Chapter 9

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 2, 2025

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“Interesting story, isn’t it?”

Leaning back on the sofa, I exhaled a puff of smoke.

“The Kal Ros Empire, the guardian of humanity. I guess the Dain people weren’t considered part of ‘humanity,’ huh?”

“…It was the Dain people themselves who refused the Empire’s protection. If they wanted to break free from the fence and run wild, it’s their own fault if they get eaten by wolves.”

“Hmm… Let’s just leave it at that.”

Marquis Ludwig stubbed out his magic herb in the ashtray. Thick, pungent smoke rose into the air.

“The conversation has strayed. Let’s get back to the main point.”

“You’re the one who tried to divert it.”

The corner of the Marquis’s mouth twitched slightly.

“I apologize for that part… So, about the peace treaty with Ka`har. Why should the Empire accept that proposal? What benefit does it bring to the Empire?”

“I told you. The Dain—”

“Do you really think they intend to attack? Even if they bypass the barrier and launch a surprise attack, they’ll eventually be surrounded by the Empire’s regular army to the west and the forces of Landenburg to the east. The retreat will be blocked by the assembled Dain army. At best, they’ll burn down the eastern part of the Empire and then fizzle out. Isn’t that right?”

Huh? Is that how it goes?

I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“That alone isn’t enough. If you want to persuade the Empire, you’ll need to present a more convincing advantage.”

“…We could save a significant amount of manpower and resources spent on defending the eastern border.”

“Are you serious? The defense of the east is entirely under my authority as the Frontier Lord. Maintaining the army, collecting taxes to sustain it—it’s all under my control.”

In other words—

“If the costs of defending the east were drastically reduced, I’d welcome it, but His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t see it that way. There’s a risk of my power becoming too strong.”

So that’s a no-go too.

Desperately racking my brain, I tried to recall the original story’s setting to come up with a usable reason.

I’m not sure where we are in the timeline of the original story, so it’s a bit ambiguous. But let’s just throw it out there.

“Even Ka`har has finally knelt before the Empire. Isn’t that a perfect opportunity to showcase the Empire’s might?”

I spoke in an exaggerated, theatrical tone and flicked the magic herb in my left hand lightly.

“Lately, the Empire’s prestige has weakened significantly. Kingdoms and other races alike have been showing signs of unrest. Even within the Empire, suspicious incidents have been occurring, haven’t they?”

A village where everyone disappeared overnight.

The sudden disappearance of the Fifth Prince, things like that.

“…It’s most suspicious that the princess of Ka`har knows so much about the Empire’s problems.”

“Easterners have sharp ears.”

I shrugged off the Marquis’s suspicion with a casual response.

“I’ll let it pass for now. Then the remaining issue is trust… Frankly, the Empire can’t trust Ka`har. Is there any guarantee that this isn’t some trick of yours?”

That’s a valid question.

After all, Orhan was already planning to betray us.

“That’s why I came here personally. As a token of peace, to enter the Remnant Academy.”

I placed the burnt-out magic herb in the ashtray and smiled coldly.

“Special admission sounds nice, but it’s essentially a well-packaged diplomatic hostage, isn’t it? A direct descendant of Ser Khan voluntarily offering themselves as a hostage—wouldn’t that make it more believable?”

“The special admission system of the Remnant Academy, you say? Where did you hear about that? You’re surprisingly well-informed about the Empire, Your Highness.”

“My late mother was from the Empire. I heard it from her.”

I sold out Ha-shal-leur’s mother again.

Though, from my perspective, she’s someone I’ve never even met.

“Your mother was from the Empire? That’s quite interesting. May I ask her name?”

“Ai-mel-ra. I don’t know her surname. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Does that ring a bell?”

“You don’t know her surname? She’s your mother, isn’t she?”

Marquis Ludwig asked, as if it were the most absurd thing he’d ever heard.

Well, if someone told me they didn’t know their own mother’s surname, I’d react the same way.

But what can I do? Who could I have asked about it?

No, wait. The original Ha-shal-leur was probably a real piece of work, so it’s only natural she wouldn’t know.

“She never told me. I guess she didn’t like her surname.”

“Hmm…”

I had nothing else to say, so I brushed it off.

After all, no matter what I say, he has no choice but to believe me, right?

“Marquis. Ce n’est pas censé être à propos de Jeune dame Médiane?”

(Marquis. This isn’t about the young lady of the Médiane family, is it?)

“Je ne savais pas qu’elle serait reine de Ka`har. Taisez-vous d’abord.”

(I had no idea she would become the queen of Ka`har. Stay quiet for now.)

Shane, who had been standing silently beside Marquis Ludwig, whispered to him in confusion.

Wait, so he understood our conversation?

Does that mean this guy was secretly using a translation spell on me?

Meanwhile, on my side, the translation spell’s effect seemed to have worn off, as I could no longer understand the Empire’s language.

“What are you talking about?”

“My apologies. It’s nothing. Sir Shane must have mistaken you for someone he knows.”

Right. So this is the real reason he insisted on speaking in the eastern language.

In case there was something I shouldn’t hear, he wanted to avoid having to cast the translation spell on me again.

Should I call him out on this?

Nah, it’s not worth it.

The atmosphere grew a bit chilly.

Marquis Ludwig lit another magic herb and took a deep drag of the rising smoke.

“…So, Orhan wants to conquer the Great Plains again, does he?”

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden statement, I straightened up from where I was leaning on the sofa.

“You’re trying to buy time, aren’t you? To lull the Empire into complacency while you gather forces to cross the barrier.”

How the hell did he figure that out?

My eyelids twitched nervously.

I’ve been caught. What do I do?

Now that my intentions have been exposed, it wouldn’t be strange if I were executed on the spot.

Marquis Ludwig calmly gazed at the magic herb in his hand and smiled quietly.

…At this point, lying won’t help. It’s better to just tell the truth.

“…About that suspicion, there’s something important I’d like to discuss. But I’d prefer as few ears as possible.”

“Do you want Sir Shane to leave? He’s a knight among knights, tight-lipped as they come.”

A knight, my foot.

“He was using a translation spell without telling me, listening in all smug. You don’t expect me to trust him now, do you?”

“If that’s your concern… Very well.”

The Marquis gestured toward the door of the reception room.

Shane, who seemed to be hesitating, cautiously spoke up.

“Ça va, monsieur le marquis? C’est dangereux d’être seule avec elle.”

(Are you sure, Marquis? Being alone with her is dangerous.)

“Rassemblez les chevaliers devant le château. En cas de bataille, entrez.”

(Gather the knights outside the castle. If a battle breaks out, charge in.)

What are these bastards scheming now? Speak in Eastern language.

—

After finishing his words, Shane quietly bowed to the Marquis and left the reception room.

“…What did he say?”

“He said there’s no need to worry so much about my safety.”

“Did you really have to say that in Imperial language? We were using translation magic, so you could’ve just spoken in Eastern.”

“My apologies. Out of habit, I naturally spoke in Imperial.”

Despite his rough appearance, his words flow like a clear stream.

People are always hard to judge by first impressions alone.

“So? I’ve cleared the room as you wished. Now, speak. What was it that you wanted to keep so secret?”

“First, you’re right. Everything I said earlier was just a false pretext. After conquering the great plains, Ser Khan plans to turn his horses toward the Empire.”

“You’re admitting that so easily? Orhan is your father, isn’t he? Are you betraying your own father?”

“He’s not my father. He’s Ha-shal-leur’s father.”

“I never considered him my father. Why would I like a man who captured my mother and forced her to be his wife?”

She played the tragic character to deceive the Marquis.

Realizing her mother’s painful past, she grew to despise her father, a scoundrel.

“…I see. Then let me ask, what do you think will happen if I, knowing this, attack the unsuspecting Ka`har in return?”

“The Empire will be accused of stabbing a country that accepted peace negotiations in the back, and your army will at best be annihilated by Ser Khan’s warriors rushing back. Can you defeat Ka`har on the plains beyond the barrier?”

Orhan didn’t hesitate to launch an expedition because he feared the Imperial Army.

He was worried about the damage his eastern base would suffer during the return.

“So, accepting the peace negotiations means there’s no way to act anymore. It seems the Empire has less and less reason to accept your diplomatic letter.”

Oh, now that you mention it, that’s true.

“Even if you refuse, it’ll just delay the inevitable. As long as the Empire remains in chaos, Ser Khan’s expedition will happen eventually. It’s wiser to accept me. I’ll help the Empire.”

“I don’t understand. If Ser Khan is going to gain the power to target the Empire, you wouldn’t need to come all the way here.”

Not wrong.

In a few years, the Empire won’t be in a position to care about Ka`har anymore, so there’s no need to risk coming here for a false peace.

Even if I wanted to betray Orhan out of hatred, staying in Ka`har would’ve given me more chances to stab him in the back.

Perhaps the original Ha-shal-leur became the Empress of Ka`har that way.

“Ser Khan’s children are on really bad terms right now. If I stayed, I’d be dead. So, I came here to seek asylum. I don’t want to die.”

“I heard Ka`har warriors would rather face death than flee?”

“That’s why I only half-fled. I chose a smaller danger over a bigger one.”

Ludwig burst into laughter.

“Truly delightful! Very amusing! Alright, I understand. Then, I’ll help you!”

Her desperate mix of lies and truth worked.

“Does that mean you’ll guarantee my safety?”

“Yes. But there are a few conditions.”

“Conditions? Go ahead.”

I hope they’re not too difficult.

“First, you’ll attend as a witness when I later advise the Imperial Court about the Ka`har threat.”

“That’s not too hard.”

It was what I wanted from the start.

If I’m going to betray my country, I need to do it thoroughly. If I can make an impression on the Emperor, that’s even better.

“Second, since you’ve decided to become part of the Empire, you must follow its order and laws.”

“I’m not sure what ‘Imperial order’ means, but as long as it doesn’t harm me.”

No reason to cling to Ka`har’s culture after defecting to another country.

I don’t even know much about Ka`har’s culture anyway.

All I’ve seen is drawing swords at the slightest provocation, killing and plundering the weak.

That’s why I came to a more civilized country.

“And, don’t cause trouble.”

“Can’t guarantee that.”

The meeting with the Marquis ended with laughter.

—

“By the way, how did you figure out the peace letter was fake? Was my explanation that flawed?”

“Simple. You only listed the benefits and reasons for the Empire to believe, but never mentioned what Ka`har would gain from peace, the purpose of peace. That means you have another purpose you don’t want to tell us, right?”

“…Didn’t think of that.”

—

“I’ll convey your intentions to the Imperial Court. It’ll take about four days for a response, so stay in the guest room until then. I’ll assign a knight to accompany you. If you’re free, learn some Imperial language. She’s one of my most trusted aides and will suffice as your escort.”

“Thanks.”

Whether it’s an escort or a watchdog, I don’t know.

Shane, who had returned, guided me to the guest room in the Marquis’s estate.

He apologized profusely for deceiving me, so I forgave him.

The guest room was smaller than the Golden Palace’s chambers, but like a Western noble’s room, it was filled with plush cushions everywhere.

Yes. This is the taste of living.

Unshakable comfort.

– Knock knock

While lounging on the bed after taking off my armor, someone knocked.

Come to think of it, he did say he’d send a knight. Probably a servant and watchdog.

“Come in.”

It’s a bit rude to greet someone while lying down, so I sat up on the bed.