Chapter 69: Contract Part 7

The barbarians. The Speartip of Snow Blossoms.

Despite their wild appearances, no one could tell where they had come from.

The reason they were able to enter the imperial capital in the guise of barbarians wasn’t because they possessed some extraordinary ability.

I strode confidently toward Vidar, who had halted his movements.

“From the northeastern Lokasenna territory of the empire. You were born in civilization and lived as a civilized man. What led you to declare yourself a barbarian?”

“……”

A barbarian? What a joke. Vidar was originally an elite.

Not only was he sharp-witted, but his physical strength was also exceptional, and many had predicted he would one day become a knight.

Yet such a man had suddenly cast aside civilization and joined the ranks of the barbarians.

The even more ridiculous part was that the Speartip of Snow Blossoms had accepted him.

“Hmph… Go ahead, let’s hear what you’ve got to say.”

As I rattled off Vidar’s personal background, he looked down at me with his arms crossed.

Yes, now I had piqued his interest.

Since I had revealed secrets no one else knew, he couldn’t help but be curious about how I knew…even if he wanted to kill me.

“The conflict between the empire and the barbarians has gone on for ages. But isn’t it strange? Despite all their battles, only the barbarians have remained unchanged.”

The empire and the barbarians had fought for a long time.

By now, the barbarians could have stolen and adapted imperial weaponry or advanced technologies, yet they had remained exactly the same from beginning to end.

Surviving while remaining unchanged was impressive in itself, but that consistency was precisely what made them barbarians.

“At first, I’m sure they truly intended to overturn the empire. But the empire has grown far too vast to be taken down. Overthrowing it and freeing their kin? That time passed long ago.”

The beastkin had already assimilated into the empire. Considering how other races like elves and dwarves had been slaughtered, this was quite the surprising outcome.

And the only reason the beastkin were able to assimilate into the empire was because the barbarians existed.

“To be honest, even knowing how it happened, it’s still surprising. You managed to create a clear distinction between beastkin and barbarians through your actions.”

Barbarians could be recognized at a glance.

Even if someone flinched at the sight of a passing beastkin, no one mistook them for barbarians.

That was how clearly the two were distinguished.

For the beastkin, just being flinched at might be unpleasant…

But there was no denying it. The barbarians had made the distinction unmistakably clear.

Moreover, the empire had even used the beastkin who had assimilated into its society as propaganda to keep the barbarians in check, making the distinction between the two groups even more pronounced.

Then what was the goal of these barbarians…no, of those merely pretending to be barbarians who went to such lengths?

“If they cannot defeat the empire, then embracing that prejudice and heading toward destruction…that’s the goal of the Speartip of Snow Blossoms, isn’t it? Dividing beastkin and barbarians, two of the same race, into polar opposites… wasn’t that an attempt to at least save one side?”

Though I spoke as if I were merely speculating, it was all information already revealed in the game.

The final objective of the Speartip of Snow Blossoms was either the emperor’s assassination or their own annihilation.

That was how they intended to bring closure to the festering conflict between the two groups that had lasted for so long.

“So? Are you now a bit more inclined to take a seat at the negotiation table?”

“Hrmm… Hahahahahaha!!”

The Great Warrior Vidar laughed.

It was the same hearty and brutal laugh typical of a barbarian.

But that laughter vanished all too soon, as if it had never been there.

“I won’t ask how you knew. I’ll ask just one thing. Do you have a solution?”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect solution. But I can at least provide the final piece of your plan.”

What the Speartip of Snow Blossoms was doing now was a double-edged sword.

They had once been a group bent solely on revenge against the empire.

But now, their actions had become a method to protect their fellow kin who had managed to settle down and live peacefully within the empire.

A fight for the sake of their people.

And if that meant their own annihilation, so be it.

They were putting their whole selves into drawing a line between themselves and their kin. But it was nothing more than a temporary measure.

No matter how clearly they tried to separate beastkin and barbarians, they were ultimately the same.

Even if the connection between the two grew thinner over time, cutting it off completely was impossible.

However, it could be made so faint it was nearly invisible.

And for that, the Great Warrior desired only one thing.

“I’ll prepare your opponent for you. This Ariel right here.”

A member of his own kin who would take his life before all eyes.

Right. Defeating the leader of the barbarians with a beastkin…that was the best plan the Great Warrior could come up with.

Since he was pretending to be a barbarian, he did not fear death.

In fact, he had built his entire plan on the assumption of his own death.

“This girl is still far from ready. She’s too weak.”

But even with such a plan in place, its feasibility was uncertain.

Because he was simply too powerful.

One might think he could just throw the fight on purpose, but if that were the case, people would start questioning why the empire hadn’t been able to defeat Vidar all this time.

He had to survive against the empire while leading the barbarian horde. And at the same time, he had to be defeated by one of his own kind.

Not just defeated, but in the most spectacular way possible, condemned by a hero in front of the whole world.

The conditions were bone-chilling.

“She may not be ready now. But give me three years, and I can raise her to the point where she’ll be able to take your life.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Lady Ariel is the daughter of Tronius Ether.”

“That’s no guarantee. It’s entirely possible that only Tronius Ether himself was exceptional. In fact, among all the heads of House Ether, none have ever been as strong as the current duke.”

Having cast off his barbarian mask, Vidar now analyzed the situation with cold logic.

He must have conducted a thorough investigation of the empire’s forces, his enemies.

“Then how about this? Ariel is already at the threshold of becoming an archmage.”

“Proof?”

“I was the one who stopped her transcendence. Right now, her body can’t keep up with her talent, so it’s sealed away.”

I added a convincing excuse.

It seemed that unless I completely cured Ariel’s condition, I wouldn’t be able to survive.

“If you think that’s nonsense, you can go back and check the academic reports on the transcendence syndrome treatment.”

“Hmph……”

Vidar’s social status was, surprisingly, that of a scholar. It might seem implausible, but who could possibly connect the image of a scholar to this savage standing before us?

So, even without covering his face, his disguise was flawless.

“Very well. Let’s do it your way. I never intended to kill you in the first place, so I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Liar.

That attack aimed at Ariel just moments ago would’ve killed her instantly if it had landed.

He must’ve planned to insist it was just bad luck if she died and good luck if she survived.

Still, maybe he truly didn’t feel an absolute need to kill us.

The fact that he challenged us to a duel supports that. If he really intended to kill us, he could’ve just ordered the barbarians to rush us all at once from the start.

“…So that’s the agreement, then. Lady Ariel, you’ll be able to handle this, right?”

“Sir Johan? Honestly, I’m completely lost. I don’t understand a single word you’ve said.”

No wonder she had stayed so quiet despite my efforts to convince Vidar. She hadn’t grasped what was going on.

“She understands as well.”

“…Not very reassuring.”

“Then I swear on the honor of House Damus. Within three years, Lady Ariel will have grown strong enough to defeat you.”

It’s not like I had my father’s permission for this, but it shouldn’t matter.

If we fail to keep the promise, Vidar will burn House Damus to the ground anyway, regardless of my oath.

This man simply made a bold declaration to try anything. I did not sell out my land.

“Well? What do you say?”

“……”

Vidar stared at me for a moment, then turned around and shouted to the other barbarians.

“Khahaha! Victory is ours! There’s no need to waste energy on the pathetic worms who begged for their lives! Come, my brothers, let’s return!”

Apparently, the contract was accepted. He even gave me a cover story.

Only then did the strength drain from my legs, and I collapsed to the ground.

Beside me, Ariel who had sat down even earlier blinked in confusion. She was clearly still trying to process what had just happened.

“Um, so… Sir Johan, you did save me, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You saved me again. Hehe.”

“Only for three years, though.”

I let out a sigh as I looked at Ariel, who was beaming at me.

I could guarantee it. Ariel still had no real understanding of the conversation that took place between Vidar and me.

She’s supposed to be smart, but…

“Well, I made it back alive too, so we’re having dinner together, right?”

Or maybe her head really is just full of flowers.

As I gave a bitter smile at the thought, my father suddenly came rushing toward me.

He sure came early.

Right after everything’s been taken care of.

“Johan!”

“Yes, Father. I’m unharmed.”

“Just how pathetically must you have groveled for that man to let us live! What a disgrace to this family!”

“But we’re alive, right?”

“You are the treasure of our house!”

That’s my father, all right.

Changes his tune in a heartbeat.

***

To love someone.

For some, it’s as natural as breathing. But for others, it’s something they must guard themselves against.

For Tronius Ether, it was the latter. He was a man who had fallen in love and even gotten married.

To someone from a certain beastfolk tribe.

During his travels, he had knocked on a small door just to get a drink of water and there, Tronius Ether met his destiny.

He helped solve the problems plaguing the village, and in the process, formed a deep bond with them.

That day, he had said:

“You… you promised to make my daughter happy…”

A customary phrase, perhaps. But in that moment, it was pure, unwavering sincerity.

That sincerity faded over time. No, it was made to fade.

“I wanted to.”

“…You killed my people. You’re still killing them.”

“I only fought against the barbarians who threatened the empire.”

“Khuhuhu…! You—there’s no way you don’t know. Do you think closing your eyes means you can’t see? Then tell me, who is it standing right in front of you?”

“……”

“I was once a beastkin of civilization… but now I’ve been brought low by the spears of barbarians.”

Tronius Ether had completely subdued his enemies.

He was the only one left standing. The beastkin who had attacked him were all lying on the ground.

And that’s not all—

He hadn’t even broken a single piece of furniture. That’s how overwhelming he was.

To be able to fight off all of them and still protect his surroundings…he was that skilled.

Pointing his staff at an old man collapsed and covered in blood, Tronius Ether spoke:

“It’s over.”

“You’re just running away… you coward…”

“You’re right.”

Emperor Abraham had learned that Tronius Ether had married a beastkin woman—

And used it against him.

That’s why he pushed him to the frontlines in the war against the barbarians.

He killed countless people.

Among them was a young man who had once celebrated his marriage in the village.

Did that young man also leave the tribe and end up on the other side of the spear?

Back then, Tronius Ether didn’t have time to think about those connections.

He could only feel the crushing weight of the lives he had taken.

Not barbarians….people.

As he walked through a battlefield drenched in madness, his thoughts became all the clearer.

“I weighed our family and your people on the same scale.”

“So what? My daughter wasn’t on that scale of yours?”

“She was.”

“Then why…?”

“Because I wasn’t the one who could move the scale. I only fooled myself into thinking I was its master.”

Tronius Ether had not been there at his wife’s deathbed.

Even though he knew she was gravely ill, he couldn’t be there.

Because Emperor Abraham had forced him back to the frontlines.

He had no way to defy him.

If he had disobeyed, the entire House of Ether would have been burned to the ground.

He had no choice but to choose the lesser evil.

And so, when he returned to the Empire, Tronius Ether learned of his wife’s death not from her lips, but from someone else’s.

He had no time to grieve.

He was summoned before the Emperor.

– Duke Ether.

– …Yes, Your Majesty.

– Do you resent me?

– ..…

– You’re free to resent me. But know this: the authority you carry. This is what it means.

That day, the Emperor spoke to Tronius Ether in private.

– Everything you love will become your weakness. That’s the nature of our position. You simply don’t have the strength to protect it all.

– …..

– Do you think I’m any different? You know how many people die in this palace every single day. That’s why I give my heart to no one.

– Then… are you telling me I must do the same?

– You just experienced what happens when you don’t do the same.

– ……

– Don’t love. No matter how great an archmage you are, what you can protect amounts to no more than a handful.

The Emperor was merciless.

– But if you can’t help it… then never reveal that love. The more precious it is, the further you must keep it. So that wolves like me can’t get their fangs in.

Tronius Ether knew.

He knew the Emperor’s words were meant to break the pride of House Ether.

But even so, he couldn’t deny them.

The stronger he became, the more famous he grew…

The more those around him were targeted.

He had already learned that lesson, painfully, on the battlefield.

And he was still on that battlefield.

He always had been and always would be.

As long as he bore the weight of House Ether, a great and noble house, his fate was to live his life on the front lines.

“So I will make a choice. Among all the things I love, I know exactly what I must cut away.”

“Hh… Hahahahaha! I see… I see now… Then go ahead. Finish me. End the lives of me and my kin.”

“Yes, by all means, curse me. I must kill you to protect my daughter and the rest of my family.”

“Tell me just one more thing. What did you do with my daughter’s body?”

“…I couldn’t bury her within the family grounds.”

“Then where did you bury her?”

“In a place overlooking a beautiful lake.”

And so, he built a villa in a place where that lake could be seen.

This very place.

“I see… So that’s why you fought to protect this place…”

The old man quietly closed his eyes.

Tronius didn’t even need to finish him off.

He passed away silently, like someone whose time had simply run out.

“……”

Tronius Ether raised his head and looked out the window.

The villa was in a pitiful state, but the lake outside remained just as beautiful.

“You…”

Not far from the lake stood the great warrior Vidar.

Tronius had noticed his presence for some time.

Vidar had even seemed ready to step in at one point.

But someone else had moved before he did—

A boy, afraid like himself.

“You stepped forward, even so.”

Tronius Ether saw a reflection of himself in Johan.

Someone so afraid that even forming bonds with others felt frightening.

He must have been that kind of person…

“Then you’ll be all right.”

With that, Tronius Ether brought this matter to a close.

“I’ll give you the push you need.”

Johan could not avoid the marriage.