Chapter 77: Walk
I wonder if it was because we shared a laugh just now? Or maybe because he was the father of a friend?
Seeing Barwell lying down on the cold floor, thinking that he will never talk or laugh again, caused something indescribable gush out.
“Prime Minister! I searched this man’s waiting room and found this! ”
Two men, allegedly belonging to the First Knight Order, came to this room while carrying a dagger’s sheath.
Ahh, so it’s going to be like that. While being in shock, I failed to notice a single dagger, most likely the murder weapon, lying on the floor. The handle resembled the sheath the knight was holding.
So, I guess it’s a scenario where the murder weapon’s ‘pairing’ sheath was found in my waiting room?
Uhー, Ehー, Hoー…….
“He’s the criminal! And here’s the proof! Apprehend this man immediately! ”
The Prime Minister yelled while pointing at me.
At the same time, several knights approached.
“ANGOLMOIS.”
I performed 《Spirit Summoning》 just like the first time.
That is, as flashy as possible. As I said that, Angolmois manifested himself in front of the knights, as red-black lightning flashed throughout the place.
“W-Wha!? ”
The knights, together with everyone else in the room, retreated one step back due to the awe-inspiring existence that suddenly appeared.
This is my chance.
“――On your knees! ”
Understanding my goal through my thoughts Angolmois used it without wasting time.
“What is……this!? ”
Even though we were indoors, a roaring storm ran throughout the place. From ‘above’ to ‘below’.
Being more specific, “a wind that makes you crawl”. This was the same mysterious skill he used the first time I summoned him, activating it simply because “he didn’t want any person to have their head above himself”. By the way, the “binding thunder” was not usable this time since it only works on spirits and their masters.
“Well then.”
I purposely walked gracefully as I said those words, and stood right in front of the Prime Minister, who was prostrating himself looking similar to a crushed frog.
Even though he was doing his best to try and endure the wind, as expected, the Prime Minister wasn’t able to move. That meant……
“You outdid yourself this time.”
……I could one-sidedly do anything.
At this point, I’m sure the Prime Minister was pissing himself out of fear. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to ‘put him down’. I mean, that would be like saying “I’m the real culprit”.
“It’s full of holes. I don’t understand the meaning of killing Barwell. I also don’t understand why do it with this timing, of all things. I don’t know why there was a dagger’s sheath in my waiting room. I mean……If I were to kill anyone, you would be the first one I’d kill, right? I could easily do it now, right? Also, isn’t a sheath usually left inside the inventory? Still, right now I don’t think I’ll even need a dagger nor a sheath.”
“……u……u.”
I crouched down a little in order to look him into his eyes as I said that. The Prime Minister clenched his jaw in a desperate effort to hide the sound of his clattering teeth as he trembled.
“（My Second. If you kill him here, you’d look more and more like the culprit. ）”
“（But, I just can’t stand him. At least I think I should take one of his legs. ）”
“（I’d love to agree with you, but there’s more to it. It’s better to leave this to Windfield. ）”
“（……Well, there’s also that. ）”
This is exactly what it feels to not being able to contain your anger.
However, if I mess up the Prime Minister at this point where there’s no clear evidence that he was the one who killed Barwell, I couldn’t help but been seen as being caught in the crime scene and becoming desperate. And, even if the evidence is found, that doesn’t give me a good enough reason to kill the Prime Minister. My opponent is the King’s murderer. This is a matter that should be judged properly, fairly, and justly.
……So, the first thing should be to clear my innocence?
“（I’ve calmed down. ）”
“（Umu. This is why you’re My Second. ）”
…………
Right now, I should withdraw.
This is by no means me running away. I simply need to temporarily withdraw to properly deal with this piece of shit.
It’s not like I’ve lost.
I haven’t lost to this bastard or the Empire.
The number one in the world knows no defeat……!
“Tell this to your Emperor, you shithead. It might’ve been because of your dogma, or maybe this was the intention of the Marubell Empire, but you’ve touched something that shouldn’t be touched.”
“Guuu! ”
Kicking the Prime Minister’s arm, he flipped and landed on his back. Not being able to offer any resistance, the Prime Minister was crushed under the power of the wind and remained in that sadly and pitiful state with his belly uncovered.
“Do you have a way to communicate? You do, right?”
Remembering what Windfield said before about “there’s the slight chance”, I spoke. Yeah, If I remember correctly, she said it. If Maine’s life was targeted, then that meant the Prime Minister――
“Team-limited communication, right? You thought I wouldn’t know of it? ”
――Had made a ‘team’ with someone of the inner circle at the Empire.
The same holds true even if the target was Barwell. It’s impossible for him to arbitrarily decide to kill the King of a virtually enemy country. In this short period, he must’ve been in contact with someone from the Empire. This, in of itself proves the Prime Minister had some means of quickly communicating with the Marubell Empire.
If you ask me, it’s really easy to form a ‘team’. All the members who want to become members of that team need to complete the team formation quest, and all they have to do to achieve it is to capture a lower-class dungeon. It isn’t weird for the Prime Minister to have teamed up with someone from the Empire. Rather, with such a convenient method being available, there are no spies that do not take advantage of it.
“…………”
It looks like my guess was correct. Cold sweat was visible on his face, and he became completely silent, all the while avoiding my gaze in a completely guilty manner.
“Hey, why not asking for the Emperor’s help using that convenient communication method? Just tell him that his spy was discovered and is now in a pinch.”
Before everyone’s ears, I revealed, again and again, the fact that the Prime Minister was an imperial agent. With the existence of team-only communication also revealed, the Prime Minister should have a bit of a harder time moving now. Some of them might not believe this, but at least the seed of doubt should be instilled in them.
After that, I made fun of the Prime Minister, gloating in satisfaction.
However, my anger did not subside.
Trying to calm down my irritation, I breathed a sigh, then I turned towards everyone to bid my farewell.
“Watch carefully! I won’t run away nor hide! I’ll simply walk out from this room, from this court! Stop me if you want! Arrest me if you want! I will simply walk! I’ll walk out if this place! Remember this!! ”
As I threw those caustic words in anger, I turned my back on them, and simply walked out of the room slowly, one step at a time.
The top of the world isn’t allowed to run away.
Even more so in the face of an enemy.
I didn’t run away. I didn’t lose. Evidence of that is the fact that I’m just walking right now.
Were they that pressed by my soul?
Angolmois’ winds should have lost effect for a long time now.
However, there was not a single person coming after me.
“I’m sorry……I’m sorry……! ”
As soon as I returned home after contacting them, I was welcomed by a clinging Windfield, who was apologizing to me while in tears.
This was the first time I’ve seen her so broken down.
“She’s been helplessly saying all this time that you might hate her now, Master.”
Besides her, Yukari smiled wryly as she spoke to me. Her expression was also surprising since it was completely unlike her usual one. Windfield’s dismay seemed to have been considerable enough to make Yukari look like this.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. This was not your fault.”
“But it wasn’t the Second Prince, it was the King the one assassinated, even if there was a tiny possibility, I should have.”
“That’s wrong. It wasn’t about preventing or not preventing that, I simply hate the people who would go that far as to do that……I simply lost my temper a bit there.
“Oh, My Second, is it okay to call all that pressure back there “losing your temper a bit’?”
Since Angolmois started to get noisy, I used 《Unsummon》 to send him back. Otherwise, the story will be needlessly complicated.
After he went back, I took a short breath. When I casually glanced at my side, I found Silvia shaking while gripping her fist.
“I w-won’t forgive them……! Not only did they kill His Majesty, but they also made you, Second-dono look like the culprit! ”
“Calm down, Silvia. What would you accomplish getting angry here?”
“BUT! Are you going to let that scoundrel do as he pleases!? ”
“Don’t worry about that, I won’t leave them alone. But first, I need to clear the suspicions on me. That’s why don’t get so angry.”
I said that as calm as possible to try and soothe the furious Silvia. However, I kind of like her being like this. Maybe I find her sense of justice refreshing, or maybe it’s her zeal or her integrity. I feel there aren’t that many people out there who would get this much angry for the sake of others.
Thinking that Eko might be surprised to see Silvia with such a threatening attitude, I looked at her, but as expected, even at times like this she was still doing everything at her own pace. She was happily sleeping while her chin was on top of the table and her hands extended over it. That might be why a sleeping child (neruko) can also be read as a cat (neko). Oh Eko, please stay like this forever. I’d love for you to keep being the companion that heals me with her presence.
“……Sorry, I’ve calmed down.”
As my thoughts drifted towards Eko’s healing sleeping face, it seemed like Silvia regained her cool.
“However, it is pretty bad, huh? You’re currently being suspected of having killed the King, right Second-dono? ”
“Yeah. But Maine and Minister Hairai seemed to think that as a lie, from what I could see in their expressions.”
“Umu, I’m not worried about them. However, the Prime Minister and the Captain of the Third Knight Order are another story. If you leave them alone, I’m sure they will make you look like the real culprit.” ”
“Ahh, I see, after all the King, who ordered them to be placed into indefinite house arrest, is now dead……”
This was a big deal for the Kingdom, but it seems that it will not be enforced now.
Now that the King has died, the Prime Minister will become the highest-ranking official in the Kingdom, except for the Royal Family. I see, so he was aiming for this.
“――y, sorry. I’m fine now.”
And, now Windfield returned to her normal self. After separating from me, she returned to her usual brisk beauty expression. And then, she opened her mouth as if waiting for this moment.
“If things go on like this, it will turn into a civil war, probably. Between the First Prince, and the Second Prince.”
“Then, in other words, the First Prince faction will try to claim the throne for Klaus saying he is the rightful heir?”
“Indeed. A battle between the factions, will break out, about who will become the next king. Well, that will not be, particularly a problem, I guess.”
“……Hee? ”
It will not be a problem?
“Why? ”
“Without doubt, the Second Prince, will win. Or rather, will be made to win. And then, the suspicions on you, will automatically clear up, Second-san.”
“Uhmm……If you say so, I guess it’ll be like that. Then, what will be the problem? ”
“The Sacred Country Kamel.”
“Ah……”
Now that I think of, there was that.
“Mmm. I’ve noticed something quite troublesome, Second-dono.”
“What’s wrong? ”
“Aren’t the talks about regulating Caramelia gone now that the King has been murdered? ”
“Whoa! That’s right. After all, this was something that I talked with Barwell just before he was killed.”
He wouldn’t have time to talk about it with others. It might turn out fine if I talk about it with Minister Hairai, but I don’t think right now will be the time for that.
With the Kingdom split into two and the fight for the succession between the two princes’ factions, right now the regulation of the Caramelia is the least of their worries. That means, we’ll need an important person who can move separately from the key figures.
“Oh. In that regard, I have already, someone in mind. It’s alright.”
“Okay, I leave it to you.”
“Really!? Is it okay to be that easygoing about it?”
If Windfield says it’s okay, it’s simpler for me to just leave those decisions to her. I decided to stop thinking about the Caramelia issue for now.
“……Uhm. By the way, there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“What is it, Silvia? You don’t know where the toilet is at? ”
“Don’t treat me like I’m Chérie! ”
“That’s quite the interesting comeback, but considering the person in question isn’t here, aren’t you just speaking ill behind her back?”
“S-Sorry, that was not my inten……That’s not it! ”
“What’s bothering you? ”
“Umu. Second-dono, why didn’t you kill the Prime Minister? He didn’t have many escorts, right? I believe that should’ve been a good time.”
Ahh, so that’s where she’s coming? I certainly wanted to kill him at that time, my feeling screamed that I killed him. But now that I’ve been calming down, I think I made the right choice on not killing him.
“If I was to kill the Prime Minister at that moment, the majority of the people would think that I was also the person who killed the King. The only one benefiting from it would be the Empire and the Sacred Country.”
“Uhm, I see…… Then, how about killing everyone from the First Prince’s faction? ”
“Hey, don’t say such unsettling words so easily. They are the same as ants, in the way, there are thousands of them. I don’t think you understand.”
“Then, how about sneaking into the Royal Castle, and have Second-dono kill the Prime Minister and everyone implicated?”
“Don’t be stupid! What am I, a killing machine!? ”
What a rude girl, seriously. “Right? “, when I turned to Yukari asking that with my expression, she responded with one of “Is she wrong?” 」みたいな顔をされる。 Ah……
“To be honest, I think that if it’s you, Second-dono, you’d come back unscathed after going against thousands of people.”
“That’s impossible. I could deal with thousands of monsters, but thousands of humans, that’s impossible.”
Monsters have a fixed behavioral pattern; however, humans move as they will. You can’t easily risk your life as long as you’re not certain about all the irregularities that might happen. My principle is to fight only when victory is certain. Or rather, I don’t even want to think of how killing thousands of people might feel like.
“I’m a little surprised at the ‘thousands of demons’ part……Then, how about using that girl? ”
“That girl? ……Ahh.”
That’s right. One animal, one existence comes to mind, that could make the impossible possible. Yeah, well, if I were to use her……
“However, the Sacred Country Kamel takes priority. Given the circumstances.”
“You just don’t want to think about her, Second-dono.”
“You’re just avoiding that issue, Master.”
“Oh, shut up. In the first place, this is someone else’s fight. I have no obligation to go out of my way to fix it.”
Both Silvia and Yukari nodded while saying “Certainly”. It seemed they were more shocked that I was able to beat thousands of demons, so that got them somewhat excited.
“…………ALRIGHT! ”
“Wh-What’s wrong? ”
Then, Windfield raised her voice. Today I’ve seen many sides, unlike her usual self.
“I’ve, changed my mind. I’ll be, serious. Leave it to me.”
It seems like she became motivated. Or rather, this means she wasn’t serious all this time? Scary.
“Second-san, this is an important confirmation. If you were to use anything. Can you, scare, thousands of soldiers? ”
Then, she asked an even more surprising question.
She wants me to scare thousands of soldiers? That’s kind of……
“Leave it to me.”
I couldn’t reply with anything but that!
＊ ＊ ＊
“The ways of heaven are unpredictable.”
In the private room of the First Prince Klaus. Prime Minister Val addressed Klaus indifferently.
“The succession of the crown will fall under you, without doubt, Your Highness. No matter what the Second Prince wants to say, let’s keep an undaunted attitude.”
“…………”
Klaus couldn’t bring himself to nod at the words of the Prime Minister.
A woman’s words kept repeating inside his head.
“Think of the Prime Minister as an enemy”――It was a simple phrase, but it was powerful enough to overturn all the trust Klaus had built up until now.
“Even if that side were to use force, the First and Third Knight Orders are in our control. We will not be defeated.”
Certainly. He tried to convince himself, but his doubts wouldn’t let him.
During the bandit suppression, Klaus wasn’t told anything about entering an agreement. He just heard about it once the rebels had been wiped out. When everything came to light, the secret agreement signed as a trap to slaughter the rest of the bandits was revealed, and so did the fact that they had tampered with the official documents to hide this matter.
After he asked the Prime Minister about it, he simply said: “I had no choice but to tamper with the documents in order to protect you, Your Highness”. He knew what he was saying, but he didn’t understand the meaning behind it. Such a state of things continued.
And, furthermore. He argued that the R6 bandits were suppressed because they were a presence that tried to interfere between them walking the path of peace together with the Marubell Empire. But Klaus was faintly aware.
As the captain of the suppression force, he was convinced that the cleaning of the bandits nestling themselves around the Royal Capital was for the good of the Kingdom, and so he embarked on that expedition. However, at present, due to the elimination of the R6 bandits, the security around the Royal capital had worsened. If this was the case, wouldn’t it have been better for them not to suppress the bandits? Everything seemed to point at that.
Why was there the need to suppress the bandits?
That suppression had no national interests in mind. Rather, this was beneficial to the Empire. And if you thought about it carefully, it would continue to be so.
In addition to that, there were the words of Second.
Could it be? The Prime Minister is really an imperial――
“Well then, please be prepared for the coming battle.”
With Klaus still immersed in his thoughts, the Prime Minister left the room.
“……Tch……”
After clicking his tongue, Klaus stopped thinking about it for now and went back to doing his job.
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