I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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Margaret closed her eyes and bowed her head in agreement with Jeongjae’s words. The Dragon Lord rushed over, wiping the blood off his hands onto his robe as he approached Jeongjae.

“If that’s possible, there is nothing more that I could wish for as the Dragon Lord.”

“Is there anything lacking?”

“Originally, I wanted to receive the Emperor’s recognition personally, but…”

The old man shook his head. After checking the faces of the two present, he seemed to think it unnecessary to even obtain Rose’s signature.

“The acknowledgment of the Hero would be sufficient. The dragons sincerely do not wish to participate in this mad war any longer. The lord of Eramenia here has also left great wounds on one another, and we had no choice but to kill the Great Sage in today’s battle as well, losing a considerable number of dragons in the process. If we continue to fight, such losses will merely repeat.”

“I don’t care about justifications, legitimacy, or any of that nonsense. Let’s cut to the chase. With a plan of this scale, you would have prepared in advance, right? After all, once you killed her, you must have thought of negotiating with someone, whether it be me or another.”

Jeongjae said with a tired expression. It seemed the Dragon Lord didn’t want to provoke Jeongjae’s anger, opting instead to quietly pull out a sheet of paper and present it to him. Jeongjae accepted the treaty that the Dragon Lord had handed over.

It was a simple and short treaty. It promised that while the Dragon Lord remained alive, the Kingdom of Eramenia and the Audrich Empire would not engage in any form of conflict, including military confrontations with the dragons.

Wondering if there might be any hidden poisonous clauses, he handed it to Margaret for confirmation, but Jeongjae could find no special abnormalities in the documents given by the Dragon Lord. Of course, it was to be expected that there would be no deceptive tricks, such as using magic to hide the text against the Grand Mage holding Harriet’s Glasses.

Jeongjae did not wish to prolong this matter. After all, this was something done for Jenis, not out of his own will. In his rush, without a pen or ink, Jeongjae extracted a small amount of blood from Jenis’s corpse on the floor using telekinesis.

“I swear upon her blood. This deed is entirely her accomplishment.”

“Although she was an enemy commander, I have no doubt that she was one of the great heroes…”

“Is that so? But that does not provide any comfort.”

Jeongjae quickly scrawled his signature in Jenis’s blood over the Dragon Lord’s treaty. The red ink melded into the paper, formalizing the contract. Of course, it wouldn’t be enforced by any supernatural power, but the act of signing held significant weight.

Anyone who broke the treaty would never be trusted again. Thus, playing tricks with such issues would be incredibly foolish. For a while, the alliance and the dragons would not engage in battle, regardless of the animosity they held toward one another.

“I’m just saying this out of caution.”

Jeongjae gritted his teeth and signed both copies of the same treaty, tucking one into his robe.

“Speak, Grand Mage.”

“If any of the provisions herein are violated by the dragons, I will take my time and retaliate without mercy. Even if you and the Demon King present your necks before me, I will draw my sword first at you. I hope you understand my intent.”

“This treaty is more desired by us than anyone else. Just as I am stained with her blood, you too are drenched in the blood of our brethren.”

The Dragon Lord quickly protested before taking a step back and slowly rising into the sky.

The Dragon Lord understood that Jeongjae was responding to this treaty with a very anxious mindset. Aside from pride, he had no desire to provoke Jeongjae further until he calmed down.

“I mean, yes, I will adhere to it. If that’s the case, we both wish to refrain from further discussion…”

The Dragon Lord soared into the air, transforming into a dragon with enormous wings, gradually fleeing to the north.

After staring at the Golden Dragon’s tail for a moment, Jeongjae inserted the treaty into his robe with a disheartened expression. Margaret returned Jeongjae’s robe to him.

“Was it the right decision?”

“Only time will tell if it was the right decision.”

Margaret nodded.

“But it was a courageous decision. Agreeing to a truce with the enemy in such circumstances takes immense bravery. Especially considering you had the power to fight them.”

“That guy was injured. If you and I had gone all out, we could have killed the Dragon Lord right then and there.”

“Or it could have gone the other way. But what does that matter? You sacrificed a highly important revenge for the sake of fulfilling this girl’s wishes. Since you’ve decided that, you must follow through until the end.”

“Yeah.”

Jeongjae cradled Jenis’s corpse in his arms. Perhaps it was because she was originally petite, or maybe due to the blood she had lost, the girl’s body felt too light to be that of a human.

Feeling as if he were holding a human devoid of the weight of a soul only deepened his gloom. The thought of needing to transport her in this state to the imperial mainland felt increasingly grim. Jeongjae and Margaret silently headed to the small boat they had left near the island, without exchanging another word. Though it was a small boat for three people, thanks to Jeongjae’s magic, it glided over the water without any issues, heading east.

Nothing hindered them. So relentlessly and desolately did it feel like nothing stood in their way.

Upon arriving at the Royal Family’s Directly Governed Territory, the first thing Jeongjae did was to transfer Jenis’s corpse to Harker’s mansion, then send a message to Rose at the frontline regarding Jenis’s last words. Jeongjae didn’t want the news of the Grand Mage’s death to spread too far.

Thus, Rose was informed of this tremendous news through the messenger Jeongjae had sent. While she was busy retreating and reorganizing the legion, she reacted to the sudden report brought by an officer with shock.

“Dead? That guy? Has something strange happened? Let’s hear the reason behind this absurdity that stopped our advance.”

She seemed to doubt that Jenis could really be dead. However, the officer knelt before the Emperor with a pale face and reported.

“Your Majesty, I heard clearly. The Grand Mage, Jenis Harker, has certainly passed away.”

“So what in the world does that mean?!”

Rose banged her fist on the table and stood up. The messenger, just an officer, trembled at the Emperor’s furious voice.

“I-I merely reported what I heard!”

“But imagine! What could possibly kill Jenis Harker in the current situation?! Are you joking, or are you planning a grand deception? To fool the enemy, you deceive your own people? Are you fabricating this and pretending she’s dead? Give me a clear explanation right now!”

“The Dragon Lord…”

“What?!”

“The Dragon Lord… attacked the Magic Tower, killed the Grand Mage, and then fled. Her body is currently with the Grand Mage and Princess Margaret, hidden away while seeking permission from His Majesty to publicize the news…”

“Really…?”

Such surprisingly specific explanations. Moreover, considering who was delivering the news, it was impossible for the messenger’s report to be fabricated. Jeongjae and Margaret were certainly not the type to engage in malicious lies over such matters. Realizing the situation, Rose was the first to show disbelief. She pressed her hand to her forehead and staggered back, collapsing into her seat.

“Dead? That tough girl, at a time like this, just suddenly dies?!”

“They say the Grand Mage left a last will for His Majesty…”

“Bring that here. Now!”

The officer hurriedly placed Jenis’s note before Rose. Rose gestured nervously for the officer to leave. As soon as the messenger left the Emperor’s tent, Rose, with a troubled expression, kept picking up and dropping her hands on Jenis’s letter.

“Damn this world.”

Rose muttered as she cursed.

“If you were to lose, you should have lost to me. I was worried about what to do between you and me after this fight ended, but how can you just die like this before the battle even ends?”

Her mutterings were a mixture of sincerity and lament. There was no denying that it was a troubling situation. Personally, Rose had some resentment and grudges against Jenis, but fundamentally she was not the kind of person who easily hated others.

She often clashed with a fair number of people due to her coarse personality. However, the rivalries she created usually didn’t last long, and while the Emperor could be cruel if necessary, he did not enjoy hating others for personal reasons.

Jenis was a nuisance. However, she was also a small, cute nuisance of the Audrich Empire.

Rose couldn’t hide her troubled feelings and fidgeted with Jenis’s will, unable to bring herself to unfold it. On the exterior, it was written:

“To His Majesty, I offer my sincerest apologies and the utmost gift I can provide.”

Finally, with her resolve steeled, Rose took a deep breath and opened the note. The will did not start with a message directed to Rose; it was, in fact, a will in the truest sense, especially one that dealt with her possessions and rights, written in a very formal and proper will template.

As she read through the content for a moment, Rose was taken aback.

Jenis Harker had prepared a very powerful measure to prevent the collapse of the world on the brink of her own death.

Her Harker County Territory had no legitimate heir. This meant that without specific measures, a scramble for ownership of the territory would ensue among the surrounding major powers.

In the will, Jenis pointed out that there were no legitimate successors to the Harker County Territory, expressing her desire for the matter to be fully disposed of in accordance with her rightful testament.

The person she named as the rightful heir of all rights and obligations of the Harker County Territory was someone entirely unexpected.

Jenis had designated Rose’s younger brother, Alex Caprice, as the next Count of Harker.