Volume 1 Chapter 18: Hah, That Was Too Easy

“How’s the battle?”

“Everything is proceeding without a hitch.”

When I ask, Ashvin smiles brightly and replies those words. In reality, the war is steadily worsening, but it doesn’t seem like she’s lying to cover it up.

“You really trust no one, master.”

The only person in this world I can trust is myself. However, there’s no reason for Ashvin to lie… unless, of course, she happens to be one of Marcel’s spies—making me all cocky by saying the situation is favorable and then…

Eek…

Still, Ashvin would never side with Marcel. After all, she’s been treated terribly by him. Didn’t he kill her little brother? That’s just too much…

“As I mentioned the other day, this is a battle in which defeat is absolutely out of the question. In terms of manpower, training, and morale… in every respect, Balor-sama’s troops are superior. In time, we will crush them.”

Ashvin explains smoothly. Surely, there’s no way I can lose. After all, I am the one always guaranteed victory. But in this war, there is something more important than winning or losing.

“But the problem is time.”
“Yes. If we take too long, the central authority will start to interfere.”

Yes—time. Fortunately, the forces that have risen against Marcel aren’t very large. Because of that, for now the issue is confined solely to the Apophis territory, and no information has reached the central authority. If we can suppress it as planned, there will be no problem. But if this information spreads to the center? Then the central authority will definitely act. After all, since it forms the basis for paying crucial taxes, they wouldn’t want things to fall apart. And even if they do act, they won’t turn against me.

This war shows no legitimacy for Marcel, no matter how you look at it. I am the one loved by the subjects, and I have undoubtedly ruled wisely. I wouldn’t like it if the taxes I collect were reduced. Besides, the central authority has never been one for change. Changing the lord is an enormous affair, so they’re reluctant to do so. When you think of it that way, it might not be such a bad thing after all.

“(But that’s the case.)”

The central authority is a den of treacherous bastards. They’ll use Marcel’s uprising to tarnish my reputation as a lord incapable of properly governing my territory. I can’t stand being looked down upon by others—it makes me want to just die—and there’s more. Once the central authority comes to despise you, they start imposing all sorts of inconveniences. For instance, if the tax burden on the lord increases slightly, or if a situation arises that demands troop deployment, they might require more soldiers from you than from anyone else… It might seem like a small act of cruelty, but if it continues, it becomes horrendously troublesome.

That’s why I must finish this battle as quickly as possible and dispose of Marcel…

“I love this Apophis territory. The subjects are more important than anything. If they can live happily even without me, I would gladly step down as lord.”

For now, I’ll put on a good lord act. Besides, there is no lord better than me—so it’s a waste of time to even consider it—but even if there were, I would never hand over the Apophis territory.

Where is there any idiot who would give up a territory that supports me?

“But if, by any chance, a scoundrel becomes lord, it would be unbearable. I simply cannot allow that.”
(And it’s all for the sake of the subjects, not for myself.)

“Therefore, I will finish this battle before the central authority intervenes.”
“Hah!”

Ashvin’s eyes well up with emotion.
Hah, too easy.

With my acting and my handsome looks, this is child’s play.
However, the fact remains that we cannot afford to waste too much time.

Now, think of what to do, Ashvin. I don’t know.
After a moment of hesitation, Ashvin looks up.

“Then, let’s crush their main force.”
“The main force… Marcel’s bodyguards?”

Marcel’s guy—he’s surrounded by a bunch of unsavory types, and that’s downright frightening.
These are the sort of people that a decent person like me should never get involved with.

They look dangerous, so they must be dangerous on the inside too.
If we can defeat such fearsome bodyguards, Marcel will surely give up.

“No, they’re nothing but riffraff. I can crush them anytime.”

Eek.
You, for a maid, are way too violent, aren’t you?

I mean, those strong-looking guys—there’s nothing that a delicate body like yours, Ashvin, can do about them.
Isn’t this about to turn into an 18+ humiliation scene?
I’m not interested, so I won’t watch.

“Right now, anyone in the Apophis territory who sides with Marcel and draws a sword against Balor-sama is either a fool or utterly clueless. And…”
Ashvin’s eyes turn chillingly cold…

“They are mercenaries.”
I nearly let that slip.

◆

“At last… at last, the time has come for me to stand at the pinnacle!”

Wearing a look of jubilant glee is Marcel.
Naturally, his face—once battered by Balor—has recovered, and he now sports his original handsome features.
However, the fact remains that he was once knocked around by Balor.
That incident, witnessed by the subjects, is something Marcel cannot forgive.
He is convinced that the subjects shun him solely because of that event, and this uprising is his way of venting that pent-up resentment.

“But, it seems we are being pressed at the moment…”

A man grins slyly as he addresses Marcel.
Normally, if someone said such inconvenient things to him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were massacred—especially since the man is confident he won’t be killed.
In fact, Marcel contorts his face in discomfort but does not lash out in anger.

“Who in their right mind would face that fool head-on? After all, they’re merely sacrificial pawns. The real target is you—the ‘foreigners’.”
Of course, Marcel always has to retort.
He wouldn’t just let it slide.

“Foreigners.”
The man who said that had noticeably tanned skin.
He, like Ashvin, is one of those despised foreigners.

“Marcel-sama, could you refrain from the derision in your words? We take pride in being foreigners.”
“Ah, uh, sure…”

However, these foreigners are not the weak kind seen in the kingdom; they are a group with formidable power.
Even Marcel breaks into a cold sweat at those icy words.
Unlike the typical foreigners, they do not disdain their own kind—they take pride in it.

“In any case, there’s no need to deal with Balor head-on. If I can kill Balor—the main force—in one fell swoop, then this Apophis territory will be mine.”

Marcel is scheming to directly assassinate Balor by employing his foreign assassin unit.
A head-on military confrontation would be futile.
Even disregarding Marcel’s lack of popular support, the revolutionaries hardly ever win in a direct clash.
For them to succeed, guerrilla warfare—and assassination—is the only way.

“Then, you’ll at least throw some light our way, won’t you?”
“Of course. This is a deal—mutually beneficial.”
“Alright then.”

The grinning foreign man vanishes.
He isn’t the only one.
Several foreign men and women instantly disappear, off to assassinate Balor as per Marcel’s orders.
They are foreigners despised in the kingdom.
Because of that, they band together, hone their skills, and have survived this far.
Their mission success rate is an astonishing 100 percent.
They are a fearsome organization that has succeeded in this kingdom precisely because they always accomplish their missions.

Marcel wears a look of manic glee.

“Now, Balor, wash your neck and wait. Hahahahaha!”
Incidentally, later he freezes in shock.