In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 297

Chapter 297: The Kukkoro Male Knight and Pushing It Onto Each Other

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I didn’t want to let those elves into my territory either. After all, they were such violent, damn barbarians that even the lawless thugs of the royal capital would look like babbling babies in comparison. No matter how you thought about it, they would cause trouble on a level that was no joke, and it wouldn’t sit well with the people of my domain either.

And yet, the reason I was trying to invite not only the “Legitimate” faction but also the “New” faction into Liseben was simple: to counter the Vanka faction. Lady Vanka regarded the “Legitimate” group as her primary enemy. If we were going to accept them into Liseben, then we would inevitably have to fight the Vanka faction as well.

However, Lady Vanka was quite a formidable opponent. Even if we wouldn’t lose with just us and the “Legitimate,” we would definitely be forced into a tough battle. I hated drawn-out, messy fights, so I wanted to gather as many numbers as possible.

“Now that Lady Vanka’s forces have completely turned hostile, maintaining stable supply transport will become difficult. We had planned to operate a regular riverboat route between the cities of Carrera and Runga, but under these circumstances, we have no choice but to freeze that plan.”

“……”

The elders of the “New” faction went pale and looked at one another. Liseben’s food supply was their lifeline. While not as dire as the “Legitimate,” their food reserves were still quite limited.

“Heh.”

Lady Orphan, who had already managed to slip free from this problem ahead of them, smirked to himself. But in truth, the reason I had steered toward actively absorbing the “New” faction was also because of the “Legitimate.” After all, the military strength possessed by the “Legitimate” still exceeded that of the Liseben army. Not only in training, but even in sheer numbers, our army was smaller. If we absorbed them as they were, there was a real risk that the Liseben army would instead be taken over by the “Legitimate.”

That was where the “New” faction came in. By provoking friction between the two factions, I could make them waste resources on undermining each other. As a result, superficial peace would be maintained. It was a dirty method, but without it, I didn’t think I could control the elves.

“To transport supplies to Runga by riverboat, it takes one day downstream and three days upstream. Going is one thing, but returning requires manual towing. There’s no way to escape… If I were Lady Vanka, I would definitely target that.”

“Mm, indeed. I would do the same.”

“Even if we place guards, there’s a limit. Since we’d be fighting while protecting the boats, we wouldn’t always get the initiative. It’d definitely turn into an unpleasant battle.”

The elders nodded frankly. Though elves were barbarians at their core, they were quite rational when it came to warfare. Logical persuasion worked surprisingly well on them.

“So, here’s my proposal. On the plains outside Carrera City… at the southern edge, I am prepared to grant you a portion of land. It’s small, but already developed farmland.”

I deliberately emphasized the word “grant.” In other words, I was telling them to submit to me. Forming an equal alliance was simply not feasible. If I conceded that much, my own people would see me as weak. The people of Liseben had suffered plenty at the hands of elves. They wouldn’t accept them easily. We needed a story: that we had beaten down the unruly barbarians and forced them into submission… even if the reality was different.

Incidentally, I had already presented the exact same terms of submission to the “Legitimate,” and they had agreed. The “Legitimate” were quick to negotiate… though the moment battle began, they turned into berserkers! The “New” elf soldiers were at least somewhat more rational. At the very least, they didn’t commit indiscriminate arson.

“……”

I watched the elders nervously, a cold sweat forming inside. This proposal was something of a gamble. Elves were proud. Asking for submission would surely provoke backlash. At worst, everything could collapse. I had those concerns, but…

“Mm, that’s a good plan. I have no objections.”

“If anything, we ought to bow our heads and ask for it ourselves.”

“Submission sounds a bit stingy, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t mind at all if the young lord here became Emperor of Elfenia.”

…Their reaction was far better than expected. Especially that last one. What was wrong with you? I wanted nothing to do with the position of Emperor of Elfenia. It was nothing but a losing lot.

Still, what was with this reaction? It was so unexpected it made my head hurt. Was I dreaming something convenient after collapsing from exhaustion? There was no way a native faction would submit this easily. As I held my head, Bishop Fiorenza whispered softly, “It’s a testament to your virtue, Albert.” Yeah, right…

“Oh ho, splendid idea! Then let us have Emperor Albert ascend the throne!”

As expected, the one who reacted to that was Dalaiya, the current empress of New Elfenia. Smiling broadly, she pulled out a slice of dried sweet elf potato from inside her poncho.

“…What is that?”

“The imperial seal of New Elfenia.”

The imperial seal!? A royal seal!? Wait, is that… a potato stamp!? Do elves really use potato stamps as royal seals!? That’s way too sloppy…

I instinctively looked at Lady Orphan, who frantically shook her head and pulled something out from her robe. It was a magnificent jade seal with ornate tassels. That, apparently, was the true imperial seal of Legitimate Elfenia. Th-thank goodness. At least this one was proper. It lived up to calling itself Legitimate. I frowned at Dalaiya, who trembled with a self-deprecating smile. Seriously…

“……”

Sonia silently tapped my shoulder. “It’s elves, don’t sweat the details,” she seemed to say. Fair enough. I cleared my throat and refocused.

“Well, um… you see. I’m a hume, and a man at that. I can’t interfere with the elves’ right to self-determination… you know?”

In any case, I absolutely did not want to become Emperor of Elfenia. I firmly refused, but the elves didn’t accept it.

“No, no, being a man is fine. If you take an elf wife, your child will be an elf. If Albert-dono becomes emperor, our legitimacy will remain intact.”

“That’s right. And Albert-dono understands the elven spirit far better than that old hag Dalaiya. We’d love for you to become our leader.”

“I agree, I agree! You’re far more suited to be emperor than I am, Albert-dono!”

Even the current empress joined in trying to force the throne onto me. This was getting ridiculous. …Ah, I see. I finally understood. Among the elders of the “New” faction, not a single one of them actually wanted to be empress anymore. That was why they were trying to dump all the trouble onto an outsider like me!

Damn it, you old hags, don’t mess with me! I absolutely refuse! The position of Emperor of Elfenia is nothing but trouble with zero benefits! I have to keep that title firmly stuck on Dalaiya…

“……”

I quickly shot a pleading glance at Sonia and Bishop Fiorenza, and they gave me wry smiles and nodded. As expected of childhood friends, we understood each other without words. To escape this mess, I pushed my sleep-deprived brain into overdrive. This was heading in the exact opposite direction of what I’d expected, but it looked like this was going to be a tough negotiation…

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