I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 80

Ronak said with great confidence that he could handle the ‘Red Shark Pirates.’ Since that pirate crew was one of the most threatening pirates mentioned in the <Future Diary>, I was very pleased with Ronak's confidence.

However, on the other hand, I had another thought.

'What if the ‘Red Shark Pirates’ are stronger than Ronak expects and the subjugation fails? Hmm...'

After a moment of inner deliberation, I decided to stop thinking about complicated things and think simply.

'Let's go back to the carriage and check the <Future D>iary. Now that Ronak has decided to attack the ‘Red Shark Pirates,’ there will be a new entry in the diary. But if it says that the Ingrid Island Pirates will be defeated... I'll have to think of another way.'

For now, I concluded with that and continued to speak to Ronak.

"Very well. Then I will leave the pirates of the western sea, including the ‘Red Shark Pirates,’ to you, Lord Ronak."

"I understand!"

"However—"

"?"

"It is not yet confirmed. Please keep in mind that the subjugation operation may be cancelled at any time."

“Ah… yes, I understand!”

Ronak seemed a little awkward, as if he hadn't expected me to say that 'the subjugation operation could be cancelled.' Still, he quickly nodded his head.

After my short conversation with Ronak, I spoke to the knights and pirates who were looking at me.

"From now on, we are all on the same side. We are allies. So, regardless of whether you are a knight or a pirate, please help each other if there is anything you can do to help."

—Yes, I understand!

—Uh... yes!

At my words, the knights and soldiers answered in unison, as if they had planned it. On the other hand, the pirates answered belatedly. It seemed that the pirates were not used to such formal situations.

'Then shall I go back to the carriage and check the <Future Diary>?'

My work here was done. So I turned around to go back to the carriage.

Then, Jereuth called out to stop me.

"Your Highness, I have something to say to the pirates separately. May I?"

"Ah, yes. Do I need to be here?"

"No. It is not important enough for you to be present."

“I understand.”

I was curious about what Jereuth would say to the pirates, but I decided to go back to the carriage. Because I was more curious about the contents of the <Future Diary> than Jereuth's speech.

'It would be nice if the <Future D>iary not only tells me whether Ronak handles the ‘Red Shark Pirates’ well, but also what happens to the bandit subjugation after that... I wonder if the diary will go that far.'

According to the developments in the <Future Diary> so far, the complete subjugation of the bandits is four years away.

In other words, it's quite a distant future. That's why I was doubtful whether the diary would have that much content.

'Well, I'll find out once I check.'

I quickened my pace towards the carriage. Elly followed behind me with light steps.

***

After Leonardo returned to the carriage.

Only the knights, pirates, and soldiers remained on the sandy beach where the late autumn cold wind was blowing.

Jereuth stood before them and looked at each of the pirates' faces. Then, he finally fixed his gaze on Ronak and spoke.

"His Highness has said that he will keep you as a separate unit. He said that he will respect your system. However, before that, you are part of the 'kingdom's army.' Always keep that in mind and act accordingly."

—Yes, I understand!

No matter how free-spirited and self-willed the pirates were, they were quite nervous in front of Jereuth.

It was as if the pecking order had already been established; the pirates were completely intimidated by the old master who had easily subdued their leaders.

Jereuth continued to speak.

"And the pirates call you 'Admiral.' Is that correct, Ronak?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Discard that title. The great title of 'Admiral' can only be given by His Highness."

“Yes, I understand!”

For Ronak, a title didn't matter, so he could answer immediately.

“Instead, I will give you the title of ‘Senior Knight’. You may still be somewhat lacking in etiquette and refinement, but your skills are not lacking to be called a senior knight.”

At Jereuth's words that he would be made a knight, and even a 'senior knight,' Ronak's voice trembled.

“A-a knight, you say? Me?”

"That's right. And to the one called Rollo, who was the vice-admiral, I will bestow the title of junior knight. Of course, it will only be official once His Highness approves, but His Highness will probably approve."

“A-I understand!”

“The other pirates will be regular soldiers. With this, the basic organization is complete.”

—Yes!

Jereuth turned his gaze to the knights and soldiers and spoke.

"As His Highness said, we are all on the same side now, allies. You who have experienced war know well what 'ally' means. His Highness must have emphasized that we are on the same side with that meaning in mind, so always remember that."

—Yes!

"I say this out of an abundance of caution, but if there is anyone who still has animosity towards the pirates, discard that thought. Just having such a thought is tantamount to defying His Highness' command."

Jereuth spoke in a warning tone, but in fact, he could roughly feel that no one among the knights and soldiers present disliked the pirates.

'It's thanks to His Highness clearing up the misunderstanding. Thanks to that, the knights and soldiers were able to accept Ronak and the other pirates as members of the kingdom's army. Me too.'

That's not all. The knights and soldiers were greatly impressed by the bravery of the pirates who had charged at Jereuth without being intimidated.

It takes more than ordinary courage to stand up to Jereuth, the hero—no, the 'monster.'

'It seems everyone has decided to accept the pirates as allies.'

Jereuth nodded, confirming the positive atmosphere of the knights and soldiers.

"Then today, to celebrate the Ingrid Island Pirates becoming the kingdom's army, we will have a small welcome party..., no. Lord, would that be alright?"

Jereuth, who was about to naturally take the lead in the party, changed his words. He had realized that there was Lord Walter, who was his superior.

Walter, at Jereuth's respectful address, smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Of course, Commander. But I told you that you can just speak comfortably as usual."

"No. The chain of command is important."

"Haha... yes."

"So, is it alright to have a welcome party?"

"Of course. There is a decent pub in the castle, so let's have it there."

As Lord Walter approved of the welcome party, the atmosphere lightened up. Everyone was looking forward to the welcome party.

In that brightened atmosphere.

A knight came out from the group of knights and spoke. He was a knight with a rather fierce impression, with a bald head that shone more than the helmet he was wearing on his arm.

“I am Senior Knight Rags. The sword sparring match was our knight order's overwhelming victory, so I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves for your defeat.”

At the words 'a chance to redeem yourselves for your defeat,' the pirates were curious, while the other knights shook their heads, saying 「”There he goes again.”」. At the same time, they looked at Rags with interest.

Rags continued to speak.

"Who among you is the best drinker? Since the Lord and the Commander are throwing a party for us today, there will be plenty of alcohol, so is there anyone who wants to compete with me in drinking? The loser pays for the other's drinks."

—Boo! Rags is so cheap!

—For each other's drinks! Make the loser pay for all the other drinks too!

—Sir Rags, what's with paying for just two people's drinks! You have to include the entire bill!

—He's so petty, no wonder he's bald, tsk!

Rags, ignoring the jeers of the knights and soldiers, puffed out his chest confidently.

Then, Hark, the charge captain of the pirates and the one who had sparred with Jereuth first, came forward.

"Sir Knight, then you can compete with me. I am also confident in my drinking."

"Good! I like your appearance too! You look like me!"

“Looking like you, Sir Knight, is a bit… anyway. Instead, how about we bet on the entire bill?”

“...The entire bill?”

"Yes. That way, it will be more fun for the others to watch. You can back out if you're not confident."

At Hark's subtle provocation, Rags' eyebrows twitched as he asked back.

"Back out, you say... are you that confident?"

"Yes, I am confident. Pirates drink more alcohol than water."

—Waaaaaaaaa!

—Hark! Hark! Hark!

—Hark the heavy drinker! Show him the skills you've honed by drinking even while getting beaten by your wife!

The pirates cheered. With that cheer behind him, Hark's momentum grew even stronger, and Rags, not to be outdone, said.

“Good! I’ll bet the entire bill and the snacks too! I’ll win anyway!”

—Waaaaaaaaa!

—Free booze!

—Whoever wins, wins! The winner is on our side!!

As Rags accepted the challenge, the knights, soldiers, and pirates cheered even louder.

However, that cheer died down with a single word from Jereuth.

"I have not yet received His Highness' permission. So, calm down until you receive permission. Otherwise, I will consider it as if it never happened."

Jereuth was the one who could lift up and put down everyone on the sandy beach.

He was indeed a hero.

***

—Wooooooooo...!

—Free booze...!

Joyful cheers could be heard from the sandy beach. I didn't know what was going on, but since everyone was laughing together, it must be something good.

'I'm glad they all seem to be getting along. I was worried when I read in the <Future Diary> that the knights and the pirates had fought... but if they're getting along that well, they probably won't fight.'

However, there were still many things to worry about. I had to check in the <Future Diary> whether Ronak could handle the pirates of the western sea, and I also had to think about how to deal with the bandits hiding all over the kingdom after that.

I arrived at the carriage. Then, the knight who seemed to be the most senior among the knights and soldiers guarding my carriage took his position.

Clack!

"You have arrived, Your Highness."

"Yes. I am a little tired, so I will be resting in the carriage. I would prefer not to be disturbed, so please do not let anyone in."

“Yes, I understand.”

The knight answered and opened the carriage door for me. With his help, I got into the carriage and immediately took out the <Future Diary> from my bag.

'Now... let's see what happens.'

Flip—!

First, I opened the page with the future closest to the present.

...

After the sparring match between Jereuth and the pirates.

Not long after, the rear guard of the pirate crew arrived at the coast of Misty Port. Unlike the vanguard, the pirate rear guard consisted mostly of women and children, who were the pirates' families.

Shortly after the rear guard arrived, Ronak set sail for the western sea to deal with the 'Red Shark Pirates.' Even though they were setting sail for battle, the Ingrid Island Pirates were relaxed and extremely confident.

After Ronak set sail, I also returned to the royal capital.

Just like when I came to Misty Port, the road back to the royal capital would be long, but my heart was at ease.

Because everything was proceeding as I had hoped.

I continued to check the following pages.

...

On the fourth day after returning to the royal capital.

A letter arrived from the Ingrid Island Pirates. The content was short, but it contained only the necessary information.

The content was as follows.

——

To His Highness Leonardo.

We have dealt with all the 'Red Shark Pirates' and the minor pirate crews in the western sea.

As Your Highness commanded, we have accepted those among the pirates who are worthy of being accepted into the kingdom's army, and we have eliminated all those who are not.

The reason I am reporting this news to you by letter and not in person is because we encountered bandits on our way back to the royal capital.

The bandits were attacking a certain village. We could not just stand by and watch. So, remembering the discretion you gave us, we judged that you would also agree and decided to attack them.

For now, we plan to return to the royal capital after dealing with this bandit group. However, if we see another bandit group on our way to the royal capital, we will also deal with them.

Of course, as you have instructed, we will forgive and recruit the 'righteous bandits.'

It will not be an easy journey, but we will burn our bodies to repay the grace you have bestowed upon us.

I will end my letter here.

Senior Knight, Ronak.

——

A remarkable achievement. Not only did they deal with the 'Red Shark Pirates,' but they also recruited other pirates and even intended to deal with the bandits on the mainland.

The confidence that Ronak and the Ingrid Island Pirates had shown when they set sail from Misty Port was not arrogance. It was the composure that came from skill.

...Hmm?

'Dealt with the 'Red Shark Pirates' and also dealt with the other pirates in the western sea? So easily?'

And they were going to attack other bandits they encountered on their way back to the royal capital?

It was truly the best-case scenario.

'Then what happens next?'

Originally, the most threatening of the bandits were the 'pirates of the southern sea' and the 'pirates of the western sea.'

But one of them had come to follow me, and the other had been dealt with. Then...

'Doesn't the subjugation of bandits become much easier?'

The moment I thought that.

Scribble scribble scribble—!

A new entry began to be written in the diary.

...

The Ingrid Island Pirates subjugated or recruited everyone from the pirates of the western sea to the bandits in the center of the mainland. It was truly a remarkable achievement.

The reason they were able to achieve such a remarkable feat in such a short period of time was thanks to the power of 'rumors.'

Every time the Ingrid Island Pirates subjugated bandits, they spread a rumor that 「”His Highness the Crown Prince is forgiving those who became bandits due to the tyranny of the nobles, and who have relatively light crimes, and is accepting them into the kingdom's army! As proof, there is the royal flag that His Highness personally bestowed upon us!”」.

At the same time, they emphasized their own experience of being pirates until recently.

As the saying goes, a word unspoken travels a thousand miles, the rumor that a former pirate was carrying the royal flag and subjugating or recruiting bandits spread at a frightening speed—

As a result, the 'righteous bandits' who were hiding all over the kingdom came to the Ingrid Island Pirates one by one and joined them.

The bandits who joined Ronak knew the location and strength of the nearby 'trash bandits.'

Based on that information, the Ingrid Island Pirates easily dealt with them.

And one more thing.

The knight-turned-lords assigned to each territory personally led their armies and joined forces with the Ingrid Island Pirates to subjugate the bandits on their own. There was no way that a mere bandit group could withstand the attack of the Ingrid Island Pirates and the lords, and the bandits of the kingdom were subjugated much more easily than expected.

All of this happened about a year after Ronak was recruited.

The cool November wind and the clear sky feel good.

“...?”

Even though I was reading the <Future Diary> with my own eyes, I could not believe this content.

'...The bandits of the kingdom were dealt with in a year? And without any significant damage?'

I'll be honest again. I couldn't believe it. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel[f]ire.net

Originally, the bandits were scheduled to trample over the entire kingdom and kill me in the <Future D>iary. They were like the final boss.

But for those bandits to be dealt with so easily in a year, how could I believe it easily?

'Well... come to think of it, it wasn't solved that easily.'

I had made a lot of preparations to deal with the bandits until now.

I had raised an army, turned each territory into a military city, and at the same time, I had tried to restore the ruined agriculture and commerce.

That's not all. I had personally met and recruited the Ingrid Island Pirates, and I had given them the discretion to deal with the bandits.

'Looking back on it now, I really did a lot. I guess it's no wonder I collapsed from overwork.'

In any case, it was a relief that it was resolved so well.

Isn't it enough for the result to be sweet, even if the process is bitter?

"Haha..."

A light and pleasant laugh escaped my lips.

Then, a thought crossed my mind.

'Wait. If the bandits are dealt with, what happens to my future?'

Originally, this kingdom was supposed to be ravaged by bandits and I was supposed to die.

But since those bandits were dealt with without much trouble in a year, my ending must have changed as well.

'Let's check. Maybe my ending has been set to a bright future—.'

Just as I was expecting a bright future.

Fliiiiiip—!

"!"

As if mocking me, the <Future Diary> opened itself to the very last page.

The part with my ending.

Gulp—.

I swallowed dryly and read the ending.

...

The Monster Mountains.

Monsters poured out from there.

They burned the entire kingdom in an instant.

And they slaughtered my people.

I am struggling on the plains in front of the royal capital, holding a sword to protect the last bastion, the royal capital.

Monsters are pouring in. There are only two sounds to be heard around me. The screams of people and the joyful cries of monsters.

I will soon be buried in those screams and die. Regret and all sorts of thoughts fill my mind.

'...Why did it come to this? I did my best.'

...

A new entry was continuously being written in the ending section.

'...Here we go again.'

The thorny path.