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The King’s Command

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I dunno why but when I try to publish pages aside from this one today, they just don't appear.

*****

「Good grief, that absolute fool...!!」

Marquis Nete Deltrate, Tsurgis' father, appeared in the reception room, the veins in his forehead bulging with fury.

He served as a Legion Commander and was a man usually addressed as "Your Excellency." King Kobyak Lionel IV gave a wry smile at the powerful, intimidating aura radiating from his cousin, who was exceptionally gifted in sword sorcery.

Known by the alias "The Red Lion," Nete was so enraged that his hair and beard—a deep crimson even more intense than Tsurgis' red hair—looked as if they were standing on end.

「Nete, calm yourself.」

The one who spoke was Duke Notolde Langley, the Prime Minister and father of Schizolda.

He possessed features remarkably similar to his son’s, though he lacked a beard, seemingly having thin body hair by nature. However, the deep wrinkles between his brows and at the corners of his down-turned mouth gave him an air of stern fastidiousness and authority.

「How am I supposed to stay calm?! To think he would commit an act that could invite suspicion of high treason...!」

As Legion Commander Nete sat down indignantly, King Kobyak addressed him with a friendly tone.

「Don’t be so hard on him. I apologize for moving forward without informing you, but this was a farce performed with the full consent of Notolde, Tsurgis, and Schizolda.」

「What did you say?!」

The King, the Prime Minister, and the Legion Commander had been classmates at the aristocratic academy; Prime Minister Notolde was even the King's foster brother.

King Kobyak had decreed that in this setting, where only the three of them were present, formalities were to be set aside. This was why Legion Commander Nete was able to speak so familiarly.

「Why on earth would you do such a thing?!」

「Because if I had told you, you would have gone to your son and knocked him flat before you even heard the full story.」

「Naturally!!」

「And since that would have been a problem, I didn't tell you.」

Legion Commander Nete was usually calm and collected, but he was inherently impulsive and famously strict with his eldest son, whom he had raised to be his successor.

As a result, his son Tsurgis had grown up with a strong sense of responsibility and endurance, but he was also terribly inept at expressing his own opinions. Both the King and the Prime Minister often remarked that this was Nete's fault whenever he complained, but the Commander showed no signs of changing his ways.

And then, this incident occurred.

King Kobyak raised a hand to settle Nete before beginning his explanation.

「This matter involves the neighboring Balsam Empire. Do you recall the rumors that began a while back regarding magic tools used to manipulate people?」

「I've heard them.」

「This is the proof.」

With a soft *clack*, he placed a single bracelet on the table. Analytical results from the Ministry of Magic indicated that when worn, it creates a specialized magical field fueled by the wearer's own mana to strip away their power of thought.

「Tsurgis was forced to wear this. It seems he has some faint memories of what happened while he had it on.」

「...Are you saying he was being controlled?」

Legion Commander Nete excelled in martial arts but was poor when it came to magical knowledge. His vast mana was utilized solely for sword techniques known as Magic Blade arts or crude offensive spells; he was ignorant regarding magic tools.

Prime Minister Notolde, the wrinkles between his brows deepening, informed him bluntly.

「The one who created the opening for that was Schizolda. As my foolish son revealed earlier, Tsurgis was infatuated with Lady Dalistia. His hidden feelings and his very stoicism were likely exploited in the worst way possible.」

Furthermore, Eides had already secured the production site for the perfume rumored to dull the senses. It had apparently been built on a territory within the kingdom, disguised as a warehouse.

「Which lord is the traitor?」

When Legion Commander Nete asked with bloodshot eyes, King Kobyak grinned.

「The Olbrun territory.」

Nete raised his eyebrows in surprise.

「What...? You mean Hubby?」

While not as close as the three of them, Marquis Hubby Olbrun—who managed the nation’s breadbasket—was a year younger than them, and they had often caused trouble together in their youth.

「I found it surprising as well. I cannot imagine that a man who fell for the Empire’s royal niece and practically snatched her away after a grand romance would betray the Royal Family that helped him.」

He was a recluse who had eyes only for his wife, hesitating to even visit the royal capital for important business after their marriage. He doted on her to such an extent that he looked displeased even when she wished to return to the Empire for a visit.

There was absolutely no reason for a man who cared for nothing but his family to side with the Empire and plot to destroy the Lionel Kingdom.

「True... perhaps he's being blackmailed?」

「For what reason? If anyone crosses him, it's the other side that would be in trouble, given they import his food.」

During the Empire's famine, the Olbrun Marquis house had exported grain at low prices, earning their gratitude. Even now, they should be regularly exporting high-quality wheat at prices slightly below the market rate.

「I considered the possibility that Hubby or his wife were being manipulated and had my shadows investigate, but there is no sign of that.」

Prime Minister Notolde spoke slowly, his eyes narrowing.

「However... it may not be Hubby who is doing the plotting.」

「What do you mean?」

「It's the same as with you, Nete. There is a possibility that the son is acting on his own initiative.」

「Zumiano?」

He was a young man of elegant features, inheriting the blood of the Empire. He was cheerful and well-liked, resembling Hubby, but he was a child whose thoughts were difficult to read.

「It makes sense, doesn't it? When Schizolda took Tsurgis to the Empire, Zumiano was by their side. He would be the one capable of slipping the magic tool onto Tsurgis, informing him of the mind-controlling incense, teaching him how to use it... and he is the one who could have a warehouse built on his territory, secretly renovated into a production factory for the fragrance.」

「So the one in the best position to act is Zumiano.」

Legion Commander Nete’s face shifted into that of a leader of an organization as he glared at King Kobyak.

「Then why did you let him get away?」

「For one, we have no evidence. Tsurgis did not remember the person who gave him the bracelet or the person who taught him how to use the perfume. Recognition-inhibiting magic was likely used in conjunction.」

For a while, his memories had been muddled, and his physical health had also been affected.

「The other reason is to track Zumiano's movements. To settle the matter, Tsurgis and Schizolda took the blame upon themselves, framing it as 'nothing more than Tsurgis's romantic feelings and Schizolda's recklessness in egging him on.' If this were identified as a conspiracy by the Empire to spark a civil war, it could lead to war at worst.」

King Kobyak himself, Tsurgis, Schizolda, and Prime Minister Notolde all feared that outcome above all else.

「Isn't that what we want? We'll crush them head-on.」

「Calm down. It would be fine if we were the only ones to suffer the consequences, but the ones who would sacrifice the most are the people.」

Prime Minister Notolde sighed at Nete's aggressive statement.

「Once the evidence is gathered, we can use it as leverage to maneuver behind the scenes and impose sanctions on the Empire. Everyone is currently moving toward that resolution.」

That was why they had chosen this moment to speak.

「I will be conducting personnel changes soon. Once that is finished, I will require the strength of the military.」

「Whose head are you replacing?」

「The Minister of Foreign Affairs. In times of peace, he is fine as he is, but that gentle yet mediocre man cannot handle rough business bordering on an emergency.」

「And the successor?」

In response to Legion Commander Nete’s question, King Kobyak announced with a cruel smile:

「Magus Lord Eides Ormirage. He is the most suitable candidate right now.」

「...And what do you intend to do about the Ministry of Magic?」

「I'll leave it to Maleficent Abaccam. He'll handle it well.」

「And the Special Task Minister?」

「I’m thinking of entrusting it to Leonir for a time. That boy is a bit too fastidious; it would be good for him to be tempered in slightly dirtier waters. His partner is also well-versed in magic, which is convenient. If Eides has to go to the Empire, I want you to assign the most reliable men in the military as his guards.」

At the selection of personnel that flowed so smoothly, Legion Commander Nete let out a long breath through his nose.

「Will it really work? All of this?」

「Eides and Leonir have gained Wellmy and Iola, after all. ...Those two are rare finds.」

Though young, there were few individuals so capable of being involved in diplomacy and domestic affairs.

On one hand, a woman with an eye for identifying excellent talent, possessing the eloquence and acting skills to manipulate even royalty, and the brilliant diplomatic skill to guide others to her will without them realizing it—not to mention being a practitioner of curse-breaking techniques inherited directly from Crates.

On the other hand, a talented woman who obtained her high-ranking magus qualification at the International Magic Research Institute in record time, whose skills as a lord are impressive enough to make one marvel, and who possesses a depth of knowledge regarding magic befitting her violet eyes—a genius whose intellect allows her to even handle crop development herself.

---And above all, she saved his beloved wife from illness.

「Our country will be even more unshakable in the next generation. I cannot wait to see what those men will accomplish now that they have gained those women.」

「You're as black-hearted as ever, Kobyak. You intend to use even your sons' wives?」

「Is that so wrong? It's not as if anyone is becoming unhappy.」

When the King answered nonchalantly, Legion Commander Nete turned his eyes toward Prime Minister Notolde.

「So, what will happen to Tsurgis and Schizolda?」

「We will hide them for a while under the guise of serving their sentence, then give them different identities and have them work. They are talented as well, after all. It would be a waste to let them sit idle. Whether they can rise to the surface once more after that is up to them.」

Though he surely felt something regarding his son's blunder, he remained composed as a Prime Minister.

「So you're settling for a crime of that magnitude.」

「If it's proven not to be high treason, it will likely just be the fact that they were manipulated and the crimes committed during that time. Schizolda only spread rumors, and Tsurgis can be handled as having been in a state of diminished responsibility. We can settle it with a period of house arrest.」

Minister of Justice Kilrain is faithful to the law, but he is not so narrow-minded as to complain if things are within legal bounds.

「As for the punishment against the houses?」

When the question was turned back to him, King Kobyak gave a wry smile.

「Have them pay reparations and alimony to each of the people they inconvenienced. Of those affected by that perfume, only Seifahrt was influenced strongly enough to lose his mental balance. Lady Dalistia only had it once, so there's no need for concern. For these three, including Lady Teresalo, they should have their wishes granted in addition to receiving money.」

「Is that really enough?」

「That is the extent of what has occurred. Thanks to Wellmy... if we were to charge them with insurrection, we would instead lose talent and shake the stability of the state. The rest depends on the movements of His Holiness the Pope.」

The headquarters of the Church is in the Empire. Depending on how deeply they are involved in this matter, it will determine whether the opposition is just the Empire, or if it includes the Church—that massive organization—as well.

For that assessment, Eides and Wellmy were necessary.

「I shall have them be of use to the best of their ability. If it serves Iola and Leo’s interests, those two will have no reason to refuse.」

King Kobyak grinned and stroked his chin.

*****

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