Even knowing what she was going to say in advance, the absurdity still caught off guard.
There was no need to fake my reaction—my voice was already full of disbelief.
"A king? Who? ? Why?"
"Because it’s the Military Nation!"
Hilde responded cheerfully.
"The Military Nation was built as a land without a king, a country where no one could exploit another! A nation ruled only by law and order, where governance would be dictated by strict rules rather than individual power!"
"They succeeded in their dream, alright. That damn country doesn’t have rulers who exploit others. Instead, everyone gets exploited equally."
"Ahaha~. As expected of soone who’s lived there. You understand it perfectly~. Yes, it’s unfortunate, isn’t it~?"
Says the person who played a part in making it that way.
Feigning innocence, Hilde averted her gaze and continued casually.
"But even if there’s no ruler, soone still needs to give orders, right~? Lately, that need has beco very apparent. And just when I was thinking about it—bam! Father shows up!"
"So you’re planning to use as just another cog in the machine? No thanks. What kind of king sits in a rat hole receiving ssages all day? You’d be better off finding the King of the Rats instead."
I replied bluntly, and Tyr, smiling, interjected.
"Hilde. It seems that this ‘King of the Military Nation’ you speak of hasn’t even appeared at the negotiating table yet."
Trying to negotiate as if Hughes is already hers… what a cunning snake. Hughes belongs to the duchy now—he’s practically mine.
Excuse ? No, I belong to myself, thank you very much.
Honestly, being the King of the Military Nation sounded better than being the vampire’s pet. I decided to leave a little room for negotiation.
"And what exactly would I gain from being the king? No luxury, no good food, no people to et—being stuck as the Military Nation’s glorified communication officer sounds a lot worse than being a duchy citizen with all the at I can eat."
Hilde’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, is that what you’re worried about?"
"How could I not worry? I’ve seen what life is like there."
"There’s no way we’d treat you like that! You are the very mystery that both I and the Military Nation have been desperately searching for!"
Hilde’s eyes lit up with a kaleidoscope of colors.
Whenever she acted, her eyes usually showed a single hue—but now, it was as if every color was rging together.
"The Military Nation has completely severed ties with the Holy Crown Church. That makes us your allies! And our systems, our intelligence network—they are all highly structured and efficient. Finding the Demon Gods you seek? That would be much easier with the Military Nation’s resources! Would you really turn all that down?"
"No matter how useful it is, the quality of life is very different. Staying here as Tyr’s guest is practically the sa as being a Level 5 citizen."
"Co on. I wouldn’t dare treat the King of Humans as just a Level 5 citizen. If Father cos to the Military Nation…"
Hilde flashed a bright smile and scooted across the carriage to sit beside .
Tyr’s mood visibly soured, but Hilde ignored her and leaned in closer.
"I will give you everything."
"Everything? Be more specific."
Hilde tilted her head toward Tyr, as if to gauge her reaction.
Tyr’s expression hardened, but Hilde simply smiled in amusent before leaning in and whispering in my ear.
"Literally everything. The resources, the authority, the knowledge, the systems. And… everyone in it. All of it."
"That does sound tempting. But do you actually have the ability to deliver? What if they refuse to accept ?"
"Oh, please~."
Still grinning, Hilde edged even closer—then, out of nowhere, lightly bit my earlobe.
Caught off guard, I yelped.
Laughing, Hilde exhaled softly into my ear as she whispered.
"…Eiby and Historia are already yours, aren’t they~? They’ve both been so deeply involved in the Military Nation that they’re inseparable from it now. All you’d be doing is reclaiming what’s already yours~. And on top of that, I will be part of the deal, too."
What do you an ‘they’re mine’? People don’t just belong to others like objects.
Just as I am my own person, so are they.
But still… the offer was interesting.
Being Tyr’s guest was nice, but as a human in the vampire duchy, my role was inherently passive.
"Did you get permission?"
I was referring to Yuel.
Even though she had broken ties with the Holy Crown Church, she would never willingly hand the Military Nation over to .
Hilde, understanding exactly what I ant, gave a sly smirk.
"I don’t need permission. I will make it happen."
Yuel, I apologize in advance~. But you understand, don’t you? You know better than anyone that your power alone isn’t enough. You’ll understand my decision, right, dear Saint?
Even with her clairvoyance, Yuel couldn’t see into the depths of the Mist Duchy.
There was no better place to plan a coup.
Hilde probably hadn’t followed here with that specific intention in mind, but still…
It was an intriguing proposal.
I uncrossed my arms slightly, showing that I was considering it.
"It does sound good. But I’m a weakling—handling it alone is a bit daunting. If Tyr lends an Elder, I think I could completely take over the Military Nation."
"Perfect! What do you say, Tyrkanzyaka? Are you ready to sit at the negotiation table now~?"
Strictly speaking, I wasn’t even the King of the Military Nation.
Hilde’s words were like writing a check with money she didn’t have yet.
But in this world, checks were often traded regardless of whether the payer actually had the funds.
What mattered was whether the recipient believed the check could be cashed.
"…."
Tyr remained silent, lost in deep thought.
And then—
"Now that is a wonderful story to hear!"
Support ca from an unexpected source.
Kabilla, who had been quietly listening, clasped her hands together and spoke in an excited tone.
"The Mist Duchy should start securing allies from outside as well. This may sound like the empty boasting of a frivolous loafer, but even if only a fraction of it is true, it holds strategic and political value."
She shot a sharp glare, which was honestly a little unsettling, before flashing an adorable smile. Whether she was praising or mocking was unclear.
"It wouldn’t look good if my sister’s concubine were just lazing around, would it? But if you had the title of the Military Nation’s King, you’d at least look impressive! A crown can make even a mangy dog seem dignified!"
"There is no need for that. Hughes is my guest."
Tyr, who had been quietly listening, spoke in a low voice.
"And that alone ans you should respect him."
A short but powerful warning.
Kabilla imdiately paled and dropped to her knees.
She didn’t care that her dress crumpled or that dust clung to the fabric—she simply pressed her forehead to the ground before Tyr in an urgent plea.
"I-I am so sorry, Sister! I was only speaking about how others might perceive it—I never ant to belittle or look down on him!"
Just like that, I was elevated from "loafer" to "sir" in an instant. That’s so serious social mobility—practically a revolution.
Maybe being the Progenitor’s guest wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
Still, even as Kabilla groveled, Tyr did not react.
Growing desperate, Kabilla clung to her feet, almost in tears.
"I sincerely apologize! I will make ands however I can! I will do anything to atone! If he truly decides to go to the Military Nation, I will personally assist him in solidifying his rule! Hughes, whatever you ask of , I will do it—whether as your subordinate or even as your slave!"
Ah. Now I’m "Hughes." How touching.
I was about to take full advantage of this when Tyr stepped in first.
"I understand your intent. I am appeased. You need not prostrate yourself before Hughes."
"…! Yes! Thank you, Sister! I will never forget your grace and forgiveness!"
Tsk. I was hoping to milk this a little longer, but Tyr cut it off at the source.
Of course, Kabilla had only ever sought Tyr’s forgiveness to begin with.
Now that she had received it, she had lost all interest in .
Tyr, watching her, felt a faint sense of relief.
"At least this ans there will be fewer won lingering around Hughes. Kabilla is one of my Elders, but without my absolute dominance, I cannot be certain what she might do."
Regardless, Tyr now carefully considered Hilde’s proposal.
Her thoughts kept circling back to sothing Kabilla had said.
"…Perhaps granting Hughes power would be the wiser choice. This offer benefits both him and . Here, he is rely a concubine. But if he becos both the King of Humans and the King of the Military Nation… then we would stand as equals. A political marriage would even be possible. A husband must have the proper authority, after all."
Why does this suddenly involve marriage?
Never mind that—why is this 12th-century girl so stuck on such outdated ideas?
Why does a husband have to hold authority?
What’s wrong with freeloading and living off my spouse? Can’t I have the freedom to be a trophy husband?
"But… I do not want to send Hughes away just yet. If he is out of sight, I cannot know what might happen. I should accept, but with conditions."
"What do you say, Tyrkanzyaka~? Do you need more ti to think~? But don’t take too long. We are human, and ti is not on our side~."
"No. I have reached my decision."
Tyr straightened her posture.
Just a small shift, but it was enough to bring back the long-lost majesty of the Progenitor.
"This is not a bad offer. However, if I am to lend my strength, I must receive sothing in return. There will be conditions. The first—"
She raised a single finger.
"You will remain at the Castle of the Full Moon until the trial regarding Ruskinia’s death is concluded. The duchy is still in disarray from an Elder’s death. Until order is restored, I will not declare a clear stance."
The death of an Elder was a major event in the Mist Duchy.
It wasn’t just a simple murder case—the very thod of how an immortal Elder had been killed remained unknown.
It made sense for internal affairs to take precedence over external ones.
"And the second—"
Tyr took my hand as she spoke the next condition.
"Hughes, you will use your power… to restore my senses. That is the price of my aid."
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