Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Sword and the Fish
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On the train heading back to the territory.
Eve Claudia suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"War's going to break out soon. Just keep that in mind."
"Out of nowhere?"
"Out of nowhere? What were you doing at the social hall?"
"Ah, well..."
She couldn't very well say she'd just been eating and stabbing, so she stalled for time. Only then did Eve belatedly realize Enri had been stuffing his face, and she let out a deep sigh.
"A war's going to erupt between the Ban family and the Sorren family soon. They probably backed the black mages this time too."
"...How do you know all that?"
"How else would uncultured commoners know when the social hall event was happening and launch an attack? Someone noble was secretly funding them from behind the scenes."
Eve went on to explain.
The Ban family had long been loyal to the royal family and had been granted mines as a reward. While expanding those mines, they'd discovered part of them encroached on Sorren territory—but the Bans had kept it under wraps and kept mining anyway.
The Sorrens had learned of it 'by chance' through someone and demanded compensation for the unauthorized mining in their lands, but things had dragged on unresolved. War was the answer, but brazenly seizing it would draw the royal family's scrutiny.
So the plan was to spark another incident first, diverting the royals' attention. Then, with their eyes elsewhere, snatch the mine in a lightning strike. No matter how much power the royals wielded, they wouldn't be able to wrench it back by force after the fact.
"I may not approve of the Sorren way of doing things, but if the royals seized it and handed it back, there'd be no end to the nobles throwing tantrums about violated rights."
"Lady, you're starting to scare me a little. How do you know all this stuff?"
"It's about reading the currents. The currents."
That was what she said.
But the real reason she could predict events so precisely was that she already knew all the answers. Just like how even the toughest problem seems easy when you've got the solutions right there, knowing the outcome made fitting the pieces together a breeze.
"So... telling me this means... we're deploying support or something?"
"Huh? Support?"
"You kinda pissed off the king this time, so to make amends, we help out the Bans... something like that?"
"Ha— as if."
Eve unfolded her fan to cover her smile.
Help the royal family?
As if.
"I'm someone who absolutely despises the royal family."
"Then why..."
"But as a noble, I can't just stand by and watch someone act without dignity."
If she'd been the type to tolerate that sort of thing—
She never would have ended up on the execution block in the first place.
"—We eat it."
Right now, in Eve's hands, she held a sword that could cleave anything in its path with a swing... and a succulent fish ripe for the taking.
So why swing without slicing? Or slice without savoring?
"Both."
Just as Eve Claudia had predicted.
The royal family pounced on the two consecutive incidents without mercy.
They threw everything they had into punishing the scum who'd dared target royal lives and tarnish the crown's prestige. They had no spare attention for anything else.
And sure enough, the Sorren family exploited that opening and dispatched their army. Enri, who had been secretly observing from hiding, let out an admiring gasp as her words rang true.
'She nailed it.'
The uncanny accuracy was like she'd seen the future herself. Watching the army of knights, soldiers, and mages march out, Enri quietly turned around.
"Preparations?"
"—All complete."
Trailing behind Enri were five elves clad head to toe in black masks and clothes. Elves were the guerrillas of the forest—perfect picks for a situation where a full army couldn't be deployed.
They were like the special forces from his previous life. Black ops: elite few where armies couldn't go.
"Let's go, dark elves."
"...?"
"What? You're decked out in black—dark elves, right?"
It was common sense to Enri, from a world where dark-skinned people were called black. But the elves balked at the unfamiliar logic of this otherworlder.
The hesitation didn't last. In a flash, they infiltrated Sorren's lord castle. Not a single noise gave them away. No one detected Enri's team slipping inside.
Once hidden deep within the castle, Enri's group split up to scour for the communications room. With elf hearing that outstripped humans, it wasn't hard.
'The people of this world aren't total idiots...'
The comms room was a prime target in any world—past or present. Even without personal calls, it handled territory-to-territory, train-to-control, army-to-commander links.
But security wasn't ironclad. If enemies reached the inner comms room, the war was already lost—no need for heavy guards, they figured.
Just like the recent social hall raid. They'd never dreamed of aerial infiltration, so air defenses were lax. Same here: no one imagined a small force seizing comms. This world's history books still lacked enough blood-soaked pages.
Thanks to that, Enri and the dark elves slipped into the comms room undetected until the moment came.
After an eternity of itching suspense.
The long-awaited success signal arrived.
"Operation commence."
The black ops moment they'd been waiting for had come.
Enri and the dark elves leaped into the comms room, subduing everyone inside.
The lady's orders: avoid killing if possible.
—Subdual complete.
—Subdual complete.
—On to phase two.
Exchanging hand signals with the elves, Enri slipped out of the comms room and headed for the lord's office. Pinpointing it was easy—elf hearing again.
Their superhuman senses mapped every sound in the castle, sketching the layout like a blueprint. They could even echolocate like bats if needed.
Using that intel, Enri's team stormed the lord's office without hesitation and came face-to-face with the lord mid-briefing.
"Wh-what!? Who are you!?"
The lord's eyes bulged at the sudden intrusion of black-clad elves. Soldiers' footsteps pounded toward the room in response to his shout—they had to move fast.
Enri recited the lines Eve had drilled into him beforehand.
"Sorren Baron. You—you tried to usurp rights granted by the crown. As overseer of the southwest territories for Duke Claudia, I cannot stand idly by."
"W-wait! Sent by His Grace the Duke!? Why all of a sudden? This isn't what we discus—"
"Your barony is hereby confiscated, and your noble privileges revoked."
As the baron floundered, Enri simply swung his sword. Unlike the others, the baron had to die—direct orders from the lady.
Right after finishing him off, the belated soldiers burst in, spears and swords trained on Enri and the dark elves.
"L-Lord Baron!"
"My lord!"
"Intruders! To arms!"
Enri pulled a ducal-sealed document from his pocket and presented it to the spear-wielding soldiers. It proved he wasn't some assassin, but a knight executing the duke's legitimate authority...
"You dare lay hands on Lord Baron—!"
"Guess they can't read in their state. Figures."
Enraged soldiers wouldn't notice. Even if they did, they wouldn't lower weapons.
No choice. Enri strode past the elves readying crossbows, twirling his sword hilt casually.
"She said no killing. Limbs only."
Moments later.
The lord's office echoed with the soldiers' faint groans.
Gracia Kingdom.
In the royal castle, King Gracia paused mid-report from his vassals at the latest news.
"...Prime Minister."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What do you make of this?"
The king handed over the report from Claudia Duchy.
To sum it up:
Your mine was delicious.
Reading the report again, the king failed to mask his expression.
"Heh."
All he could do was laugh.
It was impeccably legitimate on the surface.
No room left for royal meddling.
"We got played."
The king realized he'd been outmaneuvered by the duke and could only chuckle wryly.