Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Definition of War I Declare
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The week-long talks between the Robros Kingdom delegation and Kara ended in deadlock, unable to overcome their irreconcilable differences. In truth, they hardly deserved to be called talks at all. The Robros Kingdom had presented peace terms that Kara could never accept, turning Kara's predictable refusal into nothing more than a hollow formality before the outbreak of war.
Finally, on the last day of the talks, the Robros Kingdom delegation read out their declaration of war, and hostilities between Kara and the Robros Kingdom officially began.
But over the past week, my mind had been elsewhere, and none of it had registered with me.
Padila had figured out who I really was. The moment she opened her mouth about it, my life in this world would be over.
Of course, I had my trusty insurance policy in Big Sis Armida, who had managed to smooth over the incident at the Divinum holy site.
But the real problem was my uncle and my father.
The instant they heard I was alive, they'd drag me back and shove me right back into the Grand Duke's Heir seat. And then it would be happiness over—misery begins. I'd be stuck managing the Karl territories for good.
To put it bluntly, I'd lose my mind.
For starters, paperwork piled high on the desk every day, demanding review and approval. Then there were the territory-wide inspections to tend to public sentiment at the right times, attendance at imperial palace events and major neighboring fief functions to show my face, mediating the endless political tug-of-war between the autonomy faction fighting to preserve independence from the Yosrahim Empire and the cooperation faction pushing for alliance with them. And don't forget sitting as a judge in major criminal trials.
Think that's all?
Then there were the battles against the orc tribes who kept provoking us, where I might even lose my head to the axe of their great hero Grolmogg if things went south. Suppress peasant uprisings when they flared up, lead the territory's forces into battle during wars and rack up defeat after defeat.
But the absolute worst, the thing that drove me insane, was taking on hulking, muscle-bound noblewomen as concubines for political reasons—women I had zero interest in—and dutifully servicing them.
My life in Kara, by contrast, was pristine. A bit of work, and the rest was training or leisure time.
If I went back to the Karl territories, I'd truly be done for. No leisure time at all, sword training squeezed into scraps of free moments. Reaching the pure-hearted Mind Master realm? Forget about it. The rest of my life would be a blur of administration and politics. Naturally, staying in this great desert was a hundred, a thousand times better.
Sitting in one corner of the training grounds, I let out a grumble.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Shura, sitting beside me, offered some comfort.
"It'll probably be fine."
"You think so?"
"Yes. The rumors say Kara's Tohu is a deeply thoughtful and gentle woman. I doubt she'd do anything to put Master in a tough spot."
"True, Padila's got a heart of gold. And she's quiet, never one to cause trouble for others."
That was definitely true eight years from now. Though right now, who knows.
"Master. How did Padila recognize you, wearing your mask? She said she'd only seen you once as a child."
"Beats me. Sharp eyes, I guess."
"Hmm. You think so?"
Just then, Big Sis Armida pushed open the training hall door and walked in.
"Little bro. You have a visitor."
"A visitor? Who?"
"From the Kara palace. They want to see you there."
My heart sank.
"The palace?"
"Yeah. They even brought a carriage, so you can just hop in."
I locked eyes with Shura and whispered,
"Think they're trying to blackmail me over my identity?"
"Why?"
"With war looming, what wouldn't they do?"
"I suppose... but..."
If Padila was resorting to blackmail, there was only one way to handle it: crush her with power and status. Big Sis Armida couldn't step forward since she had to hide her identity, but Shura could.
Shura was the Grand Saintess of Yin-Yang. Her religious authority alone could easily overpower a city-state's Tohu.
"Shura. Come with me. We'll hear them out first, and if it's blackmail, you shut it down hard. Got it?"
"Yes. Understood."
I quickly got ready and headed to the Tohu palace with Shura.
Upon arriving at the palace, we were escorted to a lavish reception room. In the center of the spacious space stood a golden table, where two familiar faces sat.
One was Padila, the other my master-disciple counterpart, Udin Ibrahim.
Udin rose and bowed deeply to us in greeting.
"Welcome. I apologize for summoning you here instead of coming myself."
I stared at Udin steadily.
"Did you call us here?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Truth be told, I have an urgent matter to consult with Master about."
I glanced at Padila in the head seat. Her eyes hadn't left me for a second.
"This isn't blackmail, is it?"
"Me? Never."
"Then why is the Tohu here?"
"......"
Udin looked flustered, unable to answer. He didn't seem to know the reason either.
Padila eyed Shura standing beside me with a curious gaze. Even with the hood, she could tell Shura was an elf, her expression brimming with intrigue.
"Master. That lady's a wood elf, right?"
"Yeah. She is."
"And your relationship?"
"My girlfriend."
At my words, shadows fell across Padila's face. But she quickly brightened into a smile, approached Shura, and took her hands in both of hers.
"Nice to meet you. Welcome."
"Yes. Likewise."
Shura looked a bit dazed. Padila led her toward the door, saying to Udin,
"Master Udin. I'll share some tea with her in my chambers, so continue talking with Master."
"Yes."
With Udin's courteous send-off, Padila left the reception room with Shura. I took a seat at Udin's request.
"So, what's this consultation about?"
"Let's talk over some tea first."
A servant soon brought in a tea set and placed it on the table. I picked up my cup and took a sip. But Udin's gaze on me felt off— like he was scrutinizing me closely.
"Out with it."
"Lately, I've been pondering this: why do humans wage wars where they kill each other? After much thought, I've concluded it's for the sake of national interests. What do you think, Master?"
Not a great opener for a consultation. It felt like I was being tested.
"People fight wars because they believe it'll make them happy. Or because they think it'll keep them from being unhappy."
Udin's eyes widened at my answer. He clearly couldn't make sense of it.
"Pardon?"
"Hard to believe, I know. But that's it. Nearly a hundred percent."
"Why?"
"Humans only act to make themselves happy or avoid unhappiness. War is just a product of human action. It can't escape that."
"But wars kill and injure countless people. How can someone believe starting a war will make them happy?"
I chuckled dryly.
"Simple—the ones starting the wars aren't the ones dying. Do the rulers care about others? They fight whenever they feel like it, consequences be damned."
"Ah......"
Udin finally looked like he got it. Humans don't make themselves unhappy over others' misfortune. Normal people have sympathy or pity, but rulers lack even that, so they wage war without hesitation.
"That enough?"
"No, one more question. What do you consider war to be, Master?"
I tilted my head but answered without much thought.
"Eh, grunt work that ends with some swordplay."
"And combat?"
"Swordplay grunt work."
"What about strategy?"
"Mental grunt work to neutralize the enemy's grunt work efficiency and maximize ours."
Udin gave me a strange look.
"Why think of it that way?"
"You enjoy war?"
"No."
"Then it's grunt work. Everything humans do is either play or grunt work."
"Ah......"
I shot a meaningful glance at Udin, who let out a small exclamation. This guy had been asking suspicious questions from the start.
Udin pulled a stack of documents from the bag beside his chair and handed them to me.
"Master. Could you take a look at this?"
"What is it?"
"It's the war strategy plan submitted to Her Highness the Tohu by Commander-in-Chief Rajal. I'm no expert in military strategy, so I don't know what to check or what problems there might be. Please review it and give me some advice."
A war strategy plan from the Commander-in-Chief? That's top-secret material. And he's showing it to an outsider like me? Something smelled fishy.
I picked up the documents and asked,
"Do you know who's commanding the enemy expeditionary force this time?"
"We haven't identified them yet."
Without even glancing at the plan, I tore the whole stack to shreds and flung the pieces behind me. Papers fluttered through the air. Udin's eyes went wide in shock.
"M-Master?"
"Don't be shocked. Just threw out the trash."
"But you didn't even read it."
"No need. War's a relative game of trying to kill each other. A strategy made without knowing the enemy is trash by default. Why waste my precious time on garbage? I'm not that idle."
I stood up to leave. I didn't know Udin's full intentions, but no point wasting more time.
As I headed out, Udin hurried after me.
"Master! We still have much to discuss."
"Pointless. Whatever you do, you'll lose this war. Stop flailing around and plan for defeat instead. I can consult on that."
"M-Master?"
"Consultation fee's 20 gold rif. Add on travel for two and meals, that's 26 rif. Pay up quick."
I strode out the door, putting distance between me and Udin. Best not get tangled in this war. Show pity, and the rest of the year might be hell.
'Why isn't she coming out?'
Standing by the main gate, I craned my neck toward the palace. I'd sent word to Shura that we needed to head home ages ago, but no sign of her. Women were tricky like that—once they started chatting, time flew by unnoticed.
"Master~."
Shura. She was coming this way, seeing Padila off at the palace entrance.
"Hey, hurry up. What took so long?"
"Sorry. I had luggage to pick up."
Unlike when she'd arrived, Shura was decked out in jewelry: necklace, earrings, gold bracelets, essence ring, the works.
And she carried heaps of bags stuffed with clothes.
"What's all this?"
"Gifts from Padila."
I eyed Padila at the entrance warily.
"Hey, you can't just accept stuff like that. It's all rat poison."
"Huh?"
"I talked with that Master Udin guy, and something felt off."
"How so?"
"Not sure on the details, but they seem to want us involved in this war."
"Really?"
I turned to Shura.
"Padila didn't ask anything weird, did she?"
Shura waved her hands frantically.
"Not at all."
"No blackmail?"
"None."
"Good. But stay sharp. When I first saw Padila in the reception room, she gave me this look like she wanted something from me. She's definitely trying to drag us into the war."
Shura suddenly narrowed her eyes at me.
"Master. You really felt that?"
"No?"
"Yes."
"Then what?"
I looked puzzled, and Shura sighed deeply.
"Master. Have you ever actually dated a woman?"
"Plenty. I had tons of women. Swarms following me around."
"No. I mean, have you ever been in love?"
"Of course. Spent countless nights with women. If I spun tales, it'd fill hundreds of encyclopedias."
Shura's eyes narrowed further.
"Not that. Like, your heart racing at the sight of a woman, always wanting to see her, losing sleep just thinking about her."
I lightly tapped Shura's shoulder.
"Come on~ You're treating me like a fish out of water. True love, right?"
"Yes."
"Done that too. A bit late, but I had a first love."
Shura finally smiled brightly.
"So, what did you do when you met that first love? Think back to that moment carefully."
"Oh, took her hostage, held a knife to her throat. Nicked her a bit, but nothing deep. Just a graze."
Shura facepalmed in disbelief, clearly unable to comprehend me.
"Forget it. Talking to you hurts my mouth."
"Why?"
"Never mind. No way to explain it to you."
With that, Shura strode off ahead. Curious, I chased after her, peppering her with questions, but she just sighed and dodged my every probe.
Had Padila bribed her? Why was she acting so weird today? Elves weren't immune to jewels and fine clothes after all.