I Once Thought I Had No Place, Being Married Off to An Enemy Nation as A Token of Apology but That Was Only for One Night - Chapter 16

The party was cancelled immediately, and Emperor Albert began an emergency strategy meeting. Those who moved to the conference room included Emperor Albert, the Hexagram Lords, and their respective subordinates. I also attended in my capacity as the Empress. This was my first official duty. I did not know how many people actually wanted me there, but I attended regardless.

Once everyone was seated, it seemed the meeting was about to begin. However, before a formal commencement could be declared, Ludwig slammed his hand against the marble table.

“Two stampedes occurring simultaneously? What on earth is going on!”

His frantic anxiety was clear in his voice. It was understandable, however. A stampede is treated as a major disaster that brings immense damage to a city, but it is not a common phenomenon. It is the kind of catastrophe that occurs perhaps once every ten years. Having two happen at the same time was an unprecedented emergency.

“Calm down, Ludwig,” Albert said. “But Your Majesty, my territory is under attack!” “That is exactly why I am telling you to remain calm.”

The air vibrated with tension, and Ludwig shivered. Then, appearing ashamed of his outburst, he corrected his posture and said, “I apologize.”

“Good. First, let us confirm the situation. Ludwig, what is the status of your territory?” “Yes. Currently, monsters are swarming the territorial capital of Greifner. We are intercepting them at the outer walls, but it appears towns along the monsters’ path are also suffering damage. Sending relief to those towns is proving difficult.”

After Ludwig reported his status to the Emperor, Seraphina followed.

“The Waldenstein territory is in a similar situation. The territorial capital is not in danger of falling, but relief for the affected surrounding towns is being delayed.” “I see. So the problem lies with the peripheral towns rather than the capital itself. Very well. We will dispatch the reserve forces from the Imperial Capital as reinforcements to the towns in need. Provide me with a list of the locations requiring aid.” “Understood.”

Ludwig and Seraphina instructed their subordinates to prepare the lists. Meanwhile, Emperor Albert turned his gaze toward the other Hexagram Lords.

“Since the cause of these stampedes is unknown, there is no guarantee they won’t occur in other territories. Do not let your guard down for the time being. In particular, Theo, Matthias, and Frieda, who neighbor the two affected territories, must remain vigilant and send aid if possible.”

Theo and Matthias responded with their assent. However, Frieda did not answer immediately and instead widened her eyes slightly. Noticing this, the Emperor looked at her skeptically and asked, “What is it?”

“Well, I might have realized the reason the stampedes occurred.” “What! What do you mean by that!?”

Ludwig was the first to react. He pressed closer to Frieda, who sat next to him, and was once again cautioned by Emperor Albert to stay calm. As everyone’s attention focused on her, Frieda looked at me for a split second.

Wait, could it be? Was that the reason? Did the stampedes occur, or rather, did they settle because of that? A startling realization crossed my mind. Immediately after, hearing Frieda’s words, I knew my intuition had been correct.

“As everyone should know, a stampede is a phenomenon where monsters migrate toward areas with higher concentrations of miasma.”

Monsters originate from miasma pools. To be precise, plants and animals contaminated by miasma transform or become mediums that generate monsters. Because of this background, monsters tend to favor denser miasma.

This was common knowledge among military personnel. Seraphina asked why she was stating something so obvious, and Ludwig snapped, asking if she was implying they had been neglecting their purifications. Frieda quietly shook her head in response.

“I do not believe for a moment that any of the Hexagram Lords, myself included, have been slacking. However, this is a matter of relativity. That is why the monsters flowed into your two territories.”

At that moment, I was likely the only one who truly understood her meaning. Ludwig and Seraphina simply knit their brows in displeasure.

“Hey, speak so that we can understand what you mean.” “In the end, it sounds like you are saying we lacked the strength. No matter how much I respect you, Frieda, I will not forgive an insult to the knights and Saints of my house.”

Clear hostility radiated from the two of them. However, Frieda hesitated to answer.

Why? Oh, I see. It is because she is trying to keep her promise to me. Noticing this, I raised my hand to request permission to speak.

“Noel? Do you have an opinion?” Albert asked.

“The other day, I completely purified the miasma in the Hexagram Hall in Frieda’s territory,” I stated. “Hah? What are you talking about? A Hexagram Hall isn’t something that can be purified by one person.” “She can vouch for that.”

I turned my gaze to Frieda, and she looked back with an expression that seemed to ask if I was sure about this. Of course I was. She was about to take the blame to protect my secret. I wouldn’t abandon her like that. When I mouthed the words “tell them,” she gave a small nod.

“It is the truth. I was present at the scene and I guarantee the contents of her statement.”

As she spoke with confidence, I heard Emperor Albert murmur that this must be how I gained Frieda’s trust. I felt as though he saw through many things. However, the other Hexagram Lords began to stir.

“One person purified something that usually takes over a dozen Saints?” “Impossible. Could Frieda be mistaken?”

Voices of doubt rose one after another.

“Fine. Even if that is true, what of it? Are you just trying to brag about how amazing you are?” Ludwig spat out irritably.

Beside him, Seraphina suddenly looked up as if realizing something.

“Wait. You completely purified the miasma in the Hexagram Hall? Not just thinned it out?” “Yes, exactly.”

Cries of “that is impossible” rose from the surroundings. Ludwig clicked his tongue.

“Seraphina, this isn’t the time for that kind of talk.” “No, it is. A stampede is a phenomenon where monsters move to areas of dense miasma. So, imagine you have two lands where the miasma is thick and monsters are gathered. What do you think happens if you purify only one of them?”

The amount of miasma in a Hexagram Hall is enough to cause a stampede. In fact, it probably had been causing them. The other Hexagram Halls were likely in a similar state. As a result, the forces drawing the monsters were balanced, making it appear as though no stampede was occurring.

However, because I thoroughly purified the Hexagram Hall in Eisenwald, that balance collapsed. Consequently, the monsters were drawn toward the other Hexagram Halls instead.

“Your two territories neighbor Frieda’s land, do they not?”

That was the cause of this incident.

“I see. The monster attack routes do align with that theory.” “Yes, the monsters are swarming into my land from the direction of Frieda’s territory as well.”

With this, the cause was almost certain. One could say I pulled the trigger, or one could say the stampede had existed for a long time and only now surfaced.

Under these circumstances, it was clear which side those who held hostility toward me would take. I expected them to seize the opportunity to blame me. That is what I thought, but then Ludwig spoke.

“If that is the case, wouldn’t things settle down if we purified the Hexagram Halls in my territory and Seraphina’s?” “I suppose so. Though, doing it the usual way won’t be enough. If it is true that Empress Noel purified it completely, we will need to reach a level of purification at least close to that.” “In that case, it will be difficult with only the Saints within our territories.”

I could not hide my surprise as the two of them began discussing countermeasures while completely ignoring me as a target for blame.

“Imperial Highness Noel, is something the matter?” Frieda whispered.

“What? Oh, I just thought I would be held more responsible for this.” “Responsible? But you didn’t know this would happen, did you?” “Of course not. But it could still be used as a pretext, couldn’t it?”

It was a perfect opportunity to attack me.

“It is true that the Hexagram Lords dislike you. However, they are not people with such rotten hearts that they would frame a Saint who performed her duty as a villain. Please do not underestimate the Hexagram Lords.”

Frieda smiled proudly. She was clearly proud of her fellow lords.

Perhaps that wasn’t the consensus of every single person there. There were likely some who still held suspicion or caution toward me. However, the fact remained that not a single person tried to pin the blame on me.

They are noble and likely not bad people. If so, I will choose to believe in the comrades Frieda trusts. I will do this to change our relationship.

“If you lack enough Saints, I will lend a hand,” I said. “Huh?” Ludwig made a skeptical face, wondering what I was talking about.

“I am saying that I will purify the Hexagram Halls.” “Well, even if you say that…”

As Ludwig hesitated, Emperor Albert stepped in.

“Noel, you have been performing purifications consecutively. Do you truly have enough strength left to purify a Hexagram Hall?” “Yes. I recovered after about a week. I can manage at least one more.”

In terms of hiding the fact that I am the Saint of White Snow, this was a very dangerous thing to say. Furthermore, entering a Hexagram Hall requires the accompaniment of a Hexagram Lord. If I purify the hall in the Greifner territory, there is a risk that Ludwig will realize my true identity.

But this is not the time for such concerns. To abandon people in distress just to hide my identity would be a shameful act. I will deal with the situation first, and then I will do my absolute best to deceive everyone about being the Saint of White Snow. With that resolve, I looked at Emperor Albert.

“I see. Very well.”

Wait, really? I expected him to press me further. Albert turned his gaze toward Ludwig.

“I believe you said the Hexagram Hall in your territory was purified about two weeks ago? If so, the miasma should be relatively thin. Can I leave this to Noel?” “That is…”

Ludwig looked troubled. Not blaming me and trusting me are two entirely different matters. It was almost strange that the Emperor was willing to leave it to me, and it was only natural for Ludwig to hesitate. However, Frieda spoke up.

“If you are worried, I will send reinforcements from my territory as well.”

Ludwig looked at Frieda with a puzzled expression.

“Frieda, your territory must be at its limit too, right?” “It was indeed at its limit. However, thanks to Empress Noel lending her strength, we have regained more energy than before. Therefore, sending a few reinforcements is not a problem.” “I see. If you go that far, then Frieda, I will accept your help.”

The person he trusted was Frieda, not me.

However, this is also a chance to overturn the low opinion everyone has of me because of my brother. I will certainly make Ludwig acknowledge my ability and make him admit he was wrong to look down on me.

While I was making that vow to myself, Emperor Albert turned to Seraphina.

“Then, we will dispatch Saints from the Imperial Capital to Seraphina’s territory. How many do you need?” “Fortunately, the Waldenstein territory still has some strength left, so we can manage if you send about ten people. Please save the rest for emergencies.”

“Very well. Move immediately then.”

At Emperor Albert’s command, the Hexagram Lords began to act at once. Frieda also left her seat, saying she would arrange the reinforcements. In an instant, only Emperor Albert and I were left in the conference room.

“Noel, currently, most of the Hexagram Lords do not trust you. However, if you produce results in this matter, the way they see you will surely change. If you want to create a place for yourself, show them your strength.” “Yes. I will certainly meet your expectations.”