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Northern Garden.

In the Empire, it’s commonly referred to as the Northern Region, a barren area located at the Empire’s northernmost tip, and also the name of a small city that once stood there.

In the original work, it was first mentioned through the words of a displaced person the protagonist met during his wandering days.

In front of a blazing campfire, a middle-aged man who had been a wandering merchant sighed as he spoke.

“That autumn, everything fell apart. No, I don’t want to say I was lucky to escape unscathed. Who could have known that after that day, I would never return to my hometown? To this day, I haven’t even been able to retrieve the bodies of my family. If it weren’t for those damned monsters…”

Once, Northern Garden was a strategic stronghold of the Meikhael Empire.

As a border region adjacent to the “Demon’s Territory,” where monsters and demons dwelled, Northern Garden faithfully served to prevent the monsters from advancing south.

At that time, the frontier lord, Kyle Roelgreen, was a capable young man.

He transformed the barren land into habitable territory, actively traded with southern cities, and overcame chronic food shortages. Gradually, the desolate Northern Garden began to prosper.

Well… to be precise, it never truly prospered.

One autumn, Northern Garden was destroyed by a massive invasion of monsters.

The Empire’s history records that the monster forces were so overwhelming that it seemed as if the Demon Lord had returned.

The Empire quickly dispatched troops to defend Northern Garden alongside the Northern Army, but it wasn’t enough.

In the end, the Aslan of the Ruelberta Family was sent and barely managed to repel the monster forces, but the outcome was devastating.

None of the residents of Northern Garden or the Northern Army survived. Out of the 50,000 Imperial troops hastily sent, only 10 returned alive. Moreover, Frontier Lord Kyle Roelgreen fought valiantly to the end and died in battle. The Roelgreen Family also shared Kyle’s fate.

Excluding the appearance of the Demon Lord, this was the deadliest event in the Meikhael Empire’s history… a painful chapter.

After this incident, the Empire decided to abandon the Northern Region, Northern Garden.

There had been too many sacrifices, and it was deemed no longer habitable.

The Empire withdrew from the North, and all routes leading there were sealed off.

Once the Empire’s northernmost city, Northern Garden had now completely become part of the Demon’s Territory, inaccessible to anyone.

And then… suddenly, the Emperor informed me of her intention to conquer it.

But I wasn’t surprised.

I had a few guesses as to why.

After a brief silence, I spoke.

“…I’m curious about the reason.”

“There are several reasons. First, to prevent the monsters from advancing south when the Demon Lord appears. The North has always been a place with strong demonic energy. If the Demon Lord appears, the monsters will undoubtedly become active. By reclaiming Northern Garden beforehand and turning it back into a stronghold, we can prevent the flames of war from spreading further… or so Luna said.”

Exactly as I had expected.

The Demon Lord is a being that brings chaos to the world. When the Demon Lord appears, the monsters also become active.

Reclaiming the North would make dealing with the monsters much easier.

I, too, had thought of reclaiming the North someday, even if it meant mobilizing Aslan. I just didn’t expect the Empire to take the initiative first…

But was that the only reason?

I decided to hear Lucy out further.

“The second reason… is that the Imperial Army lacks practical experience compared to your Aslan. It’s a problem if we have to face monsters in the future. So, we plan to use the conquest of the North, which has fallen into the hands of monsters, as an opportunity to give the Imperial Army some real combat experience. Oh, don’t worry. We’ve already thoroughly investigated the North.”

“Investigated?”

“Yes. According to intelligence, the number of monsters occupying Northern Garden has rapidly decreased in recent years. We’ve determined that there’s no longer a significant threat, so there’s nothing to worry about… or so Luna told me to convey.”

Indeed. Once again, I was reminded of Luna’s excellence as an Emperor.

Seeing her speak so confidently, it seems Luna has been keeping a close eye on the North’s movements.

Lucy continued.

Unlike the aggressive Luna, she was very polite and calm.

“And the final reason… is to honor the spirits of those who died in the North. In Northern Garden, there are countless people, including Lord Kyle, whose remains were never recovered. Even if time has passed and some may no longer be identifiable, if possible… it’s only right to return them to their families.”

Her words surprised me a little.

It was an unusually tender reason for the ruthless Luna.

I looked at Lucy.

“Was that also Luna’s decision?”

“…No. This is my judgment. We must do what we can for those who sacrificed themselves for this country. For those who died in the ‘Autumn Tragedy’…”

“Th-the Autumn Tragedy?!”

At Lucy’s words, Wendy flinched and reacted.

I answered Wendy’s question instead.

“Yes. It refers to the battle that took place in the North, Northern Garden. That autumn, countless lives were lost, hence the name. But why do you ask?”

“Ah… it’s nothing. S-sorry… I just couldn’t help it…”

Wendy bowed her head with a troubled expression.

She still seemed confused by the fact that Luna was actually the Emperor.

It was pitiful, but it was a problem she had to overcome on her own.

Lucy finally got to the main point.

“Anyway… that’s how it is, so I came to inform you that your private soldiers, Aslan, are also to participate in the Northern conquest. Aslan, unlike the Imperial Army, almost entirely survived the ‘Autumn Tragedy,’ so if they could guide us in this expedition-”

“That’s ridiculous.”

I couldn’t help but scoff.

“So, you’re saying you want us to take the lead.”

“…It might sound that way, but the Imperial Army and Aslan are ultimately in a cooperative relationship. If you help, we can minimize unnecessary sacrifices.”

“How is that different from saying my soldiers should bleed instead of the Imperial Army?”

“It’s different. Our army will take the lead, so your Aslan only needs to guide us-”

“Don’t dress it up with fancy words like cooperation and sacrifice. If you really wanted to cooperate, you should have asked me, not informed me. Don’t you think?”

My “wrath” was conveyed to Lucy.

Though I tried to control it as much as possible.

My anger was directed at “Luna,” not “Lucy.”

And Lucy was indeed different from Luna.

“I made a mistake…”

Lucy apologized to me with utmost politeness.

“In trying to convey Luna’s intentions, it came out this way. This time, I’ll speak not as Emperor Luna, but as Emperor Lucy. Count Ruelberta, I ask for your cooperation in this Northern expedition.”

Though not as impressive as Luna, Lucy was still the Emperor.

She wasn’t just conveying Luna’s intentions; she was also trying her best to gain my cooperation in her own way.

Of course… she was trembling from my “wrath,” but let’s pretend I didn’t notice that.

“…I also have no objection to reclaiming Northern Garden. So, I do intend to cooperate in the expedition… but I can’t take on the role of guide.”

“Huh?”

“The current Aslan is not the same as back then. Those who experienced the ‘Autumn Tragedy’ have all retired. Those under me now are either those who didn’t participate in the expedition or newcomers.”

“Is that so…”

“Anyway, encountering monsters in the North is inevitable. If you want the Imperial Army to gain real combat experience, forget about taking the easy route.”

As I coldly shot back, Lucy, visibly intimidated, spoke up.

“Then, does that mean you’re willing to cooperate with us?”

“Yes. But on one condition.”

In fact, I had already made up my mind.

I just didn’t intend to cooperate without conditions.

“And that is…?”

“Hand over command of the Northern expedition force to me.”

“Huh?!”

Lucy’s eyes widened.

“Command of the entire army?”

“Yes. If you hand over command, I’ll personally participate in the expedition. I’ll reclaim the North as quickly as possible.”

By then, the carriage had passed the school gate and stopped in front of the main building where the office was located.

“No… that’s just too much…”

“I’m not asking for an immediate answer. There’s still time before the expedition. Go back tonight and discuss it with Luna.”

With those final words, I got out of the carriage first.

Unexpectedly, I was filled with anticipation.

The reason I had thought of reclaiming the North someday… was because Northern Garden was close to where the third Demon Lord would eventually emerge.

*

Wendy was deeply troubled.

Because of the conversation in the carriage earlier, she couldn’t focus on the morning class.

Especially since it was Professor Ariel Rizeute’s class, it was even harder.

Ariel’s words from before kept echoing in Wendy’s mind.

“Wendy, do you know about the ‘Autumn Tragedy’?”

Wendy couldn’t help but recall.

Back then, Professor Ariel’s expression had seemed… sorrowful.

“Did the Chairman not tell you? Well… of course he wouldn’t. If you knew, your view of him and Ruelberta might change.”

Wendy shook her head.

Professor Ariel’s words made it sound as if Tristan had done something terrible and was pretending not to know.

For some reason, she had always been wary of Tristan, so she had dismissed the “Autumn Tragedy” as just something Professor Ariel had said and tried to forget it.

To Wendy, Tristan was a kind person. Of course, this assessment was natural since she admired him, but on the other hand, there was much she didn’t know about him.

Through the conversation in the carriage, Wendy realized she still only knew a small part of Tristan.

Especially since Tristan already knew the truth about Luna… no, Lucy’s identity.

As Wendy moved to her next class, she glanced at the person beside her.

Lucy, wearing glasses, was walking silently next to her.

Yes. The biggest problem for Wendy right now was Lucy.

Wendy still couldn’t believe it.

The fact that she was the Emperor of this country, and the top-secret fact that she had a split personality…

She wished someone would tell her it was all a joke.

She even wondered if she had been rude during class without realizing it.

There wasn’t anything particularly rude, but it wasn’t the kind of attitude one should have toward the Emperor.

‘Ugh…’

Wendy clutched her head.

When they got out of the carriage, Lucy had only said one thing.

“I’ll stay until the end of this semester, but you must keep this a secret… okay?”

“……”

Wendy could only nod desperately.

Any sense of betrayal from being deceived had long since vanished. Her neck was on the line; how could that be the issue now?

Being acutely aware that the Emperor, an overwhelmingly powerful figure, was walking beside her, Wendy’s mind, filled with all sorts of thoughts, went completely blank.

“……”

And Lucy had been walking silently beside Wendy since earlier.

There was no way to tell what she was thinking.

No, how could a mere servant like her understand the Emperor’s thoughts?

Wendy also kept her mouth firmly shut as she walked to her next class…

Then, a calm voice broke through the heavy silence between the two.

“My, where are you two going?”

“Miss Sia…?”

A black-haired girl with an Eastern vibe.

Sia Riumin stood before the two.

“Ah, we were just heading to our next class…”

“Next class? It’s lunchtime now.”

“Huh? Oh…”

Wendy looked out the window at the clock tower and realized it really was lunchtime.

She had completely lost track of time.

Meanwhile, Lucy showed no sign of realization… or rather, she remained expressionless.

“Ah! I told you I’m not running away, so let go!”

But next to Sia was another girl, puffing up in frustration. She was a classmate, and her name was…

“Rachel…?”

“Hey! Tell her to let go. I said I’m not running away!”

Rachel, who had said that, was being held by Sia. To be precise, their wrists were bound by water-made handcuffs.

“Phew. Finally found you all. I really thought you’d all run off somewhere.”

“Huh? Us…?”

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

At Wendy’s dazed question, Sia chuckled and said.

“We made a promise before the exam, remember? The person who ranks first gets to order the second, third, and fourth places to do anything.”

 

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