Kingdom of Lies

by Yuri Kitayama

  “No... Of course, that might not be the case. It’s just an occupational hazard of mine to doubt everything.”

  “Well, I don’t believe he’s a bad child.”

  “I guess if a professor at the Royal Academy says so, then it must be true,” Vanessa said with a small smile.

  “I’m still a newbie, though,” Celia replied bashfully. Then, she noticed something, and asked, “Come to think of it, where did Princess Christina and Roanna go?”

  “Oh. They’re probably being scolded for abuse of power and leaving without permission by His Majesty right about now...” Vanessa answered tiredly.

  Just then, Flora stirred.

  “Uhh... Mmh...”

  “Princess Flora!” Vanessa called in a panicked voice.

  Flora opened her eyes slowly. She blinked a few times before looking up at Vanessa’s face in a daze.

  “Is that... Vanessa? Where...”

  “You’re in your bedroom, Your Highness. You were weakened from dehydration and it caused you to pass out. Please, drink this.”

  Vanessa picked up a metal jug from the table and poured water into a glass to offer to Flora.

  “Thank you.” Flora accepted the glass and sipped slowly from it. After a moment, she lowered it and noticed Celia watching her.

  “Oh, umm. Who might you be?” Flora asked.

  “My name is Celia Claire, Your Highness. I am Princess Christina’s class instructor at the Royal Academy.”

  “You’re my sister’s... I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I’m honored.”

  Celia bowed respectfully as Flora gave a weak smile.

  “Would you explain what happened to me? I don’t...”

  “Yes. Please allow me that honor, Your Highness,” Vanessa said, and began explaining the situation to Flora. She spent the next few minutes giving Flora the general outline of what happened.

  “ —which brings us here. The boy claimed he was merely protecting Your Highness. Is this true?” Vanessa asked Flora after finishing her explanation.

  “Yes. I faintly remember asking a child my age to save me,” Flora confirmed with a nod.

  “And that boy’s name was Rio?”

  “...I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for his name, so I don’t know,” Flora shook her head, eyes downcast. “But I’ll know his face when I see him. Where is he now? I want to thank him.”

  “...He’s probably being interrogated right now,” Vanessa replied.

  “Interrogated? Why?” Flora asked curiously.

  “There was a need to confirm whether the boy’s statement was true, so...”

  “Then please bring him here. He’s the one who saved me.”

  Flora declared Rio’s innocence and made her request, but Vanessa seemed troubled as she looked down.

  “That’s... I’m afraid it’s a little difficult to call him to this room.”

  “Why?”

  “The boy is a mere orphan. He’ll need to be cleaned up and receive permission from His Majesty first...”

  “...Then please do that quickly,” Flora requested rather forcefully. “I won’t allow him any more discomfort.”

  “Understood. Please rest some more, Your Highness. It will be better for your health.”

  “I know. Please do as I asked.”

  “Of course. Celia, could you please keep Her Highness company for a moment? I need to get some things ready.”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  “Thank you. I shall return as soon as possible.”

  Vanessa extended her thanks at Celia’s agreeable nod before hurrying off to find Rio.

  ◇◇◇

  Rio was exhausted. The shackles digging into his wrists had torn the skin apart, but he could no longer feel pain. Rather, his whole body had been so bruised by the club, he could no longer feel the pain in his wrists.

  “You damn brat! Spit out the kidnapper’s details already!” Charles’ angry yells echoed through the cell; a layer of impatience could be heard underneath all of the rage. Rio had noticed that too, though he didn’t know the reason for it. Once he realized how flustered the other party was, though, he was able to keep his own thoughts rather calm.

  But the situation was still bad.

  Ever since he arrived in the second interrogation room, he’d been beaten and bruised in an attempt to coerce a false confession out of him. They wouldn’t let him pass out and find peace. He had barely any stamina left, and was only holding on through pure will and stubbornness.

  In an attempt to reduce the physical damage he had to suffer, he tried to strengthen his body.

  He could remember the feeling of that moment quite vividly... He should’ve been able to reproduce it easily if he concentrated, yet for some reason, Rio couldn’t enhance his body.

  It was because of the shackles that restrained him.

  Sorcery had been cast on them to seal the magic essence of whoever wore them. Rio didn’t know anything about essence or sorcery, but he knew the physical enhancement he did in his previous fight used essence as the source of energy. With the shackles preventing his magic essence from flowing out of his body, he couldn’t perform the physical enhancement.

  Even so, Rio kept waiting for a chance without giving up.

  There had to be a reason why Charles was impatiently trying to force a confession out of Rio. It was easy to assume that if Rio confessed here, the situation would only benefit Charles... That’s why Rio hardened his resolve. He absolutely wouldn’t give in to this violence and confess to a crime he didn’t commit.

  “I don’t have anything else to tell you.”

  “You brat!”

  Charles swung the club with all his pent-up frustration. It was a merciless blow to the face.

  “Guh...!”

  Blood started pouring from Rio’s nose.

  “D-Deputy commander! He may die if you go overboard...”

  One of the knights that had been silently watching the interrogation tried to hold Charles back in a panic.

  “Silence! My position is in danger right now!” Charles shouted hysterically.

  “B-But sir! Your position will be in worse shape if you kill him of your own accord. We’re treading on thin ice as is.”

  “Then what would you have me do? Fear of taking a risk will bring no reward in this situation! If I don’t regain my honorable standing here, I’m taking you all down with me!” Charles yelled. Silence fell over the room.

  All the knights present in the room were part of the Royal Guard, and they were all knights in danger of losing their position due to Flora’s kidnapping case.

  The uproar from Flora’s kidnapping case all started yesterday.

  The royal family of Beltrum held a ritual every spring to pray for the prosperity of the kingdom. Flora was appointed the vital role as the priestess in charge of performing that ritual. By tradition, a purification ceremony was conducted before the ritual. In order to do that, Flora had to visit a spring on ancient holy land in the outskirts of the capital. However, it was forbidden for anyone other than the priestess and her attendant to enter the holy land during the ceremony. This time, though — the custom ended up backfiring. The Royal Guard surrounded the holy land with heavy security, but the spring was located in a forest and the kidnapper managed to slip through the cracks of their security. Flora’s kidnapping was the fault of the Royal Guard in charge of the security on site and the knights at the center of the security — in other words, the members gathered in the cell with Rio. At this very moment, Charles was in danger of losing his position as deputy commander of the Royal Guard. Fearing that outcome, he was now desperate to recover his disgraced honor, and had forcibly taken over Rio’s interrogation from the investigator that Vanessa had assigned — to force the interrogation in his favor. He was prepared to twist the truth with a small false accusation or two if it came to that...

  All in order to lighten his punishment as much as possible.

  Since confessions were considere
d to be irrefutable evidence under Beltrum’s justice system, an admission would be enough proof to sentence the crime. If Charles could make Rio give testimony that was favorable for the knights during the interrogation and repeat that in front of the King before his verdict, then his guilt would be proved. Even if Flora woke up and testified that Rio had saved her, there would be no overturning Rio’s guilty sentence. This was how strongly confessions were considered as evidence. Rio was a seven-year-old child — with a little pain and fear, he’d easily bend his confession to their will, Charles thought.

  However, Rio showed more endurance and courage than he expected, greatly derailing his plans. Normally, an interrogation had no time limit... but this case was different. The battle was against Flora’s awakening. Should Flora confirm that Rio was the one who saved her, Rio would become her savior, the crime would still be unsolved, and Charles would no longer be able to interrogate him through torture. If that happened, the only fact left would be that Charles forcefully tortured the savior of the royal family, making his situation take a turn for the worse, rather than the better.

  That was why he was feeling extremely impatient. Flora could wake up at any moment now, and it would only be a matter of time before they discover the interrogation taking place in this room.

  He had to get Rio to confess before then, no matter what it took.

  “...Bring me the Collar of Submission,” Charles ordered in a low voice.

  The surrounding knights all widened their eyes in surprise. “I-It’s a felony to use the Collar of Submission on a suspect without permission!” one of the other knights stammered.

  The Collar of Submission was a magic artifact that bound the free will of the wearer and compelled them to obey the orders of their registered owner. If the wearer rebelled against the order, the owner could chant a phrase to inflict sharp pain upon the wearer’s body. Furthermore, because the artifact had a history of being abused for malicious intentions, there were strict national laws imposed around its usage. Such laws included the wearer being limited to either slaves or criminals, and its actual use had to be reported to the government.

  Charles, having lost his rational mind, was going against protocol.

  “Silence! Shut up and do as I—”

  Just as Charles yelled angrily, the door to the underground room slammed open. Startled, all the knights in the room whirled to face it. In the open doorway stood Vanessa Emerle, the female knight that escorted Rio to the castle. She took in the state of the room and furrowed her brow.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Lord Arbor?” she asked in a furious voice.

  “...An official interrogation by the authority of the deputy commander of the Royal Guard.” Charles nearly stumbled over his words, but he answered immediately, his reply bold and calculated.

  “I assigned one of my own subordinates to the investigation,” Vanessa objected.

  “That person had a mission arise. I was available and took over instead.”

  “...Why was there a need for the deputy commander of the Royal Guard to personally take over this investigation?”

  “That’s because this investigation is partially my fault. I felt a sense of duty over it. Is there a problem with that?” Charles asked nonchalantly.

  “I believe I sent a message for the boy to be treated gently, as there was a possibility he was Princess Flora’s savior.” Vanessa looked over at Rio hanging suspended in the air.

  “Hmph. Something like that may have been mentioned. However, I highly suspect that this boy is deeply involved with Her Highness’ kidnapping,” Charles said, feigning ignorance.

  “Do you have proof of any crimes outside of his statement?”

  “I merely deduced it from the circumstantial evidence. The possibility exists, wouldn’t you say?”

  “...True, but shouldn’t you have waited until Princess Flora woke up?” Vanessa inquired.

  “We’ll agree to disagree there. Or are you saying I can’t be rough against Her Highness’ savior? That will only make the truth more difficult to uncover.”

  It was just one excuse after another. He sure knows how to talk in circles, Vanessa thought.

  “...Well, it seems like he’s Princess Flora’s savior after all. Did you find any connection to the kidnapping?”

  “Fortunately, he seems uninvolved. His Majesty would have been most upset if she were to find that Her Highness’ savior was a criminal, after all. Oh, what a blessing,” Charles said dramatically with exaggerated delight.

  Vanessa had quite a few things she wanted to respond with, but questioning him here any further would only lead to more evasive excuses. She’d have to send a written report to the higher-ups later — they could handle it instead.

  “Then I’d like you to stop the interrogation here. Princess Flora’s savior should not be treated so rudely. His Majesty wanted to meet him as well.”

  “In that case, I will gladly step down here. Hey. Remove the shackles,” Charles ordered. The knights hurried to remove Rio’s shackles. With no energy to remain standing, the boy fell to the ground.

  “We’ll be taking our leave now. I have other things to do, after all.”

  With those words, Charles and the other knights left the dungeons hastily. The only ones left behind were Rio and Vanessa.

  “...My apologies. I’ll call a sorcerer who can use Cura immediately,” Vanessa said as she approached Rio, who was lying face down. “Can you stand?”

  Rio ignored Vanessa’s voice and tried to rise on his own.

  “Ugh...”

  Intense pain ran throughout his body, causing Rio to fall instantly to the ground again.

  “Don’t push yourself. Your bones might be fractured. I’ll carry you, just stay still—” Vanessa said, reaching out to Rio with a careful hand.

  “Don’t... touch me...” Rio slapped the hand away.

  Vanessa paused, staring at her hand in shock.

  “Umm. I’m sorry. I’ll call a healer here, so just stay put.” With a conflicted expression on her face, Vanessa left the dungeon.

  Chapter 4: Royal Academy Enrollment

  Vanessa summoned Celia down to the dungeon where Rio was interrogated. He was probably on extremely high guard right now, so she chose to bring someone familiar rather than a complete stranger. That being said, out of the few faces Rio knew presently, the only one he was less wary of and with healing magic was Celia. She gladly agreed to travel down into the dungeon.

  “Umm, he seems to have passed out,” Celia pointed out.

  Rio had fallen unconscious, having long surpassed his physical and mental limits.

  “He was probably too fatigued from the pain and stress.” Vanessa’s expression darkened solemnly.

  “Ugh...” A groan fell from Rio’s mouth.

  “...What awful injuries. His whole body is battered and bruised. There may even be fractures in his bones... He needs to be treated immediately,” Celia said, gently removing the clothes from Rio’s upper body in order to examine him.

  “I implore you. ...It seemed like Sir Arbor abused him horribly during the interrogation.”

  “What an awful man, doing this to such a small child. He could have just questioned him traditionally.”

  “I suspect the interrogation was just a front. His position in the Royal Guard was at risk due to this case. He became desperate to turn the tide in his favor in any way possible,” Vanessa explained.

  “...How terrible,” Celia muttered with a frown. “Those types of men never know when to back down.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Especially so in the case of nobles,” Vanessa agreed with a bitter smile.

  “Well... I’m going to start healing now. Cura.”

  Having finished her examination of Rio’s condition, Celia chanted the phrase used for a healing spell. A geometric magic circle appeared at her hands, and a gentle light wrapped around Rio’s body, healing his injuries.

  Vanessa watched in awe as the swelling faded before her
eyes. “Amazing. I knew the healing effect varied depending on the user, but even in the royal court there are barely any sorcerers with Cura this impressive.”

  “...I’m flattered,” Celia said with a shy nod. She then took a deep breath and focused harder.

  Once the healing was done, she canceled her magic.

  “He should be healed enough to move now... but he’s fallen asleep. I can continue after he’s been carried to a bed — he needs proper rest.”

  “There are several scars over his body, but... these must be old wounds. Was he mistreated while he was in the slums?” Vanessa asked upon spotting Rio’s old scars.

  “Yes, most likely. They do seem like those kinds of wounds.”

  “And there’s no way to remove them?”

  “I’m sorry. It would be one thing if it was right after he was injured, but it’s impossible to restore old skin once time has passed.”

  “I see...”

  Both of their expressions fell somber.

  “Shall we carry him to the guest room?”

  “Yes, let’s.”

  Thus, Rio was relocated once more, this time while he was unconscious.

  ◇◇◇

  Rio woke up on a soft bed in the guest room of the royal castle.

  “Mm...”

  He lifted his eyelids slowly — an unfamiliar ceiling came into view.

  Where...

  Rio turned his head from side to side, blinking sleepily at the interior of the spacious and beautiful room. The ceiling was high and there was expensive-looking furniture placed at every corner, creating a luxuriously elegant space.

  It was vastly different from the utter despair he felt in the prison cell in the suffocating dungeon.

  Rio tried to sit upright in bed to take in his surroundings in more detail, but his body felt strangely dull and sluggish. He gave up on that plan quickly and fell back against the bed once more.

  “Oh, you’re awake now. Good morning — how do you feel?” a hesitant female voice addressed him from beside the bed.

  Rio turned towards the source of the voice to see two girls sitting on a leather couch. They appeared to be in their early teens, roughly. One was a small-sized girl wearing quaint clothing of nobility, appearing like an adorable winter fairy with her long white hair reaching softly down her back. The other girl had short blonde hair, her facial features young but carved with a sculpture-like beauty. She was wearing what could be considered a maid uniform. The white and navy colors of the outfit gave it a high-class aura.