Bewildered Person
The Black Iron Knights, which were supposed to have vassalized the Emil Kingdom, fought the neighboring Fasimir Kingdom in its territory and were defeated. Isaac, the leader of the Red Bronze Knights, who was advancing in the rear of the Black Iron Knights, was greatly surprised by the unexpected news, and delivered the news to the rear forces immediately. However, a few moments later, the news that surprised Commander Isaac, even more, came not from the Black Iron Knights this time, but from the Izrim Empire.
There was nothing that Commander Isaac could do after receiving this news except to ask the messenger from the Izrim Empire sternly whether it was true or not. He immediately sent a messenger to convey the information brought from the Izrim Empire to the rear forces, King Albert among them.
"…The Emperor of the Izrim Empire herself went to the battle and captured the entire Black Iron Knights of our country. Is there no mistake in that?"
Hearing the messenger's report, the leader of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, suddenly couldn't believe the unexpected result of the unexpectedly early battle with the main army of the Izrim Empire, and the fact that almost all of the Black Iron Knights' army had been taken into captivity.
"No. It was Commander Isaac's instruction that we should quickly bring this to His Majesty, so I left before confirming the facts."
"I see……"
Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, also thinks that Commander Isaacs' decision was correct. The Black Iron Knights were defeated, and the tactics had to be rethought. It is better to get on with it as soon as possible.
And they have the means to check the facts. One of the two sealed letters handed over by the messenger should be it.
"Your Majesty"
Harrisman opened the sealed letter in his hand, checked its contents, and handed it to King Albert without reading it. Both letters were addressed to King Albert. He thought that he could not read the contents first.
King Albert checks the senders of the two letters. The senders are the Emperor of the Izrim Empire and Commander Hutton of the Black Iron Knights. King Albert selects the letter from Hutton and begins to read it.
It contains the circumstances of the battle and an apology for falling into the trap of the Izrim Empire. The defeat of the Black Iron Knights is a fact. If this letter was really written by the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton.
"Confirm it."
When he finished reading it, King Albert handed the contents to a civil official standing nearby. He wanted to confirm that the signature and handwriting were indeed that of the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton. The civil official is a person with such a role.
While the officer was comparing the letter with the past letters in his possession, King Albert began to read another letter from the Emperor of the Izrim Empire. His gaze grows stern. He does not need to read it to know that it contains something bad for the Luine Kingdom.
"…What did Emperor say?"
Waiting for King Albert to finish reading, Commander Harrisman asked about the contents of the letter.
"She asks for a meeting"
"What is this meeting for?"
"It seems that they are willing to agree to a ceasefire depending on the conditions. They want to discuss the conditions."
"You don't intend to respond, right?"
There is no need to meet. The Luine Kingdom does not want a truce. The only one who needs it is the Izrim Empire. The Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, knows this, but he still asks King Albert if he is willing to meet with them.
"If we don't meet, every single one of the Black Iron Knights will be killed."
He knows this condition exists.
"……It is dangerous"
It's most likely a trap. The Izrim Empire, or rather the heroes, have tricked their opponents many times before. It is inconceivable that this is not the case this time.
"I know."
But is it okay to abandon the Black Iron Knights? It is not so easy to make a decision.
"...Is there a way to ask the Nord Empire to attend?"
If Ren attended the meeting with the Nord Empire Army as a witness, the Izrim Empire would not be able to do anything too harsh. Harrisman, the Commander of the Platinum Knights thought so.
"That's impossible. There is a possibility that the Izrim Empire wants to fight together against the Nord Empire. There is no way they would allow the presence of an enemy nation."
"It is also possible that they are simply stalling for time until they can calm down domestically."
The interior of the Izrim Empire is in great trouble due to the misgovernment of the feudal lords who are in charge of it. It is highly possible that the Izrim Empire wants a ceasefire in order to concentrate on domestic governance.
"...We won't know that this is the case until we meet them. And in order to not have that leeway, our country is trying to invade."
Once domestic governance is settled, the Izrim Empire will become even more powerful. Even so, King Albert is not optimistic that he can win.
"Are you going to meet them?"
King Albert is talking on the premise that he will attend the meeting. That's how Harrisman, the Commander of the Platinum Knights felt.
"...We will meet them. Of course, after making all possible preparations."
"I see……"
The other party will be trying to make all possible preparations too. Not to protect themselves, but to kill King Albert. Commander Harrisman is against agreeing to the meeting. But there was no way he could change King Albert's mind about going to the meeting.
"I have a feeling that I want to meet the Izrim Empire. She is the emperor now. Through that, maybe I can find out who our real enemy is."
King Albert had met Mei once. But that was when she was still a student, and Mei, a mage in the Lemberg Empire. She was not the same Mei who had become the leader of a nation.
Is Mei really a trustworthy person? He knows she is not. He wants to see how she compares to Ren.
"...I'm not saying this because I'm against agreeing to a meeting. Besides, it's just my personal opinion without any basis, but could you listen to it?"
"I don't mind. Tell me."
"I believe that such an idea will arouse the suspicion of the Nord Emperor."
He is trying to compare Ren and Mei. That's proof that he doesn't trust Ren. But that doesn't mean Ren is angry at him for betraying him. He just thinks that Ren also finds King Albert to be untrustworthy.
"......Yes, that's right. I take back what I just said. It is important to go into battle and know your enemy. In that sense, the meeting is worthwhile."
A conversation that is not officially recorded. There is no meaning in retracting the statement, but King Albert could not help but say it. He did not know where the eyes and ears of the Nord Empire were. Unconsciously, such thoughts affected him.
"Do you really want to meet them?"
"I will meet them. I added various reasons, but after all, I cannot abandon the Black Iron Knights and the Ten Thousand People."
"...I understand. I will prepare as much as possible."
King Albert was to meet with Mei in the form of the Black Iron Knights being taken hostage. So far, everything is going according to Mei's plan. Things are progressing as the Izrim Empire had planned.
For Mei, it is the first step to winning over Ren to become the emperor who rules all nations. She can't afford to stumble. But Mei doesn't know. There is someone who is working in a completely unexpected way, outside of her own expectations.
◆◆◆
Alone in the basement of the royal castle in the capital of the Lemberg Kingdom, Jin sits in a chair with his hands on his head. All his life, he has been pondering the thoughts of his subjects, who have been trying to seduce him into independence from the Izrim Empire. If he proclaimed that he would not betray Mei, that would be the end of it. If the vassals still want independence, they can be dismissed and replaced with someone else. That would stop him from worrying about it, but Jin could not do that.
Jin knows the devastation of the country ruled by the Izrim Empire. A country where the people are oppressed and exploited, and only a privileged few enjoy a good life. That is the Izrim Empire.
He is told that this is a special situation during war, until the rule of the Empire is spread to all parts of the country. But that does not mean that Jin is so evil that he can forget the suffering of the people.
So what can he do? There are many things that Jin, the king, can do within the Lemberg Kingdom. However, it is the people living outside the Lemberg Kingdom who are suffering. It is not something that Jin can do anything about.
Although Jin is a former classmate of Emperor Mei and is in charge of the Lemberg Kingdom, the largest of the ruled countries, he is on par with other kings in terms of being the king of a ruled country. He can only rule the country he governs. To interfere in other countries would be an act of transgression.
If this were Yuya, he would not be concerned about such a thing and would try to move other countries according to his wishes, but Jin is unable to do so.
Why is that? Because Jin is serious and Yuya is self-centered. But today, Yuya reminded Jin that this is not the only reason. Remembering this, an uncontrollable irritation spread through his heart.
The reason why Jin is now preoccupied is not because he is worried about his subjects seeking independence, as he usually is.
"...I ...I can't do it."
Jin is being pressed by Yuya to make one choice. The expression [being pressed] is based on Jin's feelings, and Yuya himself has gone away after saying only what he wants to say. He left behind Jin who was unable to move.
Yuya, who hadn't seen him in a long time, asked Jin to meet with him. Not suddenly. Before that, he asked Jin to make a choice. When Jin refused, they decided to meet in person.
Due to the contract, Yuya was supposed to have been imprisoned in this basement for fear of being manipulated by the Luine Kingdom. However, Yuya's power is far superior to that of Jin, who has been training for a long time. The gap in power had widened to the point that Jin could not stand up to him at all, even more than before.
[Jin, you need power in this world. To do what you want, you need the power to silence those who oppose you.]
Yuya said to Jin, who was crouching on the floor. To move Jin, this is a good way to say it. With that in mind, Jin is actually worried about Yuya's proposal, which he dismissed with a single word when he was first asked.
[Mei understands. Because she understands, she's not afraid to be a villain for the sake of the future.]
Furthermore, Yuya spoke words that seemed to see through Jin's recent troubles. The bad government of the Izrim Empire is what Mei needs in order to realize her wishes. Mei understands that and is exercising her power as an emperor.
[What about Jin? What does Jin want to do? If that's something different from what Mei and I want to do, then there's nothing I can do about it. Jin doesn't have the power to shut me and Mei up.]
An overwhelming difference in power. Jin doesn't have the power to stop Yuya's rampage. Even if Jin tries to do something, Yuya and Mei can easily stop him.
[It's up to Jin to decide what to do. I won't try to force things on you. But, Jin. Your hands are already dirty. It's not just you. my hands, Mei's hands, and that one. Our hands are filthy, and the only one who doesn't accept that is Jin.]
Yuya even brought up Ren, whom Yuya must hate. He is the best person to stimulate Jin's mind. His complex toward Yuya is always against his rival who is always above him, but it is different with Ren. Ren denies Jin's existence. It is a fearful thing that seems to erase Jin's very existence.
Jin thinks. It is not Yuya or Mei who stands in the way of his path. It is Ren. Ren always blocks his path ahead of him. Ren's presence does not allow him to fly in this world.
Perhaps that is true. But is this thought that now dominates Jin's thoughts really his? Jin does not know. The power that Yuya has acquired is not just about beating his opponents with brute force.
"......I must become stronger. For the sake of those who need my power."
Muttering words to himself, Jin slowly stood up from his chair. His steps were not firm.
"It's for the sake of getting stronger... not for myself. It's the power to protect the people."
Jin's muttering continues. Jin cannot move unless he keeps telling himself this. Jin has not yet truly made up his mind. He is not ready to transcend right and wrong as a human being.
Even so, he starts to move. His destination is the bed. He picks up the bucket that is placed right next to the bed and slowly lifts it up. Soon, the bucket tilts over and the bright red liquid inside spills out. Jin is drenched in it from the head. His vision turns bright red, and with it, his thoughts blur.
There is no need to mutter anymore. The ritual had already begun when he was drenched in the red liquid, the blood of the demon that Yuya had prepared for him. The will within Jin would not allow him to stop.
Jin continues to move, albeit slowly, to do what needs to be done. He climbs into the bed, the sheets stained red. There was a guest in front of him. Women with their hands bound to the bed and black cloth completely covering their heads. The women wearing nothing but black cloth were on the bed.
――The next morning. In the same room, Jin is sitting on the floor with his hands on his head, just like the day before. The bed where he had spent the night was stained bright red. It was not only the stain made by the blood of the demon that Jin had covered his head with. It was stained red with the blood of the women Jin had killed.
The ritual was over. Unlike Yuya's, it was a one-night ritual.
As a human being, Jin felt that it was madness, but he couldn't stand being tainted by it. Yet the Jin of today is different from the Jin of last night. The power that was hidden inside him has been awakened by the ritual.
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