Chapter 73 - The Abandoned Princess's Desperation

 "That just now... was it a blowgun?!"

I quickly deduced the identity of the thin needle that had come flying toward Her Majesty.

A blowgun—a long-range weapon that sends a small projectile flying through a tube with the force of a breath. Because they are small and easy to carry, they are perfect tools for assassination.

To think someone would fire something like that at the Queen... Her Majesty almost got assassinated again?!

However, the assassination failed before I even had time to be surprised. The needle heading for the Queen had spontaneously ignited.

Was that the flames of [Pyro Stigma]?!

I didn't do it... That's right, the Queen herself had met the Fire Spirit, Napalm, at the end of her own adventures long ago and had been engraved with a mark of affection. Having held it for decades, she surely wields it far more skillfully than a novice like me.

"...Ha?! An intruder! The Queen was targeted! Come out, come out, guards!"

"Do not act rashly, Sao. A toy like that couldn't take my life, let alone leave a scratch."

She was referring to the blowgun. It was indeed impressive how it burned to ash instantly. Once again, I was reminded: she isn't just a lewd older woman—she is the Queen.

"Hmm? I smell the scent of lèse-majesté..." 

"N-Never mind that! We have to catch the assassin!" 

"Quite right. Spear, Voulge, Estoc, Flammea."

The ones called were the noble ladies—the very ones who, until a moment ago, were drowning in a harem sex session.

"It is time for you lot to show your worth. Escort our 'guest' back to us. You are surely the most suitable for the task."

The wording was roundabout, but it clearly meant: "Go drag that assassin here."

"You are all under the influence of that female knight's skill. Your base abilities should be drastically increased. If you fail despite that, there is truly no point in the nobility existing. Do it as if your lives depend on it." 

"Y-Yes!" 

"Leave it to us!"

Spurred on by the Queen’s sharp words, Spear and the others sprinted off like a shot. Their movements were incomparably faster than when they had fought me. They were being buffeted by my sister's skill, 《Vow of the Dallying Feast》. Since they were all girls who had just had their virginity taken by me, the effect was instantaneous.

"A blowgun... To target me with a mere concealed weapon that carries neither skill nor magic—don't you think that is proof they are finally cornered, Sao?" 

"Huh?" I tilted my head, not following the Queen’s intent.

"Goodness, you're unexpectedly slow. Weren't you the one who said this commotion was too forced and unnatural? This lacks the meticulousness of the time they used Lespar to send assassins all the way into my bedroom."

If this entire sequence—from fanning the flames of student conflict to the chaos—was a singular move to get a shot at the Queen...

"When cornered, one becomes dull. They tried to confuse the succession by deceiving Lespar, but that was swiftly settled once I became pregnant. Their plan to exhaust our nation by inciting conflict between nobles and commoners is now hollow as well. Though, all of that was resolved by Sao."

"...So there’s a villain trying to harm this country, operating in the shadows. Their plans kept failing, and they started to panic?"

"You're getting sharper, Sao. For them, today was the ultimate opportunity. Eliminating me is the best move to strike a blow against this country. After all, I am a wise and virtuous ruler."

...She really just says it herself, doesn't she?

"If they missed today, I would return to the castle, making it far more difficult to target me. They rushed to seize a sliver of a chance, but that haste will be their undoing. Sloppy plans ultimately ruin everything—including one's own safety."

Before long, Spear returned to report that they had captured the culprit. The criminal was an unexpected person.

◆

"I am terribly sorry!!"

Spear pressed her forehead against the ground in apology. Even though she had successfully captured the assassin as ordered, the identity of the culprit was the problem.

"She is..."

I recognized the woman bound in ropes.

"The one who audaciously targeted Her Majesty’s life... was the attendant I brought with me! As her master, I must bear the blame as well! I wish to atone for this crime with my life!!"

 "I have no need for your life, you fool."

Ignoring Spear’s tragic plea, the Queen simply walked toward the young assassin.

"Well, I had a general idea. The discriminatory ideology between nobles and commoners that eats away at the country... I wondered who brought such a divisive way of thinking into the Royal School, the heart of human resource development..." 

"..."

I had met Spear’s attendant before. When we first met, I thought she was such a good-natured woman that my heart fluttered. To think such a gentle-looking person would target the Queen... terrifying.

"Suppapan was merely a container, wasn't he? He was also on the side that was deceived. He didn't have the capacity to be the deceiver. Someone used his title and power to create a box to fill with poisonous ideology. That was the 'Suppapan's Seminar,' I assume?" 

"..." The girl said nothing.

"The role of pouring poison into the prepared box was yours. Commoner students enter the school under the guise of being guards for noble children. You took advantage of that custom to infiltrate noble houses with young sons and daughters. No one would ever suspect a commoner was the one spreading the 'discriminate against commoners' ideology, would they?"

As the Queen chuckled, Spear’s face grew even paler. It made sense; her own inner circle had plotted the assassination of the monarch.

"A-Um, Your Majesty...?"

"Do not worry. I am well aware that you were also deceived. Though, I am disappointed that a noble who is meant to carry the country was so easily misled."

By the way, it wasn't just the young attendant bound at our feet. Two others were rolled up in ropes nearby.

"This person attended this school as the attendant of the son of Viscount Junirius, who graduated last year. He should have graduated as well." 

"This one is the attendant of Kodra, a current third-year student..."

Both were commoner students who had entered the school through the same channels as Sis and I. One had even already graduated. They entered to follow their masters. And those masters...

"Were they members of the Suppapan's Seminar?"

At the Queen's guess, those around her nodded.

"So you've been sending spies continuously. By doing so, you intended to spread discriminatory ideology within the school without end, eventually fanning the conflict between commoners and nobles across the entire nation. An ambitious... no, a truly patient plot."

"I have brought the records." The school administration was likely the most shaken by this. One of the teachers, who had worked hard to help with the capture and settle the chaos, held out a document.

"These are the records of the 'Rite of Heavenly Decree' for all students. This graduate's 'Divine Calling' is [Agitator], and this current third-year's Divine 'Calling' is [Illusionist]...!"

"Classes perfectly suited for confusing people and inviting them to their deaths. Did the school have no warning about students with such dangerous 'Divine Calling'?" 

"W-We are terribly sorry...! In daily classes, they didn't stand out at all, so we didn't think they were capable of much...!"

Agitation—to fan the flames of people’s hearts and direct them toward an intended action. 

Illusion—likely a 'Divine Calling' with magic-based skills for showing illusions. One could surmise both were classes skilled in manipulating the human mind.

"So the unnatural conflict that almost broke out between students just now was also...?!" 

"It must have been their doing. Using the [Agitation] skill to fan the ill feelings of an unspecified number of people, and the [Illusionist]'s skills to dull their judgment and push them toward a riot."

And the fact that the Suppapan's Seminar students became such stubborn bigots was likely due to their skills playing a part in the brainwashing.

"Who on earth are they?" I asked, unable to contain myself. 

"To infiltrate unnoticed and spread discord, making people hate each other and rotting a group from the inside...! This is exactly like spy sabotage! What do they gain from doing this?!"

"Not 'exactly like'—it is sabotage." 

"Is it that Neo-Assassin Guild group that was mentioned before?!" 

"No, they are far bigger than those punks. Hey, you lot. You may think you're hiding your identities well, but I have a good idea who you are."

At the Queen's statement, the three captives widened their eyes.

"Only another nation could attempt to tear down a giant like a country, right? A nation of a scale large enough to pick a fight with a Great Power ruled by a wise monarch like myself. The one likely to take such underhanded measures to chip away at our foundations from the shadows... is the 'Land of Tigers and Wolves' to the west, Niosebuk."

Struck by the truth, the prisoners trembled even more.

"Kill me!"

Suddenly, the girl who had been silent until now—the one posing as Spear’s attendant—barked out. She began to scream with a fire that made her previous silence feel like a lie.

"What a vivid reaction. You might as well be confessing that I hit the bullseye." 

"Shut up! You whore, you profligate Queen of Renisegura! If I am to be captured by the likes of you, I would proudly choose death! Kill me! Kill me quickly!"

The intensity of her transformation was so strong it shocked even her supposed master. In contrast, the Queen didn't bat an eye even when showered with such raw hatred. That’s our Queen!

"The Great Western Power, Niosebuk, is a brutal land commonly known as the 'Land of Tigers and Wolves.' It is a nest of madmen who are constantly at war, whether through internal strife or foreign conquest." 

"Huh...?!" I listened as the Queen started explaining with total composure, ignoring the girl's madness.

"They attack and annex neighboring countries, force princesses of royal blood into marriage to bear their children... I hear the current King of Niosebuk has about fifty princes and princesses. If you include unrecognized illegitimate children, it probably exceeds a hundred." 

"What a scumbag!"

"Even so, his desire for conquest is not satisfied, and now he has targeted my great nation. No, seeing how they've come at us with such meticulous, underhanded tactics, the invasion itself must have been decided long ago..." The Queen shook her head with a sigh.

"Even though they were cleverly hidden, it was a lapse on my part not to notice until now. To think even succession candidates like Lespar and Suppapan were seduced... I have to admit, I've been played." 

"But those cowardly attacks ended in failure." 

"That is entirely the result of Sao's efforts. Driving away the shadows that cling to our nation... Truly, Sao is the guardian of our country!"

When the Queen said that, the captured girl glared at me with sharp, piercing eyes. It was as if she were saying, "So it's your fault we failed?!"

"So these people are spies from the Kingdom of Niosebuk?" 

"Well... I wonder about that?"

Eh? You're making that uncertain now?!

"Don't be in such a rush. There is no doubt they were sent from Niosebuk. But, you know, what we've caught might be a 'big fish' too large to even be called a 'spy'."

"?"

As I was confused, a figure in black clothes suddenly appeared before us as if emerging from the shadows. A ninja?! It was a ninja!

"Good work," the Queen said. The ninja handed some documents to the Queen and disappeared instantly.

"Underhanded work isn't the exclusive specialty of your country, you know? Let’s see... ah, here it is. Seeker, the 19th Princess of Niosebuk. That is your true identity, isn't it?"

Everyone present couldn't believe their ears. The captured girl bit her lip, trying to endure. The most shocked of all was likely Spear, who had been her master.

"P-Please wait, Your Majesty... Not only was my attendant a spy for another country... but a Princess? There must be some mistake."

"Normally, one would think so. It's impossible for a princess to be sent as a spy. Unless it's that 'Land of Tigers and Wolves'." The Queen spoke with a sigh.

"In that country, birth status means nothing. The only thing that speaks is ability. More specifically, the performance of the 'Divine Calling' one is born with. If you are born with a good 'Divine Calling', even an orphan can rise to greatness; if not, even royalty is cast aside. That is that kind of country."

The Queen explained that this was why it was called the "Land of Tigers and Wolves." A merit-based society where only ability matters—a policy unique to a warmongering state that has continuously engaged in invasion.

"Because it is that kind of nation, they can use underhanded tactics like dividing the noble and commoner classes in other countries. In their country, which is merit-based and thinks nothing of status, class discrimination could never occur. Revenge in kind is impossible." 

"I see..."

"It seems this princess was not blessed with a very good 'Divine Calling', either. Well, depending on how you use it, it’s quite a terrifying 'Divine Calling'. Perhaps that’s why she was made into a spy."

Even a princess is forced to be a spy based on her 'Divine Calling' aptitude. That is the merit-based 'Land of Tigers and Wolves'...?!

"...That’s right! My ability is not fit for a ruler! That’s why I’m forced into the role of a shadow-dwelling spy! In my country, only those with true power can call themselves royalty! Only those born with the 'Divine Calling' of a Ruler, like the Third Prince or the Eighth Princess!"

In a state of near-desperation, she began to scream.

"Compared to that, your country is so carefree! It’s a joke that you can act grand based only on where you were born, regardless of ability! Incompetents who aren't even strong act grand just because they're 'nobles'! I had a hard time holding back my laughter watching that! It is the right future for a spineless country like this to be ruled by our Niosebuk Kingdom!!"

"Are those sour grapes? Will you be satisfied if you scream that much?" The Queen’s eyes glowed coldly. No monarch remains calm when their country is insulted.

"Tigers and wolves have no room for familial affection. That is why your nation is called the 'Land of Tigers and Wolves.' Someone from such a country has become a prisoner of another nation. You understand what that means, don't you?"

"I understand perfectly. Even if I am a princess, I have no value as a hostage. Because I’m an incompetent with no great 'Divine Calling'. Just kill me already."

Her defiance seemed like she had made peace with her fate, but at the same time, she looked completely self-destructive.

"Wait a minute."

If this continued, she really would be executed. I spoke up to stop that flow. I recalled the ninja's report that had briefly entered my field of vision...

"Could you leave her disposal to me? I have an idea."

Prev            TOC            Next