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Chapter: 44
“I apologize for entering without permission. I heard there were objections to deploying troops to Brienne, so I rushed here. I will accept whatever punishment is deemed appropriate later.”
Claude’s face was stiff. He didn’t look displeased, but it was hard to read what he was thinking.
At the moment, Jeanne had no leeway to consider Claude’s mood or circumstances.
“I dare to speak before you, Your Grace.”
With a mind cooled by reason and a heart boiling with emotion, she spoke firmly.
“Please accept Brienne’s request for support, and allow the army to march not to Alas, but to the Dorman Territory.”
Jeanne bowed deeply, making her plea with utmost respect. What returned to her were the nobles’ jeers and pointing fingers.
“How dare a mere low-ranking knight! Not satisfied with barging in, she spouts such nonsense!”
“What are the guards doing? Throw her out at once!”
Criticism rained down like countless arrows. To shut them up, Jeanne decided to play her strongest card first.
“I say this as a Child of the Goddess, just like Your Grace!”
It was as if cold water had been splashed over the room. The council chamber fell silent. The nobles, hearing her identity for the first time, were momentarily stunned.
“…I believe I misheard just now?”
“No. I heard it too. She said ‘Child of the Goddess’…”
The nobles, still dazed, turned to Claude.
“Your Grace, is what she just said true?”
“It is.”
When Claude acknowledged it, the nobles looked more shocked than when they had heard of the demon horde’s appearance.
She hadn’t revealed it to boast. Simply put, in order to move the people gathered here, “Jeanne the low-ranking knight” was far less effective than “Jeanne the Child of the Goddess.”
She would use every card she had. Hoarding them was pointless—once her father died, they would be nothing more than useless scraps of paper.
While the nobles gaped in disbelief, Claude lowered his gaze, lightly tapping the desk with his index finger as if in thought. After a moment, he stopped.
His red eyes slowly rolled upward and settled on Jeanne.
“I have two questions, Sir Leclerc.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“As you can see, most of my retainers oppose deploying troops to Brienne. Despite that, tell me why we must go—and why the battle must be fought in the Dorman Territory.”
There was not a trace of his usual playfulness. At that moment, he was thoroughly the Duke of Loren, and her liege lord.
The cold atmosphere made her tense, yet she was grateful as well. Instead of being expelled, she had been granted the right to speak.
“To give the conclusion first, it’s because by deploying to Brienne and changing the battlefield, Loren stands to gain far more.”
“For example?”
“First, Loren’s standing will rise. Unlike Brienne, which has long targeted Loren whenever an opening appeared—starting with the infamous King Charles de Brienne—Loren will be seen as a benevolent nation that never abandons its alliances. And furthermore—”
Jeanne stepped closer to the desk and pointed to the map before Claude.
“The fact that Brienne designated Alas proves they underestimated Loren’s mobility. With Châtel, we can advance even farther northwest than that.”
Among the division commanders, voices of agreement arose. “That’s true.”
“The Dorman Territory is mostly flat land, ideal for maximizing the mobility of large infantry formations and cavalry. If we do that, Loren will save a region even Brienne gave up on. Spread this story, and across the entire continent, Loren will be hailed as a champion of justice. Not only the Order of Loren, but also the lords who ‘willingly’ sent their private troops in support.”
Jeanne emphasized her last words as she swept her gaze across the nobles. It was both a provocation and a temptation—if they wanted honor and prestige, they should support her.
Those who seemed in favor of dispatching troops nodded in approval.
Others, however, remained silent with complicated expressions or clicked their tongues in doubt. No—there were far more of them.
Jeanne guessed they were the opposition.
“Of course, it would be nice if Loren’s standing improved, but sending troops costs money. Who will bear that economic burden? You?” one of the opposing nobles sneered.
Time was slipping away, making her anxious, but Jeanne continued calmly.
“My role is to subjugate demons, not to make money.”
“How insolent—!”
“However, I do have information that will benefit Loren.”
She pointed to a spot on the map, drawing everyone’s attention.
“At the edge of the Dorman Territory, right next to Dongremian, there is the abandoned Lagarde Mine. It once produced iron ore, but it was exhausted and abandoned.”
“So what about an abandoned mine?”
“Deep underground in that mine lies white crystal of astronomical value.”
At the words “white crystal,” several nobles covered their mouths.
White crystal—the core material for communication orbs and projection orbs—was known to be mined only in Loren. As such, the crystal itself, along with the technology for crafting those orbs, was one of Loren’s major exports.
It was only natural for the nobles to be shocked at the claim that crystals existed in Brienne’s land.
“That—that’s absurd! How are we supposed to believe that?”
“I swear it on the name of a Child of the Goddess.”
Jeanne had discovered the crystals in the abandoned mine after the war in her previous life.
After collecting the bodies of Dongremian civilians, half out of her mind, she had wandered aimlessly and slipped, falling into the underground depths of the mine.
She vented her rage by slaying the bat demons guarding the depths, then ventured further inside—only to find an endless expanse of mirror-like crystals buried there.
She reported this to Alexis, and thanks to that, Brienne was able to manufacture communication and projection orbs without relying on Loren. Brienne made enormous profits, while Loren undoubtedly suffered losses to match.
But past or not, Jeanne had no room to be picky. If selling this information could persuade them, she would do it.
“You expect us to invest based on such far-fetched nonsense?”
“If you want to convince us, go and bring back at least a raw crystal. Then we’ll believe you and send troops.”
The opposition snickered, twirling their mustaches—when—
“So there really is something there.”
The one who silenced them was Claude’s muttered remark.
“…Your Grace? What did you just say?”
“There has long been circumstantial evidence that a large quantity of crystals lies buried in that mine. Sir Leclerc’s testimony just now confirmed it.”
“What? Since when was there such information—?”
“In the confidential documents left by the previous duke.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us about it?”
“Didn’t you just say it yourselves? If you want to persuade us, bring back at least a raw crystal.”
“……”
With his characteristic smiling eyes, Claude shut the nobles up. Jeanne, who hadn’t expected him to defend her this way, was taken aback as well.
“Sir Leclerc.”
At Claude’s call, Jeanne tensed again.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Honor, prestige, and economic gain. Are those truly the only reasons you proposed going to Dongremian? Is there no other personal reason?”
His slightly tilted head, narrowed eyes, probing gaze—by now, Jeanne knew what he was thinking when he looked like that.
“Dongremian, which I mentioned earlier, is actually my hometown.”
Say honestly what you desire most.
“If a knight cannot protect her own family, how can she someday protect her liege—or an entire nation?”
“So you’re asking us to act in order to save your family?”
“Yes. And Your Grace must accept.”
In that place where white cloth once fluttered, Claude had said it clearly: if she wanted to use him, then use him. He would allow it, because she was worth that much.
“If you refuse my proposal, Your Grace will lose a second Child of the Goddess, the reputation of having a knight order superior even to Brienne’s, and the mine as well. Of course, the moment I leave the Order, I’ll seal off the mine entrance.”
“……”
“Others aside, at the very least, Your Grace will regret it. Am I wrong?”
Silence fell. Reactions varied—some looked dumbfounded by Jeanne’s audacity, others glared at her with furious eyes, calling her insolent.
And only one person curved his lips in clear satisfaction.
Having made his decision, the ruler rose from his seat with a smile and called to Cedric.
“From this moment on, we enter a wartime state. Destination: the Dorman Territory, Royz Castle. Objective: exterminate the demon forces that have appeared in the north. See that this is conveyed to the Brienne soldiers waiting outside.”
