The Place I Must Go (1)
Cryan had come to the North for one primary reason: because his friend Yohan had offered to show him around his home.
And at the very least, Cryan found this visit quite enjoyable.
Though it had been a short stay of only a few days, so there wasn’t much he could see.
Of course.
The mansion had been in far worse shape than he had imagined when he first heard about it from Yohan.
Because of that, he hadn’t exactly received a warm welcome.
He was not yet the Crown Prince, and since he was hiding his identity, that was only natural.
But that was fine.
There were things here that he could only see precisely because of that.
Watching the Lady of Vitagarte slap Gorgo across the cheek and, in turn, elevate the status of the ostracized Karalin was rather amusing…
The banquet held to clean up that mess had been entertaining as well.
And the strange way he had stirred things up between the two who clearly liked each other but kept denying it—though he wasn’t sure if “stirred things up” was the right way to put it—and managed to draw something out of them…
It had left quite an impression.
All of those things would have been utterly impossible to witness if he had been treated with the utmost respect befitting the Crown Prince.
But setting all that aside.
There was another reason he had readily accepted Yohan’s invitation.
Precisely this:
To observe the North in preparation for the future that lay ahead.
And if one were to ask what future that was…
It was, of course, after Cryan ascended to the position above all others.
From the moment he joined the plan to cast his brother into the depths of hell, he had been openly interested in the path to becoming Emperor.
Though it might be presumptuous to think about such things now.
He wanted to carefully consider the restructuring of the empire’s order once he became Emperor.
This was partly due to the influence of having studied the tactics and magic from the North in depth since childhood.
Unlike ordinary people from the capital, Cryan held a certain fondness for the North…
But he knew better than anyone that if he rose to that position, things would change.
The reason was simple.
At that point, he would have to decide the fate of the entire empire.
While he would certainly take his friendship with Yohan into account,
his foremost duty would always be to prioritize the interests of the empire.
Therefore.
After observing the North, Cryan had reached this conclusion.
‘…No matter how I look at it, the North and Karlangk are different. At this rate, they can never remain the same country.’
Although the North had undergone considerable imperialization,
their language was so distinct it was practically a different tongue, creating a significant sense of alienation.
And that linguistic difference was only the tip of the iceberg.
After spending just a few days here, what he felt most clearly was the bizarre impression that the only thing they shared with the capital—from waking up to going to bed—was walking on two legs.
Food culture, etiquette, ways of thinking.
Even the smallest details, from the way they wrote letters to the overall culture they enjoyed, were completely different from what Cryan knew.
And the main reason for that was the pervasive atmosphere among Northerners, who refused to follow the culture of the imperial capital and instead sought to preserve only their own Northern traditions.
Cryan thought,
‘But how could I possibly change that? Northerners are warlike and possess immense pride. Unless I forcibly relocate or massacre the entire population, there’s no way to change it. Even with the power I would gain, I couldn’t do it—and I wouldn’t want to.’
Well, since the North was aware of this,
it was no wonder there were constant calls to tear apart the empire and secede.
Unlike the Vitagarte Grand Duchy, which had provisionally shelved such judgments and never voiced them officially,
the reason radical independence factions constantly stirred up trouble in the capital was exactly that.
“But if I were to grant them independence… the empire has grown far too large.”
Thus.
The problem stemmed from right here.
After Karlangk received recognition from Vitagarte and became an empire,
it had entrusted the helm of the Northern region to Vitagarte and stirred up the remaining defenses of the empire.
This empire had always been an extremely belligerent one, after all.
That was why the elves of the West had been subjected to aggressive assimilation policies that uprooted their settlements, recently succeeding in burning even the World Tree.
The local lords of the East had their heads broken by the Magic Tower, then been subjugated and carefully managed with even a governor dispatched.
And the merchant autonomous regime in the South was currently being thoroughly controlled through powerful capital infiltration, placing them all under the empire’s banner.
However.
The blood spilled in the process was immeasurable.
Most had knelt before Karlangk’s might and bowed their heads,
but there would undoubtedly be anti-imperial voices hiding in the shadows.
And if, on top of that, they were to relinquish the North—the vanguard of subjugation and an impregnable force that even the imperial center could not easily handle with military power alone—
‘Voices demanding independence would surge from every corner of the nation. If that happens, Karlangk’s history might end in my generation.’
And Cryan, with his own ambitions,
did not particularly want that.
Of course, his illustrious ancestors had surely considered this as well…
But honestly, they must have been unable to do anything because there was no clear solution.
To completely change Northern culture,
the only method was the genocide he had just mentioned.
But.
Compared to all the previous emperors,
Cryan alone…
might just have a way to overcome this situation.
‘In the end, both the North and the empire are autocracies. The culture of the lower classes changes according to the mood of the upper class. That means if the upper class first opens an atmosphere of exchange, the possibility of the two cultures mixing arises.’
And the best method for exchange was, of course—
Marriage.
It was marriage.
Well, it wasn’t as if such an atmosphere had never been fostered before.
As he had said earlier.
Because Vitagarte had a tendency to avoid mixing with outsiders, they had never once attempted to marry into the imperial family.
However, since he had gone through many events with the two who would become the future leaders of the North…
he thought that by the time Karalin and Yohan’s children came of age, he might somehow be able to arrange a marriage.
“Yes. I hadn’t thought about it immediately, but I suppose I should have a child too, depending on the mood. It would be good around the time Karalin and Yohan have sons and daughters. I’ll have to match their coming-of-age…”
However, this was nothing more than a hypothesis.
Karalin and Yohan had not even made a formal engagement yet.
Not to mention, Karalin had not yet become the official successor.
And Yohan was not in such a special position either.
But.
The reason Cryan could be so certain about all of this now was,
as he had said, because he had seen the true nature of those who had driven Karalin out after coming to the North.
What he had seen of them was…
‘Honestly, they are not material fit to be king. This feels like a fight that Yohan and Karalin are destined to win.’
This was a thought he could only have after coming to the North in person and witnessing their capabilities.
Therefore, Cryan had simply treated it as confirmed and was merely running simulations in his head.
“…Huh? This bowl. Is this celadon—?!”
“Oh my, young man. You have a good eye. Interested?”
“Good heavens, this color—! It’s magnificent. May I purchase it right away?”
“Of course!”
Before leaving the North.
During the last bit of free time he was given, he used the awkward Northern accent he had learned over Yohan’s shoulder while shopping at the market in the holy city.
The relief supply wagon the young lady had driven was to return slowly later because the road was complicated.
The cavalrymen I had brought along were serving as escorts for this wagon and as the distribution team for handing out relief supplies at night.
Thanks to that, I was able to travel the forest path back to Fralbert together with the young lady.
“……….”
“……….”
However.
This was… somehow…
extremely awkward.
I thought the young lady was simply exhausted and therefore silent.
But as for me…
Since we were alone together, the surprise kiss I had received yesterday while drunk kept flooding my mind.
It made it very difficult to bring up any topic of conversation.
I could still vividly feel the sensation from that moment on my lips.
Those incomparably soft lips.
The honest confession of love in which she had finally admitted that she liked me…
The faintly ragged breathing,
and the warm, supple skin flushed with intoxication.
For someone like me, who had always harbored the desire to monopolize her love for the rest of my life, the moment I felt all of that so vividly—
no one could possibly understand how wildly my heart had pounded.
However.
I told myself that everything had been done while she was drunk.
There was a saying about being dead drunk.
When someone drank that much, they acted without knowing what was happening to their own body, didn’t they?
So I found myself thinking,
‘Was it… not sincere…?’
But no matter how many times I thought about it, nothing would come of it.
Unless I asked her directly.
Therefore, I forced out a breath that refused to come and tried to ask the young lady a question.
“Um, my lady… about yesterday—”
But the moment I spoke,
“K-kyaaaaaah—!!”
“…My lady?”
“Ah, um. Ahem. I think a bug landed on my cheek…”
The young lady had been startled by a bug.
…Honestly, she was usually quite good at catching bugs.
Maybe it wasn’t strange.
Even if she was good at catching them, it was only natural for anyone to get goosebumps when a bug landed on their skin.
“It is a mountain, after all. Here, come closer. I’ll remove it for you.”
I lightly affirmed her words and,
with a faint smile, reached my hand toward the young lady’s cheek.
“………!!”
However, the young lady pulled her hands off the reins and shrank back as if raising her guard.
…Why?
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. It was a flying bug… it flew away.”
“Ah, I see… That’s a relief.”
“Yes… a relief…”
But the horse the young lady was riding somehow drew far too close to my side.
So close that I could see her clean skin in detail.
And now that I looked,
her cheeks seemed slightly flushed.
Her skin had always been thin and pale, so even the slightest warmth showed clearly.
‘………H-huh?!’
So my heart, which had been as if stalled,
began to beat again.
Since it seemed better to give her some time rather than speak first, and because I didn’t know where to look, I kept my eyes fixed forward…
And sure enough.
The young lady slightly parted her lips as if she had something to say.
“………Um, Yohan. You know—”
“Y-yes. I’m listening.”
Her voice trailed off in a way that was unlike her usual self.
When I unconsciously turned to look at her again, I saw her gaze wandering in the air—
It felt like the prelude to something big.
“The truth is… about yesterday… that was… I mean, right now I…”
“……….”
I prepared myself to accept whatever she might say.
“That was… I really— I l-l-l-l—”
“You l-like—?”
“…………Like—.”
Shweeeeeeeeek—!!
Tududududu—.
Dudududu—!!
But at that moment.
The sky seemed to split apart as a sharp, ear-piercing sound of wind tore through the air.
What followed was a thunderous noise like the air itself being ripped apart.
Something was flying toward us.
“…………My lady!!”
The instant I heard it, I instinctively reached out to shield her.
An arrow has struck Karalin’s arm.
“……Huh?”
In the rain of arrows that came pouring down,
the young lady’s arm was hit.
Whinny—!!
And the same happened to the horse we were riding.
I was wearing armor so I was relatively unharmed,
but the horses collapsed and died with arrows embedded in them like hedgehogs.
“Damn it… Damn it…!”
But before I fell, I skillfully caught the young lady as she was thrown from the horse, supporting her with my hands and rolling across the ground while holding her.
Thanks to that, the young lady was fortunately unharmed.
“Who the hell… what kind of bastards….”
I quickly took cover behind the dead horses,
then hurriedly tried to locate the source to assess the situation.
Soon, at the edge of the forest above us,
I saw shadows wearing cloaks marked with a dark brown emblem, gathered in a group on the trees.
The moment I saw them,
I instinctively knew who they were.
“Skull—!”
The remnants of those damned skull bastards who had terrorized and massacred their way across the North for years.
“Ah, ugh…”
When I looked at the wound on the young lady in my arms,
it seemed the artery had been missed, but…
she appeared to be in tremendous pain,
as all she could do was pant heavily while held in my embrace.
So I quickly tore a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding,
while gently brushing her hair back so she could feel at ease.
“My lady, just like you always have. Maintain your breathing… Don’t be too tense or afraid.”
“Y-Yohan… Ah, this… I’ve been… shot, haven’t I?”
“Yes. But it’s alright. Because I am by your side.”
When I said that,
the young lady gave a small nod as if relieved.
But seeing her like that,
my heart began to writhe as if something inside it had shattered because of those skull bastards who had hurt her.
Therefore.
I asked the young lady for permission.
“…My lady.”
Then.
Karalin stroked the back of my hand with her uninjured one and said,
“Yes. I’m counting on you… Lord of Steel. I’ve lost too much strength… All I can do is hold on here as long as possible…”
“………As you command.”
Then.
I grabbed the neck of the dead horse and hurled it aside.
Staring at the Skulls waiting above, aiming at us as we emerged, I growled in a loud voice.
“You must have been prepared to touch the king’s daughter. Even if you weren’t, it changes nothing. I, the Lord of Steel, will tear every last one of you apart without missing a single one.”
Fury engulfed me.
