The carriage set off without any incidents.

Since the soldiers had quietly let me go, I figured the hardest part was over. Thanks to Nikolai’s timely intervention, I had shown everything I needed to, and the woman sitting in front of me, Erika, was now marked as green on my minimap.

I assumed they would start asking me questions soon, and as long as I stuck to the persona I had been displaying, I’d just need to answer accordingly. While I still had lingering feelings about the kingdom, I could make it seem like I wasn’t entirely impossible to persuade.

“...”
“Ahem! Ahem.”

But I had been too hasty. The crisis wasn’t over yet.

I wasn’t bothered by the fact that I was still tied up. They had tied the ropes loosely enough that I couldn’t move my arms, but I wasn’t uncomfortable otherwise.

What was more concerning was the silence from the two people sitting in front of me.

I could understand why Paul Richter, sitting directly to my left, was fidgeting uncomfortably. He wasn’t the type to enjoy being part of a negotiation delegation.

Paul was the commander overseeing the forces of the aristocratic faction in the *Northern War*, a character in the game. He managed to secure lands from Ruth Kingdom after his victory and eventually rose to a position of near-kingly power. 

In this world’s version of the *Northern War*, he had likely commanded the Empire’s forces. From what I experienced, he wasn’t a brilliant commander capable of overcoming the chaos that arose from multiple feudal lords’ armies or the overwhelming advantage of my tactical map.

He didn’t seem to be a hot-headed person, but he often made mistakes, moving his forces too hastily, likely because he had to show results to the aristocrats who had entrusted him with command.

What’s important now is that Paul is a key figure in the aristocratic faction.  
His presence in the delegation was an unusual move. My guess is that if the Emperor appointed him, Paul was probably intended as a scapegoat. 

They had minimized the size of the delegation but still needed to maintain authority, so they brought along Paul as the commander of the northern army to give the group weight.  
If the negotiations went wrong and he were taken prisoner, it wouldn’t affect the Emperor much.

Thankfully, Paul seemed to understand his precarious position. Though marked red on my minimap, he was quietly staring out the window without expressing his frustration too openly.

People like him aren’t a problem. It’s the volatile, impulsive ones who scare me more than the capable ones.

A skilled person’s actions are predictable and can’t easily outmaneuver my minimap or tactical map. In a world where magic is limited to simple fireballs, the sheer amount of information I have gives me an overwhelming advantage.

But unpredictable people?  
If Paul had anger management issues, he could’ve drawn his sword and taken my head off right now. Bound as I am, I wouldn’t have been able to resist.  

Thankfully, Paul isn’t one of those people. If he were someone like Andrei—irrational, violent, and impulsive—I’d be far more concerned. But since he isn’t, I didn’t pay him much attention.

What worried me now was...

“Ahem, ahem...”

The woman sitting next to Paul, Erika Baumann, who had been coughing awkwardly for some time now.

I hadn’t heard of her name before, but the carriage she arrived in was adorned with the royal emblem of the Empire, so she had to be aligned with the Emperor. Paul certainly wasn’t an Imperial loyalist, so she must be the one acting on the Emperor’s orders.

Her behavior, then, should provide clues about the Emperor’s intentions.

“...Hmm!”

But her reactions had been odd from the start. She kept coughing and glancing at me, and when I looked up, thinking she wanted to speak, she would shrink back and make strange noises.

Why?

I couldn’t initiate the conversation. I needed to maintain the image of someone deeply wounded by betrayal, so the only thing I could express were sighs and silence.

I had assumed Erika would be the one to break the silence, acting on the Emperor’s orders to gauge who I really was. I had been waiting for her to start asking questions.

But she hadn’t said a word in over half an hour, and I couldn’t figure out if she was planning to question me or not.

If the Emperor hadn’t given her clear instructions regarding me, this was no minor issue.

Up until now, I’d been operating under the assumption that the Emperor wanted to hire me. After all, Erika had specifically requested my transfer, and they had sent a delegation to Ruth Kingdom’s capital to retrieve me.

My plan hinged on her interest, and I had assumed that her eagerness was a given.  

But what if that assumption was wrong?  
What if the Emperor wasn’t actually interested in me and had just prodded Ruth Kingdom to see if they would bite, and they had fallen for the bait?  

The difficulty of switching allegiances would suddenly spike. I had built an image of being a valuable, young, loyal officer—betrayed by his king and still grieving. Someone who was difficult to persuade, but worth the effort.

This image would be helpful if they were trying to recruit me, but if I had to beg them for a job, it would be a disadvantage.

People tend to value the fruit they climb the tree to pick more than the one that falls into their hands.  
If I had to persuade them, everything—from my position to the Emperor’s interest—would be on a downward slope.

Even if things didn’t go that badly, if they didn’t report my performance at the palace properly, the image I had painstakingly crafted could be wasted.

I couldn’t rebuild that image myself. I would need someone else to speak on my behalf.

But without any contacts in the Empire, was that even possible?

...No.  
I had a last resort if everything fell apart, but I didn’t want to use it. It would put my life in grave danger, so I’d hold onto it as long as I could.

In the end, I had no choice but to wait for them to start asking questions.  
I was more than willing to answer as long as I didn’t break character, but why weren’t they asking anything?

This was frustrating.

“Haa...”

“Eek.”

For the love of... Could she stop getting startled and say something already?  
Even a generic question or an introduction would do.

Please, just say something.

“Haa...”

“Eek.”

Suddenly, Viktor let out a deep sigh, and I nearly bit my tongue in surprise.  
I glanced up nervously, wondering if that sigh was my fault.

“...Whew.”

Thankfully, his eyes were still closed.  
At least he didn’t seem to have sighed because of me.

I let out a quiet breath of relief and glanced at him once more.

My series of actions made me feel utterly embarrassed.

Just a short while ago in the main hall, I had been confident I could carry out the Emperor’s orders. I had written down everything I observed about Viktor, and I had prepared questions in advance.

I had even witnessed him being betrayed by his king and losing faith in the nobles.  
Before I boarded the carriage, I had imagined myself persuading him to join the Empire.

The Emperor’s orders were only to gather information, but I thought if I could sway his loyalty a little, it would make things easier.

*Clatter.*

“Eep!”

But no. Nearly an hour had passed, and I hadn’t said a single word to him.

As the eldest daughter of Count Baumann, who had extensive experience in diplomacy, I had assumed I could handle anyone. I had accompanied my father to numerous meetings with nobles of various ranks and had broadened my knowledge over the years.

I had even met with military leaders before.  
I had no trouble talking to General Gerhardt, who was old enough to be Viktor’s grandfather, and I had even participated in knight training and military expeditions a few times.

But here I was, unable to say a word to a man who was merely tied up in front of me.  
Despite his handsome and noble-like appearance, something about his expression—or perhaps the way he sat there with his eyes closed—gave off the impression that if I said something wrong, he would kill me on the spot.

And Paul was no help at all.  
From the start, he hadn’t hidden his discomfort, and now he was just staring out the window, making the heavy atmosphere even heavier.

“Huff.”

Still, I couldn’t return empty-handed.  
Even if I couldn’t have a personal conversation with him, I had to say something—anything—otherwise, I didn’t know what kind of reprimand I’d face from the Emperor.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Um, Viktor?”

“...”

He opened his eyes sharply at the sound of my voice.  
The intense expression he had shown in the royal palace flashed in my mind, and I felt a cold sweat start to form.

I clenched my fists tightly.

“May I ask you a few questions?”

I asked as politely as possible.

“...”

After a brief pause, Viktor, who seemed to be contemplating, finally answered.

“...Yes.”

His voice carried a weight of emotion, but he had agreed.

______________________

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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