Cariosa requested the Emperor to have a tour of the garden, and it was customary for nobles to guide royalty.
Rudi wore a heavily cautious expression, but I smiled softly and rose with Cariosa.
No matter how fierce the ‘White Shark’ was, I believed it would hide its teeth now that the Emperor had appeared.
As dusk crept in and the sun chariot raced beyond the horizon, we strolled through the garden where fully bloomed roses dropped their petals one by one.
Crossing the wooden bridge over a small stream, Cariosa spoke.
“Duke Valenciaunos.”
“Are you no longer calling me ‘Your Highness’? Well, I’ll be a duke within a month anyway… What does it matter?”
“Seeing you stammer, I suppose you know why I called you.”
A cruel smile danced again on her lips, reminiscent of a hunter’s.
The white teeth that had pierced my shoulder and neck glimmered.
I smiled without confirming or denying.
Cariosa spoke as if she were discussing someone else.
“They appointed me governor of the Three Isles instead of duke. But anyway, that land is out of the Imperial family’s reach. Without an appointment as governor, I could conquer it myself. Those Eastern Continent pirates stand no chance against my fleet.”
That was true.
Before my return, Cariosa had engaged in a dual war of stabilizing the Three Isles against Jeillirith.
“As a governor, I must contribute profits. Of course, I will receive funding, but a few thousand gold coins won’t keep a monster like the fleet afloat. Ultimately, am I not just saying I’ll conquer the Three Isles with my money and then share the profits?”
That was indeed the meaning.
“But I can’t refuse. I had to subjugate the pirates and the undersea people anyway. Plus, I need some meat to save face in the East.”
That was true.
She was already considered a great lord at the duke level.
With 5,000 soldiers and an army of 65,000 assembled, returning with just a duke title would be shameful.
“I might harbor some discontent and kick up a fuss about this, but regardless of the Emperor, or rather, your Excellency, that is impossible.”
When she said “Emperor,” I narrowed my eyes, and Cariosa swiftly changed her words.
“There’s a hungry pack of sharks circling around me right now. It’s often politically advantageous when suffering a physical loss. I’ll be busy suppressing and appeasing them, showing them an example for a while.”
“In the process, I’ll naturally gain hegemony in the East, though.”
“Hmm? Yes, that’s right. I don’t think I’ll lose. After all, I’m the second strongest sword mage in this world.”
Her voice seemed completely nonchalant, as if stating common knowledge.
Those slate-gray eyes were filled with confidence.
However, she hesitated for a moment and then continued.
“But I can’t just kill all the direct lords from the East who came with me. They are the ones who will become my vassals. If I have to kill a few for an example, I need to absorb and stabilize the armies they brought and feed them well. They must pledge loyalty to the lord who killed their original master.”
“That’s right.”
“But you’re the one controlling the grain market in the capital. I heard the Imperial family contracted 70% of the autumn harvest?”
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
I just smiled and spoke lightly.
“How much do you have in mind?”
“I won’t charge you an arm and a leg here. Otherwise, I can’t operate my fleet properly.”
I nodded.
“But I must be thoroughly reviled. That way, even if the citizens of the capital starve, they will curse not the Imperial family but me for threatening the Imperial family. Also, while gathering public sentiment, you all can throw some shade at me… governing entails all that, right?”
Cariosa’s steps gradually slowed until they finally halted.
At the front of the stairs leading down from the garden, illuminated by pale light from gas lamps, I stood silently beside her.
Cariosa wore a mysterious expression, flashing a shark-like smile.
Her face, illuminated by bright light, sparkled like scales, while deep shadows were cast simultaneously.
It was a smile that bordered on lust, hunger, and greed, a mixture of pride and anger, as though she wanted to bite and crush.
“Oh, truly, this damned bandit. It seems Valenciaunos has really been getting the short end of the stick. I bet even the Saint ended up getting kidnapped like this. What am I to do… No, that’s not it. Yes. Duke Valenciaunos.”
“……”
“If His Majesty the Emperor abandons you, I’ll come back for you. A dowry of the Three Isles should be sufficient, right? I need a strong successor.”
I replied, observing her smile.
“Is this a political maneuver?”
“Of course.”
Like the number one bandit in the capital, she left a remark that was utterly unforgettable.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing, even if it isn’t.”
“!”
Cariosa’s mouth dropped open.
Shark-like teeth lined up in front of me, and her slate-gray irises tightened.
Towards that enigmatic beauty, I smirked and cleared my throat.
“The night is deepening. Duke Cariosa. It seems the knights are waiting; how about we head down now?”
Cariosa momentarily gaped before bursting into a loud laugh.
“Ha… Seriously, you damn bandit…”
“I won’t be going far.”
“…It’s going to be a bit noisy tonight.”
She meant there would be some commotion with the direct lords from the East.
“I will sleep well. If the citizens of the capital can manage to sleep, it’s not an issue.”
Unless they intended to burn the capital down fighting among themselves, I could tolerate that much.
Cariosa swirled her robe with holes from magic bullets and walked off with firm strides.
I let out a sigh of relief watching her back.
I had saved her, and she was alive.
If I weren’t Valenciaunos, I would want to be Cariosa.
She was strong and cheerful, dutiful and honest about her desires.
She was someone who did what she wanted, not what she had to do.
Narrow in view but far-sighted enough, she lived a life as tempestuous as it was fierce without any significant worries.
It felt as though I had thought for decades about how nice it would be if I could live like that.
Thus, I couldn’t hate Cariosa.
…But who, then, bought the grain in my name?
That night, chaos erupted in the capital’s streets.
“Since you’ve bound him, bring the mana sealing stone here. We’ll imprison him in this room.”
“Catch him! Count Spina is escaping!”
“Kill him if he resists. The Imperial soldiers won’t move tonight!”
Cariosa’s 4,000 troops stormed out of their encampment in the dark of night and seized the hotel where other Eastern lords were bound.
The Eastern lords also brought strong bodyguards with them, and with 300 each, their combined guards reached 5,200, making it a considerable fight.
However, the sea warriors and knights who consumed the merfolk alive were already prepared for battle since morning.
Their duke had briefed the officers on two operational maneuvers.
The first was a fallback operation outside the capital in preparation for Jeillirith, and the second was the operation to sweep up the Eastern lords as they did now.
One side was prepared for conflict while the other was divided in disbelief.
Moreover, with Cariosa leading the charge, wielding storms and favorable winds, the Eastern dignitaries were individually overpowered and captured.
“Where are the constables and the Black Iron Knights?”
“They… are nowhere to be seen. The guards at each post are also completely absent.”
“Ugh! You fools! Call for help from the Bronze Knights outside the keep!”
“The gates are locked and already seized by the White Shark banner’s knights.”
The Eastern lords were not fools, entirely oblivious to the situation.
Only a moron would think the Imperial family was unaware of this incident and survive in noble society.
“Jeillirith! You have sold us out completely!”
A proper lord would typically endeavor to intervene when direct lords fought among themselves.
If one side entered vassalage to the other, it would betray the lord and drastically reduce their tax revenue.
However, to remain silent while urban warfare erupted in the heart of the capital with a combined force of 10,000 meant one thing.
All calculations and negotiations had already concluded.
“Valenciaunos!”
“It must be that bandit’s doing!”
“Damn! We should have brought a proposal first…”
“What good are such words now!”
A night of silence.
A costly silence bought at the expense of relinquishing both the throne and the duke husband.
Bang!
The knights of Asenorta kicked down the hotel door and dragged out the hidden enemies.
Knights bearing the White Shark insignia and their own crests all wore hungry smiles, as though thirsting for blood.
A school of sharks that had risen to land bared their teeth.
As Cariosa tore through the armpit of one lord’s knight who continued to resist, she declared, “Imprison the three dukes in my encampment and call all counts to pledge their loyalty, then imprison them. Once I receive the title of duke, I will obtain pledges from the dukes as well.”
“Yes, your Excellency.”
“Right. Although it feels a bit different, I’ll still wield the power of a king.”
Originally, the East was meant to unite and gain power, with Asenorta supposed to receive the throne as their representative.
However, the Eastern nobles were always prepared with a plan B, like true nobles.
Asenorta was no exception.
“Yes. I had thought all along that if this went awry, I’d capture them all. Whether it comes this way or that, as long as I dock at the port, that’s all that mattered.”
Cariosa rolled her eyes at the elderly duke being dragged along.
She smiled with satisfaction as she approached the trembling hotel manager and owner, offering them a crate.
“Here, here. Take this. It should be enough for repairs. Seeing that you own a hotel of this caliber in the capital, you must be a noble too, what’s your title?”
“Count, Count.”
Cariosa laughed heartily.
Though a fellow count, she had vast territories and seven fleets, while he had just a mansion in the capital and a few businesses, receiving a noble pension.
In the end, it was not the title itself that mattered, but real power.
“Right. Count. Then, pardon my intrusion.”
Rather than bowing to the counts who made her a queen, it was a hundred times better to reign as a duke.
*
It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that a few Black Iron knights and constables began to restore order and calm those still trembling from the previous night’s terror.
Jeillirith formally summoned Cariosa for questioning, and Cariosa decided to withdraw half of her 10,000 troops from the capital.
Of course, the 5,000 that would leave were all from the ‘Eastern Alliance.’
Valenciaunos gathered Tenitia, Rudi, and Sererassie in the separate palace and uncorked the expensive alcohol bestowed upon him by Jeillirith.
“Lady Trentia, is your armor being repaired well?”
“Ah, only the damaged parts have been newly granted. That’s the advantage of plate armor. When chain armor breaches in one area, you have to repair the entire thing, but we can just fit new parts.”
As soon as Tenitia finished speaking, Sererassie interjected.
“Still, don’t treat the armor roughly. Don’t absorb everything with the armor; use your sword to block sometimes!”
“Excuse me? Why’s that?”
“That armor is our responsibility for constant repair and remaking. The blacksmiths finish making the armor, but etching the circuits for each part is done by the Imperial Magic Guild. That job ended up falling on me yesterday! By day, I’m a warlock, and at night, a researcher? Isn’t that absurd?”
“Hmm. I will try my best. But in the end, it’s my students… No. I mean, your Highness.”
Tenitia nodded, and Rudi filled Valenciaunos’s cup, who was already blushing, with sordid and ugly tales of shady dealings.
“The format for the governor’s office developing the occupied lands is like starting a company. It’s easy to calculate profits and distribute them that way. You can think of it similarly to the Imperial trading syndicate that circulates grain and rare metals.”
“Yes, Count. I’m listening.”
Rudi’s green eyes twinkled kindly as he comforted the exhausted duke.
“When Cariosa develops the islands, she’ll establish a company, and the Imperial family is set to contribute 60% of the investment. So the Imperial family’s share will be 60%.”
“Yes, yes.”
“His Majesty is giving me 10%. Ha ha, now I’m rich. Dividends! Dividends will amount to several thousand gold coins quarterly.”
“Yes, yes.”
Valenciaunos lowered his voice as if shy.
“Rudi. When the money comes in, I’ll buy you a mansion in the capital. And I’ll grant you a title as well.”
“A title?”
