Chapter 129 - Episode 17: "The Revolutionary Departs Magnificently on a Dragon!"
Gokigenyou! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
I did it! I won!
And now, I have just told His Majesty the King to 'clear my name'!
Now, now, now, in this situation under public scrutiny! There is no way to talk your way out of this, is there? I wonder how you will respond!?
「Allow me to let everyone in the venue hear as well! What kind of conspiracy House Fortesia was caught in, and what kind of treatment we received! What Your Majesty the King and the high-ranking nobles were plotting!」
「Hey, you—」
「I shall not be silenced! Even if you people try to kill me to shut me up!」
It has always been this way. Even when imprisoned, I escaped and caused an uproar; even when about to be executed, I made a scene on the execution block; even when the Saint candidate's waiting room was surrounded by soldiers, I made a scene!
The Royal Family can no longer stop me!
「Everyone! Get her!」
At the King's signal, soldiers came flooding in all at once. ……But I have already anticipated this.
「Oh my, oh my! Do you not care what happens to this person's eyeball!?」
When I brandished the sword that was still thrust into Chris's helmet, the soldiers hesitated and stopped.
「……Yes. Stay right there. If you move, this sword will instantly pierce Chris Bay Clarino's eyeball and reach all the way to his brain!」
My threat worked quite well. Even if it was the King's order, they would hesitate to have a high-ranking noble killed. Yes. It was a help that the soldiers were all cowards.
「Stay right where you are. ……Now then, allow me to let you hear. What kind of fate House Fortesia was forced to suffer!」
The King can no longer stop me either. My voice resonated loudly throughout the venue!
「My house was burned down. My family, who should have been waiting for my return at home…… my Father, my Mother, and my Onii-sama…… no, their bodies have not been found, but……」
As for Onii-sama, he is energetically watching over this venue today, and as for Father and Mother, there is no doubt they are energetically charging down the path of revenge somewhere, but well, the audience wouldn't know such circumstances. The only thing I should assert now is the fact that 'the house where my family was has been burned down'!
「……And then, I! I was imprisoned on the charge of attempting to assassinate my fiancé, Dactor Fila Orchesta-sama!」
Furthermore, this is also a fact! I assert only the facts without explaining my feelings or the schemes of the nobles at all!
The audience will interpret it however they like!
「Of course, that is completely groundless nonsense. But such nonsense was passed as truth. ……Yes. Thanks to the King, the Royal Family, and the high-ranking nobles all conspiring to become witnesses!」
There's no need to even think about whose side the buzzing audience is on!
「Now, will you speak? Why did you all go so far as to fabricate evidence and witnesses to frame House Fortesia…… and lay hands on my family!?」
By the time I questioned the King like that, the audience was already entirely on my side!
Surrounded by the buzzing audience, I wonder how His Majesty the King feels right now?
He should regret it to his heart's content. What happens when one lays a hand on Fortesia. What the price was for the gold he obtained by even breaking off the engagement!
The audience is already looking at the King with suspicion. Even if he tries to please the commoners or curry favor with the Cathedral, it is already too late!
「……You……!」
「Oh my, Your Majesty the King? What is the matter? Is it that you cannot explain?」
「Such a thing…… all of that is nothing but your lies! There are no false accusations! Everything was surely caused by you!」
Well, that is true. I would have eventually killed Dactor-sama anyway, and I have done various things to the point where I can't say everything is a false accusation.
But you can't talk your way out of what I'm denouncing here!
「Oh, is that so! Then instead of His Majesty the King…… shall I ask this Chris Bay Clarino-sama here!」
If the King is no good, then it's this one.
I peered into the face of Chris, whose eyeball I was still pointing my sword at.
From inside the helmet, through the slit, I could clearly see his eyes fixed on me…… distorted in despair!
「Now then, Chris Bay Clarino-sama? I ask you. ……Why did you, along with the other nobles in the throne room that day, denounce me with false charges?」
Even when I spoke to him, Chris did not speak. However, inside the helmet, I could clearly see his eyes darting about!
……Well, he wouldn't speak. Yes. No matter what he says here, it will only jeopardize his own position.
There is no way for Chris Bay Clarino's honor to be restored from here. The same goes for the King.
Chris starting to denounce Doran was an unexpected move, but I had planned to denounce the King like this, and the King was within expectations.
Chris was unexpected. If they had fought normally, there was a possibility Doran would have won. If that had happened, I didn't intend to torment Chris here.
Yes. This time, Chris simply went out of his way to come and be attacked. Since he went through the trouble of coming to be given dishonor, I suppose I could praise him for that.
……However, the scene won't hold if he keeps staying silent. Since we're here, he should have at least shown the audience his pathetic struggling, like hurling insults at me.
「Oh, you cannot answer? Well, I suppose so. There is no way you could say that you nobles and royals 'dismantled House Fortesia to resolve a budget deficit,' is there!?」
Since it can't be helped, I shall speak. Yes, I am the lead role of this stage right now! I must continue this performance!
「Now, everyone in the venue! Listen well! ……This country has long been ruled by incompetent fools who have sat comfortably upon their status as nobles and royals! And those incompetent fools continued to spend without earning…… and as a result, they pinned false charges on House Fortesia! And committed the outrage of confiscating our assets!」
「What groundless nonsense! It's a lie! It's all a lie!」
Oh, the King interrupted in the middle of my lines!
I'm glad to see he has more energy than Chris! Of course, I shall not be silent!
「Violia Nico Fortesia! Your words have been nothing but lies from the start! Come to think of it, you were strange from the moment you became engaged to Dactor! While prattling on about loving Dactor, you were plotting his assassination behind the scenes!」
Well, that's true. When the engagement was decided, I thought something like, 'Oh my, what shall I do! Well, for now, I suppose I should just kill him!? Even if I become a tragic widow, I can remain in the royal castle as the prince's consort!?' Yes.
「Your goal is the overthrow of the state! It has already been exposed that you intended to kill my son, Dactor, and plunge this country into chaos!」
……And, well, that's also true.
Of course, I won't limit the killing to just Dactor-sama.
Yes. It's exactly as you say.
My goal is…… revenge against the Royal Family!
What the Royal Family least wants to lose is the leadership of this country!
……Then my goal has been one thing from the beginning!
「Yes! That is exactly right!」
I said it boldly!
「I shall overthrow this country! A rotten country like this should just be destroyed once!」
I boldly said what the audience here probably also thinks in their hearts!
「How dare you boldly drop all pretense, you criminal!」
「Oh, really! Then you people are also criminals! Criminals who have simply been killing all the victims to shut them up!」
At my words, the King reflexively flinched. Yes, to flinch when the truth is pointed out shows you still have a long way to go! Your skin isn't thick enough!
「I shall smash this country to pieces! And…… I shall rebuild it once more! A righteous kingdom where people like you do not lord over others! This time, by the hands of the commoners!」
While saying something that sounded plausible, I finally made a declaration to the venue.
「Everyone in the venue, listen well! I love this country! I love the landscape, the culture, and the people who live here! ……That is exactly why I cannot forgive the King's outrages!」
「I shall fight! I shall fight to set this country right!」
I declare the beginning of the revolution here!
「……Do not be deceived! Do not be deceived by the words of the devil!」
「Yes! I do not mind being a devil! If I can clear Fortesia's regrets and rebuild this country correctly! I shall even become a devil!」
Layering my lines over the King's, I said this at the end.
「Everyone in the venue! If you love this country! If you have a righteous heart that does not forgive the evil of this country! If you can become one in heart with me, then by all means, please cooperate!」
I released fire magic into the sky. Its brilliance and heat were amplified by illusion magic, becoming something fitting to symbolize the beginning of the end of this country.
Illuminated by the brilliance of that flame, I smiled at everyone in the venue.
「……I shall be waiting!」
The moment I said that, a shadow fell from the sky.
As the people in the venue buzzed and looked up at the sky, there was…… a dragon!
「Then everyone, gokigenyou!」
I timed it for when the dragon descended just above the venue and slowed down, and I grabbed the rope hanging from the dragon! And just like that, I made a magnificent escape from the venue, carried by the dragon! Ohohohohohoho!
……The venue I looked down upon from above was enveloped in an uproar. Well, that too soon grew distant.
「You seem to have done well, Violia.」
「Yes, thank you very much, Onii-sama!」
I was pulled up by Onii-sama, who was piloting the dragon, and we rode double on the dragon. It must be a burden for the dragon, but there aren't many dragons that would crash while carrying me and Onii-sama. The dragon, flapping its wings desperately while breaking into a cold sweat, is quite endearing and cute. I must give it plenty of rewards later.
「……Now then. It seems this country will finally be overturned by revolution.」
「That is correct, Onii-sama. ……And naturally, the King and the nobles will not be pleased with this flow of events.」
After this, the King and all the nobles will be busy responding to this.
There's no way they can kill everyone who was in this venue to shut them up…… I wonder how they will respond, it's quite a sight to see!
……Besides.
「If the villains who intend to overturn the country gather…… it will be a chance for House Clarino to restore their honor, won't it?」
I said, 'I shall be waiting.'
That being the case, there will be those who search for my whereabouts and come. Yes, I shall make thorough arrangements for that. Whether it's secretly scattering flyers or leaving graffiti in back alleys…… there are various means of transmitting information.
Yes. I shall properly tell them my whereabouts. For the sake of Chris, who will surely come to restore his honor.