Of course, a baby couldn’t reign as a world leader. That was why the people expected Schwein Adante, the prime minister, to act as regent until the boy came of age. After all, Schwein was the boy’s maternal grandfather.
But Ganossa Da Horn, younger brother to the late king, raised an objection.
He stated that his brother had always intended to take the inheritance away from the prince, and thus he was the rightful ruler of Horn. His statement came with the accusation that Schwein was attempting to steal away power from the royal family.
But the prime minister stated the king wished to mend the strained relationship with his son, and refuted the idea that he would have appointed the brother instead.
“So neither side backed down, creating a tense conflict between the two opposing sides? The nation is on the brink of civil war, you say?”
“Indeed.”
The king of Felsen nodded at the pope.
We were in Railmin, Horn’s capital city. We’d traveled by carriage from Felsen, and were traveling along toward Horn Castle. We could have traveled by Ether Vehicle, but that would make us stand out too much in a place like Horn.
The carriage was at least comfortable. Her Holiness the Pope sat across from me, next to the king of Felsen.
Yae and Sakura were sitting by my side. They’d agreed to come as my guards.
“Felsen wants to act as a mediator between the two groups. We’re hoping that we can use your power to determine who might be lying.”
“Which means Felsen will work with the honest side?”
“Mhm. Our backing should stop a civil war breaking out.”
That seems pretty fair to me... I don’t exactly know why I’m here, though. I don’t have a role to play.
“Touya, I want you to keep an eye on any magic meddling. I doubt it’ll happen, but there could be those seeking to hurt the prime minister or the king’s brother. Your job is to notice what we might not see.”
That definitely made sense. If Yulong’s old intelligence unit was involved, there could be a serious issue. They even tried suicide bombing me once, so there was no guarantee of safety in any case.
I let out a small sigh as the carriage came to a halt. We’d arrived at the gate.
The castle was smaller than the ones in Belfast and Regulus, it was also pretty plain in its decoration.
If I had to compare it to something, I’d compare it to Shuri Castle without any red coloration and a little less splendor to it.
We continued through to the main compound in our carriage. The gates weren’t nearly as fanciful as the Shureimon, though.
The carriage ahead of us opened up, revealing the Felsen guardsmen within. Similarly, the carriage behind us opened up for the Ramissh Templars. Both groups walked toward our carriage.
One of the guard captains opened up our carriage door. The king of Felsen left first, then the pope, and then me and my fiancees.
“I extend you a warm welcome to the Kingdom of Horn. It is a pleasure to meet with all of you.”
A man stood by the castle’s main entrance. He was around thirty years old and had brushed-back black hair. A pair of glasses rested against his nose. He seemed like a regular civil servant, but he had hawk-like eyes. He wore asymmetrical clothing native to Horn, as well as a sash over his shoulder.
“And you are?”
“Ah, I’m Tauren Hanoi. I’m the east sea marquis, one of the Four Grand Marquis here in Horn. It’s a pleasure.”
“What are the Four Grand Marquis?” I’d never heard that term before, so I voiced my curiosity.
“In Horn, there are four marquis with large amounts of territory. I govern over the land bordering the east sea, hence my title.”
Apparently, Horn had four large territories governed by the Four Grand Marquis. There was the east sea marquis, the west forest marquis, the north mountain marquis, and the south spring marquis.
It seemed that north and west supported the late king’s younger brother, while east and south supported the prime minister. It was a perfect split.
That meant the man in front of me was part of the prime minister’s group.
Marquis Tauren... Or rather, the east sea marquis, guided us into the castle.
“I must admit I did not expect the grand duke of Brunhild and the eminent pope of Ramissh to be joining us.”
“I’ve always wanted to see the famous plains of Horn with my own eyes, as has the Grand Duke. We’re thankful to the king of Felsen for granting our audacious request.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense, given that our nation hasn’t interacted with any foreigners other than Felsen... Personally, I’m of the opinion we should be branching out more. I’m quite glad we have more witnesses present for the meeting, in all honesty.”
The east sea marquis smiled wryly. Hmm... So he’s in favor of reformation. Wonder if he has any preconceived ideas about what kind of people we are, given that we come from foreign lands...
The marquis walked us along until we reached the conference room.
It was a luxurious room with lines of gold on the support pillars and walls. The ceiling had an enormous dragon carved into it. The castle outside looked extremely simple, so this was comparatively ornate. We sat at the north of the square table, and our guards took their positions behind us.
The east sea marquis left the room to fetch the two representatives we’d be meeting with. I felt a faint trace of magic power in the area, so I glanced around and found the source.
“Hm...”
“Touya-dono, have you found a problem?”
Yae noticed what I was staring at.
“That dragon engraving up there. More specifically, the eye and the gemstone it’s clutching in its hand. They’re both enchanted magical artifacts.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t think it’s anything dangerous, though. Seems like one of the effects is similar to [Silence], which prevents sound from leaving this room... There are two other effects, I think. One’s a magical barrier that blocks teleportation, and the other’s a simple protective shield spell.”
The effects in this room would prevent anyone from teleporting in or out, prevent sound from leaking out, and if anyone were attacked they’d be instantly guarded by a shield. I didn’t really know the power of the enchantments, but they seemed like standard safety measures.
After a short while the doors opened up, and the two representatives entered in unison.
None of them were above us in terms of social status, so we remained seated. Yae and Sakura stood up to nod in acknowledgment, though.
We exchanged greetings after they sat down.
On our left was Prime Minister Schwein Adante with the east sea marquis. Joining them was Nabyteo Schellmin, the south spring marquis.
Prime Minister Schwein was nearing his seventies, but he had a clear determination in his eyes. The patches of white beard on his face, along with his aging wrinkles and pointed nose gave him the look of a strong and determined man. He seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn’t really laugh if you made a joke.
The south spring marquis looked to be in his thirties. A chubby man with sweat dripping down his brow. He kept nervously glancing around and wiping at his forehead with his handkerchief... Whatever was up with him, the guy seemed like a pushover.
To our right we had Ganossa Da Horn, the king’s younger brother. He was accompanied by North Mountain Marquis Hawkes Manius and West Forest Marquis Seylia Swill.
If I recalled correctly, Ganossa was just about to turn forty. He was a very well-built man with a lot of muscle, and his black mustache took a few years off his actual age. All of that combined with his fierce glare made him seem more like a warrior than a diplomat.
The north mountain marquis was an older man. He had to be in his sixties. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who said much, which added to the mysterious air about him. He sort of reminded me of Naito. In short, he seemed like an inattentive kind of guy.
Then there w
as Seylia, the west forest marquis. She was the only woman in the group and had a luxurious head of brown hair.
She seemed like she was in her early twenties, which made her the youngest of the lot. But the vibe she gave off was an authoritarian one that would make anyone listen to her. I couldn’t exactly tell at a glance, but she gave off the impression of being an obstinate and uncompromising person. She was beautiful, but likely the type who would intimidate men who might otherwise be interested.
Each group had a small unit of guards with them as well.
Thus, we had our gathering of people...
Prime Minister Schwein.
East Sea Marquis Tauren.
South Spring Marquis Nabyteo.
The King’s brother, Ganossa.
North Mountain Marquis Hawkes.
West Forest Marquis Seylia.
We were all gathered at the meeting that may have very well determined Horn’s future as a nation.
◇ ◇ ◇
“My brother disagreed with Prince Kamra. He was afraid that such radical reform would shatter the foundations of our nation! That was why he promised that I would be king instead of his son.”
“You cannot possibly prove that he promised you such a thing. Perhaps you’d have had a point if Prince Kamra were still alive to be stripped of his succession rights, but as it stands we must follow procedure. That procedure states that Kamra’s son is the rightful heir.”
“You mean to call me a liar, Prime Minister?”
“I did not say that. But it is true the king had a troubled relationship with his son, and I will believe there was a possibility of him saying something reckless when he was burdened with emotional baggage.”
Ganossa and Schwein were constantly fighting each other on different points, neither one willing to back down.
It was possible that the king might have said something like that when he was drunk, or emotionally heated after arguing with his son, even if he didn’t really mean it.
The only issue here would be that if that was the case, then the younger brother truly believed it to be the late king’s will.
“I want to ask you something, Prime Minister. Is it true that on the day of my brother’s death, you argued with him?”
“...That is true, yes. What of it?”
“According to the castle workers, my brother had everyone clear out so you two could discuss something important. Would you mind sharing the topic of your discussion?”
Ganossa narrowed his eyes toward the prime minister, prompting the other man to open his mouth in response.
“...We talked of his dead son’s legacy. At the time of his death, Kamra still believed that Horn needed to open itself up to the world. The king, however, was still opposed to the idea... He was emotional, and we got into an argument on the matter.”
“Oh? Are you sure that was all? Are you sure he didn’t talk to you about his plan to give me the throne? You know, there were many strange things about my brother’s death, Prime Minister. Would you be able to shed some light on any of that?”
“...I’m not entirely sure what you’re implying.”
Is he trying to suggest the prime minister killed the king? Why would he do that? I can’t even think of a good enough reason, but... Oh... Right. If the king died, then the prime minister could have all the power as acting regent for his grandson.
The two of them remained silent, eyes narrowed. Personally, I thought they were both fishy. That was why I had brought the pope with me, though.
Not many people at all knew that she held the power to detect lies. Plus, Horn was already isolated as it was, I had no doubts that it was a complete secret to everyone in the room.
I quietly spoke to the pope by my side.
“Well? Who’s lying?”
“Well...”
She frowned slightly.
“Neither of them are lying...”
“Huh? How does that work?”
“My mystic eye didn’t react at all. Either they’re both telling the truth, or they legitimately believe themselves to be truthful... Though there’s the possibility of there being magical interference with my power.”
When you considered that mystic eyes were basically a Null spell embedded into the body, it stood to reason that they’d be able to be nullified. I remembered that the prince of Gardio was wearing an item that inhibited his own mystic eye.
I couldn’t sense anything like that, though.
“You’re the grandfather of Prince Kuoh, Prime Minister. If you became regent in the boy’s stead, you could exercise power to your heart’s content. But of course, with Lord Ganossa in your way, it poses a bit of an issue for you, doesn’t it?”
“What are you trying to say, North Mountain Marquis?” The east sea marquis glared over at the man who’d spoken his thoughts.
“Oh, not much. But I must say that... on our way to the castle, Lord Ganossa’s carriage had a malfunction and lost a wheel. He almost suffered injuries, even. Had it gone any worse, he may have died.”
“Excuse me?”
The prime minister’s faction voiced their concern.
“I thought perhaps it was a simple mishap due to the age of the carriage, but I have to wonder... Prince Kamra died in a carriage accident, did he not? I wonder if you’d know anything about that, Prime Minister.”
“I know nothing of the sort. I’m baffled you’d even raise this subject with me.”
“Whatever you say...”
The north mountain marquis grinned slightly as he trained his eyes on the prime minister. I wondered if it really was an accident or not...
I turned to the pope once more, but she just gave me a small shrug of her shoulders. There was no real reason I could think of for the prime minister to kill prince Kamra. After all, that was his son-in-law.
“...Let’s take a small recess for now.”
The king of Felsen spoke up, and the other parties filed out of the room in response. I leaned back and let out an irritated sigh. The mood was way too tense for my liking... It was just glare after glare during the discussions.
The Horn maids, or who I assumed were maids despite their odd attire, poured us all some tea. It was pretty nice and refreshing. Similar to Eashenese tea, but slightly different. I looked over and saw Sakura munching on a cookie.
“It’s good... Try some, Grand Duke.”
“Oh? Sure... Mm... You’re right.”
“Mhm. We should bring some back...”
Sakura smiled softly. The tense air that had previously flooded the room suddenly dissipated. I was glad to have something soothing after all of that nonsense.
The king of Felsen grumbled quietly to himself as he sat with his arms folded.
“Grand Duke, what are your thoughts on what just happened?”
“I can’t say. Both sides seem to believe what they’re saying, but there’s also weird stuff that feels a bit off.”
“Mmh... I feel as if we’re just walking in circles.”
“I’m sorry about this. It seems like I’m not much use here...”
“Now, now, your Holiness... This isn’t your fault.”
The king of Felsen reassured the pope. I was about to console her as well, when...
“EEEEEEEEEKKK!”
We heard the sudden sound of a woman screaming from outside. There was a soundproofing magical barrier around the room, but sound could still come in from outside.
We charged out the door, then headed to the location the sound came from.
There was a large gathering of people down the hallway. They were crowded around a pale-looking woman who was kneeling on the ground. She was probably the one that had shrieked.
I flung open the door next to her and was met with the sight of a man face-down on the ground. A puddle of blood oozed on the carpet next to him, and I got a little closer. It was none other than the south spring marquis, Nabyteo Schellmin. He was dead.
◇ ◇ ◇
The meeting was put on pause, and
we asked Prime Minister Schwein to prevent anyone from leaving the premises.
The room showed no signs of a struggle. Given that there was a teacup on the ground near the corpse, one could assume he was poisoned. This was also driven in by the fact that the victim had blood around his mouth and chin. He’d vomited up the blood that I’d seen on entry.
“[Search]: Toxic Substances.”
My spell got a positive reaction from the liquid in front of me. I had suspected as much.
The nearby table had a basic serving tray, along with a teapot and a porcelain pourer.
“Who made this tea?”
“The prime minister asked that tea be delivered to everyone before the meeting. The rooms don’t have locks, so anyone could’ve entered while we were busy.”
The king of Felsen gave me a prompt answer. In other words, this could’ve been done by anyone. Obviously, the people who had been in the meeting were absolved directly for the time being, but they could’ve easily ordered a subordinate to do the deed. That even included the prime minister.
What I found strange was the fact that guards had been posted outside his door, so how could it be that they hadn’t heard him collapse?
I pondered that before looking up and noticing a familiar dragon engraving on the ceiling. That explained it. The room was soundproofed.
I decided to call Flora from the alchemy lab to run an analysis on the tea. Finding out what kind of poison it was could give us a crucial clue.
“But why would someone wanna kill the south spring marquis? I don’t wanna sound rude, but he’s not exactly the most important fella here.”
The king of Felsen grumbled as he pondered. He raised a fair point. Perhaps it was to intimidate someone, or to send a message.
“U-Uhm, actually...”
As we thought about the issues, a female servant timidly raised her hand.
“Th-This room was actually meant to be the prime minister’s...”
“Huh?”
“The prime minister arranged a room with a window facing the south for the south spring marquis, but the marquis insisted he take this room instead... He said he preferred smaller spaces.”
The servant pointed at another door down the hall as she spoke. Once she pointed it out, I noticed that this room was north-facing, while the other guest rooms faced the south.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 17 Page 16
