Chapter 4

I got too comfortable.

Seeing him casually joking with his daughter, I must have let my guard down without realizing it.

This man is none other than the great chieftain of the Ai-shan Gi-or, boasting one of the most formidable forces among the Ka`har.

I had somehow forgotten that he was the King of Slaughterers.

The person sitting before me was no longer just Ha-shal-leur’s father.

He was a demon who had dyed the grasslands with fire and blood, commanding tens of thousands of warriors.

A conqueror. The Or-han of Ai-shan Gi-or.

Only now could I truly grasp the weight of that name.

—

My mouth went dry.

An invisible presence filled the room, pressing down on me like heavy shackles.

If I let my guard down even a little, I felt like I would crumble pathetically.

No. I can hold on. I have to hold on.

I clenched my teeth and endured.

I knew that if I collapsed in such a disgraceful manner, I wouldn’t even get a chance to speak.

“…Conquering all the tribes of Ka`har and unifying the great plains into a single nation. That is the ambition you hold, Father, and the reason you declared yourself Ser Khan. However…”

Or-han slightly raised his right eyebrow, as if urging me to continue.

“Our tribe, which once galloped across the grasslands and expanded its influence so fiercely, is now a thing of the past. For nearly eight years, we’ve been stuck in a stalemate, having lost our former momentum. The reason is—”

“Yes. It’s because of those Empire bastards. Whenever my warriors set out on an expedition to the plains, those despicable westerners come rushing in to burn our empty territories.”

Exactly. It was just as my subordinates had been saying.

Lately, they’ve been itching for a big war like the old days, but the westerners have been holding them back.

Ai-shan boasts a vast territory that spans the entire western region of the great plains.

Though the land is fertile compared to the central or eastern plains, the fact that it borders the western nations directly means we always have to allocate some of our forces there, which has been a major hindrance.

In fact, about ten years ago, the Empire dispatched a large army and caused significant damage.

On the other hand, unlike the western Empire, which built a barrier at the border and only targets our weak points, the Dain Kingdom on the southwestern border is nothing more than a tasty prey.

Even if we conquer it, it would only lengthen our border with the Empire, so we leave it alone. It’s a weak nation that we could destroy anytime we want.

The villages my subordinates raided were also settlements of the Dain Kingdom.

In other words, if we want to unify the great plains, we need to prevent the Empire from targeting us.

That’s why I’m trying to enter the Remnant Academy.

You might ask, what does the Empire’s invasion have to do with entering the Academy?

Surprisingly, according to the setting, they’re related.

“Yes. As you said, Father, as long as the western Empire, Kal Ros, remains strong, we can no longer form expeditionary forces. But what if we no longer need to guard our rear? Then it would be possible, wouldn’t it?”

“…We could conquer the plains in about three years. But that’s not going to happen. The Empire is stronger than ever. It might collapse someday, but not now.”

“I’m not saying we should wait for the Empire to weaken. In fact, we don’t need to be hostile to the Empire at all.”

“Not be hostile? What do you mean?”

Finally showing interest, Or-han lowered the arm he had been resting his chin on.

This is where the main point begins.

“The reason the Empire is hostile to us and tries to subjugate us whenever they get the chance is because we raid and plunder the westerners. So the answer is simple, isn’t it? We submit to the Empire.”

“One neck.”

“Huh?”

What are you talking about all of a sudden?

“If you weren’t of my blood, your neck would have been severed for that statement. A Khan does not submit to anyone.”

Or-han’s gaze had grown several times colder.

Like a predator before the hunt, he quietly stared at my neck.

I barely suppressed the instinct to cover my neck.

“…I don’t mean we should actually submit. I mean we make them believe we’ve submitted. That’s why I’m going to the Empire.”

“…Explain.”

“In the Empire, there is an institution called the Remnant Academy. Its goal is to train young talents into master-level warriors.”

“If it’s a military institution of the Empire, then it’s only for the Empire’s people, isn’t it?”

“Normally, that would be the case, but it’s not exclusively for the Empire’s people.”

In the original story, the Remnant Academy was an institution of the Empire, but it wasn’t limited to just the Empire’s people.

After all, if the only friendly race in a fantasy world was one, the game wouldn’t be fun.

Among the Academy students, there were people from other nations and even a few non-human characters.

It was something like a special admission system.

The setting was that nations that pledged friendship to the Empire were given the right to recommend students for admission to the Academy.

The special admission was just a pretext; the real purpose was to secure young talents from various nations as a kind of hostage.

“So, if our Ai-shan pledges not to invade the Empire and I remain at the Academy as a hostage, the Empire won’t have a reason to attack us.”

“Does that make sense? The Empire would just let us conquer the eastern plains because they trust you alone?”

Well, it doesn’t really make sense.

It was a forced setting to include non-human characters in the Academy.

That’s why this game couldn’t be called a masterpiece.

“At the very least, the Empire has maintained this system for hundreds of years to avoid unnecessary conflicts with other races. They wouldn’t break that trust now.”

“You speak as if you know the Empire well. Even though you’ve never been there.”

Well, I’m just following the game’s setting.

But I can’t say that, so…

“Back in the day, I used to hear stories from my mother sometimes.”

“Did Ai-mel-ra even tell you that? Unexpected.”

So, Ha-shal-leur’s mother’s name was Ai-mel-ra. Seems like using the “mom card” helped avoid suspicion for now.

“So, you’re saying that to secure this special admission, we should stop the raids, declare friendship with the Empire, and send you there… Alright, let me ask a few more things.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, do you really think the Empire will believe us if we send a friendly envoy? If it were me, I’d just chop off their head and ignore them.”

“I’ll go myself. If a direct descendant of the Ai-shan Gi-or shows up alone, they’ll be half-skeptical, half-convinced.”

Honestly, it’s a big risk, but they probably wouldn’t kill someone who’s basically royalty coming as a peace envoy, right?

“But what if they detain or kill the foolish woman who came alone to enemy territory?”

“They wouldn’t want a full-scale war with the entire Ai-shan army either.”

The Empire isn’t invincible, just like in games. While they can’t match Hersela’s forces, who unified Ka`har and conquered the Empire, Or-han’s army alone could devastate the Empire’s eastern region. I doubt they’d take that risk.

“If that happens, it’ll be your foolishness to blame. I don’t plan to lead warriors for revenge, though.”

“They don’t know that. Westerners usually go to war immediately if their royalty is killed.”

I smirked slightly, making it seem like I was mocking the Westerners. These kinds of conversations rely heavily on the atmosphere, after all.

Still, these savages really don’t care about saving their own kin, huh?

“Alright, good. Second question. Let’s say you get admitted as you planned. If I then gather a large army and march east, do you think the Empire would just sit back and watch?”

“They would. Once a friendship is sworn, they wouldn’t have a reason to target us.”

Unlike Ka`har, who swings their swords first and asks questions later, Westerners are obsessed with justification. That’s what makes them civilized. The Empire is no different.

“If we attack the Westerners again, that’s one thing, but if you march east under the pretext of stabilizing the region for the Empire, they wouldn’t be able to do much.”

Once trust is broken, distrust spreads like wildfire. If a country that sent a hostage and swore friendship backstabs you, even the Empire’s allied nations would start to panic. They’d fear betrayal too.

That would mark the end of the Empire’s peace.

“You could also station minimal troops at the border. With me as a hostage, their surveillance on us would loosen. Hiding your march from the Empire wouldn’t be too hard.”

After all, Westerners can barely survive two days in these eastern plains. The Empire’s intelligence network has its limits.

Right now, they’re keeping a close eye because they don’t know when Ka`har might strike. But would they maintain that surveillance even after a hostage is taken? Would they waste resources and manpower like that?

No way.

Or-han seemed to agree, nodding his head.

“Last question. You said we should swear friendship with the Empire. But after conquering the Great Plains, what then? Do you think this father’s conquest would stop there?”

So, he’s planning to attack the Empire later. Westerners underestimate the vastness of the eastern plains, but once unified, Ka`har would become a force rivaling the Empire.

In the original story, even the so-called “barbarian queen” Ha-shal-leur’s army devastated the Empire.

“Then we just turn our horses and attack the Empire, right?”

“Even after swearing a friendship pact?”

“Since when have we ever lived by keeping such promises?”

Or-han laughed heartily, clearly satisfied with the answer. Yeah, if you guys had kept your promises, you wouldn’t be called savages.

“Hahaha! True, true! But what about you? If war breaks out, they’ll execute the hostage first, won’t they?”

I tried to look as sinister as possible while smiling.

“The Remnant Academy’s term is three years. By then, I’ll already be galloping back to Or-dos!”

Or-han’s laughter grew even louder, shaking the room.

“The little pup who only knew how to bite has learned to speak like a snake! Fine. I’ll allow it. Go ahead and do as you please!”

Great. I got his approval.

—

Actually, it’s all a lie.

I have no intention of coming back.

Am I crazy? To just let these butchers sweep the world? Once I get to the Academy and build my standing, I’ll expose their danger and rally a crusade against them.

For world peace, I’ll turn my back on my own people, a noble traitor for justice.

A so-called “righteous betrayer,” you could say.

It’s the perfect plan.