Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Came to Stop This War - 2
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The count nodded crisply.
Ariena was so shocked that she just opened and closed her mouth without saying a word.
But after a moment.
The clever girl squeezed out a single argument as if wringing it from a rag.
“Lord Count. What in the world are you thinking? His Imperial Majesty would never tolerate something like this...”
“You know the procedures for starting a territorial war, right?”
“Of course. Alcahad.”
“Exactly. And the head of the Alcahad branch in this region has maintained a good relationship with me for a long time. A man named Deirt Kyle.”
“......”
“I’ve already spoken with him. Deirt will report to the capital that my justification is impeccable and that there’s sufficient cause to start the war.”
Now Ariena’s face had drained of all color.
“No way... You promised to hand over part of the mining rights, didn’t you?”
“Well, it’s a bit more complicated, but roughly speaking, yes. In an organization like Alcahad, where discipline is everything, Deirt is an anomaly who puts his personal gain first. It’s a blessing for our territory.”
“No! It’s a curse. If the branch chief were an upright and just man, this war would never happen.”
“Does that mean you oppose your father’s grand undertaking?”
Ariena opened her mouth in a melancholic voice, saddened that she had to voice such an obvious fact.
“Of course. Even putting everything else aside, can we even win this war? I’ve observed Kitur Territory’s strength firsthand for a long time. Their troop numbers, weapon quality—nothing is inferior to ours.”
“Gambling always comes with high risks.”
“And the risk at stake here isn’t Your Lordship’s neck—it’s the lives of our territory’s people and soldiers!”
“Enough with that lip service. I thought marriage might have broadened your mind a bit, but you’re still the same.”
Ariena bit her lip.
The count rose from his seat, as if tired of talking further.
“Internal analysis says it’ll take about five months for Alcahad to verify our justification and for approval to come from the capital. Until then, it’ll be inconvenient, but you’ll live here. I’ll assign you one or two maids.”
“......Don’t lie to me.”
“What?”
“Even if your justification holds and the war starts and you win, if it’s discovered that I—the trigger for the war—am alive and well, who knows what backlash there’ll be.”
“......”
“I’ll be stuck here for at least a decade, maybe my whole life. Am I wrong?”
The count smiled fondly at Ariena’s defiant outburst.
He had kidnapped and imprisoned his own daughter, and he spoke so casually of her never leaving this place.
“Indeed, you’re sharp. It would’ve been better if you’d stayed ignorant and clung to vain hopes.”
“Father!”
“Even sparing your life instead of killing you was an incredibly difficult choice. Truth be told, I’m still agonizing over it.”
“......!”
“If you grate on my ears one more time here and foul my mood further, I might change my mind.”
Ariena staggered, reeling from the shock.
The count gazed at her indifferently before turning away.
“This war is the perfect opportunity to triple our territory’s land and wealth. Anyone who tries to ruin that chance will die by my hand. No exceptions, not even you.”
“......What happened to Settlia?”
“Who?”
“Settlia. My nursemaid! The one sold to Kitur Territory with me. She was with me on that picnic when I was kidnapped.”
The count snickered.
“Ah, that woman. Yes, that was her name.”
“......!”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. In any case, I heard they massacred everyone who resisted during the kidnapping.”
“Massacred.”
“Come to think of it, there was an old man who clung to you with his whole body until the end. Well, he’s probably dead, right?”
Crunch.
Ariena ground her teeth—it was visible.
The count must have seen it, but he turned and left without a care.
Drip.
With that, the screen cut off.
Time resumed its normal flow, and the people before me continued their conversation.
I calmly assessed the situation and organized my thoughts.
‘So he kidnapped his own daughter for a contrived justification and killed her nursemaid too.’
[Yeah. And it’ll work. Before the regression, the war happened, and Avis Territory won.]
‘This won’t be hard. Just find that Ariena woman and have her testify to her father’s crimes, and it’s over.’
With that thought, I felt a bit more at ease.
All that remained was locating that warehouse-like house from the screen.
As I leaned back leisurely in my chair, Count Tobira’s voice reached me.
“So, you’re from the Knights of Light?”
Jenia answered as our representative.
“Yes, Lord Count. Thank you for graciously attending this sudden request.”
“No. It wasn’t gracious. Your reputation is so renowned that I couldn’t refuse.”
He continued, his belly jiggling.
“So I hope you’ll understand if my tone comes off a bit harshly.”
“We understand.”
“I’ve heard the rumors too. You came chasing the territorial war gossip. I know your group monitors and investigates imperial anomalies. But in this case, I must say you have no authority.”
“......”
“I’ve already explained the cause of this territorial war, the plans, and the aftermath to Deirt, the Alcahad Northeast Branch Chief. Everything has followed proper procedures and been reported to the capital.”
I crossed my arms silently.
The count glanced at me before continuing.
“And conveniently, today is the day I’m expecting a reply from the capital via Deirt. He’ll be arriving soon.”
“......”
“So let’s hear your side after he gets here. Even I need at least a minimal defense against the Knights of Light’s prestige, don’t I?”
I could guess his scheme.
He planned to borrow the authority of Deirt, the Alcahad branch chief in his pocket, to make us back off gracefully.
Neril whispered to me.
“What now?”
“Let’s wait for now. From the looks of him, he won’t open up without Deirt.”
“Hmm.”
Plus, Deirt needed to show up for me to check his Blood Letters.
Once I uncover the secrets in Deirt’s Blood Letters, I could shake him up and down, left and right, to make him talk easily.
Threatening the branch chief would cause less backlash than blackmailing the lord directly.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the count, I’d considered going straight to Deirt myself. In a way, I was grateful for his unwitting help.
Jenia hadn’t heard our exchange but seemed to read it from our expressions and nodded crisply.
“Very well. It saves us the trouble of repeating ourselves.”
“Thank you for understanding. Deirt should arrive within the hour. Care for some tea in the meantime?”
Neril jumped in.
“Got any black tea?”
“......”
The count stared at her in bewilderment at her very Neril-like tone.
He must think he misheard.
But Neril just shrugged as if puzzled and said to me.
“Guess not.”
Deirt had received the message three hours ago and was hurriedly gathering documents.
“Damn it. Strutting around with the Knights of Light this and that. This is outside your authority from the start.”
He’d heard the rumors about Jenia too.
Some great powerhouse, next captain material, whatever—but strictly speaking, this was overstepping.
Of course, as the biggest offender himself, it wasn’t his place to say, but he had a unique brain that interpreted situations conveniently for him.
Judging that he had enough documents to convince Jenia, he headed out without delay.
Boarding a carriage, he told the coachman.
“To the count’s residence.”
“Ah, yes. Right away.”
In the rocking carriage, Deirt did a final review of the documents.
How much time passed.
Deciding it was enough, he leaned back in his seat.
“Phew. Tired.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Hm. But thinking of the payoff, I’ll have to tough it out. If Count Tobira gets those mining rights...”
......
Deirt tilted his head.
Who just responded?
He quickly looked across from him.
Surely, the carriage had been empty when it departed.
Yet opposite him sat a young man with light brown hair, lounging as if he’d been there from the start.
One word to describe the young man’s impression:
-Ordinary.
Deirt felt no particular impression from the man before him.
Not handsome, not cool, not ugly, not annoying—nothing.
A face that evoked no reaction at all.
The kind of ordinary that makes you forget who you spent three hours drinking with after just ten minutes apart.
That’s why Deirt’s reaction came a beat late.
“Wh-who are you! This carriage is mine.”
The man interlaced his fingers and said.
“Deirt Kyle. Alcahad North Branch Chief, right?”
“You bastard.”
“I spent all day gathering info—pretty exhausting. Now for the final check. Be a good boy and answer.”
“You little—!”
Deirt tried to call the coachman.
But he couldn’t.
By the time he came to, the man was already clamping his mouth shut.
“Mmph!”
“Let’s recite it. The lord kidnapped his own daughter to fabricate a war justification. You colluded with him, turned a blind eye, and reported to the capital that war was coming. And got approval, right?”
“......”
“You must’ve heard the lord say the Knights of Light’s vice-captain visited this morning, so hustle over. Meaning Jenia’s at the count’s place right now.”
“Mmph.”
“And with her is Maide, the so-called northern hero who joined her party.”
Deirt, naturally, didn’t answer.
His mouth was covered—what could he say?
But the man stared straight into Deirt’s eyes.
Then nodded as if realizing something.
“Spot on. Pretty honest eyes you’ve got.”
“Mmph!”
“Last question. I need to hear this straight from you. I’ll loosen my grip a bit—don’t scream.”
The man spread his index and middle fingers.
As expected, Deirt bellowed.
“Coachman! Coachman! Stop the carriage now!”
“Where’s Lady Ariena?”
“Coachman, didn’t you hear me!”
Snap.
Something tore off suddenly.
Deirt stared blankly as it floated above his head then fell to the floor.
It was clearly a finger.
The first joint of his index finger.
“Gaaah! Aaaargh!”
“Lady?”
“C-coachman, please stop the...”
Snap.
This time, he saw it clearly.
The man hadn’t used any fancy torture tool to sever Deirt’s finger.
He’d simply flicked Deirt’s middle finger like a kid snapping a pebble.
And with that, the first joint of the middle finger floated into the air again.
“Lady?”
“Ugh. The weapon shop near the territory entrance... u-under the one sponsored by the lord.”
“Oh ho. Not a dungeon or deep in the mountains, but right in the territory. No wonder we couldn’t find her. Guess my brain’s getting rusty.”
“Sp-spare me.”
The man quietly shook his head.
And the next moment.
Stab.
A dagger plunged deep into Deirt’s throat.
He convulsed and died.
The man withdrew the dagger, wiped it clean, then reached under the carriage seat and tinkered with something.
Soon, with a clunk, the rear seat floor sank down.
He stuffed Deirt’s body beneath the carriage, closed the panel, and spoke to the coachman.
“It’s done. Thanks for your cooperation.”
The coachman shook his head.
“No need. For ‘Bright Death’ Offense, anytime.”