episode_0043

Luke momentarily forgot what he was going to say.

Even when Elin is executed in the game.

Even when I was falsely accused.

Even when being assassinated.

Berthain’s eldest son, who has never made an appearance.

Leo Bertain.

If this was going to happen, I wondered why they included it in the story.

however.

“He is the captain of the Imperial Secret Service.”

This makes sense.

Secret task force.

Who it consists of.

How big is it?

The Emperor’s secret organization, of which nothing is revealed.

There were many people who thought it was a non-existent organization because there were only rumors.

If Leo was a secret agent.

Even if he had been the captain, he would never have appeared.

From cognitive impairment artifacts to voice modulation.

Because no one can know unless you reveal it.

But this raises a question.

“Can I reveal my identity to outsiders?”

Shouldn’t the secret task force operate in secret?

Why did you bring Luke here, revealing even his carefully hidden face?

“Of course not.”

Leo shook his head.

“Even His Majesty doesn’t know that we are here now.”

“So that’s why you did such a bothersome thing.”

Was the reason he acted out a farce by playing the role of a kidnapper to avoid being caught by the emperor?

I understand.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it was okay.

“Let’s hear it. Why did you act alone?”

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

Leo opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“I want to take Elin with me.”

“The kidnapper was right.”

Woof-

Mana gathered around Luke again.

* * * * *

-My name is Leo. He was Berthain’s eldest son, until recently.

The moment she heard the man’s voice, Elin felt like she was losing her mind.

okay.

The feeling of foreboding I heard earlier.

A cold, lukewarm, dry atmosphere.

I couldn’t forget that unique atmosphere.

The only nanny who was kind to Elin before Luke came.

The only person who did not abuse Elin was her eldest brother, Leo Bertine.

Elin still remembers.

-… I’m sorry. I don’t have the strength.

Winter of the sixth year.

There was a time when Ellin was not able to show any talent in any field.

I remember my eldest brother leaving the house on a dark night when even the moonlight was faint.

-Someday I will… … .

My memory is hazy, like fog.

A lot of time has passed.

It’s also because I sent Leo away while he was sleeping.

I thought I would never see you again after that day.

Who would have thought we’d meet in a place like this.

It was when Ellen was lost in memories.

“The kidnapper was right.”

Woof-

A spine-chilling, bloodcurdling sound.

Mana rises around Luke.

“… Huh?”

When Elin, who had been missing the conversation, finally came to her senses.

“Can you give me a moment to explain?”

Luke was aiming a sphere of mana compressed to its limit at Leo.

“Teacher… ?”

“Please sit down, it’s dangerous, Your Majesty.”

Elin, who was about to get up without realizing it.

Anne squeezed his thighs and made him sit back down.

“If you brush against that, it will pierce cleanly.”

“… … ”

Keying-

It seems likely, seeing the mana sphere vibrating and making a scary sound.

You can gather mana and use it like that.

It was Elin who had secretly attained enlightenment.

“Of course I will give you time. I am trying to talk to you right now.”

“I think it would be good to get that out of the way first.”

“Unfortunately, this is my medium of communication.”

It means that if you talk nonsense, you will be shot immediately.

Leo nodded with dry eyes.

“Elin will be in danger soon.”

“Have you ever learned how to explain things to others?”

Luke frowns.

I tried to combine Leo’s words.

I want to take Elin with me.

Why?

Because Elin will be in danger soon.

Why?

…I’m already the tired type.

To keep the conversation going, we need to keep asking the question, “Why?”

“Our leader is a bit of a talker.”

The kidnapper who pretended to know Luke earlier… no, the secret agent opened his mouth.

“Is Duke Bertain in the North now?”

“… Yes.”

I was embarrassed to let that go, but I listened anyway.

“If I come back, Princess Elin will be in danger. So from now on, I’m going to take her out of Bertain and hide her in the secret task force. So that the Duke won’t find her.”

“Hmm.”

Leo nodded as if that was what he wanted to say.

Yeah, I get what you’re trying to say.

“Why is the princess in danger?”

Isn’t the most important part missing?

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Yes?”

Woof-

Manipulated a mana sphere.

Just before the sphere is shot.

“Look at this.”

Leo spoke first.

And then he shows his tongue.

“… No way.”

Hwaruk.

Black flames surrounding the root of the tongue.

The curse of restricted speech.

It was a curse of a much stronger spell than the one Natia had cast.

“Can’t you tell me everything about the North?”

Nod.

It was a positive sign.

“Hoo… .”

I sighed involuntarily.

Even in the game, there is no detailed information about the North.

Creatures mutated by the curse occasionally descend.

The Northern Duke’s House acts as a breakwater to block mutant creatures.

That was all there was to it.

I thought it was just a setting to create the northern characteristics that are common in fantasy worlds.

“… There are more things involved than I thought.”

The curse of the mutant creature and the curse of Elin are also similar.

That Duke Bertain would bring danger to Elin.

It’s all about the North.

“We also feel frustrated that we can’t tell you anything. But we can guarantee you one thing. Elin is safest when she’s here.”

Leo paused for a moment and spoke quietly as if confessing his sins.

“And it would be much better for Elin, too. It’s true that Elin is not treated well in the family.”

“Did you know?”

“The signs were there even before I became a monk. Later, when I investigated, I found out that it was serious.”

“Then why are you purifying it so much? No one is listening. What the princess suffered was abuse.”

“… Yeah. It was abuse.”

“You knew that and yet you just ignored it.”

Shudder.

Leo flinched as if he had been pricked somewhere.

“You must have had your own circumstances since you even entered the secret task force. Let’s move on from that for now.”

Leo’s circumstances were of no interest to me.

“I agree that the princess is safe while in the secret task force. But what about the rest?”

If it’s a secret task force, they could completely hide Elin.

It seems that even in Bertain, Leo doesn’t know that he is a secret agent.

But safety and comfort are different things.

“Good food, healthy sleep, and education suitable for the princess. Are these all things that you can provide while carrying out the mission of the secret special forces?”

The secret task force is a group of beings that move on missions from the Emperor.

I won’t have time to take care of Elin.

“Of course, you might neglect the meals and sleep. Because of the nature of the secret task force, you have to keep changing locations.”

“Look at it.”

“But I can take responsibility for providing proper education.”

What confidence?

As the tutor in charge of Elin’s education, it was a question that made me curious.

“I recently heard that Elin used magic. It must be thanks to you, so I’ll say thank you.”

“Okay. Then, you also know what kind of magic the princess uses, right?”

“I heard you learned space magic.”

“Yes. That’s my own magic. How are you going to teach me?”

“There is a limit to how much magic you can learn. You have to develop it yourself.”

Since it was true, I just listened quietly.

“Even if we can’t teach you space magic, our special agents can train with you every day. Then you’ll be able to pave your own path.”

“Hmm.”

Sure, it will help you grow.

State-of-the-art facilities and elite forces.

If you practice but your magic doesn’t improve, that’s strange.

If you just listen to her, it will do more good than harm to Elin.

but….

It’s annoying.

I couldn’t help but think that way.

Although he seems very concerned about Elin’s safety.

In fact, Leo has never come to visit even once in 9 rounds.

Why didn’t they take me to the secret task force back then?

It was much more dangerous and precarious than it is now.

This episode.

There was only one thing that had changed in the world Luke had been possessed by.

A performance shown at the prospective wizard exchange meeting.

Spatial magic that compresses the earth and sky.

So, no matter what benefits you talk about, it won’t sound good.

In the end, it seems like they want to take him because his abilities seem good.

I was trying to organize my thoughts on how I could logically and calmly explain this.

“Plague.”

An unbelievable sound came from Elin’s side.

“… What did you say?”

Leo asks again, thinking he misheard.

The eldest son of the Duke’s family and the captain of the Imperial Secret Service.

The only one who can swear in front of this great person is the emperor.

Or maybe they are just commoners who have the courage to give up their lives.

“I said I was sick. Is that for your sake, Princess?”

And Anne is brave, feisty, and loud-mouthed.

A commoner with connections as the personal maid of Princess Bertain and a friend of the Academy’s chief magician… no, a dinosaur with a paw-to-kick.

“I can’t speak because of some damn curse. Anyway, there’s going to be a crisis, so shut up and hand over the princess. Isn’t that what you want to say?”

“The captain never said that… .”

But the special agent behind Anne opened his mouth.

Swish.

As soon as Anne raised her fist, he secured a safe distance.

Just because you can get up after getting punched doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

“And you won’t be able to feed me as well as you do now, and you’ll keep changing my sleeping position. Can you give me a proper bath?”

“That’s….”

“What are you worrying about? Of course you can’t do it. You’ve never done it before.”

Anne, who was very excited, showed her sharp shark teeth and glared at him.

“And what, a duel? Would you like that, Princess? Huh? Tell me, Princess. Do you want to live with these people, away from Luke? Fighting all the time?”

“… Huh?”

Elin, who had been blankly staring, managed to utter just one word.

“… I hate it.”

“Look! How dare you say you can protect my safety without even asking for my opinion, Princess!”

Anne suddenly got up.

“To be honest, you’re saying that you just want to raise the princess because she’s showing talent, right?”

“Uh… … Ann?”

“Why did you show up now? Isn’t it because you thought it would be easier to take them away if you revealed that you were family without a mask? These guys aren’t secret agents, they’re secret thieves.”

It was cool so I didn’t dry it.

I feel like I’m about to cross the line.

It seems like it’s already passed.

“Calm down, Anne.”

“… … Phew.”

Anne, who had been grumbling, sat down on the road with a thud.

“… … ”

Leo was dumbfounded.

He keeps opening and closing his mouth, unable to speak.

Well, this is probably the first time you’ve heard such a curse word.

Even that to commoners.

“Ahem.”

He coughed and caught Leo’s attention.

“The maid’s words were a little harsh.”

“… a little bit?”

“It was a bit rough, but I think the same thing.”

Anne said most of what I wanted to say earlier.

“To summarize, it seems like the princess is using some special magic.”

All you have to do is finish it.

“Aren’t you just going to pretend to take care of the princess now?”

Towering.

Leo froze, as if he had been stabbed in the vital spot.