Towards Breitenfeld
I lifted my spoon and ate the soup. It was simply delicious. A savory blend of mushrooms, vegetables, and meat. I picked up a piece of white bread and dipped it into the broth. When my throat felt dry, I reached for the milk. It was a luxurious meal, a million light-years removed from the rations at the Northern Wall.
At first, I had tried to cook using monster meat. The result was catastrophic. A soup made of tasteless monster flesh, water that was on the verge of rotting, and dry, crumbly rye bread. Perhaps that was why, even though yesterday’s meal had been extravagant, today’s felt even more opulent.
“……”
“……”
If not for Elizabeth and Lady Elena glaring at each other, it would have been perfect. Then again, maybe their presence made it feel even more lavish, but I just wanted to enjoy my meal in peace.
“*Sigh.*”
As I let out a breath, Lady Elena reacted first. She offered a light smile and asked, “Is the meal not to your liking?”
“It’s far more pathetic than the breakfasts at the Imperial Palace, my lady. To think I have to serve this kind of food to my future husband... *sigh*...”
Elizabeth’s intrusion made me miss my timing to respond. This part, I found genuinely infuriating. Sure, it’s the Imperial Palace, so they probably have dishes like the ones served at yesterday’s grand banquet. But calling a meal like this "pathetic" was grating. Just looking at the soup, you could tell it was made with fresh milk, butter, meat, mushrooms, vegetables, and high-quality flour. The milk wasn't spoiled in the slightest. The bread was white and soft, clearly made from premium wheat. I don't mind if someone insults other things, but I cannot tolerate the disparagement of perfectly good food.
“Your words are excessive, Your Highness.”
At my words, Elizabeth trembled, as if feeling betrayed. “Count. I was merely stating the facts?”
“Even so, I cannot forgive you for looking down on this food and the chef who prepared it. Apologize to the food immediately.”
“……”
Elizabeth’s expression twisted, while Lady Elena looked at me with eyes full of emotion, as if she were overwhelmed. Elizabeth had probably never been scolded like this in her entire life.
Tears seemed to well up in the corners of her eyes, but I ignored them and kept eating my soup. No matter how pretty she was, a bad attitude toward food had to be corrected. Thinking back to how I had fought tooth and nail just to drink a single drop of clean water at the Northern Wall, calling this magnificent table "pathetic" was the height of decadence.
“……*Hic*.”
Eventually, Elizabeth bit her lip and lowered her head.
“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to look down on the food.”
As an apology left the lips of an Imperial Princess, the air in the dining room froze. I could see the faces of the imperial servants standing behind us turn pale, but honestly, that wasn't my concern.
“If you understand, that’s enough. Please, enjoy your meal.”
As I spoke calmly without putting down my spoon, Lady Elena’s eyes sparkled, and she pushed the plate of lamb in front of her toward me.
“Go Suhyun, please try this lamb as well. It was grilled with fresh meat caught just this dawn.”
“Oh, meat.”
Meat is always right, and Lady Elena truly has a warm heart.
Watching that, Elizabeth wiped her reddened eyes and pushed the plate of sausages that had been in front of her toward me.
“T-this, eat this too! It’s the highest-grade handmade sausage brought in from the Imperial Palace!”
“I will eat it gratefully.”
I never refuse what is offered. Especially if it’s meat. I chewed on the sausage Elizabeth gave me and pondered. What should I do with my life now? Would it truly be happy to live like this, surrounded by beautiful girls and eating well? I suppose it would be happy. But I felt like something was missing.
Fighting. Combat. War. Survival. That had been my entire life. Could I really give that up? The first time I gripped a sword and sliced through a goblin’s head. The first time I manifested a weapon in mid-air and killed an orc instantly. The moment I crushed the legs of four wyverns with a brutal axe swing just before they could tear me apart, and summoned a shield to land safely on the ground.
……And the moment I summoned every weapon I had ever copied to face the main force of the Demon King’s army.
At first, I was afraid. But that struggle had become my life. As I swallowed the sausage, I realized: I had become a being who could not live without that fighting spirit and the heat of battle.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
When Lady Elena asked, I brushed it off.
“The sausage was so delicious, I was just savoring it.”
“That’s right! The Imperial Palace is overflowing with food like that sausage!”
“…Is that so.”
Come to think of it, The Hero’s Party Only Looks at Me had plenty of strong characters capable of defeating the Demon King’s army. In the end, it had a happy ending where they defeated the Demon King’s army that had breached the triple walls of the Imperial Capital. That blue-haired guy, Bernhard or whatever, whom I had ignored, was also a fairly strong swordsman.
My goal was set. I had plenty of money, so I would travel around the Empire and the surrounding kingdoms, challenging the strong. That was my goal. It would be even better if there were beautiful girls traveling with me, but I’d think about that later. With a fairly serious expression, I spoke to Lady Elena and Elizabeth.
“I must see His Majesty the Emperor.”
And so, the trip to the Imperial Palace was decided.
The Imperial Palace was gorgeous. I don’t know what flowery words I should use to describe it, but if I felt it was damn gorgeous, others would feel the same. I walked through the palace alone, without Elizabeth or Lady Elena. I looked up at the Emperor sitting on the throne.
“I intend to leave for my territory now.”
“A fine idea! Hahaha!”
“Yes. I came to tell you that. And.”
“Hmm? It sounds like you have a request.”
“I must cancel the engagement with Princess Elizabeth.”
It wasn't for any other reason. If I got married, I would be tied to one place and have to live there. Almost for the rest of my life. In Elizabeth’s case, that would be the Imperial Capital. All the goods of the Empire might gather in the Capital, but the strong do not. Countless strong individuals would be found in remote, rural villages. That’s where training is more effective. And because that’s how it was written in the original story……!!
“Your eyes are burning with fighting spirit, Go Suhyun von Breitenfeld. Are you thinking of leaving on a journey for the sake of battle?”
“Exactly.”
“Why? You have suffered much for 10 years. You may rest easy now.”
“Because this is my way of life.”
I hate a life without fighting. I even wish the Demon King’s army would invade again.
“Truly, you are a hero among heroes. It is a pity. A great pity. It would be wonderful if a man like you could protect Elise.”
“I will be stronger when my journey ends. For now, I intend to leave for the territory granted to me to regroup.”
“Hmm.”
The Emperor closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. Then, he opened them wide and shouted.
“I shall consider the engagement with Elise as if it never happened! As an Emperor, I cannot hold back a true hero!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!!”
“Depart! Go forth and meet many strong warriors to forge bonds! And do not forget that you are a subject of the Empire! I, too, shall not forget you, Go Suhyun von Breitenfeld!”
What kind of character was the Emperor again? Even in the original story, he seemed to be quite the battle-maniac. That’s why he sent both Lucas and Elizabeth to the battlefield and went out to the front lines himself. The strongest man in the Empire must be the Emperor. He might be different now that he’s old, but they say he was like that in the past.
“When I return, would you teach me a thing or two?”
“Hahaha! A truly excellent question.”
The Emperor gulped down some water and answered immediately.
“Of course, I grant it! Before I ascended to the throne, I also met countless strong warriors and fought to the death. I understand your feelings perfectly.”
“…Excellent.”
I bowed to the Emperor and left the palace. Elizabeth, who must have heard our conversation, approached me with a pale face.
“Count Go Suhyun, an annulment! Why… why would you say such a thing…”
“It cannot be helped, Your Highness.”
It had only been a day. Since leaving the Northern Wall. I had only rested for a moment. Yet, fighting spirit surged within my body. I like women, but I have become a body that simply cannot live without battle. Lady Elena spoke as if mocking Elizabeth.
“If you think of him as your future husband, isn’t it a wife’s duty to let him go on his way, Your Highness?”
“Ugh… Ughhh……”
I heard Elizabeth running to the Emperor to whine. She was asking if she could follow me on my journey. The Emperor gave his cool permission. Elizabeth approached me with a joyful expression.
“I shall go with you! Because there will come a day when you see me again!”
Uh-huh. Add one beautiful girl to the party.
“I will also accompany you, Go Suhyun.”
Add Lady Elena, too.
“Grrr… How dare a barbarian from the North… !!”
Cut the jealous worm, Lucas. Although, if Lucas is polished well, he is a talent who could become the strongest swordsman in the Empire. I decided to give him some good advice.
“Crown Prince.”
“W-what is it!”
“You can become as strong as I am. Devote yourself further.”
“……!!”
Lucas’s gaze drifted toward the ceiling. Seeing him look up, it seemed he was remembering being beaten to a pulp by that pig-bone.
“T-this Prince… as strong as you… ?”
“Yes. I guarantee it.”
“…Is that so.”
At my words, his gaze changed. Please, train harder. And fight me. Please!
I turned my body with a light heart.
On both sides, the 1st Princess of the Empire and the Archmage of the Weisswaltz family were walking side-by-side like guards. And the first place I would head to was the Breitenfeld County, which had become my territory.
I would wander the Empire and meet the strong. At that first destination, there was one face I had to check first.
The true protagonist of the original story. The protagonist of the original story, ‘Greta Klein’, who became useless because the Demon King’s army was annihilated.
In this now-peaceful world, what kind of life is the protagonist living?