Chapter 179 - Postlude 7: "Old stories aren't so bad either"
Greetings! It is I, Violia Nico Fortesia!
I am currently... in the back alleys of Elsemarin with Giovan and Doran for the first time in a long while.
"Man, I'm sorry, Milady. I didn't think we'd end up summoning the Queen herself. Normally, Doran and I should've been able to handle it..."
"It's fine. This certainly needs to be done 'in secret,' and since we can't use magic carelessly, we couldn't bring Keeb or Lital... Above all, this is my area of expertise."
Giovan seems apologetic, but it can't be helped.
After all, this job... is 'the disposal of drugs that we want to dispose of secretly!'
The catalyst for this is a long story if told, but a short one if heard.
First, Chesta went to Elsemarin on the pretext of checking if the drug distribution channel was functioning, and as usual, he was getting high.
However... among the drugs Chesta tried, it seems there were some 'not good' drugs mixed in.
No, strictly speaking, all drugs are 'not good.' Naturally. Drugs that get you high are all 'not good drugs' in the eyes of the general public!
But you see, even if you say 'evil' in one breath, there are about 200 kinds of evil. Ohohoho. That being the case, among the 'not good drugs,' there were 'especially not good drugs.'
It's not something to talk about in great detail... but well, if you die before you get high, it's meaningless. It's meaningless for the person getting high, and for the seller, if the source of money kicks the bucket immediately, there's no point in preparing addictive drugs!
...So, it was proven by Chesta's body that such items were mixed into Elsemarin.
Ah, by the way, Chesta himself is perfectly fine. Even if he tried 'drugs that are very easy to die from,' there's no way that guy would die. Why? Because there's no way a guy who can lick undiluted blood from my body could die from common poisons! What is with that guy! What is with that guy!
It's good that he didn't die! But somehow! I'm getting angry! Grrr!
...So, well, that's the story.
Naturally, from my position as the one who controls the drug situation in this country from behind the scenes, I must quickly crack down on 'drugs that are very easy to die from when taken.' I'd be in trouble if my sources of money died.
But I can't send the 'National Army' to such a place! They'd say, 'Why does the Queen know about the drug situation?'!
And yet! We, naturally, want the 'not-so-bad not-good drugs' to still be active and full of energy in the market! Because we! Are the source of supply!
...That being the case, if we're going to crack down on only a small part of the drug market and dispose of various things, we have to move Doran, Chesta, or Keeb.
And... if we're moving in a small group, it's difficult to decide how to actually dispose of the drugs.
If we accidentally burn them, the smoke from the drugs might reach the main street of Elsemarin.
If we accidentally process them with magic, the magic drugs might react and blow everything up.
If we accidentally bring them back, they might be found there and used as material for the old royalist faction to attack us.
If we accidentally leave Chesta alone, he might really almost die from getting too high this time!
...That being the case, it can't be helped. It can't be helped...
"But... for Milady to drink them to dispose of them. Honestly. I'm jealous of the drugs being drunk by Milady."
As Giovan is saying... I will drink these drugs to dispose of them... Listen, I'm not a trash can, you know? But... but, it can't be helped. As a way to process poisons and drugs, the easiest way is for me to eat them...
"Well, if this can strengthen Violia's blood, it's not a bad story."
That's right... I haven't had enough intake of poison lately. As part of my training, it's natural that it's better to continue taking a certain amount of poison. Especially if I'm the Queen, the stronger I am against poisoning, the better. I'll do my best this time too, thinking of it as a countermeasure for that...
So, we've arrived at a warehouse in a section of the back alleys of Elsemarin.
I met up with Doran at the entrance here. I've been bringing Giovan along from the start, and Keeb also came with us to the entrance of Elsemarin.
Keeb said, 'Don't do anything too dangerous while I'm not around!?' and went to the academy. ...He was so cute! But pardon me! I'll probably do something dangerous!
"...Hey, what's this. Familiar faces are gathered."
Where Doran was bracing himself, there were several punks inside the warehouse. Also, several drug addicts. Well, this much can be handled easily. It's not my turn.
"Oh, look, it's true. I should have brought some wine to celebrate our reunion."
...I thought, and then even Giovan started saying something. Eh, what is it? Are they acquaintances? Then it's even less my turn, isn't it?
I wondered if I was the only one being left behind, but when I looked at the other party's faces, they were also blankly staring. Ah, good. Everyone except me was also left behind.
"...Did you forget our faces?"
"No, it's not that I forgot, you know. You and I have changed too much. You weren't a guy like a male dragon, and I wasn't a guy like skin and bones..."
"Ah... well, we were still brats back then..."
"Right. It can't be helped, it can't be helped. The fact that these guys have aged means we've aged too."
Ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, yes, yes, yes. I sort of understand? Well, I'll hear the details later...
"...But, there's no reason to go easy on them, is there?"
"Yeah. None. Do it, Boss."
...Apparently, the people here.
Are the ones Doran and Giovan were 'indebted to' in the past... right?
Yes. And so those guys were taken care of. If Doran gets serious, common thugs are gone in seconds.
I didn't do anything, and Giovan didn't do anything either. I aside, it's natural for Giovan. He can't fight in a place like this. Ohohoho.
"Now then. What should we do with these corpses?"
"If it's just corpses, we can just burn them! Let's commit arson, warehouse and all!"
"Ah... then, it's better to wait until Keeb joins us. We'll set the stage for him to use the water magic he's practicing..."
Well, burning is for later. If we suddenly set fire here, the drugs that haven't been processed yet might cause a disaster, and in the first place, in the crowded back alleys, unless it's raining, the fire could spread and spread until the whole area becomes a burnt field. Ohohoho.
In that regard, Keeb has been practicing water magic lately, perhaps to compete with Lital... well, I think it's just right as a place for his practice. Yes.
"Violia. The drugs. I'll leave the processing to you."
"Yes. Very well."
Now then. Once the humans are taken care of, next is the processing of the drugs...
When I looked inside the wooden box Doran brought, it was filled with bottles of drugs derived from magic poison, likely made to resemble 'Mystic Ruby'... The bottles have a bit of a high-class feel, which is annoying...
"Then, Doran and I will open the bottles one after another, so Milady, please. Yes. I've prepared a glass for you."
"I'm not very happy about this..."
In the wine glass Giovan had apparently picked up from a corner of the warehouse and polished with a handkerchief, Doran was banging open the drug bottles and pouring the contents in. There's no sentiment. The elegance of the high-class bottles has vanished.
...Well, it's also a hassle to drink bottle by bottle, so this is best. Considering that one bottle of this drug would have been traded for several gold coins, well, if you call it a luxury, it's a luxury...
So, the work of quickly gulping down the drugs as soon as the glass is full has begun. Yes, yes, I'm a trash can!
"Ah, this is the scent of southern leaves! That means these guys had dealings with the south!?"
"Oh, magnificent. There are many nobles who can tell the production area of wine, but you're probably the only one in this world who can tell the production area of poison, Milady!"
"A convenient person..."
Well, even if it's this kind of work, it can be done while enjoying it. Humans must find small pleasures even in trivial things. Ohohoho.
...So, since it's a rare occasion. I'll have them tell me a story to kill time.
"So, what was the relationship between these corpses and you two?"
"Whoa, you're going to ask that, Milady!"
"Yes. I'm going to ask, 'big brother'? ...So, how is it? It seemed like there was some history."
I am working to process these drugs. Doran and Giovan have to work too to make it even! Please provide at least one piece of entertainment to kill time!
"...Well, it's not a story to hide."
Doran, quite unusually... no, very unusually! wore a somewhat embarrassed, mumbly face! It's rare! Honestly, this is rarer than his tail!
"It's the reason why Giovan and I ended up teaming up."
...I thought, and then a somewhat fun story came out. I've suddenly become energetic!
"At that time, I had become a street urchin in the back alleys, and well... I was doing some petty business. I won't go into details. Uh, well, fortunately, I had the looks I inherited from my parents back then, and I was good with my mouth, so I managed to earn a daily living... well, and the people I was having a 'business talk' with that day were the corpses here."
Giovan said that and poked one of the corpses boredly with his toe.
"And, even though I was a brat back then, I was the type whose head worked... so I overheard a story unrelated to my business and sort of understood it. Even back then, these guys were selling drugs and such, and well, I found out."
Ah, I see. Well... the other party probably thought Giovan was just a brat and let their guard down.
In the back alleys of Elsemarin, fights, murders, and drugs aren't particularly rare, but they are technically illegal... technically, right. Ohoho.
"...And! Even though I was a bit smart back then, I was a brat who didn't know better! I tried to use that as leverage to threaten these guys and get a bit more money out of them!"
"Oh my~"
Well, I understand. If I were in the same position, I might have tried to do the same thing.
...But naturally, there's no way people who handle dangerous drugs are decent people...
"...And, as you can imagine, Milady, I was beaten to a pulp and sent to the dungeon!"
"I thought so~"
"Well, I was scheduled to be sold off. Ah, so my face wasn't hit. Because my value as a product would drop."
About his face... well, I won't say much! But well, if you sell off one brat, it'll be some pocket money. Especially a brat born and raised as a noble, wandering around looking like he had circumstances. Naturally, they thought he'd sell for a high price, so well, that's how it goes.
The fact that he couldn't imagine that far means Giovan was also a brat back then. It feels a bit strange...
"But, that night, an event that neither these corpses nor even I could have imagined happened, Milady!"
"Oh. What was it?"
"That was... surprisingly!"
Giovan paused for effect... and while winking, he respectfully pointed toward Doran.
"A raid by our Boss!"
"How wonderful!"
By the way, the pointed-at Doran was busy opening drug bottles. Such a large frame doing it so meticulously, it's quite admirable...
But when I and Giovan sent applause to Doran, Doran said 'Is it my turn to talk?', pushed the drug bottles and wine glass onto Giovan, and with a sigh, sat back down on a wooden box... now then.
"...Well, it's as Giovan said. I raided their hideout alone."
...I had imagined it.
He was extraordinary even back then, wasn't he...
"The catalyst was... after I was driven out of where I was before, I moved from place to place... and drifted to Elsemarin."
Now then. Doran's story has begun, and it's finally getting fun. ...But, because the wine glass is filling up at more than double the speed of when Doran was doing it, the pace of drinking has become faster! Just because Giovan's hands are skillful! Slow down a bit! I feel like my stomach is going to be sloshing!
I pushed aside the offered wine glass for a moment and listened to Doran's story. ...Well, he's been through a lot too. I sort of know that.
"The back alleys were comfortable. No one cared if a brat was a werewolf or not."
That's right. In the back alleys of Elsemarin, there are many crazies who pick fights and drug addicts sleeping on the street, but that's all.
Even when I was a student walking there, there were people who came to mug me thinking 'She looks like she has money,' but there was no one who came up saying 'Lady of House Fortesia! Good day to you!'.
...Yes. The back alleys of Elsemarin are not interested in others. That's comfortable. ...I understand that too. Ohoho.
"For that reason, I was alone, attacking those who attacked me and taking their money..."
"Oh my..."
"...In time, I realized that attacking hideouts was an easier way to get money..."
"For a brat, his thinking is already that of a fine villain..."
If Doran had this kind of thinking back then, the back alleys of Elsemarin must have been comfortable! In the back alleys of Elsemarin, the law doesn't protect you! At the same time, we have no obligation to protect the law!
"...At that time, I was a bit more lacking in discretion than I am now. I thought, 'Let's punish the bad guys.' That... out of a sense of justice."
"A sense of justice!? Eh!? You had that kind of thinking!?"
Hah! He's a brat! His thinking! That of a dreamy brat! It's just like Lital!
But the scale isn't that of a brat, is it!? What he does is a 'raid'! Hah! This is why it's interesting! Go on, continue!
"So, I infiltrated their hideout. I intended to kill everyone. But... I was still inexperienced back then. I had strength not unlike an adult, but I didn't have the technique to fight one against many."
Ah, I understand that. A one-on-one fight and a brawl are completely different. I also learned various things from Onii-sama, and now I can manage against many... but it requires quite a bit of technique.
So in the first place, basically, you should avoid fighting at the same time. If it's an infiltration and killing everyone, the best way is to target them one by one and take them down one by one...
"I wasn't the type whose head worked back then. I was bad at maneuvering... and so in the end, after killing a few, I was also caught and thrown into a cell. But, there was another brat in that cell besides me."
"And that was me. Man, I was surprised!"
Doran chuckled, Giovan laughed... and then, the two looked at each other and smirked.
"...And, very unfortunately... in the cell, there was a 'strong but stupid brat' and a 'weak but smart brat' gathered together."
"Yeah. ...And so we escaped."
I see.
...These guys were living on a tightrope!
"And that's, well, how we met and our history with these guys. I hope you enjoyed it as a bit of entertainment."
"Yes. It was quite interesting. Thank you."
Well, it was more than enough entertainment. Hearing old stories of people you're close to is somehow fun...
"...By the way, once you escaped, didn't you two part ways? How did you end up staying together after that?"
"Of course! I was completely cynical, so I thought I'd use Doran. At that time, I was also scared of their pursuers, and in fact, pursuers came, and after that we ended up in several skirmishes..."
"'Hey big guy, team up with me,' was it? We were about the same age, but I remember thinking he was a very arrogant guy."
"You remember well, don't you. I'm surprised you had such sentimentality."
Somehow... naturally, both Doran and Giovan look a bit different than when they're with me.
Especially when they're talking about old stories I don't know.
Mother once said.
'Humans are like jewels. The more precise cuts they have and the more facets they possess, the more beautifully they sparkle.'
Yes. Humans really have many facets.
That's why... it looks a little bit beautiful and enviable. Surely.
"...So, it was tough, Milady. Once we teamed up, this guy was a werewolf, and he lacked human common sense, and yet, he was strangely dreamy. It was so much work to raise him!"
Raise... well, he did 'raise' him, I suppose.
Now, Doran is able to raid properly, and his head works that way. That's mostly what Giovan drilled into him. Hah, good work...
"Well... I guess I'm the one who stained Doran's sense of justice. You could also say I corrected a brat."
"I suppose so. I'm grateful."
"Whoa... Milady. It'll surely snow tomorrow. No, maybe spears."
"If you tease me too much, what falls will be your blood."
...Watching the two exchange light banter, I'm a bit envious too. The facet they show me and the facet they show each other are different. The facet they're showing each other now is something that isn't shown to me. ...It's a little bit lonely.
But well, this is exactly what Mother said. Humans have many facets... and that's why they sparkle.
"Well, that's it for our story. ...Next time, I'd be happy to hear your story too, Milady."
"Yeah... I've heard a bit from Contraus. I heard you were hunting wyverns at the age of seven?"
"Yes. Then, at the next tea time, I shall tell you. Ufufu..."
...Yes. That's true for me too. I have many facets different from the ones I show them, and that's why I sparkle. Surely.
"Now. This is the last box. Milady, can you do it?"
"Yes... I'll drink it all with sheer willpower!"
Yes. So, the processing of the drugs seems to be manageable. No, I'll make it manageable. If I don't do something, nothing will happen! I have no choice but to do something!
"...Once this is over, it's the arson you like."
Yes! That's right! I can work hard because there's something to look forward to! After all, fire makes the heart dance! Especially on a cold day like today, it's perfect!
"Ah, then, I'll go look for Keeb soon. His work at the academy should be over by now..."
Oh! If Keeb is coming, I'll be even more energetic! So that it's completely cleaned up by then! I'll work hard to process the drugs!
So, farewell everyone! May you all spend your days brilliantly and beautifully!