tiger meat, right?

After taking a sip of tea, I relayed Leonor’s message.

—-

“Hmm…”

Leopold found her desire for revenge interesting but was skeptical about her plan to target the nobles under Isabella first.

“Wouldn’t interrogating one of them yield something? Fire knows the answer, after all.”

“Isn’t that a Kahar saying…?”

“It’s my personal opinion.”

Water knows the answer too, but if you have the means to keep them alive, fire is more reliable. Even religious fanatics, after being grilled enough, start seeking painkillers instead of faith.

“Well, if he’s…”

“If you don’t confess, won’t the suspicion towards us just keep growing? Interrogation doesn’t always work, you know.”

“If there’s no answer, just crank up the intensity. No matter how tough someone is, when their body and mind are broken by pain and drugs, they’ll spill the truth eventually.”

“Sounds like something Isabella would say…”

“That seems a bit harsh.”

At first glance, they might seem similar, but they’re completely different actions.

“There’s a crucial difference. She tortures the innocent, while we’re just giving the guilty the interrogation they deserve.”

“…I’ll consider it as a backup plan. Kidnapping a noble from the capital is tricky and dangerous, but if all other options are blocked, we won’t have the luxury to be picky about methods.”

In the end, it was put on hold.

Perhaps because he lost two experts in a gambling attempt, Leopold seems to want to avoid risks as much as possible.

Objectively speaking, he’s already in a favorable position, so it makes sense that he’s reluctant to take unnecessary risks now…

“Your Highness Leopold, those who fear injury cannot achieve victory.”

“And those who go to battle without armor are bound to be stabbed to death in an instant. Isn’t that right? I understand the princess’s impatience, but now is not the time to throw ourselves into danger. It’s time to build up our strength.”

Ugh, seriously. Can’t he just shut up for once…!

Leopold calmly sipped his tea, annoyingly relaxed.

Am I being too impatient?

…Is that it?

Indeed, rationally speaking, it’s better to wait until our forces are gathered rather than rushing in and risking a counterattack.

It’s just a matter of waiting four or five days.

“No need to rush. Time is on our side. Once Landenburg and Failune arrive in the capital, Isabella will be like a rat in a trap. Any plans we make after that will proceed without a hitch.”

As if to nail down my worries, Leopold declared.

…Alright, let’s hold on a bit longer.

It’s only five days, after all. Nothing major is going to happen in that time.

Choosing the safe route here is the right call.

If we push too hard and fall into a trap, all the progress we’ve made so far could be for nothing.

“…Let’s wait for now. Your Highness Leopold’s words do make sense.”

“I’m glad you agree.”

Leopold smiled, seemingly relieved, and set down his teacup.

“Now then, we need to talk about something else.”

It’s a side note, but just as important as the main topic.

This is about whether you’ve been deceiving me.

“Another topic? Speak freely.”

I loosened the restraint I had been holding and looked straight at Leopold.

“Princess Leonor mentioned that Your Highness plans to lock her away in a convent. Is that true? It seems a bit different from what you swore. Were you planning to deceive me by saying you’d spare her life…?”

I won’t admit it myself, but… this was a warning to let you know exactly how I’d react if that were the case.

“No, deceive you? Sending her to a convent is the obvious choice. It’s the only way to protect Leonor, who’s been branded as the daughter of a witch.”

Huh…?

Contrary to expectations, he admitted it, but his reaction wasn’t one of being caught—it was more like he was baffled.

As if he was saying, “What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“If she enters the convent and lives quietly, the Holy Kingdom’s believers and other nobles won’t push too hard to sever the witch’s bloodline. On the contrary, let me ask you this: how did you plan to protect Leonor?”

…I didn’t really think it through.

“…I was just planning to keep her close to me. Even if the capital’s nobles oppose Leonor, I thought bringing her to the borderlands wouldn’t cause major issues. I also thought the Holy Kingdom might back off if I opposed them.”

“I’m not sure it’ll be that simple, but… if that’s what you want, go ahead. I’ll respect your wishes.”

To my surprise, Leopold nodded readily.

What’s going on?

Was I mistaken…?