Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Erina's Arrival and the Western Lure
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I thought Erina's appearance would stir up another storm, but surprisingly, it didn't.
Estelle just frowned, showing some sign that she had known about the visit somehow.
"What brings you here?"
When I asked, Erina snapped her fan shut with a tack!
"I've come to see the festival with my father. It's my first time at Crossing's festival, so it's quite fresh."
"Your father left yesterday, though?"
"That's exactly why I came."
Great nobles, with their busy official duties, rarely stay for the entire festival period, but depending on its importance, they often leave a substitute in their place.
This gesture was a way to flatter the hosting family. It showed just how much they valued it.
To go so far as to do that for a barony like ours. It seemed they were genuinely eager to pull our family into their faction.
"Goodness. Your father is relentless."
"Well..."
"Anyway, if our family did join your faction, it could be interesting, just like you said. We could talk without worrying about others' eyes in the future."
"Are you actually thinking of joining our faction?"
"Who knows. I'm not the family head."
"Oh my, then it really does seem possible."
I planned to respect whatever choice Max made. After all, I was already half-independent, building my own forces outside the family.
"Hehe, if that happens, it would be fun, just like you said. We wouldn't have to pretend not to know each other at the academy anymore."
Erina smiled. As I smiled back, Estelle grabbed my sleeve and tugged hard in protest.
"More importantly, you said you'd buy all the books?"
"The amount should be sufficient. I'll take the books, then."
"Wait. These are for promotion today too. You can't take them all. Just take about ten copies."
"I'll handle the promotion for you. I have plenty of friends who love books. Plus, don't I have a stake in those books?"
"Ah."
True, if Erina spread the word, it would be perfect.
She instructed her servant to pack the books.
"By the way, Als. As I mentioned earlier, what service are you providing me?"
"Pardon?"
"You were so eager to sell even one book. I've bought them all, so shouldn't you spend the whole day with me?"
"Ugh... You were watching the whole time?"
Their personalities shone through here.
Erina had understood why I was doing it and watched accordingly, while Estelle charged in headfirst. If Estelle hadn't intervened, Erina might have watched until the end.
Grateful for her consideration, I considered making time, but Estelle, who had been fidgeting anxiously, jumped in urgently.
"Erina! You have prior plans with me today!"
"Hmph, if that's the case, didn't you just say you'd help sell books from now on?"
"Th-that's..."
"Anyway, sure. Shall we go?"
I was momentarily stunned.
"Wait a second. You two have plans?"
It felt like just yesterday they were exchanging glares in the visiting room.
Erina answered nonchalantly.
"We built some rapport back then. Well, we have prior plans today, so we'll be off. Save the service for later."
As the two left, the air between them still seemed tense despite the rapport, but thanks to them, the book promotion ended successfully.
*
*
*
Thanks to Erina, I finished early and headed home to rest, but an uninvited guest awaited at my mansion.
This guest was near max level in terms of intrusiveness.
"Sigh... If you're here for the festival, go to Anton."
I tried to ignore him and head to my room, but he finally spoke up.
"Ha, you're quite cold."
"Of course. It's more absurd that you're showing your face so casually."
"We agreed to let bygones be bygones."
The guy. Juras pointed to the chessboard he had set up and continued.
"Unfortunately, I'm not here to enjoy the festival. I'm busy too. I plan to head back tomorrow after finishing our talk. It won't take long, so keep me company."
"...Fine."
It seemed better to just deal with him and send him packing quickly, so I sat across from him and picked up a chess piece.
"Coming to consult me means it's related to that Tripartite Division Plan you mentioned before?"
"Exactly."
In that case, I had to hear him out.
Juras moved his chess pieces carefully and broached the topic.
"Als, what do you think is the reason I've left Bekavia alone without conquering it?"
"Me? How arrogant. Do you think you're the king?"
"I have that much power. As embarrassing as it is to say, I could take the Grand Commander's position anytime I wanted. I just haven't felt the need."
"You sure say that boldly."
"The Grand Commander would actually be pleased. He'd say, 'Juon finally has ambitions.'"
It was scary how plausible that sounded.
"So? What's the reason you haven't conquered Bekavia?"
I'd wondered that myself.
Why Crossing, which could have easily destroyed Bekavia during the Three Lions War, had left them be.
Juras explained it in one word.
"A lure."
"A lure...?"
A lure for what, exactly?
'For him to bring this up now means there's a target to lure via Bekavia at this point. But...'
Who would fall for it?
Svenner couldn't start a war, and Bullang was preparing for civil war.
Albad was Bekavia's ally, and Ballast was famous for avoiding wars.
Our Kallifa had some leeway, but the expedition distance via Crossing was too far, and with Grand General Dunan's absence, we weren't in a position to mobilize.
That left one force.
"You're luring the Western peoples!"
"Correct. At this point, they're the only ones with the capacity. It's the perfect time for them to attack Bekavia and advance onto the continent."
"You..."
This monster of a man.
'How far does his scheming go?'
If that was the plan, it made sense in many ways.
If Crossing had conquered Bekavia during the Three Lions War, several problems would have arisen.
The biggest issue would be post-conquest governance. Crossing's rule of enslaving the conquered populace wouldn't be welcomed.
Even if Crossing destroyed Bekavia and took the territory, proper rule would be impossible for the next three to five years.
But if the Western peoples struck first, things changed.
If the West attacked Bekavia and Crossing intervened as saviors, they could acquire the territory more easily under that image.
No matter how poor Crossing's reputation, it was better than the barbaric Western peoples dismissed as savages.
'Then! No, it can't be...!'
I was plunged into confusion.
This story applied directly to the game's storyline too.
In the game, Crossing hadn't annexed Bekavia for unclear reasons.
If it was Juras's scheme to draw in the West...
'What was the protagonist's faction, then?'
The protagonist's forces that pacified the Bekavia region and founded a nation. That would mean they were a Western power.
Indeed, when the protagonist tried to pacify Bekavia, Crossing struck in full force.
'If true, the protagonist's faction has deep ties to the Western peoples.'
That even explained one of the protagonist's aides mentioning bringing the Three Great Generals.
'Maybe the protagonist was originally with the Western peoples...?'
The protagonist's past was shrouded in mystery, so it was possible.
'Or perhaps the protagonist was deceived by a Western spy.'
That would explain escaped Als gathering militia to help the protagonist, claiming he was in danger.
Before pondering that further, I asked Juras one more thing.
"I have a question. What exactly are the Western peoples?"
"You've done basic research, I'm sure. You want the hidden details?"
"Yes."
"In short, they are avengers."
"Avengers...?"
"As you know, the Western peoples and ours share the same roots. The only difference is that they were the losers."
It dated back to when Pensilon unified the continent.
"The Pensilon Empire, during unification, exiled various forces to the harsh Western lands. The Erevenia Kingdom, Dalton, Turlang, and others that appear in history books. Pensilon handled troublesome rivals or clans that way."
"There must have been a lot."
"Immense numbers. But the West they settled in was a jungle-infested wasteland. Unsuitable for stable agriculture. Most failed to settle or destroyed each other in civil wars. That's the story of Pensilon's early days."
They endured long pains and eventually unified.
As the Pensilon Empire waned, they reached their peak.
"Divided into three groups for balance, the West quietly built strength, dreaming of revenge against Pensilon that expelled them and ambitions for continental expansion."
"Then why didn't they act when Pensilon fell? That was prime time for revenge and expansion."
"If the West attacked then, it would give Pensilon a perfect excuse. They could rally the people against foreign invaders and quell discontent. Plus, even at its weakest, Pensilon was a unified empire then. Vast national power gap. So the West waited for Pensilon to self-destruct and fragment. Their miscalculation was the swift formation of the Svenner Kingdom blocking their path after Pensilon's fall."
"Couldn't they have crushed Svenner?"
"Svenner's founding king, Beltron, was notorious as a cunning politician since Pensilon days. Yet he was hardline against the West. Imagine what happened when such a man became king."
"He quickly built diplomatic channels with other nations to prepare for Western invasion."
"Yes. Svenner's moves put the West in a bind. They did nothing for a full twenty years."
The issue was after founding king Beltron's death and the policy shift.
Around the same time, after failing the Bullang expedition, Svenner decided to ally with the West.
"Having obtained that intelligence, I kept watch on the West. Meanwhile, I used Bekavia as bait to draw them out into the open."
"I get the gist. So why consult me?"
"You're a partner too. I came to ask what you want to do. Give Bekavia to the West, publicize their forces, and bring them to the same stage. Or stick to the plan and repel the invaders who attack Bekavia."
"You're asking because there's movement."
"Yes."
Juras smirked.
"The West is rapidly gathering troops now."
"...!"
"We don't have much time to wait for your decision. I'd appreciate a conclusion soon."
"Understood."
This was no small matter. It made sense why Juras came personally for consultation.
"By the way..."
Juras shook his head in disbelief.
"Even with your attention elsewhere, this level of strength. Impressive."
The chessboard was already decided. My knight had his king surrounded, ending the game.
Juras, his competitive spirit ignited, requested a rematch, but I chose victory and escape.
*
*
*
Meanwhile, while Als and Juras discussed the war.
Erina and Estelle were sharing tea and love talk.
"Here, take these first."
Erina handed about twenty of the fifty-plus books she bought to Estelle.
"You need them too, right? Share with your friends."
"Yes... Thank you. I'll pay you back later."
"It's fine. I didn't mean to burden you. More importantly, shall we read the books first? It's written by Als. You want to read it too, don't you?"
"A book by Als...? You sound like you knew."
"Well, he was selling them."
"But there's more to it. He might have been asked by someone to sell them."
"You're right. Truth is, I helped him write it, so I know the contents."
"...I see."
Estelle smiled meaningfully and said,
"If that's the case, I'll read it with others when sharing. Since we're having a reading group anyway, that'd be better."
"That's a great idea! I'll do the same."
"More than the books, let's talk about what we were going to."
"Sure. Straight to the point."
Erina asked with a serious expression.
"Who do you think it is?"
A brief question, but Estelle understood.
"No one specific. Too many vixens around Als."
"Did you just say vixens?"
"Yes. Vixens. Why?"
"Does that include me?"
"You're... an exception. You seem to have known him longer than I have..."
"Hehe. Good girl."
Erina inwardly liked Estelle. It was refreshing to have a peer stand up to her like this.
"So, Erina, what about you? As his first candidate, anyone in mind?"
"I thought of Beryl first. Close family ties, long acquaintance."
"Beryl... As expected."
"But no. When I asked, she waved it off. Never heard such talk, and she'd refuse even if it came up."
"Well, Beryl likes that Ruan guy, anyway."
"Harmless."
"So? That's it?"
"One more thing... Als once mentioned offhand. There's a woman he exchanges letters with. Not serious, but related to marriage talks."
"A woman he exchanges letters with...? Marriage...? Who. Who could it be. Angela, Alyssa, Kelly, Emma, Forte... So that letter he was writing then was for her...?"
Estelle muttered, exuding a black aura. Erina panicked and calmed her.
"Don't react so scarily one by one!"
"...Oh dear. Me and my temper."
Sipping tea to calm down, Estelle pointed to Erina's mentioned candidate as key.
"Finding out who she is should be top priority."
"Right. We'll cooperate until then... agreed?"
Erina appeared relaxed outwardly but was inwardly urgent.
Ever since learning Als had a fiancée.
If true, she officially couldn't marry him.
As the duke's daughter, entering as second wife would be impossible, no matter how the skies turned, for her family's honor.
Having successfully sealed their alliance, the two began sharing stories to get to know each other.
Hearing about Estelle and Als's first meeting, Erina's eyes widened.
"Als did that?"
"Yes, despite his severe illness, he approached willingly."
"Strange. That's not like him to act so gentlemanly..."
Erina couldn't easily understand. Normally, Als would pity Estelle but not get involved.
"What's that supposed to mean? Not like him? So he approached me with some ulterior motive?"
"If it sounded bad, sorry. I get it now..."
Erina inferred it related to Wade. Estelle frowned at the implication.
"You act like you know everything...! You said you know Als's secret. What is it?"
"Sorry. I can't say that with my own mouth."
"Ugh...! Tell me!"
"Hehe."
Estelle stomped her feet, desperate to know the secret.
Erina watched her fondly.