episode_0187

It felt like a stabbing could occur at any moment.

The knights surrounding them were silent, waiting for Wallenstein’s orders.

… What should I do?

It doesn’t look like the person who brought in the master-level monsters with such force will quietly retreat.

Carefully pull your left foot back, tense your entire body muscles, and slightly bend your upper body.

So that I can draw my sword and attack at any time.

Wallenstein must have noticed my movements, but he remained calm.

As if he had no intention of fighting.

Can you hear what I’m planning to answer?

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Our goal is… It’s her.”

… what?

“What on earth are you saying now…? !”

The moment Leopold was about to refute something, Wallenstein removed the helmet from his head and held it up in front of him.

So that we can all see that face clearly.

“These are weightlifters who attacked the imperial palace and destroyed it with strange magic. Your Majesty probably knows what these are.”

The eyes of everyone gathered at the villa turned to Wallenstein’s left hand.

Black hair and beard. Sharp eyes with protruding cheekbones. Unlike the imperial people, their skin color is closer to yellow.

Although it was tattered with sword marks, no one could recognize its identity.

Ka`har.

Those who were enemies of the empire until a year ago.

The knights all looked at me.

I was hit.

A weapon more powerful than a hundred swords was swung.

—-

A chill flows through the breath you take in.

An unexpected situation. Goosebumps ran down my spine.

“Kahar? Are you really trying to treat us as sinners just because we are of the same race!? Have you forgotten that the princess has dedicated herself to the peace of the empire?”

Leopold broke into a cold sweat and attempted to defend me.

… It didn’t have much effect.

Wallenstein just shook his head calmly.

“Did you say peace? It became clear that the agreement she had brought with her was nothing more than a deception. Currently, thousands of Kahar’s forces are advancing towards Berengeria, and the Margrave of Landenburg has headed there to stop them.”

The crowd was shocked by the shocking report.

It was the same for me too.

Ka`har is attacking the Wall?

No, that can’t be possible… !

It would be unreasonable to say that Orhan is the god of war. It is physically impossible to conquer that wide plain in half a year.

There was no reason for Orhan, who had begun his conquest, to suddenly turn back his army.

“The basis for the report being true… ?”

“Once the war begins, the entire empire will soon find out. Is there any reason to lie that I can’t go for even two days?”

Wallenstein asked back calmly.

Leopold could not answer. As he said, whether Ka’har was actually planning to attack or not would become clear in three days.

“That’s not all. These corpses looked like ordinary kahars, but they were a little different. Even if I cut off its limbs or tore its internal organs, it attacked without heeding anything. I was able to take it down only by cutting off its head. There, the severed head was empty inside… Instead, something like this was included.”

Wallenstein put his hand into the head he was holding, grabbed something, and pulled it out.

“Oh my god… ! What the hell is that?!”

The knights who were secretly watching my side let out an expression of astonishment.

In the marquis’ right hand was a huge bug that had been cut in half. Anyone could see that it was a monster.

“As you can see, it is a monster. A bug that lives on humans and eats their brains. Your Majesty will know the tragedy of the Dosigmillus family. This bug is presumed to be the same species as the ones we subdued then. In other words… It means the witch, the monster of Ophelia Siegmillus. We also received confirmed information that the witch had several contacts with Princess Ishangior while she was a student at Remnant Academy.”

“It’s a false accusation! It’s only circumstantial evidence!”

Leopold desperately protested.

I looked around, suppressing my hand that was about to reach for the hilt of the sword.

The eyes of the knights looking at us were filled with suspicion and distrust.

There were knights who seemed ready to pull out their swords at any moment, and some actually did.

As soon as the name falls, dozens of knights will rush in at once.

The moment my hand finally reached the hilt of Durandal’s sword, Wallenstein stretched out his arm and stopped the knights.

“Yes. It’s only circumstantial evidence. That’s why I came here.”

Marquis Wallenstein took out a piece of paper.

Beneath the words written in elegant handwriting, there was an imperial seal.

It is still unknown whether Princess Aishangior betrayed the Empire.

However, the circumstantial evidence is clear, so we cannot just sit idly by.

In accordance with the Special Admissions Act, I hereby order that Princess Aishangior be temporarily detained.

After that, we will thoroughly investigate its authenticity.

“This is the order of Her Majesty Empress Isabella. What would you do?”

… He was a single-minded prisoner with no way to escape.

—-

I thought I could hear Isabella laughing.

I never would have thought that instead of targeting Leopold, they would only try to capture me.

Does this mean that if you want to live a long life, you have to kill the horse first?

A situation of dilemma. Whether you reject the order or obey it, the only outcome that will follow is destruction.

If you resist, it is no different from admitting all of those charges.

Even if Wallenstein pulls out his sword and swings it, it will be disguised as loyalty to protect the empire and the prince, not treason.

But if I were to be gently caught… Rather than looking into whether it’s true or not, they’ll be looking into things like how many babies I can give birth to.

The fate of the characters captured by Isabella came to mind clearly.

I gritted my molars and grabbed the hilt of Durandal’s sword.

okay.

Rather than end up like that… !

“No, wait. Please wait. Something is strange. You said it was an order from Her Majesty Empress Isabella? That can’t be possible. Is this really the order from Her Majesty the Empress?”

Leopold urgently retorted.

“What are you saying? This is an order that I received after personally meeting Her Majesty the Empress.”

“The main palace has turned into something like that. Where on earth did we meet? It was a collapse that not even the knights could escape from… .”

“3 This is the Imperial Palace. He said that after the last attack, in case the assassins attacked again, he left an assistant in the main palace and moved to the 3rd Prince’s Palace. I also found out a little while ago.”

The first sentence was immediately refuted.

Well, if you wanted to walk around without being suspected even after destroying the main palace, you would have had to have prepared an excuse like that in advance.

However, Leopold did not give up and persistently pointed out Wallenstein’s remarks.

“… It is even more strange if Her Majesty the Empress’s order is correct. There is no way Her Majesty the Empress would persecute the princess because of Kahar’s attack.”

“What does it mean… ?”

“It’s not time to reveal it yet… Kahar’s betrayal was already foreseen. This was information provided by none other than the princess herself through the Margrave of Landenburg. The peace agreement was just a false pretext, and the purpose of the princess’s entry was to inform Kahar’s plan and seek refuge in the empire.”

It wasn’t the time to reveal it.

This was an issue I planned to announce only after my position was solidified and the chaos in the empire subsided.

If Orhan even heard of this rumor, I didn’t know what would happen.

But, it doesn’t matter now. I don’t know why, but it looks like Ka’har’s attack has begun.

“Exile? I haven’t heard anything like that.”

“If this fact were to become known, confusion would arise in many ways, so this is a story that only the royal family and the electors knew. In other words, even though the Duke may not have known, there is no way that Her Highness would not have known.”

“… That’s an interesting story. If only there were data to prove it.”

Leopold was speechless.

Proof of my exile.

They probably kept it as confidential documents or something… Where is the imperial family’s confidential documents kept?

His gaze glanced towards the remains of the main palace.

… okay. It must be there.

“If it is evidence, now… It must be buried inside.”

“Then the only thing that can support that fact is His Highness Leopold’s testimony. Her Majesty the Empress and Her Highness Ernst never said anything like that… If you cooperate with the investigation, we will keep it in mind.”

Wallenstein’s intentions were firm.

It was as if no matter what Leopold said, the plan to transport me would not change.

“… Those assassins were said to be monsters.”

“Yes. It must have been Ophelia’s doing. so… ”

Leopold opened his mouth, interrupting Wallenstein.

“Do you know what people in the world call the princess? ‘Knight of the Goddess’, ‘God’s Punishment’. The Church of Elfinel also did not refute this. Would Elfinel bless someone who joined hands with a witch?”

“It’s just a rumor from ignorant people. That’s probably why the denomination didn’t take action either. At least, as far as I know, Princess Aishangior has never cast a miracle while shining like a paladin.”

That’s it… It can’t be helped.

Because I cannot worship Elfinel as a god like the priests.

Holy light is the power that emerges from faith.

Unless there was true faith, it was impossible to exercise that power.

“… … Even though she is a descendant of the Twelve Knights?”

Leopold sighed deeply.

It was as if he didn’t want to say this.

“Twelve knights… ?”

“That’s right. Her maternal family is the family of the twelve knights of Median. The sword she inherited from her mother is proof of that. That is the sword of the twelve knights of legend.”

The knights expressed astonishment at the prince’s remarks.

Twelve knights.

The word itself was often mentioned, but seeing someone recognized as its descendant was a completely different story.

However, Wallenstein did not look surprised and only slightly tilted his head.

“… Even if it’s a joke, it’s hard to believe. Even if you say it’s a sword, isn’t it just a silver sword? Sure, it’s a rare item… That doesn’t serve as evidence. I also have a true silver sword, so does that mean I am also a descendant of the Twelve Knights?”

Unfortunately, the sword’s characteristics were holding me back.

A rough handle that is not much different from a typical long sword.

An imprint that is not revealed to anyone other than the owner.

Except for the blade made of true silver, the Sword of Oath looked no different from an ordinary long sword on the outside.

“… Besides, even if it were true, it wouldn’t change anything. I am also a knight who respects them… Descendants are just descendants. There is no law that says the descendants of good people are necessarily good. At least, the person I see right now is just a warrior who has committed thousands of murders.”

Wallenstein took a step forward.

“In the first place, Her Majesty’s orders were not to interrogate criminals. The idea is to put him under detention for a while until the suspicions are clearly revealed. Under imperial law, this is a natural disposition. There will inevitably be restrictions on movement for the time being… If found not guilty, the pension order will be lifted immediately. At that time, you should actually apologize for being rude.”

Neither I nor Leopold believed that.

okay. I guess I’ll be released from my pension.

After playing around with it a lot, the brainwashing is probably done.

“For me, I don’t know why His Highness Leopold is so opposed to it. If the princess is truly innocent, isn’t there no problem?”

Wallenstein’s words were unmistakable.

They refuted all of Leopold’s protests and now even attack him.

“On the other hand, if the princess’s charges turn out to be true, her purpose would have been to harm the empire… Your Majesty should feel fortunate that we found out before any harm occurred. There is no way that His Highness Prince Leopold conspired with a witch’s acquaintance to assassinate other members of the royal family.”

Same method as Leopold.

It was a threat that if he objected any further, he could also be accused of murdering the royal family.

—-

Silence for a moment.

Indeed, what is Leopold thinking now? What decision will he make?

… It was difficult for me to understand.

Soon, Leopold, with a stern expression, turned his gaze towards me.

“… I can’t help it.”

Yes, people always have no choice.

In the end, it seems Leopold chose to draw a line with me.

I understand.

If you keep blocking it like this, you will also be involved in your downfall.

For him, it would have been best to survive, even if it meant losing me here.

Since the Electors are still intact, they could try another opportunity if they are still alive… If you die, that’s the end.

okay. I could understand.

I’m not saying I can forgive.

The moment I finally pulled out Durandal –

“Izabella Benes-! Assassin of the royal family! Do you think this is the end?”

Leopold looked up at the sky and cried out loud.

“Carolus’ last bloodline, Leopold Wittelsbach, will never bow to a witch!”

With a shout of battle, Leopold drew his sword.