Chapter 109: In Fact, They Knew

“They’re human too! With the war against the Demon Realm right around the corner, we should be joining forces. Why would we kill our own kind and increase the enemy’s numbers?”

Correction. The voices weren’t coming from somewhere nearby; they were right below me.

Seriously, why are they fighting here…? I cautiously peeked over the railing. From the shade of the terrace, I could just make out the back of a man’s head as he argued.

The owner of the head, who had been listening calmly, spoke as if he were detached from the situation. His refined and elegant tone was like cold water, thoroughly suppressing his opponent.

“Your voice is quite loud. You’re too agitated. If you have blue blood, you should keep your head cool.”

Not very aristocratic of you.

“Ha, is a cool head all it takes? What about the heart? A noble with only a cool head is just half a noble. Or rather, since I was born with blue blood, such efforts aren’t necessary for me.”

I was born a noble.

“…You should be grateful you’re a Margrave. If not, you wouldn’t be standing alive before me right now.”

“Why should I be grateful for a position I earned with my own merit? And are you threatening me now? Saying I’d be dead—why don’t you just try killing me? Even if you’re a hero, His Majesty wouldn’t stand idly by if you killed a capable Margrave in the current situation.”

“I won’t kill you. I told you.”

Damn it, this is scary! What is this power struggle!

…But I’m curious. A hero, you say? Is the owner of that head a hero? It wouldn’t be General Nemesius or Cruel. So, Stigma Primiero? He’s a Marquis. Who is the opponent fighting against a Marquis hero?

I gripped the railing and leaned over to get a better look below the terrace. Marquis Primiero’s back was more clearly visible, and I could see the shoes of the person presumed to be his opponent.

“At this rate, we’ll just continue this pointless argument. Let’s get back to the main point.”

“…No matter what you say, Marquis, my opinion remains unchanged. The Barbai are human. Killing potential allies when we could be joining forces is absurd, and wasting troops to kill them when we’re about to go to war with the Demon Realm makes no sense. Persuading and coaxing them to become helpful allies is the best course of action.”

“They’re barbarians. They’ve always invaded my territory, killing people and looting weapons and food. From the first moment I remember in this land, it’s been like that. Do you believe those kinds of people can change now? If talking could solve things, it would have been resolved long ago. Facing the Demon Realm with them still around is like fighting with someone who might stab you in the back. The only option is to kill them all.”

“That’s too violent a solution!”

“You’re too soft.”

If I lean over just a little more, I might see the other person’s face.

But if our eyes meet, it’ll be awkward. I decided to give up and lift my head—slip.

‘?!’

I lost my grip.

Now, here’s the problem. What happens when you lean your upper body far over the railing and then let go?

‘I’m, I’m falling!’

My body spun once around the railing as I fell.

I tried to grab the railing with at least one hand, but what could my weak strength do? Instead of catching the railing, I felt my fingernails break and fell straight down.

Acceptance came quickly.

‘Fortunately, it’s not that high, and I avoided falling headfirst, so I probably won’t die.’

Maybe if I do a proper landing, I’ll be okay.

I closed my eyes and counted down the seconds, but instead of a hard thud, I felt myself land securely on something solid.

“…?”

“Then let’s do this.”

?!

“Let’s leave the decision to this child.”

What the hell, let me down.

Startled, I looked up. Marquis Primiero, who hadn’t flinched, smiled gently, his eyes crinkling. He didn’t seem fazed at all by a person suddenly falling from above.

“Hello, junior? This is the first time seeing you this close. I like your eyes.”

Huh? What do you like about them?

I blankly blinked, then spurred my stalled brain back into action and whipped my head around. A short distance away, I met the bewildered eyes of the other man.

“Please… put me down.”

“Of course.”

“No, Marquis. What is the meaning of this…?”

With a sigh, he rubbed his face. After a few hasty dry washes, a frustrated voice escaped his lips as he seemed to recognize me.

“Isn’t he Honorary Count Hart? Junior, what does that even mean…?”

“It’s the second hero’s affectionate term for the third hero.”

“Then will you call the fourth hero, Cruel Hart, ‘junior’ as well?”

“No. I only like Honorary Count Deon Hart.”

“…Then do you call the first hero, General Nemesius, ‘senior’?”

“Why would I call him that?”

……

The mouth that seemed ready to argue endlessly snapped shut. I was equally speechless.

When did we get so close that you can say you like me or whatever…?

‘Why are you getting friendly all of a sudden? It’s awkward.’

Meanwhile, the man who was at a loss for words opened and closed his mouth a few times, then raised a hand to massage the back of his stiff neck. A question laced with a heavy sigh was tossed out.

“…Was this intentional?”

“Of course not. It was a coincidence.”

“You called him junior. Doesn’t that imply you have some kind of relationship? Asking him to judge is unfair.”

“Have you already forgotten my first words to him? This is the first time I’ve seen him close enough to talk to. This conversation is also a first.”

“…Ha, fine. Good. Let’s ask him then.”

The man turned his head to look at me. Before I could flinch at his blazing gaze, he introduced himself.

“First time meeting you. I’m Tender Amiable. I’m the Count in the Southern Frontier of the Empire. It’s unfortunate to meet you like this.”

“Oh, I just realized we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Stigma Primiero. A Marquis. Sorry about earlier.”

“Ah… It’s alright. I’m Deon Hart.”

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this sensitive issue….”

“We don’t have much time, and we’ve introduced ourselves, so let’s skip everything else and get straight to the point. You heard our conversation, junior?”

!

I reflexively froze. Fortunately, I wasn’t moving, and it wasn’t a flinch, so he probably didn’t notice… yeah right. The Marquis was smiling.

Right, what can I hide from a ‘hero’? He probably knew I was on the terrace above the whole time.

Still, I was too embarrassed to admit it, so my eyes darted around, but he seemed to gloss over it and changed the subject naturally.

“At least you heard the last part where we summarized our opinions, right? After ‘Let’s get back to the main point.'”

Of course, I heard it—from much earlier.

“The cause of our argument is quite simple. The barbarians who live in the area bordering the southernmost part of the Empire.”

“The Barbai.”

“That name is too long; my mouth hurts. Please understand.”

……

D-don’t fight……

I’m scared you’ll fight in front of me. I’m just a half-hero in name only, without a fragment of the Hero’s power. I’m not confident I can survive a fight between you two.

“Anyway, those barbarians have been a pain for a long time. They’re a tribe, not a kingdom, so they’re not even marked on most maps, except for detailed ones. But they frequently invade our territories, stealing food and killing people…”

“Don’t say things that cloud judgment.”

“This isn’t something that clouds judgment; it’s the truth.”

The Marquis put on an elegant smile, took a few steps forward, and then turned around, spreading his arms gently. His brown eyes, devoid of any amusement, stared straight at me.

“So, I told His Majesty. If he intends to wage war against the Demon Realm, it would be better to deal with the barbarians beforehand. Since they’re a tribe, not a kingdom, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it ‘war’ within the Human Realm, isn’t it? I told him I don’t need the Empire’s support; I’ll wipe them out myself.”

In that case, the Emperor probably wouldn’t object too strongly.

Losing Stigma Primiero’s forces would be a bit of a waste, but he couldn’t risk losing the crucial Stigma himself by forcibly stopping him.

“But I opposed it.”

“Foolish.”

“Don’t say things that influence judgment….”

“Anyway, His Majesty said he would follow the plan agreed upon by Margrave Amiable, whose territory borders the barbarians, and me. The deadline is three days.”

Margrave Amiable’s eyes were fierce. Are they really going to fight…?

Before things could escalate, I quickly raised my hand and took the Marquis’s words. That’s the conclusion, right?

“Since you two couldn’t agree, are you leaving the decision to me? Assimilation or extermination?”

Before fully engaging in the war against the Demon Realm, do we exterminate the Barbai to eliminate future threats, or assimilate them to create another ally against the Demon Realm?

The Marquis smiled contentedly.

“Exactly. You’re smart.”

“But….”

I clearly heard their arguments and remember them. That’s why I couldn’t help but question.

I tilted my head, puzzled.

“Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but Margrave Amiable seems confident that they won’t side with the Demon Realm.”

“They’re human. Even if they oppose the Empire, they wouldn’t side with the Demon Realm.”

“Are you sure about that?”

……

Is it because of their high status? Emperor and Count Amiable both seem so naive.

‘No, usually, the higher the status, the more corrupt they are.’

It seems they are more like steadfast generals than strategists. Since the other party isn’t the Emperor, and they asked for my opinion, I should tell them if I don’t know.

I looked directly into his eyes and spoke clearly.

“Just because they’re human doesn’t guarantee they’ll be on the human side.”

……

Margrave Amiable’s mouth snapped shut. The Marquis nodded beside him.

“That’s right. Margrave Amiable, you have too idealistic a view of the world. What sways someone’s judgment is overwhelming force and hatred. If the Demon Realm were overwhelmingly powerful, ‘people’ would flock to their side. Similarly, there will be those who sell their souls to devils to destroy their hated enemy. If they can sell their souls, siding with the Demon King is nothing. ‘Race’ doesn’t matter.”

Destroy? He uses such words with his refined speech. No, it seems he misspoke. He frowned for a moment after uttering that word.

I tried to observe his face more closely, but a steady voice called out to me.

“As you know, the barbarians have a bad relationship with us. It’s better to exterminate them, considering the possibility of them siding with the Demon Realm. Wouldn’t you agree, junior?”

“Yes…?”

“Excellent answer. Since you’ve sided with me, we’ll proceed with my plan regarding the barbarians. I’ll report to His Majesty, so Margrave, you may leave.”

I definitely raised my intonation at the end.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and just gave him a dumbfounded look, but the Marquis was even more shameless than I imagined.

Margrave Amiable, who was giving him a look that said, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’, let out a defeated sigh as if he knew further argument was pointless.

“Then I’ll take my leave. You two…”

“I’d like to talk with my junior a bit more.”

“?”

Why me?

“Yes, I understand.”

“No, wait….”