Chapter 227: Frillite (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Frillite (6)
“Do you really think you can defeat the Demon King without the Knight Order's help?” Frillite asked, having followed me from the commander's barracks until she was right by my side.
I checked to make sure no other knights were around before answering.
“Do you think the Knight Order will be of any help from here on out?”
“They could at least create an environment where we can focus on the Demon King. Isn't that enough?”
“But an enormous number of them would be sacrificed in the process. You don't want that, do you?”
“...No, I don’t.”
Frillite's expression darkened, as if she were recalling the knights who fell in the battle against the undead legion. Seeing that she still couldn't shake it off after all this time, it seemed the incident had left her traumatized.
Frillite seemed lost in thought for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. You're right, it's better to send the Knight Order back. It means the two of us will have to kill the Demon King's army and the Demon King himself, but... it can't be helped. It's only natural to take such risks if you want it all.”
Her dark expression brightened as if it had never been there. Perhaps because she'd lived a life full of trials, she even seemed a little excited at the prospect of a difficult challenge.
That made me feel a bit uneasy.
I was planning to send Frillite back to the Empire along with the Platinum Knight Order, but her reaction made it difficult to bring up.
“Cloud? What's with that look? Are you worried now that you're actually sending the Knight Order away?”
“Worried? It's nothing.”
“It didn't look like nothing...”
Frillite, who had been tilting her head in confusion, suddenly scowled.
“Don't tell me you were planning to send me back along with the Platinum Knight Order?”
Damn, she figured it out.
Now that I was caught, I couldn't deny it, so I slowly nodded in affirmation.
“I'm not going back,” Frillite said firmly.
This was why I’d wanted to persuade her slowly. Frillite's stubbornness was hard to break. My heart sank, but I had to at least try.
“Frillite, the Empire needs you right now.”
“The Empire isn't so incompetent that my absence would cause problems. Once the Platinum Knight Order returns, Her Majesty the Empress will regain her authority and quell the chaos.”
“The Empire aside, your family has also suffered considerable losses. Most of the great noble families were hit hard by the vampire incident. Your family will need you, too.”
“Didn't you tell me my father is alive? Then there's no problem. He will handle everything, as he always has.”
Her unhesitating reply was filled with unwavering faith in the Empress and her father. As long as that faith remained unshaken, I couldn't persuade her using responsibility as an excuse.
And since there was no chance of that faith breaking, I had to find another excuse.
But before I could think of something, Frillite pressed her point.
“Cloud. Before I am a vassal of the Empire or the heir to the Ferdiac family, I am a hero. I have a duty to defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the continent. To neglect that duty is the same as abandoning my honor.”
Frillite said, taking my right hand.
“Please, as my fiancé, do not trample upon my honor.”
Frillite squeezed my hand tightly. The harder she squeezed, the more clearly I felt the ring on her finger pressing into my skin. The sensation made me clam up, stopping whatever I was about to say.
“...Alright.”
In the end, it was all I could say.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Don't smile.
That's cheating.
...Right. There's no need to force Frillite to go back.
With her level of skill, she'd have no problem surviving on her own.
Now that I'd made a decision, it was time to act.
“Frillite. Want to step outside for a bit, just the two of us?”
“Hm? Step outside? You don't mean outside the military camp, do you?”
“I do.”
“Oh...”
Frillite's eyes wavered and her lips parted slightly. Her dazed expression soon vanished, and after collecting herself, she cleared her throat, her face flushed for some reason.
“I-I see. Well, you are a man... I suppose it can't be helped. We haven't seen each other in a long time, after all. B-But do we really have to go outside...? My tent is spacious enough for the two of us, so wouldn't that be better than going out...?”
Frillite rambled on, her gaze lowered in embarrassment.
Is this really the same woman who pounced on me in the Imperial Palace?
The absurd question crossed my mind.
“It's not for that, it's for something else.”
“...Do you know what I was thinking when you say that?”
“I don't know what you were thinking, but that's not it.”
“...”
Frillite's expression returned to normal. She seemed to be pouting slightly, but a glimmer of anticipation remained in her eyes.
But that anticipation was soon cut short.
“Cloud. What is this?”
Her gaze was icy as she looked at Angelica and Hailey. If I hadn't told her beforehand not to draw her sword, a disaster might have already occurred. In fact, even now, her hand was inching toward her sword.
Before she could draw it, I quickly explained.
“They're my slaves!”
“Sla... ves...?”
“They have abilities that are too valuable to just kill... Ah, I did make a contract, but it's a slave contract that's completely one-sided in my favor, so you don't have to worry. I have them under full control.”
“...”
Frillite stared at me for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“Come to think of it, you've always been like this. You do bizarre things that ordinary people couldn't even imagine and then just inform me about them.”
“Sorry.”
“It's fine. I think I'm getting used to it. You said I can trust you to control them, so I will. But what use could these two possibly have that you'd go out of your way to keep them alive?”
“First, Angelica here is a guide. She was born and raised in the Demon Realm, so she knows it very well. Thanks to her, I was able to come straight here without getting lost.”
“Hoh, that's quite...”
Frillite, who had been admiring how useful that was, suddenly stiffened as if she'd realized something. Without looking at me, she spoke.
“Cloud. Are these two the only ones who came with you?”
“That's right. I left everyone else at the Imperial Palace.”
“So that means you've been sticking close to these two the entire time in the Demon Realm?”
“Sticking close... that's a bit of an odd way to put it, but I guess so?”
“Hoh...”
For some reason, the sound she made was cold.
Only then did I realize something was wrong.
“Come to think of it, you were planning to send me back. If I had gone, you would have continued sticking close to these two, wouldn't you?”
It seemed I was too late.
*
Several months had passed since the catastrophe caused by the vampires. It was a long time, but the damage had been so immense that not even the Empire had managed to fully recover.
Of course, the Empire was still the Empire, and thanks to its inexhaustible funds, there was no danger of the nation collapsing.
If they continued to steadily work on reconstruction as they were now, they would surely be able to fully recover one day.
...That is, if there were no thieves in the country.
“My good Chancellor. I have an excellent idea, would you care to hear it?”
“An excellent idea, you say?”
“I hear a considerable budget has been allocated for the Imperial Palace's restoration. On that note, I have the Espar Viscounty under my domain, and the timber produced there is quite...”
“My apologies, Count. I'm afraid I'll be late for the meeting, so I must be on my way.”
“Aha, such a hasty man. You haven't even heard my proposal to the end.”
“If it's timber from the Espar Viscounty, it must be processed wood from the Blue Moss Forest. Since the wood from that forest is cheap, you were going to suggest we use it as material and split the remaining budget, were you not? My apologies if I'm mistaken. It's just that I've been hearing such proposals from more than a few people lately.”
“Kh, khm...! Well, it's hard to say that's definitively not it, but...”
“I'll be taking my leave.”
“W-Wait! This is a good deal for both of us! Isn't the wood from the Espar Viscounty sufficient as a raw material for restoring the Imperial Palace?”
The Chancellor quickened his pace, leaving the Count's almost servile shouts behind him. Only after the Count's voice faded into the distance did he scowl deeply.
“Sufficient? What's sufficient about it? Everyone who knows anything knows that the wood from the Blue Moss Forest is vulnerable to mana.”
Sure, it was cost-effective. But since when was the Imperial Palace built with cost-effectiveness in mind?
The Imperial Palace must always be the best.
A palace that would crumble under magical bombardment would be better off not being built at all.
Besides, seeing him act like that, he'd probably tamper with the quality of the timber he supplies, too.
As a man who prided himself on being the greatest chancellor on the continent, he could never tolerate being deceived right under his nose.
As the Chancellor grumbled and swallowed his anger, he suddenly felt a sense of bitterness.
If the Imperial Family's authority were what it used to be, things like this would never have happened.
What kind of fucked-up shit will I have to see today?
The Chancellor thought of the audience chamber where the ministers and nobles would be gathered and suppressed a sigh.