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

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About five minutes passed in a standoff.

Jeongjae smiled as kindly as possible and gestured for them to sit at the opposite table, but the overwhelming presence of the Harriet family’s crest covering the table seemed to weigh them down.

Fugitives who had committed crimes against the Empire and defied orders. If a being from another dimension appeared before them, claiming to negotiate, no one would dare step forward, trembling in fear.

From their perspective, it must have felt akin to the sea deity Poseidon showing up with a trident, demanding a deep discussion on future catch quotas.

“Will you stay there? Is it my intent to kill you regardless of the outcome? Rather than me arbitrarily deciding your fate, wouldn’t it be better to offer some opinions? Please sit. Sit and talk.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Jeongjae lightly insisted. Finally, among the remaining thieves who had not fainted, the oldest-looking man with a beard stepped forward and sat across from Jeongjae. Jeongjae clapped his hands, pleased to have initiated a conversation.

“Now, can I take it that you are the representative of this group?”

“Y-yes, that’s right, my lord. Umm… if you truly are Baron…”

“Yes, I am Baron Harriet. Baron Harriet, Park Jeongjae. The Baron returned after a century. Do you doubt it? It’s unfortunate that I can’t provide proof.”

Before Jeongjae dove into serious negotiations, he dropped the formalities. He thought maintaining respectful language could make him appear more sinister. The representative of the thieves at the negotiation table hurriedly shook his head, denying Jeongjae’s words.

“N-no, no. I believe you. I really do. We’ve heard stories.”

“In that case, I see you’ve heard from the guards. I assume you know I’ve been appointed?”

“Then you already know that fact. It seems everyone is under this precarious circumstance.”

“Not quite, but feel free to think so. After all, that’s how it appears to you.”

At that moment, a man who had been lying on the floor suddenly sprang up, opened his eyes, and grabbed a rock from the ground, throwing it at Jeongjae.

Jeongjae snatched the rock from the air, gripped it tightly, and crushed it to dust. As he brushed off the dust from his hands, the negotiating representative abruptly stood up, his face pale.

“What is the meaning of this! This person is our lord! Such disrespect cannot be tolerated!”

“Sit down, sit down. You were just holding all those weapons against me, and now you speak of disrespect…”

At Jeongjae’s words, the opponent still sat back down with a white face, slumping in his chair. He repeatedly bowed his head onto the table, apologizing profusely. The young man who had thrown the rock, seeming unable to comprehend the situation, collapsed again and closed his eyes.

“I’m sorry, my lord! How should I be punished for my blasphemy—”

“The blasphemy isn’t the issue. At least not with me. First, let’s talk about why we ended up in this dire state. What’s your name?”

“My name is Philip.”

“Are you leading this group?”

“We don’t have a clear leader among us, but I suppose you could say that for now.”

“That should be sufficient. Let me hear more about your position.”

Jeongjae smiled sweetly, looking quite satisfied that the conversation had begun. Philip, seeing Jeongjae’s expression, grew even more terrified. Seemingly abandoning concern for small matters, Jeongjae continued speaking.

“You were meant to follow the Imperial Assembly’s decree and become soldiers under Harker, destined for Caprice, right?”

“We received those instructions.”

“But you violated that order and escaped the territory with the help of Village Chief Hark, becoming a band of thieves in the process. Isn’t that right?”

“The Village Chief is not at fault. He simply lacked the strength to stop what we did.”

“That report was fabricated anyway. And there’s clear evidence that you’ve been interacting with this territory continuously. Regardless of how you phrase it, if the verdict comes down, this territory will bear the blame. I intend to be lenient, so answer honestly. Understood?”

Under Jeongjae’s harsh words, Philip lowered his head deeply.

“Yes. All the villagers helped us. We united in a determination not to lose our village elders any longer, to hold out until the war is over.”

“Why? Even if you are fighting for your village, why would you flee?”

“That’s impossible! How could we abandon the village where we live our whole lives, the place where we will continue to live? Even if we had only fists to fight with, we would have fought! Do not doubt that!”

“Then you don’t understand the fight for the Empire’s borders and for your homeland? Is that not clear? If I logically explain to you why, will you then have the will to surrender?”

Philip fell silent at Jeongjae’s sharp question. The middle-aged man trembled with rage, suppressing the feelings boiling inside him.

Realizing that Philip was suppressing his emotions in the face of the Baron’s overwhelming power, Jeongjae gently encouraged him.

“Let it out. Release all your pent-up feelings. I truly want to know why you fled and what were the sentiments that caused your entire village to align with your thoughts.”

This kind permission served as a fuse, and Philip lost his restraint, beginning to yell in anguish.

“How could we not know? We are aware! Although we are simple folks living in this corner, we are not so ignorant as to not understand how the world turns! Once the Empire’s borders are breached, the Caprice Imperial Palace is right at our doorstep, and if the Palace falls, the nobility would be unable to unite and one by one will be destroyed, leaving us to perish at the hands of the orcs!”

“You understand well. Then why?”

“Baron! If you’ve come to rule this place, you should know it! The people here are so few that if you gathered them all in a round plaza and started counting on your fingers, it wouldn’t take long. If we gathered all the villagers for a census, it wouldn’t take more than three hours. That’s the truth!”

“It is indeed a small village. That’s true.”

“But that also means we can send very few soldiers for the Empire. At most, a dozen, twenty at best. Baron, if you ever fought in war, you would know how insignificant twenty men are on the battlefield. A hero like you could easily handle the worth of thousands, tens of thousands, but for our village, twenty men may barely contribute to even two in combat. How do you think we feel heading north?”

Jeongjae listened quietly, absorbing Philip’s words. Eventually, Philip was unable to hold back his tears, and his eyes reddened as he began to sob.

“Yet, if those twenty men remain here, instead of heading off to a meaningless battlefield where they are destined to die, they can fish, raise children, and protect their families. I’ve heard that the high nobles’ magic can kill hundreds of soldiers in one strike. If we go to the battlefield and take the head of an orc, that might hold some value, but if the young men meant to defend this land are wasted up north, what kind of foolish death is that, yes, my lord?”

Jeongjae had seen countless such pointless deaths. He wasn’t as cold as Walter, nor was he a heartless man entirely devoid of empathy for their suffering.

Honestly, hearing Philip’s pleas made Jeongjae need to bite down on his lips to refrain from tearing up himself. If he found himself unwittingly caught up in a war against a despotic nation and was dragged off to the front lines as an ordinary soldier, he might have thought the same as Philip.

“I know what you are trying to convey, my lord. I understand what reasons the Empire would have to condemn us! There are many like us. Just because a territory has more population doesn’t make the families left behind any less valuable. It’s something one can realize upon reflection. Yet war has not yet arrived at our doorstep, and all we have before us is an order demanding every able-bodied youth in the village. How can we remember that truth every moment, my lord? We don’t have the strength to endure without acting according to our feelings.”

Philip reached this point, drawing a rough breath, and stopped talking.

After listening to the lament of the thieves’ representative for a while, Jeongjae opened his mouth with a solemn expression.

“Is that all you have to say?”

It was as if he had heard the last words of a condemned prisoner, lacking any traces of mercy. Philip felt a sense of despair wash over him, thinking ‘Ah, it’s over,’ yet didn’t summon more than a passive acceptance, as if resigning himself to fate.

“Yes. After today, whether I’m dragged to trial or receive summary judgment, if I am given a single opportunity to speak, I will repeat the same things I’ve said. Those who hear it will scorn us as cowards, but I can endure that too.”

“In that case, your fate rests in my hands, and my political capabilities. No, to be precise, the burden of political capability is on my aide. Let’s hope she does well enough.”

Jeongjae stated. Philip, with still teary eyes, looked back at Jeongjae, confused.

“What do you mean, my lord?”

“You haven’t done anything right. Under usual circumstances, it would be correct to hand you over to the Empire’s courts or, at the very least, even if I were to be lenient, armed you up to send you to the Imperial army to fulfill the order.”

Jeongjae paused for a moment, gathering himself. He wasn’t certain that he was making the right decision now, but Jeongjae leaned toward prioritizing his moral feelings over making strictly ethical judgments.

So he decided to prioritize what he felt now, slowly repeating his generous disposition.

“However, I have no idea how this territory’s situation may change, and I also lack manpower. Let me ask you one more time: In this fight for your territory, are you truly willing to risk your lives and not flee, but fight for your families?”

“I swear it on something greater than my life. Everyone gathered here will do the same.”

“Then I promise to protect you under my wing for at least the next two months. Regardless if it’s the Empire or Harker, if even the Imperial messenger requests that you be handed over as soldiers, I will protect you as my guards for the next two months. My aide has requested to handle political matters independently, so I intend to trust her skills.”

“T-two months…? Is that what you’re saying? Then what will happen after that?”

“The situation on this continent is changing drastically due to the war, and two months is certain to bring changes from somewhere.”

While Jeongjae laid down a somewhat generous disposition, he did not guarantee their safety indefinitely. He naturally lacked conviction for such a promise.

For those who fundamentally did not want to leave this territory for a lifetime, his promise might not be enticing. But if they refused even this level of generosity, he felt there would be no further discussion with them.

“If a tangible threat arises in Harriet’s Territory within two months, I will gain a firm justification to keep you with me. Furthermore, even if that does not occur, winter will be in full swing in two months. Discussion on disarmament might arise in the council led by the local faction in preparation for the farming season come spring, but Walter can no longer push for military reinforcement. If you choose to accept my proposal, you should hope for those two possibilities.”

“B-but… you want us to take the threat against our territory as an opportunity…”

“Whether you take it as an opportunity or not, the impending crisis is coming regardless. Nevertheless, I’ve been feeling an odd sense of crisis concerning my land lately. This offer of assimilating you, criminals, into my guards is also partly directed by that fear.”

It wasn’t a lie. But if the weight were calculated, Jeongjae’s personal empathy would likely outweigh it.

“…I will follow. I will comply with the order. If it can grant us at least two more months to mentally prepare, allowing us time to prepare rather than being handed a sudden order, that is the greatest gift you can give us, my lord. Yes. If you keep your promise, I will follow without complaint, and I swear to make sure the others follow suit.”

Philip spoke easily, yet Jeongjae understood this was still a difficult decision to make.

The Baron stood up, pulling the robe covering the table away.

“Good! Excellent! Thank you for understanding. It’s a situation that’s not easy for anyone in many ways.”

“I’m just grateful.”

Though the beginning was a bit tumultuous, Jeongjae and the bandits ultimately reached an agreement somehow.