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The Fierce Saintess

episode 20

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

Run out of translation stock, there might be no Kana-hime by morrow. Maybe if I squeeze some time, else I'll do it by the weekend. Donate please, if you have money to spare.

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「Moon's acting was quite impressive as well.」

Bart spoke cheerfully. Although it was Bart who used wind magic to carry the voice to the phantom apparition Kaou produced, the actual voice itself belonged to Moon. He praised Moon unreservedly for handling the request to improvise anything beyond the pre-agreed lines so skillfully.

「That final growl of a magic beast was absolute perfection. Even so, Lord Kaou's technique is quite unusual. What is that art called?」

「That is Roubu. I can manipulate plants as well, you see.」

The flower-patterned white fox spoke proudly, and Princess Kana took over to explain further.

「It involves scattering herbs blended according to the objective, either as a powder or a liquid. This time, I used a liquid that induces hallucinations upon inhalation, along with bamboo charcoal powder to create the appearance of black smoke. However, because that liquid contains poison, it cannot be used frequently.」

Nodding in understanding, Bart, being a Royal Mage, was brimming with curiosity about techniques from another world and could hardly contain his fascination even while Kaou and the princess were performing the technique.

「And the technique to conceal your presence, Saintess—that was magnificent!」

「Is that so? Since it was my first time using it, I was a bit anxious about whether it would succeed. Well, I suppose it passed with acceptable marks.」

Though feeling a bit bashful at the praise, the princess was relieved that everything had gone largely according to plan.

As for the procedure this time, they first prepared an object closely resembling the jar in question and outfitted it with a magic circle to record sound alongside the plants for Kaou's technique.

Princess Kana then used Ongyou-jutsu to place it without being seen. After waiting for her to return to a safe location, Kaou, who was standing by a short distance away, cast the technique and subjected Darren to hallucinations.

After that, once Bart and Moon transmitted the voices using wind magic, the 'writhing apparition' was complete. From there, it was all down to how much the terrified Darren would spill, but the princess felt they had achieved a good result, exactly as expected.

「Now then. I must hand this over to Aldridge at once.」

Saying so, she held her hand over the jar and recited a purification mantra just to be safe.

「On shuda shuda, on shuda shuda, on shuda shuda.」

The jar and its surroundings glowed softly before quickly settling down. After nodding to signal that it was safe to touch, Bart took it and headed off to the Chancellor, who was eagerly awaiting the results.

Based on Darren's words preserved within the magic circle, they interrogated the servant man, Norman, whom they had captured that very day, and he easily confessed the name of the Duke of Arkwright. Of course, the official record omitted the fact that Princess Kana had Moon continuously growling beside the interrogator.

From the testimony of that man, Norman, a gardener, and two female cleaners were subsequently arrested.

Furthermore, upon pressing the gardener, they discovered that the duke had already made arrangements to bury a cursed jar within the royal palace as well.

(Fortunately, it was intercepted before the jar could be brought in, but had it actually been carried out, what a disaster it would have caused...)

Hearing that report, a cold sweat ran down Beaton's spine.

However, despite uncovering so much, no decisive evidence to arrest the Duke of Arkwright came to light. This was because all instructions from the duke to his subordinates were given orally, without a single written order.

Yet, a solution emerged from an unexpected quarter. Remarkably, it was discovered that the butler of the ducal house had written Darren's letter of recommendation. Therefore, though somewhat reluctant, Beaton decided to make use of it.

The culprit behind the 'murder tied to the break-in and theft inside the royal palace' was the duke's illegitimate son, and the one who had recommended him was none other than the butler of the ducal house. Thus, under the logical reasoning that 'it was only natural to suspect the duke himself was involved in the incident,' they resolved to arrest him.

However, given that the duke held the highest status outside the royal family, preparations for his arrest were made in complete secrecy to prevent the destruction of evidence or flight.

The next morning. Before dawn had fully broken, Princess Kana relieved Zenki and Goki of their duties, and at the exact same time, a total of 150 knights and mages, led by Knight Commander Beaton, set out for the Duke of Arkwright's mansion.

Armed with an arrest warrant signed by William and the Queen, Beaton brushed past the gatekeepers, passed through the gates, and threw open the front doors. Sealing off every exit simultaneously, he brushed aside the butler and guards who tried to stop him and burst into the duke's private chambers.

「What is all this racket?! What on earth is going on?!」

The knights surrounded the duke, who was still in bed wearing his nightwear, and immediately bound his hands behind his back.

「Hey, what is the meaning of this?! Who do you think I am?! Beaton, this is not something that can be forgiven with a simple 'it was a mistake'! You realize that, don't you?!」

「Of course, Duke of Arkwright. You stand accused of high treason against the state. Please come along quietly.」

「On what evidence do you say such a thing?!」

At that moment, having perhaps heard the commotion, the duchess and the young lady appeared alongside their handmaidens with anxious expressions. The two, clinging to each other for support, turned pale upon seeing the bound duke, seemingly grasping the gravity of the situation from the demeanor of the surrounding knights.

「Husband, what is the meaning of this...?」

「Father...」

「There is no meaning! These fools are laboring under some delusion! Hey, untie this at once!」

「There is no delusion whatsoever. Summons have also been issued for both the duchess and the young lady. For our part, we have no desire to treat you roughly. We will grant you time to change and prepare yourselves, but please do not entertain any thoughts of fleeing or resisting.」

「How could this be...? What could my husband or any of us possibly have done...?」

「Mother, I am certain the misunderstanding will be cleared up shortly. It simply must be...」

The attending handmaidens voiced their agreement with the duchess and young lady, who defended the duke and believed in his innocence. Behind Beaton, however, mages and knights had begun searching various parts of the mansion to uncover ties to the Empire. The search of the study and private chambers was being conducted with particular thoroughness.

「No matter how much you search, you will find nothing!」

Even while bound, the duke boasted arrogantly, standing right beside an oddly armored knight wearing a helmet decorated with fox ears. The knight, possessing long white hair tied back and sharp, slightly upturned eyes, held the end of the rope binding the duke and gave it an occasional tug.

After a short while, a young girl's voice resounded from out of nowhere.

「Beaton, it is the young lady's dressing room. It appears the bottom of the drawer containing those items called 'drawers' is double-bottomed. Search there. Ah, it seems to be locked with magic, however.」

「Wha—!」

Upon hearing that, the duke's eyes widened in shock. At the exact same time, the young lady shrieked.

「Please stop! Searching... searching a place like that... Knight Commander, I beg of you, that is so embarrassing...」

Facing the young lady, who hung her head flushed bright red, even the knights hesitated to search such a location. Just as they paused in their movements and turned their gaze toward the Knight Commander—

「However, the one who hid various things in there was your father.」

The previous voice echoed once more.

With that, the demeanor of the duchess and the young lady, who until now had been defending their husband and father, transformed entirely.

The duchess cast a glare colder and sharper than ice, while the young lady leveled a gaze wrapped in raging flames of fury toward the duke, their husband and father respectively. Both expressed an intense rage bordering on murderous intent.

「Father... my—」

「Husband... did you—」

「「Open Saria's underwear drawer?!」」

At the same time, the female knights and mages present also directed glares drenched in murderous intent toward the duke.

「Eek...」

Their terrifying demeanor struck fear not only into the duke, but into every man present, driving even Beaton to take a couple of steps back.

(It seems that to his wife and daughter, opening his daughter's underwear drawer is a far graver offense than betraying the nation... Still, discovering that Ongyou-jutsu and Shafukuzoukin-no-jutsu can be used simultaneously was quite a harvest.)

In the end, the matter was settled by having several female knights and mages search the underwear drawer in the presence of the young lady.

Naturally, a wealth of evidence emerged, including documents detailing ties to the Empire, resulting in the duke being imprisoned in the castle dungeon while the duchess and the young lady were held in the VIP cells.

***

On the afternoon of the day Princess Kana lifted the protection of Zenki and Goki, Aldridge found himself receiving visitors one after another.

One was the Pope, who made a sudden request for a meeting without any prior notice. The other was Marquess Blacker, father of Royal Concubine Trisha, whom Aldridge had sent a letter to informing him of the deaths of the royal concubine and the second prince after receiving news of the Duke of Arkwright's arrest.

While Aldridge was receiving the Pope in his office, Marquess Blacker burst inside.

「Chancellor, what is the meaning of this?! Is it true that my daughter, that Trisha and Alton are dead?! Why on earth...」

From his pale complexion and disheveled hair, it was clear to anyone that he had rushed over immediately upon receiving the news.

「You are in the presence of His Holiness the Pope. Please do not raise your voice so.」

「But still!」

「Marquess Blacker. My heart aches deeply over this matter as well. I will explain everything to you, so please, have a seat.」

Saying so, Aldridge gestured for the marquess and the Pope to sit on the couch beside the low table. After requesting additional tea through a nearby civil servant, he took a seat opposite them.

The tea was prepared quickly, and the room was cleared of attendants. Now, only three people remained inside the office.

The marquess was the first to speak.

「Chancellor. I want to hear nothing but the facts! I will not tolerate lies or fabrications of any kind!」

「In the name of Goddess Dralah. Then first, Marquess, have you heard the reports regarding the illness of unknown origin?」

「Ah. I heard that an illness of unknown origin broke out in the castle shortly after the Saintess and her party departed. So I rushed over to visit, only to be thrown into the moat.」

Nodding at the marquess's response, Aldridge proceeded to state only the facts.

「At that time, both of them were already in a state where getting out of bed was utterly impossible. The same was true for His Majesty.」

「What?! His Majesty as well?!」

The Chancellor nodded with a sorrowful expression.

「By the way, could I ask you to look at these?」

Saying so, he stood up, brought two items from atop his desk, and set them side by side on the low table. They were Princess Kana's map and the cursed jar.

「First, this is a map created by the Saintess the day after she arrived here, and these red markings indicate the distribution of magic beasts.」

「What about it?!」

「Look closely. This location here. Does anything strike you as strange?」

Aldridge's finger pointed to the Duke of Arkwright's territory.

「What are you saying? There is nothing strange... No, wait, it certainly is a bit... actually, far more than just a bit. This spot alone is unnaturally low. Despite having a vast forest and a major highway, it has fewer beasts than my own territory, and even fewer than the neighboring viscountcy. That is indeed... But what I am asking about right now is Trisha and Alton! Or are you saying this has something to do with Trisha's death?」

The Chancellor did not answer that question directly, instead gesturing with his hand to direct the marquess's gaze toward the jar placed beside it.

「Next, there is this.」

「What is this?」

「It is a cursed jar. Ah, rest assured. The Saintess has already purified it, so it poses no danger. In truth, the Saintess recently traveled alongside Prince William and the subjugation unit to purify the region of Clutchfield, where massive miasma pools had formed. It seems an object like this was buried in every single miasma pool they purified. According to the Saintess, these cursed artifacts are likely the root cause of the miasma pools.」

「What?! Are you saying someone has been placing curses on our nation's territory for these past two years?! Your Holiness, is such a thing truly possible with this?」

Though addressed unexpectedly, the Pope, who had been observing the progression of events, prefaced his response by noting that he was not particularly knowledgeable about curses themselves before replying:

「Though it has been purified, I still sense a strong resentment and malice emanating from this jar. In all likelihood, the Saintess's assessment is correct.」

He answered while casting a look at the jar as if beholding something foul. The marquess accepted his words, yet his expression indicated he still failed to see how any of this connected to his beloved daughter's death.

「And finally, one more vital fact. On the day of the Saintess summoning, an intruder broke into the private chambers of the Royal Concubine and the Second Prince.」

The marquess's eyes widened in surprise. It was at this point that his mind finally began seeking connections between the preceding explanation and the deaths of his daughter and grandson. His face grew contemplative.

「Fortunately, the intruder was apprehended immediately and thrown into the dungeon, but he was killed shortly thereafter. Furthermore, it was done by a man who was this individual's illegitimate son—having infiltrated the royal palace as a guard—along with his accomplices.」

He tapped his finger against the duke's territory once more.

「A nobleman as wise as you, Marquess, surely understands what all of this implies, does he not?」

Pausing briefly, Aldridge added further:

「To our embarrassment, our attention was directed entirely toward what the intruder might have stolen.」

「Then, you mean to say that this was brought into my daughter's and grandson's chambers at that time...? Then tell me, why were the Queen and the First Prince unharmed?」

「Her Majesty the Queen spent a considerable amount of time accompanying the Saintess on that day, and while Prince William was present then, he did not return to his private quarters from the following day onward, departing directly after preparing for the subjugation.」

「Are you saying they were hardly affected...?」

「Furthermore, after His Majesty became unable to get out of bed, Her Majesty became immensely busy serving as regent. Thus, she had no time to return to her own quarters, spending her nights in the rest room beside the office.」

Everything Aldridge spoke was the absolute truth. How to piece those facts together was entirely up to the marquess. And sure enough, the mind of the conspiracy theorist constructed a narrative that worked precisely to Aldridge's advantage.

「So even if one had been brought in, they were barely affected by it. Then why was His Majesty... No, never mind that. So it was all the duke's conspiracy?! To plunge our country into crisis and ultimately target the lives of the royal family?!」

「It seems the duke wished to ascend the throne himself. To that end, he even entered into a secret pact with the Empire—a fact that came to light when we searched the ducal mansion this morning.」

This, too, was the truth. And it was more than enough to reinforce the marquess's conclusion.

「How utterly foolish! For the ducal house, which should be supporting the royal family, to collude with a foreign power and plot to usurp the throne! And for my daughter and grandson to be... for such a scheme...」

As he watched the marquess's shoulders tremble with his head bowed and fists clenched white, Aldridge felt a slight pang of guilt. Yet, true to his word, he had spoken nothing but the facts. Nor was the marquess's imagination entirely a delusion.

In reality, had the duke not instigated such schemes, there would have been no Saintess summoning, and they would not have died.

(Although somewhat problematic, the marquess is a capable man. Harboring ill will or malice toward the Saintess would yield no benefit whatsoever. Therefore, having the duke bear all the blame is the best path forward!)

「Then, what of His Majesty's condition...?」

At those words, Aldridge shook his head with an even more sorrowful expression.

「Regrettably... it could be said that his passing occurred almost simultaneously with Lady Trisha's.」

Those words somehow seemed to offer comfort to the marquess, loosening his expression slightly.

「Is the duke... in the dungeon?」

「Yes. Along with his illegitimate son, he is held in the underground dungeon. He must face proper justice, after all.」

「May I see him?」

「If you wish, immediately. I shall have the Vice Commander of the Knights escort you.」

「Please. ...And after that, guide me to the mausoleum as well...」

「Understood. I will pass the word along.」

As Aldridge closed the door after seeing off the marquess, who departed with slumped shoulders alongside the Vice Commander, the Pope spoke as if he had been waiting for that exact moment.

「To be sure, you spoke only the facts and offered not a single lie.」

He spoke with a subtle edge of thorniness in his tone.

*****

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