12-4 The Traitor

I went because I had supposedly been summoned by His Majesty the King, but he said he knew nothing about any such matter.

Even though I was in the king’s very presence, I ended up clicking my tongue loudly without thinking.

“What is it?”

His Majesty, who had not missed it, took notice and asked.

“The Bighton father and son are probably trying to lay hands on Fal. It seems that promise of ours is about to come into effect.”

“That fool, has he done something outrageous again! Does he intend to destroy this kingdom! He will turn all the spirits in the world against us. If something like that happens, our country will…”

His Majesty the King pondered for a moment, then swiftly mobilized troops.

He also ordered out the Kingdom’s Knight Order, which always moved in times of national emergency.

After confirming that, I decided that speed was of the essence in war, so I immediately used teleportation magic to jump straight to Fal’s location.

The duke’s soldiers had already entered the room.

Touya was swinging a chair around, trying to protect Fal.

Since Ars was smart, he had refrained from acting directly and was contacting us by telepathy while shielding the children.

The enemy seemed startled by my sudden appearance, but quickly recovered and shouted arrogantly.

“By order of Duke Bighton, bring that child to him!”

Then he pointed his sword at me.

Oh ho, this is one cocky youngster.

To be so insolent toward this grand old elder!

But in the next instant, that fierce face of yours is going to turn into a crying one.

Do not underestimate the wisdom of age!

I teleported away in a flash, then immediately returned to the spot.

“What exactly do you mean by pointing that sword?”

That was what His Majesty the King said.

Yes, this was the insurance.

If it came to it, I had asked the great man himself to make an appearance.

The duke’s soldier’s face twisted in shock.

Just who exactly was the person he had raised his sword against?

The moment he realized it, his body seemed to freeze solid.

Surely no one would be so calculating as to pick a fight after anticipating a situation outrageous enough for teleportation magic to be used like this.

Or rather, if anyone had actually anticipated something like this, there was no way they would have picked a fight with me in the first place.

The man froze, unable even to sheathe his sword.

Then, on the spot, Ars teleported in the Crown Prince, and Mari teleported in the Chancellor.

The sight of Duke Bighton’s soldiers raising swords against their own king was devastating enough as it was, and the furious shouts of those involved in governing the nation swirled through the scene.

From the outside, it looked like nothing but a coup.

On top of that, both of them had also been informed that the target had been Fal.

The duke’s soldiers, coming back to their senses, could not even make excuses, and tried to flee without even remembering to sheathe their swords… but they could not escape.

That was because the spirits materialized and blocked their way.

The angry aura of those martial-type spirits, who all had the look of hardened bruisers, slammed sideways into the duke’s soldiers.

Their feet stopped, and they froze again.

At first, I had told the spirits not to lay a hand on them.

They had glared at me fiercely in obvious dissatisfaction, but apparently they thought it unwise to upset me, so they had grudgingly obeyed.

That was why their tremendous anger exploded here and now.

So intensely that even the royal troops who had rushed over as allies were trembling.

Without even needing to use the glue guns, the Kingdom’s Knight Order, who had rushed over, seized the frozen men.

As expected, only those fellows, who went through that ferocious training, were able to move around casually even in that atmosphere.

It was like a horrific air disaster in which nearly all the passengers had died, where the police and firefighters could do nothing but stand there frozen, while only the Self-Defense Forces somehow managed to function.

They had pulled this off right in front of the eyes of the leaders of the nation.

This time, that pig duke and his son surely would not get off lightly.

His Majesty the King addressed Touya.

“So your name is Touya? Well done indeed. You protected Spirit Elion-sama, no, your little sister.”

“That’s because I’m the big brother.”

Touya smiled, looking a little bashful.

Everyone watched that with softened expressions.

“Duke Bighton’s soldiers pointed their swords at His Majesty the King. The Chancellor and His Highness the Crown Prince witnessed it as well.”

“I heard that noble slayer and Sacred Elion-sama were there too.”

The rumors spread throughout the royal palace in the blink of an eye.

Part of it was different from the actual facts, but in the end it amounted to the same thing.

I was the one who had schemed it so that it would happen that way on purpose.

At the very least, the fact that they had tried to lay hands on Fal was undeniably a crime, so there was no helping that no matter how one looked at it.

Depending on your perspective, laying hands on Sacred Elion was an even graver crime than laying hands on a mere king.

To put it another way, it was like asking which was more VIP, some mere President of the United States or “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Then, in the audience chamber where judgment would be passed, the bound Duke Bighton and his son were dragged forward.

“Do you understand what you have done?”

In the deathly silent hall, His Majesty asked that in a quiet voice with his eyes closed.

But the one who knew no restraint bellowed in a coarse voice.

“Brother! What is it that I have done! Let go. Hey, let go of me. How dare the likes of the Kingdom’s Knight Order lay hands on a duke like me!”

The men of the Kingdom’s Knight Order gave self-mocking laughs.

This was a problem that should have been settled back then last time.

They were ashamed that it had dragged on this far.

Even if it had happened after the matter had left the hands of the Kingdom’s Knight Order, they felt they had done something truly inexcusable to the previous Count Orston.

And to the current Count Orston as well.

And of all times, on a celebratory day like this.

Even more strength went into the hands with which they held the duke down.

(Well now, looks like there is no role left for the noble slayer. Nicely done, Kingdom’s Knight Order.)

Then Jolly, whom I had summoned, manifested there, stepped forward, and declared:

“O king of humankind. I am one who serves as the Great High Priest of the Spirit Forest.”

His Majesty the King widened his eyes at the child-shaped spirit and looked to Jessica the High Priest, but she gave a light nod in affirmation.

The next moment, without even the slightest hesitation, His Majesty dropped to one knee and showed respect, and Jolly sternly pressed him.

“This matter cannot be condoned. How do you intend to apologize for this lawlessness against our one and only sacred being, Rainbow Fals, the one you children of man call Sacred Elion? Depending on your answer, this nation may well make enemies of all the spirits in the world.”

“Yes. As for that matter, House Bighton, the house of the perpetrators, shall be abolished and stripped of its title, and both father and son shall be confined in a monastery. I am sure you have grievances still, but I beg for your generous leniency.”

“Brother! Are you jesting? You would destroy the ducal House Bighton! Was it not because I persuaded the nobles who supported me to give up, renounced my own succession rights, and declared that I would enter the ducal house myself, that your accession proceeded smoothly in the first place? And yet you do this!”

The Duke Bighton forced out those words while trembling with humiliation.

“Silence! It was not thanks to you in the slightest. I have overlooked many of your outrages until now. But that only served to make you more arrogant. It was all my own failing for being too soft on my kin. If only I had forced you to reflect more severely back then, this disgraceful affair would never have come to pass! Yes, back at the time of that commotion involving the previous Count Orston House. But now, it is far too late!”

At the king’s voice, strained as he shouted at his own relative, silence fell over the area once more.

But then, with a loud thud, the knight of the Kingdom’s Knight Order who had been restraining the duke collapsed.

And smoke screens spread all around.

I hurriedly blew the smoke away with wind magic, but the duke and his son were already gone.

Damn, I slipped up.

I had been distracted by the exchange between the royal brothers and let my guard down around me.

But I should have had the radar in alert mode.

When I looked at Ars, even he shook his head.

Damn it, surely not… but did one of Duke Bighton’s personal men have that.

The same detection-nullifying skill as mine.

The moment I realized what that meant, a chill ran through me.

Thank goodness Rick had not possessed it.

His skill had been something similar but different, but this was far too dangerous.

Damn it, I have to find this guy and make sure I kill him, or my children will be in danger later.

He is most likely an agent of the Empire.

That is what I feel, not through logic, but instinct.

It would also be troublesome if the duke defected to the Empire.

In the current situation, that possibility was high.

What was worse, the son still retained succession rights in this country.

Apparently, even in a situation like this, succession rights remained valid unless they were stripped away on legitimate grounds or the person renounced them personally.

Unfortunately, this time they had targeted Sacred Elion, not directly rebelled against the kingdom, so Kirmis’s right to the throne should still remain.

We absolutely must not let that father and son get to the Empire.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

He asked back in a weak voice, sounding somewhat disheartened.

“Is my license to kill still valid? Even if the target is a duke.”

Even if it is your younger brother, I will kill him.

His Majesty the King must have understood my unwavering resolve.

“Y-yes. It is still valid. Ah, what a fool he is. He should not have run.”

His Majesty replied weakly, shoulders drooping at the fate of his kinsman, which had now been decided in a direction beyond saving.

Ars stayed behind to guard the two little ones.

After all, Fal herself, the very one they had been targeting, was there.

Mari had gone to check on the other children.

There should be no problem over there, since Team Ed was with them.

Now then, it is time for the hunt to begin.