Elizabeth von Sachsen
"How was the meal, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek?"
"Who do you think footed the bill? Of course I ate well. The way you say it, it sounds like you treated us."
In the standing bar at the heart of Palatium, preparations to welcome the guests were in full swing. Behind the sleek black marble counter etched with restrained white patterns, the bartender poured a round of Manrmursk's signature beer.
"I'll have one of those too. This gentleman here will cover it."
"Who? Me? Ha! Look at this guy."
The bartender glanced briefly at the bewildered Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek of Manrmursk before deftly sliding a beer over to Seolhwa as well.
"To Manrmursk!"
"What a clown. Cheers anyway."
Despite his gruff words, Seolhwa lightly clinked his glass against the one extended by Byeon Gyeongbaek.
He seems in a better mood than I expected.
"Ahh...! No matter how many times I drink it, it never gets old going down. Right?"
"This is my first time trying it, but I agree. I've been to every tavern in the imperial capital, or so it feels, but this is my first taste of beer this good."
"You call that good? Compared to Manrmursk's special brew, everything else is just watered-down barley juice."
Leaning casually against the jet-black marble, Byeon Gyeongbaek sipped his beer. To a stranger, he wouldn't seem like the lord of Manrmursk at all—far too carefree.
"So... have you figured out that second blind spot I mentioned?"
"Can I be honest, my lord?"
"No."
"I've been thinking about it nonstop, but nothing solid enough to call an answer has come up."
"What a waste.... Weren't you the academy's top graduate or something?"
"Lately, life's been teaching me how real battles trump everything."
Hearing that, Byeon Gyeongbaek proposed a toast first this time.
"I'm in a good mood, so I'll just tell you. Those 3,000 ragtags—they're all coming here first, right?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Whether they show up all at once or in waves, they'll end up in my territory anyway. Ah, but where the hell am I supposed to house them all...? Thinking about it gives me a headache again."
Was he downing his beer like water out of genuine irritation, or just showing Seolhwa that he was pissed? Hard to tell.
"Ahh! Anyway, once they arrive in my territory... how do you think they got all the way here?"
"Depending on their pockets, some walked, some rode horses, wouldn't you say?"
"Exactly. So where do you think all those guys are coming through? I'm telling you everything."
"It varies by direction, but they'd take the roads leading to Manrmursk, and ah..."
"Oho~ Guess you didn't cheat your way to academy top spot after all?"
Byeon Gyeongbaek let out a smug chuckle, but Seolhwa's mind was already racing regardless.
As the lord said, the 3,000 mercenaries and mages would flow into Manrmursk from their cities via the roads. And the roads linking those major cities were constantly watched by the Sachsen family and their Road Guards under the guise of monopoly rights.
Coming into Manrmursk was fine—they'd agreed to that. But those mercenaries leaving Manrmursk for elsewhere? That was a different story. Unarmed now, sure, but once armed up later, a horde moving out would get spotted by the Road Guards for sure, and word would fly straight to Duke Sachsen.
...Which is exactly what I figured too.
The beer foam hid Seolhwa's sly smile.
"You're in luck then, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek."
"Huh?"
Byeon Gyeongbaek, having polished off his beer with relish, shot him a look.
"I think I can solve that problem."
"What? How?"
"Once the mercenaries and mages arrive in Manrmursk and I take command—can I explain the method then?"
"Ugh, you're no fun. Do whatever, just make sure the money's handled properly."
"Of course. But... not that I'm one to say this after asking for them... are you sure it's okay handing the mercenaries over to me?"
Fresh foam, like cotton candy, crowned the refilled beer.
"Who's gonna tell me otherwise? And when the emperor and Sachsen's staff show up later, I'll stuff in as many safety clauses as I can. Just have the cash ready."
As Byeon Gyeongbaek said, hiring the 3,000 mercenaries and mages was the main demand. What came after—say, selling command to the guy right in front of him—was entirely the lord's prerogative.
And with the emperor covering 30% of the hiring costs... if I dump these 3,000 on him and pocket the cash? My genius is too bright to hide!
He caused a scene on the first night of the banquet, and now he's all cheery? Bipolar much?
As secrets and misunderstandings deepened between them, only the pure foam of Manrmursk's special beer bubbled innocently.
"Enough business. Time for me to have some fun."
"Finally time to sniff out the noble ladies, eh?"
"Such crude phrasing.... But yeah. See them over there? The cute ones hiding their stares behind masks and fans."
The hour between lunch and dinner. Too late to start outdoor activities, too early to head home feeling unsatisfied. Guests here to enjoy the banquet's second day were streaming into Palatium in earnest.
Today's ballroom theme was a masquerade—men and women entering the main hall all wore ornate masks. Clusters of young ladies' gazes locked onto Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek and the Seolhwa beside him.
The unchained tyrant of Manrmursk who'd stormed out of his imperial audience, temper fully vented. Day one, flashing a golden plaque; day two, entering Palatium in uniform alongside the border lord. The suspiciously dangerous duo was more than enough to steal every woman's attention.
The riskier the night with them, the more thrilling and unforgettable it promised to be.
Unlike Byeon Gyeongbaek, who charged straight into the main hall without hesitation, Seolhwa double-checked that Helena had indeed left for Utopia with Jepeto. All clear—front, back, left, right.
Donning the mask handed to him by a nearby servant, Seolhwa followed behind Manrmursk's lord.
* * *
Two carriages could run side by side with room to spare on the broad road. Neatly laid bricks stretched endlessly without a single gap—truly the arteries linking cities.
Countless hooves clattered atop it. The plate armor, painted a dark crimson with golden trim, bore the embossed fox emblem of Sachsen on the shoulders.
"These are the last of today's transfers, Captain."
"Quite a crowd."
Her ponytail, tied back, swayed precariously. Her dawn-like hair and eyes seemed to burn with inner fire at a glance.
Not just the Road Guard captain and knights, but even the infantry escorting the supply wagons—all wore matching armor. Something a mid-tier knight order couldn't dream of, yet for Sachsen's Road Guards, it was routine.
"Including this batch of mercenaries, what's the total?"
"About 350 here right now, and with those coming from Sukan and Fraia directions, just shy of 1,000."
"They're disarmed too, right?"
"No special mention, so yes."
"Yes?"
"S-sorry! I'll confirm properly!"
The captain's razor-sharp gaze shifted from the mercenaries to her men.
Doesn't add up.
The official dispatch requesting transport of the mercenaries and mages bore the emperor's seal, but it couldn't be his call alone. Even the emperor couldn't pull off something this reckless solo.
Dad must have... Duke Sachsen pulled strings.
But the why?
What does he gain from this brute-force approach?
If the goal was checking the potbellied electors and nobles, there was no need for this hassle. Sachsen's roads spanned the empire—endless ways to squeeze them.
Crush mercenary opposition, disarm them under public order pretexts, then dump them like trash into the electors' territories.
Even if no method satisfies everyone, avoid one that leaves everyone unhappy.
The hooves echoed like a metronome on the road. Her ponytail danced in rhythm.
"Captain, time to set up camp soon."
"Yeah, pulling off here isn't b—"
"Ah, come on already! Pitch the tents and let's rest. You trying to kill us walkers with sore feet or what?"
Under public order maintenance, they'd confiscated mounts like horses and wyverns from the mercenaries and mages. So unlike the mounted Road Guards, the mercenaries trudged on foot all the way to Manrmursk.
"You bastard! What makes you think you can mouth off in safety!?"
"Then let us rest at least. It's bad enough being herded like livestock from our homes—can't we gripe a bit?"
"Right! You lot human, us beasts?"
"Hear hear!"
Grievances mingled with exhaustion rippled outward. Tension thickened; the wagon oxen lowed uneasily.
Clop-clop-clop—
"C-Captain, we'll handle th—"
Ignoring the knight trying to restrain her, the captain strode toward the instigator.
"Whaddya gonna do, huh!? Send us back? I ain't walking another step today, do your wors—"
"Really can't walk anymore?"
The man, as if waiting, flung off his shoe. He thrust up his blistered, pale foot crudely, bellowing.
"See this and still say that? You guards ride horses, so no fatigue for you—but we ain't!"
Thunderous cheers followed. Sensing the mood had flipped, the man urged others to show their feet too.
"Just don't walk, then?"
"What?"
"Don't make me repeat. I asked if not walking works."
"How the hell we moving without walking? Oh~ Give us a lift on the back? Too bad, I don't ride bitch—"
Thwack!
Before he could react, the captain's spear haft slammed his solar plexus. He floated up like freed from gravity, crashing into the rear supply wagon.
"Anyone else who can't walk, step up now. I'll make sure you don't."
Not one met her blazing eyes—all looked down.
Right. No need for hassle. When bugs lift their heads, just crush them slow.
As the Road Guard captain Elizabeth von Sachsen shouldered her spear, her eyes burned with crimson dominance.