Chapter 80: A-Are you bullying me?!
Lestall Royal Castle, reception room.
Three days after the Victory Party, I immediately came to Lestall to make an appointment for an audience.
I actually wanted to come the next day, but there were many things to do.
Like releasing the handsome guy so he wouldn’t meet Yuri, and going to the Abyss to collect materials. In the end, that took up two whole days.
Finally today, when I had a letter expressing my gratitude delivered under the name Louis von Belfast, I was granted an audience without any waiting time.
However, although I sat down at the facing platform, the atmosphere was terribly tense.
“Hoh, to think you’d shamelessly come here alone, Prince Rui…”
“I never dreamed he was a prince. We were thoroughly deceived, weren’t we, Your Majesty?”
His Majesty and the Prime Minister pricked at me with sullen faces.
“Y-Your Majesty! That’s not it!
When I requested a peerage, I truly didn’t know!
I found out around the time I rescued Cornelia-san, but Belfast was already gone by then, wasn’t it! I was thinking of taking it to my grave and living quietly like this!”
I offered my best excuse, but their expressions didn’t clear up.
“Hoooh. But that doesn’t change the fact that you knew and didn’t say anything, does it?”
Ugh… That’s true.
“S-Sorry…”
“Haa… So, what do you want? We won’t be providing support for your war.”
“No, that has concluded for now with Belfast’s victory.
More importantly than that—”
I was about to start explaining, but he stopped me, saying, “Wait, you say it ended in victory?”
“Huh… Weren’t you monitoring the war?” I asked, puzzled.
“Naturally, we are also involved in this matter. We’ve been gathering information, but we haven’t heard such a story…”
“Ah, perhaps it’s because it only ended three days ago. More importantly than that—”
“No, wait,” he stopped me again.
What happened, he seemed to ask.
“Um, I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but out of twenty-four thousand, we defeated nineteen thousand and forced five thousand to retreat.”
“Heh heh heh, that’s a malicious joke. I can’t possibly believe that.
If, hypothetically, that were true, Prince Rui, I would bow my head and apologize to you.”
“No, no, no, no, please don’t. That would just make me feel bad!
More importantly than that—”
“You still claim it’s a fact?” he said, not letting me move the conversation forward no matter how much time passed.
“Yes. But you can have your men confirm it. If you want the details, I will of course report them, but do you wish to hear them even at this stage?”
Yeah. It’s hard to believe, right? I understood after fighting them head-on at the end.
No matter how strong our soldiers are, it would have been impossible if we fought them properly. That difference in numbers.
In the end, most of the operations were a huge success, but the situation changed at the very end, and I let nearly five hundred die.
“Tell me. Of course, I can’t believe it at this stage.
However, I want to hear it clearly from your own mouth.”
“Ah, understood. Well then, from the first day—”
The conversation had strayed, but having them acknowledge my strength was also necessary.
I conveyed the general overview and also spoke to some extent about the landmines.
Of course, I withheld everything about their manufacturing method, operational use, and materials.
“You even defeated someone ranked within the Empire…
If this is true, it means we misjudged Belfast’s strength…”
“Ah, yes. Everyone was terrifyingly strong.”
While praising Belfast’s strength, I continued, “But, we were able to win thanks to Your Majesty,” and then some incomprehensible words came out: “Hoh… The Wind Chimes, or was it the information?”
When I tilted my head, he explained.
Apparently, he had established a connection with the Wind Chime Mercenary Group and provided them with collected information on the Empire.
Ah, so the documents Pops had were from His Majesty…
“Ah, so that was also thanks to Your Majesty, I see.
For me, being allowed to take out half of the Abyss Materials was a big deal.
And so, I also have some valuable information for you!”
When I brought up the Abyss Materials, His Majesty nodded as if he finally understood.
“Hoh,” he said, giving me an interested look, so I told him that it had been discovered that the inner lining of Treasure Chests could be used as Backpack material.
“It’s only just been discovered, so we’ve only made a few, you see.
Since we found out it’s usable, I thought I had to share the information.”
I added that in Oldam, they didn’t know its use and were wondering what to do with it.
“Wait, even though it’s an Abyss Material, you didn’t even investigate it?”
“Ah, no, through Viscount Oldam’s arrangement, we were taking them to the academy’s Dismantling Yard, as continuously bringing such high-grade items to the town’s guild would likely cause problems.”
“What in the world…” His Majesty showed an exasperated face.
Sorry, Viscount, I might have stepped on a landmine there.
I tried my best to cover for him, but the exasperated look didn’t change.
“So, for what reason does the Prince of Belfast convey this?”
“Um, this is a personal thank you from me.”
“Hoh, so you don’t intend to ask for anything in return for providing it?”
Oh dear, it seems I’ve caused a misunderstanding.
This is genuinely a thank you for receiving the condition that I could take half of them.
This was the key to victory.
Normally, taking such valuable materials out of the country wouldn’t be permitted.
His Majesty gave me that condition after Belfast was returned, so there’s no way I wouldn’t be grateful for that.
Until I spoke with Viscount Oldam, I thought that if I submitted the materials to the school, they would extract how to defeat the flower Monsters and everything would become state property.
It’s a bit much for me to say it myself, but it was an unexpected response for them to send me off in a supportive way without tying down me, the goose that lays golden eggs.
It was like that even before I helped Prince Riley, so that must be His Majesty’s usual way.
“Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty, I was able to protect the person I desperately wanted to protect.
However, we hadn’t found its value until now, so there aren’t that many at the moment, but I brought some just in case. Shall I unload them here?”
“Hmm, where are they? I heard you have no attendants with you?”
“Yes, I’m alone. Ah, they’re in my Storage Magic.”
To His Majesty, who tilted his head, I explained that it was magic that allowed one to carry things empty-handed by putting them into a separate space.
“W-What did you say!?” the Prime Minister, who had been glaring sullenly beside him the whole time, stood up.
“Um, it’s the magic that the Treasure Chest Monster used… I’ll show you when I take them out.
If necessary, shall I copy it for you…?”
“Ooh! Then, let us quickly change locations! Your Majesty, is that agreeable!?”
The Prime Minister stood up and urged His Majesty. By then, both of them had returned to their usual expressions.
It seems their mood improved, which is good, good.
Storage Magic is convenient, after all.
And so, we arrived at a large, warehouse-like hall inside the Castle.
I was a little excited, thinking it might be a treasury, but it was just a place with some slightly luxurious furnishings and furniture.
“Will they fit in here?”
“Yes, of course,” I said, taking out the Treasure Chests one after another with a pop pop sound.
These are freshly hunted ones I got before coming here.
However, only the craftsmen approached the materials; the interest of the other two was on the Storage Magic.
Thinking they wanted it, I made a Magic Circle template out of Mithril and handed it over.
“Ah, by the way, it can’t be used with Magic Tools. I think it’s probably because it hits the Mithril or the hardening material and can’t pass through, but I’m not certain.”
“Hmm, but it’s quite complex. To think you use this so readily.”
His Excellency the Prime Minister gazed at the Magic Circle with a grimace.
“The most skilled person in control in Belfast said it would probably require ten years of training.
But on a national scale, there’s a possibility you could train such personnel, right?”
“Mmm. If that were possible, it would open up many dreams.”
The Prime Minister was already stroking his chin, beginning to count his chickens before they hatched.
It seems he was surprisingly materialistic.
I don’t dislike it. Because it’s fun, counting your chickens before they hatch.
“So, these are the materials in question?” His Majesty finally showed interest in the Treasure Chests.
Well, the craftsmen are already investigating them, so I guess it’s fine to leave it to them after confirming.
“Yes. The inner lining can be used for Backpacks, and the surrounding jewels can be used as Amplifiers.
The Backpacks can be made with more than five times the conventional capacity, and the jewels are said to be a rank above the high-grade ones currently in circulation.”
“F-Five times, you say!?” His Majesty turned his eyes to the craftsman he had brought.
“If it has the same effect at this size, I believe I could achieve nearly double that…”
It’s true that before making them, I said more than five times, but the new model Backpacks easily surpassed that.
The Abyss is really something else, isn’t it? In various ways.
The Golems are all Mithril… and… oh crap.
I hadn’t mentioned the Mithril.
I had planned to deliver it all at once later, so I skipped over it.
But since I’ve already sold a large amount on the market, I can’t just not mention it.
I’m going to get yelled at again…
“Your Majesty, there’s actually one more thing I have to tell you…”
“What is it? Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like good news?”
“Um, yes. Well…” I said with a wry smile, and brought out a Mithril Golem.
“This is also an Abyss Material, you see.”
“This is… could it be, is this all Mithril!?”
The one who shouted was the craftsman.
“Why did you bring it out with such an expression? Is it something you cannot hand over?”
“No, no, no! Um, it was absolutely necessary to protect Belfast, so I was allowed to take it preferentially! I will be sure to deliver that portion properly!!”
I bowed my head, begging for their forgiveness.
“I see. So you brought everything using something called Storage Magic…”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“I’d like to say this is unforgivable, but I also owe you for saving Riley. I’ll forgive you just this once. But there won’t be a next time.”
“Ah, thank you very much!”
Fuu, that was close. I’m glad His Majesty the King is an understanding person.
“So, how much is there? If you can take it out, you may do so now.”
“Yes, I brought everything, so there are about eighty. I think I can just barely get them all out here.”
I started neatly arranging them from the back, and they just barely fit.
When he asked, “Is there anything else?”, I also took out the monsters whose uses I wasn’t sure about, just in case. Adding that the dinosaur meat was incredibly delicious and he should try it.
“Mm. I’ve already tasted this. It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” he said, and the atmosphere became quite friendly.
Several new people came in, looked this way, and recoiled, saying, “That’s impossible.” They were probably surprised by the Mithril. It’s quite expensive, after all.
Fuu, I thought I could finally get to the main topic, but His Majesty the King’s expression changed as someone who had just entered whispered something to him… Is he angry…?
“So, you have other secrets, don’t you?” he asked, for some reason grabbing my shoulder.
I was trembling, wondering what I’d be scolded for this time, but it turned out to be nothing particularly serious. I thought he was angry because he had such a grave expression.
“Just now, the messenger we sent to Belfast returned. However, he says Prince Rui couldn’t possibly be here. Why is that?”
“Ah, that? I learned how to fly, so I flew here.”
After a long internal struggle, His Majesty the King said, “W-What… Show me,” demanding I fly and show him.
However, I explained that it would cause dust and papers to fly around indoors, creating a mess, so we moved to the garden.
It was a beautiful place with a fountain and neat pathways, things you don’t often see in this world. The trees and such were also meticulously maintained.
When I flew around there to show them, both of them frowned and fell into deep thought. Huh… I thought I’d be praised extravagantly…
I was told that was enough, so I trotted over to them, and we returned to the reception room.
“…With this, I have no choice but to believe Prince Rui’s words. Did Belfast truly win as you said…?”
He was pressing the bridge of his nose, looking rather serious.
“Yes. There’s no mistake, but is it bad for Lestall?”
“It wouldn’t be good. An opponent who likely harbors resentment has gained power and a just cause.”
“Th-That’s true… But I did tell them properly. That if they don’t join hands with Lestall, they’ll be destroyed, so I won’t permit any rash actions.”
He gave me a surprised look, but that was natural. Thinking I could finally get to that topic here, I eagerly explained. The plan for them to take Lease, form an alliance, and fight the Empire together.
“Isn’t that just foisting the Empire onto Lestall? Of course, we cannot accept!”
“Then I ask His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Prime Minister. After Belfast falls, do you have any means to resist the Empire?”
I’d looked through the documents on the Empire that Pops brought. They possessed far greater military strength than anticipated.
Even that scum and the handsome guy weren’t even in the top ten of their so-called rankings. Apparently, they were only praised because, as legitimate sons of nobles, they had climbed that high.
There’s also a huge disparity in ordinary soldiers. The number of high-ranking Knights is different by two orders of magnitude.
That high-speed movement magic is apparently given to the top ranks, so at the very least, everyone in the rankings will use it. If that happens, it’ll be difficult for even someone at Mr. Owen’s level to stop them. Then, it’ll be our turn to face an enemy worth a thousand.
“We don’t… I believe it’s impossible to join hands honorably,” came the expected reply.
“In that case, let’s search for a way to survive together. I don’t think it has to be the way I proposed. First, I request a venue to find a line where we can both compromise.”
“I see. So the offering of materials was for that purpose…” the Prime Minister said, looking convinced.
“No, that’s not it. Those were a thank you gift. There’s no need to make concessions because of them.”
“Oh? So you’re saying it’s fine even if we reject it?”
“It wouldn’t be good, but I intend to accept it if that happens. I understand your position of having to pursue the interests of your country.”
I had come up with one plan to protect Belfast, just in case…
In that case, I’d have to abandon all sense of ethics to protect Belfast… no, to protect Yuri, I’d have to commit acts like a demon. A plan to manufacture an infinite number of bombs and bomb the military facilities in every town, starting with the Empire’s capital, driving them into a situation where nothing functions.
That was the decision I reached in these past three days. A plan to blow up all locations identified as military facilities, regardless of whether civilians are present.
Involving ordinary citizens is by no means a permissible act, but if the Empire continues its invasion, I’ve resolved to do it as a last resort. Well, I’d start by blowing up the area near the Imperial Palace, conveying that I can kill them at any time, and appealing for an end to the war. If they still don’t stop their invasion, then it can’t be helped. I’ve already initiated mass production of bombs.
However, considering the possibility of the enemy stealing the technology, I want to avoid using it as much as possible. That’s precisely why I want the alliance to be formed.
“We shall prepare the venue. What are the plans for your side’s attendance?”
“Well, Pops also acknowledged that it’s over if we don’t join hands, so he should agree… but actually, I haven’t said anything yet.”
“What, you came without even getting your own country on board…?”
“Yes… I thought I should consult with Your Majesty the King first, so I came on my own accord…”
“Fool! It’s the other way around!” I was scolded again.
“However, now that things have come to this, something must be done… Albert, clear the room. Everyone.”
“Yes, sir!!”
At his words, everyone from the servants to the civil officials filed out of the room.
What’s going on, what’s going on! Is there such important news?!
I faced the two of them, trembling with trepidation.
“Prince Louis von Belfast… For our discourtesy this time, I deeply, deeply apologize! We were truly sorry!”
His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister both bowed their heads so low they almost touched the desk.
“Huh…? Hey, hey! Why is this happening all of a sudden! Please stop! It’s making me feel terribly awkward and uncomfortable! I said stop, didn’t I?!”
For me, when I think of “His Majesty the King,” this person is the first one who comes to mind. That’s the kind of person he is. I could never say this in my own country, but it can’t be helped, right? He’s the king of the country I grew up in, thinking of it as my motherland since I can remember.
But such a person was genuinely bowing his head to me. It was nothing but painful.
And so, while I was panicking, I managed to get them to raise their heads, only to see them both grinning mischievously. …Damn it. I was had.
“A-Are you bullying me?!”
“My! To call a sincere apology bullying, what a strange thing to say.”
Damn it. As if they don’t know… Exhausted from the mental strain, I replied, “It’s fine now…” and with that, the meeting ended. I was told to send a letter once our discussions were concluded.
As I left the royal castle, the only thing remaining in my mind was how I’d been continuously scolded and then finally teased. While thinking I was really glad I hadn’t brought Yuri, I returned to Belfast.