episode_0089

“You’re a little late, Hashal.”

When I returned to the dorm, Nigel, who was training, greeted me.

He is also very consistent.

By the time you become a master, the body itself has already been completed to some extent, so the training efficiency will not be high.

“I was chatting with another student. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. Would you like to go straight to the restaurant?”

Are you waiting for me again? Even though about thirty minutes had passed since meal time.

I said there was no need for that.

“Then. Friede and Asha are already eating.”

“Probably so.”

Going down to the cafeteria, I told Nigel about today’s lecture.

She also showed great interest when she heard that training would be conducted using magic tools engraved with nightmare magic.

“That’s an interesting method. If commercialization becomes possible, it would be worth introducing it to Landenburg.”

“Well, I think losses outside of combat will increase.”

Although the pain has been reduced, if your mental acuity is low, your PTSD will still remain.

“But more than that, I think the loss of new recruits due to battle will drastically decrease.”

Is that so…? Well, it is said that half of new recruits die in their first battle.

While I was leaving, I complained and told him about Damien.

It was great that they caught the command bell, but it turned out that it was me who came out as the last nightmare.

“Hmm…sure, that could be possible. I understand.”

Nigel, you too?

—-

The inside of the restaurant was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

The only remaining students were Friede and Lacey.

The two people did not say a word to each other and were quietly concentrating on their meal.

The paladin who appeared to be Lacey’s escort also just silently brought the dessert to his mouth.

It feels quite distant. It looks like they’re a little uncomfortable with each other.

Even the tables are completely different.

Since they both hate Suin, I thought they would get along pretty well, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

Has Asha already gone back?

Or maybe he’s concentrating on his work and even skipping meals.

It would be better to go towards Friede first.

Lacey is a bit of a burden, and shouldn’t I help out the lonely Miss Friede?

“Ah, are you here? It’s a little late.”

“After the lecture, we had a quick chat. Why are you eating alone again?”

I pulled out a chair, sat down, and leaned back. Is lamb for lunch today?

Well, the quantity isn’t bad either. I like it because it has a unique, slightly crunchy texture.

“Because there wasn’t anyone I could eat with? Asha looks quite busy, and Calix is probably still grazing. All that’s left are those fairies and Evian… I’d rather starve than eat with them.”

“That’s definitely true. If you think about it, it’s always a waste of space. This restaurant has over 30 chairs, but no more than 10 people are using it at any time.”

“It’s rather fortunate. Honestly, it’s unpleasant to eat together with uncomfortable people, right?”

In other words, he is a bit uncomfortable with Lacey. why?

I guess I’ll have to wait a bit and ask. It’s not something I’d say out of earshot of Lacey.

Lacey, who had just finished eating, got up and headed out of the restaurant.

The paladin looked a little regretfully at the remaining piece of cake and immediately followed Lacey.

This person wasn’t there when I visited Lacey’s room before.

Did something new come in in the meantime?

Now that Lacey is out, I can ask her.

“Do you think El Pinel’s candidate for sainthood is uncomfortable? I thought we were friendly with each other. Because they both quite dislike Suin.”

“Hmm…what should I say? That woman’s thoughts are too extreme. Even compared to Palun. Perhaps, if given the opportunity, he wouldn’t hesitate to pour troops into the northern snowfields? Even though it would result in an enormous sacrifice.”

He certainly said that his goal was to invade the northern snowfields someday.

I just said it was impossible because the circumstances were not right now.

“And…the beastmen aren’t the only ones she wants to eradicate. In official settings, he only criticizes the so-called ‘evil different race’, the beastmen, but deep down, it is clearly visible that he hates all other races. Fairy, half-human, even dragon.”

Actually, if he hated just one beastman, his name wouldn’t have been Raceist.

“How many people will die if they fight against all those races? I don’t know about the Empire, but there is no way the Holy Kingdom would tolerate that. The reason why she remains a candidate even though she has sufficient skills to be elected as a saint is probably because of her radical ideology.”

Friede frowned.

“She is a person who could become a saint right away if she just gave up her extreme ideas. He says it’s because of his lack of faith, but he’s going even further to the extreme… It’s really funny.”

“Okay, I kind of understand it.”

Before I knew it, my share of the meal had arrived.

I cut the steaming lamb into pieces and brought it to my mouth.

Beyond the crunchy texture, the rich meat juice overflows.

There was no smell at all, as if it had been slaughtered fresh.

It’s delicious.

I chatted with Friede while enjoying the scent of spices that tickled my nose.

Although I didn’t mention Damian at all.

Because it’s obvious they’re going to make fun of me.

—-

When I returned, there were some new letters. That too in the imperial family.

Is this a new letter at this point? I don’t think it’s good news.

I checked the sender’s name.

The first letter was from Leonor.

He asked me how I was feeling and asked about my intention to have some friendly sparring after I recovered.

If coming to the villa is burdensome, how about your own villa? It wasn’t a bad consideration.

Then…I guess we’ll do it in about three days.

By then, my recovery will be roughly complete, and it’s time to check my power.

Three days later, I wrote a reply asking to meet at the villa. I can send it a little later.

I picked up the second letter.

Among all the imperial letters I have ever received, this was a uniquely extravagant letter.

The sender’s name was written in elegant handwriting at the bottom of the envelope.

Even the ink sparkled a little, probably because it had been mixed with jewel powder.

Isabella Benes Wittelsbach.

…It has finally come.

I put down the envelope and sighed for a moment.

I’m sure they didn’t poison or enchant the letter.

Because he wrote his name out loud. maybe.

I took out the letter and read it.

It was an extravagant letter, but its content was plain and without any flowery language.

I don’t really have a simple personality like Ernst, and I probably didn’t even feel the need to write down fancy words.

—-

Princess Aishangior, Baron Median.

Before the banquet commemorating the restoration of the system, I would like to have a quick chat with you.

I would be happy if you would not refuse the favor of the Empress.

– Isabella.

—-

At first glance, it was a sentence so polite that one might mistake it for being genuinely friendly.

That’s not true at all.

If you decline the invitation, it means you will become your enemy.

In other words, this was an ultimatum disguised as an invitation.

From the moment I refuse, they will consider me an enemy and try to eliminate me.

You may not have to choose a blatant method from the beginning.

But I had no intention of responding. Are you crazy? Go there.

If you carelessly step into that magic cave… you will be subject to drug hypnosis and brainwashing.

When I go in, I’ll be fine, but when I come out, I won’t be myself anymore.

He exhaled cigarette smoke and looked at the long sword hanging on the wall.

Yes, the time has come.

As Ernst said, it is the moment to choose.

The banquet six days later will be the occasion to reveal it.

…I sent a reply saying that I was grateful for the favor but would decline it.

======[Varyakrus]======

The throne of the frozen fortress.

Ryurik, the king of the beastmen, looked down at the small human in front of him with cold eyes.

It was amazing.

There is a human figure in the royal palace, the center of the land of beastmen who hate humans.

It wouldn’t be strange if they were torn to pieces and died the moment they were seen.

Because he was wearing a thick robe with a hood over his head, his face was not visible.

Based on his height and physique, we can only guess that he is probably a strong man.

The man stood proudly without flinching even in the face of the wrath of the giant snow wolf.

“Yes, wizard. The confident plan ended in failure. Isn’t that right?”

Rurik growled. With simmering frustration and anger.

It was a natural reaction. The other warriors were insignificant losses, but the three great warriors were quite a disappointing force.

If you throw it in private, you should get a result commensurate with it.

But what is the result?

Although it was satisfying to kill 20,000 people, the enemy’s main strength was barely reduced, and the original goal was not achieved at all.

For all the effort it took, it was truly an ambiguous result.

“Okay. I also had no idea that two great warriors would die so needlessly. Not only did they infiltrate the system, they even made magic tools to hide their presence.”

The man answered slyly.

As if everything that went wrong was the result of the beastmen being weak.

“Grrr….”

The wolf vibrated its neck. As if to be careful with what you say.

He seemed ready to get up from the throne at any moment and blow the man’s head off.

“Wow, I said too much. Excuse me. In some ways, it wasn’t even a failure in the first place.”

“What does it mean? The plan to worsen the empire’s diplomatic relations would have ended without even killing a single person. Because of that Ka`har girl.”

The man slightly opened his left arm.

“Isn’t the goal anyway to disrupt and weaken the empire? In that part, the results actually exceeded the plan. It’s not something I expected, but… this incident caused the succession rights dispute, which was supposed to end insignificantly, to escalate into a full-blown situation.”

“Succession rights dispute?”

“Yes. The two princes of the empire. Originally, the 3rd Prince’s side was overwhelming… but now they have become similar forces. So, there will be major infighting. Rather than trivially worsening diplomatic relations a little, this would actually cause greater damage!”

If a civil war were to break out, it would be the best outcome.

The empire is falling by its own hands.

“Isn’t the right to succession determined by duel?”

“…That’s the beast’s way. Humans usually make decisions based on lineage, status, and the number of people they follow.”

“Hmm…”

Rurik’s momentum subsided.

I didn’t understand it clearly, but it seemed like I somehow understood it.

“Please wait a little longer. You will start to see results soon.”

“We have already waited too long… enduring the harsh cold of the world, like a blizzard. So, results will have to come out before it freezes. Wizard.”

The man bowed his head deeply.