"Compared to a trip into a dungeon, this is like a walk around a neighborhood. There's nothing to worry about."
And so, I was assigned to a different mission, and with those words to a worried Iona and Makishia, I set off for the captured castle. As an emissary, I was dressed rather neatly, unlike when I returned home before.
To avoid putting a strain on my horse, I only equipped myself with my Wing Blade, and to avoid alerting my opponents, I avoided any further armaments. My luggage was also minimal. And so, I arrived at my destination without any problems. Well, this is where the real work begins.
"I am the 10th prince of the Kingdom of Braidea, Eucharlouch BraveLord. I have been sent as an envoy to negotiate. As you can see, I am unarmed except for a sword for self-defense. I would like to meet the commander!" In my princely, aloof mode, I shouted at the soldiers on guard at a fair distance. The reply to that was... "The Empire does not negotiate with a small country prince like you. You may as well leave now."
Oh, so that's how you want to act. If that's their attitude, I suppose I should respond accordingly. Thinking this, I head towards the castle. An arrow is fired, probably as a warning. The arrow flew towards a position far away from me. I ignored the warning and continued walking. This time an arrow comes flying, clearly aimed at me. I casually deflected it with my sword. This time, a rain of arrows started raining down on me. Swoosh!
I swept them away with a 'Flying Izuna'. "What?! Is he a magician?"
Just as samurai who used the 'Flying Izuna' were feared and called "Izuna users," it seems that they saw me as a magician rather than a swordsman.
I seemed suspicious to the Empire, and since it didn't have any magicians, my existence seemed all the more mysterious to them. As soon as they saw that their arrows didn't work, large stones started raining down from the catapults. Originally intended for use against stationary targets like castle walls, it's unlikely that they would hit a moving target like me. However, one of the multiple stones fired came flying towards me. Shing! I swept it away with my 'Iron Slicing'.
I could have easily dodged it, but I did so to make them realize that getting into a fight with Braidea wasn't worth it. I advanced calmly through the rain of falling boulders, and finally reached the castle gate. Seeing me like this, a beautiful woman who seemed to be the commander glared at me with a frustrated look. She seemed to be around twenty years old.
She was around the same age as me.
"Damn... you monster! With such beautiful features, are you some kind of Demon?" Even to the beautiful girl, my appearance seemed superior, and she said that to me.
"I'm honored to receive a compliment on one of my few good points. Well, I may be a monster, after all." I stopped being aloof and continued. "I'm a monster who can talk, you know? Why don't we try to have a chat first?" Since we were able to talk, there was no harm in talking to her. With that in mind, I called out to her, but. "......" There was no reply.
Well, that's to be expected, if you ask me. I turned around and stood in front of the gate. The castle gate was protected by a sturdy iron door, so that even monsters couldn't easily break it down. While they watched with bated breath, wondering what I would do to it, I calmly cut it open with my 'Iron Slicing', kicked it down with a flourish, and entered the castle. "You won't get through here, monster!" Soon, armed soldiers swarmed around me.
It was brave of them not to flinch in the face of the "monster." That was commendable. Since they had taken the castle using siege weapons, there were not many soldiers. In my estimation, there were only about a hundred.
Basically, the Empire's fighting style was to rely on numbers and the power of modern weapons such as catapults to force their way through. In terms of personal swordsmanship, they couldn't compare to those of the knights of Braidea. Even if I was surrounded, it was like a paper cage to me. I cut down their swords with 'Iron Slicing' and destroyed their armor one by one with 'Armor Break', disarming them one by one. "My swords! My armor! They're completely useless! What on earth is going on!?"
The soldiers who were rendered powerless one by one cried out in shock. The swords were not forged by a blacksmith, but seemed to be mass-produced using molds, so I was able to cut them down with ease. I only destroyed the weapons and armor, and did not inflict a single scratch on the soldiers. I cast a sleep spell on the soldiers I had disarmed. Another soldier cried out at the sight of his fallen colleague.
"Magic? This guy! Is he a magician after all?" "Well, I'm a hero," I retorted. "Hero? By hero, you mean the hero of the Braidea royal family?" "Well, I introduced myself as the tenth prince of Braidea at the start, didn't I?" I calmly retorted as I put the soldier to sleep as well. I put the soldiers to sleep one after the other like this. With this, they will not wake up for about two hours unless they are given a considerable stimulus. Sweet dreams.
The hero's bloodline has many spells passed down that can put an opponent to sleep or seal away magic, in other words, neutralize the opponent without harming them.
I made good use of these to gradually reduce the number of soldiers who were awake. Just as I had initially estimated, I think there were about a hundred soldiers sleeping on the floor. Only two or three soldiers were left able to fight. In this situation, a man who seemed to be the commander's aide finally drew his sword.
Not as good as me, but still quite an effeminate man.
"Princess, please step back!" He glared at me and stepped forward to protect the female commander. Judging from what the man said, it seemed that this female commander was a princess. The man standing before me seemed capable compared to the others, but he was only slightly better than the others, and not skilled enough to fight me head on. "I will protect the princess with my life!" "Good words. Very moving."
I said to the man who was unafraid of me, an unreasonable being. "But it's pointless." "What!?" Praise and then insult. It's a common tactic to gain an advantage in battle. Well, with the difference in ability between this man and me, there's really no need to go that far. But the performance is necessary. And so I smiled fearlessly and intimidated him. That's right. Laughing is an aggressive act. The act is very similar to a beast baring its fangs. "I'll let you find out if it's pointless!" As he says this, he attacks me with his sword.
Wow, how cool. He's like the protagonist of a fictional work. That is, if he could defeat me. The reality is not so sweet. As usual, I cut his sword away with 'Iron Slicing', destroyed his armor with 'Armor Break', and put him to sleep with Sleep Magic.
Thus, I made him quickly exit what would have been the highlight of his life, and finally made it to the beautiful princess. "We've finally gotten close, princess." I joked, laughing fearlessly again.
"Stay away, you monster! I only discounted half the rumors, but is this the extent of the power of the hero's bloodline?"
She was completely shocked.
However.
"Let me tell you, I'm the lowest ranking royal member. The true power of the hero's bloodline is much more than this."
To make negotiations easier, I exaggerate a bit. In terms of fighting power, I, the youngest, was the most powerful. That's for sure.
By calling myself the lowest ranking member, I make them think, "The lowest ranking hero in Braidea is a monster like this. There are plenty of stronger ones out there. Is it really okay to start a fight?"
Well, I'm not being serious at all, and I have no intention of inflicting a single wound on her, so it's not a complete lie. "What?! Are you saying there exists monsters even stronger than you?!" "That's right. That's why I, the lowest ranking member, was sent." I answer, emphasizing the word "lowest ranking." "Damn, what a thing...! I can't believe it...!"
She was born and raised in a modern empire, and it seems she's in culture shock at the insane existence of me, who doesn't care about arrows or sturdy iron doors. "I'm a philanthropist after all. I don't really want to point my sword at someone I can talk to, but would you mind surrendering?" "You've faced so many soldiers without dealing a single scratch, while you haven't even taken a single blow yourself. I see, it seems like you're not lying about being a philanthropist after all."
"Well then." Do you think you'll listen to me? That thought fades away like a fleeting thought. "But." With that, she draws her sword and takes a stance. "I'm the princess of a country after all. I can't do something embarrassing like begging for my life." "Well, that's a great attitude. I don't dislike it." I went along with it and prepared my sword as well. "Ha!" She steps in. She's probably not very good at close combat. Iona and Makishia's attacks were much sharper.
I intercepted her. Since my goal wasn't to humiliate her, I didn't try to defeat her with 'Armor Break Kai', but instead cut her sword with 'Iron Slicing 'and destroyed her armor with 'Armor Break'. When I destroyed her armor, the lines of her delicate body were revealed. She was thinner than Iona.
And her chest was even smaller than Iona's. Just as there are superiors, there are inferiors. While thinking such rude things, I slowly closed the distance between me and her.
"Well, now we're all on good terms and we don't have any weapons or armor."
"Damn it...!" She glares at me. It seems she still has a lot of energy left. "You're not giving up, are you? Should we keep going?" Swish. I pointed my sword at her white throat and said that. "...We've lost! What do you want?" She seems to have given up, and finally declares her surrender.
"Name." "What?" "I introduced myself earlier, so you can at least tell me your name." I said, sheathing my sword as proof that I had no hostility.
"My apologies. I am Berseria Vallegarda, the third princess of the Vallegarda Empire."
It seemed she realized that I had no hostility towards her, and finally we started having a proper conversation.
"I already introduced myself, so I'll skip that."
"I don't think that's all you want, what else?"
"First of all, I want you to get out of here. Even though this castle is a tiny one, it's an important base for Braidea." "Considering that, you seem to have given it up pretty easily." "The king's policy is that nothing is more important than human life. Compared to that, this is nothing at all, but it's still important." "That's very lenient... what a kind king." She said correcting herself halfway through. "Yes, I'm proud of him, my father." I answered proudly.
Well, he's not the kind of king she imagines him to be, whose only asset is kindness. He's a shrewd man and has seen it all. He's smart enough to be beyond my reach when it comes to negotiations. "What if I say no?" "That's fine." When I replied, she looked surprised. "In that case, I'll just have to come out again. As many times as necessary." In truth, I don't have that much free time.
"Also, I don't want you to interfere with the Braidea territory." "...Is that all?" "That's all for now." "I know I shouldn't be saying this myself, but..." At this point, Berseria stops and continues. "I'm the third princess of the empire. If you take me as a hostage, I'm worth something, right? Are you saying that you're going to let me go knowing that?" "Oh, that. I never thought of that." "Never thought of that?" "First of all, the premise is wrong." "The prerequisite?" She doesn't seem to have any idea what I'm talking about. "The Bravelord family is a family of heroes. It'd be embarrassing for someone who takes hostages to call themselves a hero, right?" "!" I could tell she was taken aback.
"The Bravelord family values their family name above all else. Even if they lost their minds, they wouldn't do something so despicable." "The Bravelord family is a family of heroes... Now that you mention it, it makes sense..." She seemed to agree. "Also, this is the policy of our royal family." "Policy?" "If possible, we avoid war with other humans. That's why the lord of the castle didn't resist the other day, right?" "Exactly. The castle was handed over immediately. It was so unexpected."
"You didn't do anything despicable like taking hostages, did you? I'm grateful that you didn't hurt anyone." "I'm the princess of the empire too. I won't do anything that would bring shame to the empire."
"If your other brothers and sisters could take that stance, while we might not be able to get along, we could at least live apart..." "It's true... there are some of my brothers and sisters who will do anything to get by. I have to admit that..."
"Also, to be honest, I don't want to get into trouble with the Empire. So rather, this is the best outcome." "Even if you have that much power, you don't want to fight the Empire?" "Compared to the Empire, Braidea is a tiny country that can be blown away by the wind. But if you get involved without thinking, you won't just end up just getting burned, so I would appreciate it if you remembered that."
"Understood. I will make sure to keep this promise in my name." "I hope so." "By the way." "Hmm?"
"Your name is Eucharlouch BraveLord, correct?"
As she asks, Berseria looks at me with an overly passionate gaze. "You have a good memory. My name is long, so it's rare that you could remember it in one go." "You said you were the tenth prince. I don't think you can inherit the throne." "You're right. I'm an uneducated man. One of my brothers' children will probably inherit the throne eventually."
"You're being very nonchalant about it. I can't speak for others, but you know my brothers and sisters are desperately trying to become kings?" "I'm not a great enough person to become king. I'm more suited to supporting from below."
"Then become my husband. Your worthy of being my partner. Your generosity, your skills, your looks, everything is perfect. I really like you. I won't treat you badly."
I came to negotiate peace and ended up being proposed marriage.
She seems to be quite the outlandish princess. "That is a very honorable and attractive proposal." "I see. Then...!" She seems to be ready to choose the venue right away. "But I refuse." I answered immediately.
It's not that I don't find the princess knight in front of me attractive, but I have a mountain of things I need to do. There's no way I can just abandon that and become her husband. "Since you're going to turn me down, you can at least tell me the reason why, right?"
She seemed to expect that she wouldn't get a favorable answer so soon, so she asked calmly. "I told you earlier, I have to support the country from the bottom up. Marriage is still a long way off." "I can't get you that easily, can I?" "Precious things are hard to come by, you know? That's why they are appreciated more, right?"
"As expected of a man I've had high hopes for. You mean every word you say." "I'm honored to receive your praise." "But I won't give up! I'll definitely take you as my husband!" I don't really understand, but it seems she's taken a liking to me.
"It is a promise between countries, after all. It cannot be just a verbal promise. I request that it be made in writing." Anyway, I managed to retake the castle without bloodshed. The results of the battle were excellent, I think. I gave my horse some water, food, and cast some healing magic on him, then got on his back again and galloped off to the royal castle.
Chapter length 6873 characters.
Note: Hmm, Charles is still in contact with Iona and Makishia. Then does that mean that this actually takes place somewhere in-between volume 2-3? But the Timeline chapter places this after volume 4... And while volume 4 mentions the Iron Golem interlude it doesn't mention this event...
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