Ch.9Foreign Language, Stop!

“That’s an interesting story, isn’t it?

I leaned back against the sofa and exhaled smoke.

“The guardian of humanity, the Empire of Karl Las. I suppose the Dane weren’t considered part of that ‘humanity’?”

“…It was the Dane themselves who refused the Empire’s protection. If they choose to leave the fence because it feels confining, then being eaten by wolves is their own responsibility.”

“Hmm… I suppose we can leave it at that.”

Marquis Ludwig extinguished his Mana Herb by grinding it into the ashtray.

Acrid smoke billowed up.

“We’ve strayed from the topic. Let’s return to the main point.”

“You were the one trying to change the subject.”

The corner of the Marquis’s mouth twitched slightly.

“I apologize for that… So, about this peace treaty with the Ka’har. Why should the Empire accept such a proposal? What benefit would it bring to the Empire?”

“I already told you. The Dane—”

“You don’t seriously intend to attack. Even if you bypass the wall and raid, you’d eventually be surrounded by the Empire’s regular army from the west and Landenburg’s forces from the east. Your retreat would be blocked by the gathered Dane army. At best, you’d burn the eastern Empire before fizzling out. Isn’t that right?”

Huh? Is that how it would play out?

I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“That’s nowhere near enough. If you want to convince the Empire, you’ll need to present more plausible benefits.”

“……You could save the enormous manpower and resources spent on defending the eastern border.”

“Are you serious? The defense of the east has always been entirely under my authority as the Margrave. Both maintaining the army and collecting taxes to support it.”

That means, in other words—

“While I would welcome a reduction in the cost of defending the east, His Majesty the Emperor would not see it that way. There’s a risk that my power would become too great, you see.”

This won’t work either.

I desperately racked my brain, trying to recall the original story’s setting and come up with a usable reason.

It’s a bit ambiguous since I don’t know exactly what point in the original timeline we’re at. I’ll just take a shot.

“Even the Ka’har have finally knelt before the Empire. Wouldn’t that be perfect for boasting about the Empire’s might?”

I spoke with an exaggerated theatrical tone, lightly flicking my left hand holding the Mana Herb.

“I’ve heard that the Empire’s prestige has weakened lately, with kingdoms and other races alike showing signs of unrest. Even within the Empire, suspicious incidents keep occurring, don’t they?”

A ghost town where everyone disappeared overnight.

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

“…It’s most suspicious that the Ka’har princess knows the Empire’s problems so well.”

“People from the east tend to have sharp ears.”

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

“I’ll let that pass for now. Then the remaining issue is trust… Frankly, the Empire cannot trust the Ka’har’s word. What guarantee is there that this isn’t some deception on your part?”

That’s a fair question.

After all, Orhan was already full of thoughts of betrayal.

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

I put down the burnt-out Mana Herb in the ashtray and smiled coldly.

“Special admission sounds nice, but it’s really just a well-packaged diplomatic hostage situation, isn’t it? The direct bloodline of the Ser Khan voluntarily coming as a hostage—wouldn’t that make it a bit more believable?”

“You mean the special admission system of the Remnant Academy. Where did you hear about that? You know surprisingly much about the Empire, Princess.”

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

I sold out Haschal’s mother again.

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

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

“Imelia. I don’t know her family name. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Does that name sound familiar?”

“You don’t know her family name? She was your mother, wasn’t she?”

Marquis Ludwig asked as if I’d said something absurd.

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

But what can I do? Who could I possibly have asked about this?

No, wait. The original Haschal seemed to be quite the bastard anyway, so it makes sense that I wouldn’t know.

“She never told me. I suppose she didn’t like her family name.”

“Hmm…”

Having nothing particular to say, I just made something up.

Anyway, whatever 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. Could this be about the young lady of House Median?)

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

(I had no idea she would become the queen of Kahar. Keep quiet for now.)

Sean, who had been standing silently beside the Marquis, whispered to him with a troubled expression.

Wait, does this mean he understood my conversation with the Marquis?

That means this bastard Sean was secretly using translation magic without telling me.

Meanwhile, on my side, the effect of the translation magic must have ended, as I could no longer understand the Imperial language.

“What are you talking about?”

“I apologize. It’s nothing. Sir Sean seems to have mistaken you for someone he knows.”

I see. So that’s the real reason he showed consideration by suggesting we speak in the Eastern language.

In case he needed to say something I shouldn’t hear, he could naturally avoid having to cast translation magic on me again.

Should I call him out on this?

No, there wouldn’t be much point in that.

The atmosphere grew slightly colder.

Marquis Ludwig took out another Mana Herb, lit it, and deeply inhaled the rising smoke.

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

“—What?”

I straightened my back from the sofa in surprise at this sudden statement.

“You’re trying to buy time, aren’t you? To lull the Empire into complacency while building up your forces to gather an army capable of crossing the wall.”

Shit, how did he know?

The area around my eyes began to tremble.

He’s seen through us. What should I do?

Now that our intentions have been exposed, I could be captured and executed right here and it wouldn’t be strange at all.

Marquis Ludwig calmly smiled while contemplatively gazing at the Mana Herb in his hand.

…At this point, trying to lie would be useless, so it might be better to tell the truth.

“……I’d like to discuss something important about that suspicion. However, I’d prefer fewer ears listening.”

“You want me to dismiss Sir Sean? He’s a knight among knights, a man of few words.”

Knight my ass.

“He was using translation magic without telling me and pretending not to understand. You don’t expect me to trust him now, do you?”

“If that’s what concerns you… very well.”

The Marquis raised his hand, pointing to the door of the reception room.

Sean, who seemed to be contemplating something, carefully spoke up.

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

(Are you sure, Lord Marquis? It’s dangerous to be alone with her.)

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

(Gather the knights outside the castle. In case of battle, enter.)

What are these bastards plotting now? Speak in the Eastern language.

—

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

“…What did he say?”

“He was concerned for my safety, so I told him there’s no need to worry.”

“Did he have to say that in the Imperial language? Since he was using translation magic, he could have spoken in the Eastern language.”

“I apologize. Out of habit, I naturally spoke in the Imperial language.”

For someone who looks so stern, his words flow quite smoothly.

People are always difficult to judge by first impressions.

“So? I’ve cleared the room as you wanted, now tell me. What exactly did you want to discuss in private?”

“First of all, you’re right. Everything I said until now was just a false pretext. The Ser Khan plans to conquer the Great Plains and then turn his horses toward the Empire.”

“You’re confessing this so readily? Orhan must be your father. Are you betraying your father?”

He’s not my father. He’s Haschal’s father.

“I’ve never considered him my father. Why would I like a man who forcibly took my mother as his wife?”

I portrayed a tragic character to deceive the Marquis.

The image of a child who realized the painful past of their caring mother and came to hate their monstrous father.

“….I see. Then let me ask, what would happen if I, knowing this fact, were to launch a preemptive attack against the unsuspecting Ka’har?”

“The Empire would be branded as a backstabber who attacked a country that accepted peace negotiations, and your army would, at best, mutually destroy itself against the Ser Khan’s warriors who would hastily return. Do you think you could defeat the Ka’har beyond the wall on the plains?”

Orhan didn’t hesitate to campaign because he feared the Imperial army.

He was concerned about the damage his eastern base would suffer during the time it would take to return.

“So you’re saying that if we accept the peace negotiations, we’ll have no recourse. It seems the reasons for the Empire to accept your diplomatic letter are dwindling.”

Oh, I guess that’s true.

“Even if you refuse, it only delays the inevitable. As long as the Empire continues to be in turmoil, the Ser Khan’s expedition will happen sooner or later. It would be wiser to accept me. I’ll help the Empire.”

“I don’t understand. If the Ser Khan will eventually gain the strength to target the Empire anyway, you had no need to come all this way.”

He’s not wrong.

In a few years, the Empire will no longer be in a position to worry about the Ka’har, so there was no need to risk coming all this way for a false peace.

Even if I hated Orhan and wanted to betray him, staying in Ka’har would have given me far more opportunities to stab him in the back.

The original Haschal probably became the Empress of Ka’har that way.

“The Ser Khan’s children don’t get along with each other at all right now. If I had stayed there, I would have been killed too. So I’m actually seeking asylum. I didn’t want to die.”

“I’ve heard that Ka’har warriors never flee, even in the face of death.”

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

Ludwig burst into laughter.

“How delightful! Very amusing! Good. I understand. In that case, I shall help you!”

My desperate self-defense, mixing lies and truth, had worked.

“Should I take that to mean you’ll guarantee my safety?”

“Indeed. However, there are a few conditions.”

“Conditions? Let’s hear them.”

I hope they’re not too difficult.

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

“That’s not difficult at all.”

It was actually what I wanted in the first place.

If you’re going to commit treason, you should do it thoroughly. If I can make an impression on the Emperor, that’s all the better.

“Second, now that you’ve decided to become a member of the Empire, you must follow the Empire’s order and laws.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by the Empire’s order, but as long as it doesn’t harm me.”

Having defected to another country, there’s no reason to cling to Ka’har culture.

I don’t really know much about Ka’har culture anyway.

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

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

“And, don’t cause trouble.”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

The meeting with the Marquis concluded with laughter.

—-

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

“It was a simple matter. You diligently listed the benefits the Empire would gain and reasons to trust you, but never mentioned what Ka’har would gain from peace—in other words, the purpose of peace. That suggests you have another purpose you don’t want to reveal to us, doesn’t it?”

“…I hadn’t thought of that.”

—-

“I’ll convey your intentions to the Imperial Court. It will take about four days for a response, so please stay in the guest quarters until then. I’ll assign a female knight to attend to you, and you might want to learn some Imperial language if you have time. She’s one of my most trusted confidants and will be sufficient as your guard.”

“That’s kind of you.”

Whether she’ll be a guard or a monitor remains to be seen.

Sean, who had returned, guided me to the guest quarters in the Marquis’s castle.

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

The guest quarters in the Marquis’s castle were smaller than my chambers in the Golden Flower Palace, but as befitting a western noble’s room, it was filled with plush cushions everywhere.

Yes, this is how people should live.

Unwavering comfort.

-Knock knock

While I was rolling around on the bed after removing my armor, someone knocked on the door.

Come to think of it, he did say he’d send a female knight. She’s probably both an attendant and a monitor.

“You can come in.”

It seemed inappropriate to greet someone while lying down, so I sat up properly on the bed.

“Excuse me.”

The door to the guest quarters opened, and a woman in light armor walked in.

She had neatly cut navy-blue short hair and wore a coat with metal pauldrons and breastplate.

She wasn’t particularly tall, but perhaps because of her small head, her perfectly tailored uniform displayed an elegant style.

Her clear and graceful face, devoid of makeup, revealed strong determination and restrained beauty.

“Pleased to meet you, Haschal Aishan-Gioro.”

The female knight placed her hand on her chest and saluted me.

“I am Nigel, a knight of Landenburg. By the Marquis’s order, I will be attending to you from today onwards. I look forward to serving you.”

I met her warm brown eyes.

Her gaze, devoid of even a hint of hatred, suggested she wasn’t at least a discriminator against Asians.

How fortunate.