Chapter 6: The Hidden Boss Heads to the Battlegrounds
After Linus departed, the room fell silent. I digested what I had learned: Gilbert was apparently from the Kingdom of Valschein, and he was colluding with Linus. As an unrelated party, I wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard anything and just leave as if nothing had happened, but Linus had left behind a parting gift—he had advised Gilbert to detail the full scope of the plan to me. He didn’t even give me a chance to ask why I needed to know about the plan.
Gilbert was staring at me as if to say, “Just who is she?” I couldn’t take it anymore, so I broke the silence and said, “I didn’t realize you were from Valschein.”
“What about you?” Gilbert asked, a little suspiciously. “What kingdom are you from? I assumed Lemlaesta, since you know Linus, but...”
Maybe I can reveal who I am since we’re from the same kingdom... No, I can’t. Terrible rumors about me don’t only circulate here, they’re prevalent back home in Valschein too.
People in my kingdom didn’t go as far as to treat me like some kind of boogeyman, but having others assume that I was some crazy person who indiscriminately shot dark magic spells was just part of my daily life.
And so, in order to avoid any unnecessary chaos, I decided that it would be more prudent to continue hiding my identity.
“Who cares about me?” I remarked airily. “There’s no problem with you thinking of me as someone who isn’t bound to the framework of national borders... Like a fairy or something.”
“I do, in fact, have a problem with that.”
“Do you?”
I guess there’s a problem after all.
I felt like I’d had a similar interaction in the past. Trying to find the source of this déjà vu, I stared at Gilbert’s face, and for some reason I began to see a resemblance to Patrick.
Maybe I’m so Patrick-deficient that I’m starting to see him in any man with gray hair.
“Since Linus had insisted so strongly, I guess I should be telling you about the plan,” Gilbert grumbled.
“Oh, there’s no need. I don’t really care to know about it,” I said.
“Still, I can’t fully trust you.”
“Like I said, I don’t want to hear about it,” I repeated.
I didn’t need to know about any plans to know that what I had to do right now was fend off the army making their way to the Mark of Ashbatten. I wanted to travel there as quickly as possible. It would be best if Gilbert and I could split up to do our own things without saying another word to one another. But he continued on, ignoring what I had said.
“How about this? I’ll tell you on the way there,” he offered.
Now I was lost. “On the way where...?”
“I’m going to head to the Ashbatten Mark tomorrow. As we go, I’ll tell you about the plan, just as Linus instructed me to do. If you prove to be untrustworthy and you turn on me at the mark, you won’t be able to do anything to mess up the plan.” It was a course of action that balanced Linus’s instructions to Gilbert and Gilbert’s distrust for me.
I guess I don’t mind, since we both want to go to the same place. I only vaguely know which direction to go, and I was admittedly worried that I would get lost on the way to the mark.
If you’ve ever seen students on a field trip, you’d know that it takes more time than one would expect to transport a large group of people from one point to another. Even if Gilbert and I left tomorrow, we’d be able to reach the border well before an army.
According to the conversation he had with Linus, Gilbert’s plan is to arrive at the mark before the army, so I guess it sounds like a good idea for me to go with him.
“Understood.” I nodded. “What time will we be leaving tomorrow?”
“We’ll leave at sunrise. You should get to sleep early tonight.” With that, Gilbert stood and headed upstairs, leaving me alone in the kitchen.
Up to this point, I had just been going with the flow, and now it seemed like I was going to end up back home earlier than I had planned. I glanced out the window, and I noticed that it had already gotten dark outside. I thought about what might happen once I returned home.
I guess we’re going to have the wedding after all. It’s true that I don’t like the event itself, but I also kind of hate that Patrick’s brother isn’t coming. I haven’t gotten a chance to meet him yet, and I need to make that happen somehow.
This was most likely a problem that wouldn’t be solved just by letting things play out by themselves. It would be a miracle if we somehow managed to meet without knowing and it turned out that I had already overturned his horrible impression of me, but that would never happen.
I guess I can agree to have the wedding if we can hold it on the smallest possible scale... Well, either way, there’s no point in thinking about this now.
I had nothing else to do, so I, too, headed upstairs, returning to the room that had been provided for me. I lay down on the bed and shut my eyes, but it didn’t seem like I was going to fall asleep. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t help but get lost in my thoughts.
Why does Patrick’s brother hate me? I wondered. I mean, sure, I have some ideas of why he might... Oh, right. I was just thinking about how it’s no use thinking about all this now.
I decided to set aside my thoughts of Patrick’s brother and think about something else: Gilbert.
Because of Linus, I now know where Gilbert is from, but some things are still unclear, like this plan that he’s going to tell me about tomorrow.
Ugh, I don’t really want to know the details... That was what I had acted like I was thinking, but I had to admit to myself that I was actually very curious. I didn’t want to get involved by knowing about the plan, but if I could just be an uninvolved observer, that sounded like it might be interesting.
One of the most confusing things about this whole situation was that the army headed towards the Ashbatten Mark had been deployed by the first prince of Lemlaesta. Linus, a member of the first prince’s faction, was leaking sensitive information about his plans... Wait, I wonder: is it the opposite? Is it actually Gilbert who’s betraying his kingdom, not Linus?
◆◆◆
The faint light of the sunrise woke me. It seemed that my concern that I wouldn’t be able to get up on time had been an unfounded one. I stretched and got up from the unfamiliar bed. I wasn’t going to be coming back here, so I made the bed and scanned the room to make sure that I wasn’t leaving anything behind.
I headed downstairs, where I found Gilbert already awake. He was eating from a plate piled with the same preserved foods that we’d dined on yesterday.
“Good morning,” I greeted him.
“You’re awake. I was just about to go wake you up.” Gilbert washed down whatever was in his mouth with some water before quickly standing. A pair of plain brown cloaks were draped over the chair next to him, and he grabbed them and handed one to me. “We’re leaving right away. It’s an exhausting trip, so we’ll need the whole day.”
Before I could even put on the cloak, he immediately started moving. Because the cloak seemed to have been designed specifically for long-distance travels, it was meant to cover an entire outfit, and it was much too long for me. If I wore it normally, the hem would likely drag along the ground. For now, I just put on the hat and hid my hair. I balled the cloak up under my arm and followed after Gilbert.
Once we got outside, Gilbert still showed no signs of stopping or even slowing down, so I gave up on wearing the cloak for now and walked alongside him.
“I’ll buy you breakfast at a stall when we pass one,” he promised.
“Thank you... Where are we headed right now?” We were moving in what I was pretty sure was the wrong direction—we should’ve been leaving the Royal Capital, yet we were headed towards the center of the city. I turned the cloak around in my hands, unable to distinguish the top from the bottom after I had balled it up.
“There’s a trading company that Linus reached out to for me. We’ll be renting horses there... Do you have any horseback-riding experience?”
“I don’t.” Then I reconsidered and added, “Oh, but I’m always riding something that’s not a horse.”
“Donkeys are different from horses, but...” Gilbert shrugged. “As long as you learn how to tell it to stop and go, it’ll walk along the roads.”
Actually, I ride a dragon, not a donkey... I guess they’re similar—they’re both adorable, sweet animals. Man, I’m excited that I’m going to ride a horse...
I’d had several opportunities to ride horses in the past, but the cute little horsies always seemed to be off their game, so Horse Lord Yumiella never became a thing.
I should stop trying to muddle the truth... The real reason I don’t have any horseback riding experience is because horses are scared of me. I’m sure these horses will also go crazy the moment I get close, and once again I won’t be able to ride one. I bet that’s what will happen.
“What will happen if I can’t ride the horse?” I asked.
“I guess you’ll have no choice but to sit behind me on mine. A carriage wouldn’t get us there in time, and those cause a lot of other inconveniences too.”
Riding a horse together sounds nice, but I’m not asking about what would happen if I fail to ride the horse—I’m asking what happens if the horses reject me. I’m sure they’re going to go crazy. No matter how skilled of a horse it is, it’ll probably be terrified. I already know how things will play out. Even if it’s a horse from another kingdom, I’m sure...
“I apologize, they’re usually calm...”
We stood in the stable built next to the trading company. The stablehand’s apology echoed in the tall rafters.
As soon as I had arrived, the horses seemed to be slightly unsettled. I was told I could pick any horse I wanted, but as soon as I began staring at the adorable horsies, this had happened. Usually I was optimistic, thinking things would work out, but they never did—I thought that if I instead thought that things wouldn’t work out this time, maybe they actually would...but my efforts appeared to have been in vain.
The proud and presumably usually well-behaved horses had thrown themselves into a frenzy as if to say, “No, we don’t want to, we’re scared of letting Yumiella ride us.” They were thrashing around to the point that they seemed like they might tear the ropes tying them to their stalls. The caretaker, who had clearly spent more time with these horses than anyone else, seemed completely stunned.
“Hey, what’s going on with you guys?!” he scolded them, then turned to us. “I apologize. They seem to be afraid of something.” The stablehand began looking around, searching for any abnormalities in the environment that might be spooking the animals.
I’m sorry, the abnormality is me. Animals fear me terribly. It’s so bad that I never even see a single bug around me.
As I apologized in my thoughts, I looked askance to see Gilbert completely dumbfounded.
“What’s happening...?” he wondered aloud.
“Let’s just run there,” I suggested. “If we can get there in time on horseback, then running will also be fast enough, won’t it?”
I had seen horses walking alongside the main roads before. They weren’t running at full speed like racehorses, since they had to be continuously traveling the entire day. While they were much faster than a person on foot, they were still basically just lightly jogging. If a human had leveled up to a certain extent, it wouldn’t be difficult to travel the same distance as a horse. Just being level 20 or 30 was surely high enough for the right amount of speed.
“I could get there on time on foot, but as for you...” Gilbert looked at me skeptically. “Right, you’re level 13. I guess I have some concerns, but...”
“I’ll be all right,” I assured him. “I’ve always had a lot of stamina.”
“I guess we have no choice. I’ll carry you if it comes to it,” he said with a sigh.
We had given up on riding horses to our destination, so we left the Royal Capital of Lemlaesta on foot instead, walking along the main roads. Now that the sun had fully risen, the path before us was well lit, and I ate some bread that Gilbert had purchased for me as we walked. I let Gilbert set our speed, and I kept up with him easily.
“I’m surprised you can do that,” he remarked.
“Huh?” I asked, confused. Gilbert slowed down and looked at me. His eyes were on the strawberry jam-filled bread in my hands. “By ‘that,’ do you mean that this is poor etiquette? I’ll remind you that you were the one who told me to eat as we walked.”
He shook his head. “Not that. I’m surprised that you can keep up with me while eating.”
I shrugged. “Well, you’re not going that fast.”
“I wanted to see how much stamina you have, so I tried speeding up too, but you’re keeping up with me perfectly. Does that mean you could go even faster?”
I see, no wonder why he was suddenly decelerating and accelerating. I guess I don’t seem like a normal person if I can keep eating even while he’s speeding up. It’s hard to hide that I’m Yumiella.
“It’s difficult,” I lied. “I had to jog while eating, so the side of my abdomen is starting to hurt.”
“Sorry for trying to test you...”
“It’s fine. I’ll get better after walking slowly.”
“I apologize, you’re not very expressive, so...” He seemed to come to some realization. “Wait. Could it be?”
As Gilbert slowed down and looked at me, I worried that he was thinking of Yumiella because of my lack of expressiveness. Once again, trying to hide that I was Yumiella made it look like I was Yumiella. It seemed that I was always Yumiella after all.
I’m still ostensibly hiding my identity, so I’ll try to casually change the subject.
“You were going to tell me something on the road, correct?”
“Oh, that. I’m from Valschein, but I’m pulling strings so that Lemlaesta can win. That’s all there is to it.” He stated this with remarkable casualness.
“Would I be correct to interpret that as you betraying the Kingdom of Valschein?”
“I guess that would be correct.”
I see, so you’re committing treason. I guess everything will be settled if I take down Gilbert the Rebel.
As I prepared to deliver my Yumiella Punch, Gilbert continued his explanation, seemingly unashamed.
“I’m sure you can guess what’s going on after hearing my conversation with Linus,” he said without any hesitation. “Linus’s allies are currently on the move. Despite how he seems, he’s a patriot. He’s loyal to his kingdom, and he didn’t care to join us.”
“You tried to recruit Linus? You’re in a position to do such a thing? You’re the one who needs to join the other side, aren’t you?”
It was only a bit, but I was surprised to discover that I was angry, even though I had not a single ounce of loyalty to the Kingdom of Valschein. Perhaps, as Duke Hillrose had warned me in the past that I might, I had finally ended up feeling fond of the kingdom.
I mean, even if a battle breaks out somewhere unrelated to me... Oh, right. The battle’s going to be at the Mark of Ashbatten—that’s Patrick’s home! Of course I would be upset. What a relief: it looks like I can continue to avoid feeling any patriotism.
Gilbert accelerated, and I easily matched his pace even though most people would have needed to run to keep up with him. He brushed his bangs absently away from his eyes and let out a little groan.
“Where should I begin... First off, I’m part of the Ashbatten household. It’s not my intention for the battle to escalate.”
“Then there’s no reason to lose on purpose. If you’re with the margrave, shouldn’t you want to thoroughly take down the Lemlaestan army?” I asked. “You could learn a thing or two from the margravine.”
“I have nothing to learn from her...”
A bitter look came across his face and he turned away the moment I brought up Patrick’s mother. She was famous for wishing for the annihilation of Lemlaesta above all else, so I wondered if that was why.
I’m assuming he’s a vassal of the Ashbattens or something, but isn’t it rude to refer to your lord’s wife as “her”?
“That’s a bit much,” I admonished him. “She’s kind as long as Lemlaesta isn’t involved...or so I’ve heard.”
“That’s the thing. I’m not fond of people whose thoughts and actions are hard to read.”
Well, I guess I can understand being uncomfortable with people who lose their minds when a specific topic comes up. I feel like I’ve recently heard about someone else who feels the same way.
Gilbert looked resolutely forwards once again, and he continued in a dispassionate tone. “War... To Valschein, it’ll just seem like a squabble in the countryside, but from Lemlaesta’s perspective, it’s a full-blown war. Winning isn’t always the right answer.”
“Um... Are you trying to say that keeping war from happening in the first place is the best option?”
Of course, it was best if military engagements like war and other conflicts never occurred in the first place. However, that was just an ideal—in both the history of my previous world and in this one, humans continued to go to war again and again. Still, it didn’t feel right to be resigned to the idea that this was just human nature. Perhaps it was thanks to the people who continued to chase after the ideals of peace that wars like this didn’t grow to a larger scale...
I thought that I would end up caught in a debate about war with Gilbert, one that had no real answer, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He continued in a quiet tone.
“The ideal solution would generally be to prevent a war completely, but not for this case. I’m talking about what’s best after a battle has already begun.”
“You’re saying that losing is better?”
He nodded. “It might be, depending on the circumstances.”
Between winning and losing, I knew that winning was definitely better. Especially in this case, where neither the Kingdom of Valschein nor the Margrave of Ashbatten had done anything wrong, winning would surely be for the best.
Maybe if I give Gilbert the Insurgent a good punch, then tie him up and present him to the margrave as a traitor, Patrick’s brother might see me in a different light.
I clenched my fist as I stared at the back of his head, but then my target began speaking again.
“The history of the Ashbattens goes on for much longer than the Kingdom of Valschein’s. The margrave had control of an expanse of land before there was even a king, so when the first king of Valschein ascended the throne, he took steps to ingratiate himself to the margrave. Ever since then, the Ashbattens have continued to be responsible for protecting the western border.”
I was suddenly getting a history lesson, and it was a little different from what I’d learned in school. I’d always been told that the first king had suddenly appeared in the warring world, and after an undefeated streak of incredibly speedy victories, he’d founded the Kingdom of Valschein! That was all the history books had recorded, so it wasn’t until Patrick had told me about it that I’d found out about the Ashbatten family’s long history.
The Ashbattens of the past had no ambitions to expand their territory, and they wanted to avoid an all-out war. At the same time, the royal family back then had wanted to get the Ashbattens under their control without crossing swords. Their goals aligned, and as a result, the margrave was granted a noble title in return for an amicable annexation. It was a relationship that was somewhere between an alliance and a servant-master relationship.
“Ever since the foundation of the kingdom, even when other kingdoms occupied what is now Lemlaesta, the borders of the Ashbatten territory have never once changed,” Gilbert stated.
“That’s because the Ashbattens haven’t ceded any territory, because they’ve been so strong, right?” I asked. “I still don’t see why they should lose this time around.”
“You said it yourself. They didn’t lose.”
What does he mean by that? They didn’t lose, so they were able to maintain their domain and the borders never changed... Oh, I see. They weren’t taken over by anyone, but they didn’t take over anyone else either.
“They didn’t lose, but that doesn’t mean they always win.”
Gilbert nodded. “Exactly. War isn’t always something with a clear victor. The Ashbattens have selectively lost and won their battles through all their long history.”
“They don’t go on the offensive much, do they?”
“No, because there’d be no point in invading Lemlaesta and seizing their cities. Lemlaesta would try to regain control of their cities, and the war would only escalate. Even if the Ashbattens convinced other lords to join them, depending on the course of events, allies like that could easily switch sides.”
That’s true, the margrave does seem to focus on defensive battles.
The Ashbatten army’s method of hunting monsters, which Patrick had demonstrated while we were at the Academy, was focused on creating a formation and fending off monsters coming their way. Their training and equipment were likely specialized for defense as well.
“Even if you’re just defending your own territory, if you totally wipe the floor with their army, wouldn’t that be considered a victory?” I asked.
“Perhaps the mark’s soldiers would achieve an even greater victory if they pursued the Lemlaestan army even after they fled, but what would that accomplish? Lemlaestan soldiers have families too.”
“Huh...?” Without thinking, the confused sound had left my mouth—it was because we had been discussing military strategy in such a logical way until Gilbert suddenly began appealing to my emotions.
Well, yeah. Fighting someone is more painful if you think about them having a family back home.
After glancing at my face to gauge my reaction, Gilbert shook his head at me in a way that seemed more than a little mocking.
“Did you think I was trying to say that we shouldn’t pursue the enemy because I feel bad for them?” he scoffed. “Yes, they have families, and if people’s precious family members never returned home, hatred for the Ashbattens would only grow. Continuously winning would only lead to unnecessary resentment.”
“I see, that’s what you meant...”
Many soldiers would probably prefer to go home without fighting, but if a battle broke out, they had to participate because it was their job. If you had to choose between a soldier trying to get home with their next paycheck and a soldier trying to get revenge for their family, the latter was definitely harder to deal with.
I was starting to get the intention behind Gilbert saying, “Winning isn’t always the right answer.” It wasn’t good to lose a battle, but winning too much brought its own problems. How complicated.
“If one side is going to win, they need to have a complete victory,” Gilbert went on. “The victor must be endlessly ruthless in order to thoroughly secure their advantage.”
“So they have to go as far as killing every Lemlaestan and burning the entire kingdom to the ground.”
“I never said it had to be that extreme,” Gilbert protested, staring at me with horror. “You sound like my mother.”
I mean, I said it because I thought it was obvious that the Ashbattens could never do such a thing. I’m against war. Also, I’m scared of his mom. First Patrick’s mom, and now Gilbert’s. It seems like there are a lot of people in the Ashbatten Mark who hate Lemlaesta.
Despite Gilbert claiming that he didn’t want to create more hatred, the existing cycle of hatred seemed to have already reached critical levels.
I’m surprised he revealed personal information about his mother like that. Maybe he feels less of a need to be cautious now that I know he works for the Ashbattens.
These thoughts swirled in my head as I continued walking. Beside me, Gilbert looked away and dramatically cleared his throat.
“You get it now? The Ashbattens want to avoid a total victory. The best result would be if it were a win-win for everyone.”
“Wouldn’t that be difficult?”
“It’s difficult to pull off, but it’s possible. If, rather than hiding in the fortress, the Ashbatten forces march forth into battle and then retreat immediately, there wouldn’t be any casualties. Lemlaesta would interpret this as a rout, and they’d celebrate their victory at the top of their lungs.”
That just makes the Lemlaestan side sound ridiculous. All they’d accomplish would be to make the margrave send out soldiers only to immediately call them back.
“Would that work?” I wondered. “It doesn’t seem like Lemlaesta would gain anything from that. Sure, they might declare themselves victorious, but would they really back down after zero fighting?”
“They’re spending a lot of money to mobilize their army, so they have a goal worth at least that much to them,” Gilbert pointed out. “Do you know what that goal is?”
Lemlaesta wants to conquer the Kingdom of Valschein... No, that can’t be the case. Considering the disparity in power between the two kingdoms, even if Lemlaesta started an all-out war, it would be impossible for them to win. Then...they must want to take over a part of the mark... No, there’s not much benefit in doing that either, unless there’s a valuable resource there or something.
Now that I really thought about it, I had no idea why Lemlaesta kept attacking the mark. Considering the way the forces had been equipped when I sent them away the last time they’d tried to invade, they hadn’t looked prepared for a long-term battle.
So what are they after this time? Linus wants to protect his kingdom’s magi-technology, and he’s a part of the first prince’s faction. Military achievements would help them gain an advantage in the succession struggles...
“Is this all a performance for those in Lemlaesta?”
“You understand,” Gilbert said with a satisfied nod. “They’re not out to obtain any spoils like territory or wealth; they’re seeking honor and glory through war. If all we have to do for them to accomplish that is send our troops out and then bring them right back, we can indulge them as much as they’d like.”
I see, so all Lemlaesta wants is for it to seem like they’re victorious. I thought Patrick’s home was an endless battlefield, but I guess it’s more like a professional wrestling ring: it’s all a performance.
I was floored by this unexpected revelation, and Gilbert took my silence as an excuse to provide some additional context.
“Lemlaesta is surrounded by powerful kingdoms. It’s beneficial to their political standing if they can make it seem like they have the capacity to deploy their army on a regular basis.”
This performance gets more elaborate the more I learn about it. Either way, I understand Gilbert’s objective now. With Linus in on it, it’s probably easy for them to orchestrate a smooth, bloodless loss for the Ashbattens. Sorry for calling you an insurgent, Gilbert. My bad.
“I understand what you’re trying to do. I guess maintaining balance is important.” (My best attempt at coming up with a diplomatic way to say “staging battles” was “maintaining balance.”) I was glad that the mystery of this situation was mostly solved. Linus had probably wanted Gilbert to fill me in on the plan so I didn’t get in the way.
“Balance, huh...?” Gilbert sighed. “Well, that balance we’ve continued to maintain is starting to crumble. This plan is meant to reset things.”
“You’re not just going to hand Lemlaesta their win and call it a day?”
“Do you remember how I told you my brother is engaged?”
I nodded. “Yes, to that incredibly strange woman.”
According to Gilbert, his younger brother had horrible taste in women. The things that Gilbert had told me about this woman were still fresh in my memory.
She doesn’t sound like the kind of person who would be willing to lose on purpose. She seems like someone who would show off her strength for no reason, create unnecessary resentment, and generally fail at maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.
“Yes, that crazy woman,” Gilbert said bitterly. “We’re leaving this losing battle to that idiot.”
“Isn’t that a bit much...?”
I get that you don’t like her, and she does sound more competitive than the average man, but I’m not sure how I feel about leaving such a big task to a civilian woman. Isn’t leaving the fate of the Ashbatten Mark to someone because of your personal grudge taking things a little too far?
“I’ll be the first to admit that I have some degree of personal resentment towards her, but that’s not all there is to it. There’s a purpose in her being the one to fall to them. If she loses to the Lemlaestan army, our balance will be restored.”
That mostly sounds like an excuse. I bet it’s ninety percent because he hates her.
I was going to give him some candid advice and tell him he was making things too personal, but Gilbert had more to say.
“That idiot wins too much. No matter who her opponent is, she always seems to come out on top, but her victory streak will surely end one day. That’s why I want to see if she’s even capable of gracefully losing. If she passes my test, I might approve of her marriage to my brother.”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re after.” His reasoning was definitely personal, but at least he wasn’t trying to bully her—it seemed like he genuinely wanted a reason to be able to bless his brother’s betrothal.
Looking at him walking ahead of me, my gaze softened a little. He turned back and returned my warm expression with a cold, sharp glare.
“I haven’t accepted that woman, though. I just want to respect my brother’s choice. If she can’t pass a test as easy as this, she doesn’t deserve my brother.”
“That’s not so different from accepting her,” I pointed out. “It would be nice if my fiancé’s brother would just give me a test like that. I wish it could turn out that you were going to be my brother-in-law.”
“If you were my brother’s fiancée, I wouldn’t have been against your marriage in the first place...” He perked up a little. “Would you like to meet my brother?”
I think he might be seriously trying to get me to exchange Patrick for his brother. No way. I only have eyes for Patrick. Also, his brother has terrible taste in women, right? He probably wouldn’t be into me.
“No, thank you,” I said politely.
“Sorry, I know you wouldn’t want to. I couldn’t help thinking about it since you and that woman are somewhat similar in appearance.”
We look the same? I don’t really like that, considering the wild stories I’ve heard about her.
“Even though you might have thought hard about your reasons, I still think your plan is too much,” I insisted. “Commanding an army is an unreasonable responsibility for a regular woman to handle.”
Gilbert laughed. “Command? There’s no way I’m going to let her run the Ashbattens’ precious army into the ground.”
“You need to make the Lemlaestans think they won, right? Wouldn’t that be impossible without using an army?”
It feels like he doesn’t want her to pass this test at all, but I also don’t think he was lying when he said he wanted to respect his brother’s choice...
I couldn’t figure out what Gilbert was thinking, but he cleared things up for me. Sort of.
“That would be true of a regular person,” he said, still facing forwards. “It’s not that I’m suspicious of you at this point, but the answer to your question is the core of our plan. I’ll explain things to you more fully once we arrive.”
With the most important details set aside for later, we continued down the road.
We had nothing else to talk about, so Gilbert increased his speed, which I effortlessly matched. Right as I was starting to get bored of the unchanging scenery around us, Gilbert suddenly stopped.
“Let’s take a break here. You must be tired.”
I wasn’t, but I didn’t want to give myself away. “Sure.”
“I have to say, I’m surprised you were able to keep up. I thought you would throw in the towel partway.”
I’m not tired at all. I guess the speed we were going at would’ve been a jog for a regular person, but anyone with more than a couple levels under their belt should be able to handle something like that without running out of breath.
In order to avoid being outed as Yumiella, I decided I would try acting tired from here on out.
We stopped by a town on our way to hydrate ourselves, and then we continued onwards. Right as the sun had passed its highest point, Gilbert suddenly veered off the large main road.
“From here we’re going to take a detour,” he explained. “Otherwise we might run into the Lemlaestan army.”
A little ways back, we had passed a group of carriages that seemed to be the army’s rear guard. They were probably logistics officers carrying supplies and following behind the main force.
As we continued down the narrow side path, we passed a small village and then entered a grove of trees. Slowly, our path was starting to slant uphill.
I see, we’re going to hike up a mountain to get to our destination.
I was used to mountains. This one was going to be an easy hike, since there was a path that seemed relatively well traveled. Really hardcore mountains had way more trees and lots of tall grass, which made it difficult to discern what direction to travel. When I hiked through mountains like that, I had to use attack spells to create a path for myself—if I couldn’t use magic, then a billhook would be necessary. But that wasn’t the case on this mountain.
I followed behind Gilbert and enjoyed the leisurely hike. Eventually, we reached an area with a steep incline that was littered with boulders. Ahead of me, Gilbert was easily jumping onto boulders as tall as he was, scrambling his way upwards, and I followed suit.
Once he was past the difficult terrain, Gilbert glanced back and yelled, “This is a tough area! If you can’t climb up—”
“You don’t have to yell,” I said in a normal voice, quite close behind him. “I can hear you just fine.”
Discovering me much closer than he’d expected, he flinched. It seemed like he had no idea I would be able to keep up with him.
“How did you get up here...?”
“What? I just climbed up.”
“I didn’t hear you behind me.”
“Oh, well...of course, girls are pretty light in weight, comparatively speaking, so... Come on, let’s get going,” I said, urging him to hurry forwards and hopefully not think too hard about how easily I’d scaled the steep route. Though Gilbert seemed confused, he continued onwards.
We kept heading up the mountain, eventually straying from the path that led to the peak. From there, the side path became even more narrow.
I guess there aren’t that many people who travel this way. It’s finally starting to feel like a hidden shortcut.
I excitedly traversed through the dense, overgrown foliage.
“Something’s wrong,” Gilbert said, sounding tense.
“What’s going on?”
“There don’t seem to be any animals in the area. We’re quite far from any monster habitats too. Usually you’d see a small animal or two, but I don’t even hear any birds chirping.” He anxiously scanned the area.
I didn’t find this situation strange in the slightest.
Isn’t this what mountains are always like? I thought mountains without monsters are quiet places. If there’s any sound, that means that you’re probably going to run into some monsters. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a wild animal, even though animals like deer and bears live on mountains that don’t have any monsters. The same goes for the mountain in Dolkness County.
Though he didn’t stop walking, Gilbert seemed extra cautious of his surroundings.
“When it gets quiet like this, it means a strong monster has wandered into the area,” he explained to me. “The animals are lying low out of fear.”
“Monsters leave their habitats pretty often, huh?”
“It doesn’t happen that frequently. At most it happens a handful of times in a year.”
I guess if you go by how many appear in a certain settlement, that might be the case. I usually make it my business to take down monsters as soon as there’s a sighting near any villages in my territory, so my sense of how common it really is might be off.
Just then, Gilbert held his hand up and looked me in the eye.
Oh, he wants me to stay quiet.
Gilbert appeared to have found something, and he gently parted the branches of a bush to reveal...
“It’s just a boar...” he muttered.
Inside the bush was a piglet—a baby boar. The striped pattern on it was adorable.
This is my first time seeing a piglet. I didn’t know you could have encounters like this in the mountains. As soon as the piglet saw me, it flopped onto the ground, and I could see more motion behind it. Oh, he has brothers. Looks like there’s five piglets. They’re all on the ground, so cute! Though, they look more frozen than like they’re napping.
“Stand back!” Gilbert exclaimed.
Something was rustling past the bushes and coming towards us at an incredible speed. What appeared was...an adult boar. It was probably the piglets’ mother.
The mother boar glared at us—or rather, me—and snorted loudly through her nose as she tried to intimidate us. At the same time, the piglets squealed and fled. I was impressed by their coordination. Once the sound of the piglets grew distant, the mother boar turned around and ran off.
I guess the mom was on edge because she knew she had to protect her babies. It’s not like I had anything against her, so I’m glad we didn’t have to fight.
I found the wonderful mother and her desire to keep her adorable children safe incredibly heartwarming, but Gilbert still seemed suspicious. He was looking in the opposite direction of where the boars had fled—in other words, he was looking behind me.
“That boar didn’t make eye contact with me, which is as much to say it wasn’t afraid of humans. It was staring directly behind me, which means there must be a monster over there,” he said, pointing over my shoulder.
Uh, the mommy boar was looking at me. She thought that I was more dangerous than you... Oh, I see now. The quiet forest—this explains my usual wilderness experience.
The boars and animals of this forest were undoubtedly afraid of me. They were quiet because they were terrified.
“I don’t think a monster will appear... Let’s continue forwards.” I couldn’t explain why I thought that, though, so Gilbert remained on edge as we proceeded through the forest.
Of course, he needn’t have worried; we made it to our destination without running into any strong monsters.
The scenery before me suddenly unfolded, and we found ourselves near the edge of a cliff. I could see every inch of the prairie spreading below us. I had seen this place before—it was the spot where the Ashbatten and Lemlaestan armies had once faced off, the place where I had landed between them on Ryuu’s back.
The Lemlaestan army’s main force had already arrived, and they were pitching tents behind them. There wasn’t anyone on the Ashbatten side—their forces were likely holed up in the fortress, which was a bit farther away. They had no need to come out and face the Lemlaestans. It was only now that I understood that my previous encounter with the Lemlaestan army had probably also just been a performance.
“It looks like we somehow made it in time,” Gilbert observed. “The unit spent a day traveling, so they won’t start taking action until tomorrow. That’s how they usually operate. Now it all depends on when she arrives...”
“Right, you mentioned that the Lemlaestan army mobilized sooner than you expected. The woman you’re planning on leaving things to is in Ashbatten, correct?”
“Nope, she’s in eastern Valschein. A message should’ve been sent to her yesterday...”
Eastern Valschein?! The Ashbatten Mark is on the western border, so she’s even farther away than the Royal Capital? She definitely won’t make it in time. Oh no, I’m not sure why Lemlaesta deployed their army so soon, but now Gilbert’s plan must be ruined.
“I guess she won’t make it in time,” I said sadly. “Out of curiosity, where in eastern Valschein is she?”
Dolkness County was located in eastern Valschein, so I had some awareness of the area. I was familiar with most of the territories around me, and I’d probably know the specific place if he mentioned it.
“I guess I can tell you now...” Gilbert opened his mouth to tell me the location, and it turned out to be a region I was somewhat more than familiar with. “It’s Dolkness County.”
I blinked. “Dolkness...? What?”
“That woman will probably ride a dragon here from that cursed Dolkness County.”
Huh? What? There’s only one person I can think of who rides a dragon in Dolkness County.
“Um, could it be...”
“That’s right. I’m Gilbert Ashbatten. My younger brother, Patrick, is engaged to Yumiella Dolkness. Now that I’ve told you this, I’m sure you can understand why it’s possible to leave everything to her alone.”
I see! I completely understand why you’ve orchestrated a situation in which a civilian woman has to lose to an army, without giving her command of any of your own forces. That Yumiella Dolkness is as strong as an entire army on her own after all! Wow, the satisfaction of knowing the core of the plan...is not actually what I’m feeling!
Wait, but isn’t Patrick’s older brother named Gilbert...? Oh. It’s this Gilbert.
I was completely over what a piece of junk my brain was sometimes. I was sure I had solidly programmed my thoughts to assume that anyone named Gilbert within Valschein was Patrick’s brother...
Oh, right. I suppose we did meet outside of Valschein. Still, what a joke. Even AI would be more flexible with its filters.
Wait. Does that mean that the crazy fiancée he was talking about is me? Does that mean his brother with horrible taste in women is Patrick? Does that mean that Gilbert is my future brother-in-law?
My mind was in complete chaos after this shocking revelation that absolutely no one could have seen coming. I froze up for a few moments, my mind running through various thoughts and assessing the situation.
Wait... I was thinking this is the worst possible situation, but maybe it’s actually good.
One of my concerns about the wedding and part of the reason I had run away from home was the fact that Patrick’s brother had refused to meet me. This problem was now solved, and we had even had several successful conversations. There was also the issue of Patrick’s brother hating me. This, too, had been solved, because Gilbert seemed to think well of me. Lastly, there was the fact that he didn’t want to attend our wedding. There was an easy solution to this too—all I had to do was run towards the Lemlaestan army and put on a performance that ended with me going, “Oh noes, I have been defeated!”
Hey, I’ve totally solved all of my problems without realizing it.
After I’d been frozen for a while, Gilbert ran out of patience and shook me by my shoulders.
“Are you all right? Did her name bring up some traumatic memories? I don’t blame you if it did.”
My eyes came back into focus, and I looked him square in the face. “I have a question for you, Gilbert. What do you think of me?”
“I can’t really answer that without knowing the intent of your question...”
“I apologize. If I said I wanted to be your younger brother’s fiancée, how would that make you feel?”
“You? Compared to Yumiella, it’s like night and day. I’d want to root for you...”
All right, I got this! If I reveal my identity here, Gilbert will surely say “What?! You were Yumiella all along?! I would love for you to marry Patrick! I’ll bless your engagement right now.”
This fortunate conclusion was all thanks to the fact that I had run away from home and said I was going to the moon. Several wonderful coincidences had followed my descent from outside the atmosphere, and now things were going to have a happy ending.
“Eleanora isn’t really my name,” I told Gilbert.
“I know that.”
“My real name is Yumiella. I’m Yumiella Dolkness, future brother.”
It appeared to be Gilbert’s turn to freeze up. “You’re Yumiella...?”
“Yes. Let me show you a dark magic spell.”
In order to prove I was Yumiella, I cast the spell Dark Bind, which made black arms extend up from my shadow.
He should believe me now. I don’t think just my black hair was enough to convince him, but the fact that I can use dark magic surely makes it clear that it’s me.
“That magic and your black hair...” Gilbert mumbled, his hand clapped over his mouth in shock. “I knew that Eleanora was a fake name, but... I see, so that’s why Linus told me to tell you the plan.”
Looking back on it now, Linus had probably thought that each of us had known who the other was. He probably never expected that we had thought of each other as strangers.
It seemed that Gilbert accepted that I was Yumiella. He turned to look me in the eye.
“I see, so you’re Yumiella Dolkness.” At that, his eyes dulled in anger. Life returned to his face, and his frozen lack of expression was swiftly replaced with a look of fury.
Wait...what?
“So you’re Yumiella!” he roared. “How dare you trick me! I’ll never approve of your marriage to Patrick!”
“What?!” I was flabbergasted by his response. “You just said I was worthy of being Patrick’s fiancée! You’re being mean, future brother.”
“Don’t ever refer to me as your brother! I’ve thought you were strange from the beginning. Who just shows up by crashing through someone’s roof?! Like hell I’m going to let someone as ridiculous as you be a part of my family!”
“Please wait!” I cried. “When I explained my situation to you, you said that my fiancé’s brother was horrible for disliking me without even meeting me! I was talking about you, brother!”
“Stop calling me brother! Everything about you was strange! What was with your descriptions of the preserved foods?! Those were beyond eccentric! Now I understand why you have an abnormal amount of stamina! I bet the animals in the forest were all terrified of you!”
I was betrayed. I never would have imagined that he would turn on me so utterly. We both leaned forwards as our close-contact argument continued.
“I see, so the moment you find out that I’m Yumiella, you completely change your tune!” I snapped. “Maybe you’re just a bad judge of character. No wonder you passed judgment on someone just based on hearsay without ever meeting them!”
“I can tell how ridiculous you are just from other people’s reports!” Gilbert fumed. “You’re the one who said Patrick’s taste in women was horrible!”
“Patrick has amazing taste!”
“That’s right! My brother is perfect in everything aside from his choice of partner!”
I hate Gilbert. I guess even though I was on my best behavior, this is how he thinks of me. It’s probably impossible for us to talk this through, get on good terms, and have him approve of my marriage to Patrick. I guess I’ll just have to carry out his stupid plan.
“You said that you’ll approve of our betrothal if I can lose this battle properly, right?”
“Yeah, I sure did! Go on! Go and lose the battle!” he exclaimed, going tit for tat.
We were going to skip all the preparations and execute the plan. Gilbert and I were so close to each other and so angry that we could end up in a tussle at any moment. We each sucked our teeth at the other before each taking a step back.
“I’ll be going, then!” I huffed, glaring at Gilbert.
“Go on already,” he grumbled.
My eyes never leaving his, I took another backwards step, let myself fall off the edge of the cliff, and headed towards the Lemlaestan camp, still seething with rage.
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