"What? Red s.h.i.+nigami is alive!?"

Inside the room a husky voice with surprise mixed in resounded.
Father - that is Sahaja"s King – who had been sitting on a wastefully richly decorated golden chair half stood up.

The place is the audience hall.
Originally, the room had practical nature, with little extravagant decorations, but nowadays it"s been transformed into a place of bad taste, without a trace of artistic thought. There"s no integrity in the architectural style of the audience hall where only gold is used, it can"t be called beautiful by any standard.

In response to the monarch"s words, the woman who had been humbling herself bowed her head further.
Her exceptionally short deep blue hair only reaches the nape of her neck.
The woman, who"s the head of the a.s.sa.s.sin Guild "Black" and a rumored Father"s lover, continued her report in a somewhat low voice.

"Yes, in Wilhelm. It"s an information from a subordinate, but the red eyes is without a doubt there"
"In Wilhelm? Why such a place. But, didn"t he die from the "Curse of Sahaja""
"Details are difficult to understand, but it"s certainly that person. Apostate confirmed it. There can hardly be any doubt"
"Hou"

I also p.r.i.c.ked up my ears to hear the report. It was a greatly interesting story.
The a.s.sa.s.sin Father has always wanted. No, the only survivor of the minor clan Hiyuma.
Eight years ago there was an attempt to surround their household that ended in a failure, they were annihilated leaving only s.h.i.+nigami alive.
He"s an existence whom, unusually for him, Father had a long-term plan to put under a guild"s control.

He"s the most excellent a.s.sa.s.sin, if you consider he"s the last Hiyuma clan survivor, his utility value skyrockets. It becomes immeasurable if you can get him to recognize you as his master.
Aware of Father"s obsession I didn"t intend to get involved, but if he"d left the country it"s a different story.

―――― It"s a waste to give him to Father.

I"ve been interested in him from before.
If it"s a capable tool, it"s only useful if I get my hands on it.

Thinking so, I appeared from the shadow of a finely engraved thick pillar.
For an instant Father was surprised a person came out from a place he paid no heed to, but when he realized it"s me, his pompous att.i.tude returned.

"Esteemed Father"
"Maximilian, huh"

With his stout body still, Father only turned his eyes from surprise, but the next moment he lost interest and reverted his gaze.
Father, with a mantle lavishly embroidered with gold, can only be seen as a fattened pig putting on airs.

Without regard to my inner thoughts, I courteously bowed to that Father.

"I have heard the current talk. If I may, I shall go to Wilhelm"
"You will?"
"Yes"

Hearing something unexpected, Father turned his gaze to me, to which I nodded in affirmation.
Smooth hair dropped on my face. The same silver hair as Father"s shows our blood relations.h.i.+p, I had such loathsome thoughts.

"I will confirm the existence of Red s.h.i.+nigami, and if possible suggest him to work for Esteemed Father"
"Hmm…"

Searching for my true motive, his gaze pierced me like an arrow.
A ridiculing voice resounded throughout the audience hall.

"Certainly, verifying the truth is necessary. But, what kind of events is it for you, who never partic.i.p.ates in campaigns, to suggest it?"
"None in particular. As Father has said, I only remain in the castle without distinguis.h.i.+ng myself in military affairs. I only think that I would like to be of use for Esteemed Father sometimes, but is there any problem with that?"
"…"
"Besides, I have heard Wilhelm"s Crown Prince got engaged. There is a pretense of offering him congratulations. Isn"t the opportunity just right for me to go"

The Crown Prince"s engagement. At those words Father"s eyebrows twitched in displeasure.
I knew this topic would elicit a response.

Crown Prince Friedrich.
You could say he"s our country Sahaja"s natural enemy.
In last few years, he"s the main cause of every invasion on Wilhelm being repelled.
The nightmarish Crown Prince with blond hair and blue eyes who can defeat ten thousand soldiers alone.
He"s the prince who always stands at the front at times of emergency, the mighty magic he fires with unchanged complexion has left no small amount of soldiers traumatized. The Second Prince who was entrusted with commanding the army two years ago is one of them.
Now when he appears at the battlefield the soldiers of our army fall into disarray with enough momentum to be capable of fleeing.
It"s a shameful story, but the truce with Wilhelm that was forced on us two years ago is caused by that. There"s no point in declaring war when soldiers can"t fight.

Reduce the Crown Prince"s power.
And if possible, eliminate his existence itself, and this time gain total control of that country, I understand Father is thinking that.
Father"s obsession with Wilhelm is extraordinary.
The country without natural disasters. Blessed with climate, with vast plains, it also possesses many gold mines.
There"s also a sea to the east. Destroying Wilhelm that"s blessed with everything and ruling over that land is Father"s long-standing ambition.

The greatest enemy of that ambition is Crown Prince Friedrich.

The Crown who"s still young at only 21 is extolled as flawless.
I"ve met him several times at official occasions, he seemed like a calm and collected person without a fault.
He seems to have no shortcomings, he"s both talented at swordsmans.h.i.+p and the magical power within himself is enormous.
I find it truly troublesome that this is the next Wilhelm"s King.

"Of course, I do not intend to go against Esteemed Father"s intentions. If it is an unnecessary a.s.sistance, I will stop at it. I do not mind pretending I haven"t said anything"

However, confident that Father is listening attentively, I informed him.

"Wilhelm"s Crown Prince is exceptionally infatuated with his fiancée. What kind of woman she is, how obsessed he is, if possible I would like to confirm these myself… I believe it would also prove useful to Esteemed Father?"
"… Very well"

After the silence filled with a slight hesitation continued, Father nodded with those words.

"If information is to be believed, there"s no doubt the Crown Prince is infatuated with his fiancée. As a test, I tried sending a.s.sa.s.sins on that fiancée, but they were all killed at the planning stage. It was Red s.h.i.+nigami who killed them. Perhaps they were killed because they had foolishly picked a fight with s.h.i.+nigami, but it is a fact that one plan came to nothing because of that. How annoying"

He should obediently become mine, Father spat out.
I don"t believe s.h.i.+nigami would become a subordinate of a man of Father"s caliber, but I nodded to affirm Father"s words.
Father nodded to me in satisfaction, and pointed a golden scepter he held at me. The sound of sc.r.a.pping metal resounded.

"There are two things you must do. First is of course about the fiancée. Make sure with your own eyes whether she could be the Crown Prince"s weakness. Another is contact the s.h.i.+nigami. He"s not necessarily in Wilhelm still, but if you find him, make sure to immediately bring him here"

I nodded and bowed my head.

"What about injuries? Is it fine as long as I return with him alive?"
"If his limbs are attached, I won"t complain. He"s a man who overcame the "Curse of Sahaja". It"ll be no big deal"
"I understand, Esteemed Father. Certainly"

Facing Father, I bowed, and while I looked down the corners of my mouth lifted.

As I"d expected, it went smoothly.
While I was gloating in my mind, Father raised a sharp voice.

"Don"t think about anything strange. Maximilian"
"Anything strange, Father is saying odd things"

While resisting laughing from the too expected reaction, I opened my eyes wide like I didn"t understood the meaning and took a glance to see I was being glared at.
As expected he"s the King of the country. Certainly, I think he has great aspirations, even so they aren"t proof against that Crown Prince.
Unlike the past, Father who only gives instruction without appearing at the battlefield directly isn"t an opponent for that man who stands at the front.

Father struck the floor with the scepter and spoke in a chilly voice.

"You think I know nothing. You are the next King of Sahaja. That"s why I close my eyes to it, but there"s a limit. Do you understand?"

Father must be talking about the subordinates I"ve gathered in secret from him.
I expected information leakage to a certain degree. There"s no problem.
While smiling in my heart, I displayed a troubled appearance.

"I do not understand what Father is saying, but certainly. I will for sure keep it in my heart"

It"s not the time yet.
As I implicitly hinted that I"m not planning anything, Father turned his face away with a hmph.

"I shall contact Wilhelm… Withdraw"
"Excuse me"

Bowing once more I left the audience hall decorated in poor taste.
When I become the King, let"s do something about this room first.
I simply can"t stand this bad taste.

"Your Highness"

As soon as I left the room, a tall man in black armor approached me, without looking at his face I began speaking.
Even without confirmation I can tell who he is by voice.
One of my escorts and aides. Fabius.

"I"m going to Wilhelm"

While heading for my room in the inner part of the Royal Palace, I only informed him of my intention.
Fabius who followed spoke in a puzzle voice.

"To Wilhelm? Your Highness is?"
"I won"t accept any questions. It"s fine to keep the retinue at minimum. Make preparations"
"Yes"

As I provided him with only the necessary information Fabius saluted and left the scene.
Confirming that, I directed my steps not to my room, but the inner palace.

When I go to Wilhelm I won"t be able to embrace women for a while. If that"s the case, before I leave, I"ll call for some of the eight Side Consorts, when I thought that I recalled that that man will welcome Princess Consort in a few months.

"Princess Consort, huh…"

I still don"t have Princess Consort. Any woman is the same, they"re only irritating.
Every one of them when they recognize me throw their bodies at me to gain my favor.
It"s monotonous like affixing a seal. Even women who at first display their hate, with a little kindness obediently spread their legs.
It"s the same with the eighth Side Consort I called this time.
Requesting my love and finally begging for the Princess Consort position.

But, I don"t feel like it. I have no intention of giving them a child.
There"s no woman among Side Consorts who"s worthy of being my Princess Consort.

I want Princess Consort to be useful.

I"d be troubled if she lacked in looks, I want sufficient social standing too.
A fool who disturbs me would be a pain. Being intelligent wouldn"t hurt.
Of course, an oversensitive woman who cannot make the inner palace abide her is no good.

If the woman doesn"t have the caliber to stand next to me who"ll sooner or later lead the nation, making her the Princess Consort makes no sense.
The seat of Princess Consort is still empty.
Even so, I have to start thinking about it properly. An heir is necessary.
If I can"t find suitable woman no matter what, I need to prioritize the conditions.

―――― What kind of woman does this man intend to take as a wife.

He"s the next King of the major nation of Wilhelm.

That man who hadn"t been interested in marriage at all decided to marry.
It seems she"d been a fiancée candidate from the start and the engagement was decided in a flash.
A wedding ceremony within half a year is exceptionally fast for royalty.
From a traitor I"ve received information the Crown Prince is infatuated with his fiancée.
As a person who knows that Crown Prince, even if a little, I can"t believe it without seeing it myself.
Even if only to confirm it first-hand, going to that country merits bowing to Father.

And then there"s Red s.h.i.+nigami.
The story goes he"s been seen in the Royal Palace of Wilhelm, but I wonder if he"s still in that country.
What is he doing. Why is he in such a place.

Of course, if I find s.h.i.+nigami, I have zero intention of handing him over to Father.
It"s said Hiyuma have eye for people. How impertinent for a mere tool, still if that"s the case first I need to make him recognize me as his master.
Tools only have value when used.

"Kuku…"

Unconsciously laughter welled up.

"Seems I"ll finally have fun after a long time"

There"s a lot of things I have to do.
But, first of all let"s wait and see. Everything starts from there.
It"s fine to update the plan based on the situation.

Thinking of the fun time from now on, I headed for the inner palace with my voice quivering in good humor.