(266)
When faced with an incomprehensible situation, people tend to curse.
“World.”
As I am not a human, whether I find myself in an incomprehensible situation or a comprehensible one, I will either not curse or I will curse regardless.
“World.”
Rudi pulled me and sat me down in a chair.
His movements, swiftly hugging my waist and applying force, were quite impressive.
“Valen! Get a grip!”
“Yeah. Yeah. I got it.”
I’m losing my mind.
I don’t understand why Brnoa isn’t retreating despite all this chaos.
Perhaps he has been taken hostage, threatened, or something like that.
In Doroysen, the Infiltrators have implanted Az shards inside people’s bodies; can’t they do anything in Lanzo, whose base is presumed to be there?
When I faced Brnoa, I didn’t sense any aura of corruption at all.
But isn’t there more than one way to threaten someone?
Thinking this sent a chill through my mind.
Alright.
I’ve done enough.
I casually swept my hair back and downed the remaining mulled wine in one gulp.
“Rudi. Just a cup of tea, please.”
“Eh? Now? I’ve made it quite strong, you know?”
“No, I mean real tea. One for Eric too.”
Rudi dashed out and returned shortly with two cups of tea on a silver tray.
The rich aroma and gentle warmth spread throughout the tent.
The more I inhaled, the clearer my mind became.
Words I needed to say to the physician trying to save lives assembled in my head like a puzzle.
“Eric.”
When I called his name, he looked up.
His handsome face was distorted beyond recognition.
“Let’s stop here. You’ve done enough, and so have I.”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
I continued without blinking.
“The image of begging the Empire’s Great Lord for survival isn’t going to help you either.”
“Each adult is the family of 400,000 citizens.”
“I’ll block the formations of the pursuers and assassins. The promise not to chase you if you retreat still stands.”
So.
“It’s time to go back now.”
I coldly pushed away the person wanting to save lives.
This was what I needed to do.
Rudi looked at me with an indescribably sad expression.
That’s how a fight is.
No matter how much I may dislike him, if he dislikes me, a fight is inevitable.
This is true among servants and maids, knights and knight orders, lords and other lords, kings and kings alike.
In the end, Lanzo’s general Brnoa rejected my hand.
Now I’ll take a steel hammer in that hand and crack his head open.
Yeah.
This is all the fault of that bastard.
Tap.
At that moment, Eric placed his teacup down with a sound that drew my attention.
“Your Majesty.”
His blue eyes still held a glimmer of warmth.
Some might call it passion, but I termed it stubbornness.
“I can understand if you can’t let go of that stubbornness. I won’t force you to, even if it means cooling your head—.”
“I will not beg for mercy.”
“You already seem to be begging, don’t you?”
Eric didn’t care about my sarcasm.
Under the glowing orb in the tent, his shining blond hair, shadowed face, and clear blue eyes reminded me of the saints of the Luminaries that serve the Empire.
“I wish to make a deal. You are a born aristocrat, so a little dent to your pride shouldn’t cause you to lose your position.”
When he said “born aristocrat,” Sererassie gave me a strange smile.
I casually shook my head.
I needed to confirm whether this was a gamble or a trade.
“Do you not know that noble families waged the Hundred Years’ War over pride?”
“I believe you hold something more significant than pride, Your Majesty. Otherwise, terms such as ‘bandit’ wouldn’t be flying around everywhere.”
I shrugged, and Eric firmly shook his head.
“There can be bandits who indulge in wine, gambling, and women. There can be bandits who massacre the Empire’s great nobles. There can be bandits who embezzle lands after the capital is reclaimed, and even bandits who murder Zahan merchants who lent them money in that process. But they couldn’t possibly all be the same person.”
I felt my interest piquing.
“You’re confident?”
“It’s a common story among the lawmakers of Lanzo. During election seasons, the intelligence of candidates rises and falls. The important thing isn’t the facts but what people consider a fact.”
Gambling and trading.
It seemed that to the lawmakers, they were the same.
Eric pulled out a map from his pocket.
“And those who awarded me my parliamentary badge are people who believe that a human life is more precious than the nation’s pride.”
It showed simplified names of various mines and their estimated profitability.
Sererassie leaned toward me with interest.
“Brother, that reagent is indeed valuable. There’s a high-purity surface diamond mine here. And it has abundant rare metals.”
“You mean it’s a deal worth taking?”
“Of course. It might sound odd, but they are mines worth going to war over.”
Eric pointed out the northeastern mines of Lanzo that border Solletarass.
“I’ll transfer the rights to mine these five mines through Zahan Alliance merchants.”
I mulled over the names of those rare metals in my mouth.
Even a small amount added when making alloys significantly increases mana absorption and strength.
“Why not use a bit more? After all, they wouldn’t be able to mine them without magic.”
…There’s a reason why there are so many of those metal mines left.
It’s rare to find untouched areas, and purification processes are even more laborious.
If one doesn’t use magic to separate them, one would need to use incredibly strong acid or lye, which would destroy the surrounding environment.
Eric bit his lip and nodded.
A few more mines were pointed out on the map.
“Then I’ll stop here—.”
I shook my head.
“…What I want isn’t wealth but people and knowledge. Send three bishops from Lanzo, seven combat priests, and seven research priests to study abroad in the Empire. Of course, you’ll need to bring some mass-produced holy relics with you.”
Eric shot me a look filled with expletives.
“Th-That…”
Even if he doesn’t know, the influence of priests and theologians in the Land of Lanzo must be sky-high.
Having rejected magic and mana under the value of equality for all, their only supernatural power they could rely on is divine authority.
Even a lawmaker wouldn’t be able to decide easily.
However, I needed those mass-produced holy relics and their manufacturing methods.
Because divine authority was absolutely necessary in the upcoming fights against the Infiltrators.
Also, I need to have something to say when Jeilliris asks, “Why did you save them and send them back?”
If my head is still attached, I can ask for help or not, right?
Eric still had a hesitant expression.
I decided to give him a gentle push.
“Honestly, we can acquire as many mines as we want if we wanted to. If we get the permission for a preemptive declaration of war from the nearby Great Lords, we’d pounce on Lanzo like starving beasts and tear it apart. And discreetly donate a few mines to the imperial court.”
“Ah.”
Eric exhaled softly.
I smiled slyly.
“Anything we can easily obtain isn’t worth much. Don’t forget that, to us Solletarass, the forces of Lanzo and the Republic are traitorous, and I’m also quite displeased that you don’t bow to my Emperor.”
When he heard my statement about “my Emperor,” Eric looked me up and down.
A strange light of shock flickered in his slightly opened blue eyes.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all.”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t punish those who don’t bow to my Emperor?”
Eric was someone who saw the ideal but had his feet planted firmly in reality.
“…”
He bit his lips as if trying to hide his fangs, and I burst into laughter.
“It’s nice to be honest. Now then, let’s have the priests and holy relics. Then I’ll send back the children of Lanzo with minimal bloodshed.”
Rudi quickly made two documents out of parchment.
Along with them were high-end inks that couldn’t be altered and a magic seal.
“Please read both documents thoroughly and sign.”
The key points were three:
1. I will not pursue the retreating army of Lanzo.
2. Within a year after the retreat is completed, you will send the priests and holy relics.
3. You will transfer the mining rights of five mines.
I left my signature and seal, and Eric did the same.
In fact, this paper and name held no value for me at all.
As Eric said, I’m of royal blood.
However, Eric would take a fatal blow if this fact came to light.
There would be countless voices in Lanzo accusing him of begging the Empire for peace.
Now there was no way Eric would stab me in the back and refuse to send the holy relics and priests.
Of course, they were individuals who would have burned to death in my hands if Eric hadn’t begged me for peace.
Eric smiled as he looked at the first clause of the scroll.
“Ha.”
I muttered softly along with a sigh.
“So unnecessarily kind.”
Eric snapped back.
“Why do you say it like that—.”
I casually shook my head.
“I like that kind of person. After all, I’m a bandit.”
After Eric left the tent, I called my people.
Rudi, Lady Trentia, Sererassie, and Marcus sat on either side of the long table.
Lady Trentia’s blood-red eyes sparkled.
“Your Majesty. You made a truly righteous choice. I’m not sure what Her Highness Jeilliris will say, but Saint Matheos will surely praise you.”
“I don’t need praise from the Saint; I need it from Her Highness!”
“So what are your thoughts now?”
“Don’t you think I’m curious about that too? Helena has already set off, and combat will break out soon. Is there any way to force those foolish fanatics to retreat?”
I nodded confidently.
Rudi blinked anxiously, while Marcus smiled delightedly.
“When Valen is smiling like that, it always means there’s a strange idea coming.”
“I believe I understand? A very splendid idea indeed.”
As expected of Marcus.
I slowly began to speak.
“Although my sister has been involved in organizational life, you would know that talking about how the Ivory Tower is or how the Platinum Knights are is a dangerous and difficult matter. How much do people’s thoughts differ even within that?”
Sererassie nodded, while Lady Trentia furrowed her brows.
“There’s always been a question of how such a foolish person ended up in the Ivory Tower.”
“There are those who would be better off as mercenaries rather than knights.”
I nodded.
“It’s just like that. Even if Brnoa acts like a madman, it doesn’t mean that’s the thought of the entire officer corps of the Republic of Lanzo. After all, on the day my sister ambushed, he didn’t retreat but neither did he advance.”
Lady Trentia spoke.
“So there were differing opinions even among the officer corps? Considering that the rear units and supply units are the ones blocking the foreign troops sent by Your Majesty, it’s a plausible story.”
The ones that should have faithfully stuck to the main force instead turned their backs.
If even the rear units, which usually obey the command center by habit, are behaving this way, the command structure must already be fragmented.
“I’ll infiltrate the enemy lines and take Brnoa’s head. They may be weak individually but are strong as a unit. With the Lady and me together, we should be able to send all their frontline officers to the gods before they can even pray.”
Rudi’s mouth dropped open, and Marcus seemed quite pleased, smiling widely.
I leaned back casually.
As if discussing the most mundane topic.
“After that, we’ll negotiate with the returning army’s officers.”
Lady Trentia inquired.
“What will you do if negotiations fail?”
I replied awkwardly.
“Well, I could just kill them until someone comes forward to negotiate.”
Lady Trentia clicked her tongue.
“Just as expected of Your Majesty.”
I was unsure if it was praise or an insult.
Sererassie asked.
“What are you planning to say to Helena?”
I lowered my voice just enough for everyone to hear.
“I won’t say anything.”
