“Th-This is just a scrap of paper. Even a comital daughter, the soldiers won’t obey a woman. And Count Grahm didn’t give you this paper for that purpose. I just have to write and have him withdraw it.”
Governor Zelbeck signaled to the soldiers behind him. The soldiers firmly nodded.
They were the Governor ‘s men. Choosing the Governor they had long interacted with over the noblewoman they met today was natural.
“But isn’t your head also in danger? Tax revenues have continued dropping due to ignoring the monsters. What would Father think if he knew this?”
I mentioned the poor management of Cashew’s territory. Since it was a border region, the low baseline numbers hadn’t drawn notice, but Father would likely replace him immediately if he knew.
Threatened, Zelbeck’s eyes changed color.
“My lady, I’m quite troubled by your misconception. I received orders from Count Grahm to protect the young lady well. If the young lady will not heed me, though it pains me, I will have no choice but to confine you to your quarters.”
Zelbeck declared he would forcibly detain me. He didn’t even intend to give me a chance to send word. But this was also as anticipated.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot I have another document. It’s a copy, but have a look.”
I showed him some more documents and his expression immediately soured.
They were evidence of the Governor ‘s corruption and embezzlement. Underreporting tax revenue, misappropriating public funds.
“Th-This was to, uh, manage this territory. I had no choice. Everyone does this much.”
Zelbeck defended himself. Indeed, this level of conduct probably happened everywhere.
“For the people’s sake? That’s good and all, but selling weapons too is awful, isn’t it? Moreover, those weapons ended up in the hands of bandits who used them. That’s a serious loss of face.”
I brought up Zelbeck’s corrupt practices.
Perhaps carefully to avoid discovery, but the weapons he had sold being used by bandits was problematic. Zelbeck had bribed the investigator looking into the weapon source to drop the matter, but I had spent more money to obtain evidence.
“Selling weapons is a grave offense of treason. You probably can’t escape execution.”
When I pointed out his crimes, killing intent appeared in Governor Zelbeck’s eyes.
“It seems you don’t understand what I’m saying, Lady Romelia.”
That gaze was considerably frightening. At a glance he seemed incompetent, but this Governor was quite bold. In fact, his predecessor had died under mysterious circumstances. Unexpectedly someone not to be underestimated. I might be killed tonight.
“Take the young lady to the tower top. No one is to meet with her. Don’t let her leave for a single step.”
Receiving Governor Zelbeck’s orders, the soldiers approached, but I didn’t resist at all.
“I understand. Please do as you like. I look forward to what excuse you’ll give my father.”
“What do you mean?”
I raised my hands indicating I wouldn’t resist. Governor Zelbeck’s expression changed drastically at my words.
“Didn’t I say that was a copy? The original is with an acquaintance in the capital Gram. If I don’t send word, the original will be made public.”
Hearing my reply, Zelbeck’s eyes opened wide in shock.
“Very well. Men, please take me to my room. I won’t trouble you. I won’t request to see anyone or even write a single letter.”
“Please wait, Lady Romelia.”
Governor Zelbeck grabbed my wrist trying to stop me, but I shook him off.
“How rude to touch a woman’s body without permission. There should still be limits.”
I occasionally forgot that crude as I looked, I was still a comital daughter.
“Please wait, Lady Romelia. What are your demands?”
“No, I will discuss it with your replacement Governor .”
I smiled and replied to the desperately pleading Zelbeck. The Governor ‘s expression was as if he might start crying.
“No, I’ll do it. Command me.”
Governor Zelbeck conceded defeat swiftly.
Looking at the downcast Acting Officer, he sighed inwardly.
Sighing internally at the dejected Governor , things had progressed very smoothly. This was just the first step. How many more remained? I felt a little glum thinking about it. But I promptly pulled myself together again. Because the road was still long.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
After negotiating with Governor Zelbeck, I decided to first change in the assigned room.
I took off the formal dress befitting a comital daughter and changed into the clothes tailored just before.
Over a white blouse was a dark blue top with a wide collar. It was a style I hadn’t seen in the three years, something called a jacket apparently. It had recently come into fashion in the western powerhouse Julian. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with gold thread, very beautiful.
There was a white lily pattern on the chest.
The bottom was black pants. They clung tightly to the skin, clearly outlining the legs, but shouldn’t impede horse riding. Pulling on the black, long boots and a slender sword at my waist completed it. Specially custom-ordered, all of it. Lacking women’s military uniforms, I could only start from scratch.
When going out to battle, I would wear the custom chainmail and breastplate over it, but no need today.
After changing into military garb, I took a leather pouch bigger than my palm and went to the fortress square. There, the soldiers prepared for me by the Governor were assembled in neat ranks.
Zelbeck had swiftly met my demands. Twenty soldiers, three horses, one wagon. He also provided three magical artifacts that exploded when thrown – Burst Magic Stones.
But one look at the soldiers revealed Zelbeck’s intentions. The dispatched soldiers were young and of poor physique. All were new recruits enlisted this year.
Even so, I didn’t plan to use his misconduct as a shield to complain. After all, I had threatened him. I didn’t expect he would readily lend me an elite unit.
Moreover, this was better. Recruits not yet set in bad habits. I would forge them first, molding them into independent soldiers. rousing their motivation was the first step.
I stood before the assembled recruits and greeted them.
“Nice to meet you all. I am Romelia, acting with full authority as eldest daughter of the Grahm comital house. As you’ve likely heard, I will be forming an extermination troop to eradicate the monsters running rampant in the region. Moreover, this extermination troop will also consider battling the Demon King army. I hope you will all work diligently.”
Hearing my words, the recruits broke into laughter.
“Why must we do this? Won’t the army led by your prince, no, the prince who abandoned you, defeat them?”
At the red-haired youth’s insolent words, the others around him laughed too. It seemed my broken engagement with the prince had spread even to such a remote place.
Normally, ridiculing nobles would be troublesome, but I didn’t plan on flaunting cheap self-respect here.
“What is your name?”
I asked the red-haired youth who had spoken.
“It’s Al, milady?”
The youth in his twenties answered with a laugh.
“Al, is it? You seem quite carefree.”
I was a little irritated. Did one become this negligent at the border?
“Al, when do you think the prince’s army will come as you said?”
Al couldn’t immediately answer my question.
“Well…”
As Al hesitated, I answered in his place.
“The answer is never. The kingdom can’t possibly send troops just to defend the borderlands.”
Prince Henry would undoubtedly form an extermination troop to eliminate the Demon King’s forces domestically. But the defensive priority of the kingdom’s army was the trade routes supporting the kingdom’s economy and major population centers. Only the very last reserves would be dispatched to such a borderland.
“Talking like that, people will ridicule you as ignorant of the ways of the world.”
Being called ignorant of the world by a young girl smaller than them irritated the soldiers led by Al. But they should have been more anxious.
“Though I’m younger than you, I know the threat of the Demon King’s army better than anyone from travelling with the prince. The cities and villages destroyed by them were absolutely appalling.”
I recalled the Demon King army’s threat I had witnessed in the past. Even now, the scene still wrenched my heart.
“People who lost homes and fields from the Demon King army’s attacks await either freezing, starving, or wasting away from illness. Though I suppose they’re still fortunate. To describe how gruesome the deaths from the Demon King army and monsters are is beyond my capability with words. The Demon King army either takes captured humans as slaves or tortures them to death. Some are devoured alive by monsters. I can still hear to this day the screams of muscular men shrieking ‘Stop, please don’t eat me!'”
Speaking of the hellish battlefields I had seen with my own eyes, the soldiers fell silent. For recruits who had just enlisted this year, this might have been a little harsh. When I first witnessed that scene, I couldn’t sleep for days, secretly vowing to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible.
The reason I followed that hopeless prince and those women was because I thought of those killed and those who could be killed in the future.
“As Al said, the prince will form an extermination troop, right? What do you think will happen?”
I asked the soldiers.
I didn’t know what process the clash between Prince Henry’s kingdom army and the Demon King army would lead to either. In war, one could never predict what would occur.
However, the Demon King was slain and the Demon King army cut off from supplies – they certainly couldn’t maintain fighting strength. No matter how much time it took, the kingdom’s army would gain victory in the end.
“The kingdom’s army will be victorious. But the defeated Demon King army has no way to flee home. Their homeland lies across the sea on the continent of demons. There are no ships for them to return.”
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