by Ryota Hori
Hmm... It seems she isn’t as much of a fool as I’ve thought. But this only requires me to reword things a bit... She’s still just an inexperienced princess... The problem is that man... I knew he’d be impressive, since he killed Gaius Valkland, but... He really is troublesome. I can see how he managed to give Saitou the slip.
Sudou struggled to keep the black bloodlust rising in his heart contained. It wasn’t time to become involved with Ryoma Mikoshiba yet. Sudou had a mission to accomplish.
Even if I do eventually have him killed, he can’t be treated the same as any other target... Getting involved with him needlessly would be dangerous... But so be it. For now, I must focus on the task at hand.
Sudou swiftly calculated his choices and bowed his head to Princess Lupis in assent.
In a newly prepared tent stood sixteen people. Princess Lupis, Meltina, Helena and Ryoma were naturally there, but so were Ryoma’s personal confidants — Laura, Sara, Lione and Boltz — as well as Count Bergstone and others of the neutral faction’s nobles. In other words, everyone who made up the core of the Princess’s faction.
Their gazes were all directed to the mysterious man who introduced himself as Sudou, who had finally parted his lips and spoke decisively.
“So, as I’ve already explained, Duke Gelhart wishes to pledge allegiance to Her Highness... And as proof of that, he promises to return Mikhail Vanash, who is currently under his protection in Heraklion. To that end, he sent me as a mediator.”
Sudou concluded his words, and a deep silence fell over the tent. Or rather, the offer was so sudden everyone couldn’t quite keep up with how things were developing. The ringleader of the rebellion came to pledge allegiance to them on the eve of the final battle. Nothing could be more unexpected.
“Laura... This is bad, isn’t it...?” Sara whispered into Laura’s ear.
“It is... This may have an effect on Master Ryoma’s plans...” Laura answered, fixing her gaze on Ryoma, who watched Sudou speak.
“It almost certainly will...”
“Yes... Very much so...”
The two’s whispering was drowned out by the tumult that filled the tent. Lione spoke to Boltz, Meltina whispered to Princess Lupis, and the nobles consulted each other with low voices. The only two who were perfectly silent were Ryoma and Helena.
“What will Master Ryoma do...?” Sara asked, but Laura had no answer.
In the end, the sisters could only anxiously watch over Ryoma. One could go so far as to say that it didn’t matter to the sisters which conclusion was reached at the end of this meeting. They only needed to act in Ryoma Mikoshiba’s favor.
Ryoma closed his eyes and calmly adjusted his posture. Doing so helped him restrain the emotions surging up in his heart, and that was his only way of breaking through the current situation. Once Sudou concluded his explanation, Ryoma snuck a single glance at Princess Lupis, who had fallen silent.
So she really won’t budge... This is giving me a headache...
Honestly speaking, while Ryoma trusted Princess Lupis as a person, he had little to no trust in her skills. She’d been educated as a noble and was by no means stupid, and had a fair amount of knowledge when it came to military affairs, which meant that as rulers go, she was qualified.
But Ryoma had vaguely noticed that Lupis Rhoadserians lacked one trait that was critical for a ruler, and yet he didn’t expect her to come off as this foolish.
What Sudou said... That they only started the rebellion out of respect for the late king’s will, and didn’t mean to turn against the royal family? Bullshit... They did way too much for that to be their motive... And he said he wants to turn to our side because he can’t forgive Hodram Albrecht for turning against the royal family and plotting rebellion? He must think we’re stupid.
Those were Ryoma’s feelings upon hearing Sudou’s story. Duke Gelhart hoped to get away by saying he only acted on the late king’s will, and to curry favor and show his loyalty by saying he was outraged by General Albrecht turning coat. He would pin the stigma of being a rebel entirely on General Albrecht and get away scot-free.
Usually, one wouldn’t gather everyone to hear this proposal out, but no one raised their voice in anger at this foolish prospect.
Everyone’s thinking the same thing...
As rude as it may be to think this of a ruler, Ryoma didn’t trust her political skills to begin with, and so believed she shouldn’t be allowed to arbitrarily make a decision regarding Sudou’s proposal. Lupis herself knew she wasn’t inadequate in this situation, but Ryoma could only praise this judgment if, after hearing Sudou’s explanation, she’d reject it of her own will.
In the end, Princess Lupis doesn’t want Mikhail Vanash to die...
Ryoma’s heart grew cold. True, Mikhail was a passionately loyal and skilled knight, and was one of Princess Lupis’s most trusted retainers alongside Meltina. It was only human nature for Princess Lupis to not want to abandon him, and Ryoma didn’t mean to fault her for that in and of itself. But a ruler couldn’t let such personal emotions take over. She had to restrain them.
This wasn’t a question of how trusted or loyal Mikhail was. No retainers, no matter how dear to one’s heart or skilled they were, were worth relinquishing the chance to claim Duke Gelhart’s head.
Duke Gelhart was a traitor who raised a rebellion against Princess Lupis. No single life, as close and loyal as it may be, was worth saving if it meant pardoning him...
Is he really more important than winning the war, more important than keeping Rhoadseria unified as a country...?
True, Princess Lupis still hadn’t stated her feelings on the matter, so for the time being, Ryoma was only assuming she wanted to have Mikhail saved. Still, Ryoma was convinced this was the case.
No, likely everyone present thought the same. She wouldn’t have kept Sudou alive after he snuck into a royal’s tent without permission if she didn’t think so. No punishment would seem lenient, but she insisted Sudou be spared and brought here, so she could hear what he had to say. This alone put her feelings on full display.
She doesn’t want Mikhail to die, so she has to accept Duke Gelhart’s offer. But Princess Lupis knows she has no legitimacy to make that decision, and that’s why she gathered everyone here. So it’s not just her name being dragged through the mud.
If Princess Lupis was to accept this offer of her own judgment, others would surely object to her decision. And that was why she gathered everyone here — to obfuscate who was responsible for making that choice.
“I would like to hear your opinions, then.”
Ryoma had to hold back a clicking of the tongue at hearing those words leave Princess Lupis’s lips. But as angry as it made him, he couldn’t lash out here.
“Would anyone like to share their thoughts?”
Princess Lupis’s words were met with silence. As everyone held their tongue, Princess Lupis’s gaze wandered across the round table. Ryoma himself didn’t think Mikhail’s life was worth pardoning Duke Gelhart, and everyone present, Princess Lupis included, thought the same. The mere comparison felt foolish.
And so, it was clear what needed to be said, but since Princess Lupis wished to spare Mikhail, no one could bring themselves to say it. What Princess Lupis wanted was to have her will approved under the guise of an opinion.
If Ryoma were to suggest they should discard Mikhail’s life, Princess Lupis would no doubt resent him for it after this meeting. And that grudge would grow with the passage of time, eventually leading her to ignore Ryoma’s opinion for emotional reasons. And on top of that, other knights like Mikhail would riot at the decision.
“You’re leaving Mikhail to die?!”
“What’s the point if you won’t save your own men?!”
“How dare you say that, you outsider!”
Ryoma would be absolutely showered with those insults. At times, reason came at the cost of emotion. That was for certain. But if the ruler was to drown in their own emotions, it would cause a distortion
to form somewhere else. A distortion that would decisively hurt someone else.
At that moment, Ryoma felt Helena turn a piercing gaze to him.
“I can’t...” Ryoma shook his head as he whispered to Helena.
He’d realized from her gaze what she was trying to say.
“Then let me...” she whispered back, but he shook his head again.
“Don’t. If Princess Lupis grows suspicious of you here, it would become difficult to reorganize everything later...”
Even Helena would be seen as the villain if she were to tell her to give up on Mikhail. She wasn’t well-trusted by Princess Lupis the way Meltina and Mikhail were. Helena was skilled enough to be known as Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War, so there would be less opposition to her making the suggestion compared to a neophyte like Ryoma.
But Ryoma didn’t see Princess Lupis choosing to discard Mikhail’s life over Helena’s advice.
“Then what do we do? The way things are going is...” Helena seemingly felt the situation was as dangerous as Ryoma thought it to be.
Accepting Duke Gelhart’s excuses and allowing him to swear allegiance would mean indirectly acknowledging Princess Radine. It would make it so he only acted in accordance to the late king’s last will.
Accepting the turncoat known as Duke Gelhart into the kingdom of Rhoadseria would also automatically elevate Princess Radine to the position of second in line for the throne. Princess Lupis would be creating her greatest political opponent with her own actions, making her already shaky position all the more unstable.
If only one could fix this, it would be Meltina, but...
Ryoma’s eyes moved to Meltina, who was seated beside the princess.
No good... She’s just happy Mikhail is alive... I understand being happy your colleague and friend is alive, but... She doesn’t see how bad things are going. It’s pointless to expect anything out of her... Which means...
Giving up on Meltina, who was simply smiling with relief and joy, Ryoma wracked his brains over a way to break this deadlock.
Killing Duke Gelhart is a no-go... But just getting rid of General Albrecht would be enough... The problem is what comes later... Princess Lupis won’t be able to rein Duke Gelhart in... Even if she temporarily strips him of his power, he’d still end up gathering political power sooner or later...
A cold thought then surfaced in Ryoma’s mind. Killing Duke Gelhart was a choice he had to make only because he considered the future of the kingdom of Rhoadseria as a country. It was Princess Lupis’s problem. Why should an outsider to this country like Ryoma risk his position to kill Duke Gelhart?
If she wants to save Mikhail that badly... I suppose we should just let her...
At that moment, Ryoma gave up on Princess Lupis.
Or to be exact, he gave up on her future. From that moment on, Lupis Rhoadserians’s fate would rely on her own abilities.
Rest easy, Your Highness. I won’t betray you. But the way things are going, you will absolutely, positively die. I don’t know how many years down the road it’ll come, but I can see it clearly... So I’ll leave Helena and the others with my warning. But that’s the last time I’ll help you. The people of Rhoadseria will have to handle the rest. I’d keep a very, very close eye on Gelhart if I were you.
Whispering so in his heart, Ryoma raised his hand to receive permission to speak.
“Then may I, if you don’t mind?”
When those words echoed through the tent, Lupis was momentarily overtaken with fear. She knew her decision was wrong. But her emotionality, her kindness prohibited her from electing to cast Mikhail’s life aside.
“Very well. You may speak.”
“Thank you.” Ryoma rose to his feet at Princess Lupis’s approval. “I am in favor of accepting Mr. Sudou’s offer and taking Duke Gelhart on his offer of allegiance!”
Ryoma’s words shook the tent.
“What?! Are you serious, Sir Mikoshiba?!”
“Yes, Count Bergstone. Quite serious.”
“Unbelievable. I never imagined such words might leave your lips...”
Count Bergstone had spent all his days in the palace, grappling with the matter of this political unrest. As a noble, he had in-depth knowledge on matters of domestic importance and diplomacy. And that experience made it all too clear to him just how dangerous taking that offer would be for Princess Lupis.
“Do you... have some kind of plan...?”
Count Bergstone was so utterly taken aback by Ryoma’s words that he asked the question even though the enemy’s messenger, Sudou, was present.
“Not at all. But we can’t afford to abandon a loyal knight like Sir Mikhail, and Duke Gelhart’s words do have some truth. It’s best to avoid war whenever possible. Heraklion is surrounded by farmlands, so damaging those lands will influence tax collection. Wouldn’t having Duke Gelhart swear his allegiance to Princess Lupis save us that trouble?”
Nothing Ryoma said was a lie. Hurting the duke’s lands would indeed hurt tax collection, and from a short-term perspective, having him swear allegiance to their side wasn’t a bad option.
But the count was left unconvinced. They’d accounted for the effect marching on Heraklion would have on the taxes, so Ryoma had already made allowances for that matter.
“But Your Highness! Before we accept the duke’s proposal, I suggest we add a few conditions of our own.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if he didn’t act out of malice, our armies have already crossed swords once. Sir Mikhail’s release won’t be enough to balance things out. What say you that we revoke him of his position of duke and demand indemnities?”
Princess Lupis pondered over Ryoma’s words. She wasn’t foolish enough to think Sudou’s proposal was in any way worth it, either. She wouldn’t have even considered it if Mikhail’s return wasn’t mentioned, and so Ryoma’s opinion was quite clear to her.
But if we push the negotiations so far they end up falling apart... Mikhail might not be saved...
She’d already once assumed him dead, but if he was still alive, she wanted to save him at all costs. Lupis’s heart wavered between reason and emotion. But without regard for her conflict, Sudou made his next play.
“Very well. Duke Gelhart has entrusted me with full authority in case such demands rise... So, I vote for relinquishing his title as a duke and fifty thousand gold coins in indemnities.”
His words once again filled the tent with tumult.
“““Fifty thousand?!”””
The amount Sudou offered more than simply covered the war expenses. The nobles heaved a sigh of relief. If nothing else, they would be able to repay their subordinates for putting their lives at risk and guarantee their households’ casual income.
Sudou smirked thinly, feeling the atmosphere in the tent mellow down.
Hmph, nobles always prioritize their house. It’s a good thing I chose a large number that would leave a lasting impact instead of starting small and trying to bargain...
Fifty thousand gold coins was a very large sum of money, even for an affluent noble house like Duke Gelhart’s. He only offered this amount to gain control of the situation. But when Ryoma spoke next, Sudou’s face contorted bitterly.
“No, I would like to also ask that in addition to those requests, he is not to have any position in the palace for a period of five years.”
Hmph... So he predicted I would offer those. That was a risk I was prepared to take before I came here... But forbidding him from having a posting is unexpected.
But that was one condition Ryoma wouldn’t back down from. If that wasn’t upheld, Princess Lupis and her inferior political prowess would just fall victim to Duke Gelhart. And so, he said five years. In five years, Princess Lupis and the nobles under her would grow used to running the country and perhaps be able to shrug off Duke Gelhart’s attempts to gain power.
Of course, whether that came to pass depended on Lupis and her retainers, and even Ryoma couldn’t take respons
ibility to see it happen. This was his way of securing the country’s potential future while abiding by Lupis’s wish to save Mikhail.
“And there’s something I’d like the duke’s assistance with,” Ryoma said meaningfully, to which Sudou narrowed his eyes.
Hmph... He probably means those spies masked as merchants he employed earlier... He wants Duke Gelhart to spread those rumors through the nobles’ faction, too... True, a rumor coming from multiple sources seems more credible...
Sudou was already beginning to see what Ryoma had planned. Having lived in a different world from this one that was blessed with technology and science, he knew well enough how important information and intelligence could be.
Whatever the case, I have to do what I can to preserve Duke Gelhart’s position.
Duke Gelhart was a very useful tool for both the Empire of O’ltormea and the organization. They could discard and replace him if needed, but Sudou frankly wanted to keep using him for as long as possible. Seeking out a new tool would require time and effort, after all.
“Yes, very well... I shall accept those terms in Duke Gelhart’s stead. Will this be all, Your Highness?”
Sudou turned the conversation to Princess Lupis, who was standing there dumbfounded, and had no choice but to nod.
“Yes... That’s fine...”
Hearing those words, Sudou nodded in satisfaction. These negotiations were by no means easy for him, either.
“Good. Then I will return to Heraklion to report to Duke Gelhart and see to Sir Mikhail’s release. After that, we will speak to Mr. Mikoshiba regarding his request.” And with that said, Sudou bowed his head to the princess and left the tent.
With Sudou gone, the meeting concluded. The participants returned to their allotted tents, leaving only Ryoma, Lione, Boltz and the Malfist sisters in the tent where the talks took place.
“Are ya really alright with that?” Lione asked.
“I did what I could.” Ryoma shrugged. “I tried to do as much as possible given the situation... Asking for any more than that without giving up on Mikhail would be asking for the moon.”