Ch.98In the End, I Was Caught. (2)

# The Imperial Palace.

In the Emperor’s office where meetings continued as usual, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was giving his report.

“……We plan to conclude negotiations with the Eastern Alliance by the end of this year at the latest.”

The Emperor tapped his throne with a dissatisfied expression. His gaze naturally turned to Aria who was sitting beside him. Aria was able to attend this meeting solely because she had no interest in the imperial position.

That was why the First Prince and Second Prince were not allowed to enter the office.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Aria had the ability to deserve this seat. Not only had she brought the Krafen Duchy, the wealthiest family in the Empire, to her side, but she was also successfully pushing forward various imperial policies related to public welfare by utilizing her unique image.

No one dared to ignore Aria anymore.

“…Hmm. Does the Princess have anything to say?”

At the Emperor’s words, the Foreign Minister’s heart sank. Though Aria was a princess in name, she was essentially the de facto power holder of the Treasury Department, with the backing of the Krafen Duchy.

In fact, the new Treasury Minister was also a member of the Krafen Duchy.

“No. Though it’s late, as long as it’s completed within this year, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“Then why that expression?”

“…Well.”

Aria looked toward the entrance with a troubled face. Beyond the tightly closed door, there was no sign of anyone’s presence. To begin with, the notion that someone had entered the palace, which was firmly guarded by the Central Knight Commander, was merely a rumor.

But Aria was certain. That presence just now was definitely the Master of Dark.

‘What should I do?’

All eyes were on Aria.

Aria thought this might actually be fortunate. If it was Altair, he would create a plausible excuse for her to leave the meeting.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

Shortly after, the Central Knights burst through the door with urgent expressions.

Entering without permission was a tremendous discourtesy, but the parties involved didn’t seem to care about such matters.

“What are you doing…”

“Your Majesty! You must evacuate immediately!”

The ministers wore dumbfounded expressions.

What on earth could warrant such an outrageous statement as evacuation? If one were to choose the safest place on the continent, it would undoubtedly be this palace.

The next moment, everything went dark.

A burning heat exploded in the air, and the sound of a cutting wind could be heard.

The shadow covering the sun was not a cloud, but originated from the wings of a living creature.

The apex of all living beings, a Dragon.

A nobleman who saw the scales shining like red jade gasped.

“…Red Dragon Lord.”

With Melina gone, there was no human who could stand against that dragon.

Amidst everyone screaming and evacuating, only one person remained without fleeing.

‘…That’s excessive.’

She had wondered how he had come from Machina to here, but it seemed he had received Eryas’s help.

“Princess, you must evacuate immediately!”

“I can go alone, take care of the others first.”

“B-but…”

“Listen, Renix. In such an urgent situation, no knight will look after a servant like you. The knights will leave as soon as all the important figures evacuate. In other words, I must stay here so the knights won’t flee.”

Renix, a low-ranking servant, looked moved.

“When all the servants have fled, come back for me last. Now go and evacuate your colleagues.”

“Y-yes, I understand!”

Watching Renix move away, Aria inwardly sighed.

‘What is this all about?’

It seemed too extreme just to create an excuse to get her out of the meeting.

Aria moved in the opposite direction from where others were evacuating. If this was a diversion to draw attention, Altair would surely be waiting here.

Even if it was urgent, there was no need to reveal his true form… huh?

“It’s been a while, Princess Aria.”

An assassin’s robe that concealed the face.

Around the man who appeared from between the shadows, there were people presumed to be Night Ravens lying unconscious. Altair explained apologetically:

“They attacked, so I had no choice. The matter is that serious.”

“I suppose Olivia has appeared.”

“…Yes.”

To his unspoken question of how she knew, Aria pointed at the Red Dragon Lord causing havoc.

Altair glanced in that direction and nodded in understanding.

There were things that didn’t need words to be communicated.

No matter how contractually bound their master-disciple relationship was, when you repeatedly go through life-and-death battles together, a natural understanding develops.

Aria smiled comfortably and said:

“It’s good to see you again, even like this, Altair.”

“…I’m glad to hear that.”

“However, I hope it wasn’t you who suggested such a crude method.”

She was referring to manifesting in his true form and wreaking havoc in the imperial palace.

“By the way, how did you find out? I tried to gather information, but unlike in our past life, she hasn’t shown herself at all.”

“Lightning struck in Icail.”

Aria understood immediately.

“…Then I suppose Esthie has been taken down too.”

“‘Taken down’?”

“It’s been over half a year since Melina disappeared. I wasn’t sure then, but now I’m certain.”

Altair frowned in concern. Melina had been the very person who had served as a bridge between Altair and Aria in their past life.

“…We’re being hunted one by one.”

“I’m not completely sure yet. It doesn’t make sense that she would kill Melina but leave me alone.”

“You never know. She might not have regressed like us.”

“That’s not it.”

Aria was certain.

Thinking about it now, Olivia in their past life had been mysteriously talented.

Too talented to be explained simply as a genius.

‘She must have regressed.’

The reason for her certainty was simple.

Aria had watched Olivia until the very end.

“Olivia has regressed. In the previous life, and in this one too.”

“…This one too?”

“If she hadn’t regressed, she would have enrolled in the Academy like in our previous life. But she didn’t.”

Olivia is a thorough person.

Rather than dealing with variables, she tends to control the variables themselves.

“She thought that acting exactly the same as in her past life would create variables.”

“…Why?”

“Because she found out that we had regressed.”

As she said this, Aria wore an inscrutable expression.

“So she hid. She knows that if her location is revealed, she’ll die by our hands.”

“Then why reveal herself now?”

Aria stopped in her tracks.

“Originally, she probably planned to reduce our numbers before confronting us directly. And Esthie perfectly met the conditions.”

A person who had abandoned all human relationships.

A person whose death in the middle of the ocean would go unnoticed.

“But a problem arose, and she had to choose between two options.”

Either kill decisively even if it meant being noticed, or flee after having her identity discovered by Esthie.

In the end, it was just a matter of time before being discovered.

“So she chose the former. If she was going to be discovered anyway, it would be better to eliminate one more person.”

It was the same in their past life. Olivia never faced more than two opponents simultaneously.

Except for just once, the day Kiel and Melina died.

‘…If only I had been stronger.’

Livga, Esthie, and Ashe Balthar were also hunted down one after another.

Next was the southern continent.

The Rebel and the Devilhunter. News of those two also ceased at some point.

“Go to the south.”

“…The south?”

‘At least three people should stay together to be safe.’

Altair, the Rebel, and the Devilhunter. Those three should at least be able to hold their own against Olivia.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’m planning to seek Eryas’s help for now.”

People like Livga, who frequently attend public events, would be difficult for even Olivia to target.

Therefore, the first person to approach should be someone at the opposite end of the spectrum.

‘It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person.’

As Aria was thinking and about to speak, the corridor filled with heat.

And then a voice was heard.

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes. Let’s go to Carthian.”

“…Suddenly? That woman should still be in hibernation. It’s not even certain if she regressed.”

“No, she did.”

She could infer it from Olivia’s actions.

‘She’s being cautious because all of us have regressed. If only some had regressed, there would be no reason to be cautious.’

She still didn’t know how Olivia knew this fact. But there was no need to know.

“I’ve pretty much finished what I needed to do at the palace, so please take me there right away. She’ll listen if it’s me.”

She had some acquaintance with the White Dragon Lord, Carthian.

After all, they had fought together until quite late in the game.

From a distance, the voices of servants and knights could be heard.

“Princess! Where are you!”

“Find her immediately! Spread out!”

Beside her, Eryas muttered:

“How do you plan to deal with the aftermath?”

“What aftermath? I’ll just say I was kidnapped. It’s not like I haven’t been carried by claws once or twice before.”

“Heh. You want me to play the villain?”

Aria smiled sweetly.

“The princess who tamed the evil dragon. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Eryas smiled back.

“For a dramatic effect, I’ll need to destroy the palace roof at least. Is that okay?”

“By all means.”

Eryas spread his wings. The knights who arrived too late could only watch helplessly as the princess was clutched in the dragon’s claws.

*****

At that same time, Olivia successfully completed the fourth clue.

[The owner of Clue #5 is ‘King of Martial Arts Ashe Balthar’.]

Esthie, watching Aquar collapse once more in ‘reality’, said. Her manner of speech had changed slightly to be more princess-like.

“…This feels strange.”

Before the unconscious Esthie woke up, Olivia once again completed the task of removing the ‘voice’ and the curse.

She didn’t need Livga’s help. Enlightenment could be achieved through methods other than holy power.

“…How did you come up with the idea of enlightening them?”

Olivia still hadn’t revealed the fact that she had regressed.

“It wasn’t difficult to infer. The ‘voice’ would have started after Aquar sank.”

Esthie tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand, but that was all.

She wasn’t the type of person to question someone who had freed her from her bonds twice.

The fact that Olivia was a genius also helped convince her.

‘I need to pretend I haven’t regressed, to prepare for the worst-case scenario.’

Even if not Aria, she could at least shake the hearts of the other regressors.

Olivia was certain.

That everything until now had been merely a preliminary skirmish.

‘Now the real division begins.’

Just as she turned her head away from the direction of the Empire, the communication crystal she had kept in a subspace began to ring.

[…Livia.]

It was Melina.