Chapter 68 - A Man of Endless Intrigue
Translator's Note: Here's an extra chapter for everyone. Happy Holidays. Although it would have been nice if it were a holiday where we didn't have to work. Anyways, have a good day.
When I welcomed everyone into the office of the Fortress... I couldn’t offer proper hospitality. There were no maids, no attendants, no servants, not even proper tea utensils in the Fortress that I could present before such noble guests. It seemed they were already aware of this. Without needing any guidance, the Prime Minister himself plopped down on the modest sofa. In a place where not even tea could be served, he immediately began to speak.
This, I thought, must be what it means to be utterly stunned.
“Ah, introductions and all that are a pain in the ass. You don’t need me to put on any noble airs for you, do you? Let’s cut to the chase—there’s something I want to confirm.”
The Prime Minister was a man of remarkably crude demeanor. Was this his true nature? Well, it would’ve been stranger for him to use aristocratic language with a third son of a frontier knightly family. This made it easier to talk to him. When I glanced at the guy next to him, he had his face buried in his hands, looking away. He must’ve had some expectations about formal greetings or introductions, but the Prime Minister had completely deviated from that script.
But the Prime Minister couldn’t care less about that guy’s expectations. He suddenly leaned in and fired questions at me. Even my older brother, sitting beside me, was visibly shocked. As someone who regularly faced monsters, I found the Prime Minister’s demeanor oddly appealing. It wasn’t that he was a monster himself, but his intensity and aura were strikingly similar.
This, I realized, was the Prime Minister laying bare his true self. He was serious about having an open and honest conversation. I decided to accept his approach with respect.
“Ask me anything.”
With a thud, a stack of documents was tossed onto the crude table. They looked familiar. Ah, yes—they were the letters I had sent as personal opinions to that guy. My clumsy handwriting was sprawled across the pages...
“First, this. I snatched it from the office of the staff officer (this guy). After some digging, I found out you wrote it. What the hell is this?”
“When you ask what... I’m not sure how to respond. First, there was a letter from the royal guard staff officer, instructing me to analyze something. So, based on the records of our conflicts with the northern empire, I wrote down my thoughts on the empire’s possible moves. Since it wasn’t an official inquiry but a personal letter, I responded as a fellow student from the Magic Academy, summarizing my analysis in a personal letter.”
“...You’re not colluding with them, are you? So, this is just a prediction based on their behavior patterns during past conflicts, huh...? The top student in the Knight Department’s theoretical studies isn’t just for show, I see. Now that the war’s over, I can say this with the benefit of hindsight... Not a single person in the General Staff Office saw through the ‘core strategy of the empire.’ Their formations were unlike anything we’d seen before, and the high-ranking officials at the Supreme Command’s operational meetings were in complete disarray. That’s when this guy brought this in. Your work. It caused quite a stir, let me tell you...”
The Prime Minister’s “gaze grew distant.” The meeting must’ve been chaotic. Meanwhile, the guy next to him slumped even further into despair, his face still buried in his hands. Well, if he’d brought my personal letter into an official meeting, I could see why he’d be mortified.
“It was this guy’s skill that managed to pull together the General Staff Office’s Interception Command, which was in a state of near madness, bound by so-called ‘military conventions.’ But even he hadn’t grasped the empire’s intentions to this extent. He suddenly brought it up, and after some prodding, he spilled the beans. That’s the story. And then... your older brother... the second son of the knightly family, right? He pulled off some independent conversion that left me speechless... He did what the Royal Intelligence was trying to do, using the skirmishes with the empire to his advantage, giving us the moral high ground. I never thought the frontier was capable of such things! Did you put him up to it?”
“Those matters concern the core of our knightly family, so I must ask for your understanding. However, even the frontier isn’t as simple as it seems. Everyone is struggling to survive, but they’ll use every means at their disposal to do so. ...We deserve no scorn for that.”
“Is that so? My apologies then. ......So this is why the grand ducal lady is so taken with you. How about it? Why don’t you come work at the palace with this guy? Your mind (head) is too valuable to waste in the frontier.”
“...Do I have the right to refuse?”
The Prime Minister’s eyes gleamed sharply, like a monster about to pounce on its prey. His gaze was inescapable. I could almost see him licking his lips, ready to devour me. To my question, he responded as if the very idea of refusal was unthinkable.
“This is a private conversation in a private setting. Of course, you have the right. But you can’t refuse without a valid reason.”
“And what would constitute a valid reason?”
“A valid reason that makes it impossible for you to leave this place.”
Hmm... So he’s trying to recruit me. But I have a promise to keep. I glanced at my older brother beside me. He understood the intent behind my gaze and nodded. Well then, since this is a private setting, I shall speak as nothing more than the trivial ramblings of a mere knightly family’s son—insignificant in noble society.
“I have an unbreakable vow. It’s a personal promise, but breaking it would have consequences for this world.”
“Oh? You’re going big, huh? The world, you say? What did you do in the forest? I haven’t fully grasped it yet, but two of the empire’s elite heavy infantry brigades... vanished. They were the empire’s main force. Their disappearance was the direct cause of this war’s end. According to your letter, they were supposed to carry out a flanking attack (backhand blow). In other words, the empire lost the core of its strategy. To put it another way, they had the technology to cross the Demonic Forest... That’s a reasonable assumption. And now they’re gone. Was it you?”
“Before I answer that, there’s someone you need to meet. However, it’s difficult to summon them to this Fortress, so you’ll have to accompany me. This matter is of great importance, so I must ask that your guards stay behind. We’ll be entering the Demonic Forest, so I’d like you to carefully consider this before making a decision.”
“So you won’t say anything unless I meet this person I need to meet? You’re an interesting guy. No entourage either? Even more interesting. Fine, take me there. I’ll meet them.”
The Prime Minister’s immediate decision left me almost speechless. But... this was the moment of truth. I took a deep breath and began to speak. There was no turning back now...
“Your words are noted. What about you, Brother?”
“I’ll stay at the Fortress. I’m not strong enough myself, but in case of an emergency, I’ll lead the main force to rescue you.”
“Thank you. Then, let’s prepare to depart.”
The guy who’d become a royal guard staff officer was completely lost, his eyes darting around in confusion. The carefully selected guards were equally stunned. Taking the Prime Minister into the Demonic Forest without his battle-hardened guards? Of course, they were shocked.
But it was a necessary condition. I couldn’t reveal any more about them than I already had. However, unless the Prime Minister met “her,” he wouldn’t be satisfied. This was the only compromise I could make. If I didn’t let him meet her, he’d always suspect that I—and the knightly family—were hiding something.
Considering the future, it would be disastrous to have the Prime Minister, the highest authority in the nation, viewing us with suspicion. Truly disastrous. So, I aimed to share the secret. Instead of making an enemy, I’d share the information with a select few and bring them into the fold. ...It was akin to a suicide mission in spirit. The path of retreat was already cut off. For the peace of the frontier, I had to do this.
――― I had taken a gamble.
I quickly prepared the equipment and gear for the two of them. As graduates of the Magic Academy’s Knight Department, they should be able to traverse the forest. With the main force of the guerilla unit, we entered the forest immediately.
We had already laid out a network of small paths crisscrossing the Shallow Forest.
It had become much easier to traverse. For the two dignitaries, who were entering the Demonic Forest for the first time, everything they saw and heard was new, and they quietly asked me various questions.
The royal guard staff officer, in particular, seemed fascinated by the scouting magitech tools, firing off questions from every angle. Just as I was growing tired of dodging his relentless questions and running out of vague answers, a clever idea came to me. I’d tell a small lie to achieve my goal.
“Your Excellency, the royal guard staff officer, and Your Excellency, the Prime Minister. If you wish to know more about the scouting magitech tools, there’s someone more qualified than me to explain.”
“Who?”
“The son of the Minister of Magic. He’s a friend I studied with at the Alchemy Tower. He’s a man (fool) who prioritized personal beliefs over noble duty, defecting from his high comital family in opposition to the military use of magitech tools. He’s currently on the run from the kingdom’s judiciary for defying orders, so it’s difficult to find him. But once the war is over and the military use of magitech tools is officially abandoned, he might resurface. I believe he has the potential to become the Minister of Magic’s right-hand man.”
“I see. Well, there are those who’ve made unreasonable demands during this affair. I’ll remember this rebel. If someone with your keen eye says so, it’s worth considering. I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you.”
It wasn’t a guarantee, but the royal guard staff officer, who’d shown such keen interest in the scouting magitech tools, would stir things up again. That much, I was sure of. I hadn’t missed the unique glint in his eyes. ...Sorry, My Friend. The nobility’s net is closing in on you.
It took a considerable amount of time, but traversing the Shallow Forest had become much faster thanks to the paths we’d established. We’d also set up huts at various points, so if anything happened, I could quickly call for help from Eldest Brother. This was a significant reassurance. Moreover, the main force of the guerilla unit consisted of the very warriors who’d halted the empire’s invasion. With them securing the perimeter, I had no worries.
――― Our march through the forest felt almost like a leisurely stroll.
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