Chapter 91
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 91 – Spy
Elena Augusto was in trouble.
This was a matter of diplomacy, and it was going to be very difficult from now on. She was aware of that.
“Elena-sama. Here are the documents you requested.”
“Thank you. I wonder how much has been collected.”
In her office at Heim Castle.
Elena, Krone’s mother, was somewhat relieved to see that the documents she had requested had arrived.
The woman who came to Elena’s office was Lily, a subordinate of Elena’s who had been working exclusively for Elena for the past four years. She was a pretty woman with short black hair and a small build.
When she came into the office, her face was pale.
“What’s wrong?”
“Actually… it is true that I have been collecting information, but they all seem very similar.”
“Oh, I see what you mean.”
But she couldn’t be blamed.
Or rather, Elena did not expect much from her.
She had asked a number of adventurers to help her gather information.
But even they did not want to make an enemy of “that country.” The most famous adventurers all refused.
“Hah… Ishtalika. They show their strength even in a place like this. That’s a big deal.”
It was truly frightening to see the royalty being fooled by this.
But no matter, Heim was her beloved homeland. She wanted to make it work as long as possible.
“B-but Elena-sama will be fine! Even if the other party is the Prime Minister of Ishtalika…”
“…Hey, you! Do you know how the catch in the port city of Roundhart has changed over the past 10 years?”
“Huh…? N-no, I don’t know, but… what about that?”
With all due respect, what are you talking about? Lily made a face that said that. Thinking about it, Lily asked what her intention was.
“Me too. I had never seen such a detailed document before. I’ve learned a lot from it, and I’ve also learned how to write it, I suppose. The Prime Minister of Ishtalika is a real expert.”
Elena took out a piece of paper and showed it to Lily.
Lily was still surprised but looked at the paper anyway.
“What is this?”
“This is a detailed report of the fish caught in the port city that the other party checked. I heard there was some tax evasion going on, so I suggest you check it out. He bothered to add a few words.”
Elena had a habit of biting her thumbnail whenever she felt uncomfortable or too distressed.
Of course, the habit still showed up now.
“What started it was… no, it was Heim who took the first bait. But he’s been so thorough. It’s a lot of trouble.”
“A meeting with Ishtalika. What will happen…?”
“We have to do our best to make it work. But where do you start to fill in the blanks…? The alleged kidnapping of your father-in-law and of your daughter? That can be said any way you want, or is it disrespect to His Highness Tigre? No. It’s the Crown Prince. Since the crown prince has not yet been appointed in Heim, His Highness Tigre is in a lower position.”
The request from Heim’s royal family to Ishtalika was half out of control.
They pressured Euro to deliver it to them by force.
At first, Elena did not expect an answer.
But a few dozen days later. It worked.
Not just an answer, but an answer in the name of the current king of Ishtalika, Sylvird.
They were surprised to receive it in the name of the King of Ishtalika and not in the name of the Prime Minister or the Foreign Minister, but the content was even more surprising.
Without the lengthy preamble and social niceties, the content of the letter was translated as “If you have any complaints, you can complain directly to me.”
This came as a great shock to King Heim and Tigre.
“The first move is… not only the first move but also the next one. I don’t think we can even have a conversation unless it’s in the form of a half-assed accusation.”
“…Just in case. If we were to compete in a number of things, including debates and dueling knights… what do you think would happen, Elena-sama?”
“I don’t know about dueling. After all, I don’t know how strong the knights of Ishtalika are. I’ve heard of them, but there’s also the reliable General Logas, so I think we might have a chance.”
“I see, that is true… It seems that General Logas has a good chance.”
However, she didn’t see any chance of winning the argument.
In fact, she felt that it would only lead to embarrassment.
“And if we were talking about the Crown Prince of Ishtalika, his assistant would be there as well. I’m getting a headache wondering what kind of monsters they have lined up.”
The Crown Prince’s personal guard and assistant.
They would surely show their strength in speech, not to mention their military prowess. The personnel of the great country of Ishtalika should realize that the threats are everywhere.
“Then there is the crown prince of Ishtalika… his assistant and Elena-sama. Do you think it’s possible that the two of them will participate in the debate?”
“Not only possible, but I’m sure it will happen. Because I am sure that I am the main force in Heim.”
Anon of the Bruno family was also rapidly improving his abilities. But in terms of the number of places, Elena wins hands down. That said, Elena would still be the mainstay going forward.
“Oh… I’m sorry. I have an appointment with Tigre-sama. I’m sorry, but can I leave it to you to sort through the documents?”
“Of course, Elena-sama. Leave it to me.”
With a smile, Lily nodded obediently.
——It’s just a small word, but it’s what she said earlier. Elena was curious about it. The word ‘that’ was a very strange word.
She was a bit skeptical and decided to take a risk.
“Oh, by the way, Lily. Our… August family budget list for next year, when was I supposed to hand it in?”
Every year, the nobility submits a budget list to the royal family.
Was there any fraud, and how much money was needed? It was a document that was used as an indicator to check for such things.
“It’s only until November. So I think it’s time to start making them.”
…Is that so? Elena understood.
It was not worth letting her swim around too much. Anyway, it would be no trouble to do what she wanted.
A shiver ran through her entire body as she thought about how she had been doing this for four years.
“Hey. How do you know the name August? Even the Heim royal family doesn’t know that name, you know?” [T/n: “The family name in Heim is Augusto (アウグスト), but when Graff and Krone moved to Ishtalika, they changed their family name to August (オーガスト).
Everything must be tried, the former head of the Augusto family, Graff, used to say.
Following his example, she said it now for the time being. Although she did not think that her concern was correct.
If someone pointed out that she had mispronounced the name, she would make some kind of excuse, like she had bitten her tongue or something.
“…Ah. I got caught, didn’t I?”
“Was it from the beginning? Since four years ago?”
“Well, it was a blunder. I never dreamed that I would make such a blunder. But I guess it’s just as expected of Krone-sama’s mother.”
Lily put her hand over her mouth and didn’t answer with a thoughtful look on her face.
Should she say that she was taken advantage of? No, such words were insufficient since she had been infiltrated for four years.
“Hey. I wonder if you can just ignore it.”
“Oops… I’m sorry, Elena-sama. I just wanted to close my eyes to my blunder.”
“Ara, I understand. But you’ve been doing a lot of research, haven’t you? In the last four years. So I guess it’s not such a big blunder.”
“Um… My boss is very strict, so I can’t be as ‘carefree’ as Heim.”
She naturally started to humiliate Heim, but Elena calmly suppressed her feelings.
If she got so angry over every little thing like that, there was no way she would be able to go to the set with Ishtalika.
“That’s too bad. Now that you’ve been exposed, what are you going to do about it?”
“But, Elena-sama. If I kill you here, no one will ever know. Didn’t you think of that?”
“If I scream loudly, you will be killed as well, right?”
“Then I can do it like this… Oops.”
Lili immediately closes in and presses the knife against Elena’s neck.
With just a little more force, the knife would cut into the skin of her neck. With such exquisite force, Lily looked at Elena.
“See? It’s all over, Elena-sama.”
These were the coldest words she had ever used.
If she thought that this was her true nature, her regret at not being able to see through it grew.
“…Hah. I wonder if I was the one who made light of you. You are so strong.”
“Elena-sama, you should be more careful. It’s your fault for being too careless.”
After saying that, Lily quickly went back to her original place.
Elena’s spine was covered with cold sweat.
“I’m not going to kill you. It’s just a threat, so don’t make a sound. This is called a deal.”
“I guess I’ll just have to listen to you obediently… Good grief. I won’t step on your shoes.”
“Ah, the way you just spoke was just like Krone-sama. You are mother and daughter, after all.”
Lily had a cheerful and childlike attitude that she had never shown before.
She kept smiling after playing a trick on Elena.
“Of course. That child grew up watching me. …So, are you leaving the castle now?”
“I am leaving. It seems I’ve reached my limit.”
Lili tucked her knife into her skirt and spread her hands in a pose as if to say she’s giving up.
“I see. I liked you, so it’s a shame.”
“If you feel that way. Would you like to come with me? Come to… Ishtalika.”
Lili’s words sounded as tempting as if the devil was whispering to her.
If she crossed over to Ishtalika, she would be reunited with her beloved daughter and see her father-in-law again.
That sounded very appealing to Elena, but…
“I’m afraid I must decline. Not to complain about my father-in-law or Krone, but I still love Heim. It’s the home I’ve lived in all my life, so I can’t leave.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
The royal family of Heim? No, if anything, she wanted to stay here because she loved the country of Heim. Elena had such thoughts.
She had no intention of denying the two people who had left Heim. But she just couldn’t bring herself to leave. That was all.
“Hey, you’re leaving anyway, right?”
“Of course I am! I care about myself most of all!”
“Then tell me. …Krone. Is she doing well?”
She received the letter. That’s how she got to know about her.
But she wanted to hear from the people of Ishtalika about how she was doing.
“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Ishtalika…”
“R-right. I know I pushed you too hard…”
She thought about the way from Heim to Ishtalika. She wouldn’t be able to return to her home so easily.
Lily, like Elena, has done a lot of work.
“So, can we talk about the Krone-sama from two months ago?”
“…It’s not very recent.”
Smiling at her, Lily stuck out her tongue and made a joking face.
“She seems to be having fun. Lately, she seems to like black things.”
“Black…? Why black?”
“Because it’s the color of the crown prince, you know. Speaking of black, she thinks she hasn’t been exposed, but it’s already obvious.”
Smiling, Lily took out the knife again and twirled it in her hand.
It looked like she was enjoying herself, but it was hard to tell how disturbing it was.
“I wonder what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thinks of her…?”
This was what worried Elena the most.
What if he didn’t like her very much after she went all the way to Ishtalika?
As her mother, it was only natural for her to worry.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. They are both just a little shy.”
“That’s a relief to hear.”
“Besides, she’s one of the most important people in Ishtalika now.”
She says a word that should not be overlooked.
Important? Krone was not even 20 years old. And yet, she was a heavyweight in the country of Ishtalika?
“What do you mean? It is still impossible for a person to become a major figure in the country of Ishtalika.”
“That is true. It is usually impossible. But Krone-sama also made an effort, and that’s all it took to get results… Well, I’ll be scolded if I give you too much information. I’ll leave you with this.”
Lily released the window and leaned out.
The room was several tens of meters high, and a normal fall would have been lethal.
“Wait, that’s a bit dangerous…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Elena-sama. …Thank you for all your help over the years!”
Lili finally jumped off the roof.
This would really be the last one. Elena thought so and asked a question.
“Tell me one last time! What is Krone doing now?”
The words barely reached her. Lily paused for a moment, wondering what was wrong.
Then her little sense of mischief kicked in, and she replied with a nasty word.
“Nfufu… I’ll give you a heads up. If you don’t want to ‘fight’ with Krone-sama, you should stop talking to the Crown Prince. Goodbye.”
“W-wait…!”
She wanted to be more specific, so she went to the window to stall her. ——But those words were really the last.
Liliydidn’t stop after that but jumped out of the window with a swoosh.
“…Vanishing like mist, I never thought someone would put words like that into practice.”
Looking out the window, Lily was nowhere to be seen.
She looked up and down, left and right, everywhere, and could not even find the moving figure.
“Well. Where should I start…?”
There was a spy. She had to report it, but she also had to find out how much information she had taken.
More importantly, she might not be the only spy in this situation. Elena really didn’t know where to begin.
“Far from being behind the curve, I’ve played right into their hands.”
Elena sighed deeply as she realized that she was being investigated one-sidedly.
The view from the window was, in contrast to Elena’s state of mind, quite blue, and the sky was clear.
＊＊＊
Meanwhile, in the adventurer’s city of Baltic.
In a room of an inn, a girl looked down on her lord. It was the perfect look for a masochist, but Ain was no masochist.
“So what is this? May I ask you again? Your Highness?”
Surely, Krone would go down in the history of Ishtalika.
Not in terms of her competence but in terms of what she “made” the Crown Prince do.
Of course, there was no denying that she would be remembered for other things as well.
“Yes. Um… I got this as a souvenir from a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s army…”
Can I stop sitting on my knees now? He wanted to ask her, but there was no way he could say such a thing in front of her intensity.
“That’s why I’m asking you why you met with an official of the Demon King’s Army alone!”
“I was abducted by an uncontrollable force of circumstances, you see…”
He couldn’t explain it any other way.
The fact was that he was abducted and it was by force.
… He used illusory hands. If he’s blamed for that, he can’t complain even if he’s told to be more vigilant.
“What was the cause?”
“…I used the illusory hand. Yes…”
“Oh, that is no good now. All the points that can be excused are gone.” Ain thought about these things in his mind.
As expected, this kind of light conversation was not possible, so he just put it away in his head.
It’s late afternoon, almost time for a snack.
Ain and his group returned to Baltic a few minutes ago. When he returned to his room, Ain was pleased to find that Krone had greeted him.
But then. It was only natural that Krone’s attitude changed gradually as more and more things were reported to her.
“I think it’s obvious if you think about it for a minute. It’s a dangerous place, isn’t it? Why did you do it?”
Then she went to Ain’s side and lowered her knees in front of him, who was sitting on his knees.
Then her eyes were close to Ain’s, and she put her hand on his cheek.
For the first time in a few days, Ain felt a sense of relief at the scent of Krone, but he braced himself for the current situation, which could not always be reassured.
“…Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Can you promise me that? Look into my eyes and say it again.”
It was pointed out that his eyes were downcast, and he turned his eyes to Krone’s eyes.
Her pure white and beautiful blue eyes look directly at Ain.
Her lips, which move from time to time, seem to be agitated.
“Hey Ain. Will you look at me again and promise me? …Hey?”
As if admonishing a naughty child, Krone moved closer to Ain in a soft, receptive tone of voice.
Ain was on the verge of swallowing his saliva but somehow manages to control himself and opens his mouth.
“Next time… I’ll be more careful.”
“Really? …You won’t lie?”
“Y-yes, of course… sorry, Krone.”
Without blinking, she continued to stare into Ain’s eyes.
The atmosphere was such that every single second felt like a long time. After who knows how long, she finally let go.
“Then I believe you. It would be a bit sad to keep blaming Ain for this, wouldn’t it?”
Krone stood up and offered Ain her hand.
Ain took it and stood up as well, but his legs were numb as he was unaccustomed to sitting on the ground.
“(Did you see that well, Dill? That’s a woman fit for royalty, learn it well.)”
“(Y-yes, Father… I understand.)”
The father and son of the Glacier family stood nearby.
The two were whispering something, and Ain noticed. When they looked at each other, Lloyd coughed and said,
“N-now, Ain-sama. Dill and I will be leaving soon. Please rest well so you don’t get tired.”
“A-Ain-sama. See you later.”
“…Alright. Thank you for your good work, both of you.”
They were probably talking about something weird anyway. Ain’s predictions were right on the money, but there’s nothing special to worry about.
——…Or rather, while Krone was angry. Ain thought deeply that both of them had no presence for a long time.
A big yawn escaped from Ain’s mouth. It reminded him of how tired he was.
“Maybe I should take a little nap.”
“…Shall I wake you up later?”
“Yes. I want you to wake me up in about two hours.”
He didn’t get much sleep last night.
That was because he had been kidnapped and drank mysterious high-grade tea.
When he returned to the inn, the atmosphere was probably the reason for the drowsiness that gradually hit Ain.
“Thank you for your hard work on the expedition. Don’t worry, I’ll wake you up. ——Please go and get some rest, Ain.”
“Thank you… and sorry. I’m going to rest a bit.”
The souvenirs and the lamprey rabbit’s magic stone.
There were a number of things he wanted to work on, but it was hard to resist the desire to sleep.
Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Ain staggered toward his room.
“First, I have to change my clothes…”
Then he pulled some light clothes out of his bag.
As expected, it was still too early to put on sleepwear, so he chose some clothes that would make it easier for him to sleep.
Ain quickly changed into them and then climbed into bed.
Since he had already taken a light shower upon his return, there was no need to worry about getting the bed dirty.
So he planned to rest on the bed…
“…H-hmm! Eh, here… this is…!”
Ain jumped into the pillow.
A beautiful girl… who was working on paperwork in an outside room, the so-called Krone, popped into Ain’s mind, but it was her scent.
The scent of her, when she was near, went straight into Ain’s nostrils.
He had never been in a situation where he was so close to her, and her scent was all over him.
And he didn’t know what it meant. For a moment, he wondered if this was Krone’s room, but it was indeed his room.
In any case, his bag was placed here, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was his room, considering the size of the room.
So why? He couldn’t understand why the smell of Krone was so strong.
It’s not good to smell it all the time. Understanding this by instinct, Ain stood up quickly and stumbled back into the living room.
“Krone! H-hey… I think something is wrong!”
“Ain. Could you please calm down and talk to me?”
The documents were on the table. Krone was looking at them and writing something down.
She put down her pen and turned to Ain. To her restless lord, what’s going on? She turned a stunned but friendly face.
“Hey, I don’t know why, but… I can smell Krone from my bed!”
At first glance, he sounded like an idiot.
But so much had happened that the option of not asking didn’t occur to him.
Looking at Krone’s blank face, Ain asked, “Did I do it?” He became slightly anxious.
“…Fufu. Hey Ain, did you really want to sleep with me that badly?”
Just as I thought! I did it! Ain thought in his head.
He should have known that she would tease him if he said something like that.
And yet, he couldn’t help but mention this strange incident.
“Oh, uh… It’s… different, you know? It’s something from my bed.”
“Yes, I know. But if you wanted to sleep with me so badly, why didn’t you just tell me? I’m your Krone, after all. ——Let’s go, shall we? I’ll hold you until you fall asleep. Will you be a good boy?”
I’m stirring up a hornet’s nest, aren’t I? But you have to understand, the smell was so strong. Ain wanted to make this excuse.
“…Sorry for interrupting!”
Ain returned to his room with a sudden, almost audible bang.
Naturally, his face turned bright red, and he ran off at a brisk pace to avoid being seen by Krone.
“…It’s no surprise that it smells like me. I changed all the pillows and everything.”
When Ain returned, she couldn’t sleep in Ain’s room. Ain’s scent, which had recently become her stabilizer, and its absence were a bit of a big deal.
So Krone came up with a simple idea.
The bedding in this room was identical in pattern and material.
Therefore, even if the bedding were replaced, it would not be visible on the surface. By taking advantage of this, Krone was able to pull off the trick of replacing the bedding.
“Ufufufu…♪”
Krone was in a good mood after seeing Ain’s adorable appearance.
The day’s paperwork went much better than usual.
——And tonight, wrapped in her own personal “stabilizer,” she was able to get a good night’s rest.