Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Came to Stop This War - 1
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How long had we been riding in the carriage?
Suddenly, Neril asked,
"Now don't you think it's about time you told us?"
"Huh?"
"Your next scheme."
Neril had asked the question, but Jenia was watching with sparkling eyes like a child, too.
That was when I started to reply.
Hiiing.
The horses neighed, and the carriage came to a sudden stop.
Jenia and I managed to brace ourselves.
But.
Thud.
Neril had face-planted into the cushion on the opposite seat.
"......"
"......"
She got up as if nothing had happened and returned to her spot.
Then she crossed her legs and said,
"Now don't you think it's about time you told us? Your next scheme."
"Uh, yeah."
Pretending I hadn't seen that.
"Of course I'll tell you, but first let's figure out why we stopped so suddenly. I have a feeling it's related."
"Yeah?"
"Excuse me. What's going on?"
I knocked on the door connecting to the coachman's seat. It slid open with a rattle, and the coachman said,
"I'm sorry about this. There's a pretty long procession coming from the opposite direction."
"What?"
"Looks like merchants. I'll go check it out. Hey!"
The coachman grabbed one of the people passing by and asked where they were headed in such a hurry.
Then, about ten minutes later.
He came back to us with a pale face.
"C-Customers. Sorry, but I need to head back too. Half the fare... no, a quarter is fine."
"What the hell happened?"
"It's war. War."
My companions stared at me.
I scratched my head and gave a sheepish smile.
"Whoops. Talk about coincidence."
This empire had unified the continent long ago, so aside from the Demon King, there were no external enemies to fight.
No enemies outside, that is.
Which meant that "war" in the empire referred to skirmishes between the forty fragmented territories—territorial wars.
We coaxed and bribed the coachman (with extra pay) to continue toward our destination.
And we sorted through the information he gave us.
"A territorial war between Aibis Territory and Kitur Territory, huh."
"No need to worry too much."
Despite the gravity of the situation, Jenia spoke casually.
"The empire has had territorial wars before, but most get resolved through mediation from the capital."
"Alcahad, right."
"You're really on top of things, Maide."
Jenia explained it like this.
The empire's two swords: the Knights of Light and the special forces Alcahad.
If the Knights of Light tracked and monitored "anomalies" like the Witch of Atrocities, then Alcahad handled everything involving power and force.
"For something on the scale of a territorial war, the Alcahad branch chief is bound to step in. If it's the one in Aibis Territory... hmm, that would be Dairt Kyle, no doubt."
"You know him?"
"Not personally. But I memorize the names of execs from rival organizations."
She said the Knights of Light and Alcahad were in a subtle rivalry.
Neril asked,
"If they intervene, what exactly do they do?"
"Word is the Lord of Aibis declared war, but no one starts a war just because they want that land. There has to be some justification."
"Hmm."
"Alcahad investigates that justification and mediates as best they can. Nine times out of ten, it gets settled that way."
"And the tenth?"
"......If even Alcahad deems the justification solid, there's nothing to be done. It's like the safety's off."
"And the Emperor just watches his vassal lords squabble?"
Jenia answered somewhat cynically, with no intention of defending it.
"This empire started as a small southern kingdom and unified the continent by force. At first, they controlled the provinces with iron-fisted power, but over time, the lords regained their autonomy."
"So they lack the power to control them."
"Seems like they lack both the power and the interest. Unless it's a massive incident that could shake the empire itself, they won't interfere if the justification holds. Post-war cleanup, maybe."
I got the picture.
Neril whipped her head toward me.
"So? What are you gonna do in this mess to make a name for yourself?"
"Let's phrase it more elegantly. 'Raise my fame,' how's that?"
"You're the famous Unyielding Sword Emperor. For a regular mercenary, war's a golden chance to make a name, but for you, it seems like the worst possible scenario?"
I'll definitely track down whoever first stuck that damn title on me.
And give them one just like it.
Something like "Fairy of Happiness."
"I'm not heading into this war to fight."
"Huh?"
"The fastest shortcut to fame is maximizing happiness for the maximum number of people."
"......"
"Think about it. Who suffers the most in a territorial war? The territory's people, already living hard lives, now dragged to the battlefield. They're the biggest victims."
Neril and Jenia looked at each other.
Both had the same realization at once.
"So you're saying right now—"
"Yeah."
I grinned and continued.
"I'm going to stop the war."
The territorial war between Aibis and Kitur Territories had actually happened around this time in my previous life.
Alcahad had failed to mediate back then.
Aibis's justification had been ironclad.
-That filthy Kitur scum lost my daughter! And they're uncooperative with the investigation. They must be hiding some dirty scheme!
That was it.
Lord of Aibis, Tobira de Maine, had married off his only daughter, Ariena, to Kitur Territory.
A political marriage for harmony between the two territories.
Common enough up to there.
"We looked into it roughly. The kid Ariena went missing."
After arriving in Rior Territory, we focused on gathering info first.
That evening, at a table in our inn-slash-restaurant, Neril said,
"Five months ago, Ariena went on a picnic with her maids and never came back."
"Hmm."
"Kitur searched as much as they could, but when they couldn't find her, they notified Count Tobira... and of course, he lost it."
Even if she was married off, how could he not when his precious only daughter vanished?
Jenia picked up,
"So he said he'd send troops to investigate himself."
"And Kitur refused?"
"Yes. Understandable, but the forces Count Tobira proposed were way too massive for a simple investigation. Nobody wants armed strangers in their home."
"So Count Tobira concluded Kitur was hiding something dirty by refusing his 'legitimate' investigation."
Jenia nodded.
The pieces fit, and up to here, it matched what was known before my regression.
War broke out eventually, and Count Tobira won.
Kitur got absorbed into Aibis.
[What now?]
'Dunno. I came with the big premise of stopping the war, but info's too thin.'
[Guess it's my turn.]
'Sure, but didn't you say you'd be more humble last time?'
[Hearing "humble" from you feels like a dog telling me to meow.]
The Eye of Omniscience is great and all, but I don't need the secrets of random passerby #1.
"Guess I need to meet the lord."
"Count Tobira?"
"Yeah. On the way here, the tension was sky-high, one wrong move from war. All the young men in the territories were conscripted and gone, women and elders soothing themselves with sighs and tears."
"......"
"In other words, it's a powder keg. No way it'll stop over something minor after coming this far. So I need to see the face of the guy who started it."
Check his face, scan the Blood Letters.
Find a secret big enough to make him drop the war, then blackmail—er.
Persuade him.
"How do we meet? Get the mercenary guild master to mediate like in Rior?"
"We have someone even better."
"Hm? Oh."
We both looked at Jenia at the same time.
Jenia clutched her proof badge to her chest with both arms.
"This isn't for times like this!"
"I'll buy you a meal."
"Maide. You did this last time too... Do I look like someone who sways for a single meal?"
"Two meals."
"Ah, even so."
"Three."
"......It's not about the food. You know that, right?"
Of course.
I'd heard it plenty before regression.
Jenia's badge was like a hall pass.
We met the lord just one day after requesting an audience.
Count Tobira de Maine of Aibis Territory.
For a lord preparing such a massive war, he was excessively obese.
And vicious.
-He has sinned against Ariena de Maine and 187 others.
The first name on his Blood Letters.
The sin he most wanted hidden was, unbelievably, tied to his own daughter—the one who supposedly vanished in Kitur Territory.
'Sigh. I can guess the gist even without the Eye of Omniscience.'
[Hmm.]
'Still gotta check. Please confirm.'
[Got it.]
Trail soon displayed the screen.
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 2. Viewable secret rank: C-rank.]
[Selection condition: 'Secret between Tobira de Maine and Ariena de Maine.']
[Secret rank: D-rank. View?]
The screen flickered black soon after.
First to appear was a woman with frizzy brown hair, wearing a filthy, torn dress.
[Time?]
I checked the top right.
Five months ago.
The exact time his daughter went missing.
[Obvious at a glance. That's Lady Ariena.]
[Probably. Ugh, look at her all trussed up. Poor thing.]
I nodded and focused on the screen.
Creak.
An old door opened, and someone entered.
Dimly lit, but that obese silhouette was unmistakably Count Tobira.
Ariena's eyes shook in disbelief.
The count ordered a subordinate to remove his daughter's gag.
"Pha. F-Father?"
"Mm."
"What is this? I was clearly... on a picnic when bandits attacked me."
The count nodded back.
His subordinates bowed and left.
Once alone, the count pulled up a chair and spoke.
"Listen carefully to what I say from now on."
"......"
"You're going to stay here for a while."
Ariena seemed sharp.
She rolled her eyes, then seemed to hit on a guess.
"What do you mean? Don't tell me?"
"Yes. The ones who kidnapped you from Kitur and brought you here are members of this territory's assassin guild. And as you might guess, they acted on my orders."
"Me? Your daughter, the wife of Kitur's lord?"
"I trust you can figure out why. You've always been quick on the uptake."
"N-No way."
Count Tobira nodded.
"One year ago, a massive mana stone vein was discovered deep in Kitur Territory's mountains."
"......"
"I married you off to that damn sly fox family to snag even a sliver of that unimaginable profit."
"I-I suspected as much."
"But as expected, Kitur's lord won't let anyone touch his plate."
Ariena bit her lip.
"So you planned to take it? Kidnap me, blame Kitur, and use it as justification for war?"
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