I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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“Ubarubabaruba!”

This foolish sound was uttered by Walter Hellhound, who was being shaken by the Elven Princess by the collar.

Still, it was a relief. Walter had been worried that if he spoke the truth, he might get slapped, but being shaken instead was a kind mercy from Margaret. Long live the Kingdom of Eramenia, long live the alliance of Elves and humans.

“What do you mean by that? On what grounds do you decide such things on your own? To continue waging war with just these people without a Grand Mage? Speak up! Did I mishear something?”

“Ah, you heard correctly, Your Highness.”

No matter how much it was a kind gesture to grab the collar and shake it, it was hard for Walter to speak in that position, so he politely removed Margaret’s hand. Margaret, realizing that she was getting emotional and acting uncharacteristically, cleared her throat.

“Anyway, know that if you don’t explain properly, this matter won’t just fly by. This is a problem not just from a personal standpoint but also strategically!”

“Wait a minute, you said personal feelings, right? Personal feelings?”

Rose, who had been quietly listening, suddenly interrupted the conversation. Margaret turned to Rose with a blank expression.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“So is it true? That you… have feelings for Jeongjae? Like, seriously? In a romantic sense? Like, you seriously want to make him the consort of Eramenia?”

“Is that really important right now?!”

Margaret yelled, her face turning as red as Rose’s hair. Rose was startled and nervously turned away slightly, mumbling.

“I think it’s a pretty important matter…”

“Ha ha, Rose. In a situation where Jeongjae has disappeared and we’re in a crisis, we should put those matters aside for now.”

“You created this crisis!”

Walter’s confident demeanor pushed Margaret to grab the Hero by the collar again. The Hero was shaken back and forth again, making foolish sounds.

Bernard Silverpoint, who had been quietly watching this situation, let out a sigh, looking unimpressed.

“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised too, but just because that guy’s not here doesn’t mean we’re immediately going to lose the war, right? If we fire him, surely the Hero will have some good plan in mind. Right?”

It was unclear whether Bernard was trying to calm Margaret or provoke her as he spoke. Margaret released Walter as if pushing him away and looked at Bernard.

“What good plan? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he received some secret intelligence orders that even we can’t share with our allies. That happens a lot, right?”

Margaret glared at Walter sharply again. The combination of Fairy Lord’s majesty and the fierceness of a woman in love made the Hero tremble.

“Is that right, Walter Hellhound? Did the Wizard give you any secret orders?”

Walter shrugged off the tension, regaining his composure.

“They say it’s a secret order that can’t be revealed to our allies, you know? How am I supposed to tell you about it?”

“Ha…”

Margaret sighed as if resigning herself. Ultimately, she couldn’t help but think, ‘If it’s Walter, surely he has some thought behind doing this.’

She knew he was clever, capable of things others couldn’t even imagine, and that he had ‘future sight.’

In the end, there was only one conclusion to trust Walter’s opinion. Margaret, reluctantly, calmed her excitement and returned to her usual composed self.

“So, I’ve heard you sent that guy away from your school to the Magic Tower. What happens from here on? I should know where he is if I need to find him for something. You’re not saying that too is a secret, right?”

“I’m thinking of visiting him whenever I’m bored.”

Rose jumped in. Margaret turned sharply toward Rose, pointing her index finger at her. The Elven Princess seemed to struggle to hold back, wanting to say, ‘You, shut up!’ but ultimately managed to shake her head.

Anyway, within this, she felt that her feelings had long been exposed…

“Is it wrong to visit a comrade when I want to see their face?”

“Wow, you became incredibly honest. If you had come on strong like this earlier, I would have caught on, and so would he, and it would have been a good thing, wouldn’t it?”

“You, shut up!”

Margaret couldn’t hold back any longer and scolded Rose again. Rose stuck out her tongue and shrugged.

“Why are you shutting me down when I’m talking?”

“Don’t tease Princess Margaret too much, Rose. If you mess with someone’s first love, there are consequences.”

“Shut up and answer what I asked!”

Recently, the usually composed Elven Princess directed her anger at Walter. Walter nodded and adjusted his glasses with a serious expression.

“We have a piece of land in our family. It’s a place called Harriet’s Territory. It’s quite small and located on the border.”

“There was a territory under the Harriet family?”

Rose asked. Walter nodded.

“Our ancestor, Simon Harriet, a former Hero, achieved great feats in defeating the Demon King’s Army and didn’t ask for much in return. He simply requested a territory where he could spend the rest of his life peacefully, and he got land on the border.”

“Then it’s your land. I’ve never seen you take an interest in managing your territory.”

“That’s because right now, Count Harker’s House is managing it all at once. Still, there’s a small castle attached, and if I assert my rights over that land, Count Harker probably won’t obstruct me.”

“So, you’re thinking of appointing that guy as the temporary lord of that land?”

Bernard, who had been quiet, asked. Walter shook his head.

“No, I’m planning to apply for a baron title. Rose, I hope your father won’t mind?”

“Show a little more respect, Walter. No matter what, he’s still your father-in-law.”

Rose said with a stern expression. Walter, adjusting his glasses, replied seriously.

“The Emperor surely won’t reject the offer to bestow Jeongjae the baron title, right?”

“Good, well done. Hmm, he probably won’t say no since your request has enough justification. Considering his merits, the baron title shouldn’t be a problem. Moreover, since you’re handing over your own territory, no complicated procedures are necessary.”

“You certainly know how to refer to your father.”

“Well, he’s my father, so I call him father. If you have a problem with that, you can marry me officially and then call him father-in-law.”

“Looks like you all are enjoying yourselves.”

Margaret clicked her tongue. Walter sighed and placed a hand on Rose’s shoulder.

“See, Rose, what did I say? It’s problematic to be too friendly in front of an Elf whose romantic endeavors aren’t going well.”

“Once this war is over, and I become the queen of Eramenia and you two become Emperor, Audrich and Eramenia will be at war.”

Margaret made a chilling joke. Walter’s eyes widened in shock.

“Oh no. Even if we can win this war, I have no confidence in that.”

“Stop talking nonsense, Walter. Are you really going to give Jeongjae the baron title? You seriously think of transferring your territory to him as severance pay?”

“That might hold various meanings. In many ways… yes. For now, it’s important to keep him out of the war’s flow. Moreover, he knows much that I do not, so we might expect additional income…”

“Are you saying you’re going to exclude such a capable person from the war?”

Bernard said. Walter, looking tired, put away his glasses.

“I’m not saying I’ll do it forever. This war might be a long battle. For the time being, neither we nor the enemy has the power to decisively smash each other. But someone has to be eliminated for the fight to end. I understand why he brought in such absurd strategies, but I can’t possibly agree.”

“That magic was surely well distributed, right? Honestly, hearing your plan makes me scared he might hoard that strategy in his territory and execute it without us knowing.”

Margaret spoke seriously. Walter nodded.

“For now, all the scrolls are being kept by me. However, since it ultimately came from his head, restoring that shouldn’t be too difficult for him.”

“Then shouldn’t we keep an eye on him? Frankly speaking, just the fact he harbored such thoughts is enough to make me feel like I’m going insane.”

Understanding the severity of Margaret’s attitude and realizing her concern, Rose managed to hold back her teasing this time. While Rose Caprice was restraining herself, Walter explained his thoughts to Margaret.

“Don’t worry too much about him. Though he committed something outrageous, he isn’t the kind of guy who would think so little of his own life. He won’t carelessly use powerful magic if he isn’t assured to strike a decisive blow against his enemies.”

“So is it safe to say he won’t use magic while he can’t read the flow of war in real-time?”

“Precisely. Given his character, he would probably devise a grand strategy to push enemies into a narrow space and create mass destruction with a single explosion. Damn it. If such a powerful weapon was achieved using gunpowder instead of the mana of humans… ”

“Honestly, I don’t want to live in a world with such weapons.”

Rose shivered at the thought of the scroll’s power that Walter had just explained. Margaret fully agreed with Rose’s opinion.

“If there are people living in a world where such weapons are widely used, I can only think it would be a terribly unfortunate world.”

“Who knows? Jeongjae seemed remarkably aware of what kind of explosive phenomena would occur with a giant explosion. What on earth happened in the world our ancestors traveled from, within 120 years?”

Well, it was a story that wouldn’t change regardless of how much one thought about it. After a moment of silence, Rose suddenly raised her head as if she had thought of something and spoke to Walter.

“By the way, if that territory is currently managed by Count Harker’s House, then would Jeongjae be under their influence while staying there?”

“Well, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Count Harker is a good enough person. He has great authority, good reputation, and cooperates in conscription…”

Cooperation in conscription was a very important matter. Walter acknowledged that the current war and the situation, where local lords had to use their personal soldiers, would spark complaints among the lords.

However, due to the Emperor’s power to directly designate one-third of the members of the Imperial Assembly, the local nobility couldn’t effectively exert power in terms of seats. If they mishandled the human fate at stake in the war, it would bring disgrace for a long time, so they had no choice but to submit.

Still, if there had not been Count Harker, who was balancing the power with the assertion of strengthening the nobility’s authority and the system of elected rulers, the situation could have been far more troublesome. If foolish nobles, unwilling to shoulder the consequences, had acted out against the Emperor’s oppression, they might have openly rebelled against Audrich.

If Count Harker hadn’t existed…

“While Count Harker himself is good, this could lead to something unfortunate for Princess Margaret.”

Walter spoke. Margaret pricked up her ears with interest.

“Something unfortunate for me? What do you mean?”

“Isn’t that household’s beautiful only daughter captivated by Jeongjae? As their families become closer together, who knows what conversations might arise, and that could…”

Walter, looking thoughtful, gazed up at the sky.

“Explain that matter in more detail, Walter H. Hellhound.”

Margaret’s voice was surprisingly calm and composed, causing Walter to think, ‘I expected she’d be a bit more flustered’ as he looked slowly towards her for an explanation.

However, upon seeing Margaret’s state, Walter jumped in surprise, nearly leaping from his seat.

“Take your hands off the quiver, Your Highness! I didn’t commit a grave sin, did I?!”

Margaret had, unknowingly and perhaps against her own will, slowly reached towards the quiver strapped to her back and the arrows on her thigh.

“Ah, don’t mind that, Hero. Isn’t explaining more important?”

“Shield! Rose! Protect me! If I die here, our Empire would be doomed in this war!”

“Honestly, you’ve deserved a little scolding too.”

Rose betrayed Walter, sticking her tongue out playfully, as if she had never once teased Margaret.

The arrow shot by Margaret fortunately missed the Hero by a wide margin, but Walter had no time to breathe a sigh of relief as he had to reveal everything about the existence of Jenis Harker, the only daughter of the Harker family.