Chapter 127
Meeting
「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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