“……Pardon? P-Prince Consort? Do you mean His Imperial Majesty’s son-in-law?”
Even at the envoy’s shocked question, Victoria did not so much as blink.
Resting her chin on one hand, she looked down at him with an icy gaze.
“Did you not hear me clearly? He is the husband of the emperor’s eldest daughter—my husband. If you wish to find an envoy of higher standing than him in this empire, you would have to summon the crown prince himself.”
The envoy, who had stood there blankly for a moment as though his soul had left him, hurriedly bowed his head and changed his attitude completely.
“N-no, of course not! If he is His Imperial Majesty’s son-in-law and the husband of Her Highness the Commander-in-Chief, how could his standing be lacking? Rather, from the perspective of our Kingdom of Laurent, he is an envoy noble beyond measure—more than sufficient, even undeservedly exalted!”
As the envoy wiped away cold sweat and bowed obsequiously, the imperial generals standing behind him were still staring at Victoria with deeply bewildered eyes.
A silent shock filled the tent.
But Victoria swept the generals once with a cool gaze, as if asking what they were looking at, and silenced them in an instant.
Then she declared to the envoy once more.
“I hope your side will take special care to ensure that my beloved husband completes his mission safely in enemy territory and returns.”
“I will keep it in mind, Your Highness. As has always been the custom, we will receive him on the condition that neither side will commence hostilities until both envoys have safely returned to their respective camps.”
“Good. I agree. Have a safe trip, Ian.”
“I will be away for a while.”
Once Victoria’s permission was given, I let out an inward sigh and followed the envoy of the Kingdom of Laurent out of the tent.
#
As I rode across the plains with the escort led by the envoy, I casually asked him a question.
“Will I be meeting His Majesty the King of Laurent in person?”
“Ah, we cannot take you that far. His Majesty is in the capital to the rear, you see. It would take far too long to go all the way there and back, and we are in wartime. At the command post of the First Wall, which is where we are headed now, His Highness the Prince and General Henry Alfonso, the commander-in-chief, are both present in person.”
“You mean His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Officially, he is still His Highness the Prince, but… if this war ends in victory for our Kingdom of Laurent, will that not likely become the truth?”
“Hmm. Please don’t take this the wrong way… but what happens if this war ends in defeat for the Kingdom of Laurent?”
“Then whether he is crown prince or not would no longer have any meaning, would it?”
“…True. That was a foolish question.”
The Crown Prince and General Alfonso—the two key targets of my attempt to sow discord—were gathered in one place. If anything, that was convenient.
“In any case, the two central figures of this war are at the front line, so that is where you need to go.”
“Understood. It will be an honor to meet them both.”
I answered with a gentle smile, but my mind was already busy spinning all manner of schemes to drive a wedge between those two and lead the hero to ruin.
Just then, the envoy riding beside me kept glancing at me, until at last, with an expression as if he could no longer hold back, he opened his mouth.
“Er, forgive me, Your Highness. If I may dare ask……”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“How on earth did you become the husband of Her Highness Victoria von Arzenheim, the Iron-Blooded one with neither blood nor tears? That terrifying lady whose reputation resounds across the continent… just how on earth……”
“Please refrain from insulting my wife.”
“My apologies. That was not what I meant, it’s just…”
In the envoy’s eyes was not so much awe toward the empire’s prince consort as shock and pity, as though he were looking at a madman who had crawled into a tiger’s den of his own accord.
I gave a faint laugh at that tragicomic reaction and lightly shrugged.
“Well, things happened as I lived my life.”
“And those things would be…”
“It would be a little much to tell all of that to an enemy envoy.”
“…My apologies.”
“No need to apologize. I hear that sort of thing often enough myself. By the way, did you say you were a court count?”
“Yes, I am a court count who serves His Majesty closely.”
“Hmm. Is Laurent III in good health?”
At my pointed question, the court count avoided answering.
“…He is in good health.”
“Hmm…”
“I do not know what unpleasant rumors you may have heard, but His Majesty Laurent III is hale and hearty.”
“I heard he has not appeared in public for the past several months.”
“There simply have not been any public occasions requiring His Majesty’s presence.”
The battle of nerves between us continued, each of us fiercely trying to draw information from the other.
In any case, we rode for quite some time after that and finally reached the foot of a vast mountain range.
Another full day on horseback from there, and at last we arrived before the legendary First Wall of Laurent, which blocked the narrow gap between one mountain range and another.
“……My God.”
I craned my neck all the way back, looking upward with my mouth agape.
It was overwhelming.
A sheer, enormous wall that looked easily over twenty meters tall loomed over us, blotting out the sky.
On top of that, a moat that seemed at least ten meters wide and ten meters deep had been dug before the wall, not even permitting approach.
‘Insane. They tried to smash through something like this head-on for two hundred years?’
It was the moment I understood to my bones why the imperial army had failed to cross this wall for two hundred years and had been forced to turn back.
“I have brought an envoy from the empire! Open the gate!”
With the heavy sound of iron chains, a massive drawbridge descended over the moat.
We crossed the bridge and entered the fortress.
Beyond the gate, the orderly yet murderous military camp formed by more than a hundred thousand soldiers of the Kingdom of Laurent stretched endlessly before us.
The soldiers looked high in morale, their complexions were healthy as though they were well supplied, their physiques were decent, and their weapons were well maintained.
Guided by the envoy, I arrived at the commander-in-chief’s tent in the middle of the encampment.
“Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief, Your Highness… the envoy from the empire has arrived.”
When I entered the tent, two men came into view, seriously discussing operations over a large map spread out before them.
One was a vigorous young man around my age, wearing splendid royal armor.
The other was a huge middle-aged man with a magnificent beard, clad in old but well-polished armor.
The overwhelming charisma and spirit emanating from between his massive build and deeply carved wrinkles made it clear that he was no ordinary man.
The middle-aged general checked my face, then tilted his head as if puzzled by how excessively young I looked for an envoy.
By contrast, the crown prince in splendid armor looked me up and down, then openly showed his displeasure and snorted.
“Hah. Our Kingdom of Laurent at least observed propriety and sent a high-ranking court count. And yet the empire sent a mere young junior officer as its envoy? Even if it is a great empire, I would have hoped it would observe at least basic etiquette.”
It was a provocation in its own way.
I was not flustered at all. Instead, with a relaxed and confident smile, I stepped forward.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ian Harper, son-in-law of His Imperial Majesty of the Great Empire and husband of Commander-in-Chief Victoria von Arzenheim.”
“……Wh-what? Son-in-law?”
“The emperor of the Great Empire’s own son-in-law has come in person. Would you say this is sufficient standing for an envoy?”
At my confident introduction, the crown prince’s face, which had been held high with his chin raised, instantly froze into a dumbfounded expression.
It was then.
The middle-aged general, who had been observing me with interest the entire time, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha! His Imperial Majesty’s son-in-law! The empire has sent quite an important figure!”
Laughing with good cheer, the general approached me.
There was not a single opening or disorder in his gait.
“I never imagined a member of the imperial family would personally walk into the heart of enemy territory. That nerve of yours, not cowering even before an enemy general, is remarkable. Indeed, I suppose one must possess at least that much courage to become the imperial family’s son-in-law.”
The man was far taller and larger than I was.
The moment I saw him approach, it felt as if a great mountain range were rumbling toward me.
Even if Arthur were standing beside him, he would likely be smaller than this man.
The general came up before me and willingly extended a large hand that looked nearly twice the size of mine.
His eyes were gentle, but the weight of the warrior contained within them was heavy.
“Welcome. I am Henry Alfonso, commander-in-chief of the Kingdom of Laurent’s defense forces.”
‘So this is the greatest commander on the continent…….’
Facing him, I wore the clearest, most courteous smile imaginable on the outside.
Then I firmly clasped his large, calloused hand.
‘Yes. This perfect, magnificent man… I must kill him in the most wretched way with my own hands.’
On the lips of the hero and the swindler, whose hands were clasped together, deep smiles of entirely different meanings appeared.