Chapter 7

Kal Ros.

800 years ago, it was the kingdom of the Knight King, who led twelve knights and conquered five kingdoms for humanity.

A great hero who drove out the beastmen, elves, dwarves, and dragonkin fighting for supremacy over the continent, turning the central lands into human territory.

It was the name of the great empire founded by Carolus.

Even after hundreds of years, Kal Ros remained a powerful nation, boasting the strongest force on the continent.

The other races, pushed to the outskirts of the continent, had no choice but to acknowledge the difference in strength and eventually chose a humiliating peace.

Now, only the beastmen of the northern snowfields and the Ka`har of the east remained hostile to the empire.

Especially the Ka`har of the east posed the greatest threat to the empire.

Unlike the north, blocked by rugged mountain ranges that made it difficult for large armies to pass, the eastern border was made up of vast plains.

They would frequently lead cavalry raids, attacking the border regions and retreating like the wind before the empire’s punitive forces could arrive.

When the empire tried to organize a large army to crush them, the Ka`har’s horse archers would persistently harass and retreat, disrupting the advance while other cavalry units scattered in all directions, burning the empire’s cities.

Unable to find a solution, the empire, after much deliberation, decided to block the border with an enormous wall.

That was the great eastern wall, Berengeiria.

—

Damn, it’s huge…

A towering wall, about 30 meters high, filled the horizon.

Looking left or right, all I could see was an endless barrier.

I feel like I’ve seen something like this in a comic.

Was the empire trying to block a giant attack or something?

I slowly rode my horse closer to the wall.

I could see the soldiers on the wall moving around in a flurry.

Some of them were already aiming their bows at me.

They wouldn’t just shoot arrows at me out of nowhere, right?

Just in case, I raised the white flag I had prepared.

The soldiers who saw the white flag looked confused and started talking among themselves.

Good. Now it begins.

I took a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs so that it would reach the top of the wall.

“Listen up! The daughter of Ai-shan Gi-or, Ha-shal-leur, is here!”

The loud shout echoed, and the stones of the wall seemed to tremble.

Some of the soldiers were so startled that they plopped down.

“I bring a message from Ser Khan! If you have the courage to face me, come forward!”

I might have come on a bit strong for a peace envoy, but this should be just right.

From the empire’s perspective, the Ka`har are nothing but dangerous savages.

If I stayed too humble, they’d just look down on me.

To avoid unnecessary friction, I need to appear as strong as possible.

People naturally take lightly those who submit easily and only show respect when they see strength.

Like how they kick a wagging dog but fear and avoid a growling wolf.

Sure enough, the gates opened shortly after.

See? Just as planned.

And then, a dozen knights with lances and hundreds of soldiers poured out like a pack of dogs.

Uh, uh? Didn’t see this coming!

Should I run?

No. Running away won’t solve anything.

Whether I live or die, I have to end it here.

I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, hiding my trembling heart, and waited with a confident posture.

Just try to attack me.

Even if it’s Ha-shal-leur’s body from her younger days, I should be able to take on a few knights.

Not all of them, though.

Soon, the knights stopped about 10 meters away, pointing their lances at me.

Looks like they’re not planning to charge right away. That’s a relief.

I let out a sigh of relief internally and maintained my posture.

The soldiers following behind tried to spread out to surround me, so I glared at them sharply.

If I get surrounded, it’s too dangerous.

The soldiers who met my gaze turned pale with fear.

They’re afraid of me.

That’s a good sign.

I subtly licked my upper lip.

I was confident that even if things went wrong, I could break through.

Fear can destroy everything.

When the lead knight extended his left hand to the side, the soldiers retreated and lined up behind the knights.

Thirteen knights. About two hundred soldiers with spears.

The sharp spearheads reflected the sunlight, shimmering like waves.

Now, what should I do?

“Did you come to welcome me? Or are you going to attack?”

I lightly swung the sword at my waist with my left hand.

Acting calm, as if two hundred soldiers were nothing.

Then, the lead knight spoke.

“Pourquoi as-tu osé venir ici, Sauvage.”

Wait, what the hell, they speak a different language?!

—

Long ago, it is said that people used only one language.

Without misunderstandings or conflicts, humanity united as one and achieved development that reached the heavens.

But the gods, displeased with such humanity, personally intervened and divided their language into hundreds.

After that, people who could no longer understand each other split apart and fought endlessly.

I guess it was easier and faster to kill each other than to struggle with the hellish study of foreign languages.

The moral of this story is that when people can’t communicate, they draw their swords.

Right. Since they don’t understand, they probably thought my earlier shout was a threat, not a message.

But humanity doesn’t communicate solely through language.

“You don’t understand our words? Then watch. The message from Ser Khan.”

He pulled out a white flag that had been stuck in the saddle, pointed at it with his finger, then pointed at me again, and waved Orhan’s letter in front of my eyes.

Clearly, the non-hostile gesture made the knights and soldiers murmur.

The lead knight raised the visor of his helmet, narrowed his eyes to look at the letter, and then gave some order to the knight beside him.

The knight who received the order turned his horse around and galloped toward the castle.

After a long standoff, the knight who had ridden off returned with someone on his back.

A middle-aged man in a robe dismounted and stepped forward.

A magician, huh? This is the first time I’ve seen one in person. Ka`har only has warriors.

As the man muttered something, a strange and unpleasant energy enveloped me.

He’s using some kind of spell!

All my senses sharpened instantly.

I barely suppressed the reflex to draw an arrow and throw it.

Stay calm. If they wanted to fight, they wouldn’t have brought a magician; the knights and soldiers would have charged already.

So it’s probably not an attack spell. There’s no way something like petrification or mind control would come flying at me out of nowhere in this situation.

It’s probably a translation spell or something like that.

“Colloquium!”

The moment the man shouted the mysterious word, the unpleasant energy drilled into my head.

I accepted it without resistance.

Ugh.

I feel dizzy. Like I’m about to throw up.

Is this really a mind control spell?

“Do you understand me, barbarian?”

It’s definitely a translation spell.

The lead knight spoke to me.

It was still a language I didn’t know, but I could intuitively understand its meaning. Weird.

-Quite rude, aren’t you? I am the fourth child of Ser Khan. Ha-shal-leur of Ai-shan Gi-or. If you pride yourself on being civilized, shouldn’t you show proper manners?

“Rude. I, fourth of Ser Khan. Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur. Show manners, civilized.”

What the.

It doesn’t perfectly translate longer phrases, huh.

“Ha-shal-leur…? Don’t tell me, the harlot of Ka`har, Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or!”

“What did you just say?”

I’m still a virgin, you bastard!

I roughly drew my sword.

The warriors of Ka`har are not the kind to endure insults.

The knights and soldiers all aimed their spears.

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

The lead knight hurriedly tried to stop them.

“Stop, stop! Hold it right there!”

“But Sir Shane…!”

“I said stop!”

At the firm command of the knight called Sir Shane, the other knights and soldiers raised the tips of their spears away from me.

“…Please put away your sword as well. I apologize for my rudeness. It seems neither of us came here to kill each other, right?”

“Indeed.”

He immediately switched to polite speech when I told him to show manners. Seems like a knight with some class after all.

I sheathed my sword.

“So, what brings the princess of Ka`har here alone?”

Do the Empire people consider Ser Khan Orhan the king of Ka`har?

Well, since the Ai-shan tribe borders the entire eastern frontier, they probably only know the Ai-shan tribe as Ka`har.

Then this conversation might go faster than I thought.

-I come as the messenger of my father, Ser Khan Orhan, the leader of our clan. He desires peace with the Empire.

“My father, our king Orhan, sent a letter. We want peace.”

“Peace, you say?”

Shane asked back, sounding incredulous.

Well, I wouldn’t have believed it either.

-Yes. As a token of goodwill, I have come to enroll in your Empire’s Remnant Academy. Isn’t there a special admission system?

“Yes. In exchange, I will enroll. Your Remnant Academy. Special admission.”

I really need to figure out this language barrier if I’m going to live in the Empire.

The translation spell isn’t reliable.

“Remnant Academy?…That’s not something I can decide. I’ll have to consult the Marquis.”

“The Marquis?”

Is he talking about the general who guards the Great Wall? What was his name again?

“The protector of the Berengeiria Wall. The ruler of the border city of Landenburg. Marquis Ludwig. My lord.”

-Does the Marquis have the diplomatic authority to decide on peace negotiations with another country?

“Can the Marquis decide peace alone?”

“Of course not. The Marquis will hear your story and then inform His Majesty the Emperor. The final decision naturally lies with His Majesty.”

Well, a high-ranking noble making diplomatic moves with another country on their own would be a perfect way to get accused of treason.

Especially if he’s a powerful border lord with a strong military.

“I understand.”

“Then I’ll guide you to the Marquis’s castle. Follow me.”

Following Shane’s lead, surrounded by knights who seemed to be both escorting and guarding me, I crossed the drawbridge and stepped inside the wall.

Finally, the Empire.

It’s been a really long journey.