Ribelt Territory (3)
"Whether this works out or not, I appreciate the hospitality. But the leave His Majesty the Emperor granted me lasts only a week."
"A leave, was it?"
Ah, I hadn't mentioned that. If I had, he might have found another way to handle things on his own. Still, now that the Emperor's Taesa was supposedly traveling on holiday, even Ribelt couldn't very well complain.
"Yes. Otherwise, how could I—an Atlina student and the Taesa—have the leisure to come all the way out here?"
"Come to think of it, the idea of a trip did seem strange."
"There's not much of the holiday left. I can't say whether we'll manage to settle the black mage business before I have to return to the capital."
"Ugh..."
Valk scrubbed a rough hand over his face and let out a troubled sigh. He had planned to make use of me, but it wasn't going to be that easy. With the Emperor connected to me, he couldn't simply cast me aside either.
In that case, time to throw down the trump card. No matter where this conversation went, the structure of the situation would force this man to lower his head eventually.
"It's hardly a true threat, yet you're asking me—the Taesa—to take on a job you could handle by simply mobilizing your own troops. That seems a bit much, doesn't it?"
"Haaaah. Fine. What's your schedule looking like after this?"
"I plan to rest here a little, then head toward the Great Forest."
I had no real intention of going to the Great Forest, but since I'd brought it up I might as well see the bluff through. Somehow the conversation had reached this point; at this rate it might actually turn into a trip there. Still, watching the Ribelt family head's face twist in awkward discomfort was entertaining enough.
"To those long-eared bastards' neighborhood?"
"Yes. The reason we deliberately came to Ribelt was to use it as a waypoint. Given my status, trying to pass through the nearby noble territories would only become a hassle."
"That makes sense."
In other words, I was driving home that it wasn't happening. Whether he was the sort to give up this easily remained to be seen.
"It's a shame, but regarding the black mages..."
"You truly refuse?"
"Ahem. It's not something I can decide so lightly."
Alright then—dig out something more that I want. Olivia, regrettably, was a woman of considerable greed.
"You could do it, couldn't you? You're the Taesa and a Saint, the one who reclaimed Crad Castle."
"What exactly are you saying?"
"I don't think of you as one of those young masters bloated with empty posturing, or the young ladies who only put on refined airs while flattering them. I'm saying I consider you on the level of a daughter of Ribelt."
On the level of a Ribelt daughter—meaning a tough woman born and raised in Ribelt. The head of Ribelt despised other nobles. He had no fondness for young masters swollen with pretension, nor for young ladies who only looked graceful on the surface while scheming like foxes underneath. It wasn't just the family head; most of the people of Ribelt tended to think that way. So if they ever took in a daughter-in-law or son-in-law from outside, they scrutinized every detail. Otherwise they married within the influential families of the territory.
For the head of the Ribelt family to say something like that meant he was already bowing his head quite a bit. Refusing here would make me look like an absolute shrew. Even so—because I was different from ordinary young ladies—I decided to push back once. Regular young ladies might be satisfied with that much flattery. I was not.
"Only within a week? Still, I'd like at least a little breathing room, if you don't mind."
I radiated an aura with my entire body declaring that I was no easy young lady.
"What is it you want?"
There it was. Yes. I had been waiting for those exact words. Just hearing them meant I had completely seized the initiative. It wasn't as though I particularly wanted anything. There was no chance of magic records or anything of the sort existing here. At best, the only things these horse-obsessed men would offer were horses.
"Storm clouds may be gathering over the Empire."
"Don't tell me those prairie bastards?"
At Valk's words the Ribelt retainers' eyes lit up.
"No. Those idiots wouldn't dare set their sights on the Empire. I mean the White King."
"The White King. Hmm. That king of Atlan who's been doing so well lately?"
"Yes."
That was indeed the king of Atlan.
"He would dare eye the Empire? Even if he unifies the small kingdoms, the Empire can mobilize an army several times larger. And though it wasn't the main battlefield, we gained considerable experience supporting the kingdom's forces against the Demon King's army. Am I wrong?"
Valk meant that while the White King's army, tempered through a warring-states era, was powerful, the Imperial army had also clashed with the Demon King's forces and would not fall easily in terms of pure combat strength. But human affairs were unpredictable.
"The circumstances will be different."
"I understand the new-model weapons are already being distributed, starting with the capital forces and throughout the entire Imperial army. And still?"
Hearing that alone, one would think the Empire held the advantage. Certainly, if it were only the White King alone, the outcome was hard to predict. But two of the Four Heavenly Kings still remained in full enmity. Berna could be counted as something of an asset, but Pector was essentially neutral. Or rather—if he ever changed his stance and turned against the Empire, the entire story would change.
"That's true. However... if the Four Heavenly Kings stand behind him, the story changes completely."
"The Four Heavenly Kings?"
The words alone were enough to make even Valk's eyes flash.
"You mean the Four Heavenly Kings are aiming for the Empire's collapse. Certainly, for the sake of the Demon King's resurrection, that would make sense."
That Demon King wasn't exactly normal either, though. Honestly—in the fifteen hundred years of Imperial history that had been recorded, had something like this happened only once? I didn't believe so.
"It's a little different from that. There's something else they're after besides the Demon King's resurrection."
"Something else they're after?"
Valk looked intrigued and tore a large chunk from a chicken leg with his teeth. This man really did eat with gusto.
"Yes, my lord. You may not know it yet, but the Four Heavenly Kings are currently cornered to the extreme. In thousands of years this is the first time they have taken this much damage. They're bound to try something in this generation."
That much was certain.
"Just what is that something?"
"We don't know either. But what's certain is—"
"Stop teasing and spit it out already. So we can decide our direction."
Yes. Better to say that much at least.
"The Demon King and the Hero no longer have any meaning."
"Huh."
"If the White King crosses the Tranos River—the Empire's southern border—they'll immediately incite the black mage groups or lead their own legions in to strike."
The Tranos River was the river long designated as the border with the small-kingdom alliance to the south. Its lower reaches were suitable for a large army to cross, so every so often some thoughtless fellow from the south would always try to cross it while eyeing the Empire—or so the Imperial history books recorded. They had crossed it several times over the past fifteen hundred years. Looking back now, I suspected the Four Heavenly Kings had been involved even then.
"From within, the New World Group. From without, the Four Heavenly Kings and black mages."
"Exactly."
"I see. So when that time comes, you're asking us to help?"
The land where Ribelt sat was far too distant, but if the White King crossed in earnest—under the assumption of intervention by the Four Heavenly Kings—a considerable amount of territory could still be lost. Thinking about it suddenly: in the coming war I would have to fight on the Empire's side no matter what. Considering my position, if the Empire lost and was forced into a humiliating negotiation, I would immediately be pointed at as an incompetent Saint and Taesa.
"Isn't Ribelt ultimately one of the pillars of the Empire?"
"That pillar of the Empire... the capital has been ignoring us far too much."
Ignoring? They treated you well enough when they treated you well. I wasn't sure how I had ended up speaking for the Imperial family, but—
"It's not that they're ignoring you. It's simply that the homeland and Ribelt are too far apart, officials can't easily come, and the capital side is merely continuing the old agreement from long ago: that as long as you remain under the Empire's banner, you may act like an independent nation within the Empire."
"Even so, hasn't it gone too far? During the war between the kingdom and the Demon King, our forces supported the kingdom army at the capital's request. There were countless casualties."
Countless, my ass. These men who had only ever used their mobility for hit-and-run strategies had some nerve saying that. In every battle they had participated in so far, Ribelt hadn't lost even a hundred soldiers. And considering most of those were merely wounded... Ribelt had only ever skimmed the cream off combat. Look at this—they were trying to play me for a fool. I was going to have to push harder.
"Hah. My lord."
"Speak."
"If the Imperial homeland is occupied, Ribelt will be isolated alone in the north, fighting a lonely battle until you all die off. Given your personality, my lord, you would never bow your head to those types. And..."
There was something that truly left me speechless. It seemed he still couldn't tell who was the superior and who was the subordinate here. I smiled thinly as I looked at the family head.
"Isn't it you who's in a hurry right now, my lord—not me?"
At my question the family head's face twisted into a fierce scowl. He locked eyes with me for a long while. Then, after briefly seeming to suppress his anger, he heaved a deep sigh. He knew this was a fight he was losing. See? You shouldn't act all cocky without thinking.
"Bwahahahahaha! Yes. That's right. I'm the one in a hurry. I, the head of Ribelt, am the one who's desperate."
"Yes. I may not look it, but I'm a valuable commodity. If you want to buy a few days of my life, you'll have to give me an answer that matches the price."
That should be enough for now. He wouldn't try to tug-of-war with me any longer.
"Fine. Good. I accept that proposal—under the assumption that war really does break out. So can I borrow Ashtar's precious time?"
"Yes. I'll do that much for you. And one more thing: when it comes to catching the black mages, please spare no cooperation whatsoever."
These men had such strong pride; there was no telling what they might do.
"Of course."
"Then that settles it."
"It's late today, so rest for now and start from tomorrow."
"Yes."
And so the dinner gathering came to a satisfying end. With my victory. Now all that remained was the business of crushing the black mages.