Jobless Reincarnation: Live Seriously Even Without Transfer Events

In this world, I initially had no intention of developing firearms or anything like that. With a privileged start, I just wanted to coast along and stop being a corporate slave. I remember drawing a blueprint for a musket when I was very young, and Rudeus found it interesting and took it away.

This is the first time I've ever heard of or seen the troops secretly trained by Rudius.

I thought the nobles of Asura would treat those Western gadgets like children playing house, just like the gentlemen of the Qianlong era, but I was still quite shocked when I actually saw 20,000 musketeers advancing in unison.

After passing the lower jaw of the Crimson Dragon, we headed south along the Crimson Dragon Mountains. Since the military force of the Dragon King Kingdom mainly consisted of infantry and cavalry, we encountered no significant resistance on the way and reached the plains.

The most confident main force of the Wanglong Kingdom was also quickly defeated by the tactics of musket fire, magician bombardment, cavalry mowing down, and infantry finishing blows.

Forty days after the formal commencement of the war, the Kingdom of Wanglong announced its surrender and became a territory of the Asura Empire. Surrounding smaller kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Xilong, all pledged allegiance to the Asura Empire, while the Holy Kingdom of Milis only made a symbolic protest and then there was no further action.

On the way back, a letter arrived from the capital; it was from Chris.

Side Story 6 (Final Chapter): A Caged Bird Under the Sky

Jobless Reincarnation Fanfic: Live Seriously Even Without Transfer Events [Side Story 6 (Final Chapter)] The Caged Bird Under the Sky

Side Story 6 (Final Chapter): A Caged Bird Under the Sky

......

I held the letter Chris had sent me. The envelope was the same as last time, with a pink wax cat paw print that was full of girlish charm. That was her cute style, but now, seeing that cuteness, I felt more of an indescribable feeling in my heart.

It's like a beautiful rose with sharp, poisonous thorns. You're tempted to touch it, but you end up getting scratched and fatally wounded by the thorns.

As summer began, the hot north wind carried a bitter, salty taste. Asura's victorious army returned home on their journey. Chris's letter had been in my hands for a month, but I hesitated to open it, wondering what might be inside.

Maybe it's because of those sweet words from before, or something else, I still yearn for those things. My heart is still with her. After all, three years isn't something you can just forget. After breaking up with me, she'll most likely marry His Majesty Edward. Nothing is more poisonous than a woman's heart. She stole my heart, but then turned around and ran off to someone else.

Ah, realistic women.

That makes sense; in this era, when will one truly have the final say in their own affairs?

If we consider the idea that human nature is inherently good, Chris might have some hidden difficulties.

However, I wasted three years of my life and was completely manipulated. Now I understand that in the eyes of the Boreas family, I am just a key to the Notos family. Controlling me is equivalent to controlling Notos, which is why all sorts of things have happened. As for sincerity, who cares?

In my past life, I was deceived by many people and paid a huge price. In this life, I don't want to repeat those mistakes and ruin my life again.

With that thought in mind, I opened the letter. Whatever was written inside could no longer sway me. Besides, given my relationship with her father, the issues between us still needed to be resolved.

"To Brother Robin:"

Dear Brother Robin..."

Seeing that familiar handwriting, I hesitated to continue reading. It had been half a year since her breakup letter to me. Such a familiar tone, such familiar handwriting—only a young person in their twenties would linger over something like that. I was fundamentally different from her.

"Brother Robin, half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. Time flies so fast! I never thought I would still like you so much..."

Does she really like me?

No, maybe it's just a platitude, it must be a platitude. What is her purpose in doing this?

"Actually, I thought about the outcome of our relationship the day I proposed to you, Robin. But I really like you, Robin. From the moment I met you when I was seven, I felt that you were not a ten-year-old child, but a tall and handsome prince."

"Hehe, what girl hasn't dreamed of being a princess? It's just that I was born to live the life of a princess, and now, I'm going to marry a real prince."

The real prince...

As expected, Edward was right. The daughter of a powerful minister, second only to the emperor, marrying the reigning emperor—this is a truly well-matched choice. I knew this would happen; this day has finally come.

"I'm sorry, I'm writing a bit incoherently now. I should be expressing how much I like Brother Robin, but I don't know... I don't know why I suddenly started writing those things. Oh well, it's fine if I can't write it. Let's just pretend we've never had this relationship. Brother Robin, just think of me as a little sister you've known since childhood, and then happily attend my engagement ceremony and offer your blessings..."

I didn't read to the end. Maybe I'm just too kind. I had just participated in the war half a month ago, and I saw people dying on the way to the front, walked through the bloody battlefield, and saw tens of thousands of corpses. I had a physical aversion to it then, but it subsided after a while. But now, I'm still bothered by a little girl.

Compared to those heavy things, these personal feelings should be insignificant.

I don't plan to read the rest of the letter. Anyway, the Boreas family has already achieved their political goals. They've won. I was just a pawn. Why would a chess player care about the feelings of a pawn? Any more tears would just be crocodile tears.

"Oh my, how come Robin, who vowed to become a tough and aloof man, was moved to tears? He really has the heart of a tiger but the gentle touch of a rose."

Ars teased me with a mischievous grin, and I realized that my eyes were already wet.

Chris, that little girl, is incredibly capable.

"Hey? Lucy, you..."

Just as I was lamenting the state of life, Lucy had already wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes with her handkerchief.

"Thank you, Lucy."

After I thanked her, Lucy didn't respond. She just silently put away her handkerchief, turned her head to look at the fields outside the window, and her fair face shone brightly in the sunlight. Ars reached out and stroked Lucy's little head, and her snow-white face immediately turned a little pink.

......

A month later, the army returned to Asura one after another. After a month of rest, a reward ceremony was held in the capital, where Edward announced his engagement to Christina.

At that time, I was standing in the crowd, looking at Chris from afar. She seemed to be looking at me too. Her eyes were dreamy, as if she was reluctant, as if she was not so willing, as if she still had the same tenderness as before. After our distant gazes met for a few seconds, Edward, who was beside me, lifted her face and took her kiss.

That night, I drank a lot of alcohol. I felt like I had never drunk like that in my past life, even when I was socializing. I kept drinking one glass after another, trying to get myself drunk quickly. I thought that at my age, I wouldn't waste my feelings on things between men and women anymore.

But I was wrong. No matter how my actual age changes, I am still full of vigor and youthful impulsiveness and passion. The only things that can help me are my past life experiences and my understanding of human relationships.

But I've lived to this point, and everything seems to have been arranged. Even the experience from my past life has had little effect. I feel so lost. It's like what happened more than half a year ago, which purged Asura's court, cleansed the political landscape of the Central Continent, and also cleansed my past life.

......

"Robin, I want to apologize to you about Chris."

A few days later, Edward summoned me alone. He sat in a chair while I knelt before him. His words, like someone who had cheated on someone else but pretended to be the victim, were utterly disgusting.

"Is Your Majesty mocking me?"

I smiled wryly and said, "Miss Christina Boreas Greirat has nothing to do with me anymore. We are just siblings who have known each other since childhood."

“I know about your relationship. Not only do I know, but all the civil and military officials in the court know as well.”

Edward gave me a meaningful look. He understood my thoughts perfectly, and my words were quite straightforward, unless he had some other intentions.

"If Your Majesty feels that Chris's past relationship with me is an insult to the dignity of the royal family, then please grant me the death penalty."

Having said that, I turned around and knelt down with my back to Edward. "Please, Your Majesty, do as I say."

It was obvious that Edward had revealed his true intentions. He couldn't have summoned me without a reason. The emperor valued his reputation above all else. After marrying Chris, he certainly didn't want anyone to say that his queen had an affair with a minister or anything else.

"I am not that narrow-minded. However, after I marry Chris, I will absolutely not give you and Chris another chance to meet. Now you still have a chance. She wants to see you. I want to ask for your opinion."

Edward's voice came slowly from behind me, his tone very gentle.

I don't understand this behavior. Even if the emperor is exceptionally magnanimous, this is still too lenient. Who would allow their fiancée to have contact with their former lover again?

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I cannot see her."

Even though the emperor is very tolerant, I cannot test his limits.

“Your Majesty, I have no relationship with Christina Boreas Greirat anymore. The ruler is the master of his subjects. From the day Your Majesty and Christina were betrothed, I have only been Your Majesty and the future Empress’s subjects.”

"The ruler is the guide for his subjects? This is the first time I've heard of such a saying."

I heard Edward's tone of interest, but there seemed to be a hint of helplessness in his words.

"The saying 'the ruler is the guide for the subject' is merely a term I made up; Your Majesty need not worry about it."

"I see... Lord Robin, look out the window, look at the sky outside."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Following Edward's suggestion, I got up and walked to the window. The sky outside the King's Chamber was an endless expanse of deep blue, and the dazzling sunlight mercilessly swept across everything through the air.

"Your Majesty, the sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly."

I answered truthfully.

"No, there is a very, very large cloud in the sky that covers the entire Asura Empire, and that is Boreas."

Edward said jokingly, "What 'ruler and subject are the masters'? In my opinion, it's just a dream. Besides, I can't even decide who I marry, so what's the point of talking about 'ruler and subject are the masters'? What a joke."

"His Majesty......"

I knelt down again, and I seemed to gradually understand what Edward wanted to do with me. It wasn't some trivial matter of male dignity, but rather two helpless people simply confiding in each other.

"Chris likes you, and you like Chris. I'm tired of hearing those 'rulers are bound by their authority' phrases to please me. I know that, but I also have a woman I like. Now, the woman who likes you wants to see you, and you can pretend to be a gentleman and not meet her. But what about my woman? I'll never see her again!"

Helplessness, sadness, anger, and a sudden roar left me at a loss for how to handle the situation. I could only bite my lip tightly, unable to utter a word, and I didn't know what to say.

Moreover, I had never heard of His Majesty the Emperor favoring any particular family's daughter before.

I secretly looked up to observe Edward's condition out of the corner of my eye. I saw the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his hands gripping the corner of the table in front of him tightly, and his bloodshot eyes almost bursting out of their sockets. This was the first time I had ever seen Edward so angry.

"Your Majesty, since you have summoned me, there must be other matters. The royal army has just launched a campaign..."

"Oh!"

"Fuck your mother's head!"

I was just about to change the subject and stop talking about things that brought back painful memories for Edward when he angrily interrupted me by smashing a teacup.

"Although I am the ruler of a country, what matters in the country do I have the final say on?! Discussing state affairs? What a load of rubbish! Rudius Boreas Greirat killed the woman I loved most, yet I still have to thank him for not murdering me, and I even want to marry his daughter!"

"I'm nothing but a damn emperor..."

......

This situation lasted for about an hour. I knelt by the window, not daring to say a word. After Edward calmed down, he invited me to sit next to him, and that's when we finally started talking.

"That girl's name is Viola Jerrosnek, and she is Carter Jerrosnek's daughter."

Does this mean His Majesty the Emperor has opened his heart to me?

I know that Viola Yerosnek is Carter's daughter. After the great purge at the end of winter, Carter and a group of ministers were purged. More than fifty officials in the capital alone were executed, and countless nobles were implicated.

But what I didn't know was that Viola was still in contact with Edward.

"You seem confused, Robin. Viola and I were classmates at the Imperial University, but she didn't get her graduation certificate because of her background. She has been working as my clerk ever since. It's normal that you don't know."

"So that's how it is."

"During the winter incident, she was implicated because of her father. As the daughter of a serious criminal, she should have been executed along with him. I wanted to protect her because I liked her very much, so I hid her and gave her a different background. But Rudeus still found out. The Shinsengumi searched my royal palace like a ransacking house, and she was found out in a sorry state."

"..."

"Aisha grabbed her hair and threw her in front of Rudeus and me like something, but I couldn't say anything, because I had originally planned to use this incident to defeat Rudeus. I was too naive, and I ruined Viola."

As he spoke, a few tears slid down Edward's cheeks. "I had long prepared myself for being killed by Rudeus after my defeat, but when Carter was brought before me, I panicked. I dared not die. I could only watch helplessly as Viola was executed before my eyes, and all I could say to Rudeus was: Thank you, Lord Regent, for sparing my life..."

I always thought that what happened in winter was a joint operation by Rudeus and the Emperor to round up the old aristocratic forces in the court, but now I realize that I misunderstood the nature of the matter. The reason why Carter and his group dared to confront Rudeus and make accusations was because of Edward's support.

Unfortunately, Edward's plan was easily thwarted by Rudius.

“I once laughed at you, for you were the son of a lord, yet you had to live at the hands of your father’s killer. Even Lord Luke’s death was partly due to Rudeus, yet you were treated like a dog by Rudeus. But I increasingly realize that I live worse than a dog.” [Note: After the Battle of Grip-Shah, Rudeus was rewarded by Gravel for his contributions in the war; therefore, Edward refers to Rudeus as Robin’s father’s killer.]

"His Majesty....."

Edward had turned himself into Emperor Xian of Han, and I wasn't much better off. That's when I realized why Edward had come to me—because in his eyes, my situation was the same as his.

Who isn't...? We all live in that person's shadow, and we all have things we have to do.

"Your Majesty, how will you treat Chris in the future?"

Looking at Edward's bitter face and listening to his explanation, I suddenly felt a little worried about Chris. Although she chose this path herself, I didn't understand why she would ask such a question.

"So you still have feelings for her after all, and you even lied to me, haha."

Edward smiled wryly, "I will treat her well. Although I hate her father, Rudeus has been supporting this country since her mother's death. Without Rudeus, there would be no Asura Empire today. I am grateful for everything he has done for Asura, so I will treat the daughter of a meritorious official with kindness."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

I knelt down and begged for forgiveness, but Edward was very forgiving. He helped me back to my seat and asked, "Aren't you going to see her?"

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I cannot see her, but since we’ve come this far, I have a request.”

Although the emperor didn't care, he still gave me a heads-up: I should find an opportunity to leave the capital and escape the control of Boreas as soon as possible, and go to a quiet place where I wouldn't be bothered by all sorts of unpleasant things anymore.

"You said."

"I think I should take up a post in Wang Longsi."

After the Kingdom of Wanglong surrendered to Asura, it was divided into four territories. These four territories will become springboards for the Asura Empire to advance into the conflict zone. If I have a legitimate reason to go there, I can live a carefree life without worrying about food and clothing, and I can use my past life's experience without any concerns. Most importantly, I can get away from Rudeus's control to the greatest extent possible. It's a win-win situation.

"I will consider it."

......

Afterwards, I talked to Edward about many things, including my thoughts on the current civil service examination reform. I handed over the entire system of the imperial examination to him, hoping that this wise ruler, this incompetent wise ruler, could make his own achievements.

It was already night when I stepped out of the Silver Palace gates. The moon hung high in the sky, and there wasn't a single star in the clear night.