The attack by the assailants was, in a way, more of an opportunity than a crisis.
A chance to take down the silent nobles hiding in the shadows.
Once we reach the capital, let’s beat them down again.
Syria, however, was staring quietly at the dead assailants.
“Why?”
“If those fools had just crossed into Ashtar’s territory, it would’ve been a different story.”
“Wouldn’t your bear have taken action by then?”
“Wouldn’t our saintess have stepped forward instead?”
“Ah.”
It might have been better to wipe them out all at once with magic while we had the chance.
I should’ve just ignored Claire when she tried to stop me.
Regret filled me as I held back tears, climbing back into the carriage with Aslan’s group.
This time, several knights and soldiers from Ashtar accompanied us, just in case.
Assassins were a problem, but the real issue was the Four Heavenly Kings, especially Pector.
A strong escort was necessary.
We also revised our plans.
“Let’s just ride straight to the border.”
“What? What about the inspection tour?”
“Who has time for a months-long inspection right now?”
“This kind of thing should be wrapped up quickly.”
“Besides, the influential nobles near here are already under control. Visiting them would be pointless. Other than near the border, there are hardly any places where public opinion matters.”
“Public opinion, you say?”
Let’s be blunt: It’s all about public opinion.
“That’s how it works, doesn’t it? When nobles inherit the position of head of their house, they play at emotional appeals to their retainers and commoners, and that’s it. When we left the capital, we’d already secured half the narrative. In Ashtar’s territory, just ‘continuing the tour despite being attacked’ is more than enough. The rumors will spread far and wide, reaching not just the capital but the neighboring areas as well. That’s sufficient. Even if he becomes the crown prince, power will ultimately lie with the Assembly, and the Assembly is dominated by those from Ashtar’s domain.”
“You—you’re becoming no different from the other nobles!”
“And what else? Do you want to keep getting ambushed by assassins? Sure, we’ve got Rivelte, me, Claire, and Syria, so you probably won’t die. But honestly, it’s a nuisance.”
“Hmm.”
This indecisiveness won’t do.
Even if he becomes Emperor, power will still come from the Assembly.
I had no choice.
For this clueless and pitiable former crown prince, I had to step in and overstep my bounds a bit.
“Thinking of your subjects is also part of gaining public favor. Let me remind you that I am also the Emperor’s teacher.”
“What?”
“Why pretend to be surprised? You already know this.”
“In other words, I am a Grand Tutor. Are you planning to dismiss my words lightly?”
“A-Grand Tutor?”
This fool finally seemed to realize my position.
Yes, that’s right. I’m a Grand Tutor, so don’t mess with me.
The Emperor’s teacher—meaning, even the former crown prince cannot treat me carelessly.
“This is a title officially recognized by His Majesty. Do you think a ‘former’ crown prince could overrule the Emperor’s appointed tutor?”
You? Dare to defy me, the Grand Tutor?
“Ugh. Olivia, that’s unfair.”
Ryla clenched his fists and trembled with frustration.
“In this capacity, I am neither a saintess nor Olivia the lady of a noble house. I am acting as the Grand Tutor. Ryla, mind your words. You are well aware of the Emperor’s character, aren’t you?”
“I do not bow to power!”
“Power or not, is that really the issue now?”
“Our lives are at stake.”
“Or are you some kind of weirdo who thrives on being threatened with death?”
“Do you want us to keep moving forward only to have the prince and everyone else beheaded by the rebels?”
“Ah, that’s…”
Ryla’s priority was the prince’s safety.
After all, his family had always been close to the prince’s.
When the prince’s life was on the line, Ryla couldn’t argue.
“Prince, think logically. Why do you think His Majesty sent me, the Grand Tutor? It’s clear: to protect you.”
The Emperor wasn’t a fool.
Though a tyrant and a brute, he cared for his child.
“But what if commoners find out about this later?”
“Wait a second—if Olivia is the Emperor’s teacher, isn’t the country doomed?”
Hearing that, the puppeteer who’d gone pale got a smack on the forehead from me.
“So what? Governance is run by the Assembly anyway. Even if commoners find out, it doesn’t matter. The royal family is ultimately just a symbol.”
“You can still say that so nonchalantly in front of your former fiancé, the ‘former’ crown prince?”
“If Rivelte dislikes it, stay quiet.
Or should I say, ‘The royal family is the center of power?’ If that’s the case, Rivelte’s autonomy should be revoked too.”
I said this while mocking Rivelte.
“I’m not one to pretend otherwise. Anyway, that’s how it is. The prince is a symbol. Whether or not you aim for the throne again—or even if you don’t—you’re better off avoiding needless threats. Let’s just head for the border.”
“Fine.”
Aslan sighed.
“Sighed? Who’s the one who wants to sigh here?”
“Oh, then we’re not stopping anywhere else?”
Aslan’s younger sister, Shariel, clicked her tongue in disappointment.
“Shariel, I’ll make sure you get a proper tour later. There’s nothing much to see on the way to the border.”
“Okay.”
Thus, using my authority as the Grand Tutor, we decided to head straight to the border region.
Yuria kept silent but seemed dissatisfied.
‘If you don’t like it, then become a Grand Tutor yourself.’
***
[Syria] messaged me again from outside the carriage.
[Did we come to the wrong place? Why are there assassins everywhere?]
[We’re here already, so we might as well defeat the Four Heavenly Kings. Can you summon your bear?]
[I can summon a few since we’re not in the capital, but for a war-scale fight, it’s better to request reinforcements from nearby lords.]
[That would cause too much chaos. We’ll handle it ourselves.]
The carriage left Ashtar’s territory completely.
There wasn’t much to do.
We passed through several villages, checking their conditions.
But we didn’t get out to personally interact with the commoners or conduct any propaganda.
As we got closer to the border, the number of people living in difficult circumstances increased.
The aftermath of the war likely left many as wandering refugees.
They must have received no compensation from the state.
The prince, stepping down in the border region, approached an elderly man and asked, “What’s going on here?”
“Don’t even get me started. With the ongoing war turning the borderlands into ruins, refugees have emerged everywhere. Other villages are already bursting at the seams, and people are either starving to death or turning into bandits.”
“Aren’t the bandits being dealt with by the empire?”
“They are, but that’s the problem.”
How could dealing with bandits be a problem?
“What’s the issue with hunting bandits?”
“After the hunts, the imperial soldiers go through everything, searching to see if there are more bandits. Even innocent refugees end up getting beaten half to death.”
Ah, well, that can’t be helped.
The heightened sensitivity from the Demon King’s threat makes distinguishing refugees from bandits nearly impossible.
“I promise you, better days will come. Please endure just a little longer. I will inform the Assembly when I return.”
The prince tried to console the refugees.
“There’s no land, and there’s not enough food. Is there no better solution?”
“Isn’t that strange? The empire has an abundance of land and food, doesn’t it?”
Ryla’s observation was accurate.
That much was true.
The empire was wealthy.
Even during the war, they minimized the battlefield’s impact within their kingdom.
“The immediate issue is that the nearby nobles aren’t accepting the refugees.”
“Is it because of corruption?”
No, that wasn’t it.
“This case is slightly different.”
“What do you mean?”
Aslan looked at me curiously.
The truth was that most of the lords were preoccupied with defending their territories rather than indulging in corruption.
“While we can’t say there are no corrupt lords, the war with the Demon King dragged on for a long time. What began as a war confined to the kingdom eventually spread into the empire towards the war’s end.”
“True.”
‘True?’ Isn’t that obvious by now?
‘Wait, is this guy really so sheltered?’
‘Doesn’t he think at all?’
‘How did this kind of person ever get tangled up with Lily?’
“Anyway, most of the frontline defenses against the Demon King were handled by the border lords, who became little more than meat shields. Since the war wasn’t against humans, the imperial Assembly didn’t spearhead the supply efforts. Instead, regional lords had to support the kingdom with their own resources.”
“And?”
‘Is he really the prince?’
Even that tyrannical emperor would grasp the situation—or act before being told.
It should be clear by now.
‘Fine. He’s my ex-fiancé, after all. Let me give him a lesson.’
“The lords near the border are utterly exhausted. They’re too busy feeding their own people. Some areas might’ve even seen direct battles, which means their farmland is likely in shambles. Even now, some of the nobles closer to the capital are probably receiving central support. Look no further than young Lord Rivelte from the northern territories—he urgently led his cavalry to secure supply lines, proving how severe the military losses in that region were.”
“So, Olivia, are you saying they want to take in the refugees but can’t?”
“Exactly.”
‘At least Yuria had some sense.’
“Even if we didn’t know what the lords were thinking, it was already difficult enough to keep their own people alive.”
“It wasn’t realistic to take in additional refugees.”
“But can’t they just give them some unused land?”
“Do you think refugees would settle for empty land alone? They’d also need food, warm homes with fires, and the risk of disease must be considered. Moreover, remember the previous attacks using succubi and incubi. Many border lords suffered because of them. It’s difficult for the lords to trust that all refugees are harmless.”
From the perspective of lords directly affected by the war, the refugees were a massive headache.
Knowing this, the refugees avoided venturing too far from their hometowns.
The rise of bandits reflected the weakened security, forcing nearby lords to resort to suppression.
“This is unbelievable.”
“While you were distracted by succubi, this is what’s been happening at the empire’s borders. The lords swept up in the war don’t even have the luxury to indulge in corruption—they’re likely tightening their belts to ensure their survival.”
“So, there’s no solution?”
It’s not that there’s no solution.
‘The problem is getting the refugees to cooperate.’
“There is a way. Feed them, then relocate them to lands under central nobles near the capital or imperial city. That would work.”
“I understand.”
Before I could finish my explanation, Aslan strode toward the refugees.
“The Emperor’s subjects cannot be left to die in this cold land. All of you, come with us to the capital!”
However, the refugees burst into bitter laughter at his words.
“Whoever you are, do you think we can just leave our homes like that?”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t the capital be far away?”
“We can’t abandon our homes.”
That was the usual reaction.
They were elderly, not impulsive youths.
‘Why would they follow him?’
‘If they stayed nearby, they might someday return to their homeland.’
‘Moving to the capital or central regions would make it nearly impossible to return.’