The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 35
The joint training of the Academy’s officials was scheduled for early next week. Before that, I decided to meet the saint of the Kuravel Holy Kingdom that Eo had found.
Since she was currently living as a slave in a national institution in Crossing, I had to go there directly.
I headed to Newman, located in the northeast of Crossing, along with Eonia, Anton, and Rutger.
There was a small commotion inside the carriage heading to Newman.
“Hmm, nngh! Nnngh…!”
Rutger was groaning as if he needed to urinate.
“Should we stop the carriage for a moment? You seem quite urgent.”
“Ah, no. I just have something on my mind.”
“What’s the matter?”
Normally I would have just ignored it, but I decided to ask since it was boring inside the carriage.
Then Rutger burst out as if he had been waiting for this.
“Listen. It seems there’s a bone-headed guy approaching Estelle at the Academy. I think his name is Elaine or something.”
“I, I see. And?”
“Of course, he must have impure intentions! If that guy were in front of me, I would have taught him a lesson!”
A moment of silence fell in the carriage. Anton, who was with us, snickered with a ‘Pfft!’. If Eo had been in this carriage too, it would have been exposed instantly.
Speaking of Eo, she had been called by Yumir and was being scolded in another carriage about the nutritional imbalance in my meals.
Since Yumir was her superior in rank and had a good reason, Eo probably couldn’t refute and was listening glumly.
“Calm down for now. It could simply be a friendship, right? Isn’t it too early to conclude that there are impure intentions?”
“No, I’m certain. That guy told my daughter this. He said he’s getting close to her in advance because she’ll surely become a beauty when she recovers from her illness!”
“Haha…”
“From what my daughter said, he seems like a pretty boy who looks like a Gisaeng Orabi. How dare he try to sweet-talk my daughter!”[1]
Rutger was fuming, looking like he might explode at any moment. His doting father side was fully on display.
“I don’t think you need to worry. If he approached with such impure intentions, wouldn’t Estelle be smart enough to keep her distance?”
“I thought so too… But yesterday my daughter told me. She begged me to protect Sir Elaine.”
“Protect…?”
“It seems that guy is involved in something like a duel. She wants me to help make sure he doesn’t get hurt. I’m sure this Elaine fellow must have clung to my daughter, crying and begging for help!”
“So what did you say?”
“No way! If he’s a man, he should be able to handle his own affairs! Especially if it’s a duel that stakes his pride!”
“If this Elaine guy wins that duel with his own strength, would you consider viewing him positively?”
“Uh, hmm! I could take back calling him a Gisaeng Orabi. But nothing more than that!”
“Good grief. You were so determined when you sent your daughter to the Academy, but now you’re like this just because she made one friend?”
“O-Of course… I can’t thank him enough for becoming friends with my daughter in her current state… But becoming lovers is a different story!”
As I was listening to Rutger’s fuss, we began to see the entrance to Newman.
By the time we unpacked at the inn, it was starting to get dark.
“Let’s move tomorrow morning. Everyone must be tired from the long journey, so let’s get a good rest.”
I was quite tired too from wearing the hood and mask all the time, so I was about to go straight to my room when a voice stopped me.
“Um…!”
A squeezed-out voice. It was Estelle.
“What is it?”
“Uh…!” She trembled.
‘This is completely different from how she deals with Ars.’
She feared me. More precisely, she feared Wade.
She knew that I was trying to use her father through her, and she was wary.
Moreover, the voice I use when I’m Wade has a chilling creepiness to it, so she would shrink whenever she heard my voice.
“W-well. There’s one thing… I’d like to ask…”
“I asked what it is.”
Estelle bit her lip hard, then gathered courage and said, “Next week, there’s a joint training for officials at the Academy… I was hoping you could help someone there.”
“Huh!”
“Please…!”
Since Rutger refused to help, is she asking me?
I understood her feelings as she probably had no one else to ask, but she was definitely barking up the wrong tree.
“What will you do, my lord?”
Anton said with a warm smile. Yumir let out a small sigh.
Only Eo, who didn’t know the flow of the conversation, tilted her head with an ‘Huh?’.
“You handle it.”
“Heh, yes. I’ll do that.”
As I turned my back, Estelle collapsed with a thud! Anton supported her and said, “Don’t worry, Miss Estelle. I will protect the person you mentioned even at the cost of my life.”
“Your life…?” Estelle was confused by Anton’s intense statement.
* * *
The Holy Kingdom of Kuravel was a nation shrouded in mystery.
Its history spanned an impressive 600 years, far longer than the Fensillon Empire, but due to its closed national operations, few knew its detailed history.
All I knew was that it was under the protection of elves. This was also the reason why a small nation like Kuravel could have such a long history of 600 years.
So I asked Eo, but she seemed to know little about the nation’s history, having been merely a knight.
One thing I learned was about its power structure. The social hierarchy of the Holy Kingdom of Kuravel was not unlike other kingdoms, but uniquely, the king was said to be a figurehead.
The Holy King merely sat on the throne for show, while the actual governance was carried out by the Prime Minister, known as the Holy Chancellor.
Bisketa Kren, who is the leader of Kuravel Holy Kingdom, narrowed her eyes as she faced me.
“Are you Wade? The much-talked-about mercenary who received Eonia’s loyalty.”
She must have been over 60. She further furrowed her wrinkled brow.
“Meeting a guest while wearing a mask, what on earth are you thinking?”
“Haha, straight to the criticism, aren’t we?”
“And that voice… You’re using a voice modifier, aren’t you?”
“You’re perceptive.”
“What are you so afraid of that you go around doing such petty things?”
She spoke while looking at Eo.
“Eo, is this the kind of person you chose as your master? For someone who sang about serving a splendid lord since you were a little girl, this is disappointing.”
“Holy Chancellor! Please go easy on him!”
“Hmph…”
Slurp! Bisketa took a sip from her teacup.
“I know it’s rude, but I hope you can understand. I only show my face to those I can fully trust.”
“Are you saying you can’t trust me?”
“I tend to be very cautious.”
“Well, fine. What is it you want to ask of me?”
“Before that, shall we talk about something else?”
I decided to start with some background conversation, thinking that if I asked outright for Estelle to be healed, I probably wouldn’t hear anything good.
It was mostly about the Holy Kingdom of Kuravel.
When the topic turned to Eonia, Bisketa unconsciously smiled.
“She was a silly child. Well, that hasn’t changed much.”
The look in her eyes when addressing Eo was truly like that of a mother.
“The Valkyrie received special treatment even within the Holy Kingdom. Although she was the captain of the royal guard, it was essentially an honorary position. Eo grew up in the palace like a princess from a young age. Even towards the Holy King, it was more like he was a father who raised her rather than a lord she served.”
“I see. So that’s why you said earlier…”
“Yes, when Eo was young, she was always shouting about going out, serving a new lord, and making a name for herself on the continent. The Holy King rather encouraged it. He must have known too. That the path to true happiness for this child was not to be confined in the palace, but to go out and live freely.”
“So? How does Eo seem to you now, from what you’ve observed?”
“…”
She was silent for a moment before speaking.
“She seems good. At least, I can tell that you haven’t been neglecting her.”
Eo was at a loss when her childhood stories came up.
As the atmosphere warmed up, I brought up a slightly uncomfortable topic. “…How is the slave life in Crossing?”
“It’s fine.” Surprisingly, Bisketa seemed unbothered. “I knew that Crossing’s slave system was well-organized, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. The fact that even someone like me can take time to meet you secretly like this says it all. Well, being a slave certainly comes with restrictions.”
“If you want, I can free you from slave status. At least, that’s what Eo wants.”
“I’ll have to decline that offer.”
“Why? You said the slave life is fine, but you’re not enjoying it, are you?”
“Of course not. But I’m not alone. There are 700,000 citizens of Kuravel who believe in and depend on me. Can you free all 700,000 of them?”
“700,000…!”
“I promised them. I said that if we endure this difficult time and escape from slave status, I would help them return to their homeland.”
“Is that… A promise that can be fulfilled?”
“It can be fulfilled. King Parain promised me. He said that when the citizens of the Holy Kingdom of KuraVel, including myself, are freed from slave status, he would let us live in our homeland. He also agreed to entrust me with the governance of that region.”
“Don’t you think you’ve been deceived? From Crossing’s perspective, they could easily go back on such a promise as if it never happened.”
“That could be true. But I had no choice but to rely on such words. That’s what it means to fall into slavery.”
If I had a territory, I could have immediately negotiated with King Parain and extracted them all, but I had no such thing.
‘If I had a territory, I could build up power much faster.’
Bisketa spoke as she put down her teacup. “So you don’t need to worry about me. Eo, you don’t need to make that face either. It’s enough if you just come to visit occasionally and show me that face of yours.”
“Holy Chancellor…”
“More importantly, shall we get to the main point? If you were trying to humor me, that’s enough now.”
It seems she knew I was intentionally steering the conversation. She’s not to be underestimated.
“Haha, you saw right through me. Then let’s get straight to it. I’d like you to see a patient.”
“A patient? I’m not a doctor.”
“I know. But it’s an illness that only you can understand.”
“Only I can understand…? No way.”
“Rutger! Come in.”
Then Rutger, who had been waiting outside, entered the room with Estelle.
“…”
Bisketa narrowed her eyes as she looked at Estelle. Then she said to me, “What is this?”
A gaze as if she had witnessed something incomprehensible. I thought she might not know about the disease, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“How did you know that I knew about this disease?”
“Pardon?”
“This is a special disease known only to a few even within the Holy Kingdom of Kuravel. How could you know about it… You’ve even prescribed an ointment. What exactly is going on?”
“Well… I happened to learn about it from a book.”
“That’s impossible. The palace library was burned down by the Holy King before the capital fell. There shouldn’t have been any books taken out! Don’t tell me you read a book written by elves…? That can’t be…”
“Even if you say that, learning about it by chance is still learning about it by chance.”
“…I’m becoming increasingly curious about your identity.”
Thinking that asking further would be meaningless, Bisketa started talking about the disease.
“This is called the punishment of nature.”
“The punishment of nature?”
“Humans who cultivate nature are often objects of contempt for elves. It’s said that half-elves, who are mixed with these humans, receive nature’s punishment, hence the name. Well, for something like that, there are cases where it doesn’t occur under the same conditions, and it doesn’t occur after a certain age, so it’s not a very threatening disease. But once it does occur, it becomes quite frightening. The symptoms are severe.”
Rutger nodded vigorously in agreement.
“That person doesn’t seem to be a half-elf from what I can see. At most, a quarter… No, even less elven blood than that. It’s surprising that the disease occurred despite that. I can only think it was bad luck.”
“What causes the disease?”
“It’s from touching a certain fruit. A fruit called Kam that elves use as a staple food. It grows on Kam trees found in the northeastern part of the continent.”
“Rutger, does this ring any bells?”
But Rutger shook his head. “It was too long ago… I never imagined such a thing could happen because of a fruit… More importantly, can it be treated?”
“It can be treated, although the duration will vary depending on the progression of the disease. Now that the ointment treatment is over, we can start treatment with a decoction right away. The duration… Let’s see. It might take about 10 months to be on the safe side.”
“Oh heavens! Thank you! Thank you so much…!”
Rutger hugged Estelle and wept. Estelle wore a strange expression mixing relief and fear towards me.
“Then, please tell me how to make the decoction.”
“Yes, I’ll tell Eo about it.”
“Huh? Why specifically…”
“Because Eo might need it someday. Right, Eo?”
For some reason, Bisketa smiled meaningfully while looking back and forth between me and Eo.
‘Didn’t she say it doesn’t occur after a certain age? Eo shouldn’t need it.’
Unlike me who was puzzled, Eo blushed and squirmed. “Holy Chancellor! Please stop!”
“Hehe, I’m sure the late Holy King would be pleased too.”
“Ugh…!”
Anyway, this resolved the matter of Estelle’s treatment.
One of the seven vassals.
The recruitment of Rutger Rosenberg, the Ironwall, is now settled.
Footnotes:
1] Gisaeng Orabi is a Korean bad word used to describe pretty boys. I generally do not use Korean terms or honorifics as it breaks the Medieval fantasy settings but this is kinda hard to explain in English.
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Noice