Chapter 109: Mock Battle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: Mock Battle
“So you were a gypsy?”
This wasn't an era with freedom of movement. Serfs were bound to the land. The vast majority of commoners lived hand-to-mouth. They had no luxury for leisurely travel.
This is why, among the ruled classes, only the nomadic gypsies roamed the continent freely.
And the place where we met the Star Witch was Quaran, a city at the southernmost tip of the continent. This is the royal capital, located at the western edge of the central region.
For a mere street fortune-teller to travel such a distance meant she had to be a gypsy.
“Heh heh, what does it matter if I am or not?”
Eleanor gasped in horror and hid behind me. It was a complete reversal from our first meeting, when she'd bounced around excitedly like a child. Her clasped hands tightened their grip even more.
“What's wrong?”
“She's a gypsy, a gypsy! A fortune-telling gypsy! She might even be a witch.”
People have a tendency to ostracize those who are different from them.
Gypsies, who maintained their unique, foreign culture while wandering the continent, were taboo—often accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.
“Are you really in a position to say that, Princess?”
The Star Witch shook her head, as if in disbelief.
Eleanor whispered with a sullen expression.
“Haven't you heard that humans are scarier than monsters?”
“So a witch is scared of another witch?”
“Because you never know what kind of powers they might have.”
Eleanor possessed abilities that defied convention. That's why she knew just how dangerous the likes of witches could be.
Of course, this was a thought she could only have because she didn't know that a witch's powers don't work on another witch.
“Heh heh, do not worry. A witch's powers do not work on another witch…”
The Star Witch revealed this fact. As she spoke, she subtly glared at me, making it clear her intention was to keep me in check.
Just like last time, she seemed displeased with how close I was to Eleanor.
“Ah, Allen? You were a witch, too!?”
“Do I use special powers like a witch?”
“Uh… you're incredibly strong, aren't you?”
“That's just because I'm amazing.”
“Jerk.”
I shrugged at the disgusted Eleanor.
“My family is just unusual. Aenya doesn't have any special powers, does she?”
This is an age where myths and legends are alive and breathing. Being a little? strong isn't enough to be mistaken for a witch. Aenya, too, is simply beautiful, isn't she?
“Besides, have you ever heard of a male witch?”
“You never know. A woman could have used transformation magic to disguise herself as a man…”
“I believe you, Princess, know better than anyone that's not the case.”
As I looked down at her with a sly grin, Eleanor's face instantly turned red.
“I-I don't know what you're talking about!”
“Hmm. Then I suppose I'll have to make you understand.”
“Aish, is your head really filled with nothing but those kinds of thoughts?”
In any case, the Star Witch's clumsy attempt to drive a wedge between us had failed. Our relationship wasn't so shallow as to be damaged by another's meddling.
The Star Witch saw us bickering and knew it, too. The proof was in the way she bit her lip and glared fiercely at me.
“Hoo-”
She opened her clenched fist in front of her face and blew on it. The white powder in her hand flew toward Eleanor as if it had a will of its own.
The pouting Eleanor, who had been looking up at me, noticed the powder too late. Before she could react, she collapsed.
Expecting this, I caught her by the waist and lifted her into my arms. Her deep, steady breathing told me she was asleep.
“Follow me.”
Without hesitation, I followed the Star Witch into the tent.
I knew that if I made a move with Eleanor and Aenya, the Star Witch, who showed such great interest in the well-being of witches, would follow.
My plan was to use Eleanor to win the king's favor, and while I was at it, uncover the Star Witch's true identity.
“This feels like déjà vu. Well, that's not wrong. There's only one reason you'd come looking for me.”
We faced each other with the round table between us.
“If you had kept your end of the contract, I wouldn't have needed to come.”
“Are you going to be unreasonable again?”
Her hand, resting on the round table, tensed.
“I believe I warned you last time. Stop with the foolishness and stick to our deal. Surely you haven't forgotten what I hold in my hand?”
The Star Witch was once again threatening me with my reproductive ability.
Reproduction is an instinct etched into human DNA, and for the nobility of this era, where family lineage is paramount, it was something that could never be ignored. That was why the Star Witch was so confident.
Of course, to me, with the memories of a modern man, children were a nice-to-have, not a must-have. That's why I could scoff at the Star Witch.
“If you continue to be unreasonable, I have my own ideas.”
“What…!”
I sank into the back of my chair. Crossing my legs and placing my clasped hands on my knee, I watched the Star Witch with arrogance.
“I'll break the contract.”
I threatened the Star Witch right back.
During our last meeting, the Star Witch confessed why she had no choice but to use me. She had tried to act directly, but the results were even worse.
Past regression? Foresight? Whatever it was, it meant the Star Witch desperately needed my help.
Despite sharing the goal of saving the witches, she was hell-bent on tearing me down every time we met instead of helping, which supported this hypothesis.
If that was the case, was there any reason to let her lead me around?
“Hmph. It seems you want to go back to that hospital with no dreams or hope.”
The Star Witch seemed to think I was bluffing. To my eyes, it looked more like she was the one bluffing.
“Go ahead and try. But can you save the witches on your own?”
A brief silence fell. The Star Witch gnawed on her lip, glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.
I maintained a calm demeanor, as if the choice was hers to make. The Star Witch was the first to raise the white flag.
“Are you saying you'll take the reward without upholding the contract?”
“I am faithfully fulfilling the contract. My methods are just different from yours. In fact, it seems you're the one breaking it. Our contract was a deal made between equals, not one where you use my body as a leash to give me orders.”
“I can't return your reproductive ability until the contract is complete. This is my only insurance.”
As expected, getting my reproductive ability back wasn't going to be easy. I wasn't too disappointed. After all, my attempts to get it back were just an act.
‘All I know about the Star Witch is her skill in disguise.’
Disguise was a trivial skill for a witch. She must have other abilities I didn't know about.
And that was the problem. There was no way to defend against an unknown ability.
That's why I had to let her believe the leash she held was still effective.
“I'm the only one you can trust, yet you refuse to trust me?”
“I will apologize for my improper attitude. But I won't give up my insurance.”
Her sharp-edged aura softened. When her threats didn't work, she switched to a more conciliatory attitude.
I decided to be satisfied with re-establishing an equal relationship with the Star Witch.
There was still plenty of time, after all.
Of course, to deceive her, I had to keep acting like I was on her leash.
“Tsk, then let's get back to the main point. What were you unhappy about that made you come find me?”
“Conquering Count Broua's territory was a move completely unrelated to our contract. In fact, if you had failed, Aenya and Eleanor would have been in danger.”
“A witch's beauty alone is enough to stir human greed. Add their special powers to that, and you need strength to protect them from avaricious humans. Taking Count Broua's territory was part of that effort.”
I could move right now and save two more witches. The problem was, without the power to protect them, they would just be taken away again.
And was that all?
“Furthermore, the more witches gather, the more aggro we'll draw from those in power. That means it will become harder and harder to protect them. This is a fucking age of barbarism where it's only natural to take what you want if you have the power to do so.”
I deliberately used a modern term to disparage the era. I still had a gut feeling that I couldn't let her find out that I was the one in control of this body.
“But if you fail to save them in time because of that, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? I can hear the groans of my sisters suffering even as we speak.”
“If we move rashly, their suffering will only grow.”
“You're cold.”
“Isn't that why you made a deal with me?”
The Star Witch had said it herself. She had acted on her own and failed.
In other words, if I moved according to her wishes, only failure would await me.
The Star Witch couldn't deny it. She could only sigh repeatedly in frustration.
“I hope you don't end up just preparing forever. Because then you, too, will lose everything.”
Was this another bluff? It was hard to believe so, given her dry tone, as if she were stating an obvious fact. It bothered me.
It seemed she had another card up her sleeve. As I thought, antagonizing the Star Witch was the worst possible decision. At least for now.
“The preparations are almost complete. I'm going to the Northern Continent before this summer is over.”
There was a witch on the Northern Continent, too. A witch I absolutely could not afford to miss.
That was why I had promised to join Dresden's expedition to the Northern Continent, even knowing it would put my people left behind on this continent in danger.
“The Northern Continent…?”
The Star Witch didn't hide her surprise. It seemed she had assumed I would save the remaining witches on this continent one by one.
In truth, if Count Broua hadn't been so greedy, I would have moved just as she'd expected. It would have been more efficient.
“I'll say it again. I have never forgotten our deal. Our goal is the same. Only our methods are different.”
“…I'll be watching.”
The Star Witch left a parting warning and turned to leave. Just before she exited the tent, I asked casually.
“How old are you?”
The Star Witch flinched and slowly turned around. The only part of her face that was visible, her lower jaw, was covered in the wrinkles of an old woman.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because rushing in headfirst is a privilege of the young.”
Despite being in a relationship that required cooperation and setting emotions aside, she clumsily tried to keep me in check. She also showed a tendency to let her emotions override her reason.
She was impatient, constantly rushing me, and had a narrow perspective.
“…You talk like an old man. And you're so much younger than me.”
Instead of giving a proper answer, the Star Witch scoffed at me and left.
In the spot where she had been, I let out a small laugh.
“Only the young are so sensitive about their age.”
The Star Witch had implied she was old, but I saw it as the opposite. She was pretending to be old precisely because she was young.
It wasn't long before I learned my guess was correct.
It was a night when the clouds had hidden even the moon. The window of a guest room on the third floor of the detached palace opened without a sound.
Soon, a shadow that had drifted in on the breeze climbed onto the bed.
I opened my eyes to an exhale tickling my skin. A pair of black eyes, glowing with a faint blue light, were right in front of my nose.
Someone clad entirely in black was straddling me.
His fingertips touched my neck. The atmosphere was sinister, as if he could strangle me to death at any moment.
“If you do not keep your promise, I will not let you be.”
I sighed and pushed his hand away.
“Don't you ever get tired of this? Climbing on top of me to give a warning every time you come to report? If you keep this up, I might really misunderstand. I might think you just want to climb on top of me.”
“Is one not free to be mistaken?”
The shadow grinned and retreated to the window. Just then, the clouds parted, and the moonlight illuminated him.
What I had thought was black clothing was her skin. In fact, she was wearing loose, revealing attire.
Indeed, for her, with ashen skin darker than the night sky, her own skin was better suited for stealth than black clothes.
Her name was Jin. The Godmother who ruled Quaran's underworld. But for now, at my request, she had become Eleanor's shadow guard for our stay in the capital.
I sat on the edge of the bed and faced her.
“Report.”
Having anticipated the Star Witch would follow, I had asked Jin to tail her from a distance if she appeared.
I had changed my method after hearing that she vanished the moment she was approached.
“Just as you said, Lord Allen, she was a young person.”
“Did you see her face?”
Jin shook her head.
“I was only able to confirm that she had bright blonde hair that shimmered, much like yours, Lord Allen. Even that was quickly hidden inside her robe. When I tried to get closer, she vanished, just like last time.”
It seemed even a named character couldn't handle the mastermind.
The fact that we learned she was young was likely only possible because it was Jin, a named character specializing in stealth.
Well… it wasn't bad. It meant I was one step closer to uncovering the Star Witch's identity.
If I kept this up, I was sure I would learn her identity someday.
All I needed was time.
“I will try again.”
She, who had once thought my promise to help her with her revenge was just a bluff, now clung to me as if that had never happened, now that I was gradually rising as a powerful lord.
“She'll be on her guard after this, so she'll be more careful.”
“The same goes for me.”
I shook my head. Her motivation was admirable, but the chances were too slim.
“There's something more productive to do. You've heard the news about the mock battle, right? Your role is to find out the capabilities of the families participating in it.”
In the memories of a modern man, there was a hero even greater than the great heroes of myth and legend. He adapted a phrase from an ancient art of war text and made it his secret to victory.
Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles.
If the memories of a future that would no longer come were combined with Jin's intelligence, it would be like starting the mock battle having already half-won.
“Also, I need you to take over the capital's underworld.”
“Investigating each family is no easy task, and now you want me to take over the capital's underworld? It is obvious that the king or his key ministers are backing them.”
“If you think it's more difficult than helping you get your revenge, you don't have to do it.”
“…I wish to know the reason.”
I didn't hide the reason. She needed to be properly motivated to carry out my orders diligently.
“A great war may be on the horizon.”
According to the original history, Dresden was supposed to fall because of Eleanor's ability. A powerful grand lord would suddenly disappear.
That vacuum would shake the delicately balanced scales, plunging the continent into chaos.
It was the outbreak of a great war.
‘My intervention has twisted history.’
Not only was Dresden still standing, but he was also preparing an expedition to the Northern Continent.
So I had predicted that a great war like that either wouldn't happen, or if it did, it would be in the distant future.
Until a thought suddenly struck me. If Dresden leaves for the Northern Continent, wouldn't that create a power vacuum all the same?
“A war, you say?”
“I'm not certain yet. But… there's no harm in being prepared.”
I think the possibility is small, but if a great war really does break out, my people will be in danger. The king's protection won't last forever.
Isn't it human nature to think of oneself first? Besides, you can only help others when you have the luxury to do so.
“Because war is both a crisis and an opportunity.”
It felt as if I could hear the sound of exquisitely interlocked gears turning.
Even after Jin accepted my command and disappeared, I couldn't fall asleep for a while. A mix of anxiety and anticipation made my heart race.
At a banquet I attended two weeks later, I was able to confirm that my worries had not been in vain.