episode_0015

I returned to the separate room with Nigel.

The inside of the separate room was neat, perhaps because the castle’s maids had cleaned it up.

The items I brought were laid out side by side on the table next to the bed.

At best, all that was left was a bow, a quiver of arrows, a pouch containing jewelry, and a box of magic herbs received from Marquis Ludwig.

Hashar’s long sword, which had been leaning diagonally on the bedside, had not been touched, and was left in its original position, with only a small amount of dust on it.

Well, it may be any other object, but it is extremely rude to touch another person’s sword without the owner’s permission.

The maids would have been reluctant to even dare to touch it.

My armor was neatly arranged on the stand opposite me.

A shawl-shaped shoulder cloak, scale breastplate, gloves, skirt, and even shin pads underneath.

All the dust and rust between the armor’s barbs were removed, regaining their unique metallic luster.

The fur of the cape and skirt also looked as if it had been cleaned cleanly, and the fur that had settled down softly was shiny and shiny.

The musty smell that had been permeating through a mixture of sweat and fishy smell had also completely disappeared.

How on earth did you get rid of that smell?

This was the most annoying part when wearing this armor.

I regretted not wearing armor when fighting Nigel, but seeing him look so clean now makes me think it was better to leave him here.

The leather clothes I was wearing at that time were torn to shreds like my body, so I had to throw them away.

So, while I was in the hospital room, I only wore the white cloth clothes that were provided there. It’s still the same now.

Perhaps it was because Hashar’s body was so accustomed to wearing thick leather clothes, but he found these flowing clothes repulsive and quite uncomfortable.

There was a new set of clothes sitting on a small shelf next to the stand.

Well-tanned leather pants and a short top that covers from the collarbone to below the breasts.

Even a pair of sturdy leather boots with iron plates on the toes.

The design was similar to the clothes I used to wear, but they were of much better quality.

Come to think of it, Marquis Ludwig, who saw that my clothes were in rags, offered to prepare similar clothes.

I feel like they strangely take good care of me. What on earth are you thinking?

Should I take the opportunity and at least ask.

—-

I took off the hospital gown I had worn for four days and changed into the pants and top provided by the Marquis.

The familiar feel of the leather covering my legs gave me a sense of security that I was finally wearing the right clothes.

Yes, these are real clothes. It’s not like a piece of cloth that will tear along with your skin if you fall on the floor.

It was still burdensome to wear armor, so I left the other armor, including the gloves, as is.

Nigel, who was organizing miscellaneous luggage in one corner of the room, glanced at me fully dressed and put down his hand.

“Don’t you wear armor?”

“My legs are still a little sore. I’m going to take it on the back of a horse for the time being.”

If you overdo it and recovery is delayed, it will be a pain in the ass.

“Mal? Were you really planning on riding a horse to the islands?”

Nigel asked curiously.

“Then why not ride a horse? Surely I have to walk?”

It’s not a world where there are transport portals, and the only thing there is words, right?

“Of course I will go by carriage. There is nothing good about showing off.”

“Oh, I see. If Ka’har were to roam freely in the empire’s territory, anyone he encountered would either run away screaming or draw his sword and attack him.”

Certainly, if you travel on horseback, all sorts of chaos will occur on the way from Landenburg to the capital of the empire.

My thoughts were short.

“It’s not at that level.”

Nigel frowned and shook his head.

“If a sub-race is discovered within the territory of the empire, a subjugation order will be issued immediately. Kahar is also a demi-race, and all the knights and soldiers in the vicinity will be targeting Hashall.”

“Sub-race? Just the skin color is a little different. Is Kahar a human too?”

“Not by imperial standards.”

Nigel began a detailed explanation of the Empire’s position.

The Empire strictly divides non-human intelligences into two types.

There are similar races that have signed a peace treaty with the empire and do not harm humanity, and sub-races that reject the empire’s order and attack humanity.

Therefore, the empire was lenient toward pseudo-races and cruel to sub-races.

To eliminate every single sub-race from this world. Because that was the wish of all mankind.

Numerous sub-races were exterminated by the swords of the imperial knights.

Orcs, giants, mermaids, minotaurs, ogres, trolls, etc.

In the end, the sub-races dispersed and fled outside the empire.

A representative example was the beast people of the northern snowfields beyond the Sky Mountains.

After establishing a country on a snowy plain that was harshly cold all year round, the half-human, half-animal warriors still travel across the Sky Mountains and persistently attack the empire.

Therefore, the beastman encountered in the territory of the empire was one out of three.

Either a slave of the imperial people, a corpse hanging from a pole, or a secretly hiding terrorist.

The sub-humans who were unable to escape hid in deep places such as forests, caves, and dungeons.

Whenever they were discovered, the empire dispatched knights to slaughter them all.

A nation created solely to protect humanity. That was the Carl Ross Empire.

According to Nigel’s explanation, Ka’har was also a sub-race by the Empire’s standards.

Because they are hostile to the empire, they repeatedly attack, kill, and plunder westerners.

If you think about it, it’s a funny story.

While ‘similar’ races such as fairies and dwarves are a fundamentally different race from humans, Ka’har are treated as a sub-race even though they are simply humans with a different skin color.

In fact, the people of the Landenburg Empire facing Ka’har acknowledge that Ka’har is also a human being.

The reason he was recognized as a human being was also absurd.

Because they encountered each other so often and killed each other, they came to understand that, unlike other races, there was no difference other than dark skin color.

So, it was very dangerous for me to travel around the empire’s territory.

If the emperor accepts Orhan’s peace letter, Ka’har will at least be included as one of the pseudo-races, but it will take some time for the news to spread throughout the empire.

As if all was well, Nigel began lecturing on the common sense of empire.

Since I didn’t have anything else to do anyway, I spent the time sitting on the bed and listening to her lecture.

It’s a sub-race. In the game, they were just monsters that you went to and defeated after receiving a subjugation quest, but there was this backstory.

—-

After about two hours, I headed to Marquis Ludwig’s office at the call of a maid who came to the separate room.

It looks like the imperial family’s reply has finally arrived.

Surely you won’t say anything like refusing admission now?

—-

“I was rejected.”

Marquis Ludwig delivered shocking news.

I was so dumbfounded that I stood there in a daze and hurriedly asked back.

“No, why? This one bent down first and went in. Then you have to accept it, it’s been like that all this time. Are you really going to fight Ka`har until the end?”

The Empire distrusts and hates Ka’har that much?

If this happens, the plan will be completely ruined.

My mind was tangled like a skein of thread.

I can’t go back to Ordos like this.

Are you always on edge because you don’t know when your identity will be suspected by human butchers, and continue to live like those bastards, killing and plundering innocent people?

no.

Moreover, I think I’ll either end up facing the original ending when I go back in the first place, or I’ll end up getting killed by the brothers who blatantly wanted to send me away.

“More than 40% of the institutional nobles opposed it. They say it’s hard to trust Kahar’s words that he wants peace.”

“Are you doing that now? Are you sure you explained the circumstances properly?”

From the beginning, you explained that the reconciliation was just a lie and that you had come to seek refuge.

I also said that later I would publicly testify that the peace friendship was a lie.

But why are you trying to throw away the direct blood relatives of Aishangior who have fallen into the hands of the empire?

I couldn’t understand at all.

I couldn’t bear the frustration, so I took out a magic candle, lit it, and inhaled deeply.

The wound on my leg hurt a little, but my mind seemed to clear a little.

“…I only told that part to a few great nobles, including His Majesty the Emperor. If it had been made public, the rumor that Kahar would soon invade would have spread throughout the islands and the empire would have become even more chaotic.”

Marquis Ludwig must have been quite frustrated as well, so he took out a magic candle and rolled it between his fingers.

“If only those great nobles had agreed, it would have been over. However, their opinions were divided in half.”

“In the end, it means that they handled things strangely. It’s different from what I promised.”

Marquis Ludwig, who heard my sarcasm, lit a magic candle and held it there.

The deep wrinkles between the eyebrows cast a dark shadow.

“It’s not my responsibility. The problem is the girl, the girl…”

why me.

“The noble woman’s notoriety is too high. Much more than I expected. How many people have the Danes been killing?”

I didn’t kill him. All of that was originally done by Hashal.

…No, I killed a lot too.

The things I had no choice but to do after being possessed flashed through my mind.

But you really couldn’t help it.

If I hadn’t killed those people, I would have died. Even in the hands of his subordinates.

“They said that Aishangior Hashal would never choose exile. Especially the great nobles with ties to the southern part of the empire. I say this with confidence, as if I were saying that night comes when the sun sets. Even priests seeking God would find it difficult to show that level of faith.”

“So, just go back?”

My voice suddenly became rough. You’ve come this far, you want me to go back?

That can never happen.

never.

“Oh, that’s not it.”

what?

Marquis Ludwig suddenly changed his tone and held out a piece of paper.

It was a piece of paper with the imperial language written on the outside.

“This is the negotiation plan they presented. Read it.”

I received the negotiation plan and read it.

No, I tried to read it.

“……I can’t read it.”

In the first place, it had only been two days since I learned the imperial language.

I recognized some sentences, but there were too many words I had never seen before.

“Ah. Excuse me. Now that I think about it, there must have been quite a bit of time for the noble woman to learn the imperial language properly. I had so much work to do that I forgot about it. Give it to me. Let me explain.”

Marquis Ludwig received the negotiation plan back.

I can’t do this because it’s uncomfortable. I need to learn the imperial language as soon as possible.

“Excluding the trivial investigation…I will just tell you the main point here.”

Marquis Ludwig summarized and explained only the key points of the negotiation plan.

Aishangior Hashall is granted asylum and admission to Remnant Academy under the following conditions.

first.

Do not cause unnecessary conflict with imperialists or other races.

“…I’ll skip this since it’s obvious. As long as it doesn’t turn into a bloody incident, it’s okay.”

second.

I agree to be arrested and punished according to imperial law if I cause trouble.

“…This is also natural if you are a special admission student.”

third.

When Ka’har attacks, I agree to immediately participate in the war as part of the Imperial Army according to the summons order.

“…First of all, since we came here under the pretext of peace negotiations, it is of course the noble woman’s responsibility to do so.”

fourth.

After graduating from Remnant Academy, you are assigned to the Imperial Army and must serve on the Northern Front for five years.

“…If you want, I can change this part to the Eastern Front.”

fifth.

I agree that her guardian, Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Landenburg, will be responsible for any damage that may occur due to Aishangior Hashall.

“I’ll skip this.”

Sixth.

If you show intent to return to the East after exile, you may be considered a spy and subject to immediate arrest and detention.

“You think it’s natural, right? You’ll be caught before you can cross Berengueria, so don’t even try.”

Even though it was a very serious thing, except for the fourth clause, it was at a level that I was willing to accept from the beginning.

If the fourth clause was also changed to the Eastern Front, I thought it would be okay to think of it as spending five years here.

I took the picture without hesitation.

“It’s not as big a deal as you think, is it? They said it as if the empire had absolutely no intention of granting permission, but these are quite acceptable conditions.”

Since it is a matter of accepting an untrustworthy and dangerous person into the imperial capital, wouldn’t these conditions be rather lenient?

I came to the empire prepared to go to that extent, including having to wear restraints all the time and living with guards.

In fact, the content of the negotiation plan is that as long as the basics are followed, there will not be much interference.

In fact, they said that if they served properly in the military for five years, they would gladly recognize them as imperial citizens.

I was worried for no reason.

I was seriously considering whether I should just live in secret, avoiding the eyes of the empire, like the beasts.

Why did you take so long to scare me?

When I was handed the negotiation plan presented by the Marquis with a stern look on his face, I honestly thought it was a physical waiver that I had only heard about.

“If this is going to happen, why did you set the tone with such a serious tone? You could have just shown me this negotiation plan from the beginning.”

“I wanted to see the lady in confusion.”

“…What?”

Marquis Ludwig grinned, exhaling thick magic candle smoke.

“This is exactly how I felt when I heard the news that Sir Nigel and you were taken to the hospital. Do you understand now?”

I was dumbfounded and gaped, then I became so angry that I clenched my fists.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Hmm? What are those hands? Are they really trying to cause trouble in the empire and even attack the noble girl’s guardian? If you already try to break the negotiation plan, it will be difficult.”

The Marquis tapped the negotiation plan on the table and raised his head slightly.

The eyebrows that seemed to be drawn in a cheerful manner were so unpleasant that I had the urge to shave them off.

My trembling fist had no place to go.

okay. Anyway, he helped me a lot.

Thanks to you, I was able to defect to the empire like this. I can put up with a prank like this once.

“But I didn’t just say that as a joke. I also said it because I wanted you to keep in mind how strong the imperial nobles are and have a strong antipathy towards you. So, please pay attention to how you behave.”

Marquis Ludwig advised in a serious tone.

I had no choice but to accept it because it wasn’t wrong.

“…I’ll try my best. So, all you have to do is keep that, right?”

“In addition to this, there are miscellaneous clauses such as consent to surveillance…but those are issues that can be resolved at my discretion, so you don’t have to worry about them.”

The Marquis put the wrapped negotiation plan in a drawer and then offered his right hand.

“Then, welcome to the empire.”

I gladly held his hand.