The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 71
A questionable operation (6)
The place we followed the crown prince to was the king’s study.
The King of Arendelle, whom I met there, greeted me with a worn-out appearance, as if the exhaustion he had endured at the hands of the barbarians was clearly evident.
“Prince, I’m sorry for calling you out before you could even enjoy the party.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”
“… … Haha, thank you for your consideration.”
The king smiled faintly, perhaps thinking that those words were considerate, and tried to shake off his embarrassment.
But this was sincere, without an ounce of falsehood.
‘There’s no way there’s anything to enjoy at a party in a foreign country that isn’t even your own.’
To me, the atmosphere of the party was even more unfamiliar than that of the battlefield. It was also not even the slightest bit interesting.
Rather, I would say that the atmosphere of the study where constructive conversations can take place is a hundred or a thousand times better.
“It is truly an honor that you have accepted the invitation in such a serious manner, leading a delegation like this.”
“How can I accept the invitation from His Majesty the King of Arendelle alone?”
“Ugh, uhm… … !”
A series of coughs escaped the king’s mouth.
Perhaps he thought that the introduction was enough, and he bowed his head in the awkward atmosphere.
“First, I would like to thank you for saving Arendelle.”
But that expression alone was filled with genuine hope.
“If it weren’t for you who stepped forward despite it being a distant foreign land, Arendelle would be drinking blood instead of celebrating.”
“You are too complimentary. How can that be considered my full credit?”
When he gave the ball so humbly, the king readily waved his hand and dissuaded him.
“Don’t tell me it wouldn’t have been possible without the blood and sweat of Arendelle. That would be disappointing to me and the millions of Arendelle citizens you saved.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
salvation.
The words the king spoke immediately were not those that could be heard in normal diplomacy.
… … No. In the first place, it was a word that should never have come out of the king’s mouth. Because it meant that the existence of that person determined the existence of the nation.
But if it was a relationship where they would plan for the future together, it was different.
‘That’s pretty good.’
My gaze shifted from the King to the Crown Prince standing behind him. As if intersecting with his gaze, the King’s gaze slowly turned to Matapju.
“If my common sense is not wrong, I think that what happened in the training grounds was the unique power of the Archmage, teleportation… … By any chance… … .”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“… … Huh, huh. This is truly astonishing.”
Even if I said that, it was a fact that everyone already knew.
So, as the king of Arendelle, he must have tried to confirm the truth.
Of course, I didn’t know that you would accept it so clearly.
“The author who came together with me… … .”
“I am Lord Elade, the Lord of the Tower of the Esteban Palace. Please call me whatever you like.”
“L, Rodrani… … As expected.”
It was a simple answer, but it was shocking.
Wasn’t this the first time you’d encountered someone who called himself Lorda? But even in this situation, he wasn’t lacking in majesty and amazement to the point of showing astonishment.
Even so, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity, so he carefully opened his mouth while watching my reaction.
“There is a being called the Archmage in the Kingdom Tower… … So, has Esteban been hiding the Archmage’s existence until now?”
“It’s not that I hid it. I just didn’t reveal it.”
In fact, at a time when basic magic research should be continuing, it was unnecessary to reveal the existence of the Archmage and cause confusion. Of course, he also wanted to check his state through meditation.
But not now that I have even a little bit of free time.
“Perhaps this will be the first time it has been made known to the world through this exchange.”
“Oh, I see.”
The king wiped away the cold sweat.
‘A great wizard… … A being that is hard to find even in the history of Arendelle… … .’
It was because the thought of Esteban, the rag I had reluctantly held onto, turned out to be an unexpectedly strong and valuable lifeline hit me again.
I opened my mouth as I watched the king’s actions.
“Not revealing something means you don’t feel the need to, and on the contrary, hiding something means you have a reason to do it.”
“Hide it. Does that mean you nailed it down as a personal help?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… … .”
This was also a questionable action for Arendelle.
Even if there was no reason to do so, how could he have seen through the internal situation and foreseen the future?
Also, what was the intention behind it.
“… … I’m sure you have a lot of questions, so I’ll keep it brief.”
I moved the objects on the desk I was facing here and there.
At first glance, it could be seen as a random mix of ingredients, to the point where you couldn’t even guess what it was used for.
However, the crown prince, who was watching this from behind the king, immediately noticed this and reported it to the king.
“Father, this is the missionary work of the Northern Continent.”
“……indeed.”
A small thing caught between two great powers, and the surrounding countries listed around them.
The completed evangelism finally took on a recognizable appearance.
I chose a few of them and set them aside. What remained were the Federal Empire and some surrounding countries, including the Holy Empire.
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“The remaining countries are those that pursue diplomacy hostile to the Federal Empire.”
“Hostile diplomacy?”
“yes.”
“… … Hmm.”
The king stroked his beard and sighed.
There was no other reason. However, the only thing that remained was the question of whether Arendelle was an exception.
“It’s true that Arendelle borders the Federation Empire, but it can’t be said to be hostile… … .”
“Isn’t that clever?”
“… … Hmm? What does that mean?”
The king, who had been lost in thought, opened his eyes wide at those absurd words.
Be that as it may, I said, tapping the object spread out on the table that corresponded to Arendelle. It was the object whose existence the king had questioned.
“This is the location of the defensive wall that covers the back of the Federal Empire.”
“A barrier? You mean Arendelle?”
“If it weren’t for Arendelle, wouldn’t all the annoying thorns in the North fall into the hands of the Federation Empire?”
“that…….”
……surely.
If that were to happen, there would be nothing to impede the advance to the east. But at the same time, a question suddenly arose in the king’s mind.
“Prince, are you saying that the Federation Empire will attack Arendelle?”
The relationship between Arendelle and Carrot wasn’t that bad.
Rather, as a Federation Empire, there was no reason to be at odds with Arendelle, which could attack them at any time, even if it gave them an advantage in diplomacy between the two countries.
That is something that is only possible in imagination.
… … But what if that actually happened? What if the guys started moving with specific goals?
At that moment, my eyes became so calm that they looked cold and empty.
“That statement is wrong.”
“then…….”
“The attack has already begun.”
“What, what?!”
bang!
The king jumped up from his seat as if he was shocked, and this time the crown prince who was standing behind him also looked surprised, as if he had not expected it.
“What, what does that mean? You started attacking?!”
“The Federation Empire clearly wants to take Arendelle’s lands. To use them as a bridgehead for its future ambitions.”
“That can never happen!”
It was the king’s gaze full of confidence.
In this situation where the Cold War with the Holy Empire continues, where would we have the luxury of attacking the enemy behind our backs?
The king continued speaking somewhat calmly and cautiously.
“Even if that’s the case, if they occupy Arendelle, they’ll have enemies in front and behind them. Wouldn’t it be better to promote friendship with Arendelle and block the rear?”
The king, who had finished speaking like that, slowly sat down. To begin with, an attack by the Federation Empire was something that was clearly unheard of and unseen.
……however.
“The Federation Empire’s attacks are not physical.”
“Then what the heck… … .”
“Iijei(以夷制夷).”
“… … !”
Hearing the next words, I felt my hair stand on end. The King’s voice began to tremble slightly.
“The barbarians… … Are you saying that they used the barbarians?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange? The fate of the nation is being ruined by a bunch of hungry barbarians, and the greatest knight in the North has gone missing.”
“S, no way… … .”
A seed of doubt had taken root in my heart. I recited it coldly, without a hint of euphemism.
“The Northern Knights were defeated by barbarians lured by the Federation Empire’s forces. In addition, they had previously launched a wide-ranging magical attack. From the beginning, they had two objectives in mind.”
“How dare you!”
thud!
The King’s body trembled with anger as he slammed the table.
It was something I could never have imagined. But I couldn’t help but believe it. Otherwise, there would be no way to explain the misfortune that had befallen Arendelle.
“How dare you treat Arendelle like prey to barbarians!”
Clearly the barbarians had headed to the plains of the Federal Empire for war.
But at some point, the Federation Empire regained its composure, while Arendelle, on the other hand, had to endure hellish days. Coincidentally, wasn’t the timing just perfect?
There were other strange things too.
“… … Ah, right, communication! If communication is cut off, that means they’re interfering with the communication magic!”
As the puzzle began to fit together, clues began to emerge and the outline began to take shape.
You must have thought it was strange. However, you couldn’t have blamed it on someone outside. There was nothing more important than the survival of the nation. But what if everything was over now?
I watched the scene and said.
“His goal is to turn Arendelle into a land for barbarians.”
“… … Hoo! The land of the barbarians? What good will there be in that?”
“As I said, the intention is that we can easily take over Arendelle, the bridgehead. In addition, it is to eliminate the possibility of Arendelle stabbing us in the back.”
“For just that reason!”
Crack!
The fury was so clear it was audible.
Wasn’t this actually a land that was almost trampled by the barbarians? There was too much to lose to cover up this fact with mere anger.
“You clearly said that you were referring to the ‘guy’s’ purpose. Prince, who is the ‘guy’ you are talking about?”
The king expressed his anger as if spitting out words.
To this, I answered with a faint smile.
“Leiden del Carrot.”
“… … !”
The fourth prince of the Federal Empire and a madman who will one day become the emperor.
My lips, like those, were slowly opening in silence, as if to tell the truth.
“The bastard dreams of wars of conquest.”
