Chapter 133 - Episode 21: I've Obtained Something I Shouldn't Have
Gokigenyou! It is I, Violia Nico Fortesia!
I have just finished knocking down a Royal soldier.
For what purpose, you ask? Naturally, it is to obtain the 'shell'!
"It has been a while since I used the armor of a Royal soldier."
"Ah, you've been a Holy Knight all this time lately, haven't you?"
"Hmph. As usual, it is low-performance armor. It is difficult to move in; does the Royal Family have a hobby of fighting while wearing shackles?"
"From my perspective, all armor is like shackles... I can't move properly, so I'm counting on you guys."
Chesta, Onii-sama, Giovan, and I are wearing Royal soldier armor and wandering around the perimeter of the mountain.
The reason we are doing such a pointless thing is one!
"...Ah."
An adventurer-like group that saw us ran away!
Which means, we hit the mark!
"Wait a moment—! We are not Royal soldiers!"
"Eh?"
When I called out while chasing them, the adventurers stopped. When I took off my helmet there...
"A-Ah! Violia Nico Fortesia-sama, is it!?"
"Yes! That is right!"
The adventurers broke into smiles and gathered around me.
...Yes. In other words, 'those who are aware they might be attacked by the Royal Family's agents will run away from us.' Conversely, those who see us and wait to see what happens or call out to us are... well, the enemy!
Thus, as a result of conducting nightly patrols without fail... more than fifty people have already gathered at the Revolutionary Army mansion.
Reckless adventurers, those with nothing to lose or no kin. There are many such people, but among them are also those who are on the fringes of the lower nobility, or warriors who have come from other countries.
...If we add the slaves to this, the number will be close to a hundred. It is a sufficient number to say 'a Revolutionary Army meeting is being held.' Yes.
The night before the meeting.
We are on patrol duty as usual... no, we are not.
I have Chesta and Keeb wearing Royal soldier armor and patrolling, but I am... with Onii-sama, scouting from the sky on a dragon.
"...Hmph. I thought they might make a move the night before, but it seems they have no intention of doing so."
We circled around the mountain, toward the Royal Capital, and even as far as Elsemarin, but we saw no sign of Royal soldiers or anything like House Clarino's private corps.
I thought they would strike either the night before or the night of the event...
"A raid in the middle of the meeting would be quite a spectacle. It is a move a noble would favor."
"But I believe Chris Bay Clarino will come. Unless Chris has completely lost his composure, if he thinks with a sane head, he wouldn't do something like charging into the scene on the night of the event..."
Since we have already set up dragons and 'maintained' the roads and such, well, I would be happy if they came all the way to the mansion on the mountain... but the fact that we have established a residence means we have made plenty of preparations. The opponent should understand that much. Therefore...
"Oh. My dear sister. It seems uninvited guests have arrived."
...Oh? It is true. A group coming toward the mountain without even lighting a lamp to avoid notice... and it is likely an armed group.
"Oh, Onii-sama. Are they not the guests we 'invited'?"
"Fuhahahaha! Indeed, that is exactly right! They are truly welcome guests!"
Onii-sama and I exchanged glances... and without a word, we both dove toward the approaching group!
"Gokigenyou! It is a fine night, is it not!"
"Now then, who are you all? For what purpose are you advancing while avoiding notice?"
I held a spear. Onii-sama held an iron pipe. Each of us landed in front of and behind them while still mounted on the dragons.
We are just like dragon knights, aren't we... I am entranced by our own image!
"Wh... Y-You, are you from Fortesia!?"
"I have no obligation to answer, but I shall tell you as a gift for the afterlife! The answer is 'Yes'!"
"Now, now, now! This shall be your grave! Are you prepared!?"
...And so, with the opening lines perfectly decided, Onii-sama and I trampled the soldiers to our heart's content.
They were insignificant soldiers, so well, it wasn't particularly fun. I finished them off by stabbing them with my spear, and Onii-sama seemed to have finished them by bashing them with his iron pipe.
Well... they were truly trivial opponents...
"They had no bite to them, did they..."
Once we finished cleaning up the soldiers, the area was enveloped in silence once again.
"Hmph, indeed. They had no bite at all. It's not as if they thought they could take us down with this level of skill..."
Onii-sama also muttered that as he swung his iron pipe to shake off the blood.
"Surely this isn't the end, is it?"
"Hmph, likely so. Given this weakness... they were either decoys or perhaps some fools who acted selfishly thinking they could snatch the credit. In any case, there is no way these could be soldiers deployed with the prestige of the Royal Family on the line."
That is true... If this were the main force, it would be far too pathetic!
"If this was a decoy, it means there are people climbing the mountain from the opposite side right now."
"True. But when I looked around on the dragon earlier, there were no particular signs of people on the opposite side either."
Dragons are incredibly fast, and because of their height, they can see far. Therefore, there are no gaps in our scouting. Yes.
"Then they were not decoys, but some noble from somewhere who acted selfishly and beyond their station."
"That is highly likely. ...Hmph, I have certainly seen this crest before. Is it not a member of a pitiful house that is called nouveau riche but has no money?"
Oh my, it seems their identity has been discovered. Though, it only means we found out they are 'inconsequential opponents,' so it doesn't seem to be a great harvest...
"...Which means the main force is still elsewhere? Good."
If it ended with those guys just now, it would have been far too pathetic! Oh, thank goodness! The stronger the enemy, the more fun it is! I am looking forward to it immensely!
"Hmph... true. The opponent should also know that we have tamed at least one dragon. And they would likely think of using a dragon for scouting. In that case, they would reasonably consider a night advance to be somewhat disadvantageous."
"Then, will the main force attack during the day of the event?"
"Likely. There is no reason to hide, and it is easier to find traps. The daytime would be more convenient for them."
From the Royal Capital to this mountain, it takes a few hours by horse. Even if they start their advance after morning comes, they will make it in plenty of time.
Conversely, once morning comes, it is difficult for us to fly the dragons. ...Which means, they will attack during the light hours! Yes!
"...Now then. But by defeating those toothless fellows just now, I have realized something."
Now that we have an idea of when the main force will arrive, Onii-sama showed me a wonderful smile!
"It seems they are not a monolith, that is what."
Yes. That can be considered generally correct.
...Looking only at the situation, we are prime targets. Our location is known, and furthermore, if they take us down, it will be a considerable achievement.
Therefore, it is conceivable that there are quite a few people who would try to outmaneuver Chris and take me down to aim for a sudden reversal.
"If these toothless fellows come trickling in like this... it is a nuisance."
"No doubt. It might be fine to just leave them to the dragons. Since we don't even know who or how many are coming, responding to each one is considerably troublesome."
Onii-sama and I mounted the dragons again and took off, discussing our future plans as we headed back into the sky...
"Please wait!"
At the voice that flew toward us, both Onii-sama and I were surprised.
"...Eh, why have you come here...?"
The one galloping toward us on a horse was... Lital.
"Onii-sama, to the sky. It is better if you are not seen."
"Umu, true. What about you?"
"I..."
The approaching Lital likely only sees the dragon. Especially Onii-sama, who is hidden in the shadow of the dragon's wing and shouldn't be visible.
But since dragons are now almost always associated with me, I cannot claim to be completely unrelated to the Revolutionary Army...
"...I shall remain here and listen to what he has to say. If anything happens, I shall escape or finish him off as appropriate."
"I see. Well, given it's you, there should be no need for worry, but... be careful."
Onii-sama said that and quickly took flight into the sky. Lital raised his voice again seeing that, but seeing that I remained, he seems to have prioritized galloping his horse.
...After a short while, Lital arrived safely before me.
If he had come to take my life, he would have attacked with magic from further away, so I can judge that his objective is not killing. Well, if it were me, I might suddenly go for the kill while speaking amiably at this distance...
"Welcome, Lital. To meet in such a place at such a late hour is quite a coincidence."
"Ah, Violia-sama... I-I..."
"Surely you haven't come to join the Revolutionary Army, have you? Then is your objective my subjugation?"
"N-No!"
When I teased him a little, Lital immediately denied it.
"I have come to fulfill my promise to you!"
"...Eh?"
"I believe I have gained a fair amount of strength. I was unable to offer you the victory at the Martial Arts Tournament, but... I believe I have become able to be of use to you!"
...Um, that promise, could it be that one?
"Lital Pia Esclan has come here to assist you!"
"...I believe you understand, but I am saying I will start a revolution, you know?"
"Yes!"
His reply is very energetic and pleasant. It makes me very worried! Yes!
"And you are a noble, are you not? Naturally, you are officially serving the Royal Family, right?"
"That is correct! But I believe the current ways of the Royal Family are wrong! I believe nobles are originally meant to serve the country and save the people! If so, the path I should take now is to join the Revolutionary Army and fight alongside you! ...For a truly righteous country!"
Oh my... if he were lying, he would be quite the actor, but if this is his true heart, he is quite the fool.
"Do you understand what you are saying? Your actions are a betrayal of your clan, you know?"
"I understand. ...But to me, neither His Majesty the King nor Chris-niisama seems right."
Lital said that and... suddenly, his expression crumpled weakly.
"...I am sorry. If I hadn't said anything unnecessary, Chris-niisama might not have done that 'denunciation of the werewolf.'"
"Eh?"
Eh, wait, Lital, did you really sell our information? He didn't look like he had...
"Probably, Chris-niisama saw us talking. And when I was asked later if I had met someone, I impulsively answered that I had met the Holy Knight who was my opponent..."
Ah, so that was it.
The information Chris himself had procured combined with Lital's information, and that became enough information for Chris to act. Well, that makes sense. Both from Chris's abilities and Lital's personality, it is understandable.
"Therefore, that..."
"Just because of that, do not do something like throwing your life away for the sake of atonement."
Well... by this point, nine times out of ten, I don't think Lital will betray us... but even so, I shall give him a warning.
"This is a revolution, you know? It is for the purpose of overturning your status. There is no reason for you to participate."
"No! Even so, I shall participate! Not for anyone else, but for myself! Because I want to fight to lead this country correctly, I am participating!"
I gave him a warning, but it's no use. This. His will seems firm.
Hmm... I never thought he would be this blindly devoted... I wonder why it turned out like this...
While I was pondering, Lital... held out a scroll.
When I took it and read the contents...
"Is this not something that would be very bad if it were leaked?"
"Yes. It is the very plan that Chris-niisama had formulated."
No matter how you look at it, it was written with things that shouldn't fall into my hands. The details of the plan Chris is to execute are written there. This is dangerous stuff! Yes!
"...I will cooperate with you. Surely the one who wins will be you. ...It may seem cowardly, but don't you think it is wiser to side with the winner?"
...Oh my.
That... is indeed very well understood. ...If he is saying this, does it mean Lital is no longer just a naive boy?
Considering that he brought this much information from Chris's side... yes, I should not be hesitating.
"I understand."
I quickly tucked Lital's horse into the Spatial Bag, mounted the dragon... and said to Lital:
"Get on behind me!"