Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Emperor Faction Duke
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Hiding one's true identity must be a virtue for a dragon at play.
Woratikas didn't give off even the slightest impression that she was trying to conceal it.
Whether she only acted this way in front of me or not wasn't my concern.
She just seemed utterly mad.
I wonder if she even realized that midway through, the shape of her eyes had changed.
"...Ugh."
Maybe because I'd forced every ounce of strength to hold out, my entire body was now cramping up, muscles twisting in agony.
More than the pain itself, what was absurd was that she'd tried to crush me so thoroughly that I had to exert myself to that extent just to endure.
It was common enough for people to feel intimidated or terrified by sheer presence when facing off against each other, but making it hard to even move your body was an entirely different matter—extremely difficult to pull off.
Especially against someone like Woratikas, whose appearance didn't inherently inspire fear.
It required the target's mental fortitude, the atmosphere, the situation, and more besides, yet she'd attempted to choke me out simply by staring in a completely neutral setting.
And her maid, standing at a distance, had even collapsed to her knees.
"Well, I managed to get past it somehow..."
She'd said she'd come back, so my response must've turned out decent in the end.
The reception was fine, and since she'd even apologized at the close, it seemed safe to assume Woratikas was reasonably satisfied.
Though this was just the beginning.
I closed my eyes again, pondering how to handle our next encounter.
"...What the hell."
"..."
I focused my thoughts.
The gray dots, looking like palace servants, passed by without slowing, and the grays themselves seemed to halt or veer away as if yielding.
Someone who wandered the palace without escorts and wouldn't raise eyebrows.
Someone with enough clout that even the palace staff deferred first.
Someone with the pull to visit a prisoner at will.
I had a rough idea of who it was.
Considering Woratikas had only brought one maid, I could take it a step further.
"A high noble?"
My guess: a high-ranking noble harboring some grudge against me for whatever reason.
Could be one of the generals I'd fought, but they wouldn't have reached the palace this quickly.
Even my group, pushing the carriage to its limit and using Phegethon for instant teleportation, had taken four days.
Even counting from the day Andrei stormed the barracks, that's seven days—too tight for normal travel speeds.
So, a noble it was.
Bringing two attendants suggested he saw himself as wielding power rivaling the emperor's.
Unless those weren't his attendants but watchers on a person of interest.
Click.
The moment they arrived, one grabbed the door handle without hesitation.
That lack of pause confirmed it was a high noble, and in strode a small, slender man who looked about my age.
His hair was slicked back neatly with pomade, and he was draped in accessories embedded with red gems from head to toe.
Even his pants were red, and his face was flushed beet-red like he was furious.
"...You're Victor?"
"...?"
"Mind your manners. I am the head of the Emperor Faction, Duke Theodore Offenstadt."
The pretentious tone, the forced deep voice, the chin tilted up in contrived arrogance.
A familiar type of noble, one I'd encountered plenty back in the kingdom.
"Ah, you probably wouldn't know. The empire's nobles are divided into the Emperor Faction and the Noble Faction. Right now, my Emperor Faction holds the reins."
Theodore Offenstadt, huh.
Not a total stranger.
One of the Noble Faction dukes, I recalled—popped up in some weird events now and then.
Had he confessed to the emperor or something?
A quick glance at the maids who'd followed him in—they wore badges matching the one on Woratikas's maid.
"It means I'm the one speaking closest to His Majesty's ear."
The emperor's maids didn't so much as twitch at his words, so it didn't sound like a lie.
Calling himself the head of the Emperor Faction meant my actions had rattled him somehow.
To think this guy was actually leading the Emperor Faction.
It really showed how little Woratikas cared about state affairs.
"...Well, His Majesty mentioned you often enough that I came to see for myself, but you don't look like much."
I lounged in my seat, watching him as he muttered something unclear—whether it was aimed at me or just to himself.
No reason for 'Victor' to show respect to someone just flashing titles and rank.
Besides, a noble like that couldn't even wield a sword himself—nothing to fear in private.
"They said you came quietly. Was coming to the empire your goal all along?"
...Did he figure it out?
"Well, succumbing to His Majesty's charms isn't so strange."
Just nonsense.
No way he'd have guessed.
I'd nearly flinched at a throwaway line.
"You're still here even after His Majesty visited personally, so it doesn't seem you've won his favor yet."
"..."
"...Hey. You ignoring me right now?"
He stomped toward me with wide steps ill-suited to his short legs, after prattling from the doorway.
"I'm giving a wretch like you, destined for some backwater hole, a chance that won't come again!"
Setting aside his annoyingly sharp intuition, Theodore chattered on excitedly, reeking of the same vibe as Andrei.
"Facing reality now, are we? Must've been fun playing king in your pathetic kingdom with the other incompetents. Too bad—the empire's full of killers tougher than trash like you."
The delusion-spouting, the misplaced overconfidence.
"His Majesty seems disappointed in you, but swear to heed my words from here on, and I might carve out a spot for you."
And crossing the line entirely.
...I silently apologized for calling Woratikas mad earlier.
This guy actually earned that label.
Even as a prisoner, to treat the enemy supreme commander who'd risen to that post with such utter contempt.
"Pay will be generous. Name any other wants."
Perfect—the maids with him were the emperor's too.
High chance this conversation reached imperial ears.
Whatever his deal was with me, no reason not to exploit it.
As he leaned in close, I rose from the chair.
"Theodore, was it."
"...What."
Shoving with sheer resolve wasn't the wisest against his type, but I'd just treated the emperor the same way moments ago.
Had to keep the same stance now.
Besides, allies polite even to foes weren't always a good thing.
I advanced slowly, one step at a time, as Theodore recoiled in shock.
The maids had already stepped aside, showing no intent to interfere.
"What the—prisoner scum..."
He retreated bit by bit; I pressed forward steadily.
"What do you think you're doing! Stop him, now!"
He frantically called to the maids, but they stood motionless, watching as if deaf.
Thud.
The room wasn't that big, so his back hit the wall soon enough.
I closed to arm's reach,
"Wh-what..."
"It's because I'm a prisoner..."
that your hand rested on his left shoulder, leaning in to meet his eyes.
Since he might become a rival down the line, best to etch a strong impression now.
"Eek!"
"...that you're still alive after yapping about betrayal."
Before I could tighten my grip, Theodore darted sideways.
"H-how dare you defy me! You'll regret this!"
As he lunged for the door handle spewing clichés,
"You'd best not cross paths with me again."
"Urgh...!"
I added one more line.
He flung the door open and fled.
The maids, having watched it all, gave me a quick bow before following him.
Click.
Door shut, I sat back down, waiting for the next visitor.
With the Emperor Faction head making a move, normal protocol meant the Noble Faction would send someone too.
A problem cropped up.
The sun dipped low, but no one else came.
Theodore didn't seem like that big a deal, but a variable was a variable.
With Woratikas and Theodore visiting yet zero Noble Faction activity...
"The Noble Faction's weaker than I thought."
Way weaker than I'd figured.
I knew they'd be on the back foot after the Northern War's failure.
My expectation was that the Emperor Faction, with a hands-off emperor, couldn't aggressively expand.
But Theodore's brazen recruitment attempt suggested otherwise.
Miscellaneous bunch or not, they'd rallied enough under the Emperor Faction banner.
Difficulty just ramped up.
Easier than the Ruth Kingdom's nobles clinging tight to power, but carving out a spot would take work.
Especially against a Theodore gripping the reins hard right now.
As I mulled future moves,
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three precise raps.
No way?
Click.
"I did say I'd come back."
I wondered how far she'd push my 'madwoman' benchmark.
Less than a day later, Woratikas reappeared with her maid in tow.