Settlement

“Did the fools who attacked us commit such an outrage precisely because the next Holy King had already been decided? But neither I nor the regent have discussed anything regarding the next Holy King yet. Through what process, exactly, is a prince of the Kingdom of Sorakil supposed to become the next Holy King? I do not yet have a child, but… that can likely be resolved within a few years. Do you think I would recommend a foreign prince as the next Holy King over my own direct child?”

“…”

The chancellor returned only silence to Efaria’s words, yet even so, his expression did not change in the slightest.

“Furthermore, you said earlier that the members of your faction were guided by the people of Einheria into carrying out the attack, but why had the contents of a treaty that had not even been finalized leaked in the first place? Do you mean to say your subordinates obtained that on their own as well?”

“…”

Yeah… Well, I could not remember whether it had been the chancellor or the two people who had participated in that conference, but in the meeting afterward, they had openly told the faction members the contents of the treaty.

If he was the head of the faction, there was no way he had not understood what that information would cause… or rather, he had probably given them that information because he wanted to guide them into assassinating Efaria.

As a result, it seemed they erupted far beyond the chancellor’s expectations, but there was no doubt the chancellor was the one who had driven those fools to move.

“You were plotting to have those people assassinate me, were you not? However, it seems that involving Einheria, and the timing of their action, were outside your expectations.”

“…”

“Come to think of it, Sir Rangas has been saying since earlier that we, Einheria, incited those rampaging nobles, but that is a misunderstanding, you know?”

Kiriku casually interjected.

Huh? He did not incite them? I had been sure Kiriku had done something.

Perhaps not believing Kiriku’s words, the chancellor did not look toward him.

“The one who incited those nobles and made them attack Their Majesties was your comrade… the former deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau, who fled the castle today and headed toward the Kingdom of Sorakil.”

“…What did you say?”

Perhaps unable to ignore that, the chancellor reacted for the first time in a while.

“Oh? Did you not hear me? The one who incited the nobles was the Sorakil operative who had served as deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau in the Lufelon Holy Kingdom. Your true comrade.”

“…”

At Kiriku’s words, the chancellor once again chose silence. His expression was still stern as ever, but it no longer felt devoid of emotion as it had until just now.

“Incidentally, we have not captured that man. Of course, we are watching him, though… We intend to have him properly guide us to the Kingdom of Sorakil, and to whoever he is heading toward.”

“…”

The chancellor sent Kiriku a hateful gaze at those words.

It seemed he could not remain calm when the Kingdom of Sorakil was mentioned… Did that mean he thought more of the Kingdom of Sorakil than his own life?

What incredible loyalty… It seemed Kiriku’s theory that the chancellor had served the Kingdom of Sorakil from the very beginning was all but confirmed.

“In truth, we ourselves have not understood everything about this matter. We might learn more if we capture the former deputy director… but he is currently being allowed to swim freely, so hearing his story would be difficult.”

“…”

“However, we can make inferences. From what I hear, you and the deputy director were the oldest operatives of the Kingdom of Sorakil who had infiltrated the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, yes? As for your roles, you were the one openly making and moving the plan. The deputy director manipulated information and carried out operations behind the scenes. It seems others were sent in by the Kingdom of Sorakil as needed, but none had infiltrated the center as deeply as you two… Ah, yes. For the time being, we have captured all the operatives, you know?”

“…”

“Including you, four people.”

“…Impossible.”

From the chancellor’s small groan, I understood that we had succeeded in capturing all the Kingdom of Sorakil’s operatives. Judging by the Overlord’s eyes, it probably was not a bluff.

Yeah… The chancellor seemed to be approaching his limit.

“Would a veteran figure who stood as your equal betray you at this final critical stage of crisis? No, that is impossible. Rather, he should have devoted himself fully to accomplishing the objective. But in reality, he incited foolish nobles and drove you into a corner…”

“Impossible…”

The chancellor’s iron mask cracked all at once, and he muttered in a daze.

As Kiriku looked at the chancellor, he continued speaking with a cheerful smile.

“Exactly. He did not betray you. Sir Rangas, the one that betrayed you was the Kingdom of Sorakil.”

“…”

The chancellor did not shout, but his expression had completely dyed itself with rage.

Seeing him like this… The anger the chancellor had shown during that first conference had been pure acting.

The fury I sensed from the chancellor now was incomparably more intense than back then.

“I do not know at what point the Kingdom of Sorakil gave up on the plan you had advanced… but at the very least, there is no doubt it was before His Holy Majesty left for Einheria.”

The chancellor’s eyes widened at Kiriku’s words… Judging by that reaction, he seemed to understand why Kiriku had judged so, but… This was bad. Conversations between sharp people were extremely hard to follow…

“There is no way someone who was deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau would fail to notice, secret or not, that His Holy Majesty had left the country. However, you were not informed of that immediately. If you had been informed early, you would have attacked the envoy during its travel, yes?”

“…”

Looking at the chancellor, who had fallen silent again, I suppressed the urge to slap my palm and say, “I see!”

I see, so that was how it connected.

Yeah, as expected, I was not suited for this kind of scheming battle. The plating on my Overlord act would peel off in seconds.

“You were informed of that only after His Holy Majesty had already entered Einheria, where you could no longer interfere… You may have been distracted by other matters, but not realizing it there was fatal.”

“…”

“However, setting aside this matter… your plan had proceeded smoothly until now, and I do not think there was any element that would make them give up on you. What do you think about that?”

“…”

Kiriku showed off his sadistic side and threw an outrageous question at the chancellor.

You were asking that?

If I had been in the chancellor’s position, I think I would have punched Kiriku.

“The task imposed upon you was to take control of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom… This is merely my personal opinion, but the Kingdom of Sorakil probably did not intend to exploit the Lufelon Holy Kingdom. Well, they intended to manipulate and use it conveniently… perhaps as a restraint against other countries or as a shield. Something like that, would it not?”

“…”

“Hmm. Even at this point, you still maintain your silence? Your loyalty is admirable… So admirable that I would like to have those rampaging nobles from somewhere learn from you.”

…Kiriku, please stop saying that line, because it damages Efaria and the others.

For a moment, Efaria and the regent looked pained.

“Sir Rangas, is there any need to show such loyalty to a country that abandoned you and the plan you devoted yourself to for many years? If you reveal everything now, I will speak on your behalf so that you are given the greatest possible mercy.”

Without even laughing through his nose at Kiriku’s words, the chancellor returned to the stern face he had worn until a moment ago.

Once he became like this, I could not read the chancellor’s feelings at all.

“To spend many years working as an operative in another country, and rise all the way to the position of chancellor… I think that is a tremendous achievement. Of course, there must have been assistance from the Kingdom of Sorakil, but even so, your skill was truly splendid. If you had been a true retainer of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, this country might have been stronger and more prosperous.”

“…”

“Well, in that case… it may have been difficult for our Einheria and the Lufelon Holy Kingdom to form friendship as we have now… so for us, that would be rather complicated.”

Kiriku said it jokingly, but… In that case, there was a high possibility I would have found some pretext and invaded the Lufelon Holy Kingdom… That felt incredibly awkward… or rather, not good… No, such what-ifs did not matter!

Right now, Efaria and I were getting along like this, and that was enough!

“Now then, Sir Rangas. You were trying to delay the start of war between Einheria and the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, even if it meant throwing away your own life, yes? Well, we had crushed all communications to the Kingdom of Sorakil, so no matter how much time you bought, it would have meant nothing. To begin with, we have no intention whatsoever of starting a war. Your resolve was admirable, but you were magnificently spinning your wheels.”

With how Kiriku was attacking him, I was starting to feel sorry for the chancellor.

“Now then, Sir Rangas does not seem very eager to speak with us… so let us have him withdraw soon. Ah, please do not worry, Sir Rangas. You seem quite tight-lipped, but our country’s negotiator is very skilled at becoming friendly with people. I am sure Sir Rangas will soon open up and talk about all sorts of things.”

Kiriku’s smile looked like nothing but the smile of a demon to me…

As I was thinking that and trying hard not to let my expression crumble, the chancellor suddenly took a dagger from his chest and aimed it at his own throat… just as he was about to stab it in, Ururu appeared from nowhere and stopped him.

…I had completely let my guard down.

I had not been able to move at all in response to the chancellor’s movement… I might not be able to react instantly when attacked… Even though I had clearly seen the chancellor’s movement, I had simply watched it happen.

Incidentally, I was not the only one surprised. Efaria and the regent also widened their eyes at the chancellor’s action and Ururu’s sudden appearance.

“That will not do, Sir Rangas. Both Majesties are present here. No matter how important a minister you are, and even if it is for self-defense, standing before His Majesty while carrying a weapon could result in the death penalty if things went poorly, you know?”

While listening to Kiriku’s feigned ignorance, Efaria rang the bell placed on the table and called the Royal Guards waiting outside the room.

“Put that traitor in prison. Bind him so that he cannot move at all. Absolutely do not allow him to kill himself.”

““Yes, Your Holy Majesty!””

Two Royal Guards grabbed the chancellor and took him out of the conference room.

The chancellor did not seem unconscious, but perhaps he no longer had the strength to walk. He was dragged by the Royal Guards and taken from the room in silence.

After the conference room door closed and she confirmed that the presence of people had disappeared beyond the door, Efaria let out a large sigh.

“As expected, he did not leak any information.”

“Do not worry… We will cooperate in the chancellor’s interrogation. From the Kingdom of Sorakil’s intentions to information on the chancellor’s faction, we will drain every last thing from him.”

To Efaria, who spoke while looking a little tired, I spoke for the first time since the chancellor had come to the conference room.

“Your country’s interrogations are frightening…”

Efaria said that with a bitter smile, and I very much wanted to agree with her.

“The schedule has advanced far faster than expected, but let us move on to the main issue of this conference. The treaty to be exchanged between our country, Einheria, and the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, its details, and the arrangement for that matter to gain the understanding of the nobles of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom.”

“I never thought the matter of the chancellor would be over within only a few days after returning to the royal capital.”

Efaria said that with deep feeling, and I strongly wanted to agree on that as well.

According to Kiriku’s reasoning, this had been settled in an instant not only because of our ploy, but also because of the Kingdom of Sorakil’s movements… Still, the chancellor was honestly too pitiful.

Well, he was an enemy, so it was fine.

“The faction itself has not yet perished, but the chancellor is gone, and all of the Kingdom of Sorakil’s people have been removed. The remaining members of the faction can no longer become an obstacle to Sir Guriel’s faction.”

“Thanks to Your Majesty, it seems we will be allowed to handle things much more easily. I intend to unify the country as soon as possible and advance our relationship with Einheria.”

The regent said that and bowed deeply to me.

With this, we could finally proceed with making the Lufelon Holy Kingdom a vassal state.

Even though I said finally, only three days had passed since we came to the royal capital… Well, emotionally, it felt like finally.

After all… I had never had to keep pulling off Overlord moves this continuously before… No, it was seriously exhausting… I wanted to go home quickly and fluff Lumina…