Johann Geller read through the front-page article in the newspaper.
An article titled "The Imperial Capital Revitalized by the Visit of the Fourth Duke" reported that the city had regained its vibrancy thanks to Werner Chartra’s visit, relaying the excited sentiments of its citizens.
“So the brute I thought only knew how to swing a sword knows how to pull stunts like this too.”
Scoffing under his breath, Johann flipped the page to find yet more embarrassing praise.
Still, it was more informative than the vague flattery of the front page.
“A joint drill by the Imperial Army and Royal Guards, followed by a parade through the capital, huh.”
This implied that even the Royal Guards were, for now, not opposing Chartra’s actions. But how long that would last was uncertain.
A suspicious Emperor would never keep someone like Chartra at his side for long.
At worst, the Royal Guards and the Imperial Army could end up drawing blades against each other. No—they will.
And no matter who won, it would be an opportunity for the dukes, Johann Geller included.
“Victor here, sir.”
“Come in.”
At the familiar voice, Johann replied warmly.
A man dressed in black, exhausted to the bone, entered with a slight nod.
“How was the capital?”
“Chartra seems to have taken full control for now. He deployed twenty thousand troops within the city, and counting those stationed outside, the total exceeds one hundred thousand.”
A hundred thousand.
Too many to simply suppress the Royal Guards, but too few to launch a full-scale war in the capital.
He must’ve split his forces to keep the other dukes in check.
“And the other dukes?”
“All but one have agreed to your plan, sir.”
“Well done.”
Johann gave a curt nod of praise, and Victor, just as calmly as he had entered, turned to leave.
“By the way, when did you last take a break?”
“Hard to say. Probably not since the Three Blades all rested together six years ago.”
“Already? Then how about you take some time off, Victor?”
Victor frowned, clearly uneasy with the idea.
Johann chuckled at the expression.
“I hear Novosibir’s nice and cool this time of year.”
“…Novosibir, huh. Understood.”
With a reluctant expression, Victor departed, and Johann unfolded the newspaper again.
Whatever Valheit was plotting, Johann wasn’t about to let him run loose.
***
Three hours later, the Border Guard had secured most of the Demon Tribe’s sector.
Only the temporary shelters on the outskirts, where the outsiders stayed, remained.
“What are those outlanders doing?”
“They’ve blocked the entrance with makeshift barriers, but it doesn’t seem like they’re preparing to fight. Looks like they’re buying time to escape.”
“No guesses—give me facts.”
I lowered my voice, and the commander stiffened.
“Y-Yes! We confirmed that they’ve taken down their tents.”
“Hm.”
Even considering their numbers had increased from rescuing slaves, their withdrawal was sluggish.
If they were acting on my prediction, they should’ve already fled Novosibir.
Are they planning a counterattack?
A full-on clash with the Border Guard was impossible, of course—but a diversionary attack to create an escape route was plausible.
Especially with Til involved. In fact, because she was involved, bold tactics were more than likely.
If the Demon Tribe managed to break through and the Guard couldn’t handle it, they’d have no choice but to call in the Imperial Army.
That had to be avoided.
“What shall we do, Count?”
The pamphlets I’d told Stunner to prepare weren’t ready yet.
I needed to stall for time.
“They may make a small push to secure an escape route. Position troops in defensible spots. Also—”
“Also…?”
“Let’s propose negotiations.”
“Negotiations? But would those savages even agree to—”
“They’ll agree. They need time too. I’ll go personally, so don’t worry.”
The commander nodded, visibly relieved.
He must’ve thought he’d have to face the Demon Tribe himself.
I had worried he might pry too much, but this made things easier.
“How will you…?”
“I’ll go speak to them directly.”
“Personally? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Do I look like I can’t handle a bunch of demons?”
The commander shook his head vigorously. I gave a satisfied smile and stood.
“Don’t move your troops without permission during the negotiation. Our goal is to quietly send them to the Federation. Don’t forget that.”
“Of course.”
Though even if I told him to, he probably couldn’t manage it.
As I stepped out of the rattling tavern door, one of Cesare’s men was waiting for me.
“Tell Stunner he can deliver the goods once everything’s settled.”
It was an abbreviated message, but Cesare’s man nodded without question.
***
I strolled past the Border Guard’s defensive line in the alley and stood in front of the Demon Tribe’s barricade.
It was quiet, but I could feel someone watching.
“Greetings.”
A sharp twang—an arrow landed right next to my foot.
I recognized whose arrow it was.
“Glad to see you’re in good health, Miss Hillia.”
“Get lost.”
A sharp voice came from beyond the barricade.
Given what had happened last time, it was a relatively gentle response.
“The Border Guard has authorized me to negotiate. They’ve got plenty to worry about, too.”
“……”
“Even if you beat the Guard, the Imperial Army comes next. I won’t be able to help you then.”
No response.
But I heard murmurs—seemed like they were discussing it.
After ten minutes of patient waiting, a reply came.
“No thanks. We’re not shaking hands with someone who stabbed us in the back.”
“Is that so? That’s unfortunate.”
They probably had a plan of their own, so they’d naturally be wary of sudden negotiations.
I expected this much pushback.
“I was going to hand over the ledgers, but if talks are off, I suppose there’s no helping it.”
“Wait—the human trafficking ledgers?”
This time it was Noah’s voice, not Hillia’s.
So he’d spent the last ten minutes gathering the others.
“Yes, those.”
“Then hand them over first.”
“They’re still on their way here.”
My offhanded reply left them momentarily speechless.
“…Fine. But you come alone. We’ll talk on our terms.”
“Of course. That was always the plan.”
The hard part would be calming the furious demons down.
If it blew up, I’d just use Til as a shield and retreat.
Lightheartedly, I climbed over the barricade and entered their temporary shelter.
***
“Thanks for the warm welcome.”
“No need for sarcasm.”
Noah shot back flatly.
I’d expected hostility, but negotiating while surrounded by demons was something else.
Some of the larger ones must’ve joined after the slave rescue.
Just looking at them was intimidating.
Of course, what annoyed me most was Til standing at a distance, arms crossed and feigning disinterest.
She was clearly amused by my predicament and struggling not to grin.
“I’ll let the previous fight slide, Count Valheit.”
“So I’m supposed to say ‘thank you’ now?”
Musclebound demons on either side of me growled at the sarcasm.
If Noah hadn’t stopped them, fists would’ve flown.
“We’ve seen good and bad from you, so let’s start from scratch.”
“We’ll decide after hearing you out.”
The atmosphere remained hostile.
It wasn’t just intimidation—they were clearly trying to take the lead.
“The Border Guard’s offer has two parts: leave Novosibir, and head to the Northern Federation.”
“They’re choosing our destination too?”
“I don’t know what you think, but the Guard’s in a tight spot.”
Noah didn’t interrupt again and simply listened.
“They believe you kidnapped the Emperor’s uncle. Of course, we all know the real culprit is someone else.”
You.
I shrugged under Noah’s glare.
“If this continues, the Emperor will punish them. So they’re yelling in public but negotiating in secret. It’s mutually beneficial.”
“This is your proposal, not theirs.”
I didn’t deny it—it was true.
But the part about mutual benefit wasn’t a lie.
“You might not know much about Imperial politics, but the Emperor of Eslick is a stubborn idiot. He’ll chase you until he finds his uncle.”
“What, planning a coup or something?”
Not exactly. He just gave away the fish without asking.
I didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding.
“Close enough. The point is, once word gets to him, it won’t be the Border Guard—it’ll be the army chasing you.”
“So you’re saying we need to run to another country.”
“That’s right.”
Noah exchanged looks with Hillia.
The two stepped aside to talk, leaving me with the beefy demons.
“Take your time. I’m not in a rush!”
Waving them off with a smile, I sat down with the intimidating ones.
Til, watching from afar, waved at me as if to say you handle it, then walked away.
Just as I was sitting awkwardly, I saw a familiar face rushing past.
“Mr. Karl, is everything alright?”
“…You? What are you doing here?”
Karl frowned, then suddenly strode toward me.
“Did you call them?”
“Pardon?”
“The guys in black. With the emblem of three swords side by side.”
I didn’t call anyone like that—but I knew exactly who he meant.
“They showed up? Where exactly?”
“We tracked them up to Novosibir, but lost them after that. Who are they? I can tell it’s bad news.”
“They’re likely the private soldiers of the First Duke. That emblem is used by his elite units.”
Shit. What the hell are they doing here?
I had said “elite” casually, but in truth, they were the First Duke’s special forces—assassins.
They were the ones who harassed the protagonist the most during the civil war, and after Valheit’s death, they rose as major villains.
They’d never come to a rural town like Novosibir without a reason.
“Falsh—or rather, Count Valheit. Be straight with me. Is this bad news for us?”
“For me, definitely. For you… I’m not sure. Depends why they’re here.”
Karl’s face contorted into a grimace—it was kind of funny, honestly.
But I was just as rattled.
I’d assumed the First Duke was too busy with the mess in the capital.
“Wait. How did you guess it was bad news? It’s not just because they look sketchy, is it?”
“Well…”
Karl hesitated, then launched into a string of mumbled curses, judging by the tone.
“Two of us got hit. Didn’t even attack first. Just while tracking them.”
“Dead?”
“One died instantly. The other was severely injured, so I left him with someone else and kept pursuing.”
“Then both are dead by now.”
“What?”
“I know their kind. The survivor was left alive on purpose—to slow your pursuit. Once they shook you, they’d have cleaned up.”
Even worse.
Now Karl was likely on their list too.