CH 54

Negotiations

“Gu, B-bastard…!”

Lord Reten, with a blade held against him, groans.

“Stop that, Tweight!”

“That should be my line, Chris.”

As soon as Chris raised her voice to yell, the agents of the Bureau tried to surround me.

I kept them at bay with a glance as I addressed Chris.

“Keep the agents away. I just want to negotiate.”

Understanding that I was serious, Chris dripped with cold sweat.

“… Do as he says.”

The deployed agents retreat, complying with Chris’ order.

No longer expecting to be saved, Lord Reten yelled impatiently.

“T-there is no room for negotiations! Bastard, you seem to want that thing to live, but as long as time passes by like this, it will die on its own! Can’t you see that you’re at a disadvantage, you bastard!”

“Then before Mize dies, I’ll kill you.”

When I simply told him that, Lord Reten’s face paled.

While I’m at it, I’ll give a warning to the other enemy, Chris.

“Chris. Even if I’m a former dog, it would be inconvenient for the Bureau if I kill the king of another country. You may be able to cover it up for now, but once the corpse comes out, it would be difficult to dodge the issue.”

“… So, this is what it means to have a dog bite the hand that feeds it.”

“Former dog. Besides, you’re the one that’s driven me to this point… If you don’t want this man’s head to be chopped off, don’t do anything else.”

I will only conduct negotiations with Lord Reten.

Unfortunately, I don’t have anything that can be used to negotiate with Chris. And so, I’ll prevent her movements with a threat.

“My only demand is Mize’s safety. In exchange for that–”

After a pause, I spoke in a strong tone so that everyone in this place could hear.

“– I’ll inform you of where a colony of the Divine Herb Exa is.”

“Wha!?”

Lord Reten lets out a shocked voice.

“Do you know what Exa is? It is a medicinal herb that is used to make the Divine Medicine Elixir. It can be sold for a large sum. With that money, it would be easy to recover from the damages you received during the late Great War.”

“R-ridiculous! Do you expect me, to actually believe that story–”

“– It seems that you aren’t capable of reading the situation.”

I lightly slide the blade that’s held by Lord Reten’s nape.

“This is literally a negotiation of life and death; if the negotiations break down, then that means that both of us will die.”

“Gwah… s-stop this…”

Lord Reten did not shed a tear, but his whole body was trembling in fear, and his dignity as a king had already vanished. The wrinkles etched on his face, that once made him look heroic, were now warped pitifully.

“With all due respect, Your Royal Majesty, allow me to say something. This negotiation weighs the value your life against your kingdom.”

At that time, Chris calmly said.

“Wha-what do you mean by that…?”

“A colony of the Divine Herb Exa… If he had such a bargaining chip from the beginning, 28 wouldn’t have run away in the first place. In other words, 28 discovered that colony while on the run… We don’t have to bother asking him in this place; if we look at his tracks so far, we can get an estimate of where the colony is.”

“S-so what do you want to say?”

“Even if the negotiations break down, you can still obtain the Divine Herb Exa. The same goes for Her Royal Highness’ corpse.”

To put it simply, even if I die here, they can deduce the locations of both the colony and her corpse.

However, if these negotiations break down and I die–

“D-don’t fuck with me! If that happens, then wouldn’t I also die!?”

“Yes, that is why I don’t have the authority to make the decision here. However, if Your Royal Majesty prioritizes the peace of your country before your own life… then there is no need to enter these negotiations.”

In this place, besides Lord Reten and Chris, there are many other soldiers here who can serve as witnesses.

If I were to unilaterally kill Lord Reten, the Bureau might be held responsible, but if Lord Reten were to willingly offer his own head, that will no longer be the case. If that were to happen, then the Bureau might avoid the responsibility with the testimonies of the soldiers.

But– I’ve already expected a response of that degree.

“That’s futile. I have set up bombs around the colony. In case the negotiations break down, after killing this man, I will detonate them.”

“Tch… You’re well-prepared.”

“That’s how I was trained.”

Thanks to you, I grew up to be strong.

Chris frowns. I’ve heard that the greatest expression of filial piety is to surpass one’s parents, but… it seems that the Bureau didn’t want that.

Now– Lord Reten has a just cause.

A colony of the Divine Herb Exa will be a great boon to the Kingdom of Arcadia

That’s why, I had no choice but to push through with the negotiations. Now, with that excuse, Lord Reten can put his own life before that of his own country.

“O-one moment, could you give me some time to discuss this with others…?”

I sigh, seeing Lord Reten’s flattering eyes.

Isn’t he being too optimistic? Even though we’ve already reached this point, he’s still looking for a convenient byway.

“I haven’t said this, but I planned on ending the negotiations within 5 minutes. There’s only 1 minute left.”

“Hiih!?”

1 minute left. That might be all the time I have left to live.

As I said that, while holding the blade to his nape, Lord Reten let out a terrified voice.

He had dismissed Mize as a mere tool, and when push came to shove, he mercilessly decided to discard her– but apparently, this wasn’t the case when his own life was at stake. Even though I am taking advantage of his cowardly personality, it still pisses me off a bit.

He is a person that is considerably lenient towards himself.

A moment passes by in silence.

I hear someone swallowing their spit.

“… I-I understand.”

As I was counting down the remaining time in my head, Lord Reten squeezed out a voice.

“Use a louder voice, so that everyone in this place can hear.”

“I understand! Negotiations have been concluded!”

Lord Reten yelled desperately.

“If you renege on this agreement, I will leak the location of the colony to every country… The Republic will be more than happy to invade.”

“I won’t renege on this agreement! S-so let me go!”

His tone is strong, but his expression is already tainted with defeat.

At the very least, Chris understands. I don’t even have to hold this blade to his nape; I can take his head off in an instant. I deliberately do this in order to make the situation easier to understand.

After removing the blade from Lord Reten’s neck, I look at Chris.

“Chris, as a witness, write down the contract. Also, I’ll have you escort me out of this building.”

“… Yes.”

I honestly want to wait for the contract to be completed in this place, but I’m worried about Mize.

I want to get her to a safe place, and then we can start writing up the contract.

“Thanks for taking care of me.”

I say this to Lord Reten, who is sitting on the ground, before leaving the dungeons with Chris.

◆

Two soldiers lead the way, while Chris and I continue to follow after them.

I guess they already knew what had transpired, since I didn’t hear any confused voices from the soldiers, and the ear-splitting silence continued indefinitely.

“You really pulled it off.”

Chris mutters beside me.

“You’ve actually threatened the king of another country… You do know that it wouldn’t be strange for a war to occur after doing that, right?”

“In the first place, that king decided to assassinate Mize in order to avoid war. I don’t think he’ll wage war over this.”

With the use of the Divine Herb, the Kingdom of Arcadia can recover its national power that was exhausted in the war. Provided that they will maintain a non-interference policy when it comes to Mize. All that’s left is for Lord Reten to successfully persuade both the First and Second Princes’ factions.

“Chris.”

“What? — Hyah!?”

My posture collapses, and I place my head on her shoulder.

“As expected, I’ve pushed myself too much… lend me your shoulder.”

“S-say that first!”

Even if I had said it beforehand, she would have reacted the same way.

“You know… Shouldn’t we get actually get rid of you in this place? By doing that, we would be able to sell this as a favour to the Kingdom of Arcadia.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

Chris’ eyes widen in response to my assertion.

“The details of the negotiations that just took place should have been ideal for the Bureau… From now on, Mize will continue to spend time in the Kingdom of Terraria. In other words, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that through these negotiations, the Kingdom of Arcadia obtained a colony of the Divine Herb Exa, but the Kingdom of Terraria has obtained <Wisdom Road>.”

Moreover, though I am a person from the Kingdom of Terraria, I also know where the colony is located.

There are no better conditions for the Bureau.

When Chris had heard what I had to say… her cheeks tightened.

“What’s with that face?”

“It’s a mixture of fear and astonishment… Even though you were in that situation, you were still calculating how we could benefit.”

“I don’t want to turn the Bureau into an enemy; it’s a nasty institution.”

“Look who’s talking. You’ve been rampaging as you please until now… It’s your fault that 02 is crying all the time.”

That doesn’t matter.

She should just be grateful she didn’t die.

“We should urgently get that contract written up. The other side isn’t stupid; the risk of passing <Wisdom Road> to another country will soon be too great to ignore. We’ll need to get it in writing before they get impatient.”

“Please do so as soon as you can. If it takes too long, I’ll probably be attacked by strange people.”

“That’s right… By the way, if you allow us to use Her Royal Highness for politics, we can officially assign an escort to her.”

“No need for that. I’ll protect Mize. At least, while we’re in the academy.”

In response to what I said, Chris let out a small sigh.

Once we were outside of the building, the soft sunlight shone on my face. I want to take a bath. I want to sleep. I barely controlled the various desires that well up within me.

“So much for an escort.”

I separate from Chris and go behind the building.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’ll just make sure of something… That sort of person who is lenient towards himself won’t learn until he’s been hurt once.”

◆

After the negotiations were over, Lord Reten returned aboveground from the dungeons as soon as he had regained his composure.

“Your Royal Majesty… that, are you safe?”

“Do I look safe to you?”

Lord Reten says, while lightly rubbing his nape.

There was a wound there, inflicted by Tweight. It was just a small cut on his skin, leaving behind a faint scar, but it was far too large a wound for the king of a country to bear.

“B-but, a colony of the Divine Herb Exa… I still find it hard to believe.”

“No… It’s not impossible.”

Sitting down on a high-class chair in the centre of a large room, Lord Reten calmly explains the situation to his subordinates.

“It’s due to <Wisdom Road>. Its power is far beyond what we can comprehend. It would make sense if <Wisdom Road> had led them to discover the colony of the Divine Herb.”

As if regretting his blunder earlier, Lord Reten covered his face with his right palm.

“And that is why– we can’t just let that power go. As I thought, <Wisdom Road> is a seed of war.”

Revealing his determination, Lord Reten spoke.

“After removing the bombs set up around the colony… assassinate that man, 28.”

“… A-assassinate him?”

“28 is a calamity for One’s country. He has deeply involved himself in our affairs, and the Kingdom of Terraria does not seem to have him on a leash… and so, we shall have him killed before he can do something unnecessary.”

Lord Reten thought of 28 as that much of a threat.

Fortunately, this matter has not yet been made public, but 28 is still the person who placed a blade to Lord Reten’s nape. If they were to simply let him go, the honour of the country and the army would be affected.

“If we can restore our national power with the Divine Herbs, then we might not need to kill that thing… but then, how will <Wisdom Road> return to us?”

That 28 guy had also offered such a stupid deal. Lord Reten sneered.

The Kingdom of Arcadia should obtain both the Divine Herbs and <Wisdom Road>.

Presumably, the details of the contract would be: The Kingdom of Terraria, which knows the location of the colony, will give its detailed information to the Kingdom of Arcadia in exchange for a guarantee of Mize’s safety, as she is currently attending an academy in the Kingdom of Terraria.

The Kingdom of Terraria, which knows the location of the colony, will leak the location of the colony to neighbouring countries as soon as the Kingdom of Arcadia reneges on the contract. However, with their economy strengthened by the Divine Herbs, they can increase their military power, which would allow them to wage war on the Kingdom of Terraria. Taking this risk into account, the Kingdom of Terraria should hesitate.

“Y-your Royal Majesty! With all due respect, allow me to say something. That man… 28 has thwarted all assassination attempts against him, resulting in the deaths of many of our subordinates. Even the mercenary group “The Fangs of the Red Dragon” that the Second Prince’s faction hired was decimated by him…”

“Don’t fear! In the first place, that man stood in front of me by pretending to surrender and took us by surprise! As long as we are vigilant, that man won’t be able to deceive us!”

Lord Reten’s face turns bright-red as he yells in an enraged voice.

In the next instant– Bang. An impact could be heard from beside that bright-red face.

“Heh, a…?”

With the sound of the shattered glass window, the soldiers in the room panic.

Right beside Lord Reten’s face. There was a hole the size of a bullet behind the chair.

After letting out a curious voice, Lord Reten fell on the backside, suddenly struck by a great fear.

— I can kill you anytime.

Beyond the fragments of the glass window, he felt that he could hear a voice carried by the wind.

◆

After lightly threatening my schoolmate’s father, I turned BF28 back into a bracelet and immediately headed to where Mize was.

From his appearance, I could tell that Lord Reten intended to renege on the contract as soon as he could.

From now on, I will regularly observe the movements of the Kingdom of Arcadia and snipe at them whenever they try to lay their hands on Mize.

The kind of man who is lenient to himself will seek even more benefits after he has already received some.

So rather than benefits, fear is a more effective deterrent.

Then, I have no choice but to become that fear.

I was heading to the boulder where I had last left Mize, when I found her lying down on the way there.

After waking up, she must have searched for me in a hurry. That being said, it seems that she could hardly move, as she had fallen not more than 50 metres away from the boulder where we had last parted. If she had been able to move further, she might have been found by soldiers from the Kingdom of Arcadia. Ironically, she was saved by that.

I place my finger on her nape to check her pulse. There’s no problem; she’s alive.

Looking at her appearance, she seems to be sleeping well.

Though she was a princess, she was now bold enough to sleep soundly in the middle of the wastelands. The people around her probably wouldn’t approve of that change, but Mize would be proud of herself.

A bird that flies outside of its cage will surely not return to its cage, even if it is stained with mud.

Rather than the bird that was fed and raised to be pretty, I found the appearance of the ugly bird that survived to be truly beautiful.

“Mize.”

“Mm… Tweight, -san…?”

While still dreaming, Mize sleepily calls my name.

Her peaceful voice, just like someone who had dozed off in class, doesn’t mesh with our surroundings, and I can’t help but smile at that.

It may have been a dangerous, terrifying, sorrowful, and helplessly painful journey, but this doesn’t feel like a bad conclusion to it.

“Let’s go home soon.”

Author’s Note:

The next chapter will be the epilogue for the Second Arc.

I will probably be able to post it by the end of tomorrow.

Translator’s Comment:

I’ll try to post it later though.