Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: This World is a Dating Sim #1
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Hand was numb.
Even so, deflecting it barehanded might have been pushing it a bit.
I could feel the gazes pouring down on me.
"The goddess really...?"
My stomach burned.
I'd planned to follow the original story's flow as much as possible.
Of course, my mere existence had long since derailed things from the original path.
So I'd focused only on internal Empire affairs and tried to avoid meddling in anything outside as much as I could.
My goal was to stabilize the Empire and retire peacefully, after all.
I had no desire to touch external matters and twist the already altered flow into something utterly unpredictable.
"Haji. War."
That was why I'd stayed quiet.
The problem was that I apparently looked like an easy mark.
The Varka Kingdom was a prime example.
They'd already lost once, yet here they were, still scheming from the shadows.
Watching it made my blood boil.
So I just went ahead and did it.
I could sense fear in the eyes fixed on me.
"How... how did you take down the Holy Kingdom's Knight Order Captain so easily?"
"A man who could fight and win alone against an entire kingdom's army..."
I'd originally planned to avoid touching any main characters.
I tossed Lucius's lifeless body to the floor.
This was probably for the best.
I harbored no real grudge against black mages, and as Elisabeth demonstrated, I was perfectly willing to use them when necessary.
In that sense, Lucius was someone I could never get along with.
Call it preemptive removal of a risk factor.
I dusted off my hands and turned my gaze to the trembling Varka negotiation team.
What had they said earlier?
Did they want war?
"May I take the ambassador's statement as a declaration of war? A defeated nation issuing another declaration mid-negotiation against the victor."
"No, no, that's not it..."
Mahad flattened himself to the ground.
"Not it? Then explain the meaning. For the record, I don't mind. Want war?"
"That is..."
He hesitated, floundering for words.
He probably never imagined I'd say war was fine.
"...Please show mercy like the vast sea and forgive us this once."
After agonizing hesitation, his response finally came.
It was essentially a declaration of surrender: they'd accept all conditions, just no war.
"Very well."
Not the most satisfying outcome.
If I had my way, I'd kill them all right here...
I nodded.
"Then, may I handle the rest?"
Elisabeth von Valerian stepped forward.
"...What on earth made you so angry?"
She sidled up close and whispered.
I shrugged.
"Who knows."
"You're not seriously planning to go to war, right?"
"If push comes to shove, war's fine. I dealt with the holy knight expecting as much. Our personalities never meshed anyway."
"Sigh. Understood... I'll hear the details later."
She let out a sigh.
Her expression was complicated.
"I'm tired. Lily, let's head back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The late-night commotion wrapped up for the time being.
Afterward.
Immediately upon returning to the capital, I received furious protests from the Holy Kingdom.
Twice, in fact.
The contents were lengthy, but a rough summary went like this:
-Are you insane? What are you going to do about this? We won't let it slide. Just you wait.
I understood their position.
They'd had their prized weapon of war cleanly dismantled in front of witnesses—no wonder they were livid.
My response remained consistent.
"If you want war, issue a declaration first."
If you're pissed, then come at me.
Don't just talk—do it properly.
-...
After replying with the same hardline stance to both protest letters, the Holy Kingdom went quiet.
They stalled for a while before sending a third letter.
-Do it again, and we really won't let it slide.
It was all cries for revenge until I pushed back hard, then they tucked tail.
"Tsk."
In the end, that was all they amounted to.
I'd thought they might actually try something, but no.
The Varka Kingdom had been the same. Lucius too.
And now the Holy Kingdom.
They poked what looked like an easy target, got burned badly, and prostrated themselves.
I couldn't fathom why I seemed like a pushover to them, but apparently that's how they saw it.
"Do you all think I look like an easy mark?"
"Gasp."
"H-how can Your Majesty say such a thing?"
The officials recoiled in horror.
They whispered among themselves.
"His Majesty deflected divine punishment with his bare hand..."
"Impossible, right?"
"But it's His Majesty."
"Hmm."
The tale of me punching away the goddess's lightning bolt had already spread far and wide.
The Holy Kingdom had a fit over such "blasphemy," of course.
But there were too many witnesses to deny it.
This worked out rather well.
That damn bitch goddess.
I inwardly cursed her as I leaned back against the throne.
"Right. What's the status on the Varka Kingdom treaty? Representative."
"Yes."
Elisabeth unfolded the treaty document.
A summary of the terms she read aloud was as follows:
First: Suppression of the Varka Kingdom's military capabilities.
Second: Massive war reparations.
Third: The Varka Kingdom must obtain Imperial approval for any treaties with other nations.
The Varka envoy trembled as he listened.
"Humiliating, is it?"
I leaned casually against the throne, looking down at him.
"But it's done and dusted. The negotiations were finalized in the margrave's territory—this is merely the proclamation. Hate it? Accept war. The treaty will be void then."
"That..."
"Your next king will be a wise one. Don't you think?"
"......"
The envoy fell silent.
"No more words, it seems."
I slammed the imperial seal onto the treaty.
Varka Kingdom was finished.
At the very least, I'd completely neutered any chance of them rebelling against the Empire, so they wouldn't be a major obstacle no matter what happened later.
The one lingering concern was the black mage pulling strings from behind Varka.
"They'll probably pull out, no?"
When I asked Elisabeth after the meeting, now alone, she said it casually.
"You think so?"
"Yes. They only stuck with Varka because there was something to squeeze out of them. Now it's a husk—why stay?"
So, they jab the straw into the juicy ones. Varka's all dried up now?
"Then why was that black mage trying to check you?"
"Who knows. Maybe they saw the emperor keeping a black mage like me around and thought they could too."
"Hmm."
"I wouldn't know the truth—I'm not her, after all."
Elisabeth shook her head.
"No need to worry."
"Why not?"
"Your Majesty protected me so fiercely. Touch me, and their own lair's at risk."
"Shouldn't we worry about a more insidious attack instead? Black mages are sneaky types."
"...They're not? Not sneaky, vile, or evil."
Shouldn't we prepare just in case?
That was my thinking when I said it.
But it seemed to irk the black mage in question.
But it was true.
"Every black mage I've met ticks all three boxes. Not a black mage trait?"
"Who besides me?"
"No one."
"......"
Cold eyes.
Her gaze alone felt like it could freeze me solid.
Was this black magic too?
"Sigh. You keep nagging."
Elisabeth stood.
"Prince Theodor's arriving today, right? He's not my type, so I'll head out. Got work too."
"Get some rest."
"Not from the one who dumped the work on me..."
She left.
Not long after, a familiar face entered.
"Brother."
A somewhat stiff expression.
Theo looked different from usual.
What was going on?
"Came to ask you something. Got time?"
"Plenty. What's up?"
Theo sat.
Lily naturally set a teacup before him.
"Ah, thanks."
"You're welcome. Enjoy your talk."
Lily trotted out.
Once her presence faded, Theo grew serious.
"Brother."
"Yes. Spit it out."
"...You know a lot about women, right?"
What?
"Got a girl I like, but I don't know what to do."
No.
Aha.
If it was that, I was the expert.
How many times had I cleared routes featuring you in dating sims?
Counseling Theo's love life took a solid few hours.
Things with the heroine—Serena Enfield—seemed to be progressing decently.
The prince route was advancing steadily.
I hadn't seen it myself, so I had no clue about the situations with the Northern Grand Duke or the Tower Lord.
'Thanks, brother. I'll try what you said.'
I trusted Theo to handle it from here.
"...Hmm."
What was this?
The atmosphere in my bedroom felt off from usual.
A faint sense of wrongness prickled at me.
I tensed reflexively, but quickly realized there was no hostility.
"Quite the rude guest. Entering my bedroom unannounced."
I relaxed.
I walked toward the source of the discomfort.
Then.
"Oops, my manners."
Poke.
A small, slender finger prodded my chest.
A faint touch, like brushing a ghost.
"I can't exactly wander around openly. Understand?"
A petite girl with long golden hair.
"Here, a housewarming gift."
Poke, roll.
A small form tumbled across the floor.
A human head.
"The head of the mage who upset you."
The girl smiled faintly.
"Forgive the sudden visit now?"
"...With sincerity like this."
She'd even brought a housewarming gift—how could I refuse a guest?
I grinned broadly.