IMYL 23

Chapter: 23

After wrapping up the situation, Alpheus and the elite squad were on their way back to the marquisate.

Alpheus glanced at a small bag.

“Ah… Since I came all the way to the capital, I should’ve at least bought Bribri a gift.”

Just imagining playing with soap bubbles with Brisa on the hill made him smile.

Inside the bag were soap bubbles and balloons. He had bought them at a stationery shop in the capital.

‘But…’

A rational thought followed a bit late.

‘Was there even any food left in that territory?’

As they had crossed half the Empire from east to west, he had felt it clearly: distribution throughout the entire Empire was in shambles.

With warp travel down, it was only natural. Grain from the western regions wasn’t circulating, so everyone had become sensitive about food.

‘The East is at least fairly self-sufficient… but the Sers Marquisate probably isn’t.’

Still, he had left Langsi behind. He believed Langsi would somehow manage things well.

Maybe he had put something on credit with a neighboring territory. They had left knights there—so even if there were monsters around a small hill, they would be able to handle it.

‘Or didn’t he say he had relatives? That his uncle lived nearby… I think that lawyer mentioned it. Surely his uncle helped out?’

Yet in Alpheus’s imagination, Brisa was sitting upright, starving. He had seen that sight many times while crossing the Empire.

The knights would be suffering as well…

Of course, since they were former mercenaries, they were used to hunger.

“But we’re really almost there now.”

They themselves were riding while hungry.

They had dried fish and seaweed from the East, but not enough to eat their fill. The villages where distribution had been cut off were not very generous.

It was even worse the deeper they entered the central regions, where large-scale farmland was scarce.

They had no choice but to sell the gold ornaments given by the Second Prince at cheap prices, just to stave off hunger.

After such a long ride, the end of their journey was finally in sight.

“Everyone must think we’ll only arrive after warp travel is completely fixed, right?”

Alpheus grinned.

“We’re showing up a whole month early! Just imagine how happy they’ll be! They’ll jump in surprise, like they never expected to see us so soon!”

The captain of the elite squad finally let out a small chuckle.

“Langsi will probably say, ‘Did you come back as ghosts?’”

Though they were exhausted from riding without proper food, the thought of seeing their comrades again filled them with excitement.

Alpheus grinned mischievously and winked brightly.

“Well then, everyone—rested enough?”

The war hero’s wink was so cheerful that the elite squad could only sigh.

“Then let’s move out again! Our precious Bribri—Alphy big brother is coming!”

With a loud battle cry, the young man began riding toward the territory.

“Leo!”

Baron Foreman stared at his grandson in shock.

“What on earth are you doing here…? Don’t tell me—you were nearby?”

I had once heard about Baron Foreman from Sylvia, Leopold’s cousin.

“Our grandfather uses honorifics with Leopold in official settings. I guess I’ll have to do the same when I grow up.”

So Sylvia’s grandfather was Baron Foreman.

“But in private, he speaks casually. So when I grow up, I’m only going to meet Leopold in private. Just thinking about using honorifics with him already hurts.”

Which meant that in situations like this—when others were present—Baron Foreman had to use formal speech with Leopold.

But he had clearly been too shocked just now and had spoken informally out of habit.

“My goodness, Leo. To run into you here.”

I hadn’t expected to see Leopold here either.

Leopold, too, looked back and forth between me and Baron Foreman, clearly surprised.

“Well now.”

Even in the midst of this, blood was spraying behind him.

Without even turning around, he launched a blast of energy. It struck precisely the ship the black mages were hurriedly boarding. The white-masked figures were swept away and sank.

Without bothering to confirm the results of his wide-area attack, the boy spoke elegantly.

“This is… a situation that arouses curiosity.”

In the dialect of western nobility, that meant:

“Everything about this is so utterly unexpected I can scarcely believe it, and I’m dying to know every detail from start to finish, so explain at once.”

Of course, I had no intention of explaining.

So I shot Baron Foreman a look of betrayal.

“Grandfather…? Then… are you Baron Foreman?”

I had simply passed the burden to someone else.

There was a reason I had pretended all this time not to recognize him.

‘Baron Foreman is a capable informant.’

Which meant he would likely ask sharp, probing questions.

And I was only twelve years old.

Even if I seemed mature, I was still young enough to fall for the leading questions of an experienced information broker.

‘What if I end up saying I know the future…?’

Then I would quite literally become a mad child.

‘…That’s horrifying.’

So I had no desire to have deep conversations with Baron Foreman. If I admitted I recognized him, I would be obligated to answer his questions.

Regardless of rank, he was an elder—and the maternal grandfather of the future Nozen heir.

But if I kept pretending not to know, the maids and Philip would naturally create situations where I wouldn’t have to answer.

‘But I can use it like this too.’

I blinked, putting on a shocked expression.

“Didn’t you say you were stuck because you had relatives in the Hawin barony?”

At my mutter, Leopold raised an eyebrow.

His gaze swept over his grandfather’s shabby clothes.

“I did not realize you were Baron Foreman. I apologize for my discourtesy.”

I removed the hood of my robe and offered a proper, polite greeting.

Then I added awkwardly,

“I simply thought you were from the West, so since you were caught eavesdropping, I was going to let you go…”

The purpose was to build up goodwill.

“In case Baron Hawin recognized your face and took revenge on your relatives, I even disguised you.”

The self-praise continued.

“And I served you dinner…”

Baron Foreman, who had now become an old man who deceived a kind child and ate her food, looked flustered.

“I—I mean, I…”

Leopold’s eyes slowly narrowed.

His expression turned subtle, as if weighing something.

“The reason my grandfather suddenly went to the central region…”

As he spoke, he exploded several more ships behind him.

“…must be related to affairs of the West.”

That remark was clearly meant for me.

It meant: I think I know roughly why—but this is absolutely not something you should know, so stop digging further.

A flawless noble way of speaking.

Rejecting factions without making enemies.

Never allowing his neat, rational image to crack.

There was a reason western culture had developed that way.

‘The West is the wealthiest land.’

A place that never lacked anything. Always abundant. And thus never desperate.

They did not directly ask or demand things of others. After all, whatever they wanted or wished to know, they could resolve on their own.

From behind me, I heard Philip whisper to Wendy.

“Why does that young master only state the obvious? If someone from the West went somewhere, of course it’s because of western business. What else would it be?”

“Seriously. Earlier he just said he was curious and didn’t even focus on the conversation. Though I guess he’s busy stuffing black mages into the sea like that.”

The northern mercenaries understood nothing of western noble speech.

‘Well.’

I recalled the original story.

‘That’s why it took so long for Alpheus and Leopold to cooperate.’

The two of them simply couldn’t communicate.

Having regained his composure, Baron Foreman answered in proper western noble fashion.

“The matters I must report are so lengthy that I may need to speak until dawn.”

Which meant: Let’s talk after sending these people away.

He then smiled awkwardly at me.

“I have been discourteous, young lady of Sers. It was not my intention to conceal my identity to the very end…”

Which meant he had absolutely intended to conceal it.

“I shall not forget the kindness you showed to a rustic old man from the West.”