Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Dragon's Trial (2)
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Roughly hewn oak logs stacked for the walls, straw bundles laid like a roof. A crude hut that seemed to embody the serfs' grueling lives.
Even that felt like a palace compared to the tattered tents sprawled outside.
And now, as the warm sunlight faded and chill darkness settled in, an impromptu royal summit was unfolding right here.
Her golden hair gleamed like pure gold, rivaling the sun in banishing the gloom.
In stark contrast to that passionate gold, the white cascade draped calmly, serene as moonlight gliding through the night sky.
Women with charms as diametrically opposed as the sun and moon were now locked in confrontation over a single man.
A true case of flowers in both hands. One could only wonder what the man in question was feeling.
'Flowers in both hands can go freeze... This is just the shrimp's back exploding in a whale fight.'
It felt like he'd be literally crushed to death. Forget the imperial princess—Morgana herself—the royal princess was royalty too, royal blood coursing through her veins.
And that meant her spirit was no less formidable than Princess Morgana's.
In the suffocating tension where even the air seemed to freeze...
The one to break the silence first was, unexpectedly, Princess Anna.
"I never dreamed Your Highness would deign to visit such a wretched hovel. I figured you were far too busy whipping up a bloodstorm."
"Surprisingly, it wasn't quite as hectic as you might imagine. All thanks to the kingdom's nobles proving far more adept at self-preservation than expected."
You started this war and spilled rivers of blood—how do you have the gall to show up here?
We didn't spill that much blood? Your nobles surrendered without a fight, every last one.
Soft smiles played on their lips, but each word concealed a razor-sharp dagger.
Even I, just listening quietly, felt like I might keel over from the strain.
"When a blade is at your throat, how can mere survival instinct be branded a crime?"
"The kingdom was the first to gut the golden goose."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't tell me... Sir Blackguard, you fought this war without knowing a thing about what sparked it?"
Princess Morgana's alabaster hand covered her lips in mock surprise. Princess Anna bit her lip at the theatrical display.
Yet her silence was tantamount to conceding that Princess Morgana had seized the upper hand in their verbal duel.
Not one to let up, Princess Morgana—who had swiftly turned the tide in what had been an even exchange—pressed her advantage relentlessly.
"The Empire and the Union originally traded through the Arpen Kingdom, from which the kingdom reaped enormous profits. But... apparently, that wasn't enough for you?"
"It was because they felt threatened by the Empire's might and had no choice..."
"No grave ever lacked excuses. Still, openly harassing and discriminating against Empire merchants went too far."
Princess Morgana's recounting of the truth was far more shocking than I'd imagined.
As the Arpen Kingdom began thriving through relay trade, the Empire and Union naturally sought to exert influence over it.
But the kingdom blatantly sided with the Union—openly discriminating against the Empire, rigging trials in the Union's favor, and so on.
"We started with formal protests via envoys. The second time, warnings... Each occasion, the kingdom promised reforms, but nothing ever changed."
"So that's when you proposed a political marriage to take a royal hostage?"
"Hostage? We're talking the heir to a ducal house—one of only five Masters in the Empire... And not as a concubine, but a legitimate wife."
If it had been any ordinary ducal family, it might have seemed provocative. But against a Master—especially one of similar age—it carried real weight.
Of course, it also implied: We can't trust you anymore—hand over a royal as surety.
Considering the gulf between the Empire and the kingdom, though, the Empire had been exceedingly polite.
In the end, with Princess Anna fallen silent, I had no choice but to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"If it's Sir Blackguard, anytime... Ahem! Yes, I shall hear you out gladly."
"I can see you harbor no love for the kingdom. But surely that's not why Your Highness came all this way personally?"
"You're right... I got so caught up in old grudges I nearly forgot the main point. Very well—scolding you now changes nothing."
No matter what, watching Princess Anna take such a thrashing pricked at my conscience; I couldn't just stand idly by.
Fortunately, Princess Morgana seemed to recall her own purpose, sparing the princess further rebuke.
The very moment I breathed a sigh of relief, an utterly unforeseen bombshell dropped.
Princess Morgana slowly placed her luminous, jade-pale hand over her chest.
"Sir Blackguard, first allow me to express my profound respect for the valor and devotion you've shown thus far. With that in mind, I have a proposal for you."
"A... proposal?"
"To put it bluntly: Will you come to the Empire with me?"
The offer caught me so off guard my mind blanked. Me—who'd cut down hundreds of Empire troops? To the Empire??
Suspicious of some blatant trap, I locked eyes with the princess's crimson gaze.
The instant our shining red eyes met, certainty dawned: She was utterly sincere...
As I reeled from the shock, Princess Anna erupted in outrage on my behalf.
"Th-that's out of the question! Sir Blackguard is the kingdom's loyal servant!!"
"Not anymore, surely?"
"E-even so...!!"
"......"
Princess Morgana provoking with a leisurely smile, Princess Anna flailing her hands in protest... and me, hopelessly sandwiched between them.
...My head throbbed like it might explode.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ You can't fill your belly on the first bite.
Haste could botch the deal and cost a priceless talent. Even accounting for her talent obsession...
For an imperial princess to venture here in person was extraordinarily unusual.
Even her guard knight, Master Grandel, had fretted over it enough to advise caution.
"Your Highness, noble as you are—how can you go yourself? It risks making the imperial family look foolish."
"He's the epitome of loyalty. How could I skimp on sincerity to win such a talent? And..."
"Yes?"
"Ah, nothing!"
No need to confess to Sir Grandel that she'd been counting down the days to this reunion.
Of course, it wasn't personal affection. She simply yearned for the loyalty of such a valiant, capable knight as Sir Blackguard...
Which made the Arpen princess clinging to his side all the more irksome.
'No way he's already pledged himself to that woman, has he? Sir Blackguard...!'
Time was nearly up. With His Majesty's blessing, the Empire had promptly opened negotiations with the kingdom's royals.
The terms were straightforward: Pay reparations, and the Empire would return the occupied eastern territories—no incursions for the next decade.
They'd even sweetened the pot: Fulfill one condition, and the reparations could be waived entirely.
[Truth be told... countless imperial soldiers fell to this knight called Blackguard. A blood debt demands blood in repayment. Grant us authority to deal with him, and you'll owe us nothing.]
This was something of a test, too. If the kingdom refused—prioritizing a life-risking loyalist over the deal?
They'd have withdrawn gracefully. True loyalty couldn't be bought with gold or glory.
And blessedly, the kingdom had chosen profit over its faithful servant.
'Greedy nobles forever chasing personal gain, their scant loyalists abandoned by the crown... The kingdom's days are numbered.'
Princess Morgana's crimson eyes grew misty. Memories flooded back of that day she'd been helplessly captured, powerless to resist.
In pitch darkness, bleeding yet blazing with defiance to the last—his form had outshone any gem.
Even piercing her schemes with uncanny foresight... The ultimate prodigy of blade and mind.
'No matter how I look at it... This kingdom can never contain you.'
They'd requested authority to deal with the knight—not a word about killing him.
Secure what you desire through deception, never outright lies.
The bedrock of negotiation.