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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Aaron’s and the King’s reactions made it clear that they had come to some sort of agreement. More accurately, it seemed the King had given an order, and Aaron had followed.
‘Why on earth?’
I focused on the implications. What would have happened if I had fallen for Aaron’s provocation?
Aaron was Count Dressten’s eldest son and rightful heir. A conflict with him would have likely caused problems for the alliance I had forged with Dressten.
‘This isn’t Count Dressten’s doing.’
Count Dressten was the one who had made a major concession for the sake of his family’s long-held ambition, the throne of the Northern Continent, when I took Count Bruah’s territory.
With the time to reap his reward fast approaching, he wouldn’t risk it all by needlessly provoking me. In other words, this had to be Aaron’s own doing.
While I needed to investigate further, it seemed there was a problem within the Dressten family.
I had a suspicion. The person who had represented the Count during the alliance and marriage negotiations was his second son, Eric.
The second son had acted as the heir, even though the eldest son was alive and well. This meant the Count favored Eric significantly.
But would the rightful heir, the eldest son, simply give up? Perhaps Aaron had joined forces with his family’s sworn enemy, the King, because of a succession dispute.
If that was the case, it meant Aaron was in a rather tight spot.
‘This… can be used.’
The rightful heir, the eldest son, and his lord, Count Dressten, had different objectives. If I exploited this, it would be easier to seize control of Dressten in the future.
And I might be able to gain a concession from Count Dressten through this incident.
The problem was the King’s intention.
I was troubled by his words about turning against Dressten if I didn’t win the mock battle.
‘he might have come to the conclusion, albeit somewhat tardily, that Eleanor’s guarantee was perhaps not sufficient?’
It must have been a warning to become a firm ally, not just a neutral party.
Bronce II had judged that having me keep Dressten in check was a better option than trusting his long-standing rival.
The problem was that the King had completely disregarded my position.
‘I can’t stop Dressten on my own.’
Even with the King’s support, I would have to suffer immense losses to stop Dressten.
Was the King unaware of this? He probably just thought, “So what?” After all, I was like a windfall to him.
Money easily gained is easily spent. No matter what happened to me, the King would suffer no loss.
On the contrary, I had much to lose.
Saving the witch of the Northern Continent and seizing control of Dressten would become impossible, or at least take much longer.
While I would succeed in entering the King’s fold, I would lose too much.
It would be putting the cart before the horse.
The problem was that I had no choice but to accept.
It was because of Count Bruah’s territory.
Count Bruah’s territory had been restored to the royal family, and the land had been given to Eleanor in the form of fiefs for her vassals.
In other words, he could take it back at any time. As if to prove my suspicion, the King declared,
“The family that wins this mock battle will be granted the territory of Shanksberry!”
The King went on to mention a baronial title, a fine steed, excellent weapons, and a large sum of prize money, but all I heard was “the territory of Shanksberry.”
Shanksberry was a vast territory within Count Bruah’s domain. The King had arbitrarily offered the land I had conquered with great effort as a prize in a mock battle.
If someone else won and set up camp in my backyard, I would have no choice but to go to war.
A war where the justification would not be on my side.
The King was trying to control me with Count Bruah’s territory as a leash.
While I had entered the King’s fold, I was now being forced to act as his puppet.
My cheerful demeanour evaporated completely at this point
.
“Ooh!”
Following the King’s bombshell declaration, the gazes that had been fixed on the confrontation between Aaron and me were withdrawn. Aaron exhaled contentedly and discreetly took his leave.
“H-How could my brother…!”
Eleanor stared at Bronce II in disbelief. Then, glancing at me, she fidgeted nervously.
“I’m sorry. I…”
“I recognise that I could have handled the situation differently. I must admit that I had not foreseen the King’s actions.”
I must admit that I was somewhat influenced by the King’s feelings for Eleanor, though I am not sure how best to handle the situation.
Even if it was in the distant future, could we not consider the possibility that the King had ultimately betrayed his sister?
“I’ll talk to him again.”
As if he had been waiting, Bronce II led us to a reception room not far from the banquet hall. As soon as the door closed with a click, Eleanor raised her voice.
“Brother. I need an explanation.”
“An explanation for what?”
“Duke Aaron of Dressten! Did you think I wouldn’t know you were behind it?”
Bronce II chuckled.
“It was to clearly distinguish between friend and foe. Exposing the conflict between the Dressten father and son to the world was just a bonus for my own amusement.”
“I told you I could control Sir Allen.”
“You mean by holding his only family hostage? Eleanor, my naive sister. That’s not enough. Didn’t you see earlier? Aaron went against his father’s wishes for the sake of the succession. When I proposed this to him today, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.”
Bronce II was saying that family could never be a weakness. It was a statement he could make because he didn’t know the nature of our relationship.
He looked at me with eyes as calm as a windless lake.
“I’m sure you have your reasons, but I’m a little concerned that there might be more to this than meets the eye. Didn’t you say you were confident you would win the mock battle? I’ve given you a chance to legally obtain territory and a title through legitimate means, yet your actions suggest that this gift was not entirely to your satisfaction.”
I spoke before Eleanor, who was pretty annoyed, could even think to raise her voice.
“It seems there has been a slight misunderstanding. If I may, I would like to express my sincere gratitude. I would be most grateful if you would be so kind as to explain why I was not informed of your intention to elevate my status.”
“Did I perhaps fail to convey my desire to elevate your status?”
“Because you thought of me as the Princess’s husband.”
Eleanor’s head snapped towards me. Bronce II also faltered for a moment, then a deep smile spread across his face.
“You’re different from those knights with nothing but shit for brains.”
“Brother…!”
“Eleanor, don’t even think about deceiving me. It seems like honey drips from your eyes whenever you look at Sir Allen.”
Eleanor, her face flushed, shouted while glancing at me.
“This isn’t the way I wanted it!”
“Deciding on family matters such as marriage is strictly my role as the head of the family.”
Eleanor, who had been confined to her room because of her ability, was no match for the seasoned King. Bronce II turned to me and continued.
“If you were to demonstrate your ability by winning the mock battle, I would be delighted to make a promise. I will make you the Princess’s husband.”
“I will be sure to win.”
I had no choice but to accept. My sensitive reaction had only aroused the King’s suspicion.
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Eleanor and I didn’t return to the banquet hall immediately, but went to the garden of the detached palace.
She, who had been following me silently, spoke while glancing at me.
“This isn’t the way I wanted to be by your side, being pushed into it like this.”
I could sense her worry in her defensive tone.
In fact, the King had even mentioned marriage not long after she’d revealed her true feelings. It was a situation that would make anyone think she’d colluded with the King to betray me.
“I know you’re not that kind of person.”
“Ahem, really…?”
Where there’d been worry, curiosity and anticipation took root. Now that things had come to this, she wanted to hear my true feelings.
I asked her in return.
“Eleanor, if I oppose your brother, will your feelings for me change?”
Eleanor flinched and fell into deep thought. I waited patiently for her to sort out her thoughts. After a while,
“My brother’s changed. He didn’t think my family were holding me against my will. If I was in his shoes, I’d have probably given up my family too. That’s probably why he offered marriage as a condition without asking my opinion. And on top of that…”
“What else?”
Eleanor chuckled and intertwined her fingers with mine again.
“Do I even have a choice? You wouldn’t let me go even if I refused.”
A smirk like Eleanor’s appeared on my face.
“That’s correct.”
“So, what are you going to do? You’re not just going to charge in recklessly, are you?”
I asked her in return.
“Why do you think the King used a method akin to blackmail to persuade me? What if I were to betray him?”
Nobles rarely did things that would create grudges. In an era where betrayal was not uncommon, there was always a risk of being backstabbed.
And yet, the King had used a method that was bound to cause resentment. Why?
“Because… he could?”
As expected, Eleanor was a person of this era. Perhaps she had misinterpreted my gaze, because she hastily added an explanation.
“You have a leash on him now, the territory of Bruah. He has both the justification and the power, so he probably thought he could control you as he pleased.”
“That’s also true, but the main reason is that I’m just a knight. He simply looked down on me.”
He could act recklessly because he thought that no matter what I did, I couldn’t harm him.
Eleanor nodded without realising, but then, looking at me, paused. And she smiled timidly.
“I-I didn’t look down on you.”
“It’s alright. It must be my own shortcoming. I’ll try harder. In bed, of course.”
“Ahem. But will it be alright? If you displease the King, it might be worse than doing nothing.”
Eleanor hastily changed the subject. As if that would help her escape the night.
“Fortunately, I’ve seen and learned a lot since coming here. The King is a powerful great lord, but he has many enemies. Far more than I expected. If that’s the case, there’s no reason to be led by the nose. If I can just make him realize that messing with me means he’ll lose an arm, there won’t be any problems.”
“The problem is how to do that, isn’t it?”
“As it happens, a suitable stage is just a day away.”
The mock battle was tomorrow. And the King seemed eager to see my skills. My turn was first.
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The mock battle was held in a field not far from the capital. The field, enclosed by a wooden fence, was quite large, enough for thirty people per team to compete. This was large enough to perform flanking maneuvers.
My opponent was unexpectedly the Stormwood family of Sir Gail, the King’s military advisor and a court knight. The King likely intended to use his vassal to gauge my abilities.
-Bwoo~
As the horn blew, both sides prepared at the opposite ends of the field.
I could faintly hear the announcer on the central platform of the spectator stands explaining each of the both sides.
Even a dog is half-victorious in its own yard. When Sir Gail was introduced, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
What’s more, his opponent was the King’s military advisor and an honorable court knight, a man who had achieved many feats alongside the energetic King.
On the other hand, I was a fledgling who had only gained fame for a year.
And that wasn’t all. My superhuman vision allowed me to see the enemy forces clearly, despite the distance.
All thirty of them were armed with high-quality armor and weapons, and more than ten of them appeared to be knights.
Considering that our side had only five knights, including myself, it was a huge disadvantage. At least the number of cavalry was limited to five.
It was clear to anyone that we were at a disadvantage. The nobles based in the west would all be thinking the same thing.
“I don’t like it. Let me take the cavalry. I’ll teach them a lesson.”
Fiore looked annoyed at the cheers. Zant, who was still keeping his distance, said a word.
“Ahem, if we put a woman in charge of the cavalry, everyone will laugh.”
“What? This bastard doesn’t know his place…!”
It wasn’t that Zant was ignoring Fiore because he didn’t know her skills. He had seen them firsthand when he was a prisoner.
He simply wanted to be the cavalry commander instead of Fiore.
Muel, the opportunist, and Dreng, the mercenaries’ manager, had taken a step back, but they were just as relaxed as the other two. The twenty-five mercenaries were no different.
“Sir Allen! Does this mock battle also give a ransom if you capture a prisoner?”
On the contrary, his eyes glinted with greed. It was hard to see it as excessive greed.
These guys were veteran mercenaries who’d fought with me for two years. They earned a lot of money, and their equipment was just as good as a knight’s.
“The spoils of war will be distributed as usual.”
“Hehe, that’s what I was waiting to hear.”
Now their morale was high. While we were at a disadvantage in terms of the number of knights, I was confident that the average quality of our troops was superior. And that wasn’t all.
“Fiore. Zant. I’m sorry, but I have to be at the front.”
“Huh? What about all the training we did?”
If I led the cavalry charge, my martial prowess would be too prominent. So I had planned to take command of the infantry and showcase my leadership skills.
If I hadn’t been backstabbed at the banquet yesterday.
“The objective has changed. I’m going to engrave it in their minds that messing with me will get them fucked.”
“Uh, uh… alright.”
Fiore, understanding my true intentions, agreed and stepped back. In the process, she also dragged away Zant, who was about to make another suggestion without a clue.
I lightly spun my warhammer and watched Bronce II, who was leisurely waiting for the start of the mock battle from the best seat in the spectator stands.
He would regret it. The mock battle was a battlefield that was too advantageous for me.
It’s hard to do proper damage with dulled weapons wrapped in cotton and cloth. But what if one had superhuman strength?
I turned my gaze to Sir Gail, the King’s military advisor and a court knight.
His only crime was…
…that he had chosen the wrong side.
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Yep, you should have follow me instead.
