Chapter 57

"Alright, I'll leave this guy here and leave the country."

The moment I realized the brat was the Second Princess Melty Melromark, I declared this.

"Wait, are you going to abandon a child whose life is being threatened?"

"She's the daughter of a scoundrel. She's probably trying to frame me."

"But I think something is off."

Hmm, indeed, Laphelia's opinion is understandable.

The Second Princess, who had almost been killed, was trembling with a pale face, and Filo was taking care of her.

If this really is the Second Princess, there's no reason for the country's knights to kill her.

If there was a reason to kill her, it would be a major conspiracy or a factional struggle.

I'm not well-versed in such matters. After all, I don't care about the internal affairs of this country.

"Mel-chan, why were you almost killed?"

"... I don't know. Father was complaining, so I couldn't forgive the Shield Hero who hurt him."

"By yourself?"

"No. When I said I couldn't forgive it, the royal guards said they would go with me."

This attitude suggests the Second Princess is a puppet.

Even if I try to extract information, a direct approach won't work.

"Filo will definitely protect you."

"Hey, don't make promises on your own!"

"Master, Filo wants to protect Mel-chan."

"No."

"Protect, protect, protect!"

"Ah, shut up!"

Damn, I have a really bad feeling. What's going on?

As we continued to argue, the knights started laughing.

"Have you finally understood your position, demon?"

"Shut up. I don't care about you guys anymore."

"It won't be that easy. Our great cause has been accomplished."

"... What do you mean?"

"We were supposed to get the justification to condemn the demon by the death of the Second Princess, but even if that doesn't happen, it's not a problem. By now, a bounty should be placed on your head."

That scoundrel finally did it.

Is he willing to sacrifice his own daughter to justify killing me!?

"The assassination of the royal family will result in pursuit even if you flee the country!"

"... Hold on, why do you need to kill the Second Princess right in front of me?"

If you want to frame me, a testimony like the bitch's would be enough.

Killing the Second Princess in a completely unrelated place and framing me with the crime would be sufficient.

Why didn't they do that?

Suddenly, I remembered the knights holding the crystal orbs.

A few of them were at the back and managed to escape.

If those orbs were like photographs, what if...

"Shield demon, your involvement in the murder of Princess Melty will be known to other countries. You have nowhere to run."

I see. Last time, it was within the country and quite forceful, so they couldn't pursue me.

If I fled to another country, the justification for pursuing me would be weak.

Other countries could have granted asylum to the Shield Hero and treated him well to make him an ally.

But this time, it's different.

There are crystal orbs that captured the moment the Shield Hero might have killed the Second Princess.

With that much evidence, it's enough.

It can be presented to other countries, and the opposition within the country can be silenced.

Wow... I almost admire this.

So, that's it, huh?

Option 1:

Abandon the Second Princess here.

The scoundrel's knights will kill the Second Princess and secure the justification.

I will be pursued as a bounty hunter.

This news will spread to other countries, and I'll be a wanted person forever.

The worst scenario is being called and captured.

Option 2:

Take the Second Princess to the scoundrel and explain the situation.

The Second Princess's life will be saved, but given the scoundrel, he won't drop the charges of kidnapping.

In other words, I might save the Second Princess's life, but I can't prove my innocence.

Option 3:

Go and kill the scoundrel who took such drastic action.

The charges against me will be complete, and the Three Heroes, the Church, and the Knights will come to kill me.

The risk and possibility of failure are too high.

"No matter what, I can't prove my innocence! That scoundrel king is willing to kill his own daughter to kill me!"

This is really unpleasant!

Why do the scoundrel and his bloodline make me so uncomfortable?

"Ha ha ha! The Shield Demon will be destroyed. Know the sin of threatening our Three Heroes religion!"

"Shut up!"

Out of frustration, I ordered Filo to silence the knights.

I could have killed them, but since some escaped, it would be meaningless.

I would be charged with murder when I prove my innocence.

Still, the Three Heroes Church...

The Three Heroes Church.

Three, Heroes, Church.

It makes sense to consider it as the Three Heroes Religion.

The symbol they cherished was the three weapons.

But that's odd.

Sword, spear, bow, shield.

The legendary weapons are these four.

Since the knights call me a demon, the Three Heroes Religion must be hostile to the shield.

... So, that's it.

This might be connected to why the adventurers the country provided didn't become my companions when I first came to this world.

The adventurers provided by the country are naturally trusted by the country.

From the looks of the church members and knights, it's safe to assume the Three Heroes Religion is deeply rooted in this country.

Since the Three Heroes Religion considers the Shield Demon as the ultimate evil, no one would willingly become the Shield Demon's companion. It doesn't matter if they lack information. They just made up a reason.

If this is true, it explains why people in the country treat the Shield Hero with disdain.

The knights being fanatical believers suggests the royal family also belongs to this faction.

Thinking back, the reaction to me was odd even before the false rape charge.

They intentionally ignored me and treated me as a criminal without evidence, all because of religious enmity.

The people think I'm evil because I'm the Shield Demon.

Even the sandglass of the dragon and the church sister showed hostility towards me, and the circumstantial evidence is sufficient.

I can see the scoundrel king's thinking.

To maintain his position, he can't treat the Shield Demon and the Three Heroes equally.

Currently, the Shield Hero's reputation in the country is improving.

As a saint of the divine bird, he travels around and helps people.

Recently, except in the town below the castle, the treatment of the Shield Hero has become less hostile.

This is a matter of the church's prestige.

They also said the Shield Hero threatens the Three Heroes Religion, so it's almost certain.

So, they used the Second Princess as a trump card.

But this is just a guess.

I can't use this to clear my name.

"It's impossible for Father to do such a thing!"

The Second Princess said to me.

"Probably..."

"Be certain."

"Mother said Father is a bit short-sighted and good at war."

"Mother, huh."

Since she has a daughter, the scoundrel must have a wife. I've never met her.

Good at war... Indeed, he seems good at making enemies. He's never said anything nice to me.

"Mother said he's smarter than her in intellectual games."

"More like he's good at evil schemes."

To me, he's just a fool. Her mother doesn't seem much better.

"But Father would never do such a thing. He cares for me."

"Then why is this happening?"

"..."

The Second Princess is on the verge of tears.

"Master, that's mean."

"That's right. Making a child cry."

"She's about your age."

Laphelia seems to have forgotten she was about the same age two months ago.

Maybe it's because of her relationship with Filo or her tendency to act like an older sister.

Alright, let's give the scoundrel king a charitable interpretation.

Considering he favors his family, it's possible a fanatical believer took it upon themselves to judge the demon.

Or it could be a power struggle.

If there are two factions, the bitch and the Second Princess, it's a bit forceful, but...

"Then it's the sister, right?"

The successor is only her, and she wants to cut the bad sprout early.

The bitch could think like that.

"The next queen is mine. I won't let a sister take it."

"The sister... could."

"You're not denying it."

"Mother said the sister likes to frame people and will do anything to get what she wants."

The bitch could do it.

Or maybe she couldn't hide it from the family.

"Mother said Father doesn't know."

"By the way, you keep saying Mother. Who is she?"

"Mother is the queen of this country. She travels for diplomacy. I traveled with her."

"Why did you come to us?"

"Mother said, 'Come and see Father's face sometimes.'"

"Interesting... Diplomacy."

"She works hard every day to prevent war. The world is in trouble because of the waves, and as queen, I must protect the country."

From what I hear, she seems more competent and reasonable than the scoundrel.

But she might favor her family.

Considering she defends the scoundrel and attacks me, it's her word.

Wait, thinking back, didn't I meet this girl at the castle on the day she broke ties with the scoundrel?

"Is Mother the purple-haired girl you were with the day before yesterday? She had a suffix like 'gojyaruto.'"

"That's a body double, impersonating Mother."

"Body double... so she looks like that?"

The purple hair is memorable.

"Yes. She looks exactly like Mother, but her words are strange."

"Interesting."

It doesn't matter.

"More powerful than Father."

The Second Princess casually said something incredible.

"... What?"

"More powerful than Father."

"Huh?"

"Mr. Naofumi, Melromark is a matriarchal country. The royal family is matrilineal."

Laphelia added this as a matter of course.

So, that's it.

The scoundrel is a son-in-law!

"Why are you laughing, Mr. Naofumi?"

"Can I not laugh? The scoundrel is a son-in-law! Ahahaha!"

"Master looks happy."

"Don't speak ill of Father!"

"Who cares about the parents who abandoned you."

"They didn't abandon me! Wahhhhh!"

Oh, the Second Princess is hitting me with teary eyes.

It's kind of cute. Making someone you dislike cry.

"Making a child cry and laughing is the worst."

"I know."

Laphelia is angry, so I think.

"A way to clear our names and save this girl... What can we do?"

Why do I have to protect the scoundrel and the bitch's family?

I can't just leave her, and I can't kill her.

I don't like her just because she's related to them.

Sigh...

But I can sympathize with her position.

Being betrayed by trusted family and experiencing the depths of despair, I can somewhat understand the Second Princess's feelings.

Hmm. There must be a way.

"Queen, do you know where your mother is?"

This is the first method. If the scoundrel is no good, we can talk to an unknown queen.

Since she has more power than the scoundrel, if she listens, the problem can be solved.

In this case, the Second Princess's survival is essential.

As long as she's alive, we can do anything.

She seems to have enough intelligence to understand.

The downside is if she's as foolish as the scoundrel, my suspicion won't be cleared.

"... I don't know."

The Second Princess shook her head.

"I see."

So, fleeing to another country without a plan is not an option.

Suddenly, I remember the incident with the weapon shop owner.

Siltvelt, I think, is a country of absolute rule by subhumans. The influence of Melromark might be minimal.

If we bring the Second Princess of Melromark as a gift to the negotiation table, the queen might be interested.

Of course, it's a very disadvantageous place for a human like me, but we have the subhuman Laphelia.

It might be a good place to hide.

"Alright, let's flee to Siltvelt. There, we might be able to break the situation."

"It's a subhuman country. Indeed."

Laphelia agrees.

"Once we enter the country, I'll leave the negotiations to you, the subhuman."

"Okay!"

"Then, Second Princess, for your life, you'll have to come with us. Don't worry, I'll definitely protect you. If you don't want to die, follow us."

"... Okay."

The Second Princess reluctantly agreed to join our carriage.

I don't dislike well-behaved children.

This is a good opportunity. Teaching the Second Princess the truth about how despicable and dirty the scoundrel king and the bitch princess are might be good.

We are now a community of fate, living or dying together.

The Second Princess is still a child.

If I teach her step by step, she might understand.

"From now on, we'll be together, Mel-chan."

"Okay... Nice to meet you, Filo-chan."

Filo is in a good mood, thinking she can travel with her friend.

The Second Princess is the final key to lead us to victory.

As long as we don't lose her or use her incorrectly, she will definitely create a breakthrough.

We hid the unconscious knights in the forest and changed our direction towards Siltvelt, being cautious.