Chapter 27
While the banquet preparations were in full swing.
I arrived in the Northern Region to more accurately measure the combat power of the Barbarians.
“Arveda, absolutely do not step forward.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
First the Demonic Beasts, now the Barbarians.
In the current situation, it is difficult for the Northern Region to safely block both of them.
Naturally, blood would inevitably be shed.
And that bloodshed would be at a level the Empire couldn’t immediately cover.
“If that happens, the wound will eventually tear open, and the Northern Front will collapse.”
So, if I could converse with the Barbarians, I was willing to do so proactively.
The reason the Barbarians were trying to cross the Northern Front was for survival.
What if the Empire guaranteed that survival in the first place? What if we just accepted them as Northerners?
What if we filled the void in the Northern Front with the Barbarians?
“There wouldn”t be a better move than this.'
And if there happened to be an incredibly strong opponent.
I also had the desire to truly draw out my full power this time.
It felt like riding a magnificent warhorse but only letting it walk at a leisurely pace.
I wanted to pull out the maximum output and test my limits for once.
I was continuously walking beyond the Northern Front with those thoughts.
“Stop.”
I was at a point where I couldn’t even guess how far I had traveled.
As soon as I arrived at a forest with a somewhat habitable environment for humans.
A voice telling me to stop pierced my ears immediately.
“Since you’re Barbarians, I thought we wouldn’t even be able to converse… but you speak a language we can understand.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
I raised my head and saw a boy pulling a bowstring taut.
“Is there a chance the Northern Great Warrior has a younger-man concept? Since his keyword is growth, it”s highly likely he’s young.'
But the problem was that since he hadn’t made contact with Mirne yet, I couldn’t specify who was who just by looking.
The only thing I could base my suspicions on was appearance, one of the core elements of a Romance Fantasy.
As I saw his rather plain looks, it didn’t seem like he was destined to be a Male Lead.
“Leave here at once! This is the land of our Aguil Tribe!”
“Officially, the uncharted territories of the Northern Region also belong to the Empire.”
“I don’t know about that! Leave! There will be no more talking! If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll shoot!”
Listening to the boy’s words, I fell into thought for a moment.
“Is there only one Tribe, or are there several?”
If there are several, does he become a Great Warrior because he unifies many Tribes into one?
That seemed likely.
A Great Warrior usually had to achieve a monumental feat that anyone would acknowledge.
If he achieved the result of unifying Tribes that had been living separately, he wouldn’t lack the qualifications to be called a Great Warrior.
“Then what if I turn all those various Tribes into Northern Imperial Citizens? Does the Northern Great Warrior become the Grand Duke of the North?”
The Male Lead of Jupeobae is replaced by another form unless a sufficient Death Narrative is built up.
I didn’t know how many there were, but what was certain was that the absolute number was generally maintained.
In that case, with the number fixed, was it possible to change its settings?
“Actually, this is a part I”ve already confirmed.'
In the case of the Grand Duke of the East, his keywords changed when his body became unable to use mana ever again.
He wasn’t even the Grand Duke of the East anymore. He was more like the Former Grand Duke of the East.
In that sense, just leaving the Northern Great Warrior as a Great Warrior was a massive loss.
“What those guys will ultimately do is invade the Northern Region.”
Rather than that, it was better to provide them with a place to live and tell them to defend the Northern Front.
If they were going to fight to survive anyway, wouldn’t Demonic Beasts be better opponents than their own kind?
My thoughts ended exactly there.
“Does the Aguil Tribe live near here?”
“I told you to leave! I’m really going to shoot now!”
“You do live nearby.”
The moment his hand slipped from the bowstring, I kicked off the Ground.
I didn’t want to waste any more time dealing with a kid.
I simply spread my Aura Sense and moved my body toward the place where I felt the most Human presence.
“At least you live with some sort of minimal fence.”
I chuckled when I saw the fence that came into view after I thought I had moved a fair distance.
It was a bit much to call it a wall; the word 'fence' truly suited it perfectly.
Still, they seemed to have some sort of system, as there were people acting like guards nearby.
“Who goes there!”
“Wh-what the!”
“Oh, you can detect me? There are quite a few useful warriors here.”
“A p-person?!”
“He flew! A person flew!”
“Invasion! It’s an invasion!”
Judging that there was no need to converse, I lightly leaped over them.
Both the fence and the people.
I ignored them all.
My goal was a conversation with the High Command.
I wanted to quickly communicate with someone in a position to decide the Tribe’s fate.
“Why should I bother telling the guards who I am and who I want to talk to…?”
Finding the High Command was even easy.
This was the most lavishly built place.
It was obvious the Chieftain would be there.
And indeed.
'It’s over there.'
Among the numerous houses reminiscent of Mongolian tents, or yurts.
One particularly extravagant tent caught my eye.
As soon as I landed in front of it.
“For such a Noble personage to visit such a humble place… I am truly in awe.”
A voice greeting me flowed out from inside, as if it had been waiting.
“I know it’s an intrusion, but given the matter at hand… I hope you can forgive my rudeness.”
“Haha, how could I not forgive you? O Sun of the Empire.”
The tent flap opened, and an old man stepped out.
His eyes were clouded white and blind, yet his gaze was clearly fixed on me.
“Please, come in.”
“Are you the Chieftain of the Aguil Tribe?”
“I am but a humble man, though I bear the burden of guiding my people.”
Perhaps because he was indeed the Chieftain, the conversation went quickly.
I went inside following the Chieftain’s guidance.
After some time had passed, it happened belatedly.
“Chieftain!”
“An irreverent intruder has breached our Tribe…!”
The warriors of the Aguil Tribe rushed in.
“It is fine. It is fine, so all of you go back to your business.”
“…B-but still.”
“If he intended to harm us, he is someone who could have already erased everyone here and then some. Go.”
“…”
The Chieftain skillfully soothed and sent the warriors away with his seasoned tone.
“You have deep trust.”
“The warriors are simply kind enough to follow this inadequate old man.”
A brief silence.
Figuring there was no need for a preamble, I immediately brought up the main point.
“Abandon your home and become Northerners. Enjoy a peaceful life under the Shadow of the Empire.”
“I am aware that you have recently carved out a large chunk of flesh. You must need to recover from that loss.”
“How do you know that?”
“It is but a meager talent.”
Hah.
As soon as I heard that answer, I briefly considered slaughtering all the Barbarians.
I knew the distance between the Aguil Tribe and the Northern Front was quite far.
And yet, he knew what happened over there.
“If every Tribe has one unique ability like this, and all of them turn against the Empire…”
Would it be right to weed them out before the sprouts grew any further?
But that thought was only for a moment.
“We will abandon our home, so please, appease your anger.”
The Chieftain added urgently, as if he had seen through my thoughts.
“I understand you’ve lived here for a long time.”
“I simply know that we must abandon it in order to live even longer.”
“I’d like there to be something that could easily persuade the other Tribes to use this as an opportunity.”
“Hunting a Great Demonic Beast would be the fastest way. In truth, if we just had that, we would be ready to leave immediately.”
“A Great Demonic Beast?”
It was an ominous-sounding name just from hearing it.
“They say it has recently become active. A Great Demonic Beast is… on a completely different level from the regular Demonic Beasts active in the Northern Region.”
So it meant it was a boss Monster roaming the Northern Region.
“The one who hunts them becomes a Great Warrior acknowledged by any Tribe.”
Great Demonic Beast, Great Warrior.
Only now did I understand the setting of the “Northern Great Warrior”.
“In addition to that, the Great Demonic Beasts themselves are also used as incredibly precious materials.”
As soon as I heard the additional details about the Great Demonic Beast, the future that would unfold was drawn immediately in my mind.
The grown Northern Great Warrior Male Lead hunts a Great Demonic Beast and obtains a good weapon.
This was the kind of future where he invades the Northern Front in that state.
“The Northern Great Warrior will appear anyway, unless the system says the appearance has changed.”
In that case, it wouldn’t be bad to reduce the number of Great Demonic Beasts and remove a few of his opportunities in advance.
My calculations ended quickly.
'There’s still roughly some time left until the banquet, so should I hunt as many as I can?'
Hunt the Great Demonic Beasts, and use that as proof to incorporate all the Northern Tribes as Northerners.
And while I’m at it, test the limits of my power while hunting the Great Demonic Beasts.
I moved with these two objectives in mind.
“That took longer than expected. Arveda, can we go straight to the Empire?”
“I do have Fairy Dust prepared in advance, but it will take a little time.”
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
By the time I came to my senses, it was the day of the banquet.
“Well, I did tell Bedin to prepare for any unforeseen situations just in case something like this happened.”
The banquet would proceed smoothly without any obstacles.
It would just be a matter of my being a little late.
It was actually better this way.
“The later I arrive, the more I”ll firmly grab everyone’s attention.'
After all, the Protagonist was always meant to appear late.
+++++
The Grand Banquet Hall.
The Crown Prince arrived late.
And then, a line even more shocking than his late arrival.
“I have no idea what he”s thinking.'
As soon as she heard those words, Mirne fell into confusion.
A Marriage Proposal? Did he just make a Marriage Proposal after calling the esteemed guests of various nations to the Grand Banquet Hall?
The Crown Prince of the Empire to the Crown Princess of a Minor Kingdom?
“Why? Is there a reason for this? Did I conquer him? When did he become aware of me? When I attached the Spirit to him?”
At the same time, she continuously struggled to analyze what the current situation was.
What on earth was the benefit the Empire could gain through a Marriage Proposal to her?
“Is there one? Does it even exist?”
Recently, the Bellos Empire cut off all the support it had been pouring into the Maselin Kingdom.
Not only did it cut off support, but it also treated all existing trades as if they never happened.
In terms of diplomatic relations, the Empire was unilaterally erasing the relationship it had formed with the Maselin Kingdom.
Because of that, Mirne thought the Empire was viewing Maselin as neutral or hostile.
But a Marriage Proposal here?
“How should I react?”
If she rejected it right away, the Empire could use that as an excuse to pressure the Maselin Kingdom.
It was more than enough. You can always find fault if you look for it, and reasons can be generated endlessly if you want to make them.
“But positively accepting the Marriage Proposal itself is also strange.”
The core of <I’m Full Because Everyone Around Me Keeps Giving> was that she would only get together with the Male Lead at the very, very end.
So until then, maintaining a subtle flirtation with everyone was the key.
But forming a Marriage Proposal with the Crown Prince right now?
It made no sense.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
Of course, entering under the Shadow of the Empire wasn’t a bad option from the Maselin Kingdom’s perspective.
However,
“The Crown Prince isn”t a Conquest Target. If I get together with someone who isn’t a Conquest Target… what happens? No, can this even be called getting together in the first place? The coercion is too strong.'
The Kingdom’s stance and Mirne’s stance were different.
From Mirne’s perspective, it was safer to follow the exact tone of the Original Novel.
It was a problem if she affirmed, and a problem if she denied.
In a situation where she couldn’t do either, Mirne stared at the Crown Prince’s face.
Shiver.
“What kind of Human eyes are those…”
She met eyes that held absolutely no emotion toward her.
And at the same time, she could tell.
The Marriage Proposal wasn’t his true goal. From the start, he didn’t care whether she accepted it or not.
A storm raged at that joke-like gesture, and she was less than a candle before that storm.
“This is… the changed Crown Prince…?”
There was the fear that the story was unfolding differently from what she knew.
There was the apathetic gaze looking at her as if she were worthless for the first time in her life.
These two things mixed together and pressured Mirne’s mind.
“Hic, h-heeeek…”
Unable to endure it, Mirne lost the strength to stand and collapsed right there.
No, to be exact, she was about to collapse.
“I believe it’s proper to answer before collapsing. Does the Maselin Kingdom conduct its socializing in this manner?”
Grip.
Some kind of force grabbed Mirne as she was falling.
“Keuk, k-heuk…”
The pressure of a force she had never experienced before was palpable.
The moment Mirne let out a groan mixed with pain this occurred.
“Crown Prince!”
In the banquet hall,
“How can you treat a person like this!”
Without permission,
“Let her go at once!”
Someone began to roughly exude his or her Aura.
And at that moment, Mirne could see the Crown Prince’s expression.
“…!”
The eyes were of a beast of prey that had found its hunt.
The Crown Prince opened his mouth while looking at the one who dared to draw up mana in the Empire’s banquet hall.
“Found you.”
It was the moment a thick smile hung on the Crown Prince’s lips.