Episode 63: Shadows at My Feet
I’ve become a little distracted.
What’s the point of digging up Barbat’s past now that he’s dead?
If a Stella-Class were to get so angry as to lose their mind, it would have to be a love affair.
The most likely scenario is that the murdered servant and the Marquise’s Daughter were in a romantic relationship, and Barbat witnessed it.
If that’s the case, was the Seal of Chastity a fake? I can’t tell.
…In any case, it feels like there’s no point in thinking about it.
“I couldn’t care less. The guy who got killed was probably a lover on the side. Considering the violence of male nobles, it wouldn’t be surprising if he got pissed off and killed him.”
“…That may be so—but.”
“?”
Seeing Nephthys’ downcast gaze, I realize she’s thinking the same thing as me.
But Nephthys continues.
“…However, the strange part starts here. The next day, the engagement was called off, and the Marquise’s Daughter returned to her territory, seemingly in despair. In the end, the details were never revealed, and the incident was buried in darkness. But the following year—there was movement in that Marquis family.”
“Movement?”
“…The Marquise’s Daughter—was appointed as the head of the Marquis family.”
“Huh?”
I’m genuinely perplexed by the unexpected turn of events.
To put it bluntly, the future isn’t so bright for a divorced noblewoman.
Yet, she claws her way up from the depths to become the head of the family in a year? That’s a joke.
“…The Marquis family made various demands to the Naia Royal Family, such as requesting permission for Stella-Class to be stationed there as a retaliatory measure for the suffering they received from Lord Barbat.”
“What kind of selfish talk is that? Of course, they wouldn’t accept it.”
The retaliatory measures that the Hoberia Marquis family is talking about are nothing more than a blatant excuse.
From what I’ve heard, the blame would likely fall on the Marquise’s Daughter who manifested the Seal of Chastity.
“…No, the Naia Royal Family accepted this and concluded an agreement.”
“Huh? Why on earth?”
“…I’m afraid I don’t know. It seems that the late Lady Valeria decided on this with only a few close aides.”
There’s no way the Naia Royal Family would obediently accept the demands of a mere Marquis family from another country.
In that case, either Naia had something to gain, or they were being threatened.
Back then, it was the era of the previous Queen, so Naia should have been riding high, and it’s hard to imagine that they had any reason to concede to a foreign noble.
Well, judging from the result, that Marquis family must have gotten their demands met.
“I don’t know anything about the existence of such an agreement.”
“…The conclusion of the agreement itself was carried out in secret. I was also sworn to secrecy.”
While saying she was sworn to secrecy, Nephthys is spilling the beans about the inside situation.
However, it seems she wasn’t informed of the crucial parts, and it appears that Naia handled things very carefully.
“It’s a little unsettling.”
Barbat’s broken engagement ten years ago, the agreement with the Hoberia Kingdom’s Marquis family, and the Crown Princess’ assassination five years ago.
All of them are strange incidents, but the second agreement in particular feels ominous.
Naia has always had the image of being a powerful nation, but behind the scenes, there seems to be something unknown stirring, a terrifying thought that crosses my mind.
However, each incident is independent, unclear, and the overall picture doesn’t come into focus.
“…’Shadows at your feet, a light in your hand, a mouth is a disaster.'”
“What’s that?”
“…It’s an old saying. Noble society is like a shadow. Not everyone can see through it. Everyone has these thoughts, but they have no choice but to grope their way forward, guided by starlight.”
Nephthys says something profound.
The way she speaks to me is like an adult trying to impart wisdom to a child.
“I don’t understand at all.”
“…You don’t have to worry about it. Lord Sharka will surely be able to illuminate the darkness ahead.”
“…”
I don’t know what she’s basing that on.
If anything, you’re the one who can illuminate the darkness, I think as I look at the top of Nephthys’ head.
This old man is probably one of the most talented among Naia’s Military Officials.
If he weren’t an enemy, I would have wanted him as a subordinate.
In any case, let’s just think of it as an interesting story I heard.
If I don’t understand, I can just learn one thing at a time as I have been doing.
If they become an obstacle, I’ll just have to deal with them.
I take a breath and decide to get back to the topic.
“Well, that’s fine, we’ve digressed a bit too much. As a lesson, does that mean we shouldn’t expect a Thaw?”
“…No, that’s not true. If you slowly improve your compatibility with a ‘Magical Power Alignment’ and build a relationship of trust, the possibility of a Thaw is not zero.”
Nephthys says in a roundabout way, averting her eyes.
I feel like I’m taking a morality class in elementary school.
It’s probably a pointless story that if you keep trying without giving up even from a state of negative favorability, the possibility will increase by about one percent.
If it were me, I’d move on to the next one.
“In other words, it will take a considerable amount of time, right? How long would it take in Luna’s case?”
“…Yes, probably, she won’t experience a Thaw within her teens, and I wonder if it will even happen in her twenties…”
Is Luna planning to wear a chastity belt until she’s in her thirties?
“Is that why her suitability as a Queen is being questioned?”
“…Yes.”
If she wastes her flowery teens and twenties, and experiences a Thaw just before she turns thirty, will she be able to produce an heir?
It’s hard to imagine that she’ll suddenly awaken to sex after having Androphobia.
Unfortunately, the fate that awaits a noble lady who has missed her chance to marry is to gloriously die on the battlefield as a guardian.
“I see, I understand the problems that the Naia Royal Family is facing.”
The more time passes, the more Luna’s qualifications as a Queen will be questioned, and if she appears in social gatherings, she will be exposed to curious eyes as a victim of sexual assault.
What can I say, she’s an unlucky princess in many ways.
If Luna weren’t an enemy, I would want to cheer her on.
…Now, let’s ask the thing I wanted to ask the most.
“You guys are trying to put Alberto on the throne, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then, you guys are—”
I’ve asked a lot of questions, but in the end, I think everything about this Naia invasion operation boils down to this question.
“—Why was it necessary to target my grandfather?”
“…That is—”
—From the beginning, it was a strange story.
My grandfather is an outstanding and strongest Military Official, called the God of War, even within Ortenos.
It’s questionable whether the Alberto faction needed to defeat my grandfather.
Considering the damage my grandfather has inflicted on Naia so far, they should know how much damage it would take to defeat him.
Even so, they chose to take that risk and defeat him.
If there’s a reason, it’s probably—
Suddenly, the door to the torture room creaked open.
“Lord Sharka! Excuse me!”
A Military Official hurriedly entered the torture room.
I was finally about to hear something important, but it’s all ruined.
I know the Military Official doesn’t mean any harm, but I reply with a slightly irritated tone.
“What is it?”
“Yes, there’s been a disturbance among the people in the residential area within the fortress, and there are multiple casualties.”
“…Can’t you guys handle something like that?”
“Well, the ones at the center of the disturbance are the tax collectors who came from the Ortenatris Court of Justice…”
The Military Official says, hesitating.
His expression was tinged with confusion and irritation.
“Tch, those gnats, they’ve already sniffed it out.”
“Yes. The tax collectors are currently executing private punishments on the people based on the ‘Special Taxation Act.'”
If there are pests in Ortenos, the Court of Justice is one of them.
Its parent body is the Lanecki Consulate, the castle of the guardians dispatched from Lanecki.
They tucked their tails and holed up in their territory during the Naia attack, but once they knew it was safe, they pounced when a new prey appeared before their eyes.
“That’s why, Nephthys, we’ll talk later.”
“…Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
After saying a word to Nephthys, I left the torture room with reluctance.
It would be too cruel to make the Military Officials deal with it.
“They’re really annoying guys, I might have to deal with them depending on the situation…”
I cursed on the way to the scene.