Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Invitation from the Hildrian Empire
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'No way, when did that woman even see me to invite me?'
The Hildrian Empire, known across the continent as the Ice Empire.
A land where snow fell for more than half the year, home to bizarre monsters like ice trolls and ice ogres.
It produced endless supplies of magic stones—more than anywhere else on the continent—along with precious minerals like gems, making it a mythical realm shrouded in mystery for all continent-dwellers.
And now, that empire's female emperor was inviting me.
'Anyway, this popularity of mine...'
I'd long since parted ways with humility.
I was quietly pleased by the female emperor's sharp eye for talent, despite the invitation coming from across the sea.
"If you refuse the invitation, Her Majesty says she'll cut off the magic stone supply. Not just to you, Lord Cayer, but to our kingdom as well."
'Huh! What the hell is this now?'
But Princess Krisia's calm voice ringing in my ears snapped me back to reality.
"What kind of nonsense is that? When has she even seen me to invite me like this?"
"Hee-hee, who knows why?"
Krisia flashed a brief smile at my incredulous question, staring straight at me.
'I'm no fortune-teller; how should I know?'
All I knew about the Ice Empire of Hildria was that it was ruled by a fairly young female emperor and that it was a closed-off place with little exchange with the continent.
'It is a place I've wanted to visit once...'
I was suspicious of the empress's invitation, but the allure of an unknown land tugged at me too.
A place continent folk called the Dream Continent.
If Neruman had been stable, I would've gone there long ago.
A land overflowing with magic stones and gold.
And one where every woman was a beauty, to boot.
Any man with big dreams would naturally want to see it.
"When do you plan to go?"
Krisia asked as I fell silent.
'I can't do without magic stones...'
If I were on good terms with the mage towers, I could scrape some together, but I'd turned my back on not just the towers but nearly every empire and merchant guild on the continent.
Acquiring embargoed goods here was about as easy as plucking stars from the sky.
Newly built castles, fortresses everywhere, and construction sites all across the land—they all absolutely required magic stones.
'Without them, I couldn't even complete a third of what I planned.'
I knew full well the Raviter bastards wouldn't back down so easily.
Not to mention that thug emperor of Bazran, who treated alliances like roadside pebbles.
Before those scum could act, I had to turn Neruman into an impregnable fortress.
"How long would the trip take? As you may know, given Neruman's situation, it's not easy for me to step away."
Meeting some random female emperor was no big deal compared to developing Neruman.
Her motives were suspicious, but I was the one in need.
"We know full well that Neruman is still in peril. That's why we plan to provide the shortest possible sea route."
'If only I had a speedboat.'
I knew next to nothing about seafaring.
But in this era where time was gold—no, diamonds—my 21st-century mind couldn't help but yearn for the speedboats that were everywhere back home.
"If you catch the Sharikna winds just right, it's about half a month by wyvern. Without one, using a ship with lots of sails, it'd take around ten days."
'Ten days? No good...'
Ten days there, who knew how long I'd have to stay, and add the return trip—that was nearly a month for sure.
Life without Bebeto was like red bean paste without the beans, or panties without the elastic.
Using wyvern flight paths, it'd drag on even longer, over a month easy.
And in that time, someone could steamroll Neruman and have seconds.
"Impossible. I can't afford that kind of leisure."
The warm atmosphere turned tense in an instant.
I hated to lose the magic stones, but I couldn't abandon Neruman.
Spies were surely watching my every move and Neruman's right now.
If word got out I was gone, it'd be like a house without an owner.
Wyvern numbers had grown, but our forces still weren't even kingdom-level.
"Sigh... I know. But you must go. The empress is furious right now."
'Furious? When has she even seen me?'
"We've had no dealings with the Hildrian Empire or its lord, so why would the empress be furious? I just don't get it."
This wasn't the time for jokes.
First the continent's empires, now an overseas one turning against me.
"It's all because of you, Lord Cayer."
Krisia looked at me reproachfully, blaming me outright.
"No, what do you...?"
"Remember? Tiabel, who visited with me last late autumn."
'Tiabel?'
Of course I remembered.
The ice beauty with lustrous silver hair, rare on the continent.
How could I forget the way she'd laughed at my sparrow parody joke?
"Yes, I remember."
"She wants to see you, Lord Cayer."
"What!!!"
My heart dropped at the words that Tiabel wanted to see me.
I'd just given her a polite, warm welcome out of courtesy, but apparently that had led to a misunderstanding.
"W-Well, be that as it may, what does Miss Tiabel wanting to see me have to do with the empress's fury? Are you saying she's royalty or something?"
"Yes... she is royalty."
"..."
'Damn it!'
I'd never even considered it.
Why would Hildrian royalty, wrapped in secrecy, visit a dangerous backwater like Neruman?
But in this moment, my flabbergasted mutter turned out to be true.
My face stiffened.
"And not just any royalty—she's the one and only imperial princess, the sole heir to lead the next generation of the Hildrian Empire."
"Gahk!"
The Hildrian Empire, where the throne always passed to a woman by tradition.
The one woman destined to become its emperor.
'No way!'
An unbelievable scream echoed in my chest.
Fate's prank or not, how could the heir to Hildria's throne want to see me?
"Our kingdom is in dire straits because of this too. With Neruman aside, Hildria is just about our only ally. If they turn their back, it'll cripple kingdom operations. Kesmir has no magic stone mines at all."
Krisia wore a troubled expression.
"How did Miss Tiabel—no, the princess—end up visiting Neruman? For the empire's heir to...?"
I tossed out the question again, unable to believe it.
"Sigh! It's all my fault. I've been friends with Princess Tiabel since childhood, and she'd occasionally visit the kingdom for fun. And wouldn't you know it, she showed up right when she was planning a trip to Neruman, so she came all the way here."
'Damn it all...'
The whole situation painted itself clearly in my mind.
No escaping it now.
'No, but what does she see in me anyway? And if her daughter's like that, just rein her in—why summon me?'
My face soured.
It felt good that a beauty like Tiabel wanted to see me, but feeling pathetic about having to go to Hildria because of her emotions.
"There is a way to shorten the time. You could make it back in as little as ten days if things go well."
"What do you...?"
Krisia had shown up out of nowhere, kicked me into a pit of confusion, then dangled "ten days" to perk my ears.
I had no room to nitpick, not when I desperately needed those magic stones.
"Our kingdom has a method we use only in dire emergencies. But it comes with enormous risks."
'Is she messing with me? Giving grief then balm—having a grand old time.'
Krisia, dropping by unannounced to heap more worries on my already tough life.
She was tempting me with this massively risky method.
"You probably want to hop on a wyvern and fly across the sea right now. But if it tried to land on the water mid-flight, the giant sea monsters and beasts infesting the ocean would send you straight to the gods in seconds."
Krisia smiled brightly, nailing my exact thoughts.
'Tch.'
I swallowed bitterly.
Dirty and sneaky as it was, with Hildria's empress—who held Neruman's lifeline by the throat—summoning me, I had to go.
'This is nothing for a man on his path!'
I steeled myself.
My paradise was nearly complete—just a bit more effort and time.
"I'd like to hear what this method is."
"It's extremely dangerous. You sure?"
Krisia smiled and asked again.
"Haha, of course. Don't worry—just tell me the method."
I puffed out my chest and put on a bold grin.
"Hee-hee, I figured you'd say that."
"..."
'Fox.'
My beaming smile twisted into a scowl.
Thinking about it, this whole crisis stemmed from that fox Krisia.
'Sigh, putting up with it 'cause she's pretty.'
"We'll need time to prepare too. Since the kingdom has to back this officially, it'll take about a month."
She wouldn't reveal the method yet, just said it'd take a month.
I was all for it.
I needed to squeeze every last drop out of the prisoners for territorial development until it was time to send back the Raviter imperial troops.
"We'll have the holy water ready right away—the batch we couldn't provide last autumn."
"Thanks for your consideration, my lord. Just in case, I've brought some magic stones too."
'Can't even hate her.'
A fox for sure, but with her beauty and smarts, Krisia deserved praise for her actions.
She was the culprit behind this mess, but anyway.
Hildria's aid was crucial for Neruman's long-term growth.
Turning crisis into opportunity, like the proverb about resting when you fall.
The kind of brilliant wisdom only a 21st-century archmage could have.
As always, take it or leave it...