Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego
Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego
After hearing my plan, Cellevian's group asked me three separate times if I was in my right mind.
Honestly, that much was generous. Ozweol, who ended up saddled with the task of drafting the documents in proper format, kept asking me to repeat and confirm things over and over as he took down my words.
"You really want me to write it like this?"
That confirmation was still ongoing. I was starting to get annoyed, but since I understood exactly what the bastard was worried about, I nodded and answered.
"I'm going to read through it and confirm everything later anyway. I won't blame you for anything once it's sent, so shut up and just write it down."
I barely had any experience drafting documents in proper form beyond what I'd picked up learning butler work, so honestly I'd been unsure, but Ozweol's presence turned out to be this helpful. The one doing the writing looked like death warmed over, but I couldn't have cared less. Cellevian watched me lazing around the room eating nuts and spoke with a queasy expression.
"Is it really true that just sending this kind of ins...crutable document to the count and the king will give it legal effect?"
The odd pause made it obvious he'd been about to say 'insane.' I understood. Even as the one putting this into action, I found it absurd. But there wasn't much I could tell him.
"It will."
The people receiving it would probably think some lunatic was spouting nonsense, but that attitude would obviously flip the moment the incident blew up and rumors spread, so there was no need to worry about it.
"The only problem is that sending documents fast costs a fair bit of coin, but we made plenty of money this time."
How fortunate that the bastards targeting me were all rich. I reminisced about the fat coin purses and jewelry pouches while relentlessly prodding Ozweol, and thanks to that, the properly formatted documents were finished in no time. The handwriting was a bit lacking since it was rushed, but that actually looked better than something too neat, and I found myself nodding approvingly.
Seeing Ozweol's face brighten at my satisfied reaction, I answered with a smile of my own.
"Now tell me about the fastest mail delivery method you know of in the west."
Ozweol's face, which had been relaxing as he thought his part was done, instantly crumpled back into a death mask.
◈
The missive that Eldmia had wrung out of Ozweol through relentless prodding and squeezing was delivered in three days to Kaldar XVI, King of Kaldar, by the fastest means available in the west.
Under normal circumstances, a letter written by some random traveler would never have reached a king. But this letter, delivered via the Magic Library's spatial leap magic—a method so prohibitively expensive for sending mere documents that it was almost never used—was a different story.
The sheer expense of a delivery method that compelled you to confirm what the hell was inside before who it was from forced the king and his close advisors to devote time to it, and forced those who examined the contents to convene with grave faces.
Yet even once the meeting began, the contents were so peculiar that an atmosphere of reluctance to voice opinions first persisted—until Kaldar XVI himself broke the ice.
"Didn't the Empire explicitly state they had no connection to this...?"
As befitting the king of a historic kingdom that had lasted sixteen generations in the west—a region overflowing with men running wild like unbridled colts—Kaldar XVI had no intention of rebuking his vassals with rash judgment. Moreover, the matter he'd just mentioned had been delivered personally by an envoy from the Kingdom of Belhondra, so Kaldar XVI had heard it with his own ears.
He'd simply spoken aloud a question that arose in the process of trying to somehow make sense of the situation before his eyes. But the hearts of subordinates were uncontrollable things, and several of them flinched as if they'd committed a crime.
There wasn't a single kingdom unaware that urgent dispatches had been sent in the name of the Margrave of Kelbast all the way to Itisel. This was the result of those who couldn't physically interfere but also couldn't give up on the money and information flowing through there diligently operating their informants.
Like the others, Kaldar XVI too had eyes and ears planted there. He'd been considerably shocked by the story of orcs riding ancient gates to far-off Itisel and wreaking havoc, and had shown immense interest in the tale of Eldmia, who was moving to cross the great grasslands alone to return to his homeland.
So he'd ordered his close aides to attach a capable observer and was keeping a close watch. True to his reputation as a renowned capable man of the west, the observer had carried out his commission thoroughly, and thanks to that, Kaldar XVI had rather quickly confirmed that the Eldmia on the move from Kelbast was indeed the Eldmia of rumor.
Even if only half the circulating rumors and intelligence were true, the boy possessed the makings of a hero worthy of a place in the history books.
Though it was an incident entangled with the Empire, the fact that none other than the Iron-Blood Princess herself had personally traveled to Itisel to set her sights on this figure meant that even just securing his person and safely sending him to imperial territory would be a diplomatic gain. So he'd been waiting for the Empire to make its stance clear while keeping all troops ready to move.
Which was why he'd been secretly flustered when the Empire's reply came back flatly disavowing any connection.
And yet even so, he simply couldn't comprehend the current situation with Eldmia running amok.
'Just what is he relying on to move like this?'
The letter's phrasing was verbose, but its core was simple. He'd discovered circumstantial evidence and definitive proof regarding Count Mekelin's activities in attempting to assassinate him—an innocent man—simply because he felt unpleasant, and through this, he intended to hold Count Mekelin directly accountable.
Included was the outrageous assertion that since the weight of a mere adventurer's life and that of Count Mekelin, a noble leading a household, were not equal, he would wage war against the count's house—rather than fight a duel—to prove his innocence. Along with this came the statement that since his sole objective was to defend his honor, he would not claim ownership of Count Mekelin's personal assets after his death, so that Kaldar XVI, as the rightful lord of this land, could reclaim them in their entirety.
Had this been a territorial war, the letter would have had no issues whatsoever. The same would have been true had it been a letter requesting witness to a duel of honor between nobles or between knights. In fact, it was a situation where he could swallow up a faction that kept the royal house in check without lifting a finger, so he'd have welcomed it with open arms.
The problem was that this was a fight between a count—master of a domain and leader of a faction—and 'one man.'
"Does this even make any sense? It's a claim no different from saying 'I'm going to assassinate a noble so stay out of it.' I believe we must dispatch troops immediately, arrest this person, and hold him to account!"
One indignant noble ground his teeth as he asserted this. He wasn't particularly part of Count Mekelin's faction, but apparently his pride as a noble couldn't accept the situation.
"What kind of baseless argument is that? Did you read the whole thing properly? The third page is clearly a formal letter of challenge for a duel of honor."
The one who responded was a different noble of pro-Imperial inclination, and what he said was true. The copy of the duel letter that had clearly also been delivered to Count Mekelin had been read by everyone present in this chamber.
"How is this a duel!"
"If there is proof and the involved party desires it, is that not a duel? There's no way Count Mekelin has any choice in the matter, especially since the proof is genuine. Don't claim it's forged. The herald has already verified everything."
"Does a duel between a great noble and an outsider no different from some vagrant holding no status make any sense!"
"That vagrant holds the legitimate right and states outright that he will prove his innocence before the gods—just what exactly is the problem? If anything, the terms are so overwhelmingly favorable to Count Mekelin that it's nothing short of absurd."
He too furrowed his brow, but for a different reason—clearly he didn't find the matter to his liking. This was an issue that, had it been brought to the capital, would have provided a pretext for political attack. Yet he'd received unilateral notification that such a pretext was going to be used up in a duel he was bound to lose. The thought of a missed opportunity soured his mood considerably.
And he wasn't alone in thinking so. Joy and sorrow crossed the faces of those divided by faction.
"Lord Bans speaks truly. It is indeed an insolent attitude, yet the forms have been observed and the proof is certain. Since the man himself has directly requested a duel, obstructing it would instead diminish the royal house's prestige and shake the law of the land."
The anti-Imperial faction aligned with Count Mekelin, certain that a troublesome incident was resolving itself, asserted the duel's legitimacy. In a situation where the pro-Imperial nobles, fully aware of their opponents' inner thoughts yet unable to find a way to refute them, could only mutter darkly, Kaldar XVI—realizing voices were rising—raised his hand to silence everyone.
"Enough. Though this is an unprecedented situation, it seems your opinions have already tilted toward there being no issue whatsoever with the duel this Eldmia Ega proposes."
Only the one who had first raised his voice looked displeased. More than ten other nobles all nodded, each bearing their own private sentiments. At this, Kaldar XVI—who had been hoping the pro-Imperial side might produce some sharp countermeasure—let out a sigh tinged with regret and announced:
"Count Mekelin's crimes are clear. Illegal support of elf hunting and sponsorship of illegal slave trading, and unjust conspiracy to commit assassination. Originally, it would be right to bring him before a court of law over these matters... however, at the request of Eldmia Ega, an adventurer of Itisel who uncovered these crimes and unjustly faced a threat to his life, a duel of honor shall be conducted first."
If Count Mekelin lost the duel, all crimes would be confirmed and the household would share the punishment of the law together. If he won, at the very least he would be acquitted of the assassination conspiracy.
Sweeping his gaze across the anti-Imperial faction, who nodded and smiled with satisfaction, and the pro-Imperial faction, who couldn't erase their queasy expressions, Kaldar XVI concluded.
"This shall be observed under the laws of the kingdom and by royal decree, and for the sake of lawful procedure, it shall be conducted in the presence of a royal witness. The duel shall be waged, as per Eldmia Ega's request... against the 'House' of Count Mekelin."
And the smiles on the lips of the nobles belonging to the anti-Imperial faction deepened.
They were truly satisfied-looking smiles.