DGDITMIAE 28

Chapter 28

*Rule by fear! Even if I beat them down with force, they won’t call me a demon!*

*That’s all well and good, but…*

“Can’t this be done with magic?”

“Unfortunately, copying magic is prohibited on the seal of the Pavellon Imperial Family.”

“…”

*Times like this, it really sucks being a member of the Imperial Family.*

Terestia diligently wrote replies to the petitions and stamped them with her seal.

But before long, she crumpled them up and slumped back into her chair, saying,

“When would I ever write this much? I’m getting too irritated. Write it simply, simply.”

*What would the Terestia I consumed have said in this situation?*

*Making humans angry was one of Terestia’s true specialties, so…*

“What shall we send?”

“Don’t complain.”

“…”

“The master of the North is me, after all.”

It was the perfect provocation.

Argo couldn’t help but let out a sympathetic sigh, muttering, *How very Terestia-like.*

“Oh, and also: ‘Mind your own business in the Grand Duchy.'”

“…Those three lines should be more than enough provocation.”

“I’m just stating facts—why is that provocation? I was going to tell you to write the rest yourself so those bastards would get angry.”

Her violet eyes blinked innocently as she asked.

*So she really just said that because she was annoyed?*

*Provocation is also a talent,* Argo thought, nodding.

“It’s because Your Highness neglected the North for so long.”

“Are you saying these bastards resent me because they care about the North?”

“No, because it’s a place that was without a master for so long…”

The saying *”In the absence of a tiger, a fox plays king”* fit the current situation perfectly.

The master of the North was undoubtedly the Grand Duke Inyument, but to successive Grand Dukes, the North—little more than barren wasteland—had been treated as abandoned land.

Since many of them would rather die than go to the North where their own domain was, the northern nobles naturally excluded the Grand Duke Inyument.

That had been the long-standing tradition and history of the North.

“There is a Noble Alliance in the North. Its representative has always been the Grand Duke Inyument, but that was merely nominal—in practice, the North was run by the noble who held the position of vice-representative.”

“So there’s someone who’s been enjoying playing king in my place.”

“Yes, and the current vice-representative of the Northern Noble Alliance is Marquis Levnin.”

*Marquis Levnin… that name isn’t entirely unfamiliar.*

Terestia swallowed a sigh and searched her memories.

The lavishly adorned Terestia had idly looked over the expensive tributes that had arrived that day…

While receiving mining reports from the gem mines that boasted such enormous reserves that even if mined every day, they would never run dry—

Tucked among them was an invitation to participate in an agenda from the Northern Noble Alliance.

Terestia had scanned the contents with a bored face and let out a snicker.

*The North is cold, causing hardship for the domain residents; it’s difficult to protect the domain from monsters…*

Marquis Levnin, the vice-representative, had said many long and verbose things, but the conclusion was simple:

*’Give us money.’*

Terestia had giggled at that and said this:

—

“Tell Marquis Levnin that I will provide 5 million gold annually to the Northern Noble Alliance to be used for defense expenses, to be shared among the northern nobles.”

—

That was the first and last time Terestia had paid any attention to the North.

But now, having just recalled that memory, the current Terestia’s eyes flew wide open and she slammed her fist on the desk.

Fortunately, the desk didn’t break, but the sound was loud enough to fill the office.

“I remember now! Marquis Levnin—he received a huge amount of money from me, and he sent the most petitions?”

“…Money?”

“Yes, I said I’d provide 5 million gold annually to the Northern Noble Alliance for defense expenses.”

“Oh ho…”

*That could be useful.*

Argo said that, adding that he would check the details of the subsidies Your Highness had provided.

“So, have I done everything I need to do now?”

“Yes, now you just wait for a response after the provocation takes effect. Ah, please check this as well.”

“What’s this?”

“The list of spies the Northern Noble Alliance has planted in the Grand Ducal Castle.”

“Hmm…”

There weren’t many, but the question was how to deal with them.

If she rooted them out immediately, there were too many eyes watching; if she handled them secretly, the annoying demon rumors would probably spread again.

Besides, the person on the last page had little direct contact with Terestia, but would clash with the people of the Grand Ducal Castle…

“Let’s watch them for a while and deal with them together with the Noble Alliance before going to the capital.”

“Understood. However, since Your Highness seems to have forgotten, let me remind you: I am also the butler of the Grand Ducal Castle.”

*So?* Terestia blinked at Argo, who served as her aide, strategist, and butler.

“We need to fill the vacancies after removing the spies.”

“Ah, you’re asking for personnel authority? You handle it.”

*You do everything!* Terestia cheerfully smiled and shoved the work onto him, then closed the documents and stood up.

*Now I can escape from this mountain of paperwork, right?*

Humming to herself, she stopped just before leaving the office, turned back to Argo who was frowning, and returned.

“For the position of the guy on the last page, consult with me before choosing. That’s a very important position!”

“You look like a foreigner—please wear this if you’re cold.”

“…Thank you.”

He wasn’t in a position to refuse the coachman’s kindness.

The man took the worn-out blanket and draped it roughly over his shoulders, finally relaxing his furrowed brow.

He looked around diligently, but the barren landscape had continued for days on end.

“Isn’t the empire in spring right now?”

“Hmm, that’s true, but the North is cold and barren even in spring.”

At the coachman’s words, the man slowly nodded.

*Well, that’s why monsters are so rampant here.*

*If it were a warm and fertile land, humans would have flocked there long ago, monsters or not.*

The man, who had been blankly blinking his golden eyes, recalled when he had first boarded the carriage heading north.

His heart had raced with excitement for his first adventure in life.

In one hand, he carried a bag with enough money and food that he wouldn’t have to worry about his journey before leaving his homeland; in the other, he held a newspaper he had picked up as soon as he arrived in the empire.

Normally, one wouldn’t carry a foreign newspaper around so diligently, but the contents of that newspaper were extremely important to the man.

A large portrait had been printed on the front page.

Long black hair, slightly darker skin compared to the empire’s people, and golden eyes that resembled brilliant light.

A man with an expressionless face, gazing somewhere with elegance and majesty.

Below the man’s portrait, the words written in large letters—big as a door—said this in his native language:

—

**[Diger o Barchas. Rest in peace, young sun—.]**

—

The man, who had been staring at his own face in the newspaper with curious eyes, realized only after hearing the murmuring voices around him that he needed to wear his robe pulled down deeply.

*He couldn’t very well show the people of this country a dead foreign king walking around alive and well.*

*What a shame—having come all the way to the imperial capital of Pasquo, he would have liked to see Terestia briefly.*

Thinking that, the man, Diger, boarded a carriage heading straight for the North without a moment’s hesitation.

And now, half a month had passed.

His destination, the North, shouldn’t be far now…

“Come to think of it, what brings you to the North, sir? You seem sensitive to the cold, and your accent… you seem like a foreigner.”

“I heard monster byproduct trading is active in the empire’s North.”

“Ah, now I understand.”

The coachman, delighted to have found a topic he could talk about, began chattering excitedly.

Originally, the North in winter and spring was very dangerous due to monster hordes, but now it was fine.

Perhaps because monster byproduct trading had increased recently, the number of merchant caravans heading north was also on the rise.

Before, no one went north, so bandits ran rampant, but recently, public security had improved considerably…

Listening to the prattle with one ear, Diger gave half-hearted replies as they came to mind.

“I see. Sounds like something good is happening in the North.”

“Oh, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Grand Duke has returned to the North. And they say she cares for and protects the domain so much that she even personally throws herself into monster hunting…”

*The empire’s North… that would be the Grand Duke Inyument, wouldn’t it?*

*This current Grand Duke Inyument must be quite a spirited person.*

Just as Diger was coming to that arbitrary conclusion, a sudden thought struck him. He sat up straight and urgently asked the coachman.

“Grand Duke? You mean the Grand Duke Inyument?”

“There’s only one Grand Duke in the North, so…”

“Unless I’m mistaken, isn’t Princess Terestia the Grand Duke Inyument?”

It was a cautious question, but the coachman nodded with a blank face and said,

“Yes. That’s right. Her Highness the Princess is the Grand Duke of the North.”

That meant Terestia was in the North.

Diger couldn’t help but break into a wide smile.