CH 303

Chapter 303 – Empire Murderer(5)

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Barbatos raised her head.

“……Why are you the one going in to meet their queen?”

Barbatos’ unique characteristic was the fact that she would always talk in a playful tone, but her voice sounded weaker than usual right now. No. Should I say it was weaker than usual or that she was deliberately being monotone?

“Our goal was to subjugate Agares and we accomplished that goal earlier. It was thanks to this cause that we were able to block the intervention of foreign nations like Bernicia. If we don’t show even the slightest bit of mercy to their queen, then things will get rather annoying.”

Winning is good, but stomping on the enemy excessively would only make the other nations warier of us than necessary.

The commanders pitched in for almost all of the war expenditures this time. Three months have already passed since this war started, and it was usually around this point that funding became a concern. People are probably thinking about making up for it through pillaging and taxes now.

This was the perfect time to end the war. The demon soldiers would be happy since they’d be receiving a good wage after not experiencing much danger, the monsters would be happy because they were able to eat a lot of human flesh, and the Demon Lords would be pleased since we would be getting the greatest conclusion despite not having spent that much money. This was a happy ending no matter how you looked at it.

However, Barbatos’ expression said otherwise. She brought up something random.

“No, I mean why does it have to be you?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re just going to negotiate, then shouldn’t it be fine to send someone else?”

I tilted my head.

“Well……because I’m good at talking?”

“I’m also good at talking~.”

Gamigin spoke up. She looked this way with a bright smile. Her smile looked strangely scary.

“Hasn’t Dantalian built up a needless amount of hatred because of how often he stood at the front? I think it would be better if I went as the representative since people don’t hate me as much.”

“……No, I apologize, but Your Highness’ dynamic with the humans is utterly terrible.”

I was dumbfounded. Gamigin was indeed a negotiator, but that only applied when negotiations were required within the Demon Lord army.

“Do you know what sort of relationship the Kingdom of Bernicia, the Kingdom of Castile, and Brittany currently have? Adding to this, do you know what the Emperor and Empress Dowager mean to Frankia? Are you also aware that the Empress Dowager is from Sardinia?”

Gamigin closed her mouth, but she was still smiling.

This was strange. Gamigin should know that I would be a better emissary than her. Barbatos as well. What were they so displeased about?

“Well, if this were not the human world, then I would have left it to Your Highness, but considering these conditions, I believe I…….”

“If it is about the international state of affairs within human society, then this lady is also knowledgable.”

“…….”

Paimon spoke up this time.

“This lady was also the one who won over the Republic of Batavia. The Mountain Faction is a group that was established with the goal of avoiding war as much as possible and profiting through diplomacy. It would be difficult to say that this lady is lacking in skill to be the emissary when she is the leader of this very Mountain Faction.”

But your negotiating ability sucks instead!

I almost shouted in response. No, seriously. What was happening? Why were these ladies being so standoffish all of a sudden? Are they actually worried about sending me as the negotiator?

This was shocking. I may be at the absolute bottom when it comes to other things, but I thought I was at least acknowledged for my eloquence.

“Fufu.”

Laura chuckled quietly. How could you laugh when your lord is troubled!

I glared at her, but Laura continued to smile calmly.

“Calm down, Advisor. Do not glare at me with such scary eyes. The other commanders are saying that because they are worried about sending you into the enemy base by yourself.”

“Haaa?”

Laura continued in a teasing tone.

“Advisor, your deeply laid plans may be amazing, but your individual strength is laughable. If it turns out that the Brittan army is harboring negative emotions, you would not last even a second. The commanders are offering to go in your stead because of how concerned they are about your wellbeing.”

“…….”

I turned to look at Barbatos, Gamigin, and Paimon. All three of them averted their gazes at the same time as if they had planned beforehand to do so. You’re telling me the three women who would probably tie for first place as the most selfish beings in the world are able to do something like worry? About me, at that? You must be joking.

“Hmhm. I didn’t say that because I was particularly worried…….”

“I figured we shouldn’t force a bunch of roles on a single person.”

“This lady was simply pointing out another possibility.”

They refused to meet my gaze.

“…….”

……The mood became weird.

Marbas cleared his throat. Sitri looked restless as she kept turning left and right. Vassago, on the other hand, appeared displeased for some reason as he was giving me a completely rotten look. ‘Absolute buffoon,’ was what Vassago’s eyes were saying.

I let out a sigh.

“Sheesh. Please limit your jokes, Deputy Commander.”

“Oh, you think that was a joke? I am someone who only speaks the truth.”

“Then that is worse. I do not believe our commanders would try to meddle in emissary work because of their personal feelings when our direction as a whole is on the line. If someone were to misunderstand, they might think you were mocking our commanders.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Laura gave an amused hum as she looked around.

“Did I unintentionally ridicule our commanders? I wish to ask our commanders in question whether that is the case or not.”

Barbatos, Gamigin, and Paimon flinched.

There was obviously no one here who would admit to that. It was impossible to talk back to Laura who was no different from the supreme commander. That was why she asked in my stead since I was still her lord. Sure enough, the three ladies didn’t respond.

Laura chuckled.

“They say that silence means yes. Of course, in this case, it is hard to figure out what question this silence is saying yes to.”

“……Deputy Commander.”

“Fufu. I understand. I was being too hasty.”

Laura stood up and bowed.

“Commanders, please forgive my mistake. I am still lacking in experience, so I struggle with human relations. I would be grateful if you generously overlooked this.”

She moved incredibly courteously like a person of prestige, but there wasn’t even a hint of repenting in her tone. I was a bit unsatisfied. I know Laura wasn’t modest in the game either, but giving a proper apology was the appropriate answer to this situation. Tsk tsk, I guess geniuses are arrogant by nature.

“N-No. It’s fine, Laura.”

“……I was the one who didn’t think ahead.”

“That was discourteous of me.”

Thankfully, the commanders accepted her apology. In terms of social interactions, these three Demon Lords were far more mature than Laura. I should go apologize to them again in private later since they must still be somewhat displeased. They were basically ridiculed in front of others, after all.

In any case, let’s change the subject before the mood gets weird again.

“Comrades, leave the negotiations to me. I am constantly in awe of the amazing contributions you have all been making throughout this war. I, Dantalian, will exert myself to the utmost in order to bring about a successful conclusion to your great efforts.”

The other Demon Lords agreed to send me as an emissary. Well, other than three certain individuals, no one else was against it in the first place. Barbatos, Gamigin, and Paimon reluctantly agreed.

What did they want to say? I don’t understand them.

There was no way that Henrietta would kill an official emissary unless she was the stupidest person in the world. The Brittan army was already isolated from any outside help, but doing that would push them further into a corner. No, Henrietta would probably die first before they could get pushed into a corner. She’d die to our army seeking vengeance.

It was still a possibility, though. If it turns out that the other party has snapped, then they might resort to taking me down with them. However, I knew through <Dungeon Attack> that Henrietta wasn’t that kind of person…….

Mm, as I thought, I don’t understand why those three ladies were acting like that. I’ll ask them about it when I go to apologize later.

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“This way please.”

I was guided inside the castle by the envoy.

From what I could tell, the Brittan army appeared to be in quite a bad state. For starters, some of the soldiers weren’t wearing any armor. This most likely meant that they were trying to conserve their stamina as much as possible by keeping their bodies light. In other words, they’ve reached a point where they’re no longer able to maintain their stamina while wearing armor.

The soldiers turned to glare at me once I strolled into the castle while being escorted. They were defending against a siege while a plague was circulating. It would be weird if they weren’t on edge about an enemy emissary.

I raised my voice slightly as I asked a question.

“I heard that a plague has been going around. Are you taking proper quarantine measurements?”

“I apologize, but I do not have the authority to speak about military affairs…….”

The envoy trailed off. Well, he probably wouldn’t have told me even if he did have the authority. It was obvious.

Regardless, I wasn’t expecting the envoy to answer my question. I observed the soldiers out of the corner of my eyes. Their faces were so rugged that I couldn’t possibly say that they were feeling friendly toward me in any way.

They would’ve let out a snort or laughed at me if they were able to quarantine properly. People who have no breathing space tend to pretend as if they do in order to pressure the enemy.

The fact that they weren’t even pretending and were being openly hostile to me meant that their situation was just that severe…….

‘So they positioned their relatively healthy soldiers here.’

I smiled.

Queen Henrietta seemed to be in quite a difficult position. There was no news better than this for a negotiator.

“We are here.”

After going through several layers of guards, we arrived at the center of the castle. A wooden door was firmly shut.

“My apologies, but are you perhaps not accustomed to human formalities?”

“Aah, it is fine. I came here as the representative of our army.”

The envoy nodded. He gestured at the knight standing in front of the door. The knight shouted in a loud voice.

“Your Highness! The Habsburg Empire’s emissary has arrived!”

A thudding sound came from the other side of the door. It was the sound of a guard slamming the end of their spear on the ground. The wooden door creaked open.

The room had little to no decorations. A red carpet and a square table were the only prominent things in the room. Seven people were seated around the table and discussing something.

There was an eye-catching woman with brilliant scarlet hair seated among them who looked like a blooming flower.

She was nodding as she listened to the generals speak. She then turned to face me. I was going to bow as soon as our gazes met, but I suddenly wanted to look at the woman more. There was a unique aura silently flowing out of her face.

We were staring at each other.

How much time had passed?

The woman’s lips slowly opened.

“—If I am not mistaken, you must be Dantalian.”

I was then able to bow courteously as I was freed from her gaze.

“It is nice to meet you, O revered queen of Brittany. As you have guessed, I am Dantalian. I possess the lowest seat in the Demon Lord Army at rank 71 and was delegated the position of count.”

Henrietta de Brittany.

A hero of turbulent times.