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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 91 - Great Intentions
“We need to discuss the escort schedule and route. I’m afraid I must ask you to excuse us for a moment, Your Grace.”
“...”
Aslan gave the Northern Grand Duke a look.
The Grand Duke understood, nodding silently as he stood up.
It was obvious that his presence here would not be of much help in persuading Merilda.
No, if anything, he would only end up coddling her too much and getting in the way.
Holding back tears, the Grand Duke rose from his seat.
‘This is so uncomfortable.’
And instead of truly leaving, he merely moved to the next table over, glaring sharply.
With a deep sigh, Aslan brought up the topic, speaking to Merilda, who sat across from him, silently focusing on her meal.
“My Lady, would you cooperate with us?”
“Hmph.”
Although she heard him, she made it clear she intended to ignore him.
Merilda merely scoffed and bit into her food again without even sparing Aslan a glance.
Seeing this, Charlotte and Julia trembled, itching to say something.
As expected, this young lady was completely spoiled...!
“My Lady, I respect your right to refuse, but at least hear us out before—”
“Alright, I’ll listen.”
“...”
As soon as Yuri spoke, Merilda immediately turned her head.
Her eyes shone brightly as she focused on her, showing more intense concentration than ever.
Charlotte and Julia were momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in attitude.
“How ridiculous. Isn’t she a gi—”
“Charlotte! Shh! Shh...!”
Julia quickly clamped her hand over Charlotte’s mouth before she could accidentally let the secret slip.
That’s something we can’t say right now!
To gain the Lady’s cooperation, there was no other way but to rely on Yuri’s charm!
‘But isn’t this basically tricking her?’
Julia suddenly felt uncertain.
Hadn’t Aslan said that he wouldn’t deceive the Lady?
Wouldn’t it be wrong for Yuri to pretend to be a man to charm her?
But then again—
‘Oh! It’s not like we’re the ones tricking her. It’s her misunderstanding, so it should be fine!’
After all, we never explicitly said Yuri was a man, right?
The Lady just made that assumption on her own!
In the end, Julia adopted Aslan’s reasoning and accepted it.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Count. I came here because I was hungry. Not to discuss some escort plan. I’m not planning to run away from Ester out of fear of the Monster Wave, not now, not ever.”
“You say ‘not ever’? What are you, singing a song?”
“That’s not it, Charlotte...”
Merilda made her stance quite clear.
Yuria might be able to sway her a bit, but...
Leaving Ester was already a decision she had firmly rejected.
Her expression seemed to say that there was no way she would change her mind.
“If you stay here, My Lady, the soldiers will have difficulty focusing on the fight. As long as there is a possibility of danger befalling you, no one will be able to shake off their anxiety.”
“Hmph. And what should I do about that? They need to overcome such things. The soldiers' families are still in Ester, aren’t they? Are they worried about me, but not their own families? That’s impossible. It’s all just excuses.”
“...”
She had a point.
Aslan swallowed the bitter truth and took a deep breath.
Indeed, she wasn’t just a child throwing a baseless tantrum.
It seemed it would be difficult to sway her with superficial arguments.
‘Merilda simply doesn’t want to be treated like an idol.’
The entire fortress city viewed Merilda like some sort of idol.
But that wasn’t what Merilda wanted at all.
Merilda didn’t want to be a mere idol.
“As someone who aspires to be a ruler who will one day stand above her people, how could I flee and abandon them? Especially not for some petty danger!”
“...”
Merilda wanted to be a ruler.
Not someone who avoided danger, but someone who faced it head-on.
Someone who stood with her people.
How could this gap be bridged?
After contemplating for a while, Aslan came up with a scheme.
“Sigh. So you still think this is about fleeing?”
“...What?”
“I thought a smart lady like you would have figured it out by now, but it seems you haven't grasped the true meaning behind heading to the capital.”
“A deeper meaning? What kind of meaning could there be? Besides running away pathetically, what other reason is there for going to the capital...!”
Merilda reacted fiercely, shaking her head, but Aslan just sighed.
Yes, that was the response he was waiting for.
At first, she didn’t even want to respond properly, making it clear she wasn’t interested.
But now that he’d pricked her pride, Merilda wouldn’t be able to just back out of the conversation.
“Do you really not know?”
“Hah! Go on, say it! It’s probably some meaningless nonsense anyway!”
“Every year, the fortress city of Ester faces the Monster Wave. During that time, everyone must live in constant fear, unsure when monsters might climb over the walls or break through. It’s exhausting.”
“I know that much.”
“Calming the people’s fears is the duty of a true ruler, isn’t it? His Grace the Grand Duke had another reason beyond mere evacuation for sending the heirs to the capital during the Monster Wave. That reason is education.”
“...?”
Education?
Is he talking about studying?
What’s the point of that?
Merilda tilted her head in confusion.
“His Grace wished for you to spend the time during evacuation in the capital, where there are ample educational resources, focusing on your studies. Isn’t that right, Your Grace?”
“Uh, uh, yes! That’s correct! Precisely!”
The Northern Grand Duke nodded hurriedly, startled.
At this, Aslan secretly flashed a sly smile.
He had said he wouldn’t deceive the Lady.
But once he reached an agreement with the Grand Duke, it ceased to be deception, didn’t it?
Of course, in truth, the Grand Duke's reason for sending his heirs away was to prevent the possibility of losing all of them in a worst-case scenario.
But just now, the evacuation had gained a new purpose.
“Wh-What!? Father! You’ve never said anything like that!”
“He probably wanted you to realize it for yourself.”
“But I can study here in Ester just as well! Are you saying Ester is some backwater village? I can receive specialized magical training here just fine, so why must I go to the capital?”
“I have never looked down on Ester, not once. Do you see these children here? They’re both commoners, yet one has talent for necromancy and the other for dark knighthood. Does Ester offer education for such specialized talents?”
“Th-That’s... not true...”
“If you had a rare, unique talent, you might never discover it in Ester. However, in the capital, the infrastructure is well-developed enough to nurture any kind of ability. If mere evacuation were the only purpose, sending you to a nearby southern region would have sufficed. But His Grace chose the capital because he believed you might have hidden talents that could flourish there.”
Merilda’s pupils began to shake.
She turned to look at her father.
Her eyes seemed to ask, ‘Was that really your intention when you sent me to the capital...?’
The Northern Grand Duke’s eyes wavered for a moment before he quickly steeled his expression and nodded.
‘So Father had such great intentions...!’
Merilda’s mouth fell open.
For example, if she had the talent of a Barrier Mage...
She could develop that talent to help fend off the Monster Wave.
Until now, countless soldiers had to stay up sleepless, watching the walls in case monsters broke through.
But if a Barrier Mage capable of casting a massive barrier was on standby, that wouldn’t be necessary.
Father must have even considered such possibilities and sent her to the capital!
And I foolishly wasted my time having fun whenever I went there!
Overwhelmed by a sense of guilt, Merilda’s expression quickly crumpled.
“S-Sob...!”
“Merilda! What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Father! I thought you just wanted to spoil me and keep me away from the Monster Wave! I thought you were making a fuss over nothing! I thought you were acting like a complete fool...! I’m sorry! I failed to realize your great intentions!”
“Uh, uh, yes. Alright.”
Merilda threw herself into the Northern Grand Duke’s arms, sobbing.
The Grand Duke tried his best to stay calm, patting Merilda’s back.
Sure, it had been fussing, and yes, he did turn into a fool when it came to his daughter...
But that was a thing of the past now.
The Northern Grand Duke had been dispatching his youngest daughter to the capital to discover her potential hidden talents, ones that could help defend against the Monster Wave.
As of today, that was the new truth.
“I’ll go to the capital... I’ll study diligently... Right now, I’m completely useless. So I’ll develop my abilities and become a ruler who can truly help Ester...!”
“Hahaha! That’s exactly the attitude you should have! You’ve finally understood my intentions, Merilda!”
The Northern Grand Duke forced a hearty laugh while glaring sharply at Aslan.
What if Merilda realized the truth someday?
I entrusted her persuasion to you because you claimed to have a good method, yet you’ve passed me a ticking time bomb.
‘You made me lie to my daughter. How dare you. But still, we did manage to get her to go to the capital...’
The mission had been completed, so he would forgive Aslan.
The Grand Duke was grinding his teeth when suddenly—
The door burst open, and a soldier rushed in urgently.
“Your Grace! A large number of monsters have appeared near the walls!”
“What!? I thought it would be a while before they arrived!”
“They’re flying types! The monsters are approaching by air!”
“Impossible! Flying-type monsters were supposed to be extinct...!”
The Northern Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed.
The banquet hall descended into chaos in an instant.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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