I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 171



171 – A Brief Truth

These people have never raised a white flag before.

At least, that was the case with the people Ariel dealt with in the history of the Robeheim family.

As if they had the pride of a knight, they were the ones who would always end their lives when they admitted defeat.

Therefore, when Ariel heard that they had sent someone with a white flag, she thought her ears were wrong.

Even if I had told it to Yulken, the reaction would have been similar.

It was such an unusual situation.

“It could be a plan from the enemies. Your Majesty, it would be better for you to be cautious…”

“Know. “I won’t let down my guard, so don’t worry.”

A man who was assisting Ariel cautiously advised her, and she nodded with a calm expression.

Because Yulken also said it before.

Be careful when someone you thought was an enemy lowers his head and takes a low stance. This may be a tactic to hide a dagger hidden behind him.

When, accompanied by a large number of people, they arrived at the room where the messenger sent from the other side was waiting, a man with a rather gaunt appearance was sitting in front of Ariel.

“Nice to see you.” “Are you His Highness Robeheim?”

Ariel looked embarrassed for a moment at the sudden sound of the native language of the Hellvenir Empire, but soon she calmed her eyes and nodded.

Although there were some awkward moments, his language skills were such that he could almost be considered an imperial citizen.

“… This is my first time seeing an immigrant show such politeness. That’s right.”

Since these people are not strictly from the empire, they are invariably called disparagingly even if they are in high positions in the empire.

It was the same even if the opponent was the world’s Yulken.

However, this man treated the author Portrait Ariel very well, perhaps realizing that she came as a representative of a group.

In fact, that only aroused her suspicions, but she did not show it as much as she could and sat down across from her.

“He is called Berwick of the Karbita tribe. Although I am lacking, I am in charge of protecting and assisting my leader, Kelag.”

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Carbita tribe.

It is the name of a tribe of foreign people that Ariel had read about in a book before.

Nevertheless, the reason why the imperial people simply referred to them as foreigners was because of hostility.

In reality, they were tribes that had names for themselves.

“Escort? For something like that, he’s pretty skinny.”

“I heard it a lot. But even so, among warriors, they tend to use a bit of strength.”

In other words, it was impossible to determine based on appearance alone.

Ariel did what she said, but she realized that she was not a soft man.

In particular, the person who felt this most keenly was Edgar, who was standing behind her.

‘It’s significant.’

Although he may not be at the level of Yulken, Kelagh, or Creed, it is clearly visible that he has lived a difficult life.

I especially felt it when I was dealing with Kelagh the other day, but they preferred a battle that involved only sword-to-sword combat rather than a battle using magical power.

What this means is that you cannot judge his combat power just by the intimidation of his magical power

On the outside, he appears to be quite small in stature and the mana he exudes is not very strong, but that doesn’t mean he is a person to be trifled with.

“Red hair… “It seems like he is the person who dealt with the leader before.”

“That’s right.”

Even though they were enemies, Edgar was treated with courtesy as they came as a pack of lions.

Even he wouldn’t have noticed that Berrick’s eyes widened for an instant at that response.

“The leader was surprised that there were such great warriors in the empire. You’re not the type of person who rarely compliments others … He kept talking until his mouth was exhausted.”

“Please tell me thank you.”

In a sense, praise from enemies is more pleasing than praise from allies.

In other words, the fact that an enemy who was not willing to paint his face with gold gave him praise meant that he was recognized that much.

Even though Edgar could not accept the praise warmly due to his position, he still felt proud inside.

Ariel, who heard this, did not express it in words, but she was looking at Edgar with proud eyes.

“So, I think we’ve exchanged greetings at this point… Shall we get to the point?”

“This is what I hoped for.”

The fact that they came with a white flag means that they have no intention to fight, no matter what their original intention.

If that’s the case, then he must be asking to talk about something, but Ariel was just curious about the content.

In the first place, it was safe to say that in the history of the empire, there was no precedent for sitting at a negotiating table and talking face to face with foreigners, or more precisely, the Karbita tribe.

“We don’t know anything about the situation there. But I knew that there were almost no recent trends. Based on that, I was able to recognize that something had happened, but… Considering the current situation, can we think of it as a pretty big deal?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Berwick was not surprised, as he thought that the Robeheim family’s intelligence would have figured this out a long time ago.

In the first place, ever since the incident with Kelagh, they have purposely survived with only the supplies they own, and have reduced hostility by not looting or killing.

Otherwise, even if they had come with a white flag like they did today, they wouldn’t have let them in so easily.

“I know this is not something you should say to someone you have been hostile to, but… In fact, our leader is in critical condition.”

Ariel wasn’t too surprised because it was included in Edgar’s previous guess her her her her.

However, I was a little surprised that they brought it up right away without any introduction.

It was so honest that it made me wonder if this was some kind of trick.

“He’s in critical condition… To what extent?”

“It is not at a life-threatening level right now, but unlike a typical illness, there are no signs of it being resolved. If it continues like this…”

Although he didn’t say anything specifically, Ariel seemed to know roughly what the situation was.

Definitely some kind of magic or curse.

If she thought about it more deeply, she could guess that she had planted poisonous insects or something, but the former seemed more likely to her.

But there were still many questions lurking in her mind.

In particular, what Ariel was most curious about was why she was telling this to the Loveheim family, who were their closest enemies, and not the place where she could seek help.

“First of all, I knew the reason. But what’s the point of telling us that? From our perspective, if your leader is in critical condition, it is just an opportunity.”

That’s literally it.

There is a saying that the enemy’s sorrow is my joy.

It may feel one-dimensional and barbaric, but Ariel greatly sympathized with this phrase.

As he said, if Kehlag is in critical condition, it would be right for her not to do this, but to immediately send an order to Hespania and lead her soldiers to subdue it.

In a way, it is an opportunity for genius.

However, despite Ariel’s sad words from her, Berwick showed no signs of being agitated.

Rather, it was an expected reaction.

There has never been a separate request for peace, and I wonder if there is anyone who would easily sympathize with the leader of the people who have been hostile towards each other until now, pointing swords and spears at each other.

To be honest, when he said these words, he imagined a situation where everyone around him raised their swords and threatened him.

He literally arrived here with a feeling of desperation.

Because change cannot be achieved without the courage to lose something.

‘It’s that desperate, too.’

There is no place to seek help in the first place.

The Karbita people have always looked down on magic, so they couldn’t even find a solution to lift the curse on Kelagh.

If you can’t get help here, you have to let go.

“I would be grateful if you could take this to mean that we are that desperate. Of course, it will be entirely up to the Robeheim family to decide whether to reject this or not.”

“Hmm… Well then, let me ask you one more question first. Who is the person who made your leader like that? The reason is? Is it because of resentment?”

“Rather than resentment… It would be correct to say that we too were caught up in a ruse. Of course, it ended up causing damage to the Robeheim family…”

Wiggle.

Ariel somehow seemed to be able to guess what the man in front of her was going to say next.

Perhaps the damage refers to the incident that occurred in Whitewood.

‘It’s safe to say that this was the last time I suffered damage recently.’

Even at the time, there were many reactions that the reason for the unprecedented invasion was unknown.

It was different from the Karbita tribe so far, and it was as if they had been instigated by someone.

As it is presumed that he even used a significant amount of magic, there are even dark rumors going around about who might be behind it.

Moreover, this was the most reasonable guess that came out after putting our heads together with Edgar and making various assumptions.

If it all fits…

“… Does this mean that someone who was supposed to cooperate with you betrayed them?”

“… !”

I never thought he could have foreseen that far.

For the first time, surprise appeared in Berrick’s eyes.

“We are not idiots either. Did you say Karbita people? I’ve noticed that your actions are quite different from before. Just looking at the Whitewood incident, I could guess that someone had influenced it, even if it was unknown whether it was instigated by someone or whether they were in a cooperative relationship.”

“Having heard it firsthand, I think it could be possible. But even if that were the case, how could it be… ?”

The Karbita people have never held hands with someone before fighting a major battle.

To begin with, they were an independent tribe and had a reputation for hating the imperialists.

Although it is easy to assume that if there were other foreign tribes, they may have colluded with them, in this situation, if the Karbita tribe joined hands with someone, it could only be assumed that it was a member of the same empire.＜ Br＞

In other words, this would mean that the Robeheim family had already assumed that there was an enemy within.

What was surprising about Berwick was not whether he had anticipated it or not, but the thoroughness with which he had easily considered the worst.

“There are people on our side who are quite smart and cool-headed.”

“… Foot.”

When Ariel slowly turned her head and looked at Edgar as if asking, ‘Really?’, He smiled softly and pretended not to notice.

Since a seat is a seat, the air should not become too light.

“Anyway, the fact that they came with a white flag means that they want to save the leader’s life his… So, there are at least some conditions to suggest, right?”

“Of course. However, I wonder if this is something the Robeheim family will accept…”

“I will decide on that. Well, even if I don’t like it, I’ll let you live. “I promise you that much.”

With her honest feelings, Ariel wanted to kill anyone she saw in front of her right away.

Although he wasn’t the one who engraved her resentment on her, he had justification just because he was a member of the tribe that threatened her Yulken and almost took Edgar’s her life her her her.

But somehow, when I encountered it in person, I didn’t feel that level of anger or contempt.

He didn’t even know that because Edgar had once said that it was okay to have hatred, but that he should just keep it in his head and not move on.

“Okay… Let me tell you. In fact, this time we put the leader in that situation and found a way to deduce the identities of those who reached out to us.”

“… Infer. It seems like the other person hid his identity.”

It would have been natural to assume that the other person was truly a member of the empire.

Since it is known that the more traitorous he is, the more he tries to avoid revealing his tail.

Even if the other person was not from the same empire, they would not have easily revealed their existence.

“Yes, that’s right. Actually, we also faced difficulties because of that… It may be possible if the Robeheim family helps.”

“What is the basis?”

“It’s a curse placed on the leader. Although our tribe is not proficient in magic, according to the knowledge I heard, there is a way to analyze curses and find the source of the magic power…”

In other words, it means that we will submit evidence.

In addition, Berrick assured that if their leader was treated, they would not go to the North for at least the next two years.

As Ariel also twitched her eyebrows at the unexpected information and conditions, a woman waiting behind her approached cautiously and said that it was true about magic.

She is a person named Minette, who was called one of the three wise men of the former Magic Tower. She is currently living in the Robeheim family and continuing her magic research in order to repay her debt to Yulken.

In terms of magical knowledge, it could be said that no one in the family could approach it.

“Really? Minette.”

“Yes, Your Highness. The problem is that the technique is still only in the theoretical stage…”

“Are you saying it’s not feasible?”

“If you give me time, I will do it. “I would like to repay the favor I received from my predecessor.”

It wouldn’t be an easy task if Minette, and not anyone else, would ask for time.

Nevertheless, Ariel thought there was no other way, so she decided to go ahead.

Even if it takes a few days, months, or even years, shouldn’t we find out somehow?

“… Okay, I guess I’ll give it a try. “I’m sorry for asking too much, but please make sure to do it.”

“Hehe, I will reward your faith.”

Minette smiled confidently and adjusted her signature scarf.

Meanwhile, Berwick, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, looked at Ariel with moved eyes and asked again.

“Are you helping me?”

“Help… ” Not really. Honestly, it’s none of my business whether your leader dies or not. However, if that unidentified author is an imperial citizen, he will have to be punished. I think we are moving because it is mutually beneficial.”

In the first place, we do not know how many Whitewood residents and the Robeheim family’s private soldiers were sacrificed due to the Carbita tribe’s attack.

Just looking at that alone, there were many things that made it difficult to use the word ‘help.’

However, what moved Ariel’s stubborn heart was a doubt she had a long time ago.

Just as the other side does not know the circumstances of this side, this side also does not know the circumstances of the other side.

On the surface, she is just a tribe who has been carrying out plunder to harass the weak, but I think there must be some unavoidable reason for her to accept such unreasonable demands.

Maybe it got to this point because we just didn’t know each other.

Ariel from her younger days captured her as she thought that the day would come when they would understand each other and live in peace.

“I will tell you, I have no intention of forgiving you. But that goes for you too.”

In the end, war incites war.

I don’t know where this fight originated in the first place.

Perhaps, if we look back on history, the Robeheim family persecuted them first, and the Karbita tribe took up the sword to fight back.

And in order to respond again, the imperialists killed or intimidated the foreigners they caught, and all that chain of hatred may have had a chain reaction that led to this situation.

Therefore, Ariel thought that there was no need to forcefully eliminate the hatred in each other’s hearts.

The reason I accepted this condition now was because I could be guaranteed two years of peace just by treating Kelagh, and it wasn’t something that was particularly favorable to them.

Of course, since they are foreigners, you never know when they might change their minds and attack again, but if you think about it that way, there was nothing in the world that could be trusted.

No change will come unless at least one side reaches out first.

“We will personally take the leader there. Only one companion is allowed. “What is the counterargument?”

“Doesn’t exist. “I can only thank you!”

Ariel smiled bitterly as she looked at Berrick, who was lying down in his seat and bowing his head.

I don’t know if this is the right choice, but I have no regrets.

In that case, all you have to do is spread out your chest and focus on the future.