After bringing the brainwashed director of the Royal Archives to Minister Hailai, things went downhill in a furious fashion.

　First of all, Minister Hailai made it a priority to arrange a meeting with King Dowell before the Prime Minister's side found out, and to inform the King of the facts as quickly as possible. Secondly, he placed the Second Prince of Main under tighter guard. And finally, he's going to prepare to give me a reward in recognition of my efforts in revealing the facts.

　Why did he fortify the protection of Mein? It was at Winfiled's direction. According to him, "I don't know what means the cornered vizier, and by extension the Empire, will take. He said that even the assassination of Mein was a possibility. I don't think they would do such a foolish thing at any price, but it has been said since long ago that one should not underestimate a wounded beast. It's a reinforcement of security to be on the lookout for.

　On the other hand, about the reward for me. I asked the minister if it was a bit premature, but he said it was even too late for this. It seems that he had heard something about the First Court Magic Division from Commander Zephyr as well, and for some reason, he praised me a great deal. What the hell did Commander Zephyr say?　By the way, it seems they are so close that they go out for drinks frequently. It may be the camaraderie of the bald man.

It's part of my role as minister to make a person of your caliber Kizuna-san," he said.

　Minister Hailai, who spoke without concealing his round glasses, looked good-looking in spite of his stunningly bald head. Barcode baldness. He is barcode bald, and yet he hides his bald head with what little hair is left. It's a mystery.

　In the not-too-distant future, if I were bald, I'd want to be as cool and bald as possible then ...... and while I was thinking these vain thoughts, it was already time for me to meet with King Dowell. Not even half an hour has passed since I arrived here. It's only the fastest.


　Me, Minister Hailai, and the museum director went to the meeting. The minister is a chaperone and I'm just a bonus. I'm just a bonus.

　Even the king must have been aghast at the confession by the person who falsified the official documents, and with the deceptive evidence of the originals before the falsification, he appeared on the scene.

　The curator claimed that the tampering was done at the direction of Jarm, the leader of the Third Order. In addition, he confessed that he had been threatened by hostages of his position and family, and that he had been forced to involve one of his subordinates as a result.

'Why did he confess now?'

　The curator tearfully replies to Bowell's question.

"He was the one who gave me the opportunity.

　With this, I can finally be freed - the director looked somewhat relieved, like that.

　Maybe it's because of the brainwashing, but I feel like there's an added intention to stand me up to the part that probably means it.


　I'm not sure if I'm convinced by the director's imminent repentance, but I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and thought for a while, and then gravely broke the silence.

I'm sure you'll be able to get a good idea of what to expect from ....... I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

　Val Moreau's clique has come to an end.






"Mr. Sobra, we are dependent on Caramelya. Ever since his debt-ridden ex-wife made him remember that he's been in debt almost every day. And he's not the only one. There's a lot of people in King's Landing who are dependent on him.
Dependent ......?

　As soon as I got home, I heard the results of the investigation from Winfiled.
　The content of the investigation was far more than I expected.

"It seems that every holiday he goes to the dealer in King's Landing to buy something. He kept jacking up the price of Caramelia. And finally, they are no longer affordable.
By sick, you mean you're going through withdrawal.

　Oh, man. I didn't even think about drugs.

"Can't potions work?
It's a disease, isn't it? Fundamentally, it doesn't work.

　In this world, potions don't work for diseases? I mean, Mevion doesn't have a disease or drug dependence, so I finally don't know how to deal with it.

"If we let it spread any further, it's not good to be a stone's throw away.
Do you know where it came from yet?
'The Kamel Divine Kingdom. I heard that Mr. Bicide saw a few traffickers when he was going from one Camel church to another in his kingdom to hide,
"Wow, the Kamel Godland: ......

　This is a nasty name for a nasty country.
　The Kamel Godland is a religious state that has Kamelism as its state religion. The players will be visiting this country for the quest that they need to complete to learn the 【Recovery Magic】, and the impression everyone has is that it's a stinking country. To put it simply, it's a country that does whatever it wants to do, invading other countries and making money on the basis of religion.

It's going to bite the kingdom in the ass while it fumbles with the Empire, right?
So that's what this Caramelia drug is all about.
Yeah. It looks like tobacco itself, so it's become very widespread. I'm sure the God State will take Calameria to the trading floor and press for an unequal treaty.
"It's a bit of a downhill battle, Castal.

　It's just that there's no way around it now that it's spread. We'll have to figure out a way to deal with it, though: .......

'Do you want to talk to the King and get him to ban Calameria?
You'll make Caramelia more valuable. The market will be booming. We've done it, Camel.
Hey, stop it. You gotta be f*cking kidding me. My people are getting hurt, all right?
I'm sorry. But yeah, I guess we'll just have to regulate it.
'Wouldn't it be better than it is now if we regulated it thoroughly?
Yeah. It's going to be mush. But I don't think the Kamel Divine State will be quiet about it.
'Yeah, ...... that's why you're getting less money.'

　d*mn it, seriously.

I'll have to talk to Bowell about it.
'Yes, please. Well, there's nothing we can do about this one, you know.

　Just when I thought I was about to settle things with the agents of the Empire, it's now the godd*mned bastards of the Godland: .......

　With a sigh, I finished dinner and opened the evening paper in the deserted living room.

　The article is about the falsification of public records. It is written in detail that the director of the royal archives falsified the official documents under the instruction of Jarm, the leader of the third knight group. It was a strong argument that the Prime Minister, the First Knight Commander, and the Third Knight Commander should take responsibility for the falsification.


　The King knew the facts and the Prime Ministers would be sent down tomorrow. The people, too, had become mostly second princes, and the domestic agents were not breathing. No matter how you look at it, the other side had no chance of winning.

　This could be seen as the end of the political conflict for the time being.

　...... It seemed long, but it was very short. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm going to do with it.

　This political dispute started with Yukari's former master, the Lady Duke Lucia Aisin. It may not have ended in a way that brought Yukari's feelings down, but the fact that the genie she used as her emissary was the one that settled the dispute for the time being is quite cool.


'Winfilled.'
What?

　I was about to call out to Winfiled and say thank you, but I felt ...... something was different, so I stopped.

　To her, this political battle was a game. And I'm a pawn. And if.

You do.
Yeah. Hi. Hi.

　We understand each other well without having to tell each other how much we appreciate and appreciate each other's work.
　We're okay with this.



　　* * * *



"Now, Your Highness. What would you like to do: ...... Prime Minister!

　The morning after dawn.
　Upon learning of the detention of the Director of the Royal Archives, the Commander of the Third Order of Jarmu, who rushed to Prime Minister Baru's office, was greatly distraught.

　He is crying out to the Prime Minister because he doesn't want to be held accountable for his actions.

　The Prime Minister, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm.

'............'

　No. He was silent, seemingly calm and calm, but inside he was burning like a burning fire.

　It had been more than twenty years since he had infiltrated the heart of the kingdom as an Imperial agent. Little by little, little by little, he moved the kingdom so that no one would see through his manipulative activities, leaking information to the Empire. Finally, just as he was about to tear down the kingdom's defenses and transform himself from a chrysalis to an adult by growing the first prince, who could serve as his puppet, he was interrupted. I'm sure no one can understand his anger that his half-lifetime of hard work went down the drain in an instant.


'Tide, or ......'

　I mutter to myself. 'Tide?' Ignoring Jarm, the Prime Minister opened the bottom drawer of his office desk, which was locked.

It seems to have been a castle in the sand from the beginning. It was carefully and carefully built to prevent it from collapsing. ...... So much for the early days.
Do you mean to give up?
...... No way. I told you it was time.

　The Prime Minister pulled out a dagger from a drawer.

'If you can't build a castle, then take it.





"Bal. Klaus. Djarum. You are under indefinite house arrest. You will be informed of your punishment at a later date. Memphis, you are hereby sentenced to a two-year pay cut.
Ha!

　The faces were gathered by King Bawel, and a shout was sent down.

　Prime Minister Baru had no expression on his face, First Prince Klaus bit his lower lip, and the Third Knight Commander of Djarum trembled and bowed his head. The Second Knight Commander of Memphis accepted the punishment without a single word of complaint.

''Also, I will give a reward to the special temporary instructor of the First Court Magus Division, Second Firth Test, for his meritorious service this time. Do you have any objections?''

　The vizier raises his hand quietly as Bowell asks.

'Yes, let me make an offer.'
"I have no objection to this. He will prove to be invaluable to our kingdom. I think we must act quickly, before he draws the attention of the public.

　It's almost uncharacteristic of a Prime Minister. "Have you been converted? There was not a single person in the room who thought.

'What do you mean by taking immediate action?'
''We must get them into the court before they are taken in by other nobles. With all this activity, it wouldn't be surprising if a call had already been made. It seems that every minute counts.

　Certainly, Bowell agreed.
　Even the king's own information network knew of the immense power of the man called Second. The kingdom would like to avoid as much as possible having that power passed on to other nobles, much less to other countries.

''Good things must come quickly, Your Majesty.
Yes. The prize will be awarded this afternoon. Hi Lai, are you ready?
Yes, all clear.

　Minister Hailai was of the same opinion that the sooner the better. Therefore, all the preparations for the awarding ceremony had been made yesterday.

　However, he couldn't understand the aim of the crucial Prime Minister.

　What in the world was he planning to do - while Hai Lai was puzzling over it, the afternoon had come and gone in the blink of an eye.



　　* * * *



　I was summoned to the court where I was told that there was an award ceremony to be held, but first I was told to meet with the king, and then I was led to the room where Bawel was waiting for me.

　As soon as I entered the room, I was greeted by Bowell. So far, so expected. But I didn't expect it to be one-on-one.

　As I stood face to face with Bowell, there was a moment of silence. It was that one who spoke first.

'We have a prize for you. Is there anything you want?

　What we want. Is it anything?
　If that's the case, I'd like to get rid of another ring of pursuit ...... No, I'm not going to get rid of the amplification bangles either. No, no, no, the collar of strength is also .......

　No, there are too many things I want to have to squeeze in!　Or rather, I don't want to get something I can usually afford and be disappointed later.

Can't I just pick it out later?
No, that's fine. Then I'll only give you a certificate at the award ceremony.

　At my words, Bawel laughed and replied, "It was a bit of a rush. Heh, you're surprisingly flexible.

　And then there is silence again. Maybe Bowell is a taciturn person. I thought it was just as well and started talking about the example.

'One thing to report. There's a tobacco cigarette called Calameria in circulation in the capital at the moment, and it's an addictive drug. It seems that the Kamel God State has introduced it into the country by design and it has become quite widespread. Please control it immediately.
Is that true?
I have solid information.
All right. We'll get on that as soon as we can. Thanks for the information.

　Wow, you talk fast. And he even thanked me properly. This old man, for a king, is quite a nice man. It's a far cry from the time of Mevion.

　...... Ah, I see. I'm sure the minister was referring to the "bond" that he had mentioned.


The first thing you need to know is that you have no intention of leaving the Castal Kingdom. Instead, I won't be bonded to anyone.
'I see. I'm relieved to hear that. If you don't become an ally, but not an enemy, then I'm fine with that.

　He says it pretty clearly. Well, that's what this is all about, one-on-one.

"How much do you know about me?
'The Royal Great Library has my ears. And the library at the Royal School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Can you recognize me as Silk, a former subordinate of Paloma, the director of the Royal Great Library?
'Oh, um, ......'

　You're a fat old woman with hands like poisoned cream buns.

"With the information about you from those two ears and the information about you in the world at large, I have deduced who you are.
As a result, I wonder if the secret to strength lies in speed reading?
'No. The secret is something that makes it possible to read quickly. And you've got that something. And you can preach it to your team.

　d*mn, that's right.

"Ha, don't look so scared. Don't be so afraid to tell me what that something is. Just go to .......
...... free?
Please take care of Mein.

　Bowell said and smiled gently. That statement was effectively an unofficial announcement of the next king. But that wasn't what bothered me.

　It was the unearned look on Bowell's face, as if he knew that he wasn't long for it.

　No, he said, "No, I should still be fine for five years - and I'm not. I thought about saying that, but I swallowed my words as quickly as I could. This world is similar to Mevion's, but completely different. There was no chance that Bawel's condition was worse than it had been in Mevion.

'Your strength, and your secret, is probably unique. I'm not going to order you to use it for the good of the country. However, I do hope that you will be able to help a man, Mine, as far as your friendship can go.

　As a king of a country, and as a parent of a man who will eventually become a king.

　It's a nostalgic smell of ....... I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. And a sense of rebellion.

　There's something about the relationship between a parent and a child that makes me itch to watch from the side. I scratched the back of my head to hide my embarrassment and told Bowell to reply.

I can't do as much as you ask, but if you're in trouble I'll help you, if you're wrong I'll point it out, if you're down I'll invite you out for a drink, if you're happy I'll celebrate. That's what friends are for, right?
I'm sure. This one was taken. It wasn't even worth asking for, haha!

　We laughed a lot after that, and the one-on-one meeting ended.

　I returned to the waiting room and waited alone for the awarding ceremony to begin.





''Everything is ready. Please come with me.

　Then, an hour or so later, a maid came to pick me up. I followed behind her, swearing inwardly, "I'm sorry you had to wait.


'...... hmm?　What, this way?
'First I will greet His Majesty. Then I will go to the throne room.
Wow.

　The maid proceeded to the room where Bowell was, which she had visited just an hour ago.

　It's not like that.

　Without question, I follow the maid.



''Excuse me, Your Majesty.


　...... I should have noticed it.

　To the discomfort of a maid entering without waiting for a knock on the door to answer.
　I've already met with her, but to the uncomfortable feeling of asking her again to greet me.

　And I should have been alarmed.


　The beast in arms.




..................

　Following the maid, we went inside.


　First, I smelled the iron.

　Then, I couldn't believe my eyes.


　The whole room is dyed reddish-black, as if it were splattered with ink.


　In the center of the room.


　A person had fallen.



　A man with dull blond hair.



　There was a great deal of blood on the floor.

　The carotid artery had been slashed.


　The maid's figure had disappeared before I knew it. Perhaps she wasn't a maid. Maybe she was one of the tender's men, I thought. The cooler part of my brain thought nonchalantly, but the other part of my brain was simmering so gooey that I couldn't think of anything else.



　--I killed him.


　Not Bicide, not Mein, much less me.


　He killed King Bawel Castal, he killed--!




Oh, my God!


　Behind me, the maid screams. Unlike the costumed maid that led me, this time it's probably a real maid.

"What in the world is going on ...... what the hell is going on?

　Good preparation, followed by Prime Minister Baru. He acted surprised while spouting white lines.

　His vizier's voice called out to him, and one by one, people gathered. Among them were Klaus, Mein, and Minister Hailai.



'............'

　...... suspected, and so on. Proof of innocence, and so on.

　None of that mattered in the first place.


You can't just sweep this under the rug. Oh, what a terrible thing to do.


　Shut up.


　So ...... what should I do with this loud guy?


　Something like indignation, something I don't understand myself, quietly reared its sickle-neck.