Chapter 86

The next day, I brought Zoe to the store.

Fortunately, a seat was available again.

I inwardly chuckled at this but didn’t let it show as I continued to listen to Alice’s singing.

As the performance progressed and most of the guests were focused on Alice, I ‘connected’ with Zoe.

"Can you hear my voice?"

"Yes, Master... Wait a minute?"

Zoe turned to me normally and replied normally.

But she soon noticed something was off.

"The voice... it’s not mine?"

"No, that’s right. A person’s voice sounds different to their own ears and to others’ ears."

"I see? Oh, I can hear you very clearly."

Zoe muttered this while looking around.

In the store where Alice was singing, most of the voices were drowned out by her singing and hard to hear.

In fact, when the waiter came to take orders, they spoke in a louder voice, almost shouting, right next to the ear.

Despite this, the conversation with me was clear and distinct, which felt quite mysterious.

"Have you ever played with a tin can telephone?"

"Yes, I have, but..."

"Just think of it as a transparent tin can telephone using Fluff."

Strictly speaking, it’s a bit more complicated, but there’s no need to explain it in detail.

"I see... Oh, Master’s mouth isn’t moving."

"That’s right. Only those connected by the thread can hear, and I can speak without moving my mouth."

"It’s a secret conversation. Impressive, Your Majesty."

Zoe quickly understood the benefits of this technique and changed the way she addressed me.

That’s how it is.

Sound and voices are usually transmitted through the air.

But they can also be transmitted through a medium, like a tin can telephone.

That’s why you can hear distant sounds by putting your ear to the ground.

Using Fluff, this method excludes the air and transmits the voice through an invisible thread, so it can only be heard by the people I connect.

It’s a higher level of eavesdropping prevention than soundproofing magic.

"Have you told them?"

"Yes, when I told them that Your Majesty likes Alice and will be staying for a while, they looked very displeased."

"Good, then it’s fine. That will make things easier."

"Easier?"

Because of the awareness of the secret conversation, Zoe didn’t tilt her head in confusion as she usually would, but conveyed her puzzlement through her gaze.

"If we don’t move, they’ll get anxious. Zoe, in this situation, who do you think is more anxious?"

"Um... Master... doesn’t need to be anxious, right?"

I nodded.

I had posed a question to help her understand the situation, and she had grasped it perfectly.

"That’s right. The salt tax issue is a chronic problem for the empire. Even if it’s not resolved now, the situation won’t change much."

"But the other side—while Your Majesty is here, they can’t engage in smuggling."

"Exactly. Threatening the entire city and making a large-scale operation is not only expensive but also means a halt in income. If you consider that the empire’s lost salt tax will go directly into their pockets, even a single day’s halt means a loss of at least 100,000 Reen."

"Really...?"

Zoe was speechless.

To a mere maid, it was a sum that left her speechless.

"That’s the situation. If I don’t move, they’ll get anxious and act. So, I can just take it easy."

"I see! Impressive, Your Majesty!"

I smiled at Zoe and took a sip of wine, then a bite of a snack.

"But... 100,000... I can’t allow such a large sum. They must be executed after everything is revealed."

"..."

I didn’t answer.

I understood what Zoe was saying and her feelings.

But in most cases, a living person is more useful than a dead one.

Especially for those who have created a system to siphon off such a large amount of tax from the empire, if they can be properly persuaded...

People are treasures and possibilities.

If they can be persuaded properly...

While thinking this, I listened to the song, ate the snacks, and pretended to enjoy myself.

The waiter brought new dishes.

I picked one up and put it in my mouth—then, suddenly.

"..."

I slowly, like a puppet with its strings cut, fell face down on the table.

"Wh- Master!?"

I heard Zoe’s scream from above.

"Master! Master!?"

My body was shaken, and my nose and chest were touched one after another.

"Is he... dead?"

☆

In the store, now empty of customers, I was laid on the floor.

With my eyes closed, I listened carefully.

"Is he really dead?"

"Y-Yes. As you can see, his heart has stopped."

"Let me check."

A man’s voice I hadn’t heard before and the waiter’s voice. The man’s ear was placed on my chest.

"Indeed, he’s dead. Hmph, we should have done this sooner."

"Um, this store..."

"Don’t worry, you won’t be harmed. This store will be closed, but I’ll give you a store twice as big on the other side of town."

"Thank you, sir!"

I see, so poisoning me was a reward.

"Um..."

This time, it was Zoe’s voice.

"What? Do you want money?"

"No, please let me take Master’s body."

"Huh?"

"He was someone who took care of me for a long time. At least, I want to pay my respects."

"Do as you please."

The man laughed through his nose, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

It seemed he had gone outside.

A little later, hesitant footsteps approached and then faded away.

The waiter had gone to the back of the store.

With no one around, I spoke.

"Well done."

"Your Majesty can’t be poisoned."

I opened my eyes slightly, and Zoe was beside me, eyes closed and hands clasped, as if in prayer.

I see, this way, it looks like she’s offering a silent prayer for me.

Impressive.

"Your Majesty has Apophis. There’s no way a poison that humans can obtain would kill Your Majesty."

"Yes, Apophis neutralized the poison."

"Yes... but, the stopped heart?"

"That’s also Fluff. Touch my forehead."

"Yes... Oh, a heartbeat."

"I created something to replace the heart there. It’s a temporary substitute. The heart has stopped, but the blood is flowing, so there’s no problem."

"To do such a thing... Impressive, Your Majesty."

Zoe looked genuinely impressed.

"Your Majesty, what will you do now?"

"I’ll go along with what you’ve done."

"You mean me?"

"Yes. Send me to the crematorium and burn me."

"Ba humut, right?"

"Yes. With Ba humut, a mere cremation won’t affect me. To completely lower their guard, it’s better if I’m burned once."

"Your Majesty, I understand."

"After that, you should leave this city."

"Is it okay for me to leave?"

"Yes, it’s a performance to deceive them. Leave normally, and you don’t have to come back. You can return to the capital as usual until I contact you."

"Understood."

Zoe nodded and moved away from me.

From a distance, I could hear her asking the waiter about the means to transport the body and the location of the crematorium.

I continued to pretend to be dead.

Pretending to be dead using Fluff isn’t particularly difficult.

Compared to the effort of using a tin can telephone to transmit my voice, it’s not much trouble at all.

In fact, it was more difficult to calm down the nearly enraged Leviathan when I realized the poison had been put in my food.

"——!"

Leviathan, still half-angered.

This mad dog and loyal dog won’t tolerate anyone who harms me.

Just a moment ago, if I had let my guard down, the man who confirmed my death would have lost his head.