978. The Duke’s Dream
Krang raised his glass and spoke. Aside from the droplets of purple liquid that had been in his glass, not a single drop remained.
“Ah, this is the victory toast. My knight won, so we should have a celebratory drink.”
He looked as if he had drunk quite a bit. His face was flushed, and his tone was strained.
Balmung let out a hollow laugh at what Krang said with a wry smile. That bastard King really loves provocation.
It wasn’t that Balmung would be okay with losing, but he had suppressed his emotions for the sake of more important matters.
Yet, they keep poking at him. Encred, Rem, and even the King are doing it.
This is really getting on my nerves.
You never know what will happen in a knight’s fight when they risk their lives. Knowing that, are they acting like this because they want me to make a mistake?
It seems like they’re just teasing me for fun.
If it is the latter, then they would be a truly peculiar king and a peculiar knight. Balmung also gulped down the wine glass placed before him in one go.
“Then I suppose this will be a punishment. I shouldn’t have said that. I did get permission from Lady Seriana, but I did it this way because I thought it would be easier to convey my feelings. For the record, Lady Seriana tried to dissuade me, and I stepped forward because I thought it would be easier to trust if I swore an oath.”
He wasn’t a politician. He was so inconsistent that it was hard to say he was good with words.
It is a situation that is hard to believe unless the other side are fools. I am not insulting your honor.
Kreis replied.
This was also cunning. It was as if he was saying, “I respect your honor, but given the circumstances, it can’t be helped.”
His Majesty has heard the story of the knight who killed the demon and the king, and wishes to meet that king to have an intimate conversation.
Prince Seriana speaks again.
“If it is simply about exchanging words, why not through letters or people?”
This time, Krang answered.
“You said that wanting to see it for yourself is just your own greed.”
“Interesting.”
“You also said that I would insist on asking, even though I wouldn’t believe it unless I saw it for myself.”
“……This is really amusing.”
To be honest, Krang was curious about the face of the man known as the Emperor. He wanted to glimpse the wisdom of the man who, sitting on his throne far away in the capital of the Empire, had predicted the conversation between himself and the envoy; he was also curious about the intention behind such an act, including his appearance. Nothing was known about the Emperor of the Empire, not even his age.
Some said the Emperor had never changed, while others claimed he was actually a fictitious being created by dozens of people.
In reality, even among those who served in the Empire, few had met the Emperor face-to-face.
Moreover, they did not speak of or discuss the Emperor. He had neither children nor a wife; he simply existed. That was the position of the Emperor of the Empire.
Because he concealed himself so completely and refused to reveal himself, he became an immeasurable terror to some, while to others he was revered like a god.
Krang gazed silently at Enkrid. Crys shook his head lightly, but that fellow was inherently full of anxiety.
If I die.
Marcus can simply act as regent.
Things were set up so that the kingdom could function even without a king. The timing was unfortunate. Now, the kingdom does not stop even if I am absent.
It wouldn’t be a big deal just because I am away for a while.
Another thought occurred to me: hadn’t I already met the King of Azpen and the King of the South?
Moreover, the King of Evergard had visited not long ago, accompanied only by a single knight, to verify his character.
“The Emperor summoning him personally seems like a different story in terms of scale, though.”
There is no way to know what the Emperor of the Empire is thinking, so it can be helped. What if a war breaks out with the Empire?
Fighting the Demon Realm is a lost cause.
It’s the same even if I win. If I lose, it’s only natural.
Krang had clearly identified his enemy. Not a human, but a monster—specifically, the Demon at the pinnacle of monsters, the Lord of the Demon Realm. If a gamble was necessary to fight them, he would take it.
Krang made up his mind.
“Lord Balmung, I will uphold your honor. Was it Duke Serias? You will also complete the mission you have been entrusted with.”
“Your Highness.”
A surprised Marcus hurriedly called out to him, but Krang just smiled sweetly.
“You all seem very worried. If things go wrong, I can just slip away. I’ll be accompanied by my guardian knight. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
The tone of the remark added afterwards was incredibly light. It sounded as if he were suggesting they go out for a nice drink, and Encrid nodded nonchalantly in response to the question directed at him. It was a matter of course.
Krang was a close friend and a king who stood in for the work he could not do. It was only natural to use his own sword to protect him.
“If I go to the Empire, will they treat me to food?”
Then he asks. At those words, Balmung burst into hearty laughter.
“then!”
It seemed he was truly taken with Encred. The Duke of Octo had not really intervened until things reached this point. All he had done was sit and eat and say a few necessary words. Aside from
telling them to rest comfortably while his attendant guided them, and revealing his identity, he spoke very sparingly. His face was not full of worry; he simply appeared to be deep in thought.
The next morning, in the audience chamber, an Imperial envoy, a knight, and a mage knelt on one knee, praising the King’s dignity and the prestige he had achieved on the continent, and presented a letter sent from the Empire.
Krang unfolded the blank scroll, read it, nodded, and spoke to everyone.
I will go to the Empire for a meeting with the Emperor.
It is a meeting, not a war.
Many breathed a sigh of relief, but then question marks appeared on everyone’s faces.
“What?”
“Where are you going?”
“Are you saying you are going in person?”
“Are you saying you are leading a unit?”
“Is it written as ‘meeting’ but read as ‘war’?”
It was a question asked by members of the Council of Ten and other major nobles.
“I’m going to the Empire, and the Order of the Mad Knights will be with me. Lord Cyprus is still busy holding off the Southern Mirror of Evil.”
Krang answered nonchalantly, while some of the nobles turned pale.
The kingdom and its surroundings had only just begun to stabilize, yet that mad king bastard was threatening to walk right into the jaws of a monster.
It was only natural that everyone was foaming at the mouth. The Duke of Octo suppressed the nobles’ uproar.
“Do you not trust the decision of the King you currently believe in and follow? I do. Think about it again. Do you want to wage war against the Empire right now? If not, we don’t have many options.”
He scolded and soothed. By ultimately making them praise the King through his sacrifice, he demonstrated that his political sense had not dulled.
Having witnessed all of this, Crys remarked that he was quite the sly one.
Come to think of it, the Duke of Octo’s words were somewhat contradictory, as they could have met at a midpoint or used various other methods; however, it was impressive to see him play the role of a stubborn old man while quelling the absurdity of the noble crowd by putting “I trust the King” at the forefront of everything.
Although Crys still wore a sullen expression, he nodded in understanding after meeting Krang separately.
“Trust me. If Enki goes with me, it will be enough to save me. Besides, you know this. If the Empire were targeting me, they wouldn’t need to pull such tricks. If they had sent an assassin, they would have; why go out of their way to summon me to the capital under the pretext of a meeting? If I die there, what would the Empire gain? Would they gain Naurilia? Of course not. If that happened, they would gain an enemy nation to fight to the death.”
Krang’s intuition must have been the basis for all these judgments. Kreis respected that. However, that didn’t mean he just nodded.
“For Your Majesty’s safety, I will summon one more person. Ah, to be precise, I will summon two more.”
Krang knew very well that Krys’s mind was filled with thoughts different from others and that this was to his advantage.
“Do as you please. What about the preparations for the salon business?”
“This damn war has to end first.”
The King is the biggest investor in the salon business. Crys dreamed of the day this influential figure would live a long life to support his business.
Even if that were not the case, he knew what a decent person the King was, that he was a close friend of his captain, and that he fully understood the respect shown in his attitude toward him, so he was filled with the determination never to let him die.
Later, they were discussing matters such as the date the Imperial delegation would depart and the route they would take to enter the Empire.
I wanted to talk for a moment.
Encreed faced the one who had requested to see him. It was the evening, with a few candles lit in a small drawing room.
For some reason, he was reminded of the time when Marquis Vaisar had summoned him while lying in bed.
Though younger than him, the Duke of Octo also had white hair. Although there were nobles who dyed their hair black with ink or dyes, he had not let his hair fall into such a trend.
Carry it.
The Duke spoke. On the drawing table lay his favorite dry, crispy, and savory snacks and teacups.
Should I ask why he called me? It was a sudden summons. Yet, it wasn’t an order;
it was closer to a request asking if I could stop by briefly if I had time. He seemed too desperate to ignore the request, and I also sensed his consideration in speaking to me while avoiding my training time. If
I were to piece it together, there were many reasons, but to sum it up, there was no reason to refuse.
Come in.
The Duke spoke again. One door opened and a woman entered. Her face was as beautiful as Kin Baisar’s, and the skin visible through her dress was white and fine.
“She is my adopted daughter. What
do you think?” “What do
you mean?” “Do you not consider her a suitable marriage partner? Is it because you have a wizard or a fairy by your side? Your standards are too high. You will realize as you live that looks aren’t everything.”
The Duke of Octo spoke as if he were truly sorry. His expression looked sincere, too.
In other words, his acting was so excellent that it would have been enough to fool anyone who hadn’t been a master at seeing through a fairy’s ability to hide their emotions. However, I was curious why he was going out of his way to say this.
When the quick-witted Duke saw that Encred wasn’t falling for it, he immediately revealed his true intentions.
“You’re not fooled. What was it like before Marquis Vaisar left?”
At those words, a memory came to mind.
“Please marry Kin. It is my last wish before I die. It would be even better if you could give me a lovely grandchild.”
Along with my memories, I understood why the Duke of Okto had gone out of his way to show me his adopted daughter.
Are these guys all just desperate to tease people?
“I am sorry, Sir. To be honest, I pestered Father. I really wanted to meet you in person at least once. No matter how many letters I sent, there was no reply, and even when I visited the Border Guard, all I could do was catch a glimpse of your face from a distance. Now that I have been able to see your face up close, even if it meant using your power, I suppose my wish has been fulfilled.”
The father teased Encred, and in the meantime, the daughter achieved her goal.
Should one support such a dream?
Within the Border Guard, there exists a group of ladies who follow the so-called Bewitching Knight. The Duke’s adopted daughter was a lady who held a high position in that group.
“Since it cannot belong to anyone, it cannot belong to everyone. We are content with merely looking. Have you heard that?”
The adopted daughter smiled and said.
“Have you heard of it?”
Encred replied nonchalantly. He
explained that since no one could stand by his side except for the Black Flower and the Golden Witch, he reasoned that since things were going to be this way, everyone might as well just take a look at that handsome face. Upon hearing this, Crys remarked, “So, the captain is indeed the flower of the salon.” In any case,
it was understandable that he would be perplexed, but Encred remained composed.
Having worked as a bodyguard for various ladies to become who he was today, he had—with a slight exaggeration—experienced things far more mischievous than this over a thousand times. That is why he remained calm.
“Well then, my wish has been granted, so I will be going. You are truly handsome, Sir.”
She left, saying her eyes had been treated to a feast. The Duke of Octo smiled as he watched.
What a funny child.
A father who supports his adopted daughter even as she behaves like that.
He is certainly not from an ordinary noble family. Then again, if he were an ordinary person, he wouldn’t even hold the title of Duke right now.
“Do you know what my wish is?”
The Duke of Okto asked.
“What is it?”
When Encred asked back, the Duke replied with a smile different from the one he had shown just moments ago.
If the earlier smile was one of willingness, this one looked desolate.
“I am dying and being buried in my own land.”
The story was not long. It was merely the wish of an old man who had lived on this land for a long time, a nobleman, and a man who loved his land and his surroundings.
“One day, those claiming to be the devil’s henchmen approached me. Do you know what they promised me?”
If it had approached all the other nobles, it would have approached the Duke of Octo as well. Why would he have targeted only the small scraps when there was such a large and delicious piece of meat?
Judging by the current situation, the Duke did not fall for the devil’s trick. That was all there was to it, but in the process, the Duke became deep in thought.
“He promised me land. Land that will never be encroached upon by anyone for the rest of my life, and which will remain my property to be passed down to my descendants even after I die. Isn’t that interesting?”
The joy of the land and the harvest—that was the Duke of the Fertile Land’s inherent desire. The Devil guaranteed it, but the Duke thought differently.
End the war.
He told the King as well. He said that he was past his prime and that the best he could do was simply support and encourage whatever the King wanted.
And now, the Duke of Octo made a request to the King’s Knight.
I want to die, buried peacefully in my own land.
He expressed his wish. Since Encred always supports everyone’s dreams, he supported the Duke’s dream as well.
That will happen.
It was late at night, and their meeting was brief. Encrid heard the Duke’s wish and nodded. Did all of this weigh heavily on his shoulders as a burden? That was not the case.
Encrid reaffirmed his resolve and determination once again.
It must have been the influence of that mindset. A boatman appeared in his dream.
