The Ugly Orc Strikes Back ~ Reincarnated as the Cruel Crown Prince of a Twisted Doujin Eroge with No Happy Endings, But as an Inexperienced Guy, Cruel Play is a Hopeless Challenge, So I'll Give My Best to Break the Flags and Strive for Survival ~ - Chapter 50: Off to the Kingdom of Borgonia

Chapter 50: Off to the Kingdom of Borgonia

“No way!!”

Two weeks later, the news reached us that the Saint had been afflicted by the same unexplained illness.

“S-So, what does Batista’s letter say?”

“Uh, well…”

Under Ophelia’s prodding, I once again read through the letter. 

It mentioned that no effective treatment had been found for the unknown illness, and the number of patients was increasing by the day. 

The Saint, bedridden, suffered from high fever daily, and her life was in danger if the situation persisted.

“…And from Batista, he asks if we could request support from the Waldberg Empire and the United Kingdom of Brinth.”

“I see…”

It’s bothersome that the Gabelot Maritime Kingdom isn’t included in the request, but now is not the time to be saying such things. 

If that Saint is going through such a plight, what good are we if we don’t help her?

“Louie-sama, what will you do?”

“Well… Batista seems to have been in a hurry too, as the specifics of the support he wants aren’t mentioned. If we act recklessly without knowing, it might end up being in vain.”

“True…”

We pondered with our arms crossed. 

But… if that’s the case, then the first thing we should do is…

“Alright! Let’s go to the Kingdom of Borgonia and see for ourselves!”

“What!? Y-You can’t! If it’s just for confirmation, I alone should suffice! If something were to happen to you, Louie-sama…!”

As I spoke, Ilse was the first to voice her opposition. 

However, there’s no way I could allow myself to sacrifice her like that.

“No, even if I’m going to make a request to His Imperial Majesty, I won’t be able to explain things properly unless I confirm it myself. And… I don’t want to put you in harm’s way alone either.”

“… I, I…!?”

“Ilse, I’ve told you many times, right? How important you are to me.”

“Y-Yes…”

“So, you understand, right?”

With my hand resting on her smooth, soft cheek and looking into her azure eyes, I reasoned with her. Ilse didn’t entirely agree, but she nodded silently.

With that settled,

“Muu…”

Why is Gill-senpai puffing up his cheeks like that?

“Well then, Ilse, would it be okay to ask you to handle the procedure for using the gate?”

“Leave it to me. I’ll arrange it right away.”

“Yeah, thanks. Next, Ophelia and Clarice-san, could you take care of the arrangements for a stopover in the United Kingdom of Brinth on our way to the Kingdom of Borgonia?”

“Of course.”

“We’ll take care of the necessary arrangements.”

The Waldberg Empire and the Kingdom of Borgonia hadn’t established diplomatic relations. As a result, there was no direct gate connection between the two countries, and we had to pass through another country with diplomatic ties to both to reach our destination.

Sigh… At times like this, the troublesome Waldberg Empire, disliked as it may be, is not quite as bothersome as the Gabelot Maritime Kingdom. 

If I were to become Emperor, I must definitely work on restoring diplomatic ties with many of the Western countries.

“By the way, naturally, we’ll all be going to the Kingdom of Borgonia.”

“Ahaha, Ophelia, you’ll come even if I refuse, won’t you?”

“Fufu… You know me well!”

With the corners of our mouths lifting, Ophelia and I bumped our fists together.

“M-Me too! I’m coming too!”

“Gill-senpai too!?”

This was unexpected. 

Or rather, Gill-senpai and the Saint have never been on good terms, and there’s no real connection or obligation for him to go to the Kingdom of Borgonia.

In fact, there’s a possibility that he might face unfavorable circumstances, considering the severed diplomatic relations.

“Are you really sure about this…?”

“Of course! You, um… it’s just that… as your senior, I need to protect you, especially when my important junior is risking danger.”

Well… I appreciate the sentiment, but it kind of feels like I’m the one supposed to be doing the protecting, even though I don’t really have the capability to do so.

“All right. Once everything’s ready, let’s head to the Kingdom of Borgonia with this group of five.”

“”Yes!””

So, each of us starts preparing… though I must admit, I’ve only thought about getting a change of clothes ready.

In the first place, our main goal is to confirm the situation in the Kingdom of Borgonia and then provide counsel to Emperor Otto based on that.

But there’s one thing.

“Did ‘The Ugly Orc Strikes Back’ have such a scenario or setting…?”

As far as my memory serves me, there shouldn’t have been an appearance of an unexplained illness. What did exist were various defeat scenarios in combat, like the “Assassination End,” “Rebellion End,” “Suicide End,” “Poisoning End,” and so on… Yeah, there were definitely way too many bad endings.

But one thing is certain: there were no deaths due to illness.

“…Could it be that the game and its scenario are changing…?”

Because I’ve been taking different paths from the original Ludwig to avoid bad endings, there’s a possibility that the scenario has been altered. 

If that’s the case, it’s a proof that I can avoid my bad ending, but it’s not something I can be happy about… considering that it’s causing the suffering of that saint.

“In any case, with the knowledge from my past life fully engaged, I will definitely save that Sly Saint.”

She’s still unpredictable, causing me trouble at every turn, and her relationship with Ilse is getting more strained by the day, so there’s no shortage of worries… Yet, yes. Despite all that, she’s become an important ally to me.

That’s why…

“Just wait, Natalia-san…”

Murmuring so, I clenched my fist with determination.