“Really? You can tell who has a talent?”
“I’m not sure why your eyes are sparkling like that—don’t expect too much! I just remember hearing that if a psychic magic caster reaches tier three, they can finally determine whether the target has a talent or not. Even if they have one, then comes the hard part. You have to figure out how it’s expressed. And after all that work, there’s a good chance it’s something trivial.”
“Oh…” The sparkle went out of Renner’s eyes.
“Instead we should just try a bunch of different things. Standing under a waterfall, sniffing an herb that isn’t too dangerous to go into a trance—apparently, stuff like that can suddenly reveal a talent, like something just clicks.”
“Really…? Hmm, maybe that’s true?”
“Oh? Evileye, do you have a talent?”
Evileye had been quite chatty up until then, but now she began to give off the air of a stone. It seemed they had entered into a topic she wasn’t keen on.
But Climb’s master innocently asked, “Would you tell us what kind of power it is?”
It’s not that there weren’t times she was surprisingly sharp, but usually she was like this. It was like she couldn’t read the atmosphere or like she had no problem asking awkward questions.
It wasn’t that she didn’t consider the feelings of the other person, but maybe it had something to do with growing up as royalty?
“What? Are you that interested?”
“I don’t know many people with talents. So I was just wondering what kind you have.”
“I see. Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll tell you.”
Evileye leaned forward, and Renner did the same with her face full of expectation.
Sometimes talents could be a hidden trump card. Especially for adventurers. Climb didn’t think Renner would reveal it to anyone, but he didn’t think it was something that should be shared so easily, either.
“I don’t want too many people to hear, so can you bring your ear closer?”
“Yes.” Renner turned her ear toward Evileye.
And then…
“You really think I would blab something so important like that?!”
The shout filled the carriage.
Tina, sitting next to her, must have guessed that would happen, because she was plugging her ears.
“You’re so mean! My ear is ringing!”
Renner practically threw herself at Climb’s chest. The sound effect probably would have been something like fwump.
With tearful eyes, she looked up at him from his breast.
Climb cast away worthless thoughts like She’s so cute and She smells good. It was absurdly improper to have such feelings about his master.
“Lady Evileye, I understand how you feel, but if you would please have a little more mercy…”
“What? Isn’t she like this because you coddle her, kid?”
“N-no, that’s not it at all. Me coddling the princess?”
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t.
“Right! I think it would be fine for you to coddle me more, Climb! I agree with Evileye!”
“E-er, Princess. I don’t think that’s…”
“No! If you would indulge me more, then if you got blamed for it like just now, it would make sense. So please coddle me! At any rate, let’s take naps together like we used to do when you were a child. Okay, Evileye, tell him!”
“That’s enough. I was stupid… Anyhow, young lady, I don’t talk about my talent. Got it?”
“Is it really so dangerous?”
“Yeah, it’s my last resort. If I used it… It would be like if our leader’s sword went on a rampage—it’s powerful enough to destroy a whole city like that.”
Evileye’s words carried weight.
But Climb heard a puzzled “Huh?” from his chest. He wanted to look, but if he did, he would become aware of how close they were, and he couldn’t take it.
Even if he wanted to push her away, she was so soft that he wasn’t sure how much force to use.
And all the while his heart was clanging like an alarm bell, the conversation continued.
“Lakyus’s sword?”
“Yeah. She said that if it goes crazy, it would level a whole city—or was it a country? She uses some of her power just to suppress it.”
“Really…? I had no idea.”
Climb hadn’t told the princess about the demonic sword.
“You don’t have to worry about it. Our demon leader only keeps it to herself because she didn’t want to stress you out. Pretend you didn’t hear about it.”
“…Hmm. All right. I’ll do that.”
“Speaking of which, what happened to Lady Aindra? I haven’t seen her lately.”
“Hmm? Didn’t anyone tell you? Hey, Princess, you didn’t tell him?”
“…I forgot. Uh, she’s accompanying Gagaran and Tia on some training, Climb.”
Evileye took over from Renner. “Those two died in the fight against Jaldabaoth in the kingdom. Of course, they’ve been resurrected, but they lost a lot of life force. To regain it, they’re voluntarily putting themselves in danger and fighting through life-and-death battles to build their strength back up.”
“We wanted to go along, too.”
“But if we did that, it would feel a little bit too easy somehow. The best way to get tough quickly is small group battles.”
“I wonder if that’s really true, though.”
“Well… There’s supposedly a Level Up ritual that is more effective, but… Well, if they believed that and slacked off on training, we probably wouldn’t even be able to buy time if that demon came to attack the capital again.”
“Buy time? Ohhh, Evileye, you mean until your favorite guy comes again?”
“Yes! Until the great hero arrives!” Evileye’s whole demeanor suddenly changed. The heat of her passion could be felt distinctly, even from beneath her mask.
“M— Sir Momon, right?”
“Right! The great hero Sir Momon! The most powerful warrior who dual wields gigantic swords with such ease, it’s as if he’s swinging twigs! He is without a doubt the strongest warrior of any country in the region! I’m sure that if he’s around, he’ll defeat Jaldabaoth for us! He nearly got him last time, but the bastard ran away! But this is Sir Momon we’re talking about, so I’m sure he already has a plan to deal with him!”
She gushed so ardently, all Climb could do was chime in with an “Oh yeah.”
“But can he even come next time? Isn’t he under the King of Darkness’s rule now?” Tina asked in a tired voice that was rare for her.
Evileye’s hands had been joyously clasped together, but now she shouted, “Ahhh! Sir Momon! Shit, that damn King of Darkness! Even if heaven allows him to rule over our hero, I will not! If he could just defeat him and be free! What was he thinking? Maybe I should go to E-Rantel and hear what Sir Momon has in mind.”
“…Wait until after those two regain their power.”
“I would be right back, though. Once I know the location, I can teleport. If I use Fly for one way, it won’t take that long!”
“Evileye, you really fall apart when it comes to Momon… Didn’t our demon leader already tell you you couldn’t do that?”
“If you would just keep it a secret, then…”
“Actually, I’m awful at keeping secrets. They just bubble right up.”
“I can’t really imagine that, given your previous occupation.”
“Unfortunately, I’m Tina of the Blue Roses now. You can call me Loose Lips.” Then Tina got a determined glint in her eye. “…This is a good chance. I should ask you. Evileye—can you kill the King of Darkness?”
Evileye froze. All the giddiness of earlier was gone. Now it was the strongest adventurer caster who sat there.
“If all the stories I’ve heard are true…he has surpassed the power any single caster is capable of possessing. I personally investigated what happened on the Katze Plain after the fact, using all my co
ntacts—I got in touch with the old lady and analyzed the information we had, but…honestly, it’s too absurd. I want to believe the witnesses were bewildered by illusions.”
“It was no illusion. So many people died…” Renner’s face twisted in grief. “Two hundred sixty thousand people participated in that battle. Of those, a hundred eighty thousand died. I heard there are also people mentally anguished to the point where they can no longer lead a normal life. Some of the children in the orphanage have parents in that condition.”
“…From what the kid said, I can only imagine that to be true, getting attacked by that many monsters…”
“…Yes. It was truly hell. Luckily, I was with Brain and…the captain. With allies that strong, my mental state was spared, but I still glance behind me at times. For militiamen, that fear would be stronger, so I’m not surprised there are people with psychological issues.” Climb nodded.
“Okay, Tina. I’ll give your question a sincere answer. It’s impossible for me to defeat the King of Darkness.”
That was the answer they had expected.
“So it’s true.”
“Well, yeah. I might be able to do something about those monsters he summoned, but it’s hard to give a definite answer without seeing them myself. Honestly, a king with the power to summon more than one of those things shouldn’t exist in this world. Those powers are mythological.”
“Is it possible that he used an item to summon them? That it wasn’t his power?”
“That could be, but it would be dangerous to assume that’s what happened. Not that we have a way to confirm it.”
“It would be great if he would clash with Jaldabaoth.”
“That’s what everyone hopes will happen. Although the best would be if Sir Momon defeated him…”
“Who do you think is stronger, Sir Momon or the King of Darkness?”
The one who asked was Climb. Personally, he thought that the King of Darkness must have been stronger, since he could summon so many monsters. He was surprised to see Evileye take some time to think.
“I don’t know. Personally, I was thinking Sir Momon, since he repulsed Jaldabaoth, but the King of Darkness’s power is also difficult to fathom. Both are so much more powerful than the rest of us that I can’t even imagine…”
“Having a guy like that under the King of Darkness’s rule is the worst. No one can put up a fight.”
She was right.
If the one person who could potentially fight the King of Darkness on equal ground was under his thumb, that was a problem. If anyone wanted to challenge the King of Darkness, they would essentially have to face double the strength.
As the atmosphere in the carriage grew gloomy, the driver tapped on the window separating the passengers from the box seat. “We’ll arrive at the palace soon.”
At the driver’s voice, Renner sat up. Then she looked at the two adventurers seated before her. “Thank you so much for all your help today. Will you extend my gratitude to Lakyus and also tell her I’d like to have a meal together sometime?”
Having received word that his sister was nearly home, the second prince—Zanac Valléon Igana Ryle Vaiself—left his room to go welcome her.
Their elder brother—Barbro Andréan Yeld Ryle Vaiself—had gone missing, and enough time had passed that they had lost hope he was still alive, so Zanac had practically been declared the heir; it was strange that he should go to meet his little sister. There was a clear hierarchy between elder brother and younger sister.
Still, he went. The reason being that he had an urgent matter to discuss with her. He didn’t like it, but having lost an important counterpart, she was the only person he could rely on.
Eventually he caught sight of her.
Next to her stood Climb in his pure-white armor. He went almost everywhere Renner did, so there wasn’t anything strange about that.
Climb was a destitute child Renner had plucked off the streets long ago.
Before, Zanac thought she did it only on a whim because her head was full of nonsense, but once he learned how bizarre and intelligent she was, he started to think there had to be a reason.
And the reason seemed clear in the aftermath of Jaldabaoth’s attack on the capital and the King of Darkness’s massacre.
There were almost no soldiers in the capital stronger than Climb. Even among Gazef’s group of hand-selected warriors, only a handful were equal or superior to Climb.
Renner had also made personal connections with a man Climb had apparently brought over, Brain Unglaus, as well as Lakyus, the leader of the adamantite-plate adventurer team the Blue Roses. He was quite sure that his little sister possessed more military might than anyone in the royal capital.
Could she be aiming to carry out a coup?
It was only natural that Zanac should wonder.
Even if Renner wouldn’t take such a simple, direct angle, he had to be on guard. As part of that, he was making great efforts behind the scenes to forge personal ties with orichalcum- and mythril-plate adventurer teams.
Zanac was grateful to his elder brother.
After all, it was due to his disappearance that Zanac had effectively been chosen as the next king and was able to have a hand in so many different matters. That his brother’s annual allowance had been added to his was another boon.
Still, he was a bit concerned that his brother Barbro’s corpse hadn’t been found. It would be problematic if he was being imprisoned by the King of Darkness, and it would be equally annoying if he was injured and recuperating in a village somewhere.
“He’s determined to cause me trouble to the very end…,” he said under his breath so the people accompanying him wouldn’t hear.
He needed to wait until his position was a bit more stable before provoking the nobles.
Zanac was worried about his backing at the moment.
Marquis Raeven had promised to help him develop the kingdom but then broke free when Zanac tried to stop him and returned to his domain. It was only natural, since so many people from his territory had died, but for some reason, Zanac got the feeling he would never come back.
He was sure that one of the reasons was the loss of the commoner strategist that Raeven was so proud of as well as his team of former orichalcum-plate adventurers.
Zanac felt a mild ache in the vicinity of his stomach. If he talked to his sister, would the pain fade a bit?
One question had been on his mind for several weeks—whether or not he should send the King of Darkness a gift, and if he did, whether it should be congratulations on establishing his country or for some other reason.
The appropriate choice at present was probably to not send anything. If a country that had its territory forcibly taken sent a gift to the new state that established itself on that stolen territory, it would end up being interpreted as a sign of submission by neighboring countries. On the other hand, it was terribly important to build an amicable relationship with the King of Darkness.
Though the power of the Nation of Darkness was still unclear, it was well-known that its king alone was more than powerful enough to annihilate an entire country.
Zanac knew he had to prevent the King of Darkness from gazing toward the kingdom any more than he did already.
That was why he wanted to send a gift—personally, Zanac didn’t care if it was interpreted as a sign of submission—as long as it bought some time.
The tricky part was that he knew the kingdom’s nobles wouldn’t accept that.
Certainly, many people were aware of the King of Darkness’s power. But they probably wouldn’t stand for the heir to the throne making gestures of submission to the Nation of Darkness.
The nobles had suffered a major blow and were looking for someone to take their discontent out on.
King Ramposa III was tremendously upset—both shocked and devastated—by the death of the fantastically strong Gazef Stronoff. Seeing him in that sorry state, the nobles backed off somewhat, but it wasn’t as if they had discarded the
animosity they felt toward the king who had been so thoroughly defeated and the royal family.
She’ll probably have a good idea.
Really, he wanted to make the call on his own, but too much time had already passed. He needed an answer.
Zanac stopped. His shoes clacked loudly against the floor.
Hearing the sound, Renner turned to look at him. Then she changed directions and walked over to him. That showed that he had superiority.
She arrived before him, but he didn’t say anything. It was a delicate time. He needed to continually assert his dominance over many people.
“I’m back, brother.”
“I see, sister.”
He benevolently answered her princessly curtsy with a bow. In his peripheral vision, Climb was bowing, but Zanac wouldn’t return the courtesy of a mere soldier.
“Shall we walk part of the way together?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Zanac set off with her. He gestured with his chin at the people accompanying him to give them some space. He noticed Renner signal the same to Climb.
“You seem in a rush, Zanac. What’s going on?” Renner asked in a low voice, her smile unchanged. “Did a messenger from the Nation of Darkness come or something?”
Zanac nearly had a heart attack. He was considering his own actions so deeply that the idea that she might say something like that never occurred to him.
She must have figured that it wouldn’t be strange for the other side to make a move soon.
Zanac filed that away for reference and shook his head. “No, nothing like that.”
“Is there any other reason you would come out of your way to meet me?”
“Yeah. I was wondering what to do about a gift.”
“If a messenger comes, I think you should give them double whatever you’re currently thinking. Half to express appreciation for the one who came and the other half—well, it goes without saying.”
Zanac said nothing as he let her words sink in.
It was a really good idea.
The Ruler of Conspiracy Page 11
