Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Value of a Traitor
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"Just why would that child...? No, more than that, how?"
The emperor hadn't entirely dismissed the possibility of her fleeing. Given the unwanted marriage—and to a middle-aged count with a wide age gap and a poor reputation—it wasn't unreasonable to think she might consider it.
But to prevent that very thing, he had assigned six imperial knights to her, even though the mission wasn't particularly dangerous. To receive this news now left the emperor beyond baffled; he was utterly speechless.
p>"Just what... what in the world happened? Haah~"
Letting out a deep sigh, the emperor reminded himself this was no time for that and immediately began changing his clothes.
The marriage alliance with Baron Baniro was essential for the stability of the imperial family and the empire. If it fell through, the resulting problems would be a major headache.
"First, summon the Captain of the Imperial Knights, the Head of Intelligence, and all the second-rank mages from the Sage's Tower!"
Treating this as an emergency, the emperor intended to mobilize every available resource to find his daughter and immediately called for the key figures.
If she had run away and ended up dead, injured, or had vanished so completely she couldn't be found, it would be a disaster. Breaking into a cold sweat, he moved with urgency.
Two days later.
Meanwhile, Beonald, having left the capital, was busy heading towards the promised rendezvous point. He healed his wounds, purchased and crafted the necessary items for reuniting with the three women, and moved swiftly.
He had planned ahead with Heidi and Selina. In the event they rescued the princess, several measures would be needed, and even more supplies would be required to go into hiding.
Currently, Beonald was moving through the territory by day, buying goods at inns, having meals at taverns, and listening to people's conversations.
"Hey, why are the inspections so strict today of all days? They're searching cargo holds they usually ignore, and whenever they see a woman, they interrogate them like madmen. What's going on?"
"Who knows? I asked around a bit, and it seems like some noble's young lady has eloped with a man or something. Heh heh heh."
"Good grief, does that still happen these days? The world's in the midst of war... Fancy that such a thing would occur. Anyway, to get to the capital, we have to pass through several more cities... What a nuisance."
From the people's chatter, Beonald could grasp the general situation.
It seemed Princess Zelcy had successfully escaped. The imperial palace had likely ascertained this fact but couldn't make it public, so they were conducting a covert search. He quickly deduced the circumstances.
‘...Well, if they announce that Her Highness the Princess is missing, the information would spread beyond the borders, and every human from neighboring countries would come swarming.’
If they announced the princess's disappearance as is, slave hunters, mercenaries, and adventurer groups would search for her for the reward, while nobles from neighboring countries would flock to obtain the diplomatic card that was a princess. Such a gathering would create a chaotic situation of unknown proportions, so they'd likely try to control the information as much as possible while searching.
‘That's why I need to hurry too... Hoo~ But because of that damn duel...’
Originally, he should have departed immediately after the Great Assembly ended, but that pointless duel had delayed him, leading to this situation.
The performance he gave during the duel was something a knight who had fought five consecutive brutal battles had prepared as the climax of the Great Assembly.
Anyway, time was of the essence. Beonald had no choice but to finish his rest, gather his things, mount his horse, and ride on.
‘Ah! In the old days, I could cover this distance in no time! Or I could just use a teleportation scroll and be done with it! Damn it! Damn it!’
Listening to the cries of beasts in the darkness of night, Beonald recalled his past glory.
During his time as Duke Neumel, he truly spent money lavishly, conducting research, creating whatever he wanted, using expensive transportation devices, and pressuring mages with research funds to create teleportation scrolls for easy travel and empire management. It was truly a glorious era.
‘I want to return to Benofis as soon as possible. Hoo~’
Thinking of his homeland and his past, Beonald headed for the rendezvous point. He had chosen a mountainous area suitable for hiding as the meeting spot, and he checked his map to gauge the location.
The reason for choosing the mountains was, of course, that they were ideal for concealment. It was difficult to search due to the presence of monsters, wild animals, and the lack of paths.
‘Let's see, according to the map, it should be around here...’
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyoooo! Piiyoooooo! Piiiiii!
‘Ah, that's Alterio's cry! I'm almost there. Thanks to me telling him to cry out periodically.’
Normally, one would use flags or markers, but that risked detection by searching enemies or other adventurers. Using Alterio's cry to locate each other was the optimal method.
Hearing the cry of a monster in the wild wasn't unusual; even if it wasn't its native habitat, one could assume it had come to hunt.
‘To eliminate any possibility of mistake, I specifically had him cry three times.’
"Ah! It's Lord Beonald!"
"Why are you only coming now? Did you decide to starve us to death?"
"Ah......"
Pushing through the brush and reaching the source of the cry, familiar faces came running towards Beonald.
Everyone's condition wasn't good due to the longer-than-expected outdoor living. It seemed food had been scarce, as remnants of hunted rabbits and deer were visible nearby.
Rather than words, Beonald offered what he thought they needed most.
"Here, bread and wine. Use this to fill your stomachs for now. I also brought vegetables and other ingredients, so I'll make you a proper meal."
"Ugh...! What an annoyingly considerate man!"
"Ah, thank you!"
"We can discuss the details while we eat."
Thinking they must have only eaten meat and roots due to his tardiness and needed to replenish their nutrition, Beonald began preparing the meal. While doing so, his eyes met those of Zelcy, who was peeking out from behind Heidi, watching him.
"Ah, right. Should I say 'Your Highness the Princess'? Hmm~ How are you feeling at the moment?"
"Um, well... I'm not quite sure yet. I feel a bit dazed, but I'm glad I did it myself... I think I slept deeply for the first time."
"I see. The first taste of liberation must be special. But... freedom isn't all good. There are responsibilities to bear and the drawback of having to navigate your entire life on your own now. Ah, by the way, are there any vegetables you can't eat?"
"That... I don't really like carrots... If I say that, will you not put them in?"
"Hahahaha!"
Though her face remained as expressionless as usual, her honest admission about disliking a vegetable made Beonald burst out laughing.
Compared to the stifled conversations of before, she looked much more beautiful and human.
And Beonald, who had been unable to escape from Felix von Neumel, indirectly felt the sense of liberation he had pursued, putting him in a very good mood.
"Originally, I should be doing this kind of thing..."
"No. Relax. Sleeping outdoors in armor is draining in itself, so it's better to rest. You probably had the hardest time. Ah! Did you feed Alterio well?"
"Of course. If I don't feed him properly... he causes a ruckus."
"Well done. Anyway, just quietly wait to taste the meal I'm personally cooking~ I even brought 'pepper' specially."
At the word 'pepper,' Heidi and Selina's eyes sparkled.
For Heidi, a rural noble, it was a spice used only on special occasions like holidays. Selina also rarely got to taste such a precious thing.
In contrast, Princess Zelcy, true to her imperial upbringing, only tilted her head in a reaction completely different from the other two.
"Selina, don't you have anything to say? You'd usually be talking a lot by now."
"...I want to ask why you did this in the first place. This is clearly treason. Kidnapping Her Highness the Princess!"
"I merely assisted in what she chose to do herself. That's not kidnapping."
"Haah~ So, what are you going to do with her now?"
"Before that, let's talk while we eat."
Beonald suggested they settle in first, serving steak grilled with generous amounts of pepper and butter, and stew cooked with fresh ingredients.
It was the first warm, human-like meal they'd had in a very long time, so Selina had no choice but to listen to Beonald.
Upon tasting Beonald's cooking, the three women opened their eyes wide and exclaimed.
"It's delicious!"
"Mmmmm! This flavor you can't get from rabbit or deer... Mmmmm!"
"To have food this good outdoors... Incredible..."
"In a sense, cooking is also a form of alchemy. You combine, process, and cook ingredients to produce a result. And following a recipe is the same principle. Well, I don't have to do it often myself~ But I did some research."
Eating was an essential act for sustaining life. In the temple, it was considered a sin to be wary of, under the names of 'gluttony' and 'voracity.' But Beonald, on the contrary, regarded 'cooking' as part of alchemy and had studied it professionally.
‘Though it was a business I mostly left to others and rarely checked on... Thinking about it now, it was a good thing I did it.’
His pursuit was the principle of eating deliciously and healthily, and his research had achieved considerable success.
However, what Beonald remembered now was only an extremely small part of it. Most of the records were probably somewhere in his ruins or in a warehouse he couldn't even fully remember.
While eating and having trivial thoughts, Beonald listened to Princess Zelcy's account of recent events.
"I see, so that's how it was. You were quite daring to think of running away."
"I... learned of your efforts... and gained courage. My escape required only a very small amount of courage compared to yours."
"Huh? Ah... Aah! I see. Hahaha! I mistook it for something else."
At the word 'courage,' Beonald tilted his head, then quickly grasped her intended meaning and went along with the conversation.
For the House of Neumel, the serpent family with the Hydra crest, 'courage' was treated as nothing more than a decoration for the ignorance of fools.
They were a family whose motto was cold judgment, cunning, and wisdom... It was a strange feeling.
‘...To think I'd live to hear someone say I have courage. Hmph, that bastard Felix would laugh his head off.’
From the start, his act of opposing the 'Emperor' was because he was certain of his chances of success.
It was a thoroughly planned scenario. He calculated everything, from a plan to absolutely not die to an escape route, and prepared to respond to variables before executing it. The word 'courage' absolutely did not suit him... Yet, hearing it now gave him a peculiar feeling.
"Anyway, what will you do now, Your Highness? You've succeeded in escaping, but you'll need a plan for what comes next, won't you?"
"What comes next..."
"It's not just about what comes next. Now... Your Highness can choose your own future. You must think about that. What will you do?"
At Beonald's question, her eyes began to waver.
Thinking about it, this escape was indeed an impulsive act. She had only spoken with Beonald a few times, but the emperor's measures were too severe, and she acted to repay the courageous heart of Beonald. She hadn't made any concrete plans for after the escape.
"...I don't know. I didn't think about it."
Unable to think of any other plan to present, she answered honestly.
Heidi and Selina, listening beside her, looked at her with startled faces, but Beonald smiled and nodded.