A single, unsuspecting carriage made of quality materials appreciated at close range moved toward the northern gate of the royal capital. The lone horse that pulled it was also a remarkable animal.
“Halt!” ordered an on-duty guard at the gate.
Under normal circumstances, the guards would inspect the carriages. As soon as they read the note the coachman provided, they stepped back and straightened their posture.
“This is Lord Lucas’s carriage?! I’m terribly sorry for stopping you! Please proceed!” said the guard as his colleagues opened the gate in a hurry.
I could see the capital through the small gap between the curtains, then shifted slightly to sit closer to Mireille.
“Ambassadors sure get special treatment,” I said, looking at Lucas as he sat in front of us. “I would never have made it out of the capital so easily by myself.”
“Don’t jest, my lady. You found your way out of the capital just fine, did you not?” he answered with a forced smile.
It was all a little ironic.
“How come you have such a small escort?” I asked.
Lucas didn’t seem to mind my changing the topic so blatantly.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “My viscounty may be on the large side, yet I’m not as influential as you might think. I had to pick between numerous escorts and an effective one. It was a bit of a headache.”
“So you sacrificed numbers for quality. In other words, your guards are the cream of the crop.”
Lucas had only had five guards—an escort far too modest for the ambassador of a mighty empire. They were all riding on horseback next to the carriage.
“Indeed. I feel much safer with five reliable warriors by my side rather than twenty mediocre blades. A small elite force also costs less to maintain.”
“I see... I must say I’m a little confused, though. You’re here as an ambassador. Shouldn’t the emperor provide you with knights?”
“I’m afraid not,” Lucas said, sighing. He pressed his forehead as if he had a headache. “I was a measly noble of the robe not so long ago. My territory and title are recent developments.”
When I heard that, I reached a single conclusion.
“The emperor is using you, a young and easy-to-control nobleman, as a shield. On top of that, he sends you to deal with the ever-annoying King Bulat.”
“You saw right through me.” Lucas laughed, smiling instead of blaming me for being overly frank. “Indeed, you are correct. Despite my ending up in an uncomfortable position, only those can lead to great things if taken advantage of. I don’t believe it will happen in my generation”—he shrugged—“but doing well might guarantee my future child becomes a count someday.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After a few days, we finally got out of the wasteland that separated the kingdom and the empire to enter the capital of Lebrick Viscounty.
Along the way, we’d encountered monsters the five guards with us swiftly took care of. Just like Lucas had said, they were strong.
We passed through the gate and went up the main street toward Lucas’s residence, which stood at the heart of the city. Some citizens cheered when they recognized the Lebrick carriage.
“You’re quite popular here, my lord,” I commented.
“I may not look the part, but I treat my people earnestly,” he responded proudly.
This scene was a little too dazzling for me.
“This city is full of life,” Mireille said, staring through the window. I sensed the admiration in her voice.
“And I noticed various races live here,” I added.
About half of the people I saw in the streets were humans, and the other half consisted of elves, dwarves, beastmen, halflings, and other demihumans. I wasn’t used to this since humans made up the majority in the royal capital. The few demihumans there were adventurers, mercenaries, or temporary visitors who weren’t citizens. None of them had the same rights.
“The Yutear Empire is very diverse,” stated Lucas. “Several nations are under our jurisdiction, and we believe in respecting every culture. Besides, my viscounty is located on the fringes of the empire. Not to mention there’s a nearby dungeon that is popular with adventurers.”
While the Kingdom of Haldoria technically recognized demihuman rights, the country’s long history of human supremacy had hindered progress. Many still discriminated against demihumans and, deep down, didn’t see them as equal to humans.
The empire, on the other hand, was a young nation. It had always been diverse and never stifled by the weight of its history. With this in mind, the Yutear Empire was a much more promising place.
After chatting for a while longer, we reached the Lebrick residence. Lucas led me to a room.
“Please use this room for the time being,” he said.
“Thank you, Lord Lucas.”
I enjoyed the softness of a luxurious bed for the first time in over a month. The following morning, I joined Lucas to discuss the next step. We sat across each other, a table separating us.
“So, Lady Elizabeth, may I inquire about your plans?” he asked.
“My first step will be building myself a decent foundation. While we’re on the topic, I have a couple of requests.”
“Let’s hear them,” he said, then gestured to his butler to serve him another cup of tea.
The butler naturally extended his courtesy, so I ate one of the cookies he had brought out.
“First of all, I would like your approval to conduct business in this city,” I said. “I will need money to establish myself in the empire and gain power.”
“I’ll allow it. Knowing you used to manage an influential firm, I believe a promising business will strengthen the local economy.”
“Thank you, my lord,” I said, bowing to him. “That brings me to my second request. As you know, one cannot hope to start a business with no capital. So, would you kindly lend me a hundred gold coins?”
“A hundred gold coins, huh?” repeated Lucas, putting his hand up to his chin. He seemed to do that whenever he needed to think.
I was asking for a significant sum. With that amount, a commoner family of four could get by for several years. Once I’d estimated Lucas’s tax revenue based on the size of his territory and the state of his residence, I was sure he could easily afford it. What he was considering was whether there was any point in handing out such a sum to a young girl with no influence like me.
“Please take a look at this, my lord,” I said, presenting a piece of paper.
“A magic contract? It’s also of high quality.”
As the name suggested, a magic contract was a covenant that bound both parties. When signed, the contract’s content would etch into your soul and force you to abide by its terms.
The power of the binding magic depended on the quality of the contract. One of poor quality would only make you feel a bit sick if you broke the terms. My contract, though, was of the highest quality because a signatory who failed to fulfill it would die.
“The conditions are... Are you insane?!” remarked Lucas after reading through it.
“Why the fuss, my lord?”
According to the contract I’d handed him, I had to pay Lucas double his investment within a year. If I failed to do so, I would become his slave. He could then sell me to someone else to recoup his losses or assume ownership of my person.
Lucas stared at me like I was a lunatic.
I suppose that in his eyes, I am a lunatic.
“One year,” I said. “That’s all the time I need to cover this table in gold.”
◇◆☆◆◇
When I looked at her on that day, ready to gamble with her life, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
I felt like a child who’d lost his parents in the crowd, like a young boy wandering through the darkness, like an adventurer peering into a dragon nest.
Though she had barely come of age, I felt like I stood in front of a wild beast whenever I looked at her.
Dread filled my heart, yet a spark of excitement bloomed—so small and faint that I almost failed to notice it.
After those cunning aristocrats had used me, I had the impression that my chance to claim glory had finally come. I got a glimpse of its radiant shine.
But I couldn’t explain why. All I knew was that this girl held something mysterious that stirred up hope inside me.
Excerpt from the memoirs of Lucas Lebrick Haldoria, Archduke of the Dukedom of Haldoria.