Chapter 14
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 14 - Heading to the North
Emperor Theodore Minerva's office was filled with the heavy scent of aloeswood and the warmth of a blazing fireplace.
However, until recently, he did not think his office was warm.
Rather, he felt it was cold, gloomy, and gray.
But recently, he began to feel the warmth of the fireplace.
The reason for that was certainly clear.
"Did you call for me? Royal Father."
The Emperor took off his glasses and placed them on the desk.
At the end of his gaze stood his unrecognizably changed son, Leopold.
His son, whose dying eyes from his scoundrel days had disappeared and who had changed to be like a shining sun, was there.
"Come closer, Leopold. Lately, the rumors about you crossing the Imperial Palace walls have been delighting my ears."
The Emperor's voice was low, but deeply imbued with satisfaction.
Leopold bowed his waist with an unwavering posture.
"I apologize for causing you concern with my lacking appearances all this time, Royal Father. Only now have I realized even a little of the path I must walk as the Prince of the Empire."
"Haha, indeed. Seeing your skill in resolving the affairs of the South, I doubted my eyes wondering if you were the immature child I knew. Especially punishing that Wilhelm and turning the hearts of the people was truly a brilliant move."
At the Emperor's praise, a smile formed on Leopold's face.
Leopold recalled the close friend and loyal subject who made him like this.
"Thank you. Royal Father, it was all thanks to the wisdom of my subject, Edric."
"Entrusting work to such a subject is also the ability of a ruler. Never forget that."
"I understand. Royal Father."
The Emperor laughed heartily as if pleased, and soon solemnly composed his expression.
"Thus, I intend to entrust you with a new heavy responsibility. Next week, lead an inspection team, cross the Northern 'Iron Gate', and visit the Lyudmila Grand Duchy."
Leopold's eyebrows twitched faintly.
The Northern Lyudmila Grand Duchy was a frozen land where the most barren and resilient people in the empire gathered.
Even now, they were fighting without rest in that place to stop the southward advancement of the barbarians and monsters.
Feeling that being told to go to such a place was not a simple inspection, the prince asked.
"An inspection... you say? It does not seem to simply mean examining the civil affairs of the province, Royal Father."
The Emperor nodded as if satisfied with his son's brilliance.
He showed a letter with the crest of a blue wolf placed on the desk.
"Your quick wits from the past have returned. Yes, this is a preliminary preparation step for the marriage talks with the Grand Duke of the North's family."
"When you say marriage talks... are you speaking of the daughter of the Lyudmila family?"
The Grand Duke of the North did not have a son.
Instead, he had one daughter whose name had spread throughout the empire.
"That is correct. The North is the shield and lifeline of the empire. However, it is true that we had treated them negligently due to various problems within the empire. Before their dissatisfaction reaches a critical point, we must bind the legitimacy of the center and the military power of the North into one."
The most important thing in the barren land of the North was strength.
Currently, they follow because the Imperial Family in the center is strong, but if the Imperial Family in the center fell and another strong power appeared, no one could know how they would change.
One of the most certain ways to prevent such a mishap was to connect through an engagement.
"Take this opportunity to meet the Grand Duke face-to-face, build trust, and open the channels for the marriage talks. Can you do it?"
Leopold was silent for a moment.
Because he wanted to marry a woman like his mother.
But this too was a responsibility he had to bear as the Prince of the Empire.
Having organized his thoughts, the prince faced the Emperor with a resolute gaze.
"I understand. For the well-being of the empire and the dignity of the Imperial Family, I will gladly go and face that cold wind."
It was the moment the prince's inspection of the North was decided like that.
And that news was conveyed to Edric not long after.
After coming up from the South, the Imperial Palace was quiet.
The princess sometimes glared at me with sharp eyes, but didn't say much.
The mastermind called Father also glared at me, but was quiet for now.
While I was enjoying such a peaceful(?) life, the prince spoke.
"It has been decided that I will go on an inspection of the North."
"An inspection of the North, you say?"
"Yes, it is an order directly handed down by His Majesty the Emperor."
Ah... it has finally come.
The Northern event is a very important event in the original work.
Due to the prince's scoundrel acts, the North becomes greatly disappointed, and because of that, they come to consider cooperating with other factions.
As the protagonist of the original work, the barbarian, digs into that gap, the barbarians are able to advance into the North.
However, since the prince has come to his senses, it won't become a mess to that extent.
"We will depart immediately next week, so Edric, you should prepare as well."
"...Me too?"
I have to go too? To that cold land of the North?
Seeing my face displaying question marks, the prince spoke.
"Is it not obvious? Are you not my most trusted aide and loyal subject. In the future, when I handle state affairs, you may end up going to the North as my proxy."
"I-it is an undeserved compliment. Lord Leopold."
I might end up going to the North frequently!?
To that cold North!
To me, who was struggling to manage my facial expression at the gloomy future, the prince smiled brightly and spoke.
"It is not an undeserved compliment, Edric, the problem is that you are too humble."
The prince gave me a document.
It was the crest of a blue wolf, the crest of the Grand Duke of the North.
Gathering the documents related to it, a sigh escaped me.
Ah... looks like overtime.
"Take this opportunity to inspect the North with me and definitely build a connection with the Grand Duke of Lyudmila of the North as well. Because his help will definitely be needed when running the empire in the future."
"Understood. Lord Leopold."
Wow~ It's overtime~
Weeping tears of blood inwardly, I prepared for the inspection of the North.
Taking out a bear skin coat that had been stuck in the corner of the warehouse and dusting it off, I thought.
What's the point of receiving a 1 billion won bonus, if I end up donating even one toe to the frozen land, I'll be crippled for life...
Like that, a week later, the inspection team headed to the North.
Right before departure, Liesel, who was unable to join us due to capital defense duties, held my hand tightly and expressed her regret.
"Lord Edric, it is truly a shame! They say the snowy scenery of the North is absolutely amazing, so please see a lot of it in my place!"
Given Liesel's personality, she probably didn't intend it, but it sounded very much like she was teabagging.
Must be my imagination, right?
Our group, consisting of the prince + me + the Zeruel Knight Order + servants, headed to the North.
Going up to the North wasn't particularly difficult.
But at a certain moment, snow began to appear, and the air began to change.
It changed from a soft and fluffy feeling to feeling like sharp ice shards splitting apart crisply.
Every time I breathed in, it felt like my lungs were splitting open crisply.
This chilly feeling... it was the first time since the incident where my washing machine froze and burst due to a cold wave in my past life.
By the time I was shivering on the horse and the tip of my nose was turning purple, a memory from my past life suddenly flashed by.
'Ah... in this weather, hitting a shot of strong vodka that burns down your throat with some chewy grilled lamb skewers sprinkled generously with cumin is the real deal...'
Just thinking about lamb skewers and a shot of vodka made my mouth water.
When I felt that saliva freezing, we finally arrived there.
The gateway to the North, the Iron Gate.
That place, like a citadel built on top of ice, was a gateway made of white ice and gray stone waiting for us.
But in the end, places where people live are all similar; upon entering, warmly built houses where the people of the North lived could be seen.
And the knight order of the North was lined up, and he was at the center of them.
Sky-blue platinum blonde hair and numerous scars showed that he was a veteran warrior of many battles.
With a gaze as intimidating as his beard cut short and sharp like an icicle, he was exactly the Margrave.
It was 'Sergei Lyudmila'.
"I greet His Highness Prince Leopold, the Sun of the Empire. You must have suffered greatly coming all the way here through the harsh blizzards of the North."
Grand Duke Sergei dismounted his horse and greeted with a hearty voice that seemed to shake the ground.
Leopold also wore a relaxed smile and firmly clasped the Grand Duke's hand.
"It is nothing compared to the suffering of the Grand Duke protecting the North. Have you been well all this time? Grand Duke Sergei."
"Thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor, I have been very well. Now, the wind of the North is cold. Please come inside."
The Grand Duke, who welcomed us heartily, and the prince met in a very good atmosphere.
In the original work, the scoundrel prince made that Grand Duke of the North angry many times.
The Grand Duke of the North gets so angry that his blood rushes backwards, to the point of crushing a wooden cup with his grip strength out of rage.
Wow, in the original work, he talked back to a person like that bear?
Looking at the Grand Duke's physique, which made me feel like my anger would automatically be managed just by feeling his intimidating presence from the front, I thought.
While having such idle thoughts and quietly following behind the prince to go inside, I felt a gaze.
'What is it? This feeling?'
Since Edric had received various trainings for a while, I could also sense murderous intent or gazes.
I followed the feeling of the gaze and looked there.
There was a female knight with blue hair like the Grand Duke.
'Could that woman be?'
Blue hair and white skin like ice, and wearing the armor of a Northern knight that didn't suit her beautiful appearance...
It was the daughter of the Grand Duke of the North, 'Nataliya Lyudmila'.