Clatter The carriage jolted forward. Scenery passed by the window.
I sat facing Acella. Next to Acella was the head maid, and next to me was Tanya.
Leaning against the plush backrest, I flipped through the document handed to me.
“The First Royal Princess faction often goes to the battlefield, right? Are you planning to join them?”
“Just as you said.”
“Northwest, Count Blücher’s Territory. It’s not far from here. We should arrive in five days, and the First Royal Princess faction should meet us around the same time.”
“This is the first battle that the Moonlight Palace is participating in. Exciting, isn’t it?”
“Ah, absolutely!”
I forced a smile.
Acella’s reason for coming all the way to the Marquisate was this from the start.
Since we were going to count’s territory anyway, we used the nearby teleport gate and made the Marquisate our base.
The timing was perfect.
If they had this plan, couldn’t they have let me know in advance? Just to prepare my heart a little.
“Count Blücher’s Territory has been running low on supplies due to prolonged battles with the barbarian tribes. The request for support from the Imperial Family came in a month and a half ago.”
“Heike prepared for deployment as soon as the request came in. It takes a week to prepare the military supplies and a month to march to the Territory.”
“What about our army? The Moonlight Palace Knights and the Second Barracks are at the Imperial Palace, right?”
Instead of answering, Acella confidently lifted her chin.
“You must have already set off while on vacation.”
“Yep. Since we’re allies, Heike will welcome our participation in the campaign.”
This was a tactic to snatch away the merits of external combat that Heike and George had monopolized.
As expected of Acella. I had no idea she had set up such a crafty plan.
I read the next page of the document.
“Is the barbarian tribe the Thunder Tribe?”
“There haven’t been any reports. So the barbarians have factions, huh? Prince, do you know much about them?”
“To a certain extent. To put it simply, if they wield stone weapons, they’re the Rock Tribe, and if they wield iron weapons, they’re the Thunder Tribe.”
“Then it’s probably the Rock Tribe.”
“Seems so.”
I scrolled through the ending list in the status window.
[No. 032: Corrupted Barbarians 17%]
[No. 035: Barbarian Invasion 8%]
…
There are several bad endings related to the barbarians.
They are a large faction living in untamed wild lands. They cannot be underestimated due to imminent incidents.
Above all, the [Corrupted Barbarians] ending.
Before the magic troops opened the teleport gate in the demon king’s territory, the hero party defended against the demons invading the empire.
The demons attacked the empire using all sorts of tricks, including infecting the barbarians with magic to use them as pawns.
‘But the invading barbarians were random every time.’
There are several tribes of barbarians.
The Rock Tribe, whom we’re going to eradicate now, has low intelligence but considerable physical strength. If they become subordinates of the Demon King’s army, it will be tough to stop them.
On the other hand, the Thunder Tribe, perhaps due to the chieftain’s strong will, isn’t completely subjugated.
They are tribes that can communicate, leaving room for compromise and negotiation.
[Corrupted Barbarians] occurs when the Rock Tribe wins the internal conflict, growing overwhelmingly strong, while [Barbarian Invasion] signifies the empire’s defeat to either side.
‘If possible, weakening the Rock Tribe’s power is in my best interest.’
And coincidentally, we’re headed to eradicate the Rock Tribe.
If luck is on my side, I might just delete the troublesome [Corrupted Barbarians] ending due to the random occurrence.
I asked Tanya.
“Have you fought against the barbarians before, Commander?”
“Yes. I encountered small groups while eradicating demons in the northern forest.”
“Did you win?”
“Of course.”
Tanya answered confidently to Acella.
“Recently, rumors about Tanya’s swordsmanship skills have been circulating.”
“I’m honored.”
It seems like Tanya’s talents are already shining through in the knights’ ranks if the rumors had even reached Acella.
“Didn’t they say they’d give you a spot in the Second Regiment?”
“Oh, you knew?”
The royal knights’ second regiment had become part of the Moonlight Palace faction along with the barracks.
Recently, Tanya used it for training facilities.
Since she had been going back and forth since before the martial arts tournament, it seems she had bonded enough with the second regiment commander to share swords.
“Actually, I recently received an offer to take on the role of battalion commander based on my experience in the marquis’ knights.”
“With your commanding skills, you could aim for not just battalion but even regiment commander. What do you think? Does it make you want to join?”
Even though I threw it out casually, Tanya answered seriously.
“I have my duty as your guard knight. Currently, I’m with the Moonlight Palace faction, but I haven’t officially left the Gothberg Knights yet. I’ll focus on my duty for the time being.”
Tanya is not someone who would stop at just being my guard knight for life.
Although it’s still a distant future, when the Demon King’s army appears and war breaks out, I expect Tanya, who will become a Swordmaster, to make significant contributions.
I’m hoping she’ll help delete a few bad endings.
I would also like to see Tanya grow stronger.
“While it’s reassuring to have you guarding me, wouldn’t that hinder your own growth? It’d be a reversal of our roles. I could recruit a couple more knights for my guard and rotate between them, leaving you with some time to work in the second barracks.”
“Hmm.”
Tanya seemed to contemplate my suggestion.
“You want to improve your sword skills, right?”
“Yes, but it’s also true that there’s a limit in the barracks.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A strong knight cannot be perfected without actual combat.”
“Well, that works out perfectly.”
Acella nodded and said.
“It’s the perfect opportunity for you to gain the practical experience you need, Tanya. If it’s against the barbarians, there will be plenty of chances to hunt.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Determination shone in Tanya’s eyes.
Afterward, our tedious journey continued.
About three days in, we had run out of things to talk about, and everyone had become quiet.
But I didn’t want to waste time.
‘The northwest is at a high altitude. The rugged mountain terrain is much colder than the marquisate due to its higher latitude.’
We were heading south since we had to go around the mountain range.
There was a strangely warm area. Looking out the window, I noted the surrounding scenery.
“Let’s stop the carriage for a moment.”
I got off the carriage to check the dense tree species.
‘It’s a coca tree.’
I chewed on a leaf to analyze the components and was convinced it belonged to the same family, though not precisely the same species.
It was that very leaf that could help extract narcotic ingredients. It can’t be cultivated in Korea.
Once upon a time, it was also used in soda.
“Prince, were you that hasty?”
Ignoring Acella, I collected as many leaves as I could with Tanya.
“What’s all this?”
“Materials for making medicine. It will come in handy in the highlands.”
Acella grumbled as she saw the leaves filling the carriage while reading a book.
As I was getting somewhat used to the carriage motion sickness, I suddenly felt a weight on my shoulder.
“Hmm….”
Since Acella seemed tired from the long trip, she had leaned her face against my shoulder and fallen fast asleep.
Thanks to that, I had to stop my movements while preparing the medicine.
I mindlessly sniffed Acella’s crown, and a soft cherry blossom scent wafted up.
I had just washed my body with water from the stream I found yesterday, so how was she so clean?
Even the river was freezing cold to the point of risking a heart attack.
I know that as royalty, she needs to maintain her dignity, but can’t she share a little with me?
The head maid must have worked tirelessly to bring hot water and bubble baths in this extreme environment.
‘How infuriating.’
Feeling a bit mischievous, I leaned my head into Acella’s hair and rubbed it against her.
At least that should give me the effect of some cologne.
Hmm, I feel a bit cleaner now.
“……”
Across from us, Tanya was looking at me and Acella with a naughty smile.
It was too bothersome to even ask what she meant, so I closed my eyes and decided to lean against Acella.
Later, I found out Acella could use a bathing spell. With one wave of her hand, she could be fluffy in an instant.
If she has such a practical magic, she should use it. It didn’t look that hard.
It was a rather inconvenient expedition.
*
Exactly on the fifth day, we entered Count Blücher’s Territory.
Though not as significant as the Marquisate, the Territory is still an important place for border defense. Its rugged mountains make it hard for outsiders to invade, hence the lower priority.
Due to its environment, the population was smaller than the average count’s territory, with small villages sparsely distributed across the mountains.
“Your Highness, do you have a headache?”
I asked Acella.
“I’m fine. My hands and feet don’t feel as cold anymore.”
“That’s thanks to the new medicine you made. As expected, your preparation is excellent.”
Tanya added.
I had just distributed high-altitude sickness medicine and frostbite prevention ointment to all our party members.
Fortunately, it seems to be working.
We bundled up tightly and stepped into the southern fortress, treading the softly falling snow.
“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for your arrival, Third Royal Princess.”
The commander of the First Barracks welcomed us as he opened the heavy iron gates.
“Where’s Heike?”
“He’s been waiting as well. I’ll guide you.”
Acella, Tanya, and I headed straight up to the top of the tower without a moment’s rest.
With a knock, as the door opened, several gazes turned to us inside.
Among them was also Heike.
It seemed they were having a strategy meeting with the knights, as a large map was spread out across a table.
“Acella, you made it here on time.”
“It seems you’re in good spirits, Heike.”
Acella and Heike exchanged light greetings.
Afterward, Heike turned his gaze to me and offered a slight smile.
“It’s been a while, Gothberg.”
“I’m well, Your Highness.”
“Of course.”
Heike asked Acella.
“When will the main force of the Second Barracks arrive?”
“They’re scheduled to arrive in two days.”
“Hmm. We need to finish our arrangements here in the meantime. Let’s assess the situation.”
We gathered around the map.
The mountains nearby, along with bases, units, and enemy barbarian tribes were marked.
“Our forces have superiority. There are already twelve hundred from the First Regiment gathered, along with four hundred from the Second Regiment that Acella will bring, and the archery squad, totaling one thousand seven hundred. The number of barbarians is estimated to be around a thousand.”
“Considering the personal combat ability levels, we should be able to eliminate them overwhelmingly.”
“However, there are concerns,”
The First Regiment Commander spoke.
“What concerns?”
The commander answered Acella.
“Our First Regiment knights are unfamiliar with this terrain.”
“Terrain, you say?”
“It’s high-altitude mountains and cold.”
Heike remarked.
“The barbarians seem fine with this terrain, but the royal knights do not. Many have fainted, complaining of strange headaches, and some have suffered injuries from the cold.”
“The healers have already used up significant divine power. If our combat effectiveness diminishes before we even start the operation…”
Worry was etched on both Heike’s and the commander’s faces.
I stepped forward.
“The headaches are caused by altitude sickness. The injuries from the cold are due to frostbite.”
It’s no wonder that the heavy armors of the First Barracks would lead to more injuries in such an environment.
Heike turned to me and asked.
“Gothberg, do you know how to solve this?”
Of course, I knew well.
What Heike wanted was already in my pocket.
“Absolutely.”
A smile spread across Heike’s face.
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