Chapter 3 – The Inherited Soul of a Ruler
1
A week after the battle with the bandits in the Dyrst region, I was summoned to an unpopular equipment shed behind the castle.
As I racked my brain for the reason, my rampage during the bandit fight came to mind.
When I returned to the Imperial Castle, Princess Valtrune had scolded me.
‘Al, from now on, you are forbidden from fighting alone. Understood?’
I remembered her face, quietly admonishing me as if I were a child.
…Is this my punishment?
I thought, letting out a deep sigh.
Steeling myself, I headed to the shed, only to find an unexpected person waiting.
“Ah, hey! Over here!”
“…Fadi.”
He beckoned me over, and I reluctantly approached.
“…Why are you here?”
“Same as you.”
“Rune-sama summoned you?”
“Yep, that’s right!”
Fadi cackled, then looked around, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“She’s late, though.”
“Well, Rune-sama is busy…”
“Her, yeah, but there’s one more person coming.”
His words just added to my confusion. I tilted my head.
“One more?”
“She didn’t tell you anything?”
“No.”
I’d thought I was the only one summoned. But if others were gathered, too, then this probably wasn’t a punishment detail.
It’s no use. I have no idea what Princess Valtrune is planning.
“Can I at least ask who else is coming?”
Fadi toyed with his red hair and muttered.
“Flegel.”
I see. I have absolutely no idea what kind of criteria she used to pick us.
We waited for a while, and just as Fadi said, a winded Flegel appeared, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Yo.”
“How are you so calm about this…”
“Flegel! I’m here, too!”
“Ugh. And the annoying one is here, too…”
“Haha, my reputation really is the worst. I’m totally gonna cry~♪.”
Flegel looked completely fed up, while Fadi remained cheerful even after the jab.
These two seemed like complete opposites. Was this really going to be okay? As I watched them bicker, someone clapped me hard on the shoulder from behind.
“…Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“—Your Highness!?”
I jumped, my shoulders jolting. When I turned, Princess Valtrune was standing there, her cheeks puffed out slightly. She was radiating a dangerous aura, clearly unhappy with my form of address.
“Now, Al. What did you just call me?”
“M-My apologies. Rune-sama.”
“Fufu. Much better.”
She smiled teasingly, then looked at the three of us in turn.
“Good! That’s everyone.”
She counted us on her fingers, then took a breath.
“Operation: Provisional Elite Corps Intelligence Agent Reinforcement… begins now!”
She announced, out of the blue.
2
Princess Valtrune has more drive than anyone. Sometimes she leads the army on the battlefield, and other times she uses her intellect to actively manage domestic affairs.
I have sworn from the bottom of my heart to always be at her side, supporting her as she gives her all. …However, this current situation was a complete blindside. This was a new operation I’d heard nothing about.
“Operation: Provisional Elite Corps Intelligence Agent Reinforcement?”
“…What’s this about?”
Flegel and I tilted our heads in unison, our eyes asking for an explanation.
“Let’s talk details inside.”
Princess Valtrune pointed to the shed and gave Fadi a subtle signal.
Fadi immediately produced a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and struck an exaggerated ‘welcome’ pose.
“Okaaay, right this way, everyone!”
…Ugh. I have a really bad feeling about this.
Fadi’s goofy attitude was only fueling our anxiety.
“Hey, Aldia. I want to go home.”
“What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing.”
This shady, unexplained operation definitely involved some new trouble Fadi had dragged in. I could feel it, and my feet suddenly felt heavier than they had all day.
“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Princess Valtrune said, turning to us as we hesitated. She flashed a bright, almost innocent smile.
“This is a top-secret mission that only a select few know about. So, trying to leave partway through will result in severe punishment.”
“…Huh?”
“Isn’t that just… forcing us?”
Flegel and I both went pale.
So, the moment we showed up here, we were already roped into this sketchy plot.
“So, you see, Al? I’m telling you, it’s best if you just come along.”
She placed a hand gently on my back.
‘I will not let you escape.’
I could feel her strong, unyielding will through her palm. At that point, I resigned myself to my fate and shot Flegel a look of pity.
“Flegel. It’s no use. Just give up…”
“Haaa…”
He, too, raised his hands in surrender and began to walk, defeated.
“Thank you, Al.”
“Well, I am your knight.”
In the first place, the moment she asked for my cooperation, I never had a choice.
There was only one path: to do whatever it takes to make this ‘Operation: Provisional Elite Corps Intelligence Agent Reinforcement’ a success, just as she wished.
“Fufu. I’m counting on you.”
“I will do everything in my power.”
In sharp contrast to Princess Valtrune, who held a hand to her lips and smiled softly, I put on a serious face and swore my absolute cooperation.
3
“Alright. I’ll explain the mission details. We’re going to use Fadi’s connections to add people skilled in intelligence gathering to the Provisional Elite Corps. That’s it!”
“Yep, that’s pretty much it!”
…That was the most concise ‘detailed’ explanation I’d ever heard. It was so vague, I was starting to question the very meaning of the words ‘mission details.’
“Um… that explanation doesn’t tell us why this is a ‘top-secret’ mission. If we’re just recruiting new allies, we shouldn’t need to be so secretive.”
“Al has a point. But think about it. I said we’re using Fadi’s connections. Which means…”
I started to understand what she was implying.
Using Fadi’s connections meant… contacting the shady characters who live in the Empire’s underworld. Considering her status as Princess, that was an enormous risk.
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. It was an agonizing decision I came to after much deliberation.”
“…You have my sympathies.”
What? So she’s a victim in this, too?
She must have been begged by Fadi to let his old comrades join the corps, and with her strong sense of responsibility, she couldn’t refuse. Now that she’d taken Fadi in, she couldn’t just ignore his requests.
Seeing her press her fingers to her temples, I let out a sigh of sympathy and relief.
“Fadi. Could you not trouble Rune-sama so much?”
“Ehh!? You’re just going to pin all the blame on me now!?”
“Thank you, Al. To be honest, I was at my wit’s end… You’re a lifesaver.”
“You switched sides way too fast… Hey, man, she’s playing you!”
I tilted my head at his protest.
“What are you talking about? As if Rune-sama would ever lie to me.”
When I said that, Fadi just stared at me with the face of a man who has seen a profound, unchangeable truth.
“This is hopeless… He’s completely tamed.”
“Fufu. Just as I’d expect from my knight.”
“A little-devil princess… terrifying. I bet one of these days she’s going to use you and say, ‘Now, let’s go conquer the world!’“
“Oh, you figured it out? You’re quite sharp, aren’t you?”
“H-Hey, don’t take my jokes seriously! And that’s not a cue, okay!?”
Fadi, who’d been talking a mile a minute, was completely overwhelmed by Princess Valtrune. As expected of the next Empress. Her charisma was on another level.
“…Alright. Playtime is over.”
“Oh, man. She actually just called it ‘playtime.’“
She starts it, and she ends it.
Is this the spatial-control ability granted only to a true Empress?
“Truly magnificent, Rune-sama.”
“I… where was the ‘magnificent’ part? Your loyalty is so blind you’d agree with anything…”
“Um. Are we done with this? I’d really appreciate it if we could get to the actual point.”
Flegel’s common sense cut through the air, bringing our ridiculous charade to an end. The heavy tension had finally broken. It was time.
“…So, Rune-sama. You were serious about using Fadi’s connections? That wasn’t a joke?”
My voice was serious now. My eyes were fixed on my noble liege.
Princess Valtrune, in turn, met my gaze with a resolute posture.
“Yes. I am aware of the risks, but this is how I intend to strengthen our forces.”
“…Understood.”
She had often spoken of wanting to gradually expand the Provisional Elite Corps. I’d predicted that, sooner or later, she would have to connect with the underworld. And seeing her expression now, I knew this wasn’t a half-hearted decision.
“Fadi has strong ties to the underworld. Before he joined us for the fight with Marquis Rigel, he belonged to a certain organization.”
“A certain organization?”
“Yes. One of the Empire’s three great shadow organizations. ‘The White Smoke Lizards.’ Fadi is their former leader.”
“—!”
‘A notorious assassin.’
That was Fadi’s reputation as I knew it. But the real Fadi wasn’t someone who could be summed up by such a simple title.
The real reason she’d wanted Fadi on her side… was his pipeline to the underworld. …I had completely misjudged the situation.
Back when I became her knight and we first decided to contact Fadi… My expectations for him weren’t very high. He was a total unknown. That was natural. But now I understood why she had been so insistent on recruiting him.
He’s a major figure from the Empire’s shadow world, one whose weaknesses she knew, making him easy to bring in.
Princess Valtrune, more than anyone, knew the massive implications of acquiring an asset like Fadi.
It was the optimal move, one that only she—with her knowledge of the past and her deep understanding of the Empire—could have arrived at. It was an answer I never could have found.
My eyes widened. I stared at Princess Valtrune, whose powerful gaze had not wavered for an instant.
“…Did you know, from the very beginning?”
I asked, and she, instantly understanding my meaning, gave a slow nod.
“Yes. It was all part of the plan.”
“—! That’s… amazing.”
“It’s not… but, well, being praised by you does feel nice.”
She blushed and smiled, clearly pleased by my admiration.
Fadi and Flegel, who had been listening, were completely lost.
“…Um, what are you two talking about?”
“It’s not really helpful when you two have a whole conversation just by looking at each other…”
They both looked utterly baffled.
“Sorry. It’s just… our thing. Don’t worry about it.”
Princess Valtrune tried to wave it off, but that only made their stares more suspicious.
“This is…”
“Sus-pi-cious.”
“It’s really nothing!”
Princess Valtrune, her smile strained, tugged on my sleeve, silently asking for help.
“Al…”
Being looked at like that… I had to help her.
I put a knuckle to my lips and gave a loud, throat-clearing cough.
“…What?”
“No, I was just… Rune-sama is in a tight spot, so…”
“Then you explain what you were talking about.”
“…”
I can’t just casually say, ‘Oh, Princess Valtrune recruited Fadi because it meant she could potentially absorb the entire White Smoke Lizards organization.’
I was at a complete loss. But staying silent would just make them more suspicious.
I wracked my brain, and finally came up with something.
“It’s about… your reason for being here…”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yeah. Rune-sama was just saying… if we succeed in this, it’ll be a huge personal achievement for you.”
It was a complete deflection. But it wasn’t technically a lie. If Flegel was being roped into this, it was almost certainly to let him build that kind of record.
Flegel’s eyes went wide.
“You mean…”
“It’s your chance to rebuild your relationship with your former fiancée.”
To re-establish his engagement to Lady Mariana of House Rhein. That was the primary reason Flegel had abandoned his status in the Kingdom and come to the Empire.
“Y-Yes! That’s exactly what we were talking about!”
Princess Valtrune seized the opportunity and jumped right on board.
“Rune-sama is thinking seriously about your future.”
“—!”
“The only reason she’s using Fadi’s connections is because she wants you to establish an unshakable position here in the Empire. She’s taking this risk… because she supports you and Lady Mariana.”
The words just flowed. …Even if they were just an ideal scenario I’d invented on the spot.
“That’s… really… I… I’m speechless. I don’t know how to thank her.”
“Yeah. I know, right?”
It was a ridiculously convenient story, but for Flegel, it was incredibly effective.
“If that’s the case, you should have just told me.”
“Rune-sama doesn’t like to broadcast her own good deeds. You should be more considerate.”
“Ah… Right. I’ll be more aware… And, as for this mission, I swear I will give it my all!”
The topic was successfully changed. And, as a bonus, I’d managed to fire Flegel up.
Not bad, if I do say so myself.
Fadi still looked skeptical, but since Flegel had bought my story, he dropped his line of questioning.
“…Right. Can we just get on with this now?”
“Yes,” Valtrune said, nodding at Fadi’s weary suggestion. She then continued her explanation.
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