Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16
“War is out of the question.”
Those were the first words out of Deyan’s mouth the moment I stepped into the room.
Without a shred of greeting, he launched into a tirade about how horrific war was, how much destruction it left in its wake.
He went on and on about how filthy and worthless the bloody toasts of victors truly were.
‘Is he out of his mind?’
This was coming from a man who had rolled around the battlefield like it was his own bed.
If he wanted to lecture someone on the devastation of war, I felt he should at least be someone who had defied a deployment order at least once in his life.
“Sir Nemanic.”
“Once you have your revenge, what will be left for you, Lady Hubert?”
“Shut your mouth before I tear it open.”
“…….”
“You are annoying me.”
Where did he get off acting so hypocritical?
When I spoke with absolute, cold seriousness, Deyan’s mouth snapped shut.
Once I was certain he had quieted down, I walked over to the tea table in the corner of the room and took a seat.
Giselle quickly brought over some tea and pastries, setting them down in a neat arrangement.
“Sit down.”
I brushed away my irritation, replacing it with my usual effortless smile as I offered Deyan the seat opposite me.
Perhaps exhausted by how rapidly my expressions could shift, Deyan’s intense aura visibly wilted.
“So?”
After ensuring he was seated across from me, I poured the tea and broke the silence.
“What was the reason behind that absurd outburst?”
At my question, Deyan hesitated for a moment before confessing everything.
I listened quietly to his explanation at first, but by the end of it, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
It wasn’t a superficial smile for the sake of politeness, but genuine amusement.
I laughed because it was truly absurd and hilarious.
“You certainly don’t look the part, but your imagination is quite vivid.”
[Right? I thought it sounded pretty plausible.]
Beval, who was sitting right next to me and shoving a whole pastry into his mouth, mumbled as he chimed in.
[It’s a logical deduction. No? If it were me, I would have just started a war and wiped the entire continent clean.]
“Logical? There is a massive flaw in your deduction.”
I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye with my finger and took a sip of tea.
Only after taking a moment to catch my breath did I finally find the composure to speak.
‘This is exactly how it shows that he’s never set foot in High Society.’
I looked at Deyan’s slightly sullen face, the corners of my mouth twitching with amusement.
“Sir Nemanic. How old was the founding emperor of the Adorif Empire when he declared its establishment?”
“……He was sixteen.”
Deyan replied, looking as if I had asked something completely out of the blue.
“At that time, the founding emperor’s mother was thirty.”
In other words, the founding emperor’s mother had given birth at the mere age of fourteen.
I pointed out that fact, instantly dismissing Deyan’s foolish theory.
“While fourteen is certainly young, it is a bit of a stretch to assume that pure innocence and ignorance can deflect every single political attack.”
A fourteen-year-old is not completely brainless.
Furthermore, that was especially true for a noble child who had received successor training.
If anything, there were far more petty adults who would assert their dominance early on just to nip any potential threat in the bud.
“Just because I act a bit naive doesn’t mean all those rumors would magically vanish, now would they?”
Deyan’s eyes widened as if he had just realized something.
“Of course, looking amiable is advantageous in many ways, so it’s true that I walk around smiling.”
I leisurely enjoyed the shifting expressions on his face before revealing the truth.
“But that alone doesn’t solve every problem. I am the one who eliminated the rumors.”
“How did you manage that?”
“I set fire to the newspaper office, tracked down the person who started the rumor, and dealt with them.”
“May I ask who the culprit was?”
“Someone you know very well.”
I stopped right there and sealed my lips.
‘Let him die of curiosity.’
If he used that bizarre imagination of his to make me laugh again, I might consider giving him the answer as a reward.
“In any case, I have no intention of starting a war. If possible, I don’t want any harm coming to my country.”
[Aw. That would have been fun.]
Sitting beside me, Beval flicked his red tongue out, looking thoroughly disappointed.
His constant interruptions were beginning to grate on my nerves, and I wanted nothing more than for him to get lost, but I couldn’t say that out loud, so I quietly swallowed the urge.
“So, why don’t you put away those useless worries and focus entirely on recovering from your injuries?”
Even though I explicitly stated that I did not want war, Deyan still looked incredibly skeptical.
Ultimately, I decided to tack on one more unnecessary detail.
“When war breaks out, the army tramples over everything, regardless of whether it’s a farm or a field.”
“…….”
“The homes that working hands carefully built are burned to ashes, innocent women die screaming amidst harassment and violation, and children wander the streets, starving to death after losing their parents.”
This was a brutality that occurred frequently in any nation, drawing no distinction between victor and vanquished, strong and weak.
And naturally, it was we, the weak, who witnessed and suffered from those atrocities the most.
“The Plene Grand Duchy has suffered through that exact kind of hell nearly every single day.”
The man sitting right in front of me surely knew that truth all too well.
He must have watched those horrors unfold from the position of the strong.
“I…….”
“Though you are a ruthless commander who annihilates every enemy on the battlefield, you do not raid defenseless civilian homes. I have ears, Sir Nemanic, so I know at least that much.”
“…….”
“But not every commander behaves that way. In the midst of chaos, even ordinary commoners can be swept up in madness and plunder their neighbors’ homes. I consider that to be a lingering aftermath of war.”
There was no reason for the entire continent to suffer through such unnecessary trauma.
Sickness and madness are things that spread easily, meaning the damage would eventually ripple back to our Plene Grand Duchy as well.
“It is true that I seek to make the Plene Grand Duchy wealthy and powerful, but I have no desire to rule over the entire continent. I simply do not possess that kind of capability. I have no wish to be a fool driven by greed for things I do not need, so set your worries aside.”
“……I apologize. I was careless.”
Sensing the genuine conviction in my words, Deyan readily bowed his head to me in apology.
“Because you mentioned wanting revenge, I was merely reflecting on what I knew regarding the Grand Duchess’s death, and…….”
“Ah.”
I cut off his hesitant excuses and set down my teacup.
“I am going to have my revenge.”
Once I caught the culprit, I would slice away their flesh, pickle it, and shove it right down the throats of their kindred.
Wouldn’t it only be fair for them to writhe in agony, choked by the guilt of swallowing the flesh of their own beloved family?
As I explained my plan for vengeance with a bright smile, Deyan’s complexion turned pale once more.
Meanwhile, Beval was trembling beside me, his face flushed red with whatever excitement had suddenly gripped him.
[How aggravating. You are completely my type. Won’t you be my bride, Idir? Before that angel can snatch your soul away, I will scoop you up and sprint straight down to Hell.]
“I’ll pass.”
While it was true that I had summoned a demon with the resolve to endure falling into Hell, it was still better to avoid it entirely if I could help it.
[I love you.]
“I despise cringeworthy words. Because of a certain someone.”
[What! Why? Who is he!]
“Hmm.”
I rolled my eyes, looking back and forth between Beval and Deyan.
“Who knows?”
Finally, I fixed my gaze on Deyan, watching the subtle shifts in his expression.
“Maybe because of Joaquin Perez?”
Deyan Boislav Nemanic. An immediate wave of agitation rippled across his face.
“I should take my leave now. I still have work remaining.”
“Wait, Lady Hubert……!”
“Get some rest.”
Curving the corners of my lips upward, I quickly slipped out of Deyan’s room.
The entire way down the corridor, a hum escaped my lips at the thought of how thoroughly I had rattled him.
[Who is Joaquin Perez?]
“Just someone. A total bastard.”
[Then why did that guy react like that?]
“Probably because he almost died at that man’s hands?”
I would discover the answer soon enough.
Turning to look at Beval, who was trailing behind me like an annoying shadow, I spoke up.
“Lord Sariel vanished after merely stating he would watch over me, but you certainly haven’t done that, Lord Beval.”
[That’s because I have nowhere else to go.]
Beval shrugged his shoulders, acting completely shameless.
[To return to the Human Realm, either you or that contractor brat has to summon me, but I don’t know when that will be and I hate having my movements restricted. I’d much rather stay with you, Idir, than stick around some restless, noisy man.]
“Hmm. Is that so? Then you might as well act as my escort.”
Since it didn’t seem like he would disappear even if I told him to go.
When I made the dry suggestion, Beval abruptly halted in his tracks.
Even though I noticed, I simply kept walking forward.
[Puhaha! What kind of fool asks a demon to protect them?]
Shortly after, the sound of Beval bursting into roaring laughter echoed from behind me.
* * *
[Oh, Idir.]
I never imagined that ‘watching over me’ would manifest in this exact manner.
I stared at the absolute disaster unfolding right before my eyes, a faint, strained smile on my lips.
[The fragrance of the tea is truly exquisite, but the fellow sitting across from you is dreadfully loud.]
[What did you say, you son of a bitch! I’ll rip your throat out and…….]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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