Episode 62
“You overestimate them simply because they rescued you. Furthermore, Asgard? Do you truly believe a mercenary band composed of mere barbarians can become a nation?”
Belittling him.
“You must steel your heart. If you are swayed by petty sentiments, you will find it difficult to ascend to the throne. This is why the second prince, Eron, threatens your claim to the throne!”
Rebuking him.
“Tsk, tsk.”
They clicked their tongues.
The more they did so, the more strength drained from Ash’s shoulders.
He had to stop them. If things continued this way, they would encounter horrors beyond imagination.
He had to prevent that at all costs…!
But he lacked the power.
‘If only Albert were here at a time like this….’
Albert, the former captain of the Royal Guard of the Ronia Kingdom.
A wielder of the Divine Armament [Thunderclap], and under his command was Lapilta, the ultimate shield.
If only those two were by his side, he would never have been disregarded like this.
‘Where in the world have they gone!’
He had clearly ordered them to find the legendary potion. But if there was no news, a report saying as much should have come in, yet even that was absent.
‘…Useless fools!’
Ash was grinding his teeth.
“Your Highness is correct.”
The nobles, and even Ash, started in surprise and looked at Marquis Hallum.
He was looking at Ash with a broad smile.
“There must be a reason why Prince Ash speaks so. Would you tell us what that reason is?”
Seeing Hallum’s smiling eyes, Ash felt conflicted. He worried about where to begin.
“The first time I met them was….”
Ash told them everything he had seen and felt from beginning to end.
Each time Ash spoke, the nobles snickered, but because Marquis Hallum listened intently, he did not stop.
When the story ended, the nobles shook their heads in dismissal.
They could not believe the prince’s words.
Ash bit back his anger at their reaction, yet cast a gaze full of hope toward Marquis Hallum, who showed a different response.
Marquis Hallum glanced at Ash with a face that seemed to be thinking seriously about something.
“Prince Ash.”
“W-why is that, Marquis Hallum?”
“Forgive my rudeness, but I shall speak honestly.”
Hallum shook his head and spoke.
“It is difficult to believe Your Highness’s words. I find it hard to believe an army capable of such feats exists on this continent.”
“It is not merely hard to believe, but impossible, Marquis Hallum! Even a trained Divine Armament user finds it no easy task to kill a single wight, yet you say they slew a thousand?”
“It is a preposterous tale.”
“Surely Prince Ash must have been mistaken.”
Ash’s body trembled at the nobles’ reproach.
Mistaken? How could he mistake such a thing! He had seen and experienced it with his own two eyes while his very life hung in the balance.
And now those before him called it a lie.
Ash tried to spring to his feet, but Hallum pressed down on his shoulder and seated him again.
“I see. It is indeed difficult to believe. But some of it may be true.”
The nobles looked at Marquis Hallum.
“Did you see their armor?”
The nobles looked at one another and tilted their heads.
“Armor?”
The central nobles gathered here had only seen how wildly the Berserk warriors had reveled, so they had not observed their equipment closely.
Even during the banquet, they had cast off their armor and worn only leather attire, so the nobles could only find it puzzling.
“Their equipment was in the corner of the banquet hall. It was armor crafted so precisely that one would doubt whether even the kingdom’s finest blacksmith could produce such excellent gear. Furthermore….”
Marquis Hallum stroked his beard.
“Their weapons were also extraordinarily large and heavy, far too remarkable to be called ordinary. And how fearsomely sharp their blades were….”
Not understanding what Marquis Hallum was getting at, the nobles broke into cold sweats.
They could not comprehend it.
They knew nothing of armor, and the Nod tribe had always used swords, clubs, and axes of crude, massive size.
Marquis Hallum observed their reactions and let out a small sigh.
“I see my words fail to reach you. Well, to put it simply, they were armaments far too precious for a mere mercenary band to possess.”
Marquis Hallum folded his arms and looked over each of the nobles.
“Has anyone found the whereabouts of Count ‘Stinger’?”
At the sudden question, the nobles averted their gazes from Marquis Hallum.
“Well, that is….”
“He has been missing for quite some time….”
The nobles shook their heads.
Marquis Hallum smiled broadly at them.
“Yes. Without Count Stinger, we have no hope.”
The Stinger house.
It was the house called the Guardian Sword of Ronia.
Years ago, during the Empire’s invasion, it had prevented the loss of a single territory, and thereafter, not even other kingdoms dared to look down on the Kingdom of Ronia.
The house of the man who had brought such strength to Ronia had collapsed, and he had been missing for several years now.
If he were alive and sided with either Eastern or Western Ronia, he was a fearsome figure of such magnitude that regardless of which power he joined, one could say the war would already be over.
“He is currently missing, but his command was extraordinary. Honestly, is not the reason we have endured until now the hope that we might find him?”
But they still could not find him. It was the same no matter how hard they tried.
Marquis Hallum looked around at the nobles and spoke.
“We need someone who can become our strength now.”
For them in their current state, they needed anyone who could be a source of strength. It did not matter if they were heretics or barbarians.
They needed only someone who could become the strength of Eastern Ronia.
“We must recruit them. These are truly dangerous times. So what if they are barbarians? They may be a great power for us!”
At Marquis Hallum’s passionate declaration, Ash’s face brightened, while the nobles nodded with reluctant expressions.
Rather than being persuaded, it seemed more like they intended to act on the words simply because Marquis Hallum had spoken them.
“…I-I see.”
“In fact, I too agreed with the Marquis!”
Once all agreed, Marquis Hallum looked at Ash and spoke.
“Is this sufficient now?”
Ash’s eyes shone at Marquis Hallum, who had gone this far for him. He looked like an expectant child gazing upon a revered father.
“Th-thank you, Marquis Hallum! Thanks to you, I have gained their support! Then now, diplomatically….”
But Marquis Hallum’s next words trampled that expectation.
“Yes, we must resolve this diplomatically.”
A sharp glint poured from Marquis Hallum’s smiling face.
“A newborn nation, Asgard. A knight order from a foreign country is currently in our territory.”
Ash felt his hands and feet grow cold.
“A foreign nation, and a newly founded one at that, has invaded our Ronia? Moreover, they are thoroughly armed.”
“M-Marquis Hallum?”
By the time Ash looked at Marquis Hallum, the man was no longer listening to a word Ash said.
“Disposing of a thousand wights? Rescuing the prince? No. That is not what matters. The problem is that Nods all of knight-class caliber have looked down on Ronia and invaded our territory.”
Marquis Hallum’s lips twisted upward. His thick hand slammed down harshly on the command table.
At the booming sound, the nobles looked at Marquis Hallum.
He laughed viciously and licked his lips with his tongue.
“No matter how weakened our Kingdom of Ronia has become, how dare…! Barbarians and heretics? I ask you! How should we respond to their invasion?”
Ash’s face paled.
Something was going terribly wrong.
“W-wait! Marquis Hallum! Listen to me….”
“Prince Ash!”
Hallum sprang to his feet and looked down at Ash.
Though a smile spread across his shadowed face, his eyes were nothing short of cruel.
“If what they have established is truly a nation, and if they are its army… it becomes a diplomatic issue.”
“……!”
“We must find out in detail what purpose brought them here.”
At Marquis Hallum’s words, the nobles cried out with surprised eyes.
“Indeed. This is an invasion!”
“Dispatching troops to a foreign land without any consent? This violates Continental Law!”
“Moreover, they are looking down on us!”
“They must be punished!”
Gradually, they transformed from heroes into a disorderly mob, and from an army into invaders.
“Th-they saved me!”
“That too must have served a purpose. They call themselves a newborn nation, but who can know their true intentions?”
“Their destination is the Dark Society, I tell you! I requested that you introduce them! Marquis Hallum. Did you not say you made contact with the Dark Society recently? Then is it not your place to help!”
“…How naive. Do you think their purpose is merely that?”
“But…!”
Marquis Hallum clenched his fist.
“If we join hands with an unknown power, we will only become more precarious. Perhaps the Holy Order will completely regard us as ‘enemies’ and supply not just provisions but ‘troops’ to Western Ronia. Then… we will be finished.”
“B-but you said we would recruit them…?”
“Yes, that is correct. But there are many kinds of recruitment.”
“……?!”
“I have no intention of fighting them. Of course, it infuriates me that such rabble looks down on our Ronia, but….”
Marquis Hallum’s fierce expression slowly relaxed.
“After all, they are the benefactors who saved the prince. I intend to resolve this peacefully, without fighting. So rest assured.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes, I merely spoke those words to give us leverage in the negotiations.”
Ash’s face brightened. At that sight, Marquis Hallum nodded.
“Yes, their recruitment will proceed smoothly.”
Marquis Hallum narrowed his eyes.
“Smoothly, that is.”
“Th-thank goodness. Then I shall leave everything to you.”
Ash agreed to let Marquis Hallum take the lead in the negotiations.
The meeting ended shortly thereafter.
Watching the nobles leave, Marquis Hallum spoke to Ash.
“Ah, and what shall we do about the refugees?”
“Refugees?”
Ash, relieved that the crisis had passed, tilted his head.
“According to their claims, Your Highness promised to find them a home….”
Ash tilted his head and spoke.
“Who said such a thing?”
“The refugees claimed as much.”
Ash blinked and let out a hollow laugh.
“Of course I promised. I said I would do so after the war ended.”
“I see. Then there is no need to concern ourselves with them now.”
“Is that not obvious? It is regrettable, but we have no time to spare for them.”
Ash said so and rose from his seat. He too was tired and wished to rest.
“Ah! And it just so happens I remembered something: there is a refugee. And a guard who failed to recognize me.”
Ash spoke while looking at Marquis Hallum.
“See that they are properly dealt with for the crime of lese-majesty.”