Chapter 82

Just a moment ago, was it because we were laughing together just now? Or was it because he was the father of a friend?

Thinking that Bawel, who lay there cold, would never speak again, a nameless something welled up inside me.

"Minister! We searched this man's room and found this!"

Two men, who seemed to be knights of the First Cavalry, entered the room with a "dagger sheath."

Ah, I see. Sensing something, I glanced at the dagger on the floor, which seemed to be the weapon. The handle looked very similar to the sheath the knights had brought.

So, the script is that the weapon and its "mate" sheath were found in my room.

Hmm, oh, wow...

"It's a crime in progress! We have evidence! Arrest this man immediately!"

The minister shouted. At the same time, several knights approached me.

"Angolmoa."

I began with a spirit summoning, as flamboyantly as possible. Understanding my thoughts, Angolmoa appeared before the knights, sending blackish-red lightning throughout the room.

"Huh, what!?"

Suddenly, the knights and everyone in the room took a step back at the sight of the unusually divine presence. This was my chance.

"---Kneel!"

Understanding my thoughts, Angolmoa immediately activated it.

"What...!?"

Despite being indoors, a roaring storm blew everywhere, from "top" to "bottom."

If I were to name it, it would be the "wind that makes you prostrate." A unique mystery technique of the Spirit King, which he activated during the first summoning because "I don't like it when someone is taller than me." Incidentally, the "lightning that makes you prostrate" only affects spineless spirits and their masters, so it couldn't be used this time.

"Well..."

I walked elegantly, making a deliberate sound, and stood in front of the minister, who was in a frog-like position.

The minister was struggling to withstand the wind and couldn't move as he wished. In other words...

"You really pulled this off, didn't you?"

...I can do anything unilaterally.

By now, the minister must be so terrified that he's wetting himself inside, but he can't show it. That would be the same as confessing, "I'm the real culprit."

"Holes everywhere. I don't understand why I would kill Bawel. I don't understand why it would be at this timing. I don't understand why the sheath was in my room. You know... if I were to kill someone, I would have killed you first, right? In terms of timing, well, now? The sheath, usually, would be in my inventory, right? But right now, at this moment, I don't need the sheath or the dagger."

"..."

I crouched slightly and leaned in to say this. The minister was gritting his teeth, trying to endure the sound of his molars clattering from the trembling.

("My Second. If I kill him here, we'll be wanted for sure.")

("But I can't hold back. Should I take a leg or something?")

("I'd like to agree, but it's not that simple. It's best to leave it to Winfield.")

("...Yeah, I guess.")

This is exactly what it means to have a knot in one's stomach.

But if I were to lay a hand on the minister at this point, without clear evidence that "the minister killed Bawel," it could be interpreted as "I went berserk after being caught in the act." Besides, even if evidence were found, that wouldn't justify killing the minister. He's a king-killer. This is a case that should be judged properly and fairly.

...Proving my innocence is the priority.

("You're calming down.")

("Yes. That's my Second.")

...

I will retreat here.

It's not running away. It's a temporary withdrawal to prepare for the slow and painful demise of this bastard.

I haven't lost.

I haven't lost to him, to the empire.

The world's number one hasn't lost...!

"Tell the emperor, you bastard. Whether this is your own decision or the will of the Marbell Empire, you've touched what you shouldn't have."

"Guh!"

I kicked the minister's hand, sending him sprawling on his back. The minister couldn't resist and was crushed by the wind, exposing his belly to me in a pitiful state.

"You have a way to contact him, right? You must, right?"

Remembering what Winfield had said, with a low probability, I spoke. Yes, he had said this: If Main's life were in danger, the minister would—

"Team-only communication. Did you think I wouldn't know?"

—be working with someone in the imperial core.

Even if the target was Bawel, it would be the same. It's impossible for him to have made a unilateral decision to assassinate the king of a virtual enemy country. They must have communicated with the empire during this short period. This is proof that the minister has a means to communicate quickly with the Marbell Empire.

Forming a team is extremely simple, in my opinion. All the team members need to accept the team formation quest and clear a C-rank dungeon together. It's not strange for the minister to be on a team with someone in the empire. In fact, it would be strange for a spy not to use such a convenient tool.

"..."

It seems I hit a nerve. The minister, sweating coldly, fell silent and became an ugly old man, struggling only to withstand the storm.

"Go ahead, use your specialty communication to beg the emperor for help. 'Help me, I'm in trouble because the spy was exposed.'"

I revealed multiple times in front of everyone that the minister was an imperial agent. The existence of team-only communication was also revealed, making it even harder for the minister to move. Some might not believe it, but at least suspicion would be planted.

After teasing the minister a bit, I let out a sigh of relief.

However, my anger hadn't subsided.

I exhaled a deep breath, expelling my endless frustration, and turned to everyone, starting my farewell speech.

"Watch this! I'm not running or hiding! I'm walking out of this room, out of this court! Try to stop me! Try to catch me! I'm walking out! Remember that!!"

I cut a fierce figure in my anger, turned my back on everyone, and walked out of the room, one step at a time, deliberately, slowly.

Running away in a cowardly manner is not allowed for the world's number one.

Especially not in front of the enemy.

I didn't run. I didn't lose. The proof is that I'm walking now.

Perhaps overwhelmed by my resolve.

Angolmoa's wind should have been dispelled long ago, yet no one pursued me.

"Sorry... sorry...!"

As soon as I returned home after making a call, Winfield clung to me, sobbing and apologizing. I had never seen her so flustered.

"I was worried that you might be disliked by Master."

Yukari chuckled beside her. It was rare to see her without her usual expressionless face. Winfield's panic must have been quite something to make Yukari react this way.

"It's okay, don't worry. It's not your fault."

"But I did consider the possibility, even if it was just a little, that the king, not the second prince, might be assassinated. If I had known—"

"No, it's not about whether it could be prevented or not. I just snapped a bit because I didn't like the kind of people who would do such things."

"Is it really okay to describe my Second's pressure as 'just a bit snapped'?"

I sent Angolmoa back, as he was being noisy. It would only complicate things further.

With a sigh, I glanced sideways and saw Sylvia trembling with clenched fists.

"I can't forgive it...! Not only killing the innocent King Bawel, but also framing Second-sama!"

"Calm down, Sylvia. What good will it do for you to be angry here?"

"But! We can't let such heretics run rampant!"

"Don't worry, it won't be in vain. But first, I need to clear my name. So don't be so angry."

I spoke as gently as possible to calm the furious Sylvia. But I like this side of her. She's so just, passionate, and incorruptible. It's rare to find someone who can get this angry for others.

Sylvia's fierce reaction even surprised Echo, I thought, as I checked on her. As expected, she was as laid-back as ever, even in such a situation. She had her hands neatly placed on the table, her chin resting on them, and was sleeping soundly and happily. The saying "sleeping like a cat" might be true. Echo, forever, please stay this way and continue to heal me as an animal therapist.

"...Sorry, I've calmed down."

While being healed by Echo's sleeping face, Sylvia regained her composure.

"But things have gotten quite bad. Second-sama is currently suspected of the king's murder, right?"

"Yes, but from the looks of it, Main and Minister Hailai seem to be okay."

"True, I'm not worried about that. But the prime minister and the commander of the Third Cavalry are definitely up to no good. If we leave things as they are, Second-sama might really be framed as the culprit."

"Yes, the king, who ordered the indefinite suspension, is now dead..."

A major event in the kingdom, and the punishment might be swept under the rug.

With the king gone, the top power in the kingdom, excluding the royal family, would be the prime minister or the ministers. I see, that's what he was aiming for.

"---Sorry, I'm fine now."

Winfield recovered here. She moved away from me and returned to her usual sharp and beautiful expression. Then, she opened her mouth with a sense of purpose.

"If things continue like this, a civil war might break out, between the first prince's faction and the second prince's faction."

"So, in other words, 'The First Kingdom's Talent Show: Which Brother is Better? Who Will Be the Next King?'"

"Yes. A conflict between factions over who will be the next king. But, it's not really a problem, is it?"

"...Huh?"

Not a problem?

"Why not?"

"Without a doubt, the second prince's faction will win. No, we will make them win. Then, Second-sama's suspicion will be automatically cleared."

"Well... if you say so. Then, what's the problem?"

"The Kingdom of Calemer."

"Oh... right."

I remember that problem.

"Hey, Second-sama, I just realized something."

"What is it?"

"Since the king was killed, the talks about regulating Calemer might have been canceled, right?"

"Whoa! You're right. I only mentioned it right before Bawel was killed."

There probably wasn't time to talk to anyone else. It would have gone smoothly if I had mentioned it to Minister Hailai, but he's probably not in the right state of mind now.

With the kingdom split into the first prince's faction and the second prince's faction, preparing for war, it's not the time to regulate Calemer. So, we need someone who can act independently of the kingdom's core.

"I have a good idea about that. Don't worry."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you."

"Lightly!? You're too casual, Second-sama."

Since Winfield said it's okay, I can delegate this task. I stopped thinking about Calemer right away.

"...Hmm. By the way, there's something that's been bothering me."

"What is it, Sylvia? Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"I'm not Sherry!"

"That's a funny comeback, but it's just gossip when the person isn't here."

"S-Sorry, I just... No, that's not it!"

"Something bothering you?"

"Yes. Second-sama, why didn't you kill the prime minister? There were few guards, right? It seemed like a good opportunity."

Ah, that's what you're getting at. Indeed, at the time, I wanted to kill him. But now, as I'm gradually cooling down, I think it was the right decision not to kill him.

"If I had killed the prime minister there, the majority of the people would think I killed the king too. The only ones who would benefit are the empire and the divine kingdom."

"True... Then, what if you killed all the first prince's faction?"

"That's a dangerous suggestion. Sure, it might be possible, but how many thousands are there? I can't keep track of them all."

"Then, what if you stormed the castle and killed everyone, including the prime minister?"

"Are you kidding me! Am I a killing machine!"

That's rude. "What do you mean?" I turned to Yukari, who gave me a look like "Is that not the case?" Well...

"To be honest, I think Second-sama could return unscathed from a battle with thousands of monsters."

"No way, no way. I've fought thousands of monsters before, but thousands of humans is a different story."

Monsters have predictable patterns, but humans move freely. There's no telling what irregularities might arise, so I can't risk my life. I only fight battles I can win. Besides, the idea of killing thousands of people is just unpleasant.

"Surprised by the thousands of monsters... Then, what if you used her?"

"Her? ...Oh, right."

Come to think of it, there is one being that could make the impossible possible. Yes, if I used her...

"But Calemer is the priority, right, in terms of the situation?"

"Second-sama, you're not denying it."

"Master, you're not denying it."

"Shut up. This is someone else's fight. I have no obligation to break my bones to solve it."

Sylvia and Yukari nodded in agreement. They seemed more shocked by the idea that I could fight thousands of monsters and win. They were discussing it animatedly.

"---Alright!"

"What, what is it?"

Suddenly, Winfield shouted loudly. She's been acting out of character all day.

"I've changed my mind. I'm going all out. Leave it to me."

She seems serious. Or, has she not been serious until now? That's scary.

"Second-sama, important confirmation. Can you use anything to scare thousands of soldiers?"

Then, she asked an even more shocking question.

Scare thousands of soldiers? That's...

"Leave it to me."

That's the only thing I can say, right?

* * *

"The old man's horse, indeed."

In the private room of the first prince, Claus. Minister Bal spoke to Claus calmly.

"The throne will undoubtedly go to the legitimate heir, Your Highness. No matter what the second prince's faction says, we must stand firm."

"..."

Claus couldn't nod in agreement with the minister's words.

The words of a certain woman wouldn't leave his mind.

"Consider the minister as the enemy"---just one sentence, but it was powerful enough to overturn all the trust Claus had built up.

"Even if the other side resorts to military action, the First and Third Cavalry are in our hands. Defeat is not an option."

Indeed. Claus was about to agree, but doubt intervened.

During the suppression of the vigilantes, Claus had not been informed of any agreements. He had only been told to suppress the anti-government forces. But when the lid was lifted, it turned out that a secret agreement had been made to frame the vigilantes, and the minister had even tampered with official documents to cover it up.

When Claus confronted the minister, he was met with a blunt response: "I had to tamper with the documents to protect Your Highness." The words made sense, but they didn't sit well with him. This state of affairs had continued.

Furthermore, Claus had begun to suspect that the vigilante R6 had been forcibly suppressed because they were an obstacle to the Marbell Empire's approach.

The captain of the suppression force, who had believed that eradicating the vigilantes in the capital would benefit the kingdom, now found that the capital's security had worsened without R6. He regretted the suppression.

Why had it been necessary to suppress the vigilantes to such an extent?

A suppression that brought no benefit to the kingdom, but rather suited the empire's interests. Upon closer inspection, it had been the case in the past and would continue to be so in the future.

In addition, Second's words.

Could the minister really be an agent of the empire—

"Please prepare for the coming battle."

Just as Claus was thinking this, the minister left the room.

"...Tsk..."

Claus clicked his tongue, temporarily stopping his thoughts, and had no choice but to return to his work.

Thank you for reading.