Chapter 31: The Guestroom

A/N:

The reason why Weiss says 「The wise I」 is because he’s an intelligence sword.^[1]

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According to,the information Weiss extracted from the phantom killer’s headーー

That guy’s name was Zudah Maltous.
As expected, He was the 4th fiancé of Feria-san.
He drank heavily at a dinner party and grabbed at the third prince, and other than that various other evil deeds of his were exposed, and he was expelled from the Maltous House. It seems he changed his name after that and became dependent on the adventurer’s guild, but he kept inviting trouble and was finally punished by being expelled, and before long he stooped to the jobs on the other side.(T/N : basically illegal stuff)
The magic sword Zudah had been using was the “Advance Payment” for the assassination request, and if he succeeded, he told that he’d been promised enough to live his whole life without doing anything else and a position in the empire.

……Why did the empire pop up here?

(Alty, do you recognise him?
According to the analysis of the Wise and great I, he seems like a the one who requested it?)

The thing Weiss transferred a part of Zudah’s memories.
The client seemed like an orc who came out in RPGs.
He was stout and fat, and his huge upturned nose stood out conspicuously.

Uumu.
I felt as if I’d met him somewhere, but my trove of memories didn’t open completely.

No sooner than I tilted my head in doubt that Kajero replied in my stead promptly.

(It’s the high priest of Rokisona, Lord Profen.
It seems he had attended the party at the trade town of Spiril.
He was a worthless small fry, and therefore excluded from the observation targets, but for him to bare his fangs at Princess, it’s surely not……)

The silence following that spoke volumes of Kajero’s surprise.
I’m also of the same thought.
I didn’t even imagine that I’d hear high priest Profen’s name here.

However, it wasn’t something impossible.
My power was too large for a single person to possess. There’d certainly be people appearing who’d regard me as dangerous.
It wouldn’t be strange for my life to be targeted somewhere down the line.

Rather I was too invigilant.
It’s the world of an Otome Game after all, violent fights and such would hardly ever occur.
I naively presumed that.

It was a terrible misunderstanding.

The pain remaining in my left arm that was cut though taught me.
This was reality. It was reality, and it couldn’t be helped. I had no choice but to live and die here.

(Come ta’ think of it, isn’t this high priest-sama way too stupid?
Sayin’ 『To show minimum sincerity.』he met Zudah personally, but ain’t such a no good talk something devise in order ta’ not be caught red handed? I suppose there’s various things such as the mediators being of use, but what’s becomin’ of this?)

(High priest Profen might be no more than a sacrificial pawn of someone. Let’s continue our investigation.)

(I’d anticipated it, Kajero.
Also, quite some time has passed, how much longer do you intend us to wait?)

This was not in front the inn 『The Bustle of the Pier』.
We were currently in the guestroom of the Garrett palace in the north of the imperial capital.
It must be because of alchemy, but the room seemed cut of from the heat outside, in fact, it felt rather chilly.

……This was after the redhead had been revived.
Because of the public safety chivalric order that arrived at this late hour, we were guided here.
I have heard that there has been a personal apology from the king for the incident this time.

(But is this such a problem that requires the king to come?)

(Oi, oi, Alty, think about your status too, stupid!)

The sword bouncing on the sofaーーWeiss leapt. A drawn sword was dangerous, so he had been sheathed.
Zudah wasn’t here. We had handed him over to the chivalric order. According to Kajero 「It is better to hand him in custody instead for the time being.」.

(Y’all’re an ambassador from a friendly nation, and furthermore, the daughter of a famous adventurer who is also a Duke.
Although he might have been disowned, a person with relations ta’ the royal family wanted to kill you.
It’s an outrageously disastrous situation.)

(What’s more, the present king has just been enthroned, and the circumstances mean that there are still quite a few political adversaries.
It seems just went for inspecting the south today morning, but it’s a matter of mart that he hurry back.
Let me see, I wonder what kind of worst case scenarios that young king might be imagining in his heart.)

In the end, it was just as Kajero said.
Inside he carriage rushing back towards the imperial capital at full speed, the thirteenth King of Malgaroid, Lereol was holding his head.
He had a young face of someone halfway through his twenties, however, there were a few wrinkles from worry unsuited for his age carved in it.
The thing he was most worried about wasn’t the empire’s affairs after this, or his status.

(Hurry, Hurry and reach. Or else our country will be destroyed)

The daughter of Duke Wisp, Alteria.
Alias, the Evil Eyed Doll Princess.
According to the information he received from a certain source, it seemed she wanted to take possession of this he empire by the means of her powerful strength.
Already, many towns were being dominated by the dolls behind the scenes.
Moreover, there had been a gigantic labyrinth built under the trade town Spiril. It could be used to prepare for war in the future.

(You bastard Zudah, for such a thing to happen, it would have been better to execute you.)

The empire was already in its final years, it was clear that sooner or later, it would fall into the hands of Alteria.
He had planned to become a friendly nation for the sake of when that happens, but……With this, just about everything was ruined.
Rather, she might attack and overthrow the kingdom before the empire.
The condition cited before her entering the country was 『To not recklessly create more dolls』, but that promise wasn’t put on paper. It might have been better to use a restriction technique. Or he could have even barred her from entering the country.

(No, that by itself would provoke displeasure.
Accompanied by tens of thousands of dolls, it would just make the founding of her nation draw nearer.
……The moment Alteria Wisp was born in this world, I guess my fate had already been sealed.)

Incidentally.
These depressing thoughts of his, would often come to his mouth right from when he was young.
Moreover, the secretary sitting beside him would stealthily record them down.
Because of this, Lereol would in the future, get the moniker of “The Pessimistic King”.

……It was right when our conversation ended that from the shadows of the bookshelf, with a squeak, mice ran up to us with pattering steps.
Maybe they chose their timing.

(Well done. So, the result?)
(Squeak!)

The mice were trying to report something to Kajero through gestures.
What should I say, it’s like a fairy tale.

(Thank you. Please continue gathering as much information as possible.)

Squee! With actions resembling a salute, the mice left gallantly.
It seems they are lurking in the royal palace as spies under Kajero’s command.

(Princess, we have proof.
This will wash clear all the information we have gathered up until now, but in the end, it seems “the tacit approval of the royal family” that Zudah spoke of is all nonsense.)

(Well then, what led to the public safety chivalric order being delayed?)

(A few members had been taken due to another case.
I investigated, but an uncommon number of incidents occurred just in the morning today.
From brawls and robberies to kidnappings and murders; on top of it, a bomb threat issued in the art museum, and plans to attack the royal familyーーAdding all of them up, large and small, it’d easily cross 500.
Moreover, they all occurred in districts that Princess doesn’t visit.

(Oh, the public safety chivalric order all went taa’ work at places away from Alty, I see. If that’s so, they’d be late even if they came running.
Yup, the wise I understands. There’s more ta’ it than meets the eye. Make no mistake y’all.)

(Weiss, if it’s this conspicuous, I think anyone would suspect……)

Rather if you spent this going “hmm,I see”, I’d think that that person is a big deal.

(Ugh……Alty, you have quite a way with words. My heart hurts.)

There is a “Belly of a sword”^[2] but I wonder where his heart lies.
Well, nevermind, there’s many other think worth thinking about instead.
Ignoring Weiss who seemed to be begging for attention, I opened my mouth.

(Moreover, father returned to the empire because of some urgent business, and Feria-san is in the midst of a business trip to the Alchemists’ Association headquarters, it’s almost as if everything had been planned beforehand.)

(The possibility for that is high. The enemy’s hands reach further than our expectations.
It’s wouldn’t be strange for a second or third assassin to be lurking within the royal palace. You must always be on guard.)

(We must consider increasing the number of dolls too.)

Unfortunately I do not have magic thread on hand.
Maybe, creating a golem using alchemy and putting a spirit in it would be the best way. I don’t have anything that could act as material for it thought.
I swept my gaze. Outside the window, trees were lined up in the garden. Their pruning was thorough and they were perfect.

Also.

I noticed many wooden boxes lined up in one corner of the garden.

(Kajero, what’s that?)

(Tomorrow, as one of the research publications of the Alchemy Academy, there is going to be a dance party held by automatons. It seems they brought in the dolls yesterday, but with all these incidents happening successively, they can’t avoid it being cancelled.)

(I see……it’s a pity that the dolls won’t be able to participate in it.)

I immediately muttered following it.

With a rattle, the wooden boxes shook. Many, at the same time.

I wonder what it is.
It’s almost as if they’re responding to my words.
Did I subconsciously invoke doll magic?
No , it’s not that easy a thing to do.

(……I can feel the flow of magic power.
It seems that there’s a high ranking Doll magic master hidden nearby.)

As if guessing my doubts, Kajero answered.

(Alty, use the great I. In the past I used ta’ be a shield spirit too.
I’ve got quite a slender body now, but if it’s just Princess, I can surely protect ya’.)

(Thank you. I’ll be relying on you.)

I grasped the sword. It was lighter than I imagined. I wonder if Weiss is helping me out.

Out side a window, a horror show like scene unfolded.

Smashing in the lids of the wooden boxes, arms with a lustrous finish stretched out one after another
Subsequently, an expressionless face, and a body without any imperfections rose up.
The automatons crawled out of the boxes, maintaining a Nolan face.
They were nothing of a single entirely, tens of them had the same moments, all alike.

The lady with quite good clothes passing through nearby, raised a voice of horror, and collapsed onto the ground just like that.

……It seems I still hadn’t crossed the first stage.

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Next time, it’s Doll Princess vs Doll Magic Master.

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T/N:

1. Intelligence sword is a sword that possesses a will.↩

2. Belly of the sword basically refers to the flat part of the sword. It’s the part called fuller in the image.↩