180. For you (3)
Contrary to his resolve, the emperor did not step forward.
The first thing the emperor saw when he arrived near the door of the conference hall was the nobles rushing out, grumbling but seeming to understand.
Anyone can see that it looks like the meeting has been abandoned.
‘…what.’
Even though I’ve gotten through it well so far, I thought it wouldn’t be easy this time.
They haven’t seen this side yet. The emperor secretly hid behind a nearby pillar to assess the situation. I lean back against the wall, fold my arms, and listen to their words.
As I concentrated a little, I began to hear the content vividly.
“Since His Excellency said so, I will believe it and wait for now.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
There was nothing more to hear. As soon as the emperor heard that conversation, he was convinced.
‘The duke did something.’
He must have persuaded the nobles.
The emperor frowned.
‘…I don’t understand.’
The reason the duke helps him is for the sake of the empire. Because the imperial throne can only be achieved if the empire survives.
However, in anyone’s eyes, the killing of the troops was an action that put the empire in jeopardy. The duke I know would have been right to push himself to the forefront instead of stopping them.
While I was lost in thought, all the nobles had left and the Duke, who was left alone in the hallway, was striding towards me. I don’t know when he discovered it, but when he finally stood in front of the emperor, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
“Glory to the Empire. Shin Starbe Illuster meets the present-day Empire.”
“…okay.”
The suppressed voice returned, as if to hide his complicated feelings. The duke straightened his back and faced the emperor.
“I heard that the Margrave of Amiable evacuated the people of the empire on all routes to the capital while he held out at Miller. Not only that, they even took out the nobles and troops.”
“It did.”
“…There are rumors going around that the emperor has finally gone crazy.”
The voice was very low, but it was enough to reach the emperor’s ears.
“There’s a lot of talk about the karma we’ve accumulated so far.”
The emperor chuckled at the unfiltered remarks. Every moment, whenever the sun rose, a gentle atmosphere descended.
I’m sure that’s a joke. The moment the Duke’s eyes narrowed.
“Maybe so.”
A drowsy voice came out.
I’m definitely not sure I’m sane anymore.
As I hold on to reason that is fading at every moment, I now question whether what I am holding onto is really reason, and as I see what others cannot see, I now begin to wonder if they are blind.
Clearly the emperor was going crazy.
“So, I need to finish the matter quickly.”
“…If Your Majesty is truly crazy and makes the wrong decision, please remember that there are many people around you who will bring you down.”
“Don’t worry. “I have no intention of showing my ugly face.”
If I truly believe that I cannot maintain reason, I will end this life myself before I am dragged down by someone else’s hands.
‘ah. this.’
I think I know what the emperor is thinking. The duke, facing the emperor’s proud smile, fell silent for a moment.
His expression hardened for a moment before he bowed down with a steady smile on his face as if he had never done that before.
“Then I will trust you and wait.”
Even though 10 years have passed.
The duke still respected the emperor’s free will.
***
That’s what I said, but that doesn’t mean I have any intention of just giving up and waiting. Until now, there has never been a time when I completely let go.
‘I have to try everything I can.’
Since you don’t have many cards to begin with, what you can do is limited. At best, is it possible to suppress opposition from the nobles or use the Salvation Church? Therefore, the duke worked hard to gather information in order to create at least one more attack.
He put so much effort into collecting information that the previous information collection felt like a joke, and like a tree pruning branches, the information he collected became more and more extensive and eventually reached the mysterious kingdom of Esperanes, which was the only one that did not participate in the alliance.
And as if my efforts had paid off, I was able to notice one important fact.
‘Esperanes was a mercenary nation.’
Esperanes is the oldest kingdom that has stood firm while numerous kingdoms have emerged and fallen.
Since it was a closed kingdom and there was no kingdom older than Esperanes, there was very little information about it, but after searching through old books, more useful information than expected came out.
‘The Esperanes are a fighting people.’
It is characterized by silver-colored hair and eyes, and even children are said to have strong warlike tendencies.
And like a closed kingdom, instead of bringing in outsiders to receive mercenary requests, they dispatch intermediaries to each region of each kingdom to communicate with each other, build an information network that is superior to any other information guild, and receive requests. .
‘In fact, it can be said that running the largest information guild on the continent is our main job.’
In history, there were only a handful of times when Esperanes received an official request for mercenaries from other countries, so I had to search through old books for a long time.
Of course, there are few precedents for sending mercenaries, and it seems that running an information guild has become their main business, but Esperanes is clearly a mercenary country, and the reason it sends people out in the first place is to receive mercenary requests.
‘It was said that a child born between a foreigner and an Esperanian would not have ‘silver’. In other words, the real ‘Esperanese’, the silver-colored people found outside Esperanes, regardless of appearance, gender, age, or occupation, are all brokers who come out to receive requests.’
The Duke stuck his head out the window and urged the coachman.
Because I heard the news that the Margrave of Amiable had fallen and the Demon King’s army was advancing at an alarming speed, I could not relax at all. At this rate, we will reach the capital in no time.
That’s why we need to request troops to stop them. It may be expensive, but it doesn’t matter because it’s so reliable. The duke found confidence in the emperor’s attitude.
“Im here.”
“….”
As I opened the door and stepped down the carriage steps, an eerily quiet mansion came into view. The duke was momentarily puzzled by the gate without a gatekeeper.
By Marquis Hart. No, I can’t call it ‘Marquis’s residence’ any more. Deonhardt is no longer an honorary marquis.
As I was wondering for a moment how to post a message since there was no one there, someone walked out from far away inside the mansion.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been a guest. I would like to take you to the living room, but unfortunately the current owner of the mansion is out of town. Please plan your next visit.”
Calm voice and attitude.
An old man with graying silver-blue hair bows his silver-blue eyes and greets you politely. The duke calmly looked into the old man’s silver eyes.
“I came to see you, not the owner of the mansion. “Remember.”
“…Is that so.”
Esperanes’ broker Remember smiled kindly.
“I think it’s going to be quite a long story. I am not the owner of the mansion, but I will have to take care of it within a moment. “You could say it’s the deacon’s authority.”
“….”
“Follow me.”
A huge iron door opened in the old man’s hand.
As the duke entered, he remembered Remember’s attitude, showing no signs of surprise or hesitation at the sudden visit and remarks, and then looked around, secretly admiring the neat and tidy mansion, even though the only person there seemed to be a butler.
Then, suddenly, my eyes caught the back of the talented butler.
“If you want to kill me, I want to stop you. “I have an escort.”
“…I know. “It says in the book that Esperanes’ intermediaries take an escort with them when they leave the kingdom.”
“Yes, if your guard dies, you can request a new guard from your home office or branch.”
“I didn’t even mean to look at it that way in the first place.”
I just had the foolish thought of making him the duke’s butler if I could.
“I know.”
“…?”
“It was a joke, but it doesn’t seem like it was fun.”
“….”
The joke that made the listener’s heart sink was not very good, but it didn’t offend me because the quick notice of their gaze convinced me that they were a fighting people.
If the old broker is like that, then what is the level of the escort and how many mercenaries are dispatched?
I didn’t care that Remembert had once been Deonhardt’s butler. Esperanes’ complete bystander attitude was clearly realized while researching the information. It was probably just one of many undercover jobs, and it was unfortunate that Deonhardt became a traitor to humanity.
‘In the first place, it’s not my place to discuss that right now.’
Before we knew it, we had arrived at the reception room.
The duke, who was sitting at the table and following the old man’s actions with his eyes, could not wait any longer and opened his mouth.
“I would like to request mercenaries.”
“You’re in a hurry. “I’m making tea, so please relax a little.”
Despite his blunt remarks, the old man leisurely put the kettle on the fire without showing any emotion.
The duke, who was silent for a moment as if he was somehow avoiding an answer, slowly opened his mouth.
“…I know that the empire that attempted to occupy Esperanes would be scandalized. “Even if we ask for support and talk about the survival of the human world, it won’t work.”
Throughout history, this cannot be the first time a crisis has struck the human world. Even then, Esperanes stood on the sidelines, and now and will continue to do so in the future.
Therefore, it is impossible to persuade them with logic.
The Duke slowly stood up. He said this to Remember, who was concentrating on getting the car without turning around, even though he must have sensed all the pressure.
“I will give you money comfortably, so please help me.”
“….”
“…I have someone to protect.”
This is a strategy after all.
They’re just doing this because it’s easy for them to get mercenaries, and there’s no sincerity in their remarks. There is no way I would bow my head for someone. This is just for my future, for the Empire.
…Okay, that’s it.
Remember stopped and slowly looked back. Silver-blue eyes checked the other person and grew unusually large.
A man who had never bowed his head to anyone other than the emperor was bowing his head.
…For the survival of Esperanes, it would be right not to interfere, but…
‘I’m old too.’
Remember smiled as if in self-deprecation and set down the teacup on the duke’s side of the table.
“Please sit down first.”
“….”
“The tea will get cold. Don’t let the old man’s hard work go to waste. Please sit down quickly.”
Only then does the duke sit down. Remember sat across from him and waited for the other person to calm down.
Basically, dispatched brokers have a fairly free radius of action. If you can only access a certain number of people, the job you choose for camouflage will not be severely restricted, and you can freely help someone or interfere somewhere, and you can also choose to accept or refuse a request.
If only one premise is kept.
‘Do not harm the existence of the Kingdom of Esperanes.’
It is very obvious, but at the same time, it is difficult to keep.
This is also the reason why mercenaries were rarely dispatched from Esperanes in history.
Usually, requests for mercenaries are made by kingdoms that are close to defeat. However, if they supported mercenaries, the opposing nation that had pushed the kingdom to the edge of the cliff would point their sword at them as well, so Esperanes rarely moved unless they calculated that they could win by sending mercenaries.
‘Currently, the Demon World does not even care about Esperanes.’
It is just a very small kingdom surrounded by rugged mountains that did not participate in the war or participate in the alliance.
Even if the human world were to be swallowed up by any chance, it would not have a significant impact on Esperanes. The loss is too great compared to the gain to devour a small kingdom while cutting through difficult terrain.
So, if you just stay still as if it wasn’t there, Esperanes will survive…but the client in front of you is lucky.
‘You came looking for me.’
