96 – Middleland-11

I was complacent. I didn’t think that there would be people who noticed right away when I revealed my real name.

But there were also unfair parts.

As William had been, local lords far from the capital were slow to gossip.

Not many people heard that the princess was not a hero.

Fewer people would have heard that a man named Leodrin Enerel was a true warrior, and fewer would have heard that the princess was following him.

I thought there was no need to cover my face or hide my name.

At least Eleanor, who traveled around the provinces to wipe out monsters or maintain public order, and Celia, who often met nobles for volunteer work or treatment, were somewhat known, but they did not need to hide when passing through the village.

It wasn’t even meeting nobles or merchants, it was just meeting mercenaries. I never thought I’d be caught in a place like this.

“Sir, excuse me!”

Seeing Leone bow her head right at Eleanor, she was certain that everything had been uncovered.

“stop.”

Eleanor raised her hand to restrain her.

“Will you pass on some of the people around you?”

Rumors must be stopped from spreading. The fewer people who know the truth, the better.

Even after sending everyone around, Leone couldn’t breathe.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve been close with Seryl of the Leodrin family since I was little. I had a chance to contact her recently.”

“The Leodrin family… no way.”

“They complained that someone they hadn’t even heard of had become their older brother.”

No matter how dark the local aristocrats were about the situation in the capital, they couldn’t be unaware of the appearance and disappearance of members of the family.

“I hope you keep this a secret. If the fact that Eleanor is here is exposed, you risk raising the Weather family’s vigilance.”

“But the fact that Her Highness is here… is the imperial family’s will to prevent a war?”

“No. I asked because I was afraid of being misunderstood. The reason she came here is because of my personal circumstances.”

Leone lowered her head and pondered. After some time, she looked at Eleanor and apologized.

“Personally, I respect Her Highness Princess Eleanor, a knight among knights. Although my skills may not be enough, I once dreamed of joining the Platinum Knights.”

“…I would consider it an honor.”

“But this is not possible. The Weather family has a friend of mine. For her sake, I must win this fight and reclaim the Weather family territory.”

It was much more difficult than I thought. This problem is more difficult to deal with if it is not just money and contracts, but personal relationships.

“If it’s a friend…”

“Weather Aaron. I’ve been with him since I was a child. He’s not from a good background, so even though he’s inherited Weather’s blood, he’s out of the line of succession.”

“It’s a matter of life.”

“If this side has enough victories, the Weather family will be able to win even without fierce battles.”

It was not wrong. But I didn’t think William was the kind of person who would back down so easily.

“Right now, the power difference isn’t that overwhelming… but, it’s not just people who die in battle.”

“what do you mean?”

“The tyranny of the House of Weather is getting worse. It wasn’t to this extent in the past… They are imposing taxes on ridiculous places, and they are summarily executing those who resist.”

Eleanor bit her lip.

“Has it already started…”

Her fists were shaking. Even though I knew I could win if I fought Eleanor right now, my body instinctively tensed.

“Weather was an aristocratic faction, but tried to follow His Majesty’s control. But, it seems that that has ended.”

“Why? Aristocrats? I think I’ve heard that the Weather family has always had an advantage in family fights.”

“It’s because the difference in power was so great. When the gold coins, rights, and arms were all in the Emperor’s Majesty, in order to maintain that power, we had to respect His Majesty’s orders.”

It is common for someone who is away from central authority to adopt a friendly, at least not hostile, attitude towards both sides. The Weather family seems to have been one of them.

“His Majesty put the lives of his subjects above all else, and gave many instructions to his loyal nobles. He forbade the care of orphans, prevented wrongful arrests, and levied miscellaneous taxes.”

“And now I don’t need to keep it…”

The Weather family will feel freed from heavy shackles. The Yeongji people who were suppressed by the invasion of the demon king army will not be able to adapt to the evil habits that are reviving and will resist.

“I know Aaron. I will eventually join the aristocratic faction, but I will not rule the citizens as oppressively as I do now without His Majesty’s sanction. I cannot give up even for that.”

“If the nobles could do it themselves, His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t have to issue an order.”

Eleanor sighed deeply and turned to look at me.

“However, the moment I followed Enerel, I vowed to forget all my affairs. I will not put my personal views into this. What will you do, Enerel?”

I only vaguely understood it after thinking about it over and over again.

It’s not that I couldn’t understand the meaning of the words, but the reality that she said this to me was difficult to understand.

“Are you really Eleanor? No, I thought you would do anything?”

“His Majesty’s authority is limited, and it was I who dropped it to the ground. There is no excuse.”

She could have blamed me, but Eleanor was blaming herself with her head bowed and her fists clenched.

“If we contact His Majesty the Emperor, we can somehow solve this, but He will know better where His Majesty’s remaining power will be needed most.”

“Yes. Wait a minute…”

If possible, I wanted to make the nearby villages safer before entering. Everyone who talked about the middle ground said ‘it’s unpredictable’.

But it takes too long. If I could predict how long it would take, I would be able to endure it, but I don’t even have a clue where to start solving this.

What if I gave up altogether? If you don’t want anything, hide yourself with Farseer’s magic as if you were avoiding the demon king’s army and go inside.

It was the fastest way, except for the fact that we didn’t know how long the search would take, and that we couldn’t deal with the unexpected situation inside.

Or, what if they subdued all the mercenaries or revealed Eleanor’s identity and forcibly forced reconciliation?

It didn’t sound like a good choice. Eventually I had to enter the middle ground, and there was no way to control House Aldgild and House Weather while I was gone.

Besides, if I start a fight, I will inevitably engage the Weather family. Accepting William’s offer was based on the premise that the Aldguild family’s manor troops were not strong enough to attack the Weather family.

If the balance of power is disrupted, the Weather family could be invaded. William seems to be a decently trustworthy man, but he doesn’t seem to disobey when another Aldgild nobleman orders him to.

“under…”

At the extreme, I could have attacked Aldguild with the Weather family.

If I hide Eleanor tightly, cover my face appropriately, show my strength, and stimulate the Weather family’s will to attack by saying that I will leave soon.

There was no need to shed much blood. In a situation where the balance of power is already tilted, if the powerful power of my party is added, I will be able to lose my fighting spirit without really fighting.

There would be no mercenaries to fight alongside them, and it was clear that I would not have the money to hire them now that I had already brought a lot of William’s gold coins.

If a cow has to be sacrificed for the sake of a generation, then the sacrifice of a soldier and the sacrifice of a noble with noble blood cannot have different values.

However, even this is disappointing.

I hate the fact that I have to attack villages and innocent soldiers with a band of mercenaries.

little bit more. It seems that if I come up with a little more method, I can get rid of the victims altogether, but I hate compromising on clumsy parts.

The days when even such troubles were extravagant still linger in front of my eyes. I remember the time when I begged Farseer and yelled at Eleanor to try harder.

As much as the women’s cold gaze and indifference, perhaps more, those memories haunted me.

It looks like it will be now. I have power, I have money, and there is a party of warriors who move according to my will. There is social status, and there is plenty of time.

Even though I know that there are much quicker and less risky means to achieve the goal of return, the things I haven’t been able to do are tempting me.

“Leone. Other than that person named Weather Aaron, isn’t there anything else related to the Weather family?”

“For now, yes. The contract will be made through Aaron…”

Too much useless information. Her friendship was more important than trust with the nobility and her relationship with the family. What I told Eleanor was the most important truth.

“If we make him the head of household, would you be willing to cooperate?”