To Face a Tyrant
"My Lord, these horses are of an incredibly fine breed! To pull a carriage at this speed without showing even a hint of exhaustion..."
Eleonor had, surprisingly, gifted horses to me and all of my guards. And not just any horses, but steeds precious enough to satisfy even the most elite cavalrymen.
Though they were few in number, it was an immense gift. These weren't ordinary beasts of burden; they were battle-ready warhorses. Even among their kind, steeds of such noble pedigree were exceedingly rare.
Selen was a knight. And like any knight, she couldn't help but marvel like a child when presented with a fine sword, sturdy armor, or a magnificent steed.
For them, it was a matter of survival. A knight clad in superior armor could charge forward with greater honor, and one mounted on a superior horse could achieve feats far beyond their normal capabilities.
From a modern perspective, it was difficult to fully articulate that level of obsession. If I had to draw a comparison, it was perhaps akin to buying high-end credentials or a prestigious university degree.
But while modern people rarely faced death at work unless a tragic accident occurred, knights lived in constant peril. The horses Eleonor had gifted to Selen and my guards effectively elevated their status by an entire tier.
"They are Eleonor's white horses," I said. "They carry the bloodline of divine beasts, so they are bound to be different from ordinary steeds."
"I am not sure if merely saying they carry the bloodline does them justice," Selen replied. "At this rate, shouldn't we just call them divine beasts themselves?"
"Indeed. I didn't expect them to be this exceptional either."
Selen was not sitting inside the carriage with me as she usually did.
She rode her white horse right alongside us. My carriage was also hurtling forward at full speed, its window left slightly open.
It was, quite literally, an uncanny display of ability. Both the white horse beside us and the one pulling my carriage were running at full tilt, yet their paces remained perfectly synchronized.
They were legendary steeds of a completely different breed and intelligence compared to ordinary horses.
"It seems we will arrive in no time," Selen said. "The roads are well-paved, and we haven't encountered any trouble. At this rate, we will reach Valerian's territory very soon."
"It's too early to let our guard down."
Unlike Arcteria, which was mostly mountainous, Eleonor's territory consisted largely of flat plains.
On top of that, the public security was flawless. Combined with the superb quality of our horses, we were able to cross Eleonor's borders at a speed that made it feel as though we were flying.
"The moment we leave this territory, we might have to fight. You've experienced it once before, haven't you?"
"Indeed... it was hell."
"Yes."
We certainly wouldn't be able to pass through Valerian's territory this quickly.
"But once you arrive, my Lord, won't you be able to resolve everything smoothly?"
"I can't guarantee that."
Although the process had been somewhat delicate, I hadn't actually done anything extraordinary in Eleonor's territory.
Even if I had done nothing, Eleonor would have sent reinforcements. All I did was redirect those reinforcements elsewhere.
Of course, the trust I built with her in the process was no small feat, but it was also true that I hadn't made any unreasonable demands of her.
But Valerian was a different story.
She was approaching with the clear intention of invading my territory to secure both strategic and practical gains.
To stop this war, I had to confront that intention head-on.
The methods I used to persuade Eleonor... most of them won't work on her.
Valerian was not the kind of woman who would listen to a man just because she fell for him at first sight.
It was the same as how no one would listen to the opinions of a piece of meat, no matter how appealing it looked. In Valerian's eyes, all humans were merely tools. Everyone was just a piece of meat.
The moment I successfully seduce her using my Charm, she will realize her own desire, sever my limbs to keep me from escaping, and turn me into her personal doll.
Targeting anyone other than her is also pointless. At least, when it comes to Valerian.
When negotiating with a hostile lord was impossible, targeting their key vassals or supporters was usually an effective strategy.
In Eleonor's case, this dynamic had been somewhat extreme due to her position as the leader of a coalition, but the principle generally applied to others as well.
No lord could rule their territory entirely alone, and every individual had their own desires and positions.
But Valerian was the exception. Even if a method worked on every other lord in the world, it would fail against her.
She listened to the advice of "useful" people, but the ultimate decision-making power always rested solely with her.
While her advisors and subordinates might adjust the details once she laid out a plan and issued orders, they could never alter her decisions or change her direction. Her authority was absolute, and no one dared oppose her.
"Sigh..."
The gifts meant to save her face would soon be delivered by our follow-up party. But that alone was far from enough.
If it were merely to apologize for Wilhelm's rudeness, the offering would have been more than sufficient—generous, even.
But if it was meant as a tribute of submission to Valerian—an amount of gold substantial enough to satisfy her without her needing to conquer Arcteria—it was woefully inadequate.
I had to bridge that gap myself. I had to make her realize that attacking Arcteria would result in a net loss.
I let out a deep sigh.
"We have received word that Edrin has entered our territory."
"Hmm..."
Valerian let out a faint smile.
She knew exactly who Edrin was. Inheriting his father's blood, he was nothing more than a rude, undisciplined piece of trash.
"Amusing."
Valerian despised hypocrites who claimed to be righteous. They used their incompetence as a shield to justify the suffering of others, all while crying out to a god who couldn't care less about this world, spewing curses about divine retribution.
But if there was one thing she loathed even more, it was the incompetent and the greedy.
Those with neither ambition nor will. People who merely lived day-to-day to satisfy their ugly desires, only to be used by someone else and die.
Edrin was exactly that kind of man. Valerian knew of his past, and based on that information, she had already judged his character.
"I wonder what his intentions are..."
His flight to Eleonor was hardly surprising.
Had he run to Eleonor to beg for more reinforcements, he might have at least been considered a conscientious lord. A lord who possessed a modicum of responsibility for what had been entrusted to him, but was simply incompetent, or perhaps just hadn't been given enough time.
But Valerian believed he had simply fled. Lacking the courage to face her black army, he had sought refuge in a safe place before he could be captured.
He was a newly coronated lord. No matter how crucial Eleonor's reinforcements were, if he truly intended to fight, the lord himself should never have left his own territory.
He should have been reinforcing his castle, rallying his soldiers, and stabilizing public sentiment. Of course, doing so wouldn't have allowed him to defeat Valerian's army, but it would have at least caused her some inconvenience.
Yet, he hadn't even done that.
Well, it makes no difference to me.
While the incompetence of her own allies was something to be eradicated immediately, the incompetence of others did not warrant such extreme hostility.
It was merely a faint, instinctive disgust, like encountering a bug while walking down the street.
Sometimes, fools who tried to disrupt her plans with half-baked resolve or petty schemes were far more annoying than those who were simply loyal to their own desires. The latter were easy to handle, and therefore, harmless.
Still, the fact that he was coming to meet Valerian was quite intriguing.
This was not a safe haven. Valerian was currently gathering troops capable of invading Arcteria at a moment's notice, and it wouldn't be strange at all if the two of them crossed paths on the battlefield.
If he were truly acting solely out of self-preservation, he would have stayed put after meeting Eleonor. He wouldn't have headed back toward his own territory.
After pondering for a moment, a faint sneer played on Valerian's lips.
"Does he think I am an easy target...?"
He must have failed. Having failed to secure the level of reinforcements he wanted from Eleonor, he had undoubtedly decided to surrender to Valerian instead.
But Valerian had no intention of accepting him. It would make her look ridiculous.
Had he come to her with a document of surrender from the very beginning, she would have had no reason not to spare his life, regardless of what became of his territory. Though, if he stepped out of line afterward, she would have had him assassinated without hesitation.
But since Edrin had gone to Eleonor first and failed, Valerian had no choice but to kill him. No matter what he promised now, there was no reason to let him live.
"When that man arrives..."
Valerian wore a cold, cruel smile. The sight of a man's face twisted in agony as he realized just how insignificant he was would bring her a pleasant sense of satisfaction.
"Tell him not to walk in on his own two feet. If he disobeys, he dies."
Valerian had laid down a condition she knew he could never accept.