Battle Race in the Fantasy World

EP.113 Not Enough Effort! Not Enough!!

“So you’re saying you couldn’t catch all of them? Those damn drug dealers?”

Are you kidding me? Is this for real? Breaking a promise for such a pathetic reason?

Anger rises. An enormous flame ignites, one that cannot be suppressed by any rational reason.

It burns away the fact that this is the imperial palace, the fact that the emperor is right beside us.

The only thing that matters now is what Mathieu just said, that they let ‘those guys’ escape.

Thud, thud-.

“S-student K-Kyle?”

The ministers who had been berating Mathieu and the Alliance just moments ago are now flustered.

As Kyle leaves his designated spot, the imperial knights who had been on standby quickly move.

However, they were soon stopped by the emperor’s gesture and had to step back.

In that time, Kyle instantly reached Mathieu.

“Say it again, Mr. Mathieu. So you’re telling me that you let those people escape because of some mere monsters? Huh? Is that really true?”

“Eh? Ah… yes, yes. Kyle. You see…”

“I’ll ask again. Seriously, not as some kind of excuse. You really let them escape because of some monsters?”

Mathieu, who was about to answer ‘yes’, closed his mouth.

He had just faced the blazing flames in Kyle’s eyes.

It’s not the first time he’s encountered the emotion of ‘anger’. He’s experienced it countless times.

But the anger burning now was on a completely different level from anything before.

It seems as if the moment it touches you, you’d burst into flames and immediately turn to ashes.

That’s how terrifyingly intense the anger Mathieu faced was.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“W-Well, for letting those involved with the drug escape…”

“Why did you do something to be sorry for? Did I, damn it. Do you think I let you go for this to happen? Are you seriously telling me now that you couldn’t catch them because you were scared of some mere monsters, because they got in your way?”

The polite young man of Jonathan that Mathieu had seen before was gone.

Instead, only a roaring, enormous monster remained in his place.

“W-Well, that.”

Out of instinctive fear, Mathieu hastily added reasons without even realizing it.

It was because he felt he had to say something, anything additional.

“These weren’t ordinary monsters. We had captured everything from trolls to ogres. Unless we pushed the knights, it was clearly beyond the limits of regular soldiers…”

“Aren’t knights and soldiers all the same people? Why can knights do it but soldiers can’t?”

At Kyle’s question, Mathieu was at a loss for words.

It’s too obvious. Unlike knights who specialize in handling mana.

Soldiers can’t do that, so they’re bound to be weaker!

But looking into Kyle’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

He had a feeling that if he said that, he would hear some terrifying response.

“I apologize. It was my oversight.”

“Of course you should apologize. You broke a promise. Of course it’s your oversight, Mr. Mathieu. You’re the one in charge.”

“…I’m truly sorry. I will somehow…”

“What are you going to do? You said they escaped. Didn’t they leave the Alliance? So what can you do?”

Under Kyle’s pressure, Mathieu couldn’t even answer and had to keep his mouth shut.

A very strange scene where a middle-aged man is completely immobilized by a young man who has just come of age.

“…”

The silent ministers quietly glance at the emperor.

No matter what the issue is, he’s still an envoy and representative of another country.

If pushed too hard, even the moderates within the Alliance might completely turn their backs.

However, the emperor did not intervene at all.

Instead, he watches Kyle pressuring Mathieu with a smile on his face.

Whether the other party was an envoy from another country or a powerful individual, it didn’t matter at all to that young man.

To Jonathan, what matters is that a promise was broken, that the bastards who ruin sacred training were let go.

‘If I directly pressured the Alliance, it could become problematic. But with that young man, Kyle, pushing them down like that on his own, the Alliance has no choice but to squirm without me doing anything.’

It’s quite a desirable situation. To the eye, he appears to be a loyal subject taking on the role of the villain.

Although deep down, the reason might be different, isn’t it a good thing anyway?

“Kyle Jonathan. I understand your anger about the broken promise. However, shouldn’t we listen to a bit more of the story?”

He can even show the image of a mediator like this.

With Kyle stepping up like that, there was so much the emperor himself could gain.

“Lord Mathieu Philibert.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Then, where did those who escaped using the monsters as bait head to? Do you not even know their destination?”

“No, fortunately, we discovered their route and found out where their destination is.”

“Where is that place?”

“The south, Your Majesty.”

The South. At those words, the ministers murmur once again.

After the Alliance, now it’s the independent lords of the South?

It’s a region with numerous islands, too troublesome to conquer and with nothing to gain.

They had left it alone, telling them to manage themselves as they saw fit, but now the hardliners of the Alliance are heading there?

“There must be something there.”

As the Emperor said, there must be something. Otherwise, they wouldn’t head South.

It seemed that after dealing with the Alliance, the time had come to turn towards the South.

“Thank you for bringing and sharing this unpleasant news, Lord Mathieu Philibert.”

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

“Monsters near the border, and acting in an artificial manner at that. It’s truly concerning.”

After a moment of contemplation, the Emperor calls for the Minister of War.

“Wouldn’t it be a disaster if those monsters were to enter near the border, or even cross it?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. If monsters were to cross over, not only the border area but the entire region would be completely paralyzed.”

“It seems we must reinforce our troops near the border. We might need to aid the Alliance in case of emergency, after all.”

“Your words are most wise. That would be the best course of action.”

Reinforcing troops near the border. This is certainly not welcome news for the Alliance.

Who knows how those troops might suddenly change their stance or actions?

Normally, considering the internal atmosphere of the Alliance, such a decision would not have been made.

But this incident was caused by the Alliance, so they have no grounds to object.

Moreover, the reason given is “to aid the Alliance in case of emergency,” which makes it even more difficult to oppose.

Even if imperial troops are openly placed at the border to exert pressure, they can only watch without being able to say anything.

“Might this decision be uncomfortable for the Alliance? I’m listening.”

“…No, Your Majesty. If our country’s affairs were to harm the Empire as well, it would become a bigger issue. I believe your decision is appropriate.”

Speaking up would only result in baseless resistance.

In that case, it’s better to cleanly acknowledge and accept it.

“I’m grateful for your words. Thanks to this, I can be certain that you and the remaining members of the Alliance were trying very actively to subdue them. We shall discuss and handle future matters together. Both the rampaging monster groups and the Alliance members who headed south.”

“Understood, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The meeting to receive the Alliance’s envoy comes to an end.

Mathieu, having been given a place to rest, leaves first, guided by personnel from the Imperial Household Department.

Afterwards, the ministers also rise one by one from their seats and return to their positions, following the Emperor’s orders.

All that remained were the Emperor and Kyle, who hadn’t received any specific orders.

“Kyle Jonathan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I regret this. You received such a promise, yet it couldn’t be properly fulfilled. I should have paid more attention. I’m truly sorry.”

The words “I’m sorry” don’t come easily from the Emperor’s mouth.

It’s natural, as it involves lowering his own authority and revealing his own mistake.

Nevertheless, the Emperor uttered the words “I’m sorry.” Because he had gained something even greater.

“…”

Once again, it feels like irritation is bubbling up.

Trusting them, he had returned to the Academy, and his brother and sister had gone back to their hometown.

And they let those people escape just because they were blocked by some monsters?

‘Those monsters, you just need to tear them apart and skewer them like this and that.’

It feels like his insides are bursting with frustration, but what can he do?

They say those guys have already fled to the South. What’s lost is lost.

“No, Your Majesty. If it was beyond their control, it couldn’t be helped.”

“I’m grateful for your words.”

After saying that, the Emperor looks at Kyle with a strange glint in his eyes.

Noticing something there, Kyle inwardly let out an “Aha!”

“I think it would be better not to inform my hometown about this.”

“Oh?”

Through Jonathan, they had dealt with the troublesome Kingdom Alliance in the west.

Riding on that momentum, now they want to make all the independent lords in the South kneel as well.

How could an Emperor not harbor such grand plans?

As the supreme ruler of the Empire, as its manager, it’s a natural thought to have.

The problem is, Jonathan is definitely not a place stupid enough to move according to their wishes.

“If they hear that things have gone awry like this after entrusting us with their faith, they might misunderstand that we only pretended to make an effort but actually did nothing. And to clear up that misunderstanding themselves, they might go to the Alliance, or even come to the Empire.”

“…”

Your Majesty, they won’t go south like dogs chasing prey as you wish.

Even if they do go, they would first visit the Alliance and the Empire that failed to handle things properly.

And that visit would absolutely, absolutely never end well.

“…Kyle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

Despite the slightly threatening tone, the Emperor was sincerely grateful.

He had almost made a huge mistake due to a momentary lapse in judgment, but Kyle had stopped him.

Suggesting that it would be better for the Empire to take the initiative in resolving this. That it would be better for maintaining friendly relations.

Where could one find a more loyal subject than this! And…

‘There couldn’t be a better candidate for my youngest son-in-law.’

His daughter, his youngest daughter whom he could never quite understand.

The Emperor thought that at least she had chosen her man perfectly.

‘I have to handle this alone. It would be a disaster if it gets known back home, damn it.’

But if he had known Kyle’s true thoughts, it would have been different.