Chapter 100: Hunting Tournament

“There’s definitely something going on, but the fact they’re asking for clarification instead of just telling me suggests it’s not a direct order from the Demon King.”

-…….

“Does this report have a direct connection to the Demon Realm?”

-What are your criteria for a ‘direct connection’?

“I see. The fact you keep asking about the criteria for a ‘direct connection’ likely means it’s ambiguous.”

Not directly linked to the Demon King, and the connection to the Demon Realm is questionable, yet the Emperor needs to know about this important report….

The very fact that Deon Hart carried this information indicates its importance is undeniable.

The hand fidgeting with his wrist grew rougher. Eventually, red blood seeped through the bandage.

The Emperor’s mind raced as he muttered.

“Is it a monster problem?”

Since it’s not ‘directly’ connected to the Demon Realm or the Demon King but still warrants the Emperor’s attention, this issue must concern both the Human and Demon Realms.

A problem shared by the Demon and Human Realms. Monsters (magical beasts).

-No, Your Majesty.

“Then it must be a border issue.”

-A border connected to the Demon Realm has been discovered in the Taehon Kingdom.

Correct.

The Emperor tilted his head.

“Isn’t the border directly connected to the Demon Realm?”

-In the current situation, my criteria for a ‘direct connection’ were ‘information related to war’ or ‘information related to demons.’ My apologies.

“It’s fine. I had a rough idea.”

That’s why he could easily arrive at the correct answer.

If it’s the Taehon Kingdom, that would be a kingdom in the south. A border in the south… do they even know?

‘Whether they know or not is irrelevant.’

If they knew, the immediate question is why they didn’t inform the Empire. If they didn’t, then that’s that.

The crucial point is the ‘existence of the border.’ It was important before, but in the current situation with war against the Demon Realm approaching, it’s an invaluable piece of information.

Moving his hand from his left wrist to the hilt of his sword, the Emperor smiled.

“You’ve done well.”

***

As always, important reports were over in the blink of an eye. And I mean that literally.

-It seems the next time I’ll meet you in person will be during the hunting competition.

Huh, when did the report end? I blinked, and time just flew by.

The report was definitely over. The Emperor’s tone had already shifted to a casual conversation, indicating the end of the official business.

Still dazed, I didn’t respond immediately, and an疑う voice came from the communicator.

-Surely you’re not considering skipping the hunting competition?

Answering the Emperor is the priority. I calmly opened my mouth.

“No, Your Majesty. I will participate. When will the competition be held?”

-In a week. The invitation should have already arrived at your mansion.

“Understood. I will see you in a week.”

-Looking forward to it. Oh, and try not to arrive with your white clothes stained red like last time. I don’t particularly mind, but it seemed to frighten the more sensitive nobles.

Ah, that time… I was scared too.

I had just returned to the Empire and was on my way to the Imperial Palace for a report when I was ambushed by the Revolutionary Army. To make matters worse, I passed out and woke up covered in blood in front of the Emperor.

Could they have been more scared than I was at that moment?

-If you’re really set on being covered in blood, wear clothes with a color that doesn’t show it so easily.

“Pardon me?”

-In that vein, I sent you an outfit. It would be good if you wore it on the day of the competition.

“Excuse me?”

-It’s red, so you can get as much blood on it as you like.

No, I don’t think that’s a good idea….

-You don’t like it?

“No, it’s just… Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Power is tyranny.

The week flew by. My attempts to punish Rememver for daring to leave me in front of the Emperor—or rather, the communicator connected to him—were crushed by a mountain of paperwork.

I confidently swung open the door to Rememver’s office, calling his name, only to see paperwork piled everywhere, causing me to promptly turn around and leave….

“Are you really not going to let this go?”

“At this rate, I might end up hitting an old man. You need to fulfill your duties.”

“You keep calling me old, but honestly, Rememver, you’re quite healthy. You even managed to subdue the Revolutionary Army….”

“You’re missing the point, Count. You need to fulfill your duties.”

“……Spare me.”

“How dare I even think of harming you, Count? Someone might hear that. Now, come this way.”

And so, I was stuck for an entire week.

And now, smoothing the dark circles under my eyes, I let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t want to go….”

“You’re speaking treasonous words. The host of this hunting competition is His Highness the Crown Prince. If you value your head, please refrain from such remarks.”

This hunting competition is partly to deal with the increased number of monsters and partly to show that the Empire has enough余裕 to hold such events even during wartime.

The person in charge, acting on behalf of the busy Emperor on the battlefront, is none other than the Crown Prince.

I heard the Emperor will probably arrive around the middle or end of the competition.

‘When the Emperor arrives, he’ll naturally want to talk to me.’

I hate to admit it, but I am one of the Emperor’s favorite swords.

So, what will we talk about? Obviously, something related to the Demon Realm. This last report was via communicator, not face-to-face, so he might want to elaborate or hear more.

“I really don’t want to g— mph.”

“I apologize for touching you without permission. However, I feared your head might actually fall off if you continued.”

I belatedly noticed the maids touching my clothes were trembling.

Realizing my mistake, I shut my mouth and observed the situation. Rememver gestured for the maids to leave and approached me. Straightening the Emperor’s gift, he let out a sigh close to a lament.

“You’ve been making this old man’s heart pound quite often lately.”

“…….”

I didn’t respond, looking at my reflection in the mirror and feigning disinterest.

A red outfit with a design close to a uniform.

A sense of unease washed over me, a worry that I might actually see blood on the way, but my thoughts soon drifted elsewhere.

Red, blood, and… war.

That’s right, war.

“I should really submit my resignation.”

The war between the Human and Demon Realms. Being stuck in the middle will undoubtedly be difficult.

Up until now, it was just testing the waters, so I could endure it, but from now on….

“Is that so? Here, this is the final touch. Put on this cloak.”

“Ah, yes. More importantly, my resignation….”

“If it’s your resignation, you probably haven’t written it yet. This old man has already thrown away any you might have prepared. Should I match your mask to the red cloak?”

“It might look strange. I’ll just stick with the usual white mask. By the way, you threw away my resignation? Why… no, never mind. I’ll write a new one, so please get me some paper and a pen right away….”

“Since your shirt is white, a white mask won’t look odd. There, all ready. Let’s go.”

“Yes… no, Rememver!”

Why do you keep interfering!

“I apologize, but it’s necessary to protect your life, Count.”

“…….”

I know. Resigning would actually lead to my death.

It’s not for nothing that I casually mention quitting but give up immediately when refused. If I were to insist on resigning, I know they would kill me.

The Emperor and the Demon King cherish me, but they are also rulers, and I am well aware of my own dangerous nature.

In short, the resignation talk is just expressing a wish. More like a grumble… something like that.

‘If they actually accepted it, I’d need to be wary.’

I sighed. I had to leave anyway. Picking up my bag, I started walking towards the door. As if to lighten the mood, Rememver opened the door for me and offered a suggestion.

“We have plenty of time. Why don’t we stop by Dan’s trading company on the way?”

“Dan… started a trading company?”

The man who briefly visited with Deosa tea leaves before leaving flashed through my mind.

I wondered where he got Deosa tea leaves. Could it be one of the items his company deals with? He’s quite capable.

“Yes, it’s called the Den Merchant Guild.”

“No, wasn’t the initial plan to teach swordsmanship? How did it end up….”

“Talent is something you discover by trying various things. Thanks to him, the Count’s estate’s finances are quite abundant.”

Not that we were ever lacking.

It’s strange that someone I happened to bring along has become successful and is now helping me. There isn’t any real bond between us.

He followed me, and I let him stay at the Count’s mansion. That was all.

‘Oh, I did invest a bit, now that I think about it.’

I got into the carriage. Rememver, who came along to guide me, told the coachman our destination, then sat opposite me as we started moving.

“Are you going to keep carrying that bag yourself?”

“Yes.”

Because it contains a living being that is clearly not from the Human Realm.

I desperately avoided Rememver’s gaze.

The trading company we arrived at wasn’t what I expected.

To put it nicely, it was informal; to put it bluntly….

“Madam, our guild only deals with top-quality herbs. Please don’t make such unfounded accusations.”

“What’s your problem? I’m an academy graduate. Do you think I don’t know how to evaluate herbs?”

“Madam, can you swear on your own hand that these herbs are actually from our guild?”

Is this a gambling den…?

Dan was at the center of this chaos.

“Guild Leader! I’ve received word that the Jukunkt Bridge has collapsed! What should we do? Goods from Rweche come through that route….”

“Has the Bergenne Bridge collapsed? Reroute through there.”

“Guild Leader, please do something about this difficult… no, this customer! She’s impossible to reason with!”

“That’s a pay cut later. For now, bring her inside.”

I could feel Rememver chuckling beside me.

After observing the situation silently for a moment, I quietly followed Dan. Thanks to Rememver, or perhaps because they recognized me, moving around was easy.

‘Is it here?’

I cautiously pressed my ear against a door and listened intently.

“Look at this. I bought these from your guild, and they’re all in terrible condition. Either replace them or give me a refund.”

“Turmeric, wolfberries, dandelions, nightshade… these are all southern herbs. We have no record of selling all of these at once.”

“I bought them separately!”

So far, no problem hearing.

“Well… even so, there are some suspicious points.”

“Ha, do you have proof? Do you have proof that I didn’t buy them here?”

“I’m not a complete idiot. Come to think of it, there have been quite a few people wary of our guild’s recent rapid growth. Are you trying to nip us in the bud before we get bigger?”

“Ha, ha ha ha. You’re writing a novel.”

“Very well. I’ll bet my hand that you didn’t buy herbs here. If you’re scared, you can leave.”

His voice was calm. Dan continued.

“If you leave now, I won’t ask any questions. But if you continue to resist and it’s proven that you’re lying, then your next destination won’t be home, but the afterlife.”

Was he always this eloquent? No, more importantly….

I focused on something else. He was no longer addressing her as a customer.

Dan had already made up his mind.

“What kind of nonsense is this guy spouting?”

“Where did all your bluster go? Did you suddenly get cold feet?”

“Cold feet? Hahahaha! Fine, I’ll….”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

At this rate, someone was really going to get hurt. I quickly opened the door and barged in.

Dan’s face lit up as he saw me and stood up. The customer, startled by my sudden appearance, also turned around, her face pale.

“Count!”

“D-Deon Hart, Honorary Count….”

“Forgive me for eavesdropping, but couldn’t this have been resolved with words?”

“We were in the process of resolving it with words.”

“That was…?”

If that was resolving it with words, then what would actions be…?

Speechless, I stood there blankly as Rememver’s voice came from the doorway.

“Dan, it seems the guest is trying to leave. Is it alright if I let her go?”

The customer, who had been so assertive, was now cowering in front of Rememver, who blocked the door.

Judging by her personality, I thought she’d just push past an old man, but I was wrong.

At that moment, I saw the customer’s shoulder. Or rather, Rememver’s hand pressing down on it.

“…….”

“Butler, you’re here too. Just let her go. We’ve been having a lot of people like this lately. More importantly, Count, judging by your attire, this wasn’t your main destination. Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to participate in the hunting competition.”

“The hunting competition, you say….”

Dan’s face brightened as if he had found the answer to a puzzle.

“I heard you can bring aides to the hunting competition.”

“Yes, that’s true, but….”

I wasn’t planning on bringing anyone. I have a bag with a magical plant from the Demon Realm.

I plan to keep it with me throughout the competition to prevent any accidents while my eyes are off it. I can’t have anyone nearby.

“Wouldn’t you consider taking me as your assistant?”

But how am I supposed to respond when I’m asked with such hopeful eyes?