I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 117

Chapter 117

“A favor?”

What favor could Armitel possibly ask of me at this point?

I felt a little uneasy for no reason.

“How is Your Highness finding life in the barracks?”

“I’m enjoying it.”

“……”

Armitel’s body flinched, as if she hadn’t expected my answer to be positive.

“Then are you comfortable?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

“What is the most uncomfortable thing?”

“I think the shower facilities are extremely poor.”

At least I have Yuri, the spirit summoner, and Bangwool, the water spirit, so it’s not a big problem for me, but the shower facilities were truly terrible.

I mean, in this age of magic and civilization, does it make sense to shower by scooping water with a dipper?!

There’s not even any warm water!

“Aren’t you cold when you sleep?”

“I’m not cold because I sleep hugging Honey.”

Honey, who was sitting on a chair next to me like a puppy and nodding off, suddenly lifted his head.

He must not have heard what was being said because he was dozing off, but he seemed proud when his name was mentioned.

Honey, who suddenly had a smug expression on his face, started nodding off again.

I don’t know why he dozes off like that when he can just lie down and sleep.

Anyway, he was cute, so I stretched out my right hand and stroked Honey’s back.

Honey made a “Boo-boo” sound as if he was in a good mood.

“I see. And perhaps the reason Your Highness feels less cold is because you have a Bilotian body.”

“That’s also true.”

I readily admitted it.

This body was very strong and healthy, so it was resistant to both heat and cold.

It was something I was grateful for every day.

“But ordinary soldiers are not like that.”

“Yes?”

I listened to Lieutenant General Armitel’s words in silence.

‘So, to summarize, the soldiers’ treatment needs urgent improvement, right?’

I understood what she meant.

Lieutenant General Armitel was of commoner origin and seemed to pay more attention to those in lower positions.

“Wouldn’t it be better to make a direct suggestion to the Imperial Palace?”

“The budget for the Jirdel Base Camp is managed by the Geomrim Academy.”

She said it wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried.

She said she had requested improvements in treatment several times, but it had been ignored at the Geomrim Academy level.

There were probably various political reasons for this, but I didn’t know the exact circumstances.

“I will be transferred to another unit in a year.”

She said that the situation here had improved somewhat thanks to the efforts of Armitel, the leader of this place, in various ways.

She said that in a year, when someone else took over as commander here, the treatment of the soldiers would definitely worsen.

“It seems like Lieutenant General Armitel cares a lot about the soldiers.”

“That’s because they are the shield that protects the empire.”

“And you love the empire very much too.”

“……It’s only natural for a citizen of the empire.”

Just how many steps did it take for someone with this kind of heart for the empire to eventually betray it?

“Why are you telling me this? I’m just a powerless child.”

“I heard the story of the Alphea Kingdom. You gave the volunteers a wonderful gift called an air conditioner. Thanks to that, the efficiency of their work has increased greatly. I also heard that you provided them with pulleys using magic engineering.”

“There were a lot of people who didn’t believe it.”

People don’t believe things unless they see them with their own eyes. In fact, there are many cases where they don’t believe even when they see it with their own eyes.

Whether they believed it or not wasn’t important to me.

“My hometown is near that place. My younger sister still lives there.”

“Y-Younger sister?”

“Yes. My younger sister doesn’t lie.”

Could it be the female lead, Asellia?

“You had a younger sister?”

“Yes. I have a very young younger sister.”

Armitel’s eyes became distant as she said those words. She seemed to be very fond of her just thinking about her.

“If she’s very young, then……?”

“Ah, she’s the same age as Your Highness. She’s eight years old now.”

“Can I know her name?”

“It’s Asellia.”

“Yes, it’s a beautiful name!”

“Yes. She’s also very beautiful.”

A faint smile crossed Lieutenant General Armitel’s face.

“You must love your sister very much, Lieutenant General Armitel?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s all over your face.”

True to her character as a sister-obsessed person, Armitel started talking about her sister.

Things like how cute and adorable she is, how sorry she is that she can’t do much for her because she’s too busy.

Anyway, those were the kinds of stories she told, but just by looking at her expression, I could tell for sure. How much she loved her sister.

“But my sister probably doesn’t like me.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t keep my promises every day, and I can’t be with her. She gets angry at me every day, calling me a bad sister, a liar. She tells me she hates me every day.”

For a very brief moment, she had an expression as if she had lost the whole world.

She was a great soldier who had risen to that position from a commoner background, but I thought, ‘People really are all the same, huh?’

“No, that’s not true. Asellia must know too.”

“Yes?”

“I can feel it so vividly just by watching from the side, you know? Asellia must be able to feel how much you love her.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes! I also felt it a lot through my older brother, Kaman. He’s very blunt and awkward on the outside, but I can feel that his heart towards me is warm. It must be the same for Asellia.”

“……”

Why is she suddenly making a face like she’s lost trust in me after listening so well?

“The story has strayed a bit.”

Why does she suddenly look like she’s come to her senses?

No…… it’s true! Kaman oppa also likes and cares for me a lot!

Judging by her appearance, she seemed convinced that ‘Kaman, the Crown Prince, wouldn’t do that. Therefore, Princess Isabel must be mistaken.’

It was a bit unfair, but it was too late to argue about it now.

No, it’s true, why doesn’t anyone believe me? It’s unfair, unfair.

“Anyway, the reason I’m asking Your Highness for this favor is not just because of your achievements in the Alphea Kingdom.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

I felt a little embarrassed.

‘Well…… I made ramen because I wanted to eat it.’

It seemed that Narmore’s claims at the previous debate had a considerable impact.

That Isabel had actually developed something called ramen for the hungry and poor, and that she was providing it at almost no cost.

I was glad that it was actually helping a lot of people, but it was also true that I was embarrassed because my intentions had been overly beautified.

“You even helped the soldiers guarding the outposts in the Elbe Mountains through the TeyIsabel Transfer Gate.”

Lieutenant General Armitel, who had witnessed the whole series of events, said she had decided to ask me for help.

‘Well, it’s a bit exaggerated compared to what I’ve done, but……’

Well, it wasn’t a bad thing.

I wouldn’t live in this world for very long, and instead of leaving quickly, I’d like people to remember me more.

Although it was exaggerated, it was definitely a good thing for me.

“I understand that you care a lot about the soldiers, Lieutenant General. I want to help too. But I have a condition.”

“A condition?”

“You have to make a promise to me.”

At the word ‘promise’, Armitel’s expression darkened.

I knew very well why Armitel was making such a dark expression. Because she was someone who valued the weight of a ‘promise’ more than anyone else.

That’s why she couldn’t easily say lip service like, ‘Yes! I promise!’

In the novel, Armitel was truly tormented when she betrayed the Imperial Family.

I remembered the scene where she was crying and looking for my mother, Empress Serna.

「”Didn’t you promise a world where soldiers could smile? Didn’t you promise to create a world where the people could sing? Didn’t you promise a better future? I believed in that promise and waited. For 20 years.”」

This was also because of Isabel, the villainess in the novel.

Empress Serna had become mentally ill from cleaning up after Isabel’s messes, and her former spirit had disappeared.

So she couldn’t properly check the Geomrim Academy, and the Geomrim Academy began to engage in corruption.

In the process, it was the poor and powerless who died.

From Armitel’s point of view, it was the low-ranking soldiers.

“What kind of promise?”

“Don’t betray the Imperial Family.”

Armitel was startled by those words.

As if she had never even thought of the word ‘betrayal’.

“What do you mean?”

A faint anger appeared in Armitel’s eyes. She seemed angry that her loyalty was being questioned.

That’s a relief. She’s not even thinking about the ‘b’ of betrayal yet.

“If there’s something wrong with the Imperial Family, if Bilotian is going down the wrong path, get angry like you did just now.”

“……Yes?”

“Glare at them with those angry eyes and ask them why they’re doing that.”

“……”

Armitel suppresses her anger for 20 years.

She believes and waits.

And then she finally explodes and betrays the Imperial Family.

That’s the worst thing even between people. Holding it in and then exploding all at once.

It’s absurd for the person on the receiving end, and it’s a terrible experience for the person venting their anger as well.

“Tell me honestly like you did today. I’ll listen. I’ll try my best to make things better.”

“……”

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

Armitel was silent for a while, as if my words were very unexpected.

“I need someone like that.”

For my family who will be left without me, so that the tip of the blade of the famous sword called Armitel doesn’t point at the necks of the people I love.

I had to do my best.

“If you promise me just this, I’ll do my best to help you. Budget execution through the Geomrim Academy takes a very long time and is difficult. The chances of them cooperating willingly are also low. But if I and Narmore Corporation work together, we can immediately improve the treatment of the soldiers. We can also explore ways to cooperate with His Majesty King Valkio.”