109 - Twisted Feelings
Deep within the royal castle of the Kingdom of Aria. Fumiya had made a room that was originally the Aria King's private quarters his own. Fumiya's treatment in this castle was now fully equivalent to that of royalty. Of course, that was simply because Fumiya was forcing it to be so.
Akemi arrived at Fumiya's room. Seeing the naked body of a woman lying on the bed, she grimaced, but without saying a word about it, she sat down on the sofa at the back of the room.
"What do you want?"
Akemi had come to this room because Fumiya had summoned her.
"You're impatient. We haven't seen each other in a while, so surely there's something to talk about, right?"
"I have nothing to talk about with you, Fumiya. Besides, I want to leave this room quickly. It smells."
"Calling it smelly is cruel. She is, for lack of a better term, the princess of this country."
Fumiya assumed that the "smell" Akemi referred to was the princess. Seeing the princess wrap the sheets around her body and curl up upon hearing this, a smile played on his lips.
"...The talk. Just start it already."
Directing a look of utter disgust toward Fumiya, Akemi urged him to begin. They were no longer the two they once were. Akemi no longer flattered Fumiya, nor did she get jealous. Fumiya, noticing the change in Akemi's attitude, had also stopped caring whether she hated him or not.
"A messenger from Sieg came."
"I didn't hear anything about that."
"That's why I'm telling you now."
That wasn't what she meant. Akemi was complaining that Fumiya had met the messenger alone. Of course, Fumiya knew this and was playing dumb.
"And? What did they say?"
"They were angry that we took the castle."
"Huh? Why?"
"Probably because they're jealous that I achieved such a feat."
This was Fumiya's speculation. Moreover, it was a thought born of malice, intended to paint Sieg as the villain.
"...We, you mean."
However, before any ill will toward Sieg could arise, Akemi's wariness toward Fumiya, who spoke as if the achievement were his alone, came first.
"Ah, of course. It was the achievement of all of us."
Fumiya corrected himself immediately. This was because he could not afford to sour Akemi's mood right now.
"...And? Did you call me just to tell me that?"
"No, there's more. Not only that, but they told us to return the army."
"Oh? Then we don't have to fight anymore?"
For the first time since entering the room, a smile appeared on Akemi's face. If the war ended, she could return to the Laurel Kingdom. She was happy at that thought.
"They intend to stop us from achieving any more feats."
"I don't really mind. We've achieved enough."
Akemi didn't care about military achievements as a soldier. What she sought was the position of queen.
"...We've only taken one castle. There are still many countries that must be conquered."
Fumiya was slightly anxious because Akemi's reaction wasn't what he had hoped for.
"Yes. Good luck with that."
"...It's not just me, Akemi, you have to work hard too."
Akemi spoke as if it were someone else's problem. Fumiya's anxiety grew stronger.
"Of course. But we've been told not to fight, right?"
"I have no intention of obediently following that."
"That would be a violation of orders."
"Even when we attacked and took this castle, I didn't follow orders. You agreed with me then, didn't you, Akemi?"
"That was because I thought it was the best method at the time. But it didn't work, did it?"
Akemi had agreed with Fumiya's idea thinking it would end the war sooner. But now, opposing Fumiya's idea was more likely to distance her from the war.
"...Don't you think it's foolish to follow a wrong order?"
"Are we the ones who judge that?"
"...If we don't take responsibility, who will? As the Heroes, we must lead everyone."
He had to somehow make Akemi want to fight. Fumiya was desperate. In the previous battle, Fumiya had realized the usefulness of Akemi's magic in castle sieges.
"What is it that you want to do, Fumiya?"
It wasn't that Akemi had finally surrendered to Fumiya's persistence. She asked because she couldn't argue him down if she didn't know what he was planning.
"It seems the Kingdom of Aria army is gathering at a castle near the eastern border. We'll take that castle before that happens."
"...Can you take it?"
"We took the place where the King was. There's no way we can't take other castles."
The castle where the King resides is not necessarily the most fortified castle in the country. That was Fumiya's misconception. However, without pointing out this mistake, Akemi thought of a way to make him fight.
"...Instead of fighting, why not take the King hostage and force a surrender?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, tell them to surrender if they don't want the King to die."
"...Would they?"
Fumiya wasn't a complete idiot. He didn't think the opponent would accept surrender so easily. There was a possibility that they would give up on the hostage King and appoint another king.
"Who knows? But we won't know until we try, right? It might depend on the conditions."
"Depend on the conditions..."
He could just ask the parties involved about those conditions. That's what Fumiya thought.
"Let's start with that, then. Let me know once you have the result."
For now, she didn't care about the result. As long as there was no fighting for a while, all she had to do was create an excuse to return to the Laurel Kingdom. She just wanted to return to her own room quickly to think about that.
"Yeah, I understand."
Fumiya also had to immediately think about how to persuade the opponent. He had no time to talk with Akemi. Their feelings aligned, and the discussion ended. Akemi attempted to leave the room. On her way out...
"If you want to die, I'll kill you. Or would you rather stay alive even while suffering such humiliation?"
"............"
The princess remained silent at Akemi's question. She wanted to die. But she wondered what action Fumiya would take if she made that choice.
"If it were me, I'd choose death over such humiliation. Well, it's your choice."
Interpreting the silence as she pleased, Akemi cast a contemptuous look her way. It was only for a brief moment. Quickly losing interest, she left the room in silence.
"You understand, right? You can't die."
"...Yes."
As soon as Akemi was gone, Fumiya immediately warned the princess.
"Now, there's something I want to ask you. You know what it is, right? I expect you to speak properly."
While stripping away the sheets, Fumiya hovered over the princess. This would not end with just listening to her talk. Realizing this, the princess regretted not answering Akemi's question. She wanted to throw everything away. Only for a brief moment, until a few tears fell onto the sheets. Then she stopped thinking, killed her heart, and waited for time to pass. That was the means she had found in order to survive.
◇◇◇
The King of Laurel returned to the royal capital. To maintain the appearance of having gone to comfort the invasion army, he returned after heading toward the border. It was a considerable detour, and he had plenty of time to think about a truce with the Demon Race. He had actually thought about it. But he had yet to reach a conclusion. It wasn't just based on personal feelings. To swear mutual non-aggression as a nation with the Demon Race, even if it ended as a mere verbal promise, was something he resisted. There might have been such precedents in the long history of the past, but the King didn't know them. He felt a strong resistance to being the one to do it.
"...Is the invasion of Nordende guaranteed to succeed?"
The King asked this after summoning the Commander of the Royal Knights. The Commander of the Royal Knights was bewildered by the question.
"There are no absolutes in victory or defeat, but we are doing our utmost toward success."
While wondering internally why he was asking this now, he gave a non-committal answer.
"I know that. Knowing that, I am asking to what extent the possibility of success is."
The King knew as well. He knew, but he wanted even a little bit of material for judgment.
"...Since we have deployed many soldiers to the external expeditions, I cannot say we are in perfect form. Within that, we are trying to do as much as possible."
When questioned persistently, one naturally wants to make excuses. From the Commander of the Royal Knights' perspective, it would be troublesome to be held responsible for these words if it ended in failure.
"...So, suppressing Nordende is not easy?"
"We do not know the full extent of Nordende. How wide it is, or how many members of the Demon Race are there. It is an invasion by trial and error."
The Commander of the Royal Knights spoke even more cautiously.
"...What would you think if we were to stop the invasion?"
"If that is your command, I shall obey."
He refrained from adding "gladly." Regarding the invasion of Nordende, the Commander of the Royal Knights feared the responsibility of failure more than he desired the credit of success. As the Commander of the Royal Knights, he naturally knew that the number of troops for the Nordende invasion army had been kept low in order to fully prepare the composition of the external expeditionary forces.
"If it is stopped, what do you think of the current position of the fort?"
The King was also steering the conversation toward a truce. He only had resistance regarding the promise with the Demon Race, but as an option, he felt it was the only one.
"...Is that in anticipation of an attack by the Demon Race?"
"Yes."
"Maintenance should have been carried out enough to hold them off."
He had received reports that renovations sufficient to withstand a Demon Race attack as a base of operations had been completed.
"Then, what if we consider the Demon Race advancing outside of Nordende?"
"In that case, I believe the exit side of Nordende, where we initially placed the main camp, would be better."
If the Demon Race had the power to advance again, the foundation of the operation would be overturned. It would become a situation where they couldn't afford to be on external expeditions. While thinking this, the Commander of the Royal Knights gave the answer to the King's question. It was the answer the King had been seeking.
"If the invasion is stopped, we should do that... I see."
Abandoning the fort within Nordende. This was one of the conditions Ray had requested. The King thought that this seemed acceptable.
"...Did something happen?"
The Commander of the Royal Knights did not know that the King had met with Ray. He thought the King had met with Sieg as a superficial gesture of comforting the invasion army. And then he came back and said this. He was curious about what had been discussed.
"If problems arise from carrying out the invasion of Nordende, I wish to avoid them. I thought we might not have the leeway to deal with that."
"...I see. That is certainly true."
A thought typical of the cautious Sieg. The Commander of the Royal Knights misunderstood it as such.
"Prevent the Demon Race from advancing outside of Nordende. Can you change the operational goal to this?"
"I shall follow Your Majesty's command."
"Then move immediately."
"Yes, sir."
By ordering the change in operation to the Commander of the Royal Knights, the truce with the Demon Race was halfway established. All that remained was to judge the acceptability of the detailed conditions. The Commander of the Royal Knights left the conference room. In his place, the Head of the Intelligence Agency appeared.
"You have decided, then?"
"...There are no other options. However, I have not decided to accept all the conditions that man presented."
"Regarding one of them, the facts have been confirmed. A considerable number of members of the Demon Race are being held captive."
"I see..."
The King knew that most of them were women. Ray had told him.
"However, we have not been able to determine if they were captured in this battle or before then."
"There is no need to pursue that. Can they be let go?"
The release of the captured members of the Demon Race. That was another condition Ray had requested.
"Do you mean by our own hands?"
"Yes. We cannot allow the Demon Race to move freely around the royal capital."
Ray's exact request was that he intended to release the captured members of the Demon Race, so do not interfere. However, the King could not bring himself to let the Demon Race into the royal capital.
"...He may intend to do it alone."
"Even so. Can we let the Demon King into the royal capital?"
"...I believe it would be difficult to carry out the mission perfectly."
"What?"
A refusal of orders. The King took the Chief's words as such.
"The members of the Demon Race are being held captive. The locations chosen are difficult to escape from. From there, it would be quite difficult to let them escape without being noticed even once."
"Naturally, people will notice if they disappear."
"I mean without it being noticed that it was our doing. Of course, even if one of our agents is captured, the organization itself will not be known. However, there is a possibility that it will be inferred whose instructions it was."
"...There is no need to overdo it."
Even if it wasn't limited to the King, it would be a problem if rumors spread that it was a national order. In the end, it would be framed as the King having approved it. To prevent that, the King tried to avoid taking the risk.
"I have not told you the situation of the captured members of the Demon Race."
The Chief knew this. He had heard from his subordinates and confirmed it with his own eyes. He felt that even if they were the Demon Race, they should be helped.
"It is unnecessary."
"He said he wanted Your Majesty to see for yourself."
"I can imagine what the situation is. That is why I cannot see it."
The King also had a general idea. Because he knew, he believed he must not look.
"May I ask the reason?"
"If I feel sympathy for the Demon Race, I cannot continue being a king. I must be heartless."
"...I understand. Even so, I must say that his cooperation is necessary."
The Chief had already felt that sympathy. As a member of the intelligence organization, he knew it was useless. Even while feeling sympathy, he had the confidence to be heartless if it were a mission. But if they could be saved, he wanted to save them.
"...Do as you wish."
"Thank you. If I may be so bold as to ask for more, regarding the power of the Demon Race... it would be better if the rescue were attributed to the Demon Race."
"...I understand. However, I will absolutely not permit any act of killing those who are holding them. Nor will I permit causing serious injury."
"I will convey that."
In the end, the King accepted the Chief's request. There was no point in clashing over something like this. The King was also aware that his rejection of Ray was influenced by personal feelings.
◇◇◇
Like the King, there was someone who harbored a personal grudge against Ray. Crown Prince Neil. However, even if it was the same grudge, Crown Prince Neil's was different from the King's. It had more complex aspects.
"...So the man my father went to meet was him."
Crown Prince Neil was informed that the King and Ray had held a meeting.
"I could not hear the contents of the conversation. His Majesty refused to let me accompany him."
The one who brought the information to Crown Prince Neil was the Commander of the Imperial Guard. Because the King knew this would happen, he ensured that the contents of the conversation were not disclosed.
"I wonder if we know how the discussion went?"
"It seemed to be a very difficult conversation. His Majesty had a displeased look on his face for a long time after the discussion ended."
"...And not that he's hiding the fact that he's happy?"
"Huh? I believe that is impossible."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard couldn't think of any reason for the King to be happy. While bewildered by Crown Prince Neil's question, he denied it.
"I see... I wonder if the discussion was held between only the two of them?"
"No. The head of the intelligence department and the royal knight Geel were present."
"Can't we hear the story from those two?"
"I tried to do so, but they were quite difficult to catch..."
Naturally, the Commander of the Imperial Guard tried to gather information from the two. However, the two, knowing he would do so, made sure not to give him the opportunity. Especially Geel, who took completely separate actions except when summoned by the King.
"We have no choice but to confirm with those two. If they refuse, just tell them that I wish to speak with them."
"...Is that alright?"
If he did that, the King would also know of the movement. The Commander of the Imperial Guard thought that should be avoided.
"No problem. It's more of a problem if I, the Crown Prince, remain ignorant."
Rather, the moment the Commander of the Imperial Guard moved, it would be assumed that he was behind it. Crown Prince Neil believed the Commander's concern was meaningless.
"I understand."
"If possible, I'd like to meet him too."
"Huh?"
"There are many things I want to say to him. I wish to have that opportunity."
"...You must be joking."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard had many things to feel guilty about regarding Ray. Most of them were by Crown Prince Neil's instructions. Even without instructions, he had done things for Crown Prince Neil's sake. The Commander of the Imperial Guard knew that Ray had more complaints against Crown Prince Neil than anyone else, and it would be a blessing if it ended with just complaints.
"...I'm not intending to joke."
"It is dangerous."
"I see... that's a pity."
Crown Prince Neil also knew that Ray harbored ill will toward him. He felt it was mutual, though.
"Furthermore, if anything were to happen, we cannot allow that person to stay alive."
"...Would anything happen?"
"I believe the possibility is low. However, we must not be careless."
"If that's the case, shouldn't the one to be killed be my older sister instead of him?"
"Your Highness!?"
Killing Princess Ekaterina. If the King heard that such a conversation was taking place, everything might go up in smoke. In that case, Crown Prince Neil might even face disinheritance.
"I didn't order you to kill her. I'm just talking about it as the best way to avoid that one-in-a-million chance."
"Even so, you must not say such things."
"I see... I'll be careful."
"Please be careful with your words and actions at all times. Behave in a way that makes everyone think Your Highness is the most suitable for the next generation's king."
"............"
Crown Prince Neil fell silent with a dissatisfied expression. The cause of the anxiety surrounding him also lay with the Commander of the Imperial Guard. I don't want to hear that from you. He intended for that feeling to show on his face.
"Please don't sulk like that. As I just said, now is the time to exercise restraint in your actions. Please understand."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard spoke to Crown Prince Neil, changing his tone. It was a tone from a position different from that of a subject. Hearing this, Crown Prince Neil became even more displeased. The Commander of the Imperial Guard had not yet realized that he was already a person of the past.