Chapter 127
Meeting
Translator : PolterGlast
「Ah, Masaru. Hello there.」
「Hello~」
Using the power of my Home Gift, I arrived at
the private chambers of Her Royal Highness, Princess Alicia, the Second
Princess of the Grust Kingdom. Since Miku started dedicating her
time to everyone in the Empire, a portion of what she used to do became
my responsibility. One of those duties is visiting this kingdom... or rather,
visiting Alicia. I hadn't had many opportunities to speak with her, but
as we talked like this repeatedly, I feel like we've managed to open up to each
other to some extent. We aren't quite at the level of using nicknames, but
we've grown close enough to drop the honorifics and call each other by our
first names. ...Wait, could it be that my communication skills aren't so bad
after all?
「I feel bad for causing you so much
trouble, Alicia.」
「No, it is fine. What I can do is
truly limited, after all...」
Currently, Alicia is under house arrest within the Royal
Castle. This is because it was discovered that she had sent an envoy to the
Empire (though the fact that we were the envoy hasn't been
exposed yet, thankfully), and King Izel II flew into a tremendous rage
over it. It seems she used to be able to come and go somewhat freely within the
Royal Castle, but now she isn't even allowed to step outside for meals.
As always, that king has the broad-mindedness of a water flea.
「I don't think you need to disparage
yourself so much...」
Alicia just has
a habit of putting herself down. It's probably because she was raised in a
rearing environment close to the worst in Aristella's history—being near
the excessively self-conscious Misha and the tyrant Izel II. I
think her way of thinking is sensible; if anything, she is so enlightened that
she's treated as somewhat of a heretic here in Aristella. After all,
when she heard that Izel II was going to hold talks with the demons, she
actually pleaded with him to have a proper dialogue. Of course, it goes without
saying that Izel II was infuriated by that. For Izel II—a man so
absolute in his "kill all demons" stance that he'd summon Heroes
from another world to defeat the Demon Lord—her persuasion completely
fell on deaf ears.
「Masaru, come to think of it, I received some concerning
information...」
「Oh, concerning information... wait,
h-hey, that tickles a bit.」
「Ah, I apologize.」
Because there are soldiers outside the room, we inevitably
end up whispering to each other in the back of the room. I'm weak to having
people whisper in my ear, you see. It makes me feel like I'm doing something
naughty.
「It has been officially decided that Mitogawa-sama
and Kazuma-sama will temporarily return to the Royal Castle.」
Even though Alicia cannot go outside, it's not as if
she doesn't have a single ally. Among the cooks who cater her meals and tea,
and the maids who deliver them, there are quite a few who adore Alicia.
Therefore, despite being under house arrest, she is about as well-informed
about the internal affairs of the Royal Castle as she was before.
「I see, that's something we can't
ignore.」
It seems that our sudden, mass disappearance of Heroes
caused a massive uproar inside the Royal Castle for a time. That unrest
spread to the commoners through the nobles and merchants, amplifying the
anxiety of the people living in the Grust Kingdom. To manage that, the
remaining Heroes are apparently traveling around various regions to show
off that they are still alive and well. He rarely tried to send them out
before, but the moment push comes to shove, he immediately works them to the
bone—as expected of a foolish king. Compared to him, it might be only natural
that everyone tries to support Alicia, whose only real flaws are being
withdrawn and lacking self-confidence.
「If that's the case... it must be
almost time.」
The reason we are currently keeping in such close contact is
to share information regarding the meeting with the demons that Izel II
is trying to conduct in secret. I don't know what on earth he's thinking,
trying to set up a meeting with the demons. But probably... no, definitely,
it's for no good purpose. According to a book Alicia brought from the Royal
Castle's archives, it was recorded that dialogue with demons is possible.
I've only fought a demon once, so I don't know if that's true. But considering
they are attempting to hold a meeting instead of just killing each other, there
is no doubt that the other side possesses intelligence. If that's the case, I
think there's meaning in verifying how those talks will be conducted. Because,
just maybe, the war with the demons could come to an end, right? If he's going
to ruin that chance, I'll have to punish Izel II... Regardless, I intend
to make absolutely sure we don't miss this one opportunity.
「Yes, what in the world is going to
happen to our country...」
「You're going to see it through to
the end, right, Alicia?」
「...That is right. As a member of the
royal family, I believe it is my duty to see everything through to the very
end.」
I don't know what kind of choice Alicia will make
after witnessing it. But surely, it won't be a bad thing for this country or
for Aristella. Pondering such things, I met with her almost every day
for about five days. Finally, the long-awaited opportunity arrived.
「It seems the demon delegation will be arriving in Grisnia tomorrow.」
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