episode_0182

======[Amine]======

‘Let’s attack the empire where there is internal strife.’

In normal times, Amin’s claim would not have been accepted.

However, most of those in a position to put a brake on Amin’s actions and those with the intelligence to guess what consequences the plan would bring had left for the east with Orhan.

I wouldn’t blame Orhan for his rashness. He, too, probably never expected that Amin would come up with the crazy idea of attacking the empire.

In fact, if it were not for the shamans’ clever impulses, Amin would also have been protecting Ordos while grumbling.

Since the low-ranking warriors were initially uninterested in complicated political situations, they did not strongly object to Amin’s words of guaranteeing battles and plunder.

They, too, were sick of the days spent leisurely wasting time in the capital without being able to participate in the great war.

The only obstacle was that it would disobey Ser Khan’s orders… Amin’s boldness shined here.

No, should we say that Amin’s recklessness was demonstrated again?

It was easy to create a counterfeit order if you didn’t have to worry about backtracking.

An order to send troops to shake things up if chaos breaks out in the empire.

Words that Orhan had never said before turned into Ser Khan’s secret message with just a stamped piece of paper.

“If Ser Khan returns like this, beheading him will not be enough!”

“All you have to do is get results. Performance only. If things go wrong… , it’s enough if you just leave the family.”

Jargal complained, but Amin just waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

Calmly, as if there were no regrets left in this land, Aishan’s land.

It wasn’t completely pointless nonsense.

Amin’s maternal family was a very powerful family, so if the entire family converted, there would be plenty of tribes that would welcome them.

Someday, if Orhan’s army begins to conquer the East again, they too will die like weeds caught by wildfire… Amin had confidence.

He was confident that the opportunity for his father, Orhan, to attack the East would never come again.

Once the empire’s civil war is resolved, they will reveal their teeth to Aisan, who broke the agreement and launched a preemptive attack.

Because we are so focused on that area, we will not be able to turn our eyes to the eastern part and will just pass by helplessly.

‘In the end, I will be trapped in Ordos and die.’

Orhan is now over 50 years old. How long will he live?

No matter how long it lasted, it wouldn’t even last more than twenty years. After that, there was nothing to worry about.

I’m not expecting much, but… Maybe those shamans will be able to deal with Orhan somehow.

Amin had a plan. At least in my opinion, it’s a perfect plan.

Jargal, who was listening, could only sigh inwardly.

=====[Hashal]=====

It was around 3 a.m. when I left Leonor in the care of Asha and returned to the 1st Prince’s palace.

“I’m glad to see you returned safely. I guess it wasn’t a trap?”

Although it was late, Leopold was waiting for me in his office, not yet asleep.

Since the issue of Leonor is an important variable, it is not incomprehensible to wait all night… .

Wouldn’t it be a shame if I fell asleep during the palace meeting tomorrow?

I don’t know. It’s not my concern. I’ll take care of it myself.

If you can’t stand it, just pour black tea into your stomach.

“Leonor’s own letter was correct. There was no suspicious sign on the way.”

There was no doubt that he was walking around not only for the presence of people, but also for the flow of magical power, on the lookout for possible magical means.

“It’s a good thing. With this, can we say that Leonor has decided to entrust her safety to us?”

“Well… . That will depend on what we will talk about from now on.”

I sat down on the sofa in my office and nodded.

Persval quickly poured a cup of black tea. What’s going on, my insight has improved a lot. Is it because I fed him some meat?

After all, humans must eat meat to function properly.

The old story about a bear becoming human after eating mugwort and garlic is definitely a lie. Didn’t you actually taste a lot of tiger meat?

He lifted his teacup, quenched his thirst, and told him about Leonor’s message.

—-

“Hmm… .”

Leopold found it interesting that she wanted revenge, but he was skeptical about the plan to start with Isabella’s nobles.

“If you catch one person and interrogate them, won’t something come out? Fire knows the answer.”

“That’s Kahar’s proverb… ?”

“That’s my theory.”

Water may have the answer, but if there was a way to save one’s life, fire was more certain.

Even terrorists armed with religious fanaticism tend to find painkillers instead of faith as they repeatedly lose and cool down.

“Well, if he doesn’t confess, won’t that only increase suspicion towards us? Interrogation doesn’t always work.”

“If you don’t get an answer, you just have to increase the intensity. No matter how strong a person is, if his mind and body are broken down by pain and medicine, he is bound to spit out the truth.”

“It seems like something Isabella would say… .”

I think that’s too harsh.

It may seem similar at first glance, but it is a completely different act.

“There is a decisive difference. That woman is torturing innocent people, and this one is giving proper interrogation to criminals.”

“… I’ll consider the next best option for now. Kidnapping a nobleman is a tricky and dangerous task… If all other moves are blocked, then there will be no more room to choose between means.”

It was eventually put on hold.

Perhaps it was because he lost two masters while trying to gamble, but Leopold seemed to want to avoid risk as much as possible.

Objectively speaking, he is already in an advantageous situation, so it is understandable that he is reluctant to take unreasonable measures now… .

“Your Majesty Leopold, he who is afraid of being injured cannot win.”

“And, anyone who goes into battle without armor is bound to be stabbed to death in no time. Isn’t that right? I understand the princess’s nervousness, but now is not the time to throw yourself into danger. It’s time to stock up on enough strength.”

Ha, really. Not saying a word… !

Leopold calmly savored his tea. It’s so relaxed that it makes me feel silly.

Am I being too uptight?

… Is that so?

Certainly, if you look at it rationally, it would have been better to move after gathering all of your strength rather than overdoing it and risking a counterattack.

At most, you only have to wait four to five days.

“There is no need to be impatient. Because time is on my side. The moment Landenburg and Palun arrive on the island, won’t Isabella be like a rat in a poison? Whatever your plan, if you proceed after that, there will be no problem.”

Leopold declared, as if trying to drive a wedge into my concerns.

… Okay, let’s hold on just a little longer.

Anyway, it’s only five days, so it’s unlikely that anything major will happen during that time.

It’s right to take the safe option here.

If you overdo it and fall into a trap, all the work you’ve done up to this point may end up being in vain.

“… Let’s wait for now. Because what His Highness Leopold said also makes sense.”

“I’m glad you convinced me.”

Leopold smiled as if he was relieved and put down the teacup he was drinking.

“Then now, I have to talk about something a little different.”

Although it is a trivial story, it is as important as the main story.

Because I want to ask you if you deceived me.

“Another story? Say it without hesitation.”

I released some of the energy I had been suppressing and looked straight at Leopold.

“Princess Leonor said that. His Majesty the Prince is thinking of consigning her to a monastery. Is that true? It seems a bit different from what you promised. Could it be that you were planning to deceive me by saying that you had spared my life? ?”

I won’t admit it with my own mouth, but… It was a warning message telling me to be very aware of what would happen to me if I did that.

“No, it’s deception… ? It is not natural to send someone to a monastery. That’s the only way to protect Leonor from being branded a witch’s daughter.”

what… ?

Contrary to expectations, he admitted it with his own mouth, but rather than reacting as if he had been caught, his expression was rather absurd.

As if asking what kind of nonsense you are talking about.

“If you enter a monastery and live quietly, the church members of the Holy Kingdom and other nobles will not push you so hard, saying that you should cut off the witch’s bloodline. On the contrary, I would like to ask you, how did the princess plan to protect Leonor? ”

… I didn’t think much of it.

“… I was just planning to keep it around me. Even if the island nobles were hostile to Leonor, I thought there wouldn’t be any major problems once she was brought to the border. I also thought Seongguk would take a step back if I objected.”

“I don’t know if it’s that simple, but… If you want, do it. I will respect the princess’s wishes.”

Leopold nodded willingly, ignoring my questioning.

what.

Was it my misunderstanding… ?