A Creative Alchemist Enjoys His Freedom – After Being Banished from His Hometown, He Is Now Free to Create Magical Items with Incredible Effects Under the Control of the Demon King - Episode 29

Episode 29: “Interlude: Events in Imperial Territory (3)”

　──After Raizenga drove the Margrave away, in the Empire──

“Negotiations with the Demon King’s territory failed?!”

　This was the Duke’s mansion in the imperial capital.
　Duke Balga Regus was shouting in his office.

　On the other side of the table was Margrave Garua.
　He looked down, shoulders hunched, afraid of the wrath of Duke Regus.

“What is going on?! Explain what happened, Margrave Garua!!”
“Well, I’m truly sorry. Something completely unexpected happened to me as well.”
“Enough with the excuses! Have the negotiations really failed? Are they hopeless now…?”

　Margrave Garua silently nodded in response to the Duke’s anger.

“There’s nothing I can do about it now. The Demon King’s general will no longer negotiate with me…”
“No way… This plan was requested by the Minister of Military Affairs…”

　Duke Regus held his head and slumped in his chair.
　This plan had been entrusted to a high-ranking official of the Empire.
　The execution force was led by Margrave Garua, with Duke Regus providing his support.

　It all started when he received information that mining development was about to begin in the Demon King’s territory.
　General Raizenga, who governed the mountainous region in the south of the Demon King’s territory, had requested the Margrave to 『For the development of the mine, we’re going to do a lot of subjugation of demon beasts. Rest assured that we’ve no intention to invade the empire.』
　Margrave Garua delivered the letter to his close friend, Duke Regus.
　Furthermore, Duke Regus thought this could be useful and approached high-ranking officials of the Empire.

　Thus, the high-ranking officials took the lead in coming up with a plan to utilise the Demon King’s territory.
　The official’s plan was as follows:

　He would approach General Raizenga to help him subjugate the magical beats.
　Once the mine was developed, they were given a portion of the silver that was extracted.
　He would then propose a plan to General Raizenga to offer a bribe in exchange for extending his contract.

　If he gave the silver to General Raizenga, he might use it to fund a rebellion against the Demon King.
　Conversely, he could tell the Demon King that “Raizenga is receiving bribes from the Empire” and stir up trouble in the Demon King’s territory.

　That was the Minister’s plan.
　The Margrave and the Duke volunteered to carry out the plan.
　Furthermore, Duke Regus gave additional instructions to Margrave Garua.

“Use the unworthy Thor, whom the Duke’s family sent to the Demon King’s territory, for negotiations.”──and.

　The negotiating partner on the Demon King’s side is Flame General Raizenga.
    Since he calls himself “General,” he must be a warrior.
　In that case, he must hate those who don’t have the strength to fight. He must have similar values ​​as us.
　He would be happy to cooperate with the plan to use Thor Regus.

　That was what Duke Regus and Margrave Garua had predicted, however──

“『My daughter is determined to make Thor Regus my son-in-law 』──What?!”

　General Raizenga’s answer was completely unexpected.
　The Duke didn’t know anything about the Demon King’s territory.
　Still, the idea of ​​his son Thor becoming the general’s son-in-law was an unlikely one.

“Isn’t Thor sent to the Demon King’s territory as a sacrifice?! If General Raizenga is a warrior, then the best he can hope for is to use him as a practice subject for swordsmanship… Why?
“I, I don’t understand. What on earth is going on in the Demon King’s territory…”
“That guy must have gotten close to the demi-humans, no matter what. He must have leaked information about the Empire, or he must have begged them to help him… Of course he did!”
“Is that so? Perhaps the Demon King’s Territory has some other plan…”
“Who cares what demons and demi-humans think?!”

　The Duke slammed his fist on the table.

“Thor! You shameless member of the Imperial nobility. If word gets out that the son of the Duke’s family is a son-in-law of a demi-human, I’ll never be able to go out in high society again…”

　Duke Regus held his head in his hands.
　Ever since being kicked out of Princess Liana’s party, the Duke hasn’t been seen in high society.
　Fewer nobles visited the mansion.
　The failure to repair the princess’ magic sword was such a great blunder.

　That was why the Duke was betting on this plan.
　If he could control the people of the Demon King’s territory, it would be a great advantage for the Empire.
　The reputation of the Duke and Margrave would also improve.

　The Duke decided to use his son, Thor, to further his prestige.
    “Duke Balga Regus, who sacrificed his own child for the sake of the Empire”—that should should surely be high even among the Emperor, the Princes, and the Princesses.
　Her Highness Princess Liana would reconsider the opinion of the Duke.

“…But…how did this happen…”
“What are you going to do? My Lord Duke.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it!?”
“…Huh?!”
“I’ve already reported this to His Majesty the Emperor! 『The negotiations will definitely be successful. The Empire will be able to obtain high-quality silver from the Demon King’s territory for the next four years!』”
“Th-That’s not possible!?”
“His Majesty immediately gathered high-ranking officials and praised me. But…”

　There was no way to undo that now.
　They had to buy time and find a solution in the meantime.

(Should I go to the Demon King’s territory myself and negotiate with General Raizenga or something…?)

　Thinking about it, the Duke quickly shook his head.
　It was impossible.
　General Raizenga wanted Thor to be his son-in-law. The Duke called Thor “useless” and “disgraceful”, beat him up, and banished him to the Demon King’s territory.
　The General must have heard about it too, and there was no way he would have any good feelings towards the Duke.

(Then should I bow to Thor…?)

　That was simply impossible.
　Margrave Garua had already conveyed his proposal to the general that, if the matter were to be exposed, he would blame Thor Regus. If the duke showed up there, his life might be in danger.

“Duke!”
“Shut up. I’m thinking about what to do next. Shut up!”
“N-no… that’s not it.”
“I told you to shut up!”
“The Minister of Military Affairs has arrived!”

　He looked up when he heard that.
　The office door was open.
　An elderly man and several soldiers were standing in the hallway.

“Minister of Military Affairs, Lord Zagran. W-why are you here…”
“I received a report from Margave Garua that the plan has failed, so I came to confirm it.”
“Ha, haha.”

　Duke Regus rubbed his head on the floor.
　Next to him, Margrave Garua was doing the same.

“Both of you, please raise your heads. I only came to confirm. The report from the Margrave was incomplete, so I came to hear the story directly.”

　An older man with white hair and a monocle walked slowly into the room.
　The man was Minister of Military Affairs Zagran, one of the three highest-ranking officials of the Dorgalian Empire.
　He was highly trusted by the Emperor and also served as the tutor to the third princess, Liana.
　He was a high-ranking official, much higher in rank than a duke.

“I’m afraid the plan is still in progress.”

　So the Duke raised his head and cried out loud.

“There was a slight miscalculation, but it’s okay. We can recover…”
“You don’t need to.”
“Eh?”
“Your methods are too sloppy. I never thought you would choose a method that would incur the wrath of the Demon King’s general. Therefore, the plan to receive silver from the Demon King’s territory has been cancelled.”

　The grey-haired Minister of Military Affairs said.

“To think that you would anger the Demon King’s Flame General. And all for trying to sacrifice your son. No, not at all. I didn’t expect that.”
“…Wh, why would you do that?”
“I had one of my men infiltrate the Margrave’s party. This is a report from that person.”

　Duke Regus’s face turned pale at the words of the Minister of Military Affairs.

　There were no more excuses or deceptions.
　This was because he realized that the other party was receiving accurate reports from his own subordinates.

“In the first place, this plan was meant to prevent the Demon King’s territory from interfering with the Empire. The reason I sent your son as a hostage was to make them let their guard down. So what’s the point of angering the other side’s General? Seriously.”
“But I was going along with the plan…”
“Is it part of the plan to pin the blame on your son? I never asked you to do that!”
“…Huh?!”
“You should have backed off when General Raizenga rejected our plan to extract extra silver. That would have been the end of it…”

　A long sigh echoed through the Duke’s study.

“Anyway, the plan to extract silver from the Demon King’s territory has been cancelled. However, subjugation of demonic beasts will be held as planned. It will be a joint effort between the Empire and the Demon King’s Territory.”

　The Minister of Military Affairs looked down at the Duke and said,

“There’s nothing in return, but it’s a good opportunity to show the Demon King’s territory the strength of the Empire. That way, we can prevent the demons and demi-humans from harming us.”
“Yes, yes. In that case, I will accompany you.”
“No, I want the Duke to play an active role in another place.”

　Silence fell.
　After confirming that the Duke had not responded, Minister of Military Affairs Zagran said,

“Currently, there is a skirmish with a small country in the south of the Empire.Let the Duke fight there… as one of the soldiers.
“……Eh”
“The details will be given at the Imperial High Officials Conference. Everyone is already gathered here. Come here.”
“Oh, please wait! Give me opportunity to defend myself!!”
“That can be discussed at the meeting. Oh, and…”

　The Minister of Military Affairs continued, brushing aside the Duke’s words.

“You probably shouldn’t talk about your son.”
“Huh?”
“The person we sent to the Demon King’s territory, Thor Regas, was not mentioned in the meeting. It is meaningless to claim that matter as the Duke’s achievement to His Majesty. On the contrary, it can be thought of as a bad impression of His Majesty.”
“Wh-why…”
“Because your son is way out of the ordinary.”

　The Minister of Military Affairs sighed.

“A few days after being sent to the Demon King’s territory, he is called 『son-in-law 』by a general who is famous for his military reputation in the Demon King’s territory. Moreover, he knows that the Empire offered him as a sacrifice. Naturally, he will have ill feelings towards you and the Empire. How should we treat such a person?”
“…Ah, yeah.”

　The Duke’s body began to tremble.
　The Minister of Military Affairs’s remark sealed the Duke’s final trump card.

“Duke Regus, who sent his son to the Demon King’s territory without regard for the danger.”

　That argument was the only thing that would protect the Duke at this meeting of the Empire’s highest-ranking officials.
　But that was no longer usable.

“You’re not planning on taking advantage of your son at this point, are you?”

　Minister of Military Affairs, Zagran sighed.

“Let me make it clear that you are the one who made your son’s excuse unavailable. You could have simply offered him as a hostage. You could have persuaded him to cooperate. But you didn’t do that, didn’t you? I heard from someone who was working at your house… that you cursed him and sent him off, telling him to go and die.”
“……Ah”

　The Duke covered his face and groaned.

“…But, he’s a useless person who can’t fight. He’s incompetent…”
“It may be fine to treat someone incompetent like that. But was your son really incompetent? Doesn’t it seem like he has already gained the trust of the Demon King’s General?”
“But even so! It is only natural for a noble to sacrifice himself for the empire…”
“That’s a great idea. Then you should do it.”
“……Eh”
“Currently, the Empire needs to keep the Northern Demon King’s Territory quiet. Therefore, it is not in the Empire’s interest for you to remain a high-ranking noble. Therefore, for the sake of the Empire, please be prepared to throw your title away.”

　A cold voice reached the Duke’s ears.

“Or… you wouldn’t say that you couldn’t do what you asked your son to do, would you?”
“…………Ah, ah, ahhhhhh!”
“Personally, I’m sad that Thor Regus went to the Demon King’s territory. Your son could have been a good tool.”
“────”
“Oh, Margrave Garua will not be accompanying us. We will be interviewing him at a different venue. Until then, he is on house arrest. Well then, please accompany me, Duke Balga Regus.”

　Duke Regus was now at a loss for words.
　He was taken in a carriage to attend a meeting at court.
　The punishment announced at that meeting was as follows:

• Providing funds and provisions for the soldiers who will subjugate the demonic beast.
• Providing funds equivalent to four years’ worth of silver, which was supposed to be obtained from the Demon King’s territory.
• The peerage was demoted from the Duke to the Earl.
• If you want to get rid of the stigma, participate in the battle in the south of the empire.
• After that, the Empire will decide how to treat the Earl of Regus.

　During the meeting…

“At the very least, give me the opportunity to take good care of myself! Not a solider, but instead, the captain of 10 soldiers.”

　──As soon as Count Regus wished, he began preparing to head south as a captain, who led 10 soldiers.

　In this way, the dignity of the Duke of Regus, the most dignified aristocrat of the empire, had completely disappeared from social circles.

　And Earl’s Regus family… was about to enter the long winter era.

Translator Note:– Rank of the Earl is equal to the count. Earl is British noble rank.
• Margrave is equal to the British Marquess.
• Just for knowledge, Baron is the lowest rank noble. A baron title can be earned by the wealthiest businessesman.