Volume 6 Chapter 37 Post-War Processing
I'm supposed to be recovering with my Sahasrara and Anahata chakra, but various limits are approaching, and I collapsed right after Sieg.
Did I win? I don't know. But I've already reached my limit. Anahata Chakra is strained, and I can't even move a finger.
However, when Sieg stood up, I was terrified.
"I haven't lost yet!"
Sieg slowly approaches me with a turtle's pace. I focus on Anahata Chakra, concentrate, and finally stand up.
"It's not over yet... The fun battle hasn't ended, you bastard...!"
The two of us, still at our limits, swing our fists. Slow fists. We're trying to knock each other out.
"Yes, that's enough. You two, the war is over."
A man's voice stops us. It's a voice I've heard somewhere before.
I wonder who he is. My eyes are blurry, and I can't see him clearly. But even so, I use my last strength to look at him. Red hair. A carefree face.
I open my eyes wide.
"... Al...ex?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm Alex, the big brother of your party and a skilled merchant."
"Why are you... here?"
Alex smiles faintly and looks at Sieg.
Then, he says,
"Sieg, did you bring what I told you to?"
"...In the bag at my waist."
Sieg says, and then collapses on the spot. Alex rummages through the bag tied to Sieg's waist and takes something out.
It's a crown.
Alex puts on the crown Sieg brought, with a satisfied expression.
"...What? Alex, what's... going on?"
"Wade. You've exceeded my expectations in every way. Your growth rate. The results you've achieved. You've become stronger and stronger, and you've even surpassed Sieg, one of the strongest in the world."
So, I'll show my respect to you, who have achieved such greatness. Alex looks at me.
"The merchant Alex is just a disguise. My true identity is that of a notorious war-mongering king. I am the founder of the Alexander Empire and its first emperor. People call me―――."
Alex laughs with a glint in his eye.
"―――The Arrogant King Alexander."
"―――――"
I was left speechless upon hearing that. I was so flustered that my legs gave out, and I ended up sitting on the spot.
Alex offers me a hand, saying,
"Wade, I want to give you a word of praise. You've achieved the best possible result. In the scenario I had planned with the lord of Karditsa, there's no better outcome than this."
"What, what did you say?"
"Anyway, the war is over. We've both played all our hero cards. What's left is just a muddy battle between ordinary people. I won't allow that. So, let's negotiate a peace treaty."
Alex flashes his usual confident smile.
"You must be tired. Take a good rest for now. We'll talk more when you wake up."
I felt my usual sense of relief at his words and lost consciousness on the spot. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard him say,
"But what a mess this is... I don't have enough hands. Ugh, my arms are killing me..."
The next day, I woke up to find myself in a party house.
As I got up from the living room, I saw all the members gathered there. We were supposed to have fought yesterday, but it was as if time had stopped. And in that instant, I was surrounded by 3 wives.
I tilted my head, still dazed, and began eating breakfast. Then Alex appeared and said,
"Good morning. I'll explain what happened, so follow me. We're heading to Lord's manor."
We followed Alex, our eyes wide with wonder.
We arrived at Lord's manor, where the war atmosphere had already dissipated, and everyone was busy with the aftermath. Even the dragon-enclosed cages were being slowly carried away to some corner. There were few soldiers in armor.
As we walked through the manor, Shadowmira appeared and guided us to our usual guest room. Inside, Lord was waiting for us, seated on a lower chair.
"Ah, welcome, Emperor Alexander."
"Ah, Margrave Karditsa. Well, let's talk about the peace treaty."
Alex sat facing us, and we stood behind Lord, somewhat awkwardly. Looking around, I saw Sieg and the Four Heavenly Kings standing behind Alex. Everyone was battered, but Sieg was the most heavily injured.
"Now, let's discuss the outcome of this war, which has ended in a stalemate. The generals of the Fist of the Dragon army and their secret weapons have been defeated, and this war has ended in a draw."
"It's impressive that you've managed to hold out this far, Lord. Your prestige is quite high, even from my standpoint."
Lord nodded in satisfaction at Alex's summary. We just watched their exchange in silence, unable to say anything.
"That's how it is. So, regarding the post-war processing..."
"Yes, I understand."
Alex and Lord nodded to each other, each saying their part.
"From the Alexander Empire, we will grant Margrave Karditsa the title of Marquis within the empire and dispatch magic technicians. You want to develop Rune magic, don't you? Please develop it in Karditsa as well."
"From Karditsa, we will pledge our loyalty to Emperor Alexander. We will leave the Roman Empire and serve the emperor as part of the Alexander Empire."
"Then, let's add a reward. Marquis Karditsa, I will grant you full authority over Karditsa. I expect you to work as diligently as before."
"I am honored. Your Majesty."
The conversation progressed smoothly and cheerfully, but we couldn't keep up. "Well, this is the treaty document. Sign it." "Yes, I will conclude it," Lord said, signing with a flourish.
"That's how it is."
Alex looked at us.
"You will be subjects of the Alexander Empire from now on. I am the emperor. I'll be counting on you, heroes, from now on."
"Huh? Is it okay to talk now?... What's going on, Alex? What are you? I don't understand anything..."
"Did you betray us, or what, right? Wade."
Alex asked me, and I nodded.
"So, Alex, did you betray us? Did you come with the intention of betraying us? Or... I don't know. The shock is too great, and I can't think of anything."
"To sum it up, 'I stopped betraying you' is the correct answer."
Alex clasped his hands together and leaned back in his chair, adopting a relaxed attitude as he began to explain to us.
"Originally, I came to Karditsa to scout out the land for invasion. The day I met you guys was the last day of my scouting mission. I was going to leave Karditsa immediately and start a war."
"What!?"
"But I forgot something and went back to your party house, which was my base, and that's when I met you guys again. I got interested and decided to delay the invasion for a few days to observe you. And then I realized you guys were interesting."
"..."
Alex's story was too unbelievable, and I couldn't even respond.
"So, I kept watching you guys, and you got caught up in an incident and grew stronger, and it was super interesting. I thought, 'This is just like Sieg's comeback,' and I decided to take it seriously and raise you guys."
"And that's the greatest luck Karditsa has ever had."
Lord finished writing the sign and handed it to Alex. Alex checked the document and nodded, "Yes, indeed," before putting it away.
"So, why did you start a war?"
"It was necessary."
Alex cut off my question with a sharp tone. "Well, listen," he continued.
"So, I stopped trying to take down Karditsa just through war. I infiltrated the economy, centered around the large commercial district, and even got involved in Clay's investments. That's how I took control of Karditsa's economy."
"..."
"Finally, I deeply infiltrated this city and judged that killing the lord would be a waste. So, I revealed my identity to the lord and constructed a scenario with him."
In other words, this was the scenario for the war. Alex said.
"As I said earlier, the war was necessary. I had to take Karditsa no matter what. The great dungeon has immense value in national relations, and if it's taken, it can't be retrieved."
Take. Be taken. Alex is the one who took this time. If so, who is the one who was taken? The one who was taken must take it back.
"But, handing over the Karditsa territory through simple negotiations is not a story that goes through, right? First of all, the people of the territory won't agree. The people are the key to the territory. So, we wanted to make it seem like the people won their autonomy through war. It was a war to convince the people."
"This war is quite special, Wade-dono. Normally, a war with so many heroes and no casualties among the soldiers doesn't happen. The number of deaths among the Karditsa people is, as of now, less than a few dozen. And all of them were former members of Nightfather."
"We could've killed a few more, I suppose. Our mercenaries this time are the same, but they're just trash, anyway."
"Well, well, with the war rewards, we can fill their pockets to some extent, and the public order won't deteriorate immediately. We can take advantage of the situation and make our next move."
"That's very kind of you."
Alex and the lord laughed together, and I felt like there was some underlying premise that I didn't know about. I took a breath and let it out.
I asked Alex.
"Why did you go to such great lengths to take Karditsa?"
"To destroy the Roman Empire."
Alex said. His eyes were unlike anything I'd seen before. Not kind eyes like a big brother, nor mad eyes with a hint of madness. But colder, with a deeper, darker emotion.
"Wade-dono, I'd like to add something."
The lord turned to me, and his eyes held the same thing as Alex's.
"The current emperor of the Roman Empire is a monster. He came to this world as a summoned hero, killed the Demon King, and that was fine. But after losing his purpose, he abused his power and committed atrocities."
"That's right. There are many who suffered because of his selfishness, Wade. Those who were killed, those who were ensl*ved, those who were humiliated and trampled upon. There are many such people."
Among them, Alex averted his gaze from me. To the side. I followed Alex's gaze.
"Among them, the ones who suffered the most were the royal family of the old Kingdom of Greece... I was shocked when I reunited with you."
The person pierced by Alex's gaze took a step forward. And then, he turned to face us.
"Now that Alex-san has revealed himself, I no longer need to hide my identity. So, I'd like to reintroduce myself in this place."
"Clay."
Clay straightened his posture and spoke to us.
"My true name is Clayg Holliest Greece. I'm the sole survivor of the royal family of the old Kingdom of Greece, the missing third prince of Greece."
"...Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
Clay smiled, but the color in his eyes was cold at my answer. As I began to sense his true identity, I stiffened my face.
"For me, Karditsa was just a stepping stone to crush the Roman Empire and take over."
Alex began to summarize.
"But the situation changed. With the existence of you heroes-in-training, the Lord, and Clay as an ally. So, this war ended quickly and smoothly, and that's it."
"I thought it was weird."
Sandra said, and Alex shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, it was a weird war. That's right. It was a war where everything was calculated, and only the bad guys and trash died. The rest was just a show where heroes clashed, with the people as the audience. And."
Alex erased his smile.
"The real goal was to lure out the evil Emperor Yuuya Hibiki Roman of the Roman Empire."
It was then that I finally sensed the true nature of the color in his eyes.
It was murderous intent.
"Wade, and all of you in the Wade party. From now on, it's direct negotiations between us."
Along with Alex's words, Lord sat down beside Alex. We looked at each other, and sat down in the chairs facing Alex and Lord.
"...What do you mean by negotiations?"
"Will you join me?"
Alex asked us.
"What do you mean by joining?"
"Are you saying I won't be treated the same as Sieg? Especially you, Wade, you've already become one of the strongest in the world. You can do whatever you want. You have status, honor, and wealth. And above all―――."
Alex smiled at me.
"I'll let you take on the strongest enemy in the world."
Those words made my spine tingle.
"Wade, you're different from Sieg. You're still too strong, and you haven't given up on yourself. You'd rather enjoy the thrill of battle than struggle with difficulties outside your expertise. So, I'll let you do it. And of course, you'll get a reward. I might even make you a noble and give you a territory. You're directly under me, after all, part of the Marquis family."
"...You mean, on par with the Lord?"
"That's right. You don't have to worry about power struggles or social status. Right now, I'm the only one above you."
"That sounds good to me."
"Right? And now, about the main enemy..."
Alex held up 3 fingers.
"Three people. I want you to take on 3 of the strongest in the world."
"Three people, huh?"
"Yeah, 3. First, there's the platinum-ranked Sword adventurer 'Oath'."
Alex folded his index finger.
"Next, there's the Demon King 'Queen Hell' who revived under the great dungeon in the Alexander Empire."
Alex folded his middle finger.
"Last, there's the current emperor of the Roman Empire, Yuuya Hibiki Roman, who's still alive and causing trouble in every country."
Alex folded his ring finger, making a fist.
"I want you to kill these 3. If you do, then it's just Sieg and me left. We'll destroy the Roman Empire, give the old Kingdom of Greece territory to Clay as the Marquis of Greece, and absorb everything into the Alexander Empire."
The conversation was too grand, and I was taken aback. Clay, who was standing next to me, looked at me.
"Wade-kun, please take on this challenge. I, too, want to clear this grudge with you. With your power, I want you to kill that emperor, the detestable Yuuya Hibiki Roman."
I was overwhelmed by the intense atmosphere and heat. When I noticed, everyone in the room was staring at me.
I thought to myself. The 3 strongest enemies. The option to become a noble. What's to come.
I looked at Clay on the opposite side. The 3 lovely ladies who had accepted my proposal. They didn't say a word, just waiting for my decision.
I gazed at the palm of my hand. A year ago, it was like a withered branch. But now, it's tense and sturdy.
So, my conclusion is clear.
"...I was a scrawny dog in Karditsa's slums."
My words were met with silence, without anyone making a joke.
"But I got a chance at the adventurer training center. I'm grateful to Karditsa. If I didn't get that chance, I might still be rummaging through trash cans in the slums. I might have been killed by my crazy old man."
I looked up and saw Alex.
"Alex respected Karditsa and respected me. Come to think of it, you've been helping me all along. So, repaying that debt might be just right."
I looked at Clay.
"Clay has been supporting my party all this time. I don't understand financial management at all, but leaving it to Clay made it a breeze. You've been doing a great job. I want to repay Clay too."
So, I turned to Alex.
"I'll accept. Rather, the story's development is too good to be true, it's worrying. Is it okay? For me to hold the title of the 3 strongest enemies?"
"―――Yeah! Please do, Wade!"
Alex and I firmly shook hands. The tension in the air dissipated, and I could sense it. Clay let out a sigh of relief, muttering "This is all according to plan..."
"Hey, did you know about this war scenario too, Clay?"
"Well, a bit. But wars are wars, and there's no guarantee of victory, so everyone was serious."
"Ah, that's what I said, Wade. You've reached the highest scenario."
It seems that even scenarios have branching routes. Indeed, if I hadn't shown my strength against Sieg, I wouldn't have been offered this story.
As a supplement, Clay gives a few examples.
"As a route, we had planned for Karditsa's defeat from the start. We'd get compensation and no autonomy, that kind of pattern. The scenario where Alex-san puts his heart into developing Karditsa."
"Wade-dono, I'm leaving it to you. I couldn't think of anything else."
"What the...?!"
I blinked, looking at the 2 of them. Then, Sieg, who was standing behind Alex with bandages wrapped around him, approached me.
"We have to hold a welcoming party."
"You're always like that."
Somehow, I felt my energy drain away, and I leaned back against the wall.
"That's how it is, then."
Alex wrapped up the scene.
"Marquis Wade, I'll report your treatment later, so for now, I'm ordering you to wait. First, let's prepare your surname."
"And, yeah. From me as Karditsa's lord, as a reward for your achievements in this war, I'll prepare some compensation. Look forward to it."
"Wade-kun, you're going to become super rich!"
"I have no idea how much our party's total assets are worth."
Everyone in the party laughed at my bitter smile. For now, the war that had been set up without any hidden tricks had come to an end.
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