The Grand Archmage's Treatment (1)
"B-b-buh-buh-buh."
This idiotic stammering came straight from the mouth of Walter H. Hellhound, who was currently being shaken by the collar by the elf princess herself.
At least it was a relief. Walter had been terrified that spilling the truth might earn him a stinging slap across the cheek, but Margaret stopping at just grabbing and shaking his collar proved she was as merciful and compassionate as ever.
Long live the Eramenia Kingdom. Long live the alliance between elves and humans.
"What the hell do you mean by that? On what basis did you decide something like that on your own? You think we can keep fighting this war with our current lineup without a grand archmage? Explain yourself properly. I must have misheard you, right?"
"You heard correctly, Princess."
No matter how merciful it was to merely grab him by the collar and shake him back and forth, Walter found it impossible to speak coherently in that state. He politely pried Margaret's hands away with dignity intact.
Margaret realized she'd let her emotions get the better of her in a most uncharacteristic way and cleared her throat with a dignified ahem.
"In any case, if you don't give me a proper explanation, this isn't going over. This isn't just a personal matter—it's a clear problem from a strategic standpoint too!"
"Wait, did you say personal feelings? Personal feelings?"
Rose Caprice, who had been listening quietly until now, suddenly jumped into the conversation.
Margaret turned to her with a blank, dumbfounded look.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean all of a sudden?"
"So it's true then? You... have feelings for Jeong-jae? Like, real feelings? Romantic ones? The kind where you're seriously thinking of bringing that guy in as Eramenia's consort?"
"Is that what's important right now?!"
Margaret's face flushed as red as Rose's hair, and she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Startled, Rose flinched back on the spot, then hunched her shoulders, turning slightly away as she mumbled.
"It kinda feels like an important issue too..."
"Haha, Rose. With Jeong-jae gone and the crisis in full swing, let's put that aside for now."
"You created this crisis!"
Unable to hold back at Walter's nonchalant attitude, Margaret grabbed the hero's collar again.
The hero was once more shaken back and forth, sputtering his idiot sounds anew.
Bernard Silverpoint, who had been watching the scene in silence, let out a bored sigh with an utterly disinterested expression.
"Look, I'm honestly thrown off too, but it's not like we're gonna lose the war the second that guy's gone, right? If the hero's firing him, he's gotta have some genius plan up his sleeve. Ain't that right?"
Bernard spoke in a tone that could have been either an attempt to calm Margaret down or rile her up further—it was impossible to tell.
Margaret shoved Walter away dismissively and turned her glare on Bernard.
"What genius plan? What exactly?"
"Beats me. Maybe he got some secret intel mission that he can't even tell allies about, like the ones I get all the time. Happens a lot, yeah?"
Margaret shot Walter another piercing glare. The hero shuddered under the weight of that gaze, which combined the dignity of a fairy lord with the sharp intensity of a woman scorned.
"Is that it, Walter H. Hellhound? Did you give the mage some secret orders?"
Walter shrugged with his composure restored.
"A secret mission you can't even reveal to allies? How could I possibly tell you?"
"Haa..."
Margaret finally sighed in defeat, as if she couldn't win against him.
In the end, she had no choice but to think, If it's Walter, he must have some reason for pulling this stunt.
She knew his intentions were good. She knew he was smart. She knew he possessed an ability others couldn't even dream of—foresight.
The conclusion was inevitable: she had to trust Walter's judgment.
With no other option, Margaret settled into a reluctant acceptance, her excitement fading as she reverted to her usual cool, composed self.
"So, I heard you kicked him out of the party and sent him to the Magic Tower. What happens after that? We need to know where he's staying in case something comes up. You're not seriously saying that's a secret too, are you?"
"Sounds like you're planning to visit whenever you're bored."
Rose chimed in again.
Margaret whipped around toward her, jabbing a finger accusingly. For a split second, the elf princess seemed ready to snap with her hot temper—"Shut your mouth!"—but she managed to hold back, shaking her head instead.
Her feelings had already been laid bare in this room long ago anyway... or so it felt.
"Is it wrong to want to drop by and see a comrade whenever I miss him?"
"Whoa, you're being super straightforward now. If you'd been this bold from the start, I would've noticed, he'd have noticed, and think how great that would've been?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Margaret finally lost her patience and yelled at Rose again.
Rose stuck out her tongue and shrugged.
"Making it so I can't even talk."
"Don't tease Princess Margaret too much, Rose. Teasing someone about their first love brings bad karma."
"Quit with the nonsense and answer my question!"
The elf, who'd been showing her weak spots more often lately, snapped at Walter.
Walter nodded and adjusted his monocle with a serious expression.
"My family has a territory. It's called Harriet Territory. Tiny place, out on the border."
"The Harriet family had a territory?"
Rose asked.
Walter nodded.
"Our ancestor, Simon Harriet—the previous hero—didn't ask for grand rewards after repelling the Demon King's army with his feats. He just requested a quiet fief to spend his remaining days in peace, and they granted him a plot on the border."
"So it's your land then. I've never seen you show any interest in managing a territory."
"The Hacker Count's family has been handling it all for us. Still, it comes with a little castle, and if I claim my rights, the count won't stand in the way."
"So you're appointing that guy as temporary lord of the land?"
Bernard, who had been quiet, asked.
Walter shook his head.
"No, I'm applying for a barony outright. Rose, your father won't object, right?"
"Show a little more respect, Walter. Even you can't just call him 'father-in-law' like that."
Rose said sternly.
Walter adjusted his monocle and replied earnestly.
"His Imperial Majesty won't refuse to confer a barony on Park Jeong-jae, will he?"
"Good job. Yeah, with solid justification and your request, Dad won't turn it down. Considering the guy's achievements, barony's no big deal. Especially since it's handing over your territory—no messy procedures needed."
"You call him Dad just fine."
"He's my dad, so of course. If you've got complaints, marry me properly first, then call him father-in-law."
"You two are having a grand old time."
Margaret grumbled with a tch.
Walter sighed and placed a hand on Rose's shoulder.
"See, Rose? What did I tell you? Don't act all lovey-dovey in front of an elf whose own romance isn't going well."
"Once this war ends and I become queen of Eramenia while you two become emperor and empress, it'll be war between Odrich and Eramenia."
Margaret cracked a chilling joke.
Walter's eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open.
"That's bad. We might win this war, but that one? No confidence."
"Enough nonsense, Walter. So you're really giving Park Jeong-jae a barony? Handing over your entire territory as severance?"
"It could have meaning in various ways... yeah. For now, keeping him out of the war's flow is key. Plus, he knows things I don't, so we might gain something extra..."
"Pulling a powerhouse like that from the war?"
Bernard said.
Walter looked weary as he removed his monocle and tucked it away.
"Not forever. This war might drag on. Neither we nor the enemy can smash each other decisively right now. But eventually, one side devours the other to end it. I get why he came up with that insane ploy, but I absolutely can't accept it."
"You definitely collected all those spells, right? Honestly, hearing your plan makes me scared he'll hole up in his new territory and pull it off behind our backs."
Margaret said gravely.
Walter nodded.
"I'm holding all the scrolls for now. But since it came from his head, he could recreate it easily enough."
"Then shouldn't we keep him close and watch him? I'm going insane just knowing he even thought of that."
Margaret was so earnest, and her concerns so valid, that even Rose held her tongue this time, lips twitching as she restrained herself.
As Rose Caprice fought her urges, Walter explained his thinking to Margaret.
"Don't worry too much about him. He pulled something ridiculous, but he's not the type to value his life so cheaply. Without ironclad assurance of a decisive blow on the enemy, he won't cast something like that lightly."
"So as long as he can't grasp the war's flow in real time, he won't use the spell?"
"Exactly. He'd probably envision luring the enemy into a tight spot with imperial forces' full cooperation, then blasting through with one massive explosion for area annihilation and an opening. Damn. If that firepower could be achieved with gunpowder instead of human mana as the cost..."
"Honestly, I don't wanna live in a world with weapons like that."
Rose shuddered, recalling the scroll's power from Walter's description.
Margaret nodded vigorously in agreement.
"If a world exists where such weapons are commonplace, it can only be a profoundly unhappy one."
"Who knows. Park Jeong-jae seemed to know exactly what kind of crater a massive explosion leaves. What the hell happened in our ancestors' world in just 120 years?"
But dwelling on it wouldn't change anything.
After a brief silence, Rose perked up as if struck by a thought and turned to Walter.
"By the way, if the Hacker Count's family is managing that territory now, won't Jeong-jae fall under their influence while living there?"
"No issue, right? The Hacker Count's a solid guy. Great control, good reputation, cooperative with conscription..."
Cooperation with conscription was crucial. Walter acknowledged the reality: the war was drafting lords' private troops to the point of sparking discontent among provincial nobles.
But the emperor's right to directly appoint a third of the Imperial Assembly's seats kept the nobles from gaining leverage in votes. And in a war for humanity's survival, any sabotage would stain them forever—they had no choice but to comply.
Even so, without the Hacker Count bolstering noble authority and advocating elected monarchy among them, things could have been far messier.
Foolish nobles without an eye for consequences might have openly rebelled against the imperial overreach.
If not for the Hacker Count.
"The count himself is a good thing, but... it might end up causing trouble for Princess Margaret."
Walter said.
Margaret's ears perked up eagerly.
"Trouble for me? What do you mean?"
"That family's beautiful only daughter is smitten with Jeong-jae, isn't she? If they get close on a family level, who knows what stories might get swapped, and then..."
Walter gazed upward thoughtfully as he spoke.
"Explain that in more detail, Walter H. Hellhound."
Margaret's voice was astonishingly cold and calm, so Walter thought, She's less rattled than I expected, and slowly lowered his head to face her.
But upon seeing her state, Walter jolted in shock and leaped back.
"Take your hand off the quiver, Princess! No matter what, I haven't committed a capital crime!"
Unbeknownst to even herself, Margaret's hand had crept toward the quiver on her thigh and the bow on her back.
"Ignore it, hero. Explanation first, right?"
"Iron wall! Rose! Protect me! If I die here, the empire loses the war!"
"Frankly, you could use a scolding."
Rose betrayed Walter, sticking out her tongue.
As if she hadn't teased Margaret even once today.
Margaret's arrow mercifully whizzed far past the hero, but Walter had no time to calm his pounding heart before he had to spill every detail about the Hacker family's only daughter, Jenis Hacker.