Volume 13 Chapter 12 The True Demon King Stirring
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Haha”
So, I decided to send the completed letter with the perfect fire starter, Poplar, as a messenger to the Eastern Garuda Principality.
* * *
*Nokin’s Perspective
”Nokin… a messenger from His Excellency Chancellor Aldo is here for you. By the way, why is the envoy from Margrave South District here?”
Alonsa raised an eyebrow at Hendric, who was beside me in the courtyard, busy forging.
”Ah, Alonsa. This is, um… I was… getting some training. Yeah, that’s it, right? Repulus, Terry, Garo.”
As I called out their names, their gazes shifted sideways, sending a chill of sweat down my spine.
”Just as Sir Nokin said. Ms. Hendric was giving us some training.”
Thankfully, Geronimo, the only one who recognized Hendric’s value, threw me a lifeline despite Alonsa’s glare.
”Oh, by the way, the day before, the envoy was also training, right? Isn’t that a bit too frequent? Didn’t King Kent assign you a task?”
Alonsa’s glare intensified.
With a poker face, Hendric wiped the sweat from training and countered Alonsa.
”This is Lady Alonsa. I was just requested by Lord Nokin to train. Besides, the task given by King Kent is simply to accompany Lord Nokin, so I was just doing my job.”
Hendric shot a defiant glance back at Alonsa.
Since returning home from the Beast King martial arts tournament with Hendric, their relationship had soured daily, with Alonsa fiercely insisting on sending Hendric back home in their bedroom, while Hendric detested Alonsa’s narrow-mindedness and complained to me.
Thanks to this, I couldn’t relax at all and was always caught up in keeping Alonsa and Hendric happy.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be… Did Kent really do this to me?
Hendric was sent as the resident envoy, and I couldn’t help but grow bitter towards Kent for allowing it.
”Alright, that’s enough practice for today. Hurry back to the residence. And Nokin, change quickly and meet with the envoy!”
”Y-yeah. Hendric, thanks for today…)”
”N-Nokin!!”
Alonsa’s tone showed she was in a bad mood, so I quickly grabbed Terry and rushed back to my room to change.
* * *
After changing, when I arrived at the audience chamber where the envoy was waiting, a young man dressed like a bureaucrat greeted me with a bow.
”It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Poplar, serving as a bureaucrat under His Excellency Chancellor. I’ve brought a letter from His Excellency Chancellor to deliver to Lord Nokin.”
The young bureaucrat named Poplar began reading the letter he was holding up.
As I glanced over the contents, it mentioned that the True Demon Dukedom was trying to seize full control of the northeastern region using Gwain’s legacy.
It was suspicious and based on conjecture, but it definitely smelled like war.
…I’d rather be at war than live in this suffocating life…
”Hmm, the letter says that forces resembling the True Demon Dukedom are arbitrarily defeating the bandits in the northeastern region… But I thought the pacification of the northeast was our country’s prerogative…”
Poplar, the envoy, lowered his head as he felt my gaze.
”…King Yaalan is secretly trying to expand his territory in the northeast. The northeastern people will likely be exploited as subjects of the True Demon Dukedom. This means the Garuda Clan, who make up the majority, will likely suffer many casualties again…”
”Whaaat?! They’re a puppet state?! You want to treat the Garuda Clan people like slaves?! Alonsa! Get the extermination squad ready, NOW!!”
Poplar got super angry at what was said and told Alonsa to get the soldiers ready, but Alonsa didn’t agree.
”Calm down. I’ll let you send troops, but I’ll tell them not to start a war with King Yaalan. We need to free the Kokido and Saffra territories first.”
”Why? Yaalan is trying to enslave the people in the northeast! Besides, Kokido and Saffra are in the mountains. Why free those places?”
Alonsa’s words made him remember where those 2 territories were.They used to belong to the Kingdom Retro Brigade and were in the high mountains, but there were rivers everywhere, so it was easy to move around.
He remembered Alonsa saying before that if they put soldiers there, they could stop the enemy from the east and also secure a path to attack Northern Fortress Kranshtadt.
”The country is finally getting better, so we can take more land, but we can’t fight Yaalan. We’re allies with the Kingdom. So, we’re only freeing the two territories this time.”
Alonsa was desperate to avoid a war with the True Demon Dukedom.
He didn’t want to ruin the country he had just stabilized, but if the people in the east were going to be slaves of the True Demon Dukedom, he would have them move away from the dangerous areas near the True Demon Dukedom, even if he had to force them.
”Okay. But, the people living near the True Demon Dukedom will move. No complaints, right?”
”…I don’t want the people to hate us, but I agree with the move. But, absolutely, no war with Yaalan!”
”Alright! Leave it to me.”
Poplar was watching them with a smile.
”What are you laughing about?!”
”My apologies. It seems rather passive for Lord Nokin to deploy troops… In fact, we’ve received reports that the Kokido and the Safra territories are already being haunted. Lord Nokin’s deployment will end in vain, and many people will be taken as slaves to the True Demon Dukedom. His country also requires labor, so they’re abducting people from the east and using them up for their revival.”
Alonsa’s face changed color upon hearing Poplar’s words.
”Such information hasn’t come up from Porcha either. If you’re lying, even if you’re a messenger from Chancellor Aldo, you won’t be forgiven.”
”Hmph, then Lady Porcha is deliberately neglecting to provide information to Lady Alonsa. The number of subjects taken by unknown forces has already surpassed thousands, as reported by the Kingdom Liberation Front’s Lord Belt. Haven’t the Lord Nokin heard about this?”
Poplar sends a disdainful glare with a haughty expression.
Alonsa’s face has turned paler than before as she listens to Poplar.
”Hah!? That can’t be! Call the information officer Porcha at once!”
Despite Poplar being present, Alonsa was in a panic, shouting for Porcha to be summoned by her attendants.
Ever since Hendric arrived, Alonsa’s behavior has been strange.
Suddenly, she would act overly sweet, a behavior never seen before, making a crunchy sound as if to think.
”Lady Alonsa seems a bit emotionally unstable…”
Poplar, who had stood next to her at some point, was watching Alonsa’s movements with narrowed eyes.
Porcha was called and hurriedly arrived.
”Lady Alonsa, you summoned me?”
”Is it true that an unidentified army is lurking in Kokido and Safra, hunting people?”
Alonsa asked Porcha, like she was mad.
Porcha didn’t know why Alonsa was yelling.
She looked confused.
”About that… I told Lady Alonsa about it the other day. Lady Alonsa said to just leave it alone. So, I didn’t look into it anymore…”
Alonsa scratched her head at Porcha’s words.
”I didn’t hear that report!”
”Yes, you did. But, Lady Alonsa looked like she wasn’t listening… Lately, Lady Alonsa has made a lot of mistakes in her work. What’s wrong…?”
Porcha looked at Alonsa, worried.
”…Oh dear…”
”Alonsa… You look tired. I’ll use my King power to make you rest. Bartram will be the acting Chancellor. Porcha, find out about that army. Tell Repulus to get a thousand soldiers ready, NOW. Alonsa, is that okay?”
Alonsa was down and nodded like she didn’t care.
I said it was good, and got the soldiers ready.
”Poplar, tell Chancellor Aldo that we’re going to fight the unknown army. But, it’s a small fight. Just to keep the peace in the east.”
”…Yes… I’ll tell Chancellor Aldo. But, I think Lady Alonsa should come to the fight. If you leave her here, she’ll fight with Lady Hendric.”
Poplar knew what was going on.
I thought it would be bad to leave Alonsa alone, the way she was.
”Tch, you didn’t need to say it… I was going to bring her anyway. Go report back when you’re done!”
”Then, things will go well.”
Poplar gave a confident grin and quickly left the room.
And so, the skirmish with the unknown military began without warning.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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