Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Northern Grand Duchess (1)
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The journey north to the Empire's northern frontier was truly monotonous.
Whenever our food supplies ran low, we'd stop at a nearby village to restock, then spend the entire next day rattling along in the carriage once more.
Occasionally, while giving our weary horses a break, I'd teach Brunhild some magic. That had become my daily routine.
"The key to magic is handling mana freely and at will."
When I raised my hand, the automaton puppet lying sprawled on the ground lit up with a white glow in its eyes. Brunhild's own eyes sparkled as she watched it move.
"It's... so cute..."
"If you can wield mana freely, you can do anything you set your mind to. It's the same principle whether you're a knight or a mage."
The more magic Brunhild learned, the more ways I could put her talents to use.
It was a good thing for me, too.
"Here's your homework: before we reach the Grand Duchy, make that automaton puppet move. Then we'll move on to the next step."
"Yes, sir!"
With her talent, once she got the hang of it, animating the puppet would be a breeze.
"It's so peaceful."
Physically, it was far more grueling than my days as Silverhardt's young lord, but mentally, I felt utterly at ease.
Gazing up at the clear blue sky, I suddenly grew curious about my fiancée.
"What kind of person is the Northern Grand Duchess?"
Cattleya had shed her silver-white armor and was deep into her physical training. Even through her clothes, her toned muscles were clearly visible.
She wiped away beads of sweat like pearls and replied,
"She's like a cute baby bear."
Cattleya smiled more fluffily than usual, clearly thinking fondly of her lady.
A baby bear, huh...
"Does she look like a bear?"
"Please, I beg you, refrain from such talk in front of her."
"I don't quite get it."
We'd arrive at the Grand Duchy soon enough.
According to Cattleya, my bride-to-be was some bear-like person from the northern continent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Haha! We're almost at Delberg territory!"
Reinhardt hummed a tune as he gazed out at the vast lake stretching beyond the window.
"That's Snow Lake..."
The enormous cradle of water stretched endlessly, frozen solid. I stared out the window, entranced by the wondrous sight I'd never seen before.
Beyond the frozen lake, figures appeared.
Soldiers from the Grand Duchy had come to greet us.
Under their escort, we safely crossed the lake.
"Delberg is even grander than I'd heard."
Once we crossed the lake, it truly sank in that we'd entered Delberg territory.
True to its role holding the northern front alone, massive walls and an imposing mansion displayed their majestic presence.
"The Grand Duke wishes to meet you."
"..."
My companions from the journey north had all scattered to their separate destinations.
It seemed I alone had been chosen by the North's master.
"This is nerve-wracking."
It wasn't exactly welcome, but what could I do?
I was about to become his son-in-law, after all.
My mind was filled with thoughts of how to impress the man who'd soon be my father-in-law.
Following Cattleya's guidance to pay my respects to the Grand Duke, I headed to the guest quarters.
The corridor stretched on, adorned not with the flashy decorations of the capital's nobles, but with simple, subdued ones.
"Please, go in."
Clank.
The moment the guest room door opened, I saw knights clad in resplendent armor.
The Delberg crest on their shoulders marked them as the family's knight order.
And in the center, seated and flanked by their guard, was a man.
"Yudel von Silverhardt comes to pay respects to the master of House Delberg."
The etiquette I'd learned as a child flowed out naturally.
His lion-mane white hair, wolf-like sharp eyes, the aura and pressure emanating from him.
This was the master of the Grand Duchy, the monster who single-handedly held the northern front: Elun Delberg.
"I see."
Cold.
True to the North's lord, even a single word carried a chill like piercing frost.
Just being stared at felt like being crushed under a boulder; my stomach churned.
Was I nervous?
"You've had a hard journey here."
"Not at all. It was a pleasant trip."
I had no idea what expression I was making.
This might be the most tense I'd ever been in my life.
The Grand Duke chuckled softly.
"Delberg is called the Shield of the North. Your house, Silverhardt, is the Tower of the South. We've had bad blood between us for generations."
This was tricky. The tangled, complex history between Delberg and Silverhardt would take all night to unravel.
Besides, he was the king of House Delberg, and I was Silverhardt's family head's younger brother.
How was I supposed to navigate this relationship?
For the first time in ages, cold sweat trickled down my back.
Elun Delberg narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a long while.
Soon, a cold smile crept onto his lips.
"I wasn't expecting much, but the new Magic Tower Lord sent someone useful."
"I'm grateful for your kind assessment."
"Let me be frank. The reason I'm giving you my daughter is to use Silverhardt's magic for House Delberg."
I swallowed dryly.
He was brutally honest. He was openly demanding my devotion to House Delberg.
In other words, he wanted me to abandon the prestige of the Silverhardt house where I'd been raised.
"I'd like commensurate repayment."
Elun Delberg rested his chin on one hand, fixing me with a chilly gaze, waiting for my response.
"I'll... do my best."
"Good. It'll be tough, but get along well with my daughter."
His expression didn't look pleased at all.
Which made sense.
If some wolf pup snatched away a daughter I'd cherished, I'd look at him the same way.
Thud.
The door closed.
"...At least I'm still alive."
Relief washed over me as I left the guest quarters.
"Follow me. I'll take you to the young lady."
I followed Cattleya.
She led me outside the mansion.
"?"
"We'll have to walk a bit. She's out at the moment."
After walking a good long way, we arrived not at the warm Delberg mansion, but in the North's wilderness of snow and ice.
Even after descending to the village, we kept going until we reached a remote spot untouched by people, where a single woman came into view.
"Cattleya!"
Her navy-blue bob fluttered in the northern winds.
Her smile was so radiant it made me squint.
And then I remembered someone I'd met in the Empire's capital.
'Wilhelm, you were right.'
There really are many beauties in the North.
This was proof.
She was so stunning that I stared, entranced, for a moment.
Was House Delberg's third daughter the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen?
"A pleasure to meet you, my lady."
"...Who's this?"
She gave Cattleya a puzzled look.
"Didn't the Grand Duke tell you? This is the man who'll become your husband."
"Aha!"
She beamed and turned back to me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Elaine."
"Yudel von Silverhardt. It's an honor to meet you—"
But I couldn't finish.
Clank.
Silverhardt.
At those five syllables, something sharp and cold pressed against my throat.
A keen blade hovered at my Adam's apple.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I stared at the woman radiating murderous intent.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"...My lady."
Cattleya looked at her mistress with pitying eyes.
"Cattleya... you think I'm an idiot, don't you?"
Elaine's fierce gaze turned to me.
"To boldly bring a mage before me. And one with Silverhardt blood, no less."
The smile from moments ago was gone.
She seemed to barely rein in her emotions before sheathing her sword.
Then, growling like a wounded small animal, she brushed past me and vanished into the forest.
"What a mess... I'm the one who's hurt here."
It might be time to seriously consider if I was born under a curse of being hated.
Of course, first things first.
"Cattleya. It seems you owe me an explanation."
"I'll... tell you everything."
Let's hear her excuses.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Father tricked me. I never imagined he'd pair me with the scion of the premier mage family."
Elaine raced through the snow-covered forest.
Her breath rose to her throat, her lungs burning, but she kept running.
Otherwise, she didn't know what she might do to that mage.
"Urk..."
Something rose from her stomach.
Elaine vomited up everything she'd eaten that day into the snow.
Her father's scheme sent chills down her spine.
A political marriage.
A union between houses to seal an alliance or strengthen bonds.
When Elaine first heard of her betrothal, she felt little.
She was the only woman in the family, and her brothers were all fighting demons on the front lines.
Having lived like a princess under her father's overprotection,
she'd instinctively known she'd be used this way someday.
"..."
The northern front's situation was worsening.
The vile demons lurked, waiting for a chance to breach the walls.
So, for the family's sake, she'd vowed to accept whoever came without complaint and marry them.
Even if he was ugly.
Even if his voice was grating.
Even if his personality was trash.
As long as one thing wasn't true.
"A mage!"
Elaine had never dreamed her partner would be a Magic Tower mage.
"How could you do this to me, Father..."
She gritted her teeth against the betrayal writhing deep inside her. Tears blurred her vision.
A memory she'd wanted to forget resurfaced: five years ago, the day her mother died.
"But even if you forget, I'll never forgive you. I won't forget, and I won't yield."
A deep, viscous rage coiled in her core swallowed Elaine whole.
"No mage will set foot in this house... I'll make sure of it."
Elaine kicked a nearby tree hard.
Thud!
The massive ancient tree shook like an aspen.
It was just venting.
Her foot throbbed in pain, but if she didn't do this, she didn't know what she'd do back home.
Elaine crouched in the snow and sobbed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I returned to the mansion. The slight cut on my throat... honestly, I was furious to my core, but I didn't show it.
Cattleya bowed her head to me repeatedly until her silver-white hair was disheveled.
"I understand the circumstances, but throwing me in front of a woman with such baggage is inexcusable."
Elaine's mother, the Grand Duke's wife, had been murdered by a mage when Elaine was young.
Her resentment toward mages had only grown with time, while the North desperately needed magic.
It seemed the Grand Duke hoped this chance with me would resolve her grudge...
"What a spectacular failure."
"...I'll accept any punishment."
"Are you mocking me? Did you think I'd casually punish the knight of the North's lord's treasured daughter?"
"I'm sorry."
She banged her head on the floor again.
"But the young lady..."
"Enough."
Cattleya stubbornly defended her lady, but it was nonsense.
How her mother died had nothing to do with me.
I didn't kill her mother.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't forgive her pointing a sword at my fragile neck.
Does she think all mages are the same?
I'm a guy who couldn't even earn the family's recognition—a person barely worthy of the title mage...
Getting treated like this made me a bit sad.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"...Because if I'd told the truth, you might not have come to the Grand Duchy."
Hmm...
She had a point.
If I'd known, I would've unleashed an army of automaton puppets in front of the Elder Council and protested rather than come north.
"In any case, I'm heading back to the mansion."
"...The Grand Duke prepared a small house for you, young master. Please go there."
Good.
Delberg had some sense in this regard.
In the vast Delberg mansion, the odds of running into her were low anyway, but keeping distance was preferable.
No matter how beautiful she looked on the outside, sharing quarters with a woman full of baggage was a huge hassle.
I followed her guidance to the house the Grand Duke had given me. It was a serene wooden building near the Delberg mansion.
Creeeak.
The door opened to reveal a spacious interior. Plenty big for one person.
"Eek!"
Eek?
My head slowly turned at the faint, feminine scream tickling my ears.
"..."
There was the woman who'd nearly killed me moments ago.
In nothing but her undergarments, no less. A sight to make one's face burn.
"..."
Fuck.
"Cattleya..."
You tricked me again!