kscans

Chapter 72 - The Foreign Prince and the Little One

"Alright, here we go. This is the report that just came in."

The faces gathered in the conference room stared intently at the document in Prince Romel’s hand.

Present were His Majesty the King, Prince Romel, Commander Harold of the Royal Knights, and the commander of the Camelot Imperial Guard. Also in attendance were the head of covert operations and the Little One. And for some reason, the two princes from Donautil were there as well.

"Why are we here?"

Prince Romel turned a look of profound pity toward the questioning Prince Masahad.

"Ah. It’s rather unfortunate, but I believe you’ve been ensnared in a plot. It would be best if you two did not leave Frontier. That is why I’ve asked you to join us for this explanation."

Prince Masahad looked bewildered.

However, as Prince Romel explained, his face quickly began to freeze over.

Apparently, the King of Donautil had died yesterday. It seemed to have been a horse riding accident. As a result, the current Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne was decided. Though he was bedridden, he was still the legitimate Crown Prince. Furthermore, he already had a consort and children, three sons and one daughter. While the Crown Prince himself was a cause for concern, the line of succession was secure. With this, a coronation ceremony combined with a funeral would be held in a few days, and the first prince would become king.

A despairing murmur escaped the lips of Prince Masahad, who had been listening in stunned silence.

"Ah… Then…"

"Yes, your lives are forfeit. That is the way of your country, is it not? Donautil, I mean."

Seeing Prince Romel’s pitying face, the Little One recalled the succession practices of the old Ottoman Empire. Once a new king was decided, all his brothers were executed. The royal line was always singular. No branch families or close blood relatives were left alive, and even unborn fetuses were completely eliminated. The only ones spared were siblings born of the same mother. And even they were all demoted to the status of subjects.

In other words…

"You and your brother, not being of the same mother as the Crown Prince, will be executed. Is that correct?"

His face pale, Prince Masahad lowered his gaze slightly and gave a small nod. To avoid this fate, he had been aiming to usurp his ailing brother and take the throne himself.

"I didn't make it in time…"

Marrow wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders as he collapsed, clutching his head.

"It cannot be helped, Brother. We are fortunate to be so far away. Let us flee from our pursuers together."

Donautil was a month’s journey from Frontier by horse. If they acted immediately, they could likely escape any pursuers.

However, Prince Romel began to speak of something that gave them pause.

"About that. When we put the screws to the ones we have locked in the cells, it seems the king’s riding accident was a plot by the First Consort. And the division assigned to guard Prince Masahad is apparently filled with her people."

Prince Masahad’s head shot up.

"...Father was murdered?"

Prince Romel nodded with a grave expression.

"Tch! Impossible! Then this is usurpation! It cannot be forgiven!"

Glancing down at his trembling hands, Prince Masahad shifted his gaze to Marrow. His younger brother, different in age by a whole cycle. The second prince wanted to protect this small younger brother no matter what.

His face twisting in anguish, he stroked Marrow’s head.

"May I ask you to look after my brother?"

"And you? What do you intend to do?"

Clenching his fists, Prince Masahad’s sharp eyes glinted. A dark flame flickered within them, and a cold aura of authority filled the room. Now that he knew the truth, he could not run.

"I cannot turn a blind eye to patricide. I will find evidence, no matter what it takes, and drag my brother from the throne."

"But most of the soldiers you brought with you were the consort’s pawns, were they not? And more than half of the soldiers who were garrisoned had already fled."

It seemed the forces had been split into a two hundred man unit to abduct Marrow and another group of soldiers to prepare for their escape. By the time the knights stormed the detached palace, it was already empty. That must have been the plan in case of failure. The dozen or so men left behind were Prince Masahad's trusted retainers, who had been found tightly bound and left lying in the palace.

Furthermore, Prince Masahad had no funds. He lacked everything he needed to gather strength or raise a rebellion. If time passed like this, the truth of the accident might fade, and everything could be lost.

Prince Masahad was aware of this. But he had no other recourse.

As everyone fell silent, a carefree voice drew all eyes.

"Then let’s just charge in with my kids. Knowing Romel, you’ve already got the evidence, right?"

The Little One’s eyes narrowed into a grin. With a soft sigh, Prince Romel instructed a servant to bring in a large water mirror. The smooth, mirror-like surface was made of water. Reflected in it was one of the covert ops agents, disguised with dark skin.

"Did you get the evidence?"

"Right here."

The agent held up a small leather pouch. Inside were dark red pills, which analysis had apparently revealed to be a powerful muscle relaxant.

"A servant saw the First Consort switch these with the king’s medicine. The consort still possesses more of this drug. …In the unlikely event she disposes of it, we will plant this on her again."

"And the servant?"

"Secured. He was about to be attacked by the consort’s men after he grew suspicious following the king's accident."

The servant hadn’t understood at first, but the king’s accident made him realize the medicine had been switched. He had rushed to report it to his superiors, but the person he spoke to was connected to the consort, and he was nearly silenced for it.

"Excellent. We have a witness and evidence. All that’s left are the actors. They must have sent you away to keep you from interfering with this."

Prince Romel smiled softly. But his eyes held the cruel, cunning light unique to a ruler. To be blunt, this was an era where evidence and witnesses could be fabricated at will. The reason he had gone to the trouble of properly securing them was to give legitimacy to Prince Masahad’s actions. To prevent him from interfering with her plan, the First Consort had taken advantage of Prince Masahad’s affection for his younger brother and had him sent as a goodwill envoy, but this in turn worked to his advantage. At the time of the incident, Prince Masahad was not in Donautil. He had visited Frontier with his soldiers and was staying at the royal palace. He had even attended a soirée.

It was the perfect alibi.

Even if he had his men do the deed, his absence from the scene was a great strength.

"Still, how did you get the soldiers to talk?" the Little One asked, looking puzzled.

They were soldiers who had sworn loyalty to the royal family. It was amazing that they had managed to extract from them that the mastermind was the First Consort, especially when they had denounced even the second prince, who was aiming for the throne, as a traitor. At the Little One’s words, Prince Romel’s eyes curved into a faint arc.

"Humans have their limits, you know. Like when you slice them up bit by bit, over and over. Oh, don’t worry, I had them healed afterward."

The Prince Regent declared with a smile.

That beautiful smile sent an involuntary shiver down the Little One’s spine.

What part of that is okay. That means you healed them just to slice them up again, right? Terrifying!

Their comrades, who had repeatedly witnessed the gruesome scene of their fellows being carved up, must have had their spirits broken in no time.

Those who understood the meaning of his words turned pale, while Masahad and Marrow, who did not, simply stared back and forth between Prince Romel and the Little One.

"This is a race against time, nyo! We have to hurry!"

Spinning on her heel, the Little One turned, her dress swishing, and pulled Marrow along. Prince Masahad followed as if he were an extra.

"Wait? What do you mean?"

"I’ll explain on the way. For now, we have to hurry, nyo!"

The Little One sent Pochiko-san off to the count’s manor with a letter and asked Marrow to summon his snake. She hopped onto the snake’s raised head and told Marrow to have it carry her to the knight barracks. Marrow and Masahad also climbed onto the snake, and it sped through the royal palace grounds with the speed of a horse.

"So magic can be used like this, too."

Marrow’s eyes widened in amazement as he controlled his own magic.

"Magic is all about imagination, nyo. Strong feelings become reality. Marrow will become a fine magician, nyo♪"

Erecting a barrier around them to block the wind resistance, the Little One turned back to Marrow with a joyful look. Seeing her gentle smile, a blush crept into Marrow’s eyes. Masahad had been buffeted by the series of events, but he didn’t miss his younger brother’s charming gesture.

Well, well. Once this is all over and I ascend the throne, I may need to make a marriage proposal to Frontier.

Masahad was just as foolishly doting a brother as Chihaya. He had sensed his younger brother's faint feelings of love, but he had no way of knowing that a future was in store that would shatter those expectations to pieces.

Leading the chuckling Masahad, the three of them arrived at the knight barracks, and the Little One requested her usual members.

"Depart as soon as you’re ready. We’ll probably get there first, but I’m counting on you to bring as many reinforcements as you can!"

"Huh? Wha? Wait a moment, this is like we’re going to war, isn’t it?!"

The Little One had requested a full division. In Arcadia, an army unit consisted of one hundred soldiers, and a battalion five hundred. Even for Frontier, with its population of over a million, this was a number rarely deployed. One would have to go back several hundred years. The most recent instance was the battle in Castrato. The time they pursued with four units was the last. A single division was a number that comprised nearly all the knights and soldiers permanently stationed in the royal capital.

"I don’t know if we’ll use them, but just having them there will be a show of force. I need you to go at full speed, nyo. Bill all the necessary expenses to me."

With those parting words, the Little One headed for the count’s manor. Masahad and Marrow decided to check on the retainers they had left at the detached palace before joining her.

"Be as quick as you can. I’ll be waiting for you."

She saw the two off with a nod and grabbed onto the returning Pochiko-san to head for home.

Geez, I can never get a moment’s peace!

The little girl dangled, grumbling to herself. Staring blankly at her silhouette against the moon, Masahad felt a thrill run through his entire body.

Magic, monsters that obey humans, all of it was unknown to him. Donautil, being near the frontier, was a country often attacked by many monsters. While they didn’t reach the royal capital, every year brought numerous reports of damage from the towns and villages on the Donautil border.

And a little girl who could control and command them.

The story progressed, oblivious to Prince Masahad’s shock, and it is but a side note that after the Little One and her group departed, the guild master came rushing into the royal palace.

And as a result of that, Prince Romel sending out a fast horse was just a charming little detail.

And so, the Little One embarked on a new pilgrimage, swept up in the flow of events.

On this pilgrimage that began without her even realizing it, a lone Legion, troubled by the situation, gazed up at the moon from the border forest.