Episode 74: The Envoy from House Rosham
In this tense situation, I’m surprised someone is talking to me.
They don’t seem to be a fan of mine.
“Who are you?”
“I am Torbin Gadareta, an envoy from House Rosham.”
The man who called himself Torbin is Satella-Class.
He’s tall and has a stern face, but I sense he’s a little nervous.
(House Rosham, the sleeping tiger of the north, huh?)
House Rosham is one of the Zacharian Empire’s Four Great Marquis Houses.
Within the Empire, they are known as the foremost martial faction among the nobility.
And if it’s Gadareta, weren’t they the head of the knightly houses in the Rosham region?
I can infer that the man before me is in a fairly high position.
“You’re from the Gadareta House? What business do you have?”
“We presume this disturbance was caused by the Kingdom of Naia. If you don’t mind, would you allow us to cooperate?”
I narrow my eyes at those words.
It’s a delicate matter whether to take it as rudeness or a declaration of goodwill.
I felt a gaze from the man named Torbin, as if he were testing me.
The main intention of a house like Rosham sending an envoy is probably to confirm the fall of Bangwall with their own eyes.
But the fact that he spoke to me must be for another reason.
“Unnecessary. Since you’re a guest, just relax, drink some tea, and wait.”
Since this commotion involves the honor of the House, it needs to be settled by the Ortenos alone.
“Hmm, well then, I would like to speak with you later. Could you spare some time?”
I thought I made it clear that outsiders should keep quiet.
It’s like a salesperson from a company you don’t know asking to speak with the president without an appointment.
I don’t know if he’s an idiot who doesn’t understand my intentions, or if he’s doing it on purpose.
“I don’t have time for that. If you have something to say, my subordinates will handle it.”
By the way, Father has told Getrude to handle all matters concerning guests.
This isn’t because my social skills are underestimated, but because Father is trying to keep my existence a secret.
“…Lord Sharka, do you perhaps remember Lady Rokina?”
Torbin forces the conversation, all while observing my expression.
It seems he really wants to talk about something.
“…Yes, I remember her. Why?”
Lady Rokina, of course I remember her.
She was the girl who might have become my fiancée.
“I would like the opportunity to offer an explanation regarding that matter.”
“An explanation?”
We didn’t even proceed to an engagement, so there’s nothing to explain.
Since we are both noble houses, we help each other out, and it’s not like breaking off talks was disloyal.
In short, it’s just a hook for conversation.
But even before that, I don’t have a good impression of these guys in front of me.
“We are deeply sorry that the marriage proposal with Rokina-sama was broken off due to our circumstances. However, our belief that House Rosham should join hands with House Ortenos remains unchanged. Therefore, we would like to arrange a new marriage with Lord Sharka.”
“Huh?”
I unintentionally react with intimidation.
From the question of where Lady Rokina went, and the question of why they need to bring that story to me.
“Of course, we guarantee it will be a more attractive match. Also, we, House Rosham, invite House Ortenos to the ‘Northern Alliance.’ We will cooperate together at the next Grand Feast…”
Torbin continues to talk on and on.
I realized why I didn’t have a good impression.
These guys look down on Ortenos and are just forcing their own convenience.
Frustratingly, they must unconsciously think, “Ortenos is the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings, so of course they’ll listen to us.”
Then let’s make our attitude clear.
“Unnecessary.”
“Huh?”
“You are unpleasant… Get lost.”
Torbin’s eyes widen at my words.
“…You refuse our friendship?”
“It’s just the words of one Guardian. There’s no need to take it seriously, right? But—”
I’ll say it’s just my personal opinion.
Being able to say whatever you want at times like this might be the privilege of a Guardian with no responsibility.
“—Whether we can get along in the future depends on your efforts.”
I refine my Magical Power and apply Maten to my subordinates.
Bloody red streaks appear on the faces of the military officials.
This will appear as an intense performance to those who see it for the first time.
“…!”
“You should be well aware of who you’re dealing with—we are the Ortenos.”
Torbin looks at me and the red-faced group behind me, and cold sweat runs down his forehead.
“…My apologies. It seems we are the ones who need to revise our perception. We shall take our leave for today. We look forward to the day we can meet again with our lord.”
“…”
Torbin regains his composure a little and bows easily.
If it were the Court of Justice, they would have snapped back here, but Torbin doesn’t show a hint of irritation.
(Could it be that he deliberately irritated me?)
If so, for what purpose?
Torbin wouldn’t be able to complain if he was cut off, but it seems there was something he wanted to confirm even if he had to walk a tightrope.
I feel like I’ve been had to some extent, but there’s no point in saying it.
I have nothing more to say, so I cut off my gaze from Torbin and the others.
Well, I need to end this commotion soon.
“Let’s go, you guys… Exterminate the Naia invaders.”
“Ooh!”
◇◇◇◇
The area around the Home Castle was in a state of confusion, but the suppression progressed rapidly after we joined.
“Lord Sharka, your response earlier was a little imprudent.”
“Gyaaaa!”
Getrude talks to me while cutting off the torso of a black cloak.
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Buchoaaaa!”
I also burst the head of a black cloak with my pipe.
I expected some criticism from Getrude.
“Yes, it is true that their attitude was outrageous, but your words earlier were a little too harsh.”
“Even if you say that…”
There are some guys who will keep pushing if you don’t tell them firmly.
It’s difficult to tell whether they’re really idiots or just pretending to be idiots.
Torbin had some purpose and was aggressively trying to talk to me, so he’s probably the latter.
“They are people who live by the sword, so they showed understanding to Lord Sharka, but the nobles of the Imperial Capital, especially the Imperial Family, will not be like that.”
“…Yeah, I know.”
The Imperial Family.
The existence that Getrude’s generation hates almost as much as Naia.
“If you anger the Imperial Family, you don’t know what kind of retaliation they will take. You are, of course, aware of what kind of treatment Ilumina-sama suffered in the Imperial Capital. …Lord Sharka, please be careful not to have any unnecessary commitments from the Imperial Family.”
“…I’ll be careful.”
He’s worried about what will happen after I go to the Imperial Capital.
However, even though Getrude hates the Imperial Family like snakes and scorpions, unlike Naia, he didn’t make any unnecessary disparaging remarks about the Imperial Family.
“The Naia guys are aiming for the underground prison, right?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
There are two entrances to the underground.
One is inside the Home Castle.
The other is in a separate building.
The former is heavily guarded, so there’s no problem.
Then, the Naia are bound to target the separate building.
“Oh? It seems that the separate building has already been suppressed.”
“Yeah, it seems the preparations we had made worked well.”
In the separate building, the black cloaks are already lying on the ground.
It seems they were incapacitated and then drank poison to die.
While I was thinking about that…
—Suddenly, a roar resounded.
It was like an explosion that strongly struck the air.
“Lord Sharka, what is this sound?”
“It’s close.”
Getrude and the others are terrified by the sound, but I have no worries.
Because that sound is very familiar to me.
When I arrived at the place where the sound came from, many black cloaks were lying on the ground.
“—I won’t allow you to do as you please in my brother’s castle.”
And standing there alone was—a beautiful girl in men’s clothing.
The girl held a two-handed staff Star Tool in her hand.
Her hair glowed bluish-white, and fine pillars of electricity burst from her body surface.
The girl looked at me and her face broke into a smile, as if a flower had bloomed.
“Ah, Brother~! Who are these people? They suddenly attacked me and I was so surprised!”
Roa, the beautiful girl who suppressed the black cloaks with Lightning Magic, pouted with a complaining tone.
Ah, no, it was my younger brother.