"GyuOOooo!"
The roar of a Huge Blue Dragon of Purple Lightning can be heard reverberating throughout the training grounds at Castle of Fort.i.tude.
" ".....!!?" "
Aside from the Duke of Filsand, all the other va.s.sals, knights, and soldiers lined up in ranks are dumbfounded.
The Duke is somehow managing to hang onto his dignity, but even the knight commander and court magician are shivering to the point where their teeth are audibly clattering. Rather, the fact that no one is running away or sinking to the ground is testament to how high their morale normally is.
In the middle of the feast, the Duke of Filsand said "I"ve heard so much about the power of your wizardry, but it all sounds so fantastical that I can"t really imagine it. If it"s alright with you, will you be willing to let us see that dragon with our own eyes?"
I still had the ESP Medal on me at the time, and confirmed that he wasn"t lying. I understood that he would always have lingering doubts if he doesn"t see it firsthand, so I agreed.
Once the Duke becomes sure of my power, I"m sure he would become even more aggressive in trying to take me in, but he would also be that less likelier to betray me.
And above all, I"d gotten a general grasp of the Duke"s personality through that conversation (supplemented with his inner voice). He believes in power. In order to have a proper conversation with him, I need to first show him power above his own.
"So…… this dragon is physically present and isn"t an illusion? It would do whatever you command it to?"
"Yes, indeed. For example…… Blue Dragon, Lightning Breath!"
"GyuUOOon."
At my command, the Blue Dragon faces towards the sky and lets loose.
Our eyes are then almost blinded by what looks like a blazing searchlight, while at the same time all our bodies are a.s.saulted by a deep, heavy sound exactly like that of a real lightning strike.
"U-, uwah?!"
"Hiiii."
A few of the knights" and soldiers" knees finally give way, unable to withstand any more.
"If the dragon fans its breath, it can take out several hundreds of soldiers at one time! On top of which, it can fly, can it not? Then even ten thousand soldiers would be no match for it! Invincible! You are invincible, Margils-dono!"
«Incredible. This is far too incredible. Is this truly the power of a human? …… This power defies the very logic of this world…...»
The Duke of Filsand is staring intensely at the dragon with dazzling eyes. I mentally give him props for calmly a.s.sessing the dragon"s fighting power instead of being frightened.
Furthermore, along with the excitement and desire in his heart, I feel awe towards me being born.
The ESP Medal can only be used 3 times every day. With the feast and now, that"s already 2 times. I truly hope that he"s gotten a bit more submissive after this.
♥♦♣♠
That night, I find myself invited by the Duke to his personal room.
Though immaculate, his room is decorated by several dangerous-looking weapons. Along with the shelves overflowing with books on military strategy and the bear and wolf stuffed mountings, all of it felt to me like an ill.u.s.tration of the kind of person that he is.
"Apologies that our talk was interrupted halfway in the afternoon, Margils-dono. That dragon did take me quite aback."
"Don"t worry about it. I am not in a great hurry."
I shrug my shoulders while the Duke pours expensive-looking wine into my gla.s.s. I am currently a lot more relaxed than I was in the afternoon.
Without a doubt, he is the kind of ambitious villain who doesn"t give a thought to stepping on others on his way upwards, but he treats really well those whose value he has acknowledged.
…… He must have used people like that, all the way up to where he is now.
If I hadn"t used the ESP Medal, I might actually have fallen for his act. I actually still have the Medal around my neck, but it"s not activated, because I only have 1 more use for today.
"Speaking of which, Margils-dono. What is it about my daughter that you like?"
"......"
So asks the Duke with an interested expression while pouring wine into his own gla.s.s.
This is not a pleasant topic, but it is something that I do need to tidy up.
"Your daughter is very wise and kind. However, the engagement……"
"Yes, I know. It"s merely a cover, right? It seems my family"s internal strife has caused you some trouble."
Elizabel had said that it was her 2nd stepbrother who was after her life. And also that there was no way her father did not know. I"m sure I remembered that right.
"So you are aware that your son and daughter are fighting with each other, yet you are ignoring it?"
"To think that you would said something so principled!"
His face looks really surprised. Well, I guess he would be, considering his evaluation of me.
"The ethics aside, I don"t see how it benefits you to allow the succession struggle to go on unchecked."
"So that"s what you meant. Hmm, how should I put it……"
He lightly shrugs his shoulders, then continues speaking in a matter-of-fact manner.
"I believe you also know that my eldest son is captured by the Shulz, right? I recognize that Shulz girl that you brought with you."
So he really had noticed Dianu. More like, so he also knows that his eldest son is still alive.
"The thing about me, Margils-dono. I"ve actually been thinking of retiring soon. Seeing how Filsand currently is, to increase its power any further would require several decades of work. I"m already a bit too tired to do all that, considering my age."
Draining the wine in his gla.s.s in one gulp, he then lets out a deep sigh.
Though the scale of the topic is on a completely different level, his sigh is the exact same one that I hear at company dinners and alumni reunions when people start talking about "at my age."
"And when I was thinking about who to have succeed me, it came to me. Among my three children, not a single one of them feels exactly right to me. Even worse, I don"t even know them that well."
"I see."
His words sound like the epitome of irresponsibility, but I suppose this is how things are for those in his position in this world. In order to urge him to continue speaking, I throw in interjections like "ahh, yes I know what you mean" where appropriate.
"It was right around that time when my eldest son, Balzard, was taken prisoner by the Shulz. Well, the official story is that he died in battle, though. After that, it was only natural for my second son, Agbeil, to move for the successor position by targeting Elizabel, right? Which is why I decided to just let the three of them do whatever they want."
"...... In other words, whoever comes out on top after the fighting, you will make your successor?"
"Indeed, that is exactly it! As expected of Margils-dono."
The Duke claps his thick hands in applause, but it doesn"t particularly make me happy.
"For what it"s worth, I had originally thought Balzard to be the one with the best prospect. If it"s him, as long as he"s not dead, he might very well unite all the Shulz and come back with them in tow. The most unpromising one was Agbeil, but he"s desperately struggling so gard. As for Elizabel, well, she did manage to escape, didn"t she? And now that she"s drawn the honestly too powerful card that is you, she might very well come out on top. But I can"t really make her my successor anymore, though."
"I see."
This is coming from me, who has never had kids before, but what a guy.
Normally, I have no right to be involved with their family"s circ.u.mstances, but for my own sake I have to ask this.
"...... Elizabel"s mother was Shulz, was she not? About Elizabel and her mother…… don"t you think of them as precious?"
"Hou."
Contrary to my expectations of having my words dismissed with a snort, he falls silent with an earnest face. After fiddling with the empty gla.s.s in his hand for a while, he looks straight at me.
"That was because Sheiru was a really good woman. Almost frightening so. Because she was such a good woman, I made her mine, and lavished all that I could on her. Is that not what it means to treat someone preciously?"
To press any further would only negatively affect our cordial relationship from here on. But I cannot help but to ask.
"And what I"m trying to say is, was that not forced?"
"Was it? I had the power to take Sheira away, so I used it. There"s nothing strange at all about that, is there?"
Without even using the ESP Medal, I can tell that he meant every single word of that.
I see, it is as I had thought.
That day, if I had used [Charm] on Mora. This is who I might have become, a man drunk on his own power.
To get started with Disqus head to the Settings panel.
Chapter 87: Reflected Self
Volume 4
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"...... I see."
What would have become of me if I came to use wizardry for my own desires.
The Duke of Filsand is the answer to that question — a good-for-nothing tyrant. Either that, or already dead from a.s.sa.s.sination.
The current me has allies that I can feel safe entrusting my back to. In contrast, the Duke cannot trust even his own children, and is not trusted in return.
It is clear that he does not regret having led such a life, but as someone who has met two people who have fallen victim to the consequences of his choices, I cannot help but to think "I"m glad I did not become like that."
"Aah, I get it now. I have no intention of commenting on your way of life. All men, at least once in their lives, dream of walking down that path."
"Ku ku. Coming from someone with power on a whole different dimension from mine, I"m afraid I can only hear those words as sarcasm."
This, too, he means from his heart.
Even I had adored villains from manga and light novels and military commanders from Sengoku works who burned with ambition.
By modern j.a.panese standards, the Duke is undoubtedly a "bad person." If he attempts to attack me, I would fight back and beat him down without a moment"s hesitation.
But due to some strange twist of fate, here we are, drinking wine together.
(T/N: Omg Fate/Zero episode 11 "The Grail Dialogue"!!!!)
And above anything else, he is a reflection of myself.
Even if in the future either one of us considers the other an obstacle and moves to remove the other, that is no impediment to doing what we currently can, now.
"...... Since we"re on the topic of your succession. You said that you "have been thinking" of retiring, so am I correct in believing that you no longer have such intentions?"
"Indeed. If I am able to join an alliance with someone possessing such incredible power as your own, forget retiring, I feel like my vitality from the past would be revived."
Most likely due to having confirmed the power of wizardry in person, the light of ambition burning in his eyes is even stronger than when I had first met him.
"In that case, I have two requests…… no, I"ll call them conditions instead."
"Hou?"
I purposely chose to rephrase myself to indicate that I am the one in the more superior position.
Even if he is feeling angry and humiliated, he wants my power bad enough to suppress it all in his heart.
In the first place, my goals are to get permission to begin trading with Filsand, and to invite him to join the anti-Shadow Demon alliance.
The former is already accomplished, so that"s good.
But as for the latter, I know almost for a fact that the Duke would proactively seek for a more military alliance. And if we form that military alliance, then he will use my wizardry to overthrow the Kingdom of Feldi.
In a way, I am almost envious of the strength of his ambition. But isn"t there a better direction that I can direct his ambition towards?
For the first time in a while, I spin those gears in my head as furiously as I can.
"Even if you and I join hands to face the world, we would still need strength."
"Are you saying that the riches and might of this Filsand are insufficient?"
"Let me put it another way. Are you satisfied with only what you can grab with that amount of strength?"
"...... Hou."
When I speak almost provocatively, his glance sharpens even further.
I feel a shiver down my back.
"The amount of time that you and I have left is 30 years at best. The issue is how effectively we can use those 30 years."
"Indeed."
"I"m sure that you also know this, but in order to use time effectively, we would need talented people. And your children, all of them are talented in different ways. First of all, being tripped up by this problem of succession would only be a waste of time."
"...... You are quite right."
His expression has softened a bit. It seems he"s taken my words to mean that I will lend him a hand with his ambitions.
"In that case, first repair your relationships with your children, and make them to want to work for you. That is my first condition."
In other words, in order to make self-interested people do something, you simply need to explain to them how doing that thing would lead to their own benefit.
I know Elizabel"s problem with the Duke is more of an emotional one, but as I am but an outsider, this is the best I can do at the moment.
"...... I see. Very well. Seeing this squabble going on before my eyes would only be a distraction. I will speak to Agbeil and Elizabel tomorrow. However, what shall be done about Balzard?"
I didn"t expect him to agree so easily. I read his mind with the ESP Medal, but he is not lying. Or rather, it seems that the moment he decided to not retire, he"s already decided to put a stop to the internal fighting.
"As for Balzard-dono, how about retrieving him with an exchange of prisoners? If you use the Shulz princess that I brought back, would that be possible?"
"Fumu…… So that"s also within the range of your "condition"? In that case, I"ll use her as asked."
As expected of him, still making sure to rephrase things so that he doesn"t incur a favor with me at this point in time. Well, not that I mind.
Which now brings us to the next problem.
The entire time I"ve been talking with the Duke, I"ve been thinking as fast as I can, but……
"So, what is the second condition?"
"Umu……"
I need a good idea to redirect the Duke"s ambition in a more constructive direction.
Somehow, a thought starts to take form inside my head.
Averting my eyes from the Duke"s powerful gaze, I notice the map of the Kingdom of Feldi and its surroundings hanging on the wall……
"Mu."
With a flash, a lightbulb goes off in my head.
To get started with Disqus head to the Settings panel.
Chapter 88: Dialogue with
"My Bad Self"
Volume 4
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"......"
My eyes are irresistibly drawn to the tapestry depicting the Kingdom of Feldi and its surroundings.
Maps in the Liuus Alliance, whose culture is derived from Shulendal"s, depicts Feldi as "Kingdom in the East."
But this map, naturally, has Feldi in the center. To the west is Filsand, and Senpu Village is in the corner.
The south is a great sea decorated with countless pictures of storms and sea serpents, the north is obstructed by enormous mountains, and the east is is a large empty expanse colored with gray.
If one thinks of Filsand as the center, north is the Plains of Twilight occupied by the undead, and south is Ran Balt. The only way to expand is to either cross the mountains in the west and attack Senpu Village, or to turn towards Feldi itself. That is the geographical position of this city.
Then again, the barren land separating Filsand and Ran Balt is where the Shulz currently live, and there is even that place called Garden of the G.o.ds, so it is not completely unviable as a direction for expansion.
While staring at this map, the thought that had come to my mind earlier gradually forms into a proper strategy.
"What is it? You have something else that you want me to do, right?"
"Umu……"
So asks the Duke of Filsand in a slightly testy voice.
In the first place, he is not someone used to obediently listening to someone else"s words.
I know a conclusion needs to be reached soon, but I do not yet have enough information to be sure.
I desperately search around my memories for all the information that I"ve seen and heard about that.
Right, it was quite a while ago that Sedam had given me a pretty detailed explanation, but……
"...... I"ve changed my mind."
"What?"
"The first condition…… after you succeed at uniting your children, then I"ll tell you the second condition."
Umu.
"Slow and elaborate is better than rough and hasty" is a modern j.a.panese idiom, right? So I decided to put a pause on the negotiations for a while.
"...... Very well. I will restrain Agbeil, and also immediately start the preparations for exchanging the Shulz girl for Balzard."
"Ahh, you do that."
I nod gravely at the Duke who is even now cursing me in his mind with «If this guy wasn"t a Great Wizard, I would have already stuck him on a spike.»
With this, Elizabel"s safety is guaranteed, and I have also earned myself some time.
"Nn, speaking of which, what are you going to do about Elizabel?"
"What do you mean by what?"
"The wedding. I know it was just a cover, but it would be more convenient to marry her anyways. After all, you"ve already had her, right?"
"h.e.l.l no!"
"?"
Oops, I accidentally retorted in my normal character.
"I, I am not so starved that I would lay my hands on a mere teenager. I have not touched your daughter with even a finger."
"She"s already of age to give birth, so I don"t really see what the problem is, but…… well, I think I understand what your preferences are now."
Man, he has such a smirk on his face.
For now, I leave the matter of my engagement with Elizabel as vague and unsettled while retreating to the room that I had been allotted.
♥♦♣♠
"Welcome back, my lord……"
Returning to my guest room, which is even more lavish than the one I had in Senpu Village, I find all my companions gathered inside.
Incidentally, Fablu is in a separate room with Ted and the three new soldiers. Dianu is of course under strict guard, and thus is in a cell.
All the rest have apparently been waiting for me, in spite of the very late hour. I did them a bad turn.
More like, why does Leiha look so tired?
"What is it, Leiha?" (Gio)
"No, it is nothing much." (Leiha)
"a.s.sa.s.sins. While you were talking with the Duke, the first wife sent 1, and the second son sent 2." (Irudo)
"And Leiha repelled all of them by herself." (Claura)
"...... I"m sorry, it seems I really have incurred their enmity." (Elizabel)
Irudo and Claura explain the situation, and Elizabel looks apologetic.
On my way back, I did not feel any traces of a.s.sa.s.sins and observers, which means the Duke has already begun moving.
"I see. That must have been a burden. You have done well."
"Th-, thank you very much. It was all for the sake of my Oluri, Margils-sama."
"Un un."
Leiha is kneeling before me on one knee with her head reverently bowed, causing me to really want to pat her beautiful light purple hair, but…… having that done by an ossan would only feel gross, so I opted to pat her shoulder instead.
♥♦♣♠
"Anyways, for now I"ve settled the talks with the Duke up to here. Elizabel"s and my safety are both guaranteed for the while."
I"ve succinctly related the content of my conversation with the Duke to my companions.
Everyone is honestly glad about having gained consent for the trade route.
However.
"...... Did my father not say anything about me?"
Yes, I did not tell them what the Duke and I had discussed in regards to her.
I don"t really have the courage to tell her that the Duke had been standing at the side and watching her being targeted by her brother as if it was a game.
No, to be specific, I do have the courage, but in order to resolve — or at least alleviate — a family problem, it is important for the members themselves to work it out with each other.
"What the Duke and I had agreed on is to suppress the second son Agbeil"s recklessness, and to save his eldest son Balzard. With that, your safety has been guaranteed."
"I, see. As for the rest, I need to ask my father myself, right?"
Elizabel nods with a look expressing that she knows I"m holding something back.
"Exactly. So far, I have not yet cancelled our state of being engaged. If you really need to, you can use me as an excuse. Go speak with the Duke yourself and ask for his true intentions."
"Alright, I"ll do that. When I think about it, I realize that I"ve never before had a serious talk with my father……"
So murmurs Elizabel with a somewhat dry smile.
I don"t have any spell that can help with restoring the warped relationship between a father and his daughter. And neither do such words suit me, as I am not that kind of hero.
But I"ve made this opportunity for father and daughter to talk. And I will also provide support where the situation needs it.
I do feel sympathy towards Elizabel, but part of my motivation is also because I arbitrarily feel guilty in regards to what "my bad self" had done.
"So what about the matter of the alliance?"
"What condition do you plan on imposing on the Duke anyways?"
"Umu. Before that……"
Indeed, I had wanted to discuss this with my allies first.
This idea that I had come up with within a few minutes needs to be examined for its feasibility under the light of everyone"s knowledge.
I look around at all of the faces surrounding me, then……
"Ugh, if only Sedam is around at a time like this……"
"Oh, how rude!" (Claura)
♥♦♣♠
The next few days after that, we continued discussing and debating, and also went around inspecting the streets of Filsand, talking with merchants from other countries and adventurers based in this city.
I also went out on a few day trips using [Fly] and [Move Outer Plane] to investigate.
All of it was to gather the proof to show to the Duke for "the second condition."
During that time, Irudo and Fablu discussed with Filsand finance officials on the plans for the construction of the trade route, setting various things moving. The Duke also sent out a messenger to the Shulz in regards to the prisoner exchange.
"...... If it"s like this, it just might work, no?" (Claura)
"The premise is if we [……]. At the very least, the Duke"s army will be busy for the next five years." (Gio)
Right when we had finalized "the second condition" and I was about to thrust it at the Duke.
"My lord. A large mob of Shulz are approaching Filsand from the south." (Leiha)
…… Indeed, just as I was moving, the world is also constantly moving.
To get started with Disqus head to the Settings panel.
Chapter 89: The Second Condition
Volume 4
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Leiha"s report was information brought back by the Filsand Knight Order"s patrol.
South of Filsand, about 2 days away by horse, the presence of a large number of Shulz had been confirmed.
Why Leiha had used the word "mob" is because they are not an army nor a force of warriors, but actually mostly non-combatants like women, children, elderly, and farmers (though I still had a thought or two in regards to her using that specific counter). There are over a thousand of them, moving slowly but surely towards Filsand.
"Refugees, do you think?"
"I do not know. How is the Duke responding?"
I let slip the word that first came to my mind upon hearing this information, but of course no one knew the answer.
"It smells."
So muttered Leid, whose presence had been quite faint for the past while.
♥♦♣♠
The next day.
I am called out by the Duke to the command room of the Filsand Knight Order.
"Things have gotten troublesome. The Shulz are apparently running away with Shadow Demons on their tail."
That is the first thing the Duke says upon my arrival.
I had thought this would be about how to deal with the Shulz, but it turns out to be this.
It seems that when it comes to Shadow Demons, Leid"s intuition is quite reliable indeed.
Shadow Demons, huh. Considering that we had seen a settlement on our way to Filsand that we suspected of having been attacked by Shadow Demons, I did think this a possibility, but…… unpleasant things are unpleasant indeed.
"Even though we spent so much effort on the "second condition" that Margils thought of, now it has to be shelved for a while."
"...... That"s the way Shadow Demons are. Throughout all history, they"ve never shown consideration for history or anyone"s convenience. They just show up, kill, then disappear."
Leid replies in a tone as if he understands it all in response to Claura"s frustrated murmur. As someone who"s grown up with the destiny of fighting against Shadow Demons ever since he was aware, his words ring heavy.
For this world, that is how much of a calamity Shadow Demons are.
Which means that this is the time for me, the Great Wizard, to get to work.
"According to the report from the scouts, the Legion [army of Shadow Demons] is further south of the barbarians. It appears that they are moving straight towards Filsand, but we cannot determine if that is because they are chasing the barbarians, or if they are actually aiming for this city."
"...... Scale?"
"According to the report from the scouts, there are about 5,000 Small Demons, several hundred Large Demons, and five Rock Demons. There is also one gigantic individual of a never before seen species. All heading straight towards Filsand."
" "......!" "
Every single face in the command room grows pale at the Duke"s dispa.s.sionate recounting.
Incidentally, those in the room are the Duke, his second son Agbeil, his knight commander and court magician, generals of his official army, the prime minister and other chief va.s.sals.
"What is our military strength?"
"Yes, sir. 800 knights and 1,000 standard soldiers, but we can gather 1,000 more if we immediately conscript the populace."
No one has the leisure of standing on ceremony. The general that the Duke indicated with a jerk of his chin replies immediately.
"The way this could go badly is if we have to split our forces to also remain vigilant against being attacked by the barbarians. And even though we can increase the size of our forces by 1,000, it would still take time."
"Five or six thousand Shadow Demons isn"t enough to overwhelm Filsand and Castle of Fort.i.tude though."
Whereas the Duke is murmuring in deliberation, one of the knights replies with emphasis. His voice is hard, but is still filled with quite some strength. It"s true that the walls of Filsand and Castle of Fort.i.tude are much thicker and st.u.r.dier than even the White Sword Castle"s.
However, according to the knowledge that I had learned as a TRPG gamer, it takes 3 times the number of troops to conquer a fully prepared castle. Which means the Shadow Demons already have more than enough to do so. Large Demons and Rock Demons are each equal to several tens of soldiers. Throw in the unidentifiable large individual, and our prospects look quite grim.
"How about letting the Shadow Demons catch up to the Shulz and eat them? Would they be satisfied with that and return to their nest?"
At the court magician"s words, which were uttered as if in flattery, Claura"s eyebrows shoot right up. She"s standing behind me, so I can"t actually see her, but I can feel it. Leid also probably has a really cold smile on his face.
More like, sacrifices are out of the question, but it seems like no one in this room has any intention of saving the Shulz.
Even if I go out and take care of the Legion before it reaches Filsand, how can I convince the Duke to provide protection for the Shulz?
As I am thinking about that, a messenger rushes into the command room.
"Reporting in. A m-, messenger from the Shulz reached us. They are requesting an audience with Duke-sama."
"...... At this busy time…… Did they say what is it that they want to talk about?"
"The messenger identified himself as Raslas, the Tribe Chief of the Shulz. He offered to exchange the, the young lord, Balzard-sama? in exchange for safe pa.s.sage through our land and food provisions."
Indeed, this is not a cheap game where you can get a "Happy End" just by clearing all the lined up missions.
If I hadn"t wasted these past few days on the negotiations with the Duke and instead spent them for the Shulz, things might have been very different.
But still, isn"t this guy a bit too confused?
To get started with Disqus head to the Settings panel.
Chapter 90: Defense of Filsand
(Part 1)
Volume 4
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The Shulz"s Tribe Chief, Raslas, turns out to be a steady-looking middle-aged man.
He has on armor reinforced with pelts, but I feel no fighting spirit emanating from him.
Nevertheless, more than a thousand refugees, huh. It seems that don"t have a decided place to go, so will they go on to become nomads at this rate?
It"s most probably impossible for Filsand to take them all in……
"Fuu."
Since I"d expected the presence of Shadow Demons, I should have just gone straight to them and made contact.
…… And other such regrets are whirling around in my head. In an attempt to dispel them, I breath out a short sigh and slap my cheeks.
For a moment, I feel something soft on my shoulder.
When I look towards it, I see Claura"s white hand drawing back.
I see anxiety in her blue eyes, so I show her a slight nod. This kind of thoughtfulness is one of her charms, but the fact that a youngster is worrying about me shows me that I still have a long way to go.
"We Shulz will leave this land. We will also return General Damund"s eldest son, unharmed. In exchange, we request for guaranteed safe pa.s.sage through your lands, and support in the form of food provisions."
I did say that he is not emanating fighting spirit.
However, there is no begging going on here. Despite being here in Castle of Fort.i.tude, deep in enemy territory, the Tribe Chief shows not a shred of fear in his face.
Damund is the Duke of Filsand"s name. Calling him by name, and his t.i.tle of "General" from before he received his duke peerage is probably his meager means of displaying his pride.
In normal times, "guarantee of safe pa.s.sage" is no big deal. But now, when a Legion is roaming rampant, it means the Duke must mobilize some part of his military to make that happen.
I can see how it makes sense to offer the life of the Duke"s eldest son, Balzard in exchange here.
"Fun……"
But in contrast, the Duke is looking at the Tribe Chief with cold eyes, as if he is looking at mere garbage.
His eyes are such that he probably would have already executed the Tribe Chief if he hadn"t promised me that he would retrieve his son and look after his children.
"You burglars, doing what you please……"
"If you wish to leave, no one will stop you."
The lined up va.s.sals are also making no effort to hide their contempt and hatred of the Shulz. Although it was the Duke"s side who had been the invading side, it seems that living here for 20 years has led them to think of Filsand as their own land.
"......"
Among the uniformly grim looks on all of the va.s.sals" and knights" faces, the second son Agbeil looks the worst off.
He had been convinced of the death of his elder brother Balzard, and moved accordingly to a.s.sa.s.sinate his younger sister Elizabel. Now that he knows that that brother of his is still alive, I can"t even imagine how uncomfortable he feels.
Then again, unlike the eldest son Balzard that I had yet to meet, and also the Elizabel whose general nature and abilities I"ve grasped, I honestly have no interest in him whatsoever.
"What do you say, General…… no, Duke?"
The Tribe Chief calls on the Duke with a face filled more with sadness than frustration.
By purposely calling Damund "Duke," he is implicitly offering to also acknowledge his sovereignty over Filsand as the previous inhabitant of the place. This move shows that he is quite good as a negotiator, but his atmosphere and the contents of the negotiation do not seem to match.
It seems the Duke is of the same opinion.
"You said your name is Raslas? Those terms, it was Balzard who suggested them to you, right?"
"Wh-?! No, that is not the case."
It is one thing to have courage, but it seems that this is his limit as a mere Tribe Chief.
He does not have the ability to deceive the eyes of a villain whose eyes have been cultivated on innumerable battlegrounds. He hurriedly shakes his head, but that"s already enough as confirmation.
"It"s that weak son of mine that we"re talking about. Instead of getting away by himself, he offered himself as a negotiating chip to try to protect you all, right?"
"U, uu……"
If the Duke"s words are indeed true, then it means his eldest son Balzard is trying to cooperate with the Shulz tribe. In order to protect them, no less.
The move seems a bit imprudent as an important person of the Duke"s side, but is he doing this because he is the kind person that Elizabel told me about?
"But, hmm…… Margils-dono!"
"What is it?"
As I am thinking to myself while looking upon the people in the command room, it seems the Duke has reached some sort of conclusion. Called upon all of a sudden, I quickly redirect my attention towards him.
"As you have heard, a Legion of more than 5,000 Shadow Demons is approaching our Filsand at present."
"So it seems."
"This can even be called a small-sized Bleed. Normally, a force this size is enough to wipe out one or two castles or fortress cities with ease."
"D-, Duke-sama……?"
"What are you saying?"
The Duke"s candid acknowledgement of the hopelessness of their situation causes those in the room to be astir.
It seems the Tribe Chief is also having trouble following along.
"But with you here, everything is different. Can I rely on you for this?"
Even in this situation, he is trying to bring me to his side?
The Duke"s ambition-filled eyes are the same as always. However, there is a note of desperateness in his voice. Or at least, so I think.
"Aah, of course. The Great Wizard Gio Margils fights against Shadow Demons and is the ally of all peoples."
I put strength in my abdomen and answered with authority in the face of the Duke, his subordinates, the Shulz Tribe Chief, and also my own allies.
If I don"t constantly re-confirm my persona as a Great Wizard, I fear it might eventually peel off.
"In that case, until the Shadow Demons have been repelled, I place myself under your authority. Give out any orders you deem necessary. Naturally, that includes those guys too."
When he said "those guys," the Duke indicated the Tribe Chief with his chin.
"Duly accepted."
"Oi? Who on earth are you?"
Unlike the Duke"s subordinates, the Tribe Chief does not fully understand the situation, and thus his face changes colors due to the development. However, now we are in a race against time.
"Tribe Chief. I guarantee you the safety of the Shulz tribe. Dianu will also be safely returned."
"Dianu will……"
"Claura, stay here with Irudo to explain the situation to Tribe Chief Raslas. I want to grant the Shulz tribe"s wishes as best I can, but worse case scenario, we will accept them at Jiiteias Castle."
"Fully understood."
"Duke, temporarily take the Shulz refugees into the city. The costs can be billed to me afterwards. a.s.sign Elizabel to handle the negotiations with the Shulz tribe."
"...... Understood."
"Leid, stick with me. We"ll bring Dianu along and regroup with the Shulz refugees. If we can confirm Balzard-dono"s safety at that time, then good. After that, we will scout out Legion and, if possible, smash them on the spot."
"Sounds good to me."
To be honest, I still don"t know how best to deal with the Shulz tribe. However, where my hand cannot reach, I simply have to borrow the hands of my allies. At least, that"s what I"ve begun to learn as of late. Which reminds me, when I was a salaryman, my juniors had also tediously scolded me to not take everything upon myself.
"Alright, let"s go."
"Aah, please wait. I don"t know how, but you plan on going to where the Shadow Demons are now, right? If it is not too much of a burden, can you also bring this one along with you?"
"HAH?! Father?!"
Agbeil raises his voice in hysterics at this sudden development.
"It"s for the sake of using these guys like you said to. I want for him to see Shadow Demons with his own eyes."
"But how can I fight at the front lines……"
"Silence."
"...... Yes…… sir."
Though I have no interest in him, he is the son of the person with whom I plan on being allied to from here on.
For Elizabel"s sake as well, it is not a bad idea to have a bit of contact with him.
While looking at the pale-faced Agbeil who had been pressured into silence, I mentally search for a spell that can allow 4 people to move at high speed together…… found it.
"Very well. I shall take your son into my care. We will be back tomorrow at the latest."
♥♦♣♠
The Phantom Horse that hasn"t made an appearance in a while.
It is a jet black horse enveloped with a black flame-like aura that can run through the sky.
It was lucky that I had Charged this spell twice, due to the frequent outside trips that I"d been making of late.
Right now, we are split up among two Phantom Horses and flying southward from Filsand.
"...... I, I still can"t see, everyonnnnnneee……"
"Just hang on for a bit more."
The one who is clinging onto my waist while trembling is the Shulz princess and Martial Chief, Dianu.
"I don"t want to die…… I don"t want to die…… I don"t want to die……"
Behind Leid, who is controlling the other Phantom Horse dashing through the sky, is the Duke of Filsand"s second son, Agbeil.
While staring at the barren wasteland covered mostly by rocks and sand, several hours pa.s.s by as we travel several hundred times the speed of a normal horse.
"That must be them."
Leid spots the large group of people hiding in the shadow of a small hill.
Is that really a thousand people? I can"t count so fast, but the line of people carrying or dragging luggage and looking exhausted almost to their limit stretches on far, far into the distance.
With the Phantom Horses" speed, it will take us no time to reach the head of the line.
"Those really are the Shulz people! Guys! Oo~~i! Oo~~i!"
Dianu abruptly returns to being energetic and shouts at the people below while waving her hands furiously. However.