Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: A Treacherous Minister Can Be Useful - 147
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The military encampment of the Garkan Republic.
Prime Minister Neumel was currently lying in bed, recovering from the injuries she had sustained in her battle with Duke Kmel.
Originally, the Neumel family's swordsmanship, which had given her the advantage in the first clash, should have kept her in a superior position. However, Duke Kmel strangely seemed to know the Neumel family's swordsmanship, making the situation unfavorable. Thinking this, Prime Minister Neumel had resorted to her trump card.
"By now... it should be about time Duke Kmel died from my father's masterpiece, the 'Hydra's Fang'."
The 'Hydra's Fang'. A creation of the Grand Alchemist Beonald von Neumel.
A 'poison' so vicious it was untreatable if you didn't know the countermeasure, and conversely, easily countered if you did. Strictly speaking, its original concept wasn't poison, but when used on an enemy, it inflicted a fatal wound just like poison, so the name wasn't unfitting.
However, given the opponent was who he was, it was difficult to land the 'poison', so she had overexerted herself and received a large wound stretching from her shoulder to her abdomen.
But if a wound of this level meant the certain death of Duke Kmel, hailed as a 'Special-Class Knight', it was a worthwhile trade. She felt no regret whatsoever.
"It's a shame General Drake died, but well... he died facing the greatest opponent on the battlefield as he wished, so he should have no regrets. And since his death is avenged, the Lizardmen shouldn't have anything to say either. Hoo~. Then next is......"
With Duke Kmel's death all but confirmed, Prime Minister Neumel began laying out her next moves, planning ahead.
Given that he, who prided himself on being the Empire's most renowned and only Special-Class Knight, was dead, immense turmoil was sure to follow.
Moreover, to the north of the Kmel family's domain lay the savage pillaging nation of the Borea Kingdom, which wouldn't miss this opportunity. Combined with the Empire's internal political situation, there was a high likelihood of civil war breaking out if handled well.
p>"Then all we have to do is easily reap benefits from that chaos. Heheh... So this is what it means to be defeated in war but victorious in the national plan?"
Saying they were defeated in war was laughable, but since surrender documents had already been sent, a formal defeat was still a defeat.
And now, after a brief reorganization, they planned to use the Barony of Vani as a puppet to unify the southern territories again, demanding various compensations for this victory-in-defeat and continuing to meddle in internal affairs.
'I hear they burned half the food supplies and then each army harvested and consumed them on the spot... Huhu, the situation is turning even more favorable, isn't it?'
They had agreed to support the half they burned themselves for the scheme, but promised no support beyond that.
So, selling anything beyond that at more than double the price would actually be a profitable deal for the Garkan Republic.
No, they could be even bolder and sell at triple the price. The Garkan Republic, which had already provided half the food for free, couldn't really say anything.
'Well, they could overcome it through austerity measures, but~ If they do, we'll just collect the territory's people who flee or wander here and there. We have more than enough uses for manpower, and places to discard it......'
No matter what situation arose, it all benefited the Garkan Republic, which was a joyous thing.
The Empire's chaos would ultimately benefit surrounding nations, and by continuously reaping those benefits and advancing as the leader of the Garkan Republic to conquer the continent, she would be able to obtain what she desired.
However, as always in this world, things rarely go according to plan.
Even if it were an undeniable truth like a mathematical formula, a god's whim could suddenly make '1+1=2' become '1+1=3'. We call such an occurrence a 'miracle'.
"...Gurgle! P-Prime Minister! A disaster! Gurgle!"
"What is it? Did the enemy suddenly launch a suicide charge? That would be incredibly welcome news......"
"It's that! They say Duke Kmel has regained consciousness! Gurgle!"
"...What?"
The news brought by the Orc soldier was utterly shocking to Prime Minister Neumel.
The poison called 'Hydra's Fang' was one that could never be cured unless you knew the exact countermeasure.
And that countermeasure wasn't a normal method; it essentially involved continuously supplying mana until the effects of the 'Hydra's Fang' dissipated. The only people who could possibly know this method were its creator, her father Beonald, and Prime Minister Neumel herself.
"Th-That's impossible! He's alive?"
"Gurgle! According to the Elf reconnaissance unit! Gurgle! The atmosphere, which was like a funeral until just yesterday, suddenly improved dramatically and there was an uproar."
"Impossible! I... I'll check it myself! What kind of deadly poison is Hydra's Fang! Dad's... Dad's greatest masterpiece! Yes, it must be a disguise! They're trying to trick us with a disguise!"
"G-Gurgle, we suspected that at first... but it doesn't seem to be the case no matter how we look. That... Gurgle! If they were disguising it, the army would need to move for some other action, but, gurgle! The forces are staying put right now."
"...I can't believe it. I must go and see for myself!"
Perhaps due to the immense shock causing a great emotional disturbance, Prime Minister Neumel, unaware that her dignified tone and speech had changed, dragged her injured body out of the tent in a hurry.
She quickly left the encampment on her horse, crossed the battlefield where the smell of blood and rotting corpses was beginning to rise, and reached the vicinity of the Kmel army's camp. She focused her senses to observe the surroundings of the encampment.
'...Impossible. How can this reaction be happening? The soldiers are joyful, and there's no sign of them trying to hide agitation. Moreover, there's no way everyone could act out such a uniform reaction... Then... he really is alive? Hydra's Fang isn't a poison to be taken lightly, how on earth...?'
She wanted to look more closely, but the Elf knights who had rushed out to escort her blocked her from getting any closer.
"...P-Prime Minister? You've gotten too close to the enemy camp. Please wait."
'Grr! Something's off. Something's wrong! What the hell is Duke Kmel? Him knowing the Neumel family's swordsmanship could be explained by thinking there's a descendant of a survivor or knight from our Neumel family from 500 years ago, but this... this is truly impossible.'
Seeing something that should never have happened occurring before her, she had every reason to be plunged into confusion and fear.
While there was room to speculate on how Duke Kmel could know about the swordsmanship, the 'Hydra's Fang' was a poison that absolutely couldn't be countered.
The masterpiece of the Grand Alchemist, her father, Beonald von Neumel. A work of art that deviated from the concept of 'poison' so that no one could anticipate the countermeasure, a masterpiece meant to deceive the enemy—a poison that wasn't a poison.
'...Calm down first. I just need to find out what happened and deal with it. Who, where, how did they figure out the Hydra's Fang and counter it, or did they accidentally try another method and discover the cure, and whether it's a complete recovery or not... Nothing is certain yet. So calm down.'
Prime Minister Neumel tried to calm herself by reviewing the possibilities, but her heart wouldn't accept it easily.
She had felt something was off since the fight with Duke Kmel, and now the knowledge she held as absolute truth and her father's legacy seemed to be denied, causing continuous discomfort to well up.
In any case, she swore to herself that she would definitely uncover the full story of what happened in the Kmel army later. She decided to retreat to revise her plans accounting for this variable.
At the same moment, inside Duke Kmel's tent.
"Am... I... alive...?"
Duke Kmel opened his eyes with difficulty, feeling weakness and dizziness throughout his body, and asked those around him to confirm whether he was alive or dead.
Around him, along with Beonald who was busy with various tasks, the Duke's retainers and knights had all gathered, rejoicing that he had opened his eyes.
And they immediately called Beonald over to check his condition.
"The Duke has opened his eyes! You, come quickly!"
At the urgent cries of the retainers, Beonald stopped what he was doing and immediately headed to the bedside to examine the Duke's condition.
"Your Grace, are you alright?"
"...No, you... why... here?"
Startled to see Beonald's face before him, Duke Kmel raised a hand to point at him, but Beonald immediately took that weak hand, lowered it, and spoke as if advising him.
"Talking will take a long time. You're not fully recovered yet, so just keep sleeping. Sleep is the best medicine. And while all the Aura in your body is currently depleted, absolutely do not practice mana breathing or try to draw up Aura. If you want to live, that is."
"You... saved me? ...How?"
"I'll tell you once you're fully recovered. And your army will be fine just knowing Your Grace is alive, so don't worry and get some more proper rest."
"No... I must get up... now......"
"If you move incorrectly now, you might never be able to wield a sword again in your life. Your body is weakened and damaged after barely being saved from the poison... If you break it further in that state, it can never be fixed."
Under Beonald's threat, Duke Kmel stopped trying to get up, let the strength leave his body, and lay back down.
In his previous life, Beonald had grown thoroughly sick of dealing with the Emperor, the willful members of the Imperial Family, and the Imperial Knights, so he understood perfectly how to handle them.
Firstly, since they usually trained and used Aura, they were tougher than ordinary people and had almost no memory of being in pain, so they often moved reckously even when seriously injured like this.
These beast-like individuals had one weakness: their strong identity as knights who wielded 'swords'.
Not being able to wield a sword meant degrading to just a 'human', no longer a knight, making it a very effective threat.
"Grrr... How long... have I been... asleep? The war situation? Baron Rawels...?"
"P-Please don't worry, Your Grace. We haven't lost many soldiers since then, and those damn Garkan Republic bastards sent surrender overtures after that day's battle. So it hasn't escalated into a larger war. Surely those bastards... thought you would die. But thanks to this friend here, you've come back to life!"
"Is that so......?"
"Yes. So please, recover your health properly before getting up. As long as Your Grace gets up safely! It's practically an unconditional victory for us."
"I see... Hooooo~"
Hearing Baron Rawels' words, Duke Kmel let out a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that after he fell, they might have lost the war and his family's soldiers and knights, but fortunately, apart from damage from lowered morale, the Kmel army was still intact.
"Surrender, huh...... Truly cunning beyond measure. That Prime Minister Neumel... that half-breed bitch."
"From the moment she used poison, she's truly vicious and cowardly! She doesn't deserve to exist! That damn Neumel bitch must be captured and tortured until she regrets being alive, tortured until she dies......"
"Right! Right!"
"That's correct, Your Grace! We must capture that damn half-breed bitch! Make her regret being alive!"
Crash!
Just as everyone was in high spirits, venting insults and anger towards Prime Minister Neumel, the sound of a glass bottle shattering was heard, perfectly dousing the heated atmosphere with cold water. All eyes turned to the source, where Beonald was scratching his head and acting nonchalant.
"Ah~ My apologies. My hand slipped and... hahaha."
Saying that, he cleaned up the glass shards on the floor and returned to his task of preparing medicine.
The 'Hydra's Fang' could be countered by just replenishing mana, and the remaining aftereffects in the body could recover with natural healing.
However, Beonald's job was to heal the Duke as quickly as possible, even by a day. Having passed the crisis, he needed to return to the Valderian family, so he was making medicine to boost natural healing. But hearing continuous insults towards his family, he had unknowingly gotten angry and deliberately dropped the bottle.
'Honestly, this is self-defense. By the way... who is it? I'm really curious.'
Although they referred to 'Neumel', Beonald wondered if it was truly his blood relative or simply an impersonator. He decided he must find out and resolved to secretly attend the surrender negotiations later.