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Princess Eleora, who had been lying in bed, finally woke up.

“Where am I…?”

I stood by her pillow and answered her question.

“This is a medical facility belonging to the Demon Lord’s Army in the Demon Capital of Lüenheit. You’ve been asleep for three days and three nights, Princess Eleora.”

According to Master’s diagnosis, Eleora was on the verge of collapsing at any moment due to exhaustion and stress.
We decided to let Eleora rest for a while using a sedative spell, and during that time, we made various arrangements.
It seems this princess is much more fragile than she appears.

Eleora looked at me, then asked:

“Why don’t you kill me?”
“Because it would cause trouble later. If we killed you, it would give Rolmund a pretext for invasion.”
“Hmph.”

Since Eleora had turned her gaze back to the ceiling, I continued.

“We’d like to send you back and go about our lives without a care for Rolmund.”
“As long as the southern campaign is an imperial decree, that’s unlikely to happen. Even if there’s a change of emperor, the new emperor won’t be able to treat the late emperor’s will lightly. Besides, Rolmund is cold and unsuitable for agriculture. There are few estates left to distribute to the nobility. Sooner or later, the southern campaign is bound to resume.”

That’s a problem.
Still, this princess sure doesn’t seem to realize she’s a prisoner.

Since she had such a bad attitude for a prisoner, I decided to be a little mean to her.

“Meanwhile, your subordinates…”

At that moment, Eleora sat up.

“What happened to them?!”

The Magiarms Battalion had suffered catastrophic losses.
Of the ninety-five who participated in this operation, sixty-one were taken prisoner. Thirty-four were killed in action. About forty percent had died, and most of the survivors were wounded.
All of the casualties belonged to the unit that stormed the New Town. Since that unit numbered about seventy, it meant that roughly half of the soldiers deployed in the urban combat had been killed.

The Demon Capital’s defense forces had also suffered significant losses. Nineteen members of the Belrusa Land Force were killed in action. Four Dragonkin soldiers had also been killed at the time of the surprise attack.
The silver lining was that Master had returned and treated the wounded.
Without that, the death toll on both sides would have been much higher.
The burial and memorial services for the fallen have already been completed.

When I told Eleora this, she looked at me and gave a sarcastic smile.

“I never thought you’d take prisoners. So, you’re using them as hostages to keep me from committing suicide, is that it?”

It’s my style to spare the enemy and use that to my advantage, but at this rate, she’s not likely to believe me.
Well, let’s just go with that then.

“If you do anything foolish, I won’t guarantee their safety.”

When I said that, Eleora actually looked relieved.

“I have no choice anyway. So, how are you going to use me?”

She’s a tough one to deal with.
I’ve thought this for a while now, but I get the feeling Eleora is choosing the path to unhappiness all on her own. Even though I’m sure there are better ways, she absolutely refuses to choose any of them.
Even if I were to throw away my own position to protect Eleora, she’d still charge headlong into unhappiness on her own.
In that case, I’ve got no choice but to throw her into a relatively bearable kind of unhappiness with my own hands.

I scowled and crossed my arms.

“You’re a nuisance. To be frank, I’d like to tie a label to you and send you right back to Rolmund.”
“In that case, I’d simply be sentenced to death by a court-martial back home.”

I’ve heard all sorts of things about the complex situation in Rolmund from the survivors of the Magiarms Battalion, but so it is, then.
Eleora continued in a calm tone.

“In that case, I’d actually be better off if you killed me right here. It would be an honorable death in battle. If I were executed back home, not only my subordinates in the Magiarms Battalion but even the apprentice maids at my estate would likely be executed as well.”
“That’s quite a cold-hearted country.”
“True. But even so, it’s not as cold as the winds of Miraldia.”

It seems she’s had more than her fill of Miraldia.
Just those few words seemed to make her look even more exhausted.

“It’s true—there’s no place for you in Miraldia anymore.”
“To begin with, the Battalion was the only place I could really call home. Without them, who knows how many times I would’ve been assassinated?”
“Just because you’re the sixth in line to the throne?”

She replied with a serious expression.

“I am nothing but a target to be eliminated by those ranked seventh and below. Whilst to those ranked fifth and above, I’m a potential enemy who’d sneak my way to their throats anytime.”

What kind of country is this? It’s way too scary.
Isn’t the line of succession supposed to prevent that kind of conflict?

“I see. It certainly seems like a warmer breeze blows there than in Miraldia.”

It’s the scorching wind of hell.
I decided to throw in a bit of sarcasm while I was at it.

“I suppose you, too, were surrounded by such heartwarming people.”
“Indeed, when I reunited with my wet nurse ten years later, she had become an assassin hired for money. As an act of mercy, I tortured her myself, but to extract the name of the mastermind, I drove the spikes between her fingernails and fingers…”

Not being a fan of gruesome stories, I feign composure and cut Eleora off mid-torture tale.

“Enough with your reminiscing—I’m not interested.”

I don’t feel the slightest bit like I’ll get along with this country.

As my mood began to grow increasingly unsettled, I decided to prioritize gathering information above all else.

“What’s with that lack of composure in Rolmund? For a place that claims to be the homeland of the people of northern Miraldia, it seems rather barbaric.”

She then averted her gaze from me, looked up at the ceiling, and closed her eyes.

“In that case, let me tell you the story of Cold Mica. That should make it clear.”

What’s that?
Eleora began telling a fairy tale with a surprisingly gentle expression and voice.

“Deep in the forest, Mica lived happily with her father and mother. One winter, a poor harvest left them short on food.”

I guess it’s not going to be one of those stories where she goes out looking for food and gets helped by a fairy…and true enough..

“With the food they have now, only two of them can make it through the winter. That’s why Dad left home and disappeared deep into the forest.”

Stop it—that’s exactly the kind of thing I hate the most, so please stop.
I’d rather you tell me how you tortured your wet nurse.

“Thanks to that, Mica and Mom were able to make it through the winter safely. But the next year was another poor harvest, and with the food they had at home, only one person could make it through the winter.”

Eleora’s expression was calm.

“So Mom left home and disappeared deep into the forest. Mica was left all on her own.”
“……That’s a pretty grim fairy tale.”
“It’s a fairy tale everyone in Rolmund knows. To survive the winter in Rolmund, you have no choice but to be ruthless.”
“I see. So that’s just the nature of the land.”

Eleora smiled at my muttered remark.

“Don’t worry, there’s more to the story. Mica grows up to be a fine young woman and becomes a mother herself.”

Ah, there’s a glimmer of hope after all.

“And in the next year of crop failure, she’ll be the one to make the sacrifice—to protect her own child. That’s why she’s called Cold Mica.”

Why does this country always have to end things like that?
This psychological terror of a woman.
I’m definitely going to dream about what she just said tonight.

Though I was reeling from this unexpected counterattack, I managed to barely keep my composure.
Rolmund’s harsh climate must have fostered unity and discipline, leading to merciless punishment for anyone who breaks the rules.
If anyone disrupts the order, it leads directly to the death of everyone. That’s the kind of place it seems to be.

“I see. I understand now. So the fact that the people of Rolmund are ruthless is simply a law of nature.”
“That’s right. It’s not like they’re willingly repeating clan executions by collective punishment or inquisitions involving torture. I wish there were a warmer place.”
“If that’s the case, I’ve come to view Rolmund as an enemy even more so.”

First, we need to do something about that Cold Mica business.

If what Eleora said is true, Rolmund is a dangerous threat to Miraldia.
Rolmund hasn’t given up on conquering Miraldia just yet.
Even if we banish Eleora and blow up the tunnels to block the invasion route, they’ll surely bare their fangs again eventually.
To protect the people of Miraldia and the demon race, I can’t leave things as they are.
Besides, there’s the matter of Eleora and the prisoners from the Magiarms Brigade. We can’t just let them die after they’ve surrendered.

This turn of events was one the Council had anticipated. We’ve already decided on a course of action for this scenario.
So, adopting a tone as villainous as possible, I propose a negotiation to her.

“You are my prisoner, Eleora Kastoniev Oligania Rolmund.”

Hearing her full name, Eleora’s expression stiffens slightly.
I leaned forward, bringing my face close to Eleora’s.

“You have been defeated by me. Your life, your dignity, your subordinates, and your future—all are under my control. Every strand of your hair, every drop of your blood—they all belong to me.”
“…I accept.”

Eleora lowered her gaze.

Seizing the moment, I pressed my advantage, speaking in as cold a tone as possible so she wouldn’t sense my pangs of conscience.

“But I am merciful. I know how to show mercy to prisoners who are useful. And you hold a legitimate claim to the imperial throne. The only question is whether you have the will to be useful.”
“What…?”

Princess Eleora furrowed her brow in suspicion, but being quick-witted, she seemed to grasp the meaning of my words immediately.

“Surely you don’t intend to use me as a puppet to invade Rolmund?”
“‘Use’ is a bit harsh. …I simply wish to respect your voluntary will, given how much you care for your subordinates.”

Her Imperial Highness Eleora cares so much for her subordinates, surely she could be of use to me. Why, is that a no?
If not, the number of her subordinates who managed to survive might end up dwindling again.
I’ll let that possibility hang in the air.
But of course, I won’t actually do that. Or rather, I can’t.
I know I’m being soft, but I just can’t bring myself to execute a prisoner.
So if she refuses, I’ll come up with a different plan.

Princess Eleora stares intently at me. Her gaze is terrifyingly cold. I’m so scared my heart’s pounding.
Then she sighs and looks away.

“…Back then, I should have defeated you at any cost. It was my greatest failure.”

Then Princess Eleora bowed her head to me.

“Lord Veit the Black Wolf. Please lend me your strength. If I become the next emperor, I will never set foot in Miraldia again.”

Just to be sure, I leaned in closer to her.

“Is that what you really mean?”
“Do you really think I—having been abandoned by everyone in Miraldia—would come here now? If I were that foolish, I wouldn’t be worth using.”

I caught a whiff of her scent up close, and it didn’t smell like she was lying. It seemed she’d truly learned her lesson.

“Very well. Just as you said before, it looks like we’ll be able to build a ‘good relationship.’”

I grinned and flung my cloak back.

If I use Eleora to cause chaos in Rolmund, they won’t be in a position to invade other countries for the time being. That should be able to buy us some time—a few years at the very least, or even several decades.
With that much time, I can strengthen Miraldia’s defenses.
Besides, if Eleora ascends to the throne, she and the survivors of the Magiarms Brigade will likely be spared.
I’m sorry to the people of Rolmund, but I’m neither a god nor a saint. My role is to protect the peace of Miraldia.

“Then rest up for a while, my sworn ally Eleora. Please make me happy.”

She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, as if she had resigned herself to it.

“…I’ll do my best.”

All right, that worked. I’ll definitely make sure nothing bad happens to you, so please lend me your strength for the sake of Miraldia’s peace.
As I stepped out of her hospital room, I decided to think of a way to avoid having a nightmare about Cold Mica tonight.