Lydia on Her Knees
"Carlos! I know you're in the carriage! It'll only take a moment, so please talk to me! Please? I'm begging you!"
I didn't even want to hear it.
The wooden carriage offered no soundproofing, allowing Lydia's voice to filter inside with crystal clarity.
"What does that woman think she's doing?! Hero! I'll go out and give her a piece of my mind. You stay here!"
Clara, peering through the window to see Lydia blocking their path, made to step out of the carriage to confront her.
But I grabbed her arm, holding her back.
"Princess, I'll go."
"B-But..."
At my words, Clara's face filled with worry, as did Lucia's, who was sitting across from us.
I offered them a reassuring smile, then pushed open the carriage door and stepped outside.
Still anxious, Clara and Lucia quickly followed me out.
I had assumed Lydia left early this morning after practically being kicked out of the palace by Edwin yesterday.
Instead, it seemed she had been waiting outside the palace gates all this time, just for me to emerge.
"Carlos!"
As soon as I stepped down, Lydia, who had been blocking the carriage, rushed toward me.
She wore an awkward smile, perhaps because it had been so long since we last stood face-to-face.
"How have you been, Carlos?"
"What do you want? State your business."
"Oh... I see. You didn't miss me at all, did you? I thought of you from time to time..."
"If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving."
Listening to her hollow, insincere words, I didn't feel my usual anxiety flare up. Instead, a hot, bubbling anger surged deep within my chest.
Unwilling to drag this out and make a scene, I turned back toward the carriage.
"Carlos! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
Suddenly, Lydia grabbed my hand, pulling it to her chest to stop me from boarding.
"You suffered so much because of me, didn't you? I'm so sorry. I committed an unforgivable sin. I must have been out of my mind back then!"
"Is that what you wanted to say? Is that why a queen is making a scene in front of the palace gates?"
"Yes. I had to say this before I left..."
"Well, you've said it. Goodbye, then."
I wrenched my arm from her grasp and turned to climb back into the carriage.
"Carlos!"
Lydia clung to my arm again, pulling me back with all her might to keep me from leaving.
"Please, save our kingdom! The Demon King's army has invaded the Jeremiah Kingdom! There are so many of them... if we don't do something, the kingdom might fall!"
Finally, she got to the point.
"And?"
"Please come and help! You can stop them, Carlos! A force like that is nothing to you!"
"Why should I bother? You were part of the Hero's party, Lydia. Surely you can handle a demon army without the Four Heavenly Kings by yourself?"
"Carlos..."
"Where did that confident mage from three years ago go? How can you not even stop a simple demon army? Didn't you call yourself a grand mage back then?"
"..."
Perhaps I had struck a nerve by bringing up the past. She stood there, mute, merely clutching my arm.
Tired of waiting for a response, I pulled my arm free once more and stepped toward the carriage.
"Carlos! I was wrong! Please!"
Suddenly, Lydia dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around my leg to anchor me in place.
"I was wrong about what happened back then. I'm begging you like this! I'm pregnant... I know I sinned, but the child in my womb is innocent..."
"..."
"So please, I beg of you. Send reinforcements to the Jeremiah Kingdom!"
I tried to shake her off, but she held on with desperate strength, dragging along the ground as I moved.
Left with no choice, I sighed.
"Sigh... Fine. I'll go."
"R-Really?!"
"Yes. But on one condition."
"A condition? What is it? Gold? A title? Land? Name it, anything!"
I offered her a gentle smile as I pried her hands from my leg.
Then, I crouched down to meet her eyes as she sat slumped on the dirt.
"I'm currently under a mercenary contract with the Arzen Kingdom. If you pay me, I'll go."
"I-I understand! How much do you need?! Just name your price! I'll get it, no matter what!"
"It's a bit expensive. Can you afford it?"
"Yes! I still have my share of the Eryther Empire's imperial treasury, and if I combine that with the Jeremiah Kingdom's royal assets, I can scrape it together! How much? How much do you need, Carlos?"
"Five hundred million gold."
"Five hundred million? I can easily... Five... hundred million... gold?"
I don't know what she thought she heard at first, but the moment the number registered, her eyes went wide, and she froze completely.
"I won't hold the past against you. Instead, let's calculate it like this: the unpaid wages the Empire owes me, plus travel expenses to the Jeremiah Kingdom, plus the expenses of my party members, plus the maintenance fees for the Arzen Kingdom's army while I'm away, plus a one-month rental fee for the Holy Sword Ascalon, plus a night-combat surcharge, plus hazard pay in case we have to enter dungeons, and finally, compensation for the mental distress of having to see your face so often. That totals five hundred million gold."
"C-Carlos... how is that... realistically..."
"Why? Is it too much? If it's too hard, let's just forget the whole thing."
Lydia, utterly dazed by the astronomical sum, grabbed my leg again as I turned back to the carriage.
Part of me wanted to just climb in and drag her along if I had to, but since she claimed to be pregnant, I refrained from using force.
The last thing I wanted was for her to miscarry and use it as leverage against me.
"I-I'll find a way to get it. I'll pay a ten percent deposit first, and the rest later..."
"Sorry, Lydia, but I require payment upfront."
"W-What?"
"I did a contract like that before, and the Eryther Empire stiffed me on a lot of money. So, unfortunately, whenever I deal with anyone of your bloodline, it's strictly payment upfront. And I only accept gold coins."
"But... even so... how am I supposed to bring that much money here..."
Five hundred million gold coins was a sum that couldn't be raised even if she sold every scrap of land, building, and treasure in the Jeremiah Kingdom.
And even if she somehow gathered it, transporting that much gold to the Arzen Kingdom by carriage would take a lifetime.
My offer was essentially a rejection in disguise.
After doing the math in her head, Lydia seemed to realize my true intentions. She slowly let go of my leg, no longer clinging to me.
"I'll be waiting, Lydia. Let me know when the payment clears."
I walked back to the carriage and gestured to Clara and Lucia.
Clara looked ready to spit one last insult at Lydia, but Lucia held her back, practically dragging her into the carriage.
Lydia remained kneeling on the cold ground, frozen in place even as the carriage began to move.
As we pulled away, the last thing I saw was the nobles of the Jeremiah Kingdom rushing over to help her up, before they finally faded from view.
Unlike the Eryther Empire, the powerhouse of the western continent, the Fiore Empire in the north remained relatively safe from the threat of the Demon King.
The central region, where the demon army had appeared, was quite far from their borders, and several buffer kingdoms lay in between, meaning they had little reason to worry.
However...
The same could not be said for their relationship with the Arzen Kingdom, with whom they shared a somewhat awkward boundary.
While their political ties were complex, the Fiore Empire knew all too well the terrifying power of the Hero residing there, making them hesitant to make any rash moves.
After the defeat of the Demon King, they had considered plotting his assassination or trying to win him over with better terms than the Arzen Kingdom.
However, the majority of the nobility opposed these ideas and proposed a different strategy.
Click, clack, click, clack.
And that was...
"Your Imperial Highness, did you summon me?"
"Yes. Irene, perfect timing."
Upon returning to her homeland after attending the banquet in the Arzen Kingdom, Princess Cecilia immediately summoned Irene, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army.
"I assume you have a general idea of why I called you?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Irene, clad in the pristine white uniform of the Northern Army, knelt on one knee before Cecilia.
Her silver hair was neatly swept back, exposing her forehead.
The method the Fiore Empire chose to win over the Hero...
It began with inserting one of their own trusted subjects into his party.
Should any conflict arise between the Arzen Kingdom and the Fiore Empire in the future, a companion within the party would be in the perfect position to persuade him.
Thus, they decided on this course of action, and Irene was deemed the perfect candidate.
To join the Hero's party, the primary requirements were immense strength to combat the Demon King's forces, and secondary to that, a level of beauty sufficient to execute "Plan B."
Irene fit both criteria perfectly.
"If you have any objections to joining the Hero's party, speak now. I can always find someone else."
"No, Your Highness. I will do it."
"Have you been briefed on Plan B?"
"...Yes."
"Can you carry it out?"
"...Yes. I can."
A subtle ripple of emotion crossed the face of the woman known as the "Cold-Blooded Irene," who usually maintained a stoic, unreadable expression.
Seeing this rare display, Princess Cecilia watched her with an amused smile.
"So even the Cold-Blooded Irene can make a face like that."
"I apologize, Your Highness."
"No need to apologize. It's quite entertaining to see a different side of you for once. Hahaha."
"..."
Though Irene quickly regained her composure, Cecilia couldn't help but chuckle again, unable to forget the look on her face.
Irene simply kept her head bowed, waiting for the princess's laughter to subside.
"Men love that kind of bashful look, so make sure to practice it often."
"..."
"Well... whatever you have to do, whatever face you have to make, just ensure our mission succeeds, Irene."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"If you succeed... I will grant the independence of the Alsmeyer Grand Duchy, just as you wished."
Irene kept her head low to hide the subtle shift in her expression from Cecilia.
But at the mention of the Alsmeyer Grand Duchy's independence—the greatest lifelong wish of both herself and her family—her eyes trembled violently, betraying the storm of emotions raging within her.