Side: Fionha Reiga Jilva (Jilva III)
King of the Jilva Empire
BOOM!!
The loud sound jolted me awake that morning.
W-What's going on?
We were up until late last night holding a council meeting specifically regarding those mercenaries...
"Is anyone there!?"
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Imperial Guards stationed right outside my chambers responded immediately to my call.
Hmm, seeing that the Guards themselves aren't actively panicking or scrambling, does it mean it is not a catastrophic emergency?
"It sounds terribly rowdy out there. What has occurred?"
"Sir! It appears the commotion is coming from the quarters allocated to the mercenaries who arrived yesterday."
"What?! What do you mean by that?! I explicitly ordered that no one was to lay a hand on them!!"
Finally realizing that an unimaginably disastrous situation was unfolding, I threw myself out of bed.
"Apparently, some individuals who were not present at the scene yesterday acted on their own and attempted to attack them in their sleep. However, they claimed that if they managed to kill them, there would be no problem."
"Those fools! What were they planning to do if they failed? No, more importantly—if the gap between us could be bridged simply by attacking them in their sleep, then I myself would have attempted poisoning or an ambush yesterday!"
We are no longer at that level.
The disparity in raw strength between those mercenaries and our forces is utterly overwhelming.
The only thing we can possibly do right now is avoid turning them into enemies at all costs.
If possible, we must grant their desires and coax them over to our side.
That was the absolute consensus reached during last night's council meeting.
And as for the outcome of such an ambush, anyone who had witnessed yesterday's display firsthand would have known exactly how it would end.
"P-Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty!! A report! The mercenaries—rather, our guests—have captured every individual who laid a hand on them! They are requesting an audience with the person responsible!"
A soldier rushed into the room shortly after to deliver the report.
...Just as expected, they were effortlessly captured.
Seeing that they weren't outright slaughtered, it seems our guests still possess plenty of leeway.
Dammit, why did they have to capture them instead of killing them? Because of this, I am forced to personally take responsibility for their actions.
If they had simply been killed on the spot, I could have at least excused it by claiming they had already paid for their crimes with their lives...
"...Understood. Have them brought to the Throne Room. As for handing over the attackers……"
"The guest stated he would hand them over directly upon meeting the person in charge, completely ignoring our requests to take custody of them."
"...Naturally."
If we were allowed to dispose of them behind closed doors on our own terms, we could make up any excuse we pleased.
Well, that would only apply if our standing was superior to theirs.
...But in a way, this turn of events might actually be a blessing in disguise.
If my subordinates were to act on their own authority again by covering up the incident or feigning ignorance, the mercenaries would gladly use it as the perfect pretext to assault us without a shred of hesitation.
Although we didn't speak extensively yesterday, even if their true motives remain entirely obscured, I can fully comprehend why they chose to march directly into the royal castle.
It was to bypass tedious complications.
While the current situation is undoubtedly a massive headache, if they had attempted to follow standard protocol to request an audience, bow their heads, and obtain what they wanted, it would have been vastly more troublesome than what they are doing now.
Even if they chose to suppress us with that terrifying power of theirs, it is obvious that we would stubbornly resist them to the bitter end—myself included. We still possess our pride, after all.
"What an incredibly troublesome bunch..."
While their methods appear utterly outrageous on the surface, they are calculated with exquisite precision.
Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to nod our heads and accept the mercenaries' demands.
We engaged in the sheer blunder of launching a surprise assault only to be completely repelled, all while knowing full well that the entire nation would crumble if they were to truly run amok.
"...I see. So that is why he imposed a strict three-day deadline."
At this moment, I finally grasped the true underlying intent of the mercenary leader named Yuki.
This entire situation was deliberately induced.
To hold a council, reach a conclusion, and deliver a final response within a mere three-day window means that, no matter how one looks at it, the gravity of the situation would only be understood by the heavy weights residing within the castle.
Although I did issue strict orders not to lay a hand on the mercenaries, to the average soldier, they are nothing more than common thugs who burst into the royal castle out of nowhere with their dirty boots.
If those soldiers are left to sit on the orders from above while believing that slaying these invaders would bring them immense honor, what else could possibly happen?
Brandishing the banner of righteousness for the sake of the nation, they challenged them to a battle without ever anticipating their own defeat.
As a result, the mercenaries have successfully obtained the perfect leverage to force their demands upon us, leaving us with no choice but to comply.
Even if we wished to buy more time, the threat of the three-day deadline—combined with our subordinates rushing blindly ahead—has effectively shortened our remaining time to practically nothing.
"Furthermore, because of this incident, the soldiers stationed within the royal capital will never dare to raise a hand against those mercenaries again..."
The mercenaries' overwhelming power has been thoroughly demonstrated, and I will be issuing an exceptionally severe decree declaring them entirely untouchable.
The only people still capable of acting against them would be the expeditionary armies currently deployed elsewhere... but they had no reason to target people who were now officially treated as honored guests.
I believed that if we utilized a massive force, we could easily overwhelm the mercenaries through sheer numbers since they are currently few in count. However, this morning's uproar has made it absolutely impossible to ever turn them into our enemies.
With this assault hanging over our heads, it is safe to assume that a blade is already pressed firmly against our throats... If information regarding the eradication of the mercenaries were to carelessly leak to the legions, our heads would undoubtedly roll before we could even realize it.
Good grief, my mind is entirely consumed by nothing but dreadful thoughts.
For now, I must focus on doing what needs to be done.
First and foremost, I must meet with the mercenaries and negotiate to settle this matter as amicably as possible...
The moment I stepped into the Throne Room, the high-ranking ministers who had participated in last night's meeting were already gathered.
"...What do you intend to do now, Your Majesty?"
"If things go poorly, the history of the Jilva Empire could very well come to an end this very day..."
"Guh... those damned foolish soldiers!"
Most of the voices echoing through the room were filled with lamentations over the current reality, while several ministers hurriedly approached me to speak.
"—Alright, alright. Sorry to disturb you all so early in the morning."
Suddenly, a relaxed voice resounded through the chamber, instantly drawing everyone's undivided attention.
Now... what did he intend to do?
The leader, Yuki entered the throne room casually, showing no signs of anger whatsoever.
"Insolent bastards, show some respect!!"
Seeing the mercenaries enter the Throne Room without a care for standard court etiquette, one of the soldiers stationed as a guard lashed out in anger, placing his hand upon the hilt of his sword.
This is bad.
If this escalates any further, the problem will only become more catastrophic. No, if things go poorly, Jilva will end right here.
"Stop it!! We are the ones who committed the outrageous act of a nighttime raid in the first place. It is unreasonable to demand manners from them now."
"Guh..."
If one were to strictly argue the point, they were the ones who barged into the royal castle with their boots on and caused all this chaos, meaning they are technically in the wrong. However, they possess the absolute power to enforce their will, while we do not.
Yes, that is the unvarnished reality of our situation.
"Now then. I heard you wished to hand over the criminals directly to the responsible party?"
Standing around Yuki were roughly five of my soldiers, all tightly bound in ropes.
...Hmm?
They are not part of the Imperial Guard... which division do they belong to?
Was something strange occurring within this country...? No... This was a vast empire. There had been countless assassination attempts and conspiracies since our forced annexations. Yet we had crushed them all.
Was this another such incident...? If this wasn't simply youthful recklessness, then the matter was extremely serious.
I would need to investigate the people behind it... No matter what, we had to take custody of those soldiers ourselves.
"Well, you seem to be deep in thought over all sorts of things, but they did defy a royal decree. I figured it would be bad news if I carelessly handed them over to some random subordinate."
Does this man realize that this incident was not orchestrated under my direct orders?
"I see. You have my gratitude. They have indeed violated a royal command. I must pass judgment upon them personally."
"Seems there are plenty of people—including me—that you couldn't judge, but well, fine."
"Guh..."
Can he not proceed with the conversation without tossing a sarcastic remark first?
"At any rate, due to your side's utter mismanagement, the ladies on our team had their quarters infiltrated and were subjected to being seen in rather immodest states. Now then, as for what you intend to offer by way of apology, I'll leave that entirely up to your discretion. After all, I'm the one who deliberately provoked everyone by setting such a short deadline. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to weed out the ones who refuse to listen to your orders, didn't it?"
As I thought, this man had completely engineered this outcome from the very beginning.
While he claimed it was a warning, his true intention was to utilize us to eliminate any individuals who might prove to be a hindrance to their future operations, ensuring they could move about with complete freedom later on.
Dammit, the fact that he is actively playing a part in rooting out my own domestic enemies makes it even more infuriating.
"We will stay here leisurely for about two weeks. Well, we'll play the role of bait, so do your best. We'll take appropriate compensation, of course."
With those words, Yuki casually pushed the captured soldiers over to the Imperial Guards.
Behind him, the demi-human woman, the female knight, and the young children were glaring at us.
If Yuki hadn't responded this way, there's a high chance this castle would already be empty of people.
"...Understood. Regarding the reward, we shall somehow have it prepared within those two weeks."
"Awesome. If you happen to need any cooperation from our end, just let me know. We fully intend to make good use of the Jilva Empire ourselves, after all. As long as there's a profit in it for us, we'll lend a hand. Well then, we're gonna go grab some breakfast."
Just as Yuki turned to lead his subordinates out of the room, he paused right before exiting and turned back toward me.
"Oh, come to think of it, where did Steve go?"
"Steve?"
"Yeah, the Goblin who came along with us."
That irregular goblin...
I can't afford to treat him carelessly, so I assigned him a room.
"...I'm right here-ssu."
A goblin wrapped in rough cloth suddenly appeared inside the throne room.
"Oh, there you are... Where exactly did they have you staying?"
"...The stable-ssu."
"Pffft! Hahaha! What kind of RPG is this!?"
"...Shut up. At least my mana recovered. Sleeping in a stable might actually be useful for magic power recovery experiments-ssu."
"Really? I figured you needed a proper sleeping environment for mana recovery."
"Who knows? Since my level is completely off the charts, my natural recovery rate is entirely different from standard metrics. I'd probably need to test it under different conditions to know for sure-ssu..."
"But still. It's not often you get to sleep in a stable worse than a tent."
While they chatted cheerfully, the rest of us turned pale.
The one who had essentially cut down the magic sword wielder and numerous royal guards and soldiers was this goblin.
To throw such a monstrous entity into the stables... Was it sheer incompetence, or is there truly someone acting maliciously behind the scenes?
"Immediately summon the individual who guided Steve to his quarters! Launch a thorough investigation into their background and connections at once!!"
"""At once, Your Majesty!!!"""
The high-ranking ministers who were fully aware of yesterday's harrowing events immediately agreed with my decree and scrambled to begin the investigation.
And yet, to think that he could be subjected to such abysmal treatment and not display even a single shred of anger.
"Still, would a normal person just quietly accept staying in a stable without complaining?"
"I mean, even if I threw a tantrum, it would've just taken up more time, right? I can easily use magic to make the environment perfectly comfortable anyway. I just figured I'd wait until I grouped up with the Boss today to have things sorted out-ssu."
"Ah, well, given the general status of Goblins around here, I guess it makes sense."
"Right?"
To think a Goblin could speak so fluently and possess such sharp intellect.
On top of that, his raw strength surpasses every single individual within the entire Jilva Empire.
And Yuki is the one who commands him.
...Just who on earth are you people?
