Chapter 18: To Aldebaran (1)

“An envoy from Arcturus is coming?”

Marquis Taion doubted his ears. But the messenger bent at the waist once more and repeated his report.

“Yes, my lord! We have just received word that they crossed the borderlands and are on their way here.”

“At a time like this, an envoy...... No, more importantly, why would Arcturus send an envoy here at all?”

Marquis Taion was an ordinary man.

He was not exceptional at swordsmanship, nor was he particularly gifted in leadership. He was not especially wise, either. In every way, he was simply an average man.

The sort of man well suited to an age of peace.

But now, with relations sour between his House and the Arcturus Marquis family, he was becoming the worst sort of lord imaginable.

Because he was too easily swayed.

Unlike the Arcturus Marquis family, which insisted that war must be fought, the Aldebaran Marquis family was split exactly down the middle.

And with no decision being reached either way, they had only gone so far as to send troops to the borderlands. In such a situation, there was no way matters could improve.

“Who is coming?”

“The ones who passed inspection were Simon Arcturus, Ranieri Betelgeuse, and Hans, Commander of the Arcturus Second Order of Knights.”

“Simon Arcturus? Simon is the name of the eldest son, is it not? Are you saying the eldest son himself is coming all the way here?”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Good heavens!”

He could feel that matters were taking a grave turn.

It was not just anyone coming, but the Heir of the Family. Clearly, he must be coming to deliver something important.

The vassals lined up beside him began murmuring among themselves and exchanging opinions.

Then, amid the noise, an old man raised his voice.

“This is truly outrageous! Surely he is not coming here to urge us to surrender?”

“Surrender?”

“What sort of nonsense is that?”

“How dare you say such a thing before our lord?”

The other vassals shouted at him in disbelief.

Judged by objective military strength alone, it was true that Aldebaran lagged behind.

But that did not mean they were so weak that they could not even put up a fight.

If they won a few major battles, it would be more than enough to turn the tide of war.

“Enough. That is enough. Even if that were true, I have no intention whatsoever of surrendering.”

Marquis Taion drew a firm line, and the voices of the vassals died down.

Then the marquis turned his gaze to the left.

There sat a woman with her face veiled in black lace. She was the only woman among the vassals attending the meeting.

From the beginning until now, she had remained silent.

“Jin.”

“Yes, my lord.”

A clear voice rang out, and at the same time, the woman bowed her head.

“Do not just sit there in silence. Speak. What do you think? The eldest son of the Arcturus Family coming here at a time like this is surely significant.”

“It is probably nothing much, in truth.”

“And what makes you so certain?”

She was the head of the Ceres Family and the strategist representing the Aldebaran Marquis family. If not for her, the Aldebaran Marquis family would have fractured in all directions and been absorbed by another House long ago.

She was that intelligent and cold-minded a person.

And beautiful besides.

“Sending the eldest son of Arcturus here as an envoy in the current situation is dangerous in itself. The Marquis Deneuve I know is not such a bold man. If anything, he is closer to being cautious.”

“In other words...... are you saying the opposite may be true?”

Jin nodded.

“I believe it is actually more likely that they are coming to propose peace. According to our intelligence, Young Master Simon is opposed to the war.”

“Hm. Even so, Marquis Deneuve is not the sort of man to retreat so easily......”

“You may wait in comfort. It is not an army marching on us, but an envoy. Why be so troubled? It will not be too late to hear their purpose and judge after that.”

“I see.”

No one offered any rebuttal to Jin’s words.

She was simply that well armed with information and logic.

“But.”

It had seemed the matter was concluded, yet Jin continued.

“I would like to make one thing clear. At present, it is we who are being driven into a defensive position.”

“Surely it is not that severe?”

“Are you looking down on our Order of Knights?”

“If we consider only the situation at the borderlands, then your words are correct. But today, troubling news arrived from the south.”

“And what news is that?”

Jin glanced at Marquis Taion. The marquis hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

It was permission to speak.

“There are signs that the Orcs are beginning a large-scale movement in the south.”

“W-what!”

“The Orcs?”

“If they succeed in gathering the tribes and raise a single nation under one banner...... then our rear will no longer be secure, will it?”

The Orcs were one of the representative Other Races that inhabited the continent.

Many people mistook them for Monsters simply because of how they looked, but in truth they were highly intelligent, and their instincts for hunting were second to none.

They also possessed enough sense of community to live in tribes.

So the news that a hero had appeared among them, one with the ability to unite the tribes and forge them into a single community, was by no means welcome.

Marquis Taion asked,

“How likely is that?”

“At present, it is difficult to judge, my lord.”

“Hmm.”

Marquis Taion fell into deep thought.

The knights were no different.

“The important thing for now is that the envoy be received with the utmost courtesy. From our standpoint, improving relations with the Arcturus Marquis family is our only option.”

“Even so, we cannot simply bow our heads and yield one-sidedly, can we?”

“It is your task to strike that balance well. Do not put your pride forward too recklessly. This will be a seat where not even the slightest mistake can be permitted.”

“Ahem.”

Everyone still looked dissatisfied, but the commotion in the south was enough to suppress that dissatisfaction.

Everyone here knew full well just how dangerous it became when the front was divided in two.

“Jin. I entrust all matters concerning the reception of the envoy to you. Handle it wisely.”

“Do not worry, my lord.”

Jin gave a formal bow and withdrew. Then she summoned one of her trusted subordinates.

“This time, we shall capture him as a hostage. Prepare the drug.”

“Yes, my lady.”

An unbelievably cruel smile bloomed at the corners of Jin’s lips.

***

The carriage carrying Simon and Ranieri pressed onward without pause. Ever since crossing the borderlands, Simon had not reduced the pace in the slightest.

Fortunately, no particular disturbance arose at the border.

The knights and soldiers stationed there had instead looked on in amazement, since he had attempted to cross the borderlands with only a single escort knight.

At the same time, praise had poured out.

They said he had the bearing worthy of the Heir of the Arcturus Marquis family.

The knights, in particular, were deeply impressed.

‘I will have to be more careful from now on.’

Making an impression on others was a very dangerous thing.

If enough such impressions gathered and piled up, he might truly become unable to avoid the Heir’s seat.

In truth, this envoy mission was one of the things he ought to have avoided.

But Marquis Deneuve had given his absolute command, and in any case, he had needed to move at least once, so he had come out.

And along the way, he had seen Lua as well.

‘In fact, it would have been disastrous if I had not come.’

Simon remained in an excellent mood.

That was because his first meeting with Lua had gone so perfectly.

The matter of the Merchant Company’s investment was somewhat complicated, but Ranieri would handle that well enough on his own.

‘Being the eldest son is not entirely bad after all.’

Thanks to the consideration shown by the Aldebaran knights, Simon passed through the gate quickly.

Then they rode across an endless stretch of open fields.

Looking at the flowers blooming there, Simon suddenly saw Lua’s face vividly in his mind.

“What do women like?”

“You mean Miss Lua?”

“I would rather not go back empty-handed.”

Lua liked the flowers that bloomed in the fields.

Beyond that, he knew little else.

Simply because the time he had spent with her had not been very long.

And she had no greed at all. Not once had she ever spoken of wanting this or that whenever they met.

“The best thing is to treat her not as a woman, but as a person. Gifts are the same. If you look at her as a person, then what she needs will become apparent.”

“Now that is one jewel of wisdom after another. It almost makes me want to write it down.”

“And what is it that you see?”

“Hm......”

The first thing that came to mind was baking tools.

He had already asked her to make bread, and she would likely continue baking in the future.

‘But surely the house is already full of such things. There may even be some passed down like heirlooms.’

As Simon’s thoughts lengthened, Ranieri offered an unexpected answer.

“What about a Teddy Bear?”

“And just now you were the one saying I should see her not as a woman, but as a person.”

“Is not the symbol of the Arcturus Family a bear? I think it would make a fine gift, as a token wishing success for this investment venture.”

“And at the same time, win her heart as well?”

“It would also imply that she may have occasion to visit the estate from time to time in the future.”

It sounded plausible enough, and Simon nodded.

Who would have thought that putting meaning into a gift could be this difficult?

“I will add it to the list of possibilities for now.”

“Once you decide, I will have it prepared at once.”

“Good.”

At that moment, a pigeon flew down and began racing alongside the carriage. When Ranieri opened the window, it darted inside.

It was one of the pigeons they ordinarily used as Carrier Pigeons.

“A snack?”

“Of course not.”

Ranieri opened the small tube tied to the pigeon’s leg and checked the note inside.

A strange light appeared in his eyes.

“Well, this is interesting.”

“What is it?”

Simon replied without even opening his eyes, as though he had no particular interest.

“You were right, Young Master. Intelligence has come in that the movements of the southern Orcs are anything but ordinary.”

“What did I tell you? Have your doubts eased at last? About my Regression, I mean.”

“That and this are different matters. It is closer to a coincidence.”

Ranieri took some feed from his pocket and held out his palm. The pigeon pecked busily at it.

Then the pigeon flew back out again. Watching it go, Ranieri smiled. From a strategist’s point of view, it could not have been better news.

“In that case, we now hold the upper hand in negotiations. A Peace Accord should not be difficult at all.”

“Perhaps not. But the Aldebaran lot are not fools. The moment they see an opportunity, they will start rattling off demands.”

“How far are you willing to accommodate them? Come to think of it, we have not yet discussed that.”

“Do we really need to discuss it at all? It will not be too late to decide after seeing what sort of wine and dishes they bring to the banquet table.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

At first glance, it might have sounded like an indifferent remark, but it was also a response born of experience.

In other words, he intended to judge them by the level of their hospitality.

“Then I shall relax a little and enjoy this journey.”

“What are you talking about? You should be working. There is someone clever on their side too, is there not?”

“Yes. I have only heard of her by rumor, but it seems I will meet her this time.”

“She was a woman, was she not?”

“That is what I have heard.”

“Are you going to seduce her?”

Ranieri gave a small cough and pretended not to hear, and Simon burst into laughter.

Truly, Ranieri was at his best when he was being teased.