Ch.300Chapter 300 – A Place Where You Must Watch Your Back

After a while, Beatrice finally calmed down.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I caused you trouble, didn’t I?”

Beatrice said while wiping her tears.

“Not at all.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

I looked at Beatrice and spoke quietly.

“I can always be there for you when you need to cry.”

“Isn’t it bothersome?”

“It might be if we were complete strangers, but we’re not.”

I smiled gently at Beatrice, who was staring at me somewhat blankly.

“So feel free to lean on me whenever you need to cry.”

“…Thank you.”

After saying that, Beatrice took out a handkerchief and began wiping her eyes.

I quietly asked her.

“Obviously, it would be better to keep your identity hidden, right?”

“Yes. Nothing good would come from revealing that another princess is still alive.”

After saying that, Beatrice glanced at me nervously and added.

“Keep it a secret between just you and me.”

“I will.”

When I nodded in agreement, Beatrice leaned closer to me.

“Promise? For sure?”

“Yes.”

After extracting that promise from me, Beatrice seemed to feel a little better.

She’s calmed down a lot now.

So it was time to discuss what comes next.

“What are you going to do now?”

“…About that.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have asked what your original plan was first.”

At my words, Beatrice put her hand to her chin as if organizing her thoughts.

Then she quietly began to speak.

“First, I was planning to reorganize the resistance from within.”

“Reorganize?”

“You know the resistance is a mess inside, right?”

I knew the situation very well.

I nodded, and she continued.

“It’s obvious, but there aren’t many left who were loyal to the former king. Even those who remain don’t have much power. Those who were loyal to the former king and had significant influence were the first ones my uncle and the church eliminated.”

If anyone were to rebel, the former king’s subordinates would be the first to do so. For the current king, who essentially seized the throne by force, purging them would have been his top priority.

“Therefore, most of those who have risen against my uncle now did so because they resent him, not out of loyalty to the former king. The majority are people trying to take advantage of the current chaos.”

This was something I had easily predicted.

Beatrice continued.

“To sum it up, among those gathered in the resistance, the powerful ones have joined purely out of self-interest. Even though they haven’t properly won any battles yet, they’re already fighting among themselves, trying to undermine each other while dreaming about the future after victory.”

Beatrice paused briefly before speaking again.

“They say there are no permanent allies or enemies in politics… In the end, the resistance has become a place where everyone has to watch their back.”

“The height of foolishness.”

“Surprisingly, people in other places also stab each other in the back for personal gain.”

Beatrice sighed softly, saying she hadn’t expected the weakest faction to be in such a situation.

I quietly asked her.

“So you were planning to deal with those people first.”

“Yes. We have to clean house, starting with them.”

Beatrice nodded in response to my words.

“The resistance is already weak. To defeat the royal army led by my uncle, we can’t have internal discord. If we can’t even manage that, there’s no hope.”

“So your plan was to eliminate the key figures of the factions within the resistance and absorb them into the princess faction.”

“That’s right.”

That’s why Beatrice had been manipulating Count Rizolkobu.

Though she hadn’t anticipated drawing so much attention that the Dragon Slayer would show up.

“But wouldn’t that weaken the overall strength of the resistance? It would also cause confusion.”

“A valid point. Overall, our forces would decrease. In the big picture, it’s like the resistance forces are being attacked by enemy forces.”

But, Beatrice added.

“However, if we succeed in drawing the troops from opposing factions to the princess faction, the princess faction benefits. Since the princess faction is already small, it’s easier to recover from combat losses, and we can use that time to absorb troops from other factions while they’re recovering from their losses.”

Beatrice spoke quietly.

“Besides, since the resistance is already treated as rebels, the soldiers who have already joined can’t easily flee. To survive, they need to join someone’s ranks. When commanders are in confusion, it’s not that difficult to bring them to our side.”

“I see.”

So the plan was to eliminate the leaders who opposed the princess, and then have the princess faction take their place and claim their forces.

“That’s quite a ruthless plan.”

“…To be honest, it was also partly a plan for revenge.”

“Revenge?”

At my question, Beatrice hesitated a bit.

Then she quietly said.

“…You know Domestica took a risk to rescue Gabriella, right?”

“That’s what I was told.”

“Why do you think Dome took that risk?”

I pondered Beatrice’s words for a moment.

Come to think of it, Domestica seemed to hold a somewhat ambiguous position among the princess faction’s leadership.

It wouldn’t have been easy for her to move troops as she wished, yet she had risked rescuing Gabriella.

‘…I see.’

Thinking about everything I’d heard so far, I could figure out one thing.

“Most of the resistance was reluctant to rescue the princess, I take it.”

“It’s the effect of factional fighting.”

Beatrice said quietly.

“They thought if the princess returned, their share would diminish.”

That’s because Gabriella was the daughter of the former king.

In terms of legitimacy, she was second to none within the resistance.

But I should address this idea that they thought their share would diminish.

“Just asking hypothetically, but couldn’t someone marry Gabriella as a solution?”

If a man were to marry Gabriella, couldn’t he gain her power that way?

Beatrice immediately responded.

“Remember I briefly explained about the history of Firenchena and the kingdom? The story of Firenchena and the princess?”

Indeed, the princess’s name became the country’s name, and the princess became queen.

I see.

“So if the resistance succeeds in overthrowing the current king, Gabriella would likely be crowned queen.”

“The person who marries her to gain power would likely end up just as the queen’s husband. Of course, there’s also the approach of making her a puppet queen and controlling her from behind… but internal defectors or one’s enemies would almost certainly side with the queen and target you. And that would continue until Gabriella dies.”

Beatrice paused briefly, then quietly added.

“…Above all, I’m not sure if Gabriella would easily give up the throne.”

“Really?”

“Yes. …It’s not simple ambition… it’s more like… she seems somewhat obsessed…”

Beatrice’s voice trailed off as if she was worried about Gabriella.

It seemed clear that, in her view, Gabriella had no intention of giving up the throne even if the resistance won.

That meant that as long as Gabriella was alive, anyone who wanted to sit on the throne would have to compete with her and her superior legitimacy.

Of course, there would be confident people who believed they could overcome this obstacle, but if Gabriella remained alive and continued to aim for the throne, the discord would likely persist.

Since most of the resistance had gathered out of self-interest or ambition, it was natural that they would be reluctant to rescue Gabriella, who would become a future competitor.

Considering that the rescue operation was carried out despite this situation, I can’t imagine how much Domestica must have struggled.

“That operation further weakened the already weak loyalist faction, I hear.”

And the loyalists became the princess faction after rescuing the princess, but…

Beatrice added that with their forces already weak, and after carrying out such a risky operation, they had become extremely weak within the resistance, essentially being pushed around by others.

Thinking of Archery, who couldn’t do more than shout at officials from other factions, it was easy to imagine how weak they had become.

‘And she mentioned revenge.’

Considering that Beatrice was actually one of the princesses, it meant that the youngest princess, Gabriella, was Beatrice’s sister.

Naturally, she wouldn’t look kindly upon the resistance members who had been reluctant to rescue her sister.

So she had planned to strengthen the princess faction while also taking revenge on those who had been reluctant to rescue her sister.

“Still, it seems like a method that would spill a lot of blood.”

It was also dangerous.

Beatrice would be exposed to the resistance’s enemies, and if discovered internally, they would immediately try to eliminate her.

Whatever her intentions, it was essentially a method that would turn almost everyone against her.

“…It was the only method I could think of.”

Beatrice admitted honestly.

“…So, Togu.”

“Yes?”

“I’m grateful you came to find me, but…”

Beatrice glanced at me nervously as she spoke.

But I had already made my decision.

“I’m not planning to leave you behind.”

“…But.”

“I’ve already been asked to help.”

“Asked? By whom?”

I didn’t say it was by Beatrice herself.

Let’s keep it a secret that she had asked for help in Albheim.

“…Anyway, I understand your plan. I also understand the internal situation of the resistance.”

At the very least, the prerequisite task was reorganizing the resistance internally.

Beyond that, dealing with the kingdom and the church.

‘Such a convenient solution that handles everything at once probably won’t happen.’

It would be too naive to believe that such an easy method would suddenly appear.

But it was hard to say the probability was zero.

‘There are many variables that could come into play.’

The female vampire who seemed to be plotting something, and the Dragon Slayer.

And us.

With such significant variables present, anything could happen.

Whether these would present opportunities or make things more difficult was uncertain.

But the possibility wasn’t zero.

If so.

“We must keep struggling until the end without giving up.”

If we don’t give up, an opportunity will surely come.

“Togu, do you have any good ideas?”

“Not right now. But you know what?”

I looked at Beatrice and said.

“There will definitely be a way through this.”

“…You’re too optimistic.”

Beatrice murmured sadly.

And after a moment.

She stood up and faced me.

“Togu.”

“Yes?”

“…Will you help me?”

Beatrice extended her hand.

I immediately grasped it.

“Of course.”

There was no hesitation.

+

“Nnnnggghhhh!!”

In a dark basement somewhere.

A man was tied to a chair, groaning.

Something that looked like a gag was in his mouth.

The man was enduring the pain with all his might, biting down on the gag.

“Mmmmph!!”

The man was groaning with bloodshot eyes.

After a while, the gag was removed from his mouth, and the man slumped forward slightly.

Then, after a moment, the man raised himself up, leaned back in the chair, and began to sigh. Another man approached him and asked.

“How is it? Your arm…”

“…Seems fine.”

Feeling his arm connected to something new, the man quietly moved it.

As he felt more powerful than before, sensing a new strength, the man quietly gritted his teeth.

‘That damned bastard…’

Recalling the one who had taken his hand, the man ground his teeth.

‘Next time we meet, I’ll definitely kill him. No, I won’t let him die easily.’

The one who had taken his hand.

It was unforgivable.

The man vowed to make him shed tears of blood one way or another.

As he was dreaming of revenge, a man in elaborate clothing walked over and sat in a chair.

Then he quietly addressed the man.

“It seems the treatment is complete.”

“Treatment? What part of this is treatment?”

Despite the sarcastic response, the man answered lightly.

Soon, the seated man quietly asked.

“So, why has the Regent come to such a humble place?”

“Unlike usual, I have something to instruct you about.”

Said the man referred to as the Regent.

“Of course, you need to step up, Hakan.”

“Ha, won’t you let me rest a bit?”

Hakan said, looking up at the ceiling in displeasure.

But soon he narrowed his eyes and said.

“So, where am I supposed to go?”

“The Kingdom of Firenchena.”

The man called the Regent said quietly.

“The Kingdom of Firenchena? Why there?”

“Why do you think?”

The Regent said with a small smile.

“To drive Somnus out of the church.”

“…I don’t particularly like that old man either, but…”

Hakan tilted his head and said.

“I don’t understand how going to the Kingdom of Firenchena leads to his downfall.”

“Well, listen. Actually, going there is just the first step toward Somnus’s downfall.”

The Regent smiled, saying he had a plan.

Looking at the Regent, Hakan smirked.

‘As if he has anything.’

There probably wasn’t any grand strategy.

That’s why Hakan wasn’t expecting much.

‘But who knows?’

With this power-hungry Regent, there was a non-zero chance he would take some risks to eliminate his political rival.

Given that he had even sacrificed the previous Saint, who had greatly helped him become Regent, for his lust for power, the Regent’s ambition was not to be taken lightly.

‘It’s not like I have other options anyway.’

While there were quite a few in the church who resented Somnus, among them, only the Regent had both the position to resist Somnus and the ability to unite them as one faction.

In terms of both position and ambition, there was no one else besides the Regent who could remove Somnus.

Knowing this, Hakan worked for the Regent’s side.

Of course, there was also a promised reward.

Mainly the right to do as he pleased with the spoils that came from fulfilling the Regent’s requests.

The spoils were sometimes treasures, and often women who met his standards.

‘Come to think of it, there were many beauties around that guy too.’

Hakan thought about the women around the man who had taken his hand.

They were all quite fine women.

If he took those women away, would it make that guy shed tears of blood?

While he was having such dark thoughts, the Regent quietly said.

“I hear Somnus has yet to receive the magic stones he should have gotten from the Kingdom of Firenchena. As a result, he’s suffering from a shortage of magical power.”

“Shortage of magical power? What is he plotting?”

“I don’t know either.”

The Regent said, and then smiled slightly.

“However, whatever it is, knowing Somnus, it’s surely something grand and troublesome. We can’t just leave it be.”

“How do you plan to stop it? Without even knowing what it is, going to Firenchena… ah.”

After saying that, Hakan soon realized.

“The magic stones.”

It was what he had mentioned earlier.

Now he could understand what the Regent was plotting.

“You want me to divert the magic stones that Somnus was supposed to receive?”

“Correct. Take your subordinates and send them to me.”

Although just taking subordinates wouldn’t immediately allow him to obtain that enormous amount of magic stones, the Regent was giving such an order.

“Won’t Somnus try to stop us if we try to intercept them?”

“No need to worry about that. Somnus doesn’t seem to be planning to go to the Kingdom of Firenchena.”

The Regent paused to catch his breath before speaking again.

“If he had intended to go himself, he would have moved already. Instead, he’s sent someone else as a substitute.”

“Who’s the substitute?”

“The Dragon Slayer.”

When the title of a certain man was mentioned, Hakan’s expression soured.

“I don’t like that guy.”

Honestly, there was something off about conversing with the Dragon Slayer.

It felt like he lacked emotions or something.

It felt like talking to an inanimate object, which was why Hakan strongly disliked being around him.

“I don’t particularly like him either. That man who seems to be missing various human qualities.”

Fortunately, the Regent and he were in agreement on this point as well.

“But the fact that he sent the Dragon Slayer means those magic stones are important to Somnus too. It means it’s something worth mobilizing the Dragon Slayer for, even if he doesn’t go himself.”

“And I’m supposed to risk my life stealing from that guy.”

After saying that, Hakan fell into thought for a moment.

A way for him to defeat the Dragon Slayer alone.

“No matter how I look at it, the risk-reward doesn’t add up.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m not weak, but compared to the Dragon Slayer, I’m on a much lower level.”

At the mention of being on a lower level, Hakan clenched his teeth.

Even though he knew it intellectually, there was an emotion in him that refused to accept it.

The Regent smiled at Hakan and said.

“Don’t worry about that. You know the operation we’ve been implementing to counter him.”

“Implementing? That’s…”

After saying that, Hakan seemed to realize something and looked at the Regent seriously.

“I see, that plan.”

“Yes, that plan.”

The Regent said with a smile.

“Understand? This isn’t just about giving Somnus a hard time. It’s also a proper plan for strengthening our forces.”

Hakan nodded at the Regent’s words.

It seemed that, unlike his usual self, the Regent had thought about gaining some advantage as well.

Then the Regent handed something to Hakan.

“I’ll also give you this.”

“This is…”

Hakan stared blankly at the purple crystal for a moment.

Then, the next moment, he smiled and said.

“I see. You’re definitely asking me to steal.”

“It can’t be helped if accidents happen in there.”

After this much conversation, he also realized why the Regent was providing him with troops.

“You want me to bring back the Dragon Slayer’s head and the magic stones.”

“Can you do it?”

At the Regent’s words, Hakan bowed his head for a moment.

Then, the next moment, he smiled and said.

“I’ll do it.”

The Regent looked at Hakan with satisfaction at his answer.

And shortly after.

Hakan and his followers from the New Kingdom began moving toward the Kingdom of Firenchena.