"They are human too! Now that the war against the demon realm is just around the corner, even if we don't join forces, why kill our fellow humans to increase the number of enemies?"
Correction. It wasn't from nearby, it was coming from right underneath me.
No, why are you fighting here?I peeked my head out of the railing and looked down. I could barely see the back of a man's head as they argued under the shade of the terrace.
The owner of the back of the head, who had been listening calmly, relaxedly opened his mouth as if he had nothing to do with this situation. The neat and elegant way of speaking was like pouring cold water on the other person.
"You have a big voice. I'm so excited. If you have blue blood, you should keep your head cold."
It's not a noble.
"Ha, it's okay if I just have a cold head. What about breasts? If you have a cold head, you are only half a nobleman. No, in the first place, I am a blue blooded person who doesn't have to make that effort, so that doesn't matter.I was born an aristocrat by nature.
"...You should be thankful that you are a Margrave. If not, you wouldn't be alive in front of me right now."
"How can I be thankful for the position I got through my own efforts? And are you threatening me now? If you kill a capable Margrave under the current circumstances, no matter how much of a hero you are, His Majesty will not let this go."
"I won't kill you. I just told you."
I'm so fucking scared! What on Earth is this fight?
... But I'm curious. You mean a hero? The owner of the back of the head was a hero? It wouldn't be General Nemeseus or Cruel, so what about Stigma Primero? He's a Marquis. Who was fighting the hero who was a Marquis?
I leaned on the railing and lowered my head to check under the terrace. The back of Marquis Primero was seen more fully, and the shoes of his presumed opponent were visible on the other side.
"If we continue like this, we'll just continue to have meaningless arguments. Let's get back to the point."
"...No matter what the Marquis says, my opinion remains the same. The Barbai are human. It makes no sense to kill an opponent with whom one can join forces, and with the war against the demon realm just around the corner, one cannot waste one's forces by killing them. It is best to use them as a helpful ally by persuading and coaxing him."
"They are barbarians. They always invaded my territory, killing people and stealing weapons and food. It has been that way ever since I remember being born and raised on that land. Do you believe that people like that can be different now? If it had been possible to resolve it through dialogue, it would have been resolved long ago. Fighting a war with the demon realm while leaving them alone is like fighting with someone at your back who you never know when they will attack you. I have no choice but to kill them all."
"It's too violent an alternative!"
"You are too soft."
I think if I lower my head a little more, I can see the other person's face.
But if we even make eye contact, something awkward will happen. I gave up obediently and raised my head – but I stumbled.
'?!'
I lost my grip.
Now here's the problem. What happens if you lose your grip while leaning your upper body over the railing?
'I'm falling!'
My body spun around the railing and fell.
I tried to hold on to the railing with one hand, but what could I do with my weak strength? Instead of hanging on to the railing, I fell straight down with the feeling that my fingernails were breaking. Resignation was quick.
'Fortunately, it's not that high and I avoided falling head first, so I won't die.'
If I fall, wouldn't it be okay?
I closed my eyes and roughly counted the timing. Instead of a hard floor, I felt like I was resting on something solid.
"...?"
"Then let's do it like this."
"?!"
"I'm leaving the decision to this child."
What the fuck, put me down.
I raised my head in surprise. The Marquis Primero made eye contact without avoiding it and then gently folded his eyes and smiled. Even though a person suddenly fell from above, he didn't seem at all flustered.
"Hello junior? This is my first time seeing you this close. I really like your eyes."
Yes? What do you like?
I blinked my eyes blankly, then turned my head to stimulate my brain, which had stopped working. A little distance away, I made eye contact with a man with an absurd expression.
"Please put me down..."
I rubbed my face with a sigh. As I was rubbing my face repeatedly, an irritated voice came out as if it had realized my identity for a moment.
"Isn't he the Honorary Count Hardt? Junior, what does that mean..."
"It's a friendly title given by the second hero to the third hero."
"Then, are you going to call the fourth hero, Cruel Hardt, your junior?"
"No. I only like Honorary Count Deon Hardt."
"...Then do you call the first hero, General Nemeseus, 'senior'?"
"Why should I call him that?"
"..."
The mouth that seemed like it would never give up and raise its voice against it fell silent. I, too, was speechless.
When did you say you liked me just because we saw each other...?
'Why did you decide alone that we're friends? It's a burden.'
Meanwhile, the man, who opened and closed his mouth several times in bewilderment, raised his hand and massaged the back of his neck as if it was getting stiff. A question was suddenly asked with a heavy sigh.
"...Is this what you intended?"
"No way. It's a coincidence."
"You said he was your junior. If so, isn't that a friendship? It would be unfair to leave the judgment up to him."
"Have you already forgotten the first greeting I gave him? This is my first time seeing him close enough to talk to him. This is also our first conversation."
"...Ha. Good. Great. "Let me ask."
The man turned his head and looks at me. I was startled by the burning eyes and before I could back away, the greeting continued.
"First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Tender Amiable. I serve as a count on the Southern border of the Empire."
"Now that I think about it, I see that we haven't even made a full statement yet. I am Stigma Primiro. I'm a Marquis. I was rude a moment ago."
"Ah... it's okay. I am Deon Hardt."
"I'm sorry for getting you caught up in such a sensitive issue..."
"We don't have time and I'm done with the full statement, so let's skip everything and get straight to the point. Junior, you heard our conversation, right?"
"!"
I reflexively stopped all movement. The Marquis was smiling. So, what could you hide from a 'hero'? He probably even knew that I was on the terrace overhead.
Still, I was too sensitive to say yes, so I just rolled my eyes, but when it seemed like he was going to dig deeper, he turned his head and naturally skipped the conversation.
"You must have at least heard the final summary of each other's opinions. 'Let's get back to the point.' After."
I had been listening to it long before that, so of course I did.
"The reason for our argument is very simple. A barbarian tribe living in the Southernmost region of the Empire."
"The Barbai tribe."
"The name is so long it hurts my mouth. Please understand."
"..."
Don't fight...
I'm afraid you'll fight in front of me. I am a half-hero in name only, without the fragments of a hero. I'm not sure I can survive the fight between you two.
"Anyway, those barbarians have been a real nuisance for a long time. Since they are a tribe and not a country, they are not marked on any map unless it is a detailed map, but they frequently invade the territory, steal food, and kill people..."
"Please don't say anything that will cloud judgment."
"This is not a statement that clouds judgment, it's a fact."
The Marquis, with an elegant smile on his face, walked away a few steps, then turned around and gently spread his arms.
Brown eyes without any smile looked directly at me.
"So I told His Majesty. If we are going to go to war with the demon realm, it would be better to get rid of the barbarians before doing so. Since they are a tribe and not a kingdom, it is difficult to call it a 'war' in the human world, right? I said I would sweep them away myself since I did not want His Majesty's support."
If so, the Emperor would not have greatly opposed it.
Stigma Primero's troops are a bit of a waste, but we can't forcefully block it and lose the most important thing, Stigma himself.
"But I was against it."
"It was stupid."
"Words that affect judgment…"
"Anyway, His Majesty said that he would follow the plan proposed through coordination between the Margrave Amiable and I, whose territory borders the barbarians. The deadline is 3 days."
The Margrave of Amiable's eyes were sinister. Were these two really going to be fighting like this...?
Before anything happened, I quickly raised my hand and received the Marquis' words. That's the conclusion.
"Are you trying to leave the choice to me because the two of you can't narrow down your opinions? Inclusion or extermination?"
Before entering into a full-scale war against the demon realm, should we exterminate the Barbai tribe and eliminate them, or capture them and make them another ally to fight against the demon realm?
The Marquis smiled satisfied.
"Exactly. You're smart."
"But..."
I clearly heard and remember the argument between the two. So I couldn't help but have questions.
I tilted my head.
"I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but the Margrave of Amiable seems confident that they will not side with the demon world."
"We are the same human beings, right? Even if they oppose the Empire, at least they won't be on the side of the demon realm."
"Is that really true?"
"..."
Is it because they are of high status? The Emperor was like that, and Count Amiable was also very pure in his thoughts.
'No, usually the higher the status, the more corrupt it becomes.'
This seems to be simply because they are closer to honest generals than strategists. The other person was not the Emperor and was asking for my opinion, so if he didn't know, he should let me know.
I looked straight into his eyes and spoke clearly.
"There is no guarantee that even if they are the same human beings, they will always be on the human side."
"..."
Margrave Amiable closed his mouth. The Marquis nodded from the side.
"That is correct. Margrave Amiable, You see the world too idealistically. What influences someone's judgment is overwhelming power and hatred. If the demon realm I overwhelmingly strong, 'people' will immediately join it. Likewise, there are people who sell their souls to the devil in order to destroy someone they hate. You can sell your soul, but wouldn't it be better to join the Demon King's side? 'Race' doesn't matter."
Damn. He is good at saying things like that in a noble tone. No, I think I made a mistake too. It was only for a moment, but look at the unpleasant expression on his face after spitting out those words.
I tried to look at his face more closely, but an unperturbed voice called to me.
"As you know, the barbarians have a bad relationship with us. It is better to exterminate them, even considering the possibility of them siding with the demon realm. Isn't that right, junior?"
"Yes...?"
"That's an excellent answer. Since my junior has supported this side, we will proceed according to my opinion regarding the barbarians. I will report to His Majesty, so the Margrave can just leave."
I couldn't bear to say anything and just gave him an absurd look, but the Marquis was more shameless than anyone could have imagined.
The Margrave, who was looking at him as if he was being stubborn, gave him a look that told him to go away confidently, and then let out a dull sigh as if he knew that there was no point in arguing any further.
"Then I will leave first. The two of you..."
"I thought I'd have a more conversation with my junior."
"?"
Why me?
"Yes, I understand."
"Ah..."