Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - Approaching War Clouds (1)

The seat the man occupied was more arrogant and authoritarian than any other place.

And those two implicit words would not be the least bit insufficient in describing that man.

The man’s name was Verleto William.

He was the head of Esteban’s only ducal house, as well as a capable schemer who had produced Queen Sarah, the mother of the 2nd Prince.

Furthermore, now that Asus, the King’s close friend, was dead and gone, he could be called the supreme authority among the nobles in both name and reality.

There were more than enough other words that could be used to describe the man.

“The Galderd Plains, is it…….”

The Duke’s deep voice rang low through the room.

His loyal subordinates realized that his voice contained joy.

Indeed, the words that followed revealed his true intent.

“It is regrettable that the assassination attempt failed, but there is no doubt that the situation is not bad.”

At the 1st Prince’s suggestion, Esteban had received the Galderd Plains back.

Had that land been useful, it could have been called the correct choice. However, this matter was such an arbitrary and foolish decision that even those who followed the 1st Prince found it questionable.

Thanks to that, the best time for those wearing the shell of the 2nd Prince’s faction to act had arrived.

“What is the reaction?”

When the Duke’s gaze reached him, Count Valmons bowed his head and said,

“As expected, the reactions are negative. We are slowly spreading public opinion beneath the surface.”

“You are doing well.”

No matter that it had the King’s approval, in the end, this matter was an agreement carried out without consulting the nobles.

For that reason, the atmosphere among the nobles was that they had to withdraw the discussion as quickly as possible and begin renegotiations.

It was a change in public opinion that did not even need to be deliberately fabricated.

The Duke smiled.

“This matter will become an opportunity to question the 1st Prince’s ability.”

“That is correct.”

Furthermore, if pressure from public opinion led to a decision to renegotiate, it would not merely end with doubts about his ability. He would even be branded as someone who had committed a diplomatic discourtesy against the Federal Empire.

It was something the man could not have wished for more.

“In his haste to display leadership, he acted without even considering how he would deal with the aftermath.”

From the moment the 1st Prince struck down Asus, who had held the nobles in his grasp, he had stepped into a swamp from which he could not escape on his own.

Thanks to that, not only had the firmly rooted support base of the 1st Prince’s faction begun to waver, but he had also repeatedly made mistakes like this, helping them move beneath the surface……

Plop.

The sugar held in Duke William’s hand sank into the abyss of his coffee cup.

“His next move will be the last thing that determines his fate.”

His efforts were futile.

For a weak and foolish prospective ruler who could not even see the road ahead of him, such a miserable exit was only fitting.

However, even amid that, there was certainly someone who acted with caution.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“What if there was a reason for receiving the Galderd Plains that we have not yet identified……?”

Some sort of “information” they did not know.

The doubt Count Valmons carefully voiced was reasonable.

More than a month had already passed since the delegation returned, yet even the King, who clearly distinguished public matters from private ones, had not mentioned this matter at all…….

However, in response to Count Valmons’s caution, the Duke spoke decisively.

“No. That will not be the case.”

The reason was simple and rational.

“If there truly had been such a thing, the Federal Empire would not have handed over the plains so easily.”

Furthermore, if Esteban’s royal family had personally moved to uncover such information, there was no way it would not have reached the ears of the Federal Empire.

That also applied to him, the maternal grandfather of the 2nd Prince.

The Duke’s head slowly turned.

“Would that not be so?”

“…….”

From within the darkness concealed like a curtain, a man revealed himself.

A dignified and elegant movement. Yet, as if displaying his true nature, each step was without the slightest hesitation.

The impression that man gave was wind.

“As promised, you only need to break apart the 1st Prince’s faction and ascend the throne.”

The Duke’s eyes glittered with desire.

“Albedo Esteban.”

***

A month had passed since the delegation returned. Recently, my days had been a repetition of precisely interlocking training.

When I opened my eyes, I went out to the training ground and honed my swordsmanship. Afterward, without even enough leisure to rest, I spent the nights training my body.

As a result, I had become a little more accustomed to handling the aura inherent within my body.

……To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that my body was belatedly learning from the experiences of my past.

Even so, this body was still unfit for my realm.

Wooooong-

A blood-red Aura Blade exceeding two meters unfolded from the sword in my hand.

The density of the aura was far thicker than when I had first absorbed the energy of black magic.

I corrected my posture and drew my muscles taut.

The target was the scarecrow before my eyes.

“Hup!”

The sword shot out like lightning in a storm and cut cleanly through the scarecrow’s waist.

Slash!

I slowly returned the thrust-out sword to its scabbard and watched the scarecrow.

The scarecrow maintained its original shape as though nothing had happened.

……But only for a moment.

Soon, unable to withstand the impact, the scarecrow broke apart piece by piece and collapsed to the ground.

The scarecrow, torn to shreds, was left in a state so miserable that it resembled the aftermath of a savage beast’s attack.

It was the result of releasing aura three times in a single strike.

Of course, this too remained a forced movement that did not suit my body.

“My realm is chasing the past, but this is still a pathetic body.”

Even so, I did not feel bad.

My current body was not complete, but it was in a clean state.

Like a pure white canvas waiting for the painter’s brush, I could draw not only my past form, but also the future form I desired.

Perhaps,

The moment this body was completed would be the moment I surpassed myself from before my regression.

“……The completion of the body, is it?”

I slowly stroked the tattoo on my right arm.

The task of absorbing the mana in the atmosphere was still steadily progressing.

Of course, even if I left it alone, it would steadily absorb and synchronize on its own, but there were also plenty of ways to artificially adjust that speed.

Just like this.

Fwoosh!

The aura sleeping within my body harmonized with my whole body, and my physical abilities began to strengthen rapidly.

The difference was that it did not merely flow along my blood vessels. Instead, it began racing toward my right arm along the artificially created passage of the Magic Engraving.

In the end, the aura spreading throughout my whole body met the accumulated mana and led to an explosive activation of my body.

“Ugh!”

The activation of my body did not last long.

The aura, sensing the overload, stopped moving and began to be withdrawn.

It was an act of deliberately stimulating the transplanted Magic Engraving. There was no way it would not strain my body.

Hoo.

In the end, I calmed the boiling energy and exhaled at length.

When I checked the energy I could feel, I confirmed that the amount of mana being absorbed into the Magic Engraving had increased, if only slightly.

However, as a rebound, I could feel no sensation throughout my entire body, as though I had been paralyzed, and cold sweat flowed as I suppressed the mana that had been on the verge of going berserk.

It was a moment that naturally made my expression twist.

“……Around three seconds.”

Considering that when I first stimulated the engraving, I had not been able to last even one second, this could be called a remarkable improvement.

It was also proof that the ability of my body to endure was rising by that much.

Of course, the returns that came back through stimulation were gradually increasing as well.

“It is about time to pass the first critical point.”

Over the tattoo on my right arm, deep silver mana shimmered.

It was exactly as expected.

Soon, the functions of the Magic Engraving would begin to be released in earnest.

This too was possible because I knew all the relevant knowledge. Even including the time before my regression, it was clearly an abnormally rapid rate of synchronization.

“Your Highness. It is nearly time.”

At Baron Vidor’s urging after he had come all the way to the training ground, I nodded.

Then I stared fixedly at the collapsed scarecrow for a moment before leaving the training ground.

Before I knew it, the sleeping sun had swallowed the darkness, and outside, the servants were bustling as they prepared for the day.

The destination was the 1st Prince’s office, as usual, but today, I could not afford to delay.

***

Murmur, murmur-

Although it was a gathering for a state council meeting, what the nobles were actually expressing was anxiety.

An exceedingly selfish desire that calculated only their own safety.

Or perhaps pure concern over the sparks that might fall upon Esteban’s feet.

Whatever it was, there was no doubt that the reason was the news that had come in from the Federal Empire two days earlier.

“War…… I do not know whether Esteban will suffer damage as well.”

The movements of the barbarians had finally become visible.

Judging that he could not sit by and watch the barbarians moving south, the Emperor of the Federal Empire raised an army, and at last, war broke out between the barbarians and the Empire.

It was a disturbance that had occurred at dawn the day before yesterday.

“It seems the barbarians have finally gone mad.”

“They say movements of the barbarians have now begun to appear in the northern borderlands as well.”

“Good heavens!”

As if proving that those words were true, the faces of the nobles based in the north had actually turned deathly pale.

Thanks to that, although the state council meeting had not even begun, the atmosphere had naturally become taut with tension.

Baron Vidor, standing beside me, brought his face close and spoke quietly.

“A war with the Empire has truly broken out.”

“So it has.”

The chilling resonance carried by the word war.

Although the tension was quite familiar to Esteban, there had been only a handful of times when the scale had been this vast.

I looked at the northern nobles, who could not calm themselves for even a moment, and smiled faintly.

“Is it not amusing to see them trembling in fear that they might lose even their paltry wealth?”

“Pardon?”

“They cannot even protect it with their own hands, and yet they do nothing but stamp their feet.”

“……Huk!”

At my harsh words, Baron Vidor looked quite flustered. After checking the gazes around us, he spoke carefully.

“Y-Your Highness! Even so, are they not the northern nobles who have protected Esteban from the barbarians?”

“No. If they truly wished to protect their homeland, they would have run back to their territories this instant and reorganized their forces in order to escape the present situation.”

“E-Even if you say that…….”

The baron’s gaze swept over the surroundings once more.

Thinking about it, the northern nobles present here were those who had rushed to the Capital as soon as the movements of the barbarians had been confirmed.

Considering that the margrave, who was in charge of most of the northern borderlands, had sent his grandson in his place and was personally taking the lead in quelling the chaos…… all that remained here were those who had gone around with petty bluster, claiming they were protecting Esteban.

After confirming that the baron’s expression had changed subtly, I continued.

“Even a bird does not spare its own body when protecting what belongs to it.”

Even a mere insignificant creature faces a predator to protect its nest.

That was what it meant to protect something.

“Watch them carefully.”

The gaze that spoke those words turned toward a northern noble nervously biting his nails.

The next place my gaze lingered was a group of opportunists who indulged in flattery even as national security was threatened.

They had no spirit to dare face even the slightest threat.

They were great men who would abandon the people of their own territories and flee if given the chance.

When the war with the Federal Empire broke out, they had likewise immediately betrayed their homeland and sided with the enemy.

“They are trash with wills lower than beasts.”

“…….”

“They are coming.”

I straightened my posture as I said that.

What was coming all of a sudden?

As Baron Vidor wavered between confusion and bewilderment, he soon noticed something and quickly lowered his head.

“His Majesty the King, the guiding star of all knights and the ruler of the Kingdom of Esteban, enters!”