Ch.139King Maker #9

The Empire.

When I think about how I had to come to a country I never would have visited because of that damn Empire, it’s truly depressing. Hearing its name from someone else’s mouth didn’t exactly improve my mood.

I was already in a subdued, almost sunken state from performing torture techniques I wasn’t even accustomed to.

“The Empire, you say. What about the Empire?”

“Well, that is…”

The creature began to answer but stopped, his facial muscles twitching as he stammered.

It looked as if he were under some curse that would kill him automatically if he spoke it aloud.

“What? Is answering difficult for you?”

“N-no! Not at all!”

I had merely tilted my head curiously when I asked, but he shouted back with obvious panic.

He seemed afraid I might stab his thigh again if he didn’t speak.

Perhaps this is what they call PTSD?

“Then speak. But don’t drag it out too much. My patience isn’t infinite.”

“Y-yes. I’ll… speak.”

Hoo, hoo. He took several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly to steady himself.

Even at a glance, he was clearly preparing himself mentally, making me wonder what significant story he was about to tell.

It raised my expectations, though I worried it might turn out to be something trivial.

After dragging it out for several minutes, he finally parted his heavily sealed lips.

“About… two months and a bit ago, I believe. A strange human came to our territory. Naturally, we were cautious. It was rare for humans to enter beastkin territory, especially the Tiger Clan’s domain which is quite deep within the beastkin nation.”

“That’s true. The Tiger Clan primarily controls the military aspects of the beastkin nation.”

“Yes. You’re well-informed. Anyway, we naturally asked who they were. They claimed to be a noble from the Empire.”

Finally getting to the main point, I unconsciously sharpened my gaze.

I needed to listen carefully and remember everything he was about to say.

Eve seemed to have the same thought, her eyes gleaming behind the creature’s back.

“A noble, you say. What kind of human? Their name?”

“He was rather small in stature, with white hair and a white beard—an elderly man. I don’t remember his name well, but… he called himself a Count.”

It was somewhat disappointing not to know the name, but knowing his appearance and rank was sufficient.

In truth, I wasn’t well-acquainted with Imperial nobility, so even if I’d heard the name, I wouldn’t have known who he was.

“And then what happened?”

“There were minor frictions, but eventually he met with our candidate and talked. Afterward, our candidate decided to accept the Count’s support.”

“I imagine they made some kind of deal. Don’t you know the details?”

“No. That much I don’t really…”

I had thought he would know more since he had accompanied the Tiger Clan representative all the way to the capital, but he apparently didn’t know as much as I’d expected.

Either this creature wasn’t trusted enough, or perhaps the Tiger Clan representative was simply not the trusting type.

I asked him various questions to resolve my doubts, and he answered diligently, though terrified.

The two creatures watching from behind glared at their talkative companion.

But when I waved my dirk at them, they quickly lowered their gazes as if nothing had happened.

From the Tiger Clan representative’s appearance and personality to his schedule.

I was able to gather various pieces of information, but not the crucial details I needed.

This meant I would need to capture these creatures.

“Very well. You’ve been quite forthcoming, so I suppose I should spare your life. However, if anything you’ve told me turns out to be false… be prepared.”

After leaving that final warning, I began to consider how to capture them.

It couldn’t be considered reckless since ultimately, to ensure the Rat Clan’s victory, I would need to defeat all the remaining enemies.

It was a path I would have to take eventually.

I closed my mouth for a moment, silently watching the crackling campfire, then slowly opened my lips.

“I’m going to release you now. Go to your master and deliver my message exactly as I tell you.”

“Y-yes, yes!”

I whispered quite a lengthy message into his twitching, frightened ears, then without hesitation struck each of the Tiger Clan creatures on the back of their heads.

.

A visibly fierce, large man tapped his knee with his finger.

His gestures and expressions revealed his impatience, though he was simultaneously trying to suppress it.

The man, Eric, had lived his life as the son of the Tiger Clan’s chief.

“They’re late…”

The day after the royal audience.

He had positioned himself near the western gate of the capital with Tiger Clan warriors he had stationed in advance.

Hidden against the terrain like the Rat Clan, they weren’t particularly conspicuous even gathered together like this.

However, he was inwardly flustered because there was still no word from the three scouts he had sent to reconnoiter and intimidate the Rat Clan yesterday.

“Should we go look for them?”

“No. They’ll be here soon. We didn’t change the meeting point… let’s wait a bit longer.”

Though there were only three of them, Tiger Clan warriors weren’t weak enough to struggle against the pathetically weak Rat Clan.

Moreover, even if something had happened, they should have had enough skill to escape, so Eric’s decision to wait was reasonable.

The Tiger Clan warriors guarding him agreed with this assessment and kept quiet without dragging out the conversation.

In the end, that judgment proved correct. Although all three returned in a state too terrible to describe in words, they did eventually make it back.

“Alec… what on earth happened?”

Despite the miserable situation, Eric’s voice remained remarkably calm, though his eyes were trembling.

He could guess this wasn’t a situation that could be handled with his usual composure.

Alec, the first injured man, looked at Eric’s face and spoke with a trembling voice that betrayed his fear.

“…I apologize. The resistance from those damned rat bastards was unexpectedly fierce.”

“Their resistance was fierce…? Explain in detail.”

“Yes. Well…”

The night when Skevin, the Rat Clan representative, entered the palace.

Just as the Rat Clan had brought three guards, Alec and two others were staying at the palace as Eric’s guards.

When they noticed the Rat Clan guards beginning to wander around, they secretly followed them, then were ordered to capture them.

Because he couldn’t stand to see those vermin continuing to resist so stubbornly.

Eric already knew this much and said nothing, but his eyes widened at what came next.

They had chased one who had luckily escaped, following him through narrow alleys until they reached the outskirts, but then they were ambushed.

“Those rat bastards were seething with rage. Moreover, someone who wasn’t a rat attacked us by surprise.”

“Hmm? Someone who wasn’t a rat?”

“…Yes. It was too dark to tell which clan they belonged to, but judging by their height alone, they definitely weren’t a rat.”

Hmm. Eric fell into contemplation, mulling over this non-rat individual.

He concluded that whoever this madman was who decided to support the weak Rat Clan, they must be quite skilled.

This conclusion was based on his belief that it wouldn’t be easy to reduce three of his men to such a state, even considering the darkness.

Moreover, right now, dealing with this potential threat was more important than assigning blame.

So he had to postpone determining fault for later.

“Also, finally, they said they would be waiting in the nearby forest. They said if we don’t come, we won’t be able to avoid the ridicule and contempt of those you’ve looked down upon as rat bastards…”

“…What? Those rat bastards dare to say such things?”

A thick, prominent vein appeared on Eric’s forehead, which had been calmly organizing his thoughts.

His brow furrowed deeply, and he unconsciously growled, grinding his teeth.

He was already displeased with the rat bastards who were needlessly resisting beyond their station, and now they had the audacity to openly provoke him.

Such words would make him angry.

Alec knew this well enough, but as a Tiger Clan member, he couldn’t simply accept such provocation.

Despite being cowed, he still had his final shred of pride.

He followed Jion’s instruction to relay the message exactly because he wanted to repay them severely.

“Those rat bastards who deserve to be torn to shreds are really struggling desperately. Well, the audience is over anyway, so there’s no reason to stay in the capital any longer.”

I’m going straight to where they’re waiting. Whatever trap they’ve set, I’ll tear them all to pieces.

Eric gave orders in a still-low voice, despite his face being red-hot like a furnace.

His anger had reached such extremes that his throat was choked, preventing him from even shouting properly.

.

“Phew…!”

In an unnamed forest near the capital, Eve wiped away beads of sweat as she concentrated on her carving.

She was using the dirk I had lent her to engrave magic circles on various trees, which was quite laborious.

Due to the time-consuming nature of the carving, we couldn’t create a chain of magic circles over a wide area, but it was enough to block off one side.

Immediately after knocking those creatures unconscious in the middle of the night, I sent several messengers to the palace to inform Skevin of this development.

I told him to meet with the king as quickly as possible to confirm he would continue the selection process, then come straight to the forest.

Fortunately, the Tiger Clan creatures were arrogant and thought the three they had assigned to the Rat Clan side were sufficient, so they showed no particular movement.

Thanks to this, coming and going from the palace became much easier.

“To think you planned to capture him… how exciting!”

Skevin, who had just joined us, looked around the forest with an excited voice.

Thankfully, as soon as day broke, he met with the king and completed the proof that he would continue the selection process, allowing him to safely reach the forest.

“This is an opportunity I’ve been waiting for. Moreover, if we capture them and break their spirit, other clans might naturally follow suit. Once the balance starts to collapse, it will be unstoppable.”

“That’s what I’ve been hoping for as well. There’s nothing wrong with things ending quickly.”

I nodded, recalling Skevin’s contract that I had left in the Rat Clan quarters.

It was a rather dangerous document stating that if he became king, the beastkin nation would maintain absolute neutrality, and that he would abdicate if he broke this promise.

However, Skevin had agreed to such a contract quite readily. It was partly because he trusted me, but more because he desperately needed help.

Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, maintaining neutrality wouldn’t harm the beastkin nation.

“The right flank is ready. This will significantly restrict the Tiger Clan’s movement.”

“Thank you. You’ve worked really hard from dawn until now.”

Having no handkerchief, I had no choice but to wipe Eve’s sweat with my sleeve, causing her to blush and smile broadly.

It seemed her courage had grown considerably, given that she could smile despite the imminent battle.

Or perhaps her joy momentarily made her forget the situation.

“Ah…! I can see them approaching!”

Then, as if regretting her momentary distraction, she urgently shouted while patting her cheeks with both hands.

Thanks to the detection magic we had cast in advance, she could react so quickly.

Though this meant her mana consumption was quite severe and she probably couldn’t fight for long… it was enough.

“As you’ve all heard, the Tiger Clan has arrived. Everyone should move to their positions… is that alright?”

“Of course. Everyone, move to your positions.”

When Skevin supported me with a word, the Rat Clan members moved to their places silently but quickly.

They first hid irregularly at intervals, ready to ambush from the flank when the fog rose.

And I, along with Skevin and the mobile unit, were assigned the role of luring them toward that fog.

A suspicious figure plus the selection representative they looked down upon—wouldn’t that be quite an attractive bait?

“You should be tense now. This is where it really begins.”

“We can’t miss such a good opportunity.”

I turned my gaze forward as I watched Skevin draw his dagger and smile fiercely.

The sound of collective footsteps was growing louder, becoming audible even to my ears.

The Rat Clan members hidden throughout the forest seemed to feel it too, each showing signs of tension.

Normally, people would have been suspicious from the moment they heard someone would be waiting in the forest and wouldn’t have even considered coming.

But I thought that if a group that had always been at the top of the food chain not only suffered at the hands of their prey but was also provoked… the possibility of them coming might increase slightly.

And fortunately, this hope seems to have been realized.

Before I knew it, we were facing off against numerous Tiger Clan members at a slight distance.

“Alec. Is that the suspicious one you mentioned?”

The man leading the group—which appeared to be twice our size, all large and well-built—asked in a deep bass voice.

Beside him stood the creature I had mercilessly stabbed with my blade, looking at me with a cowed expression.

“Yes. That’s the one wearing the mask.”

“I see. So that’s it…”

While they were whispering among themselves, Skevin asked me in a low voice if I was alright.

I naturally nodded that I was fine, taking out my dirk from my pocket and waving it provocatively.

The one who looked like their leader was already grinding his teeth, so I intended to provoke him further.

“Yes, I’m that guy. And you must be the leader of these pot-bellied pigs. Just as I heard, you’re quite well-fed. Stripping the meat off you would make for a fine village festival.”

“……”

Perhaps because I was openly provoking them to come, the one grinding his teeth wiped all emotion from his face and stared at me with an utterly bland expression, as if he had never been angry.

Is he so angry that he’s become calm instead?

As I looked at him, wondering if I should strike first and retreat,

“You… damn rat bastards!!”

Fortunately, he made the first move, wearing an expression fierce enough to bury several people, stomping the ground with a loud thud.