An Alliance with the Neutral Faction
The man before him was Kane Adrahan, someone who had diverged completely from the original story. A giant of a man who stood as the head of one of the empire’s three great ducal houses and a master of exceptional magic. As the leader of the neutral faction, he existed solely for the sake of the nation. While the Grand Duke Ian Wintergard did not know him, the adventurer Ian certainly did.
When Ian sent him a meaningful look, those who followed Kane immediately formed a circle around them, creating a space where their conversation would not reach anyone else’s ears. The leader of the neutral faction and the empire’s Grand Duke—who belonged to no faction—speaking privately together naturally drew every eye in the hall.
“It’s been a while, Duke Wintergard.”
“It has indeed.”
Back when Ian had been adventuring across the eastern continent, the first person to seek him out had been none other than Kane. His daughter, the precious heir of a ducal house, had run away from home only to be kidnapped. Though Kane had wanted to use every means at his disposal, the kidnappers’ threats had left him bound hand and foot. In desperation, he had searched for a problem-solver, and that had led him to Ian’s party.
“Kiana has been asking about you quite often.”
“Haha. Well… it’s become even harder to see her these days.”
“I see. I never imagined you would end up inheriting the bloodline of a Grand Duke.”
“Neither did I. When I returned to my hometown, Commander Kalden came all the way to me, knelt on both knees, and begged me to come back.”
“The succession of the magic sword had to be fulfilled, so there was no other choice. I heard the Grand Dukes’ minds become unstable because of that sword, but you seem perfectly fine. That’s a relief.”
“Other than my hair and eye color changing, there aren’t any major issues. I occasionally hear nonsense, but I just ignore it.”
“If it’s you… I suppose that’s possible.”
As the head of a ducal house that had protected the empire alongside the Wintergards for a long time, Kane knew all too well what kind of end the previous Grand Dukes had met.
He’s completely different from every Grand Duke who came before him.
Born into the Grand Ducal family and bound by the noble yet miserable fate of inheriting the magic sword, they had lived lives of laziness or escapism, only to die young. That had been the fate of every previous Grand Duke.
But Ian was different. The knights who clung rigidly to tradition might not acknowledge it, yet Kane was certain that Ian was the empire’s greatest swordsman. His talent as a swordsman, the spirit forged through years of adventuring, and his own relentless effort—if he had not inherited the position of Grand Duke, Kane would have taken him as a son-in-law without hesitation.
“So, I doubt you came all this way just to exchange greetings. What brings you here?”
“First, to prove that the neutral faction still exists. And second, to discuss the development of the east.”
“Development?”
There was no direct road from Wintergard to the south, but there was a path leading to the Adrahan territory—the largest fief in the east.
“Don’t tell me you intend to develop the Forest of Wailing?”
“I expect it will be easier than the Demon Realm.”
“Well, that much is true.”
Compared to the Demon Realm, the Forest of Wailing was practically the same thing in Kane’s eyes. The monster waves that poured forth like mad once a month were the biggest reason the Adrahan territory could not project its influence outward. The trees themselves were far too sturdy, making clearing progress painfully slow. And the moment anyone set foot inside the forest, the monsters would surge forth.
“Even if it’s possible, you won’t have any troops to spare from the north right now, will you?”
“I will take care of that myself. You know me. If I say I’ll do it, I do it.”
“Hmm. If it works, that would be excellent. The monster materials from the north are of truly outstanding quality.”
“And we would be able to obtain food from the east quickly and at a low cost. It’s mutually beneficial.”
Both sides needed something the other had, yet a massive wall stood between them. Ian was offering to tear down that wall without asking for support, and in return, the Adrahans would gain from a cooperative relationship afterward.
“There’s no loss for me.”
“If it succeeds, we both benefit. If it fails, only we suffer.”
“Once I return to my territory, I’ll draw up a plan. Of course, certain conditions must be met before it can be carried out.”
“Just make sure that when we break through and arrive, we aren’t greeted by a rain of arrows.”
“Hahaha! I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen!”
The nobles of the neutral faction, who had only ever seen Kane’s cold and stern demeanor, stared in shock as they looked back and forth between him and Ian. Even the nobles who had drawn closer hoping to overhear their conversation were flustered by the sight of Kane laughing so openly.
“Tsk. This will only invite strange rumors. Let’s end it here. The imperial family should be arriving soon.”
“Then…”
The two men parted ways. Whispers followed them, but neither paid them any mind. For the north, forming a connection with Duke Kane was crucial. Aside from the eastern Adrahan territory, every fief reachable by land belonged to the noble faction. Their efficiency was poor, their personalities problematic, and cooperating with them would only invite endless gossip. Although the Forest of Wailing was essentially a downgraded version of the Demon Realm, the neutral faction’s position and their massive production and sale of food were exactly what the north needed most.
Since his objective had been achieved, all that remained was to avoid getting entangled in troublesome matters. The moment he tried to slip away from the place that practically screamed “future annoyances,” he felt someone reaching for his sleeve.
Ian swiftly grabbed the wrist. The face that came into view was a familiar one. She had the same red hair and red eyes as Duke Adrahan, along with a slightly fierce, cat-like appearance. Yet her dazzling beauty somehow made that trait even more fitting.
“Kiana?”
“So it really was you… No, it really was Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
While Kane had been speaking with Ian, Kiana had been occupied dealing with other nobles. Only after they had withdrawn somewhat was she finally able to spot him.
“…Kiana Adrahan greets Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
“It is an honor to meet the young lady of Adrahan.”
Kiana looked as though she had many things she wanted to say to Ian, but it was unwise for an unmarried Grand Duke and a young lady with a fiancé to be seen conversing. It would only create unpleasant rumors.
“Kiana. Come over here and greet him properly.”
Seeing his daughter hesitate, Kane eventually called her over. Only then was Ian able to escape the awkward situation.
“Phew.”
With the one person it felt awkward to speak to in his position as Grand Duke finally gone, Ian moved to a quiet corner of the banquet hall. He could hear that the imperial family had arrived in the distance, but he didn’t even turn his head.
The murmuring grew louder until it became a buzz. Unable to ignore it any longer, he finally turned his gaze. There stood a handsome young man with the same golden hair and golden eyes as Claven, though his expression overflowed with the confidence typical of youth.
“I am Rion Carnesia.”
“…Ian Wintergard.”
The courtesy he had shown the duke and Kiana was nowhere to be found. The way the young man moved without considering their respective positions, acting purely on emotion, made Ian’s brow furrow involuntarily.
“Would you do me the honor of sparring with me once?”
“Haa…”
Ian liked training and enjoyed sparring. If not for the constant monster attacks, he would have dueled Kalden every single day to temper each other. But no matter how much he enjoyed sparring, requesting a duel in the middle of a banquet—especially one where every major faction and leader in the empire had gathered—was something he would never do.
“Third Prince. Try thinking before you act.”
With those words, Ian turned and left. He should have congratulated him on his coming-of-age ceremony, but the young man’s behavior was anything but that of an adult.
After the Northern Grand Duke left, a girl with pink hair stood beside Rion.
“Mari. This is completely different from what you described, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes… it is.”
Mari Marigold. The daughter of Baron Marigold and the transmigrator who had become the protagonist of the novel The Saintess Who Embraces the Male Leads.
Why is the Northern Grand Duke’s aura like that?
In the original story, Ian Wintergard, the Northern Grand Duke, had been the character defined by misery and obsession. He had lived peacefully in a rural village until the entire Grand Ducal bloodline either died or fled, forcing him to inherit the title. There was no way someone who had lived such a tranquil life could have resisted the evil influence of the magic sword. Until he met Mari, he had been half-consumed by its madness.
Since this was still the early part of the original story, she had thought that building a relationship with him from now on would be easier. That was why she had moved Rion. Yet the man who stood before her possessed the black hair and black eyes that proved he had inherited the magic sword—and he was nothing like the Ian she knew.
“What about His Highness the Second Prince?”
“My brother? He said it was bothersome and came to offer his congratulations before the party even started. Ever since he returned from running away for ten years, his entire demeanor has changed.”
“Pardon?”
Even the Second Prince, who was supposed to cause chaos at the party and stand in opposition to the Third Prince, was acting completely contrary to what she knew.
“If you wish to meet him, I’ll arrange a seat for you after the party. Since he lived as an adventurer for ten years, he has quite a lot of interesting stories.”
“Would you really? I would be grateful.”
She had to know. She had stepped into this treacherous political arena precisely because she knew the overall flow and elements of the original story.
If the things I know start to go wrong…
She wasn’t confident she could endure it.
After giving the protagonist of the party a piece of his mind, Ian returned straight to his room. He would rather fight monsters until his body ached than remain in a place full of people trying to find each other’s weaknesses while twisting their words. He had accomplished everything he needed to, and his pleasant reunion with an old friend was over. It was time to head back north.
He had the waiting mages activate the warp gate. The moment he stepped through, the cold northern air greeted him.
“Welcome back.”
“Um… are you angry?”
Ivelin, who had come out to greet him, carried a strangely irritated aura, causing him to shrink back instinctively.
“There is the scent of a woman’s perfume on your left hand. Who is it?”
To anyone who didn’t know her, the question would have sent chills down their spine. But Ian, who was well aware of Ivelin’s senses as an assassin, answered casually.
“I ran into Kiana. You remember her, right? The young lady of the Adrahan ducal house.”
“So you met that little brat.”
“She’s not exactly a little brat anymore, is she?”
Ivelin had not forgotten. The day Ian had finished the request and was about to leave, the girl had hugged him tightly and rubbed her cheek against him. She also remembered the look in the girl’s eyes as she stared at her and the party’s priestess, Yelena.
“Give me your hand.”
“Here.”
Ivelin pulled out a bottle of perfume from her bosom and immediately sprayed it on Ian’s left hand. A fragrant scent bloomed, completely erasing the smell he hadn’t even noticed.
“That smells nice. What is it?”
“It’s my bo— Ahem. It’s my special formula.”
“Really? Anyway, tell everyone except those who are busy to gather in the Grand Duke’s office.”
“Understood.”
Having thoroughly marked him with her own scent, Ivelin’s anger seemed to have dissipated. She vanished to carry out his order.
When Ian arrived at the Grand Duke’s office with light steps, everyone who had received Ivelin’s message was already gathered. Commander Kalden, Chief Butler Elando, Treasurer Marbel, and Security Commander Galan. These were the people currently leading the north together with Grand Duke Ian.
“We greet Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
“I have formed an agreement to cooperate with Duke Adrahan. It is only in the event that we clear the Forest of Wailing for them, however.”
“Your Grace, we are already maintaining our current security on a razor’s edge. If we pull out any more troops…”
Security Commander Galan voiced his concern, but he wasn’t wrong. Because monsters attacked almost every day, most of their forces were stationed toward the Demon Realm, barely managing to keep the north’s public order intact.
“Only Ivelin and I will move.”
“That is unacceptable! How can the two of you possibly clear that place alone?!”
“There is a way. Since we are former adventurers, we won’t hesitate to retreat if necessary, so don’t worry.”
This time Kalden protested, but Ian’s confident words quelled his dissatisfaction. If the stories he had picked up during his adventurer days were correct, there was a method to wipe out all the monsters in the Forest of Wailing at once.