RATH 73
TL: Eevee
9. The others’ stories (2)
#3 Their story: A certain other’s reminiscence.
“I, I’m sorry!”
In the middle of a dark alleyway.
An ordinary looking middle-aged man was being shaken down by a bunch of men in black clothes.
“s.h.i.t, that’s another fail.”
“Ah d.a.m.n it, p.i.s.s off!”
“Y, yes sir!”
As one of the black-robed men roughly let go of the man’s lapels, the captured middle-aged man began to flee from the scene.
“d.a.m.n it, captain. Did he really run to a village at the ends of the world?”
“Who knows. For all we know he could be living fine in the middle of the imperial capital.”
“But still, that imperial princess is looking for him, could he really be in the imperial capital?”
“No matter how big his b.a.l.l.s are that’s probably impossible.”
As his squad joked as they each lit a cigarette, the captain sighed.
“Anyways, if we don’t find him soon then our lord really could die on us so we need to hurry.”
“Boss. To be honest I don’t really get it.”
Their youngest and newest voiced his doubts as the captain just lit up his own cigarette.
“Our master is the empire’s sole Crown Prince. Even if it is Her Highness, isn’t it over the top to say that she could just kill or spare our lord?”
And looking at the newbie, the captain’s eyes narrowed as he thought.
‘What the h.e.l.l is this crazy idiot?’
“Even if you are the newbie, haven’t you been here for two years now? Who the h.e.l.l was your instructor?”
“I, I’m sorry!”
Looking at the subordinate who hurriedly dropped his cigarette to the ground and bowed his head, the man they called the captain stroked his head.
“Look after our newbie. We’re overlooking this because this is a small kingdom a long way away from the empire, but if you say that like an idiot in the middle of the imperial centers then I’ll kill you on the spot.”
“I’m sorry, captain!”
Aside from the newbie who couldn’t adjust to the abrupt change in mood, everyone else bowed their heads.
“f.u.c.king newbie, listen up.”
And seeing that, the captain threw away his cigarette b.u.t.t and continued with a fresh one in his mouth.
“Listen very well how the hierarchy in the imperial court works. Number one in the imperial court is Her Highness the imperial princess, number two is Marquis Arten, and His Imperial Majesty is only at a paltry number three.”
“Captain! Your statement just now is lese majeste!”
“And that’s why you’re still the newbie, moron. Because what I just said was from none other than His Imperial Majesty himself so therefore it is not lese majeste.”
“Huh, huh?”
To think that the emperor himself would say that there were other people above him in the pecking order.
The man they called the newbie simply couldn’t keep up with the conversation.
“Well, officially it’s true that His Imperial Majesty is at the top. But our emperor does not like working.”
“That’s how it is, newbie. And so the majority of the work in the imperial court is done by Marquis Arten, who’s in charge of security of the imperial court.”
“I understand Marquis Arten, but why is Her Highness number one?”
“We don’t know why either. But it’s something even our lord the Crown Prince understands.”
“No, on the contrary he’s become even more scared of Her Highness after he became the heir to the throne.”
Looking at his seniors shake his head, the newbie couldn’t get his head around it.
“We simply need to obey the orders of our lord. So don’t think of unnecessary things and find the person named Ast. That’s our orders.”
Looking at the newbie nod his head, the captain sighed.
Judging by his expression he still didn’t get it.
But having worked with the Crown Prince for a long time, the captain still remembered that day.
As the scales of victory were tipping ever towards the empire during the Great War.
In the middle of the fight for succession that was of course running even in the middle of the war, a spy handed in a report to the Crown Prince.
A report that apparently that a man named Ast, a key member of the imperial princess’s faction vanished overnight.
The man named Ast was one of the greatest figures in the princess’s faction.
Although he began as an ordinary servant, the princess saw his potential and made full use of him.
The honour of being the fastest to be promoted to a high-ranking n.o.ble in imperial history.
The most trustworthy general to his allies, but the greatest nightmare to his foes.
That type of person vanished overnight?
The only person that could make that possible was the princess that was leading the troops.
That meant that for one reason or another, she had disposed of the person named Ast.
The reason was probably a power struggle.
There was probably an incident between Ast, who was trusted by the troops, and the princess, over authority over the troops.
And three days later this conclusion, was shattered to smithereens.
“Dear little brother, do you want to be emperor?”
From the eerily silent princess faction, the princess herself came to see him.
Even if she had Sir Reia, who was called the Sword Princess by her side, it was far too weak of a guard detail for someone coming to the heart of the enemy faction of a succession war.
“Are you surrendering, big sister?”
Because of that, let alone his lord, everyone else was thinking the exact same thing.
After the core of the army, Ast was taken out, her army became dysfunctional.
She could correct the situation if she had time, but the majority of the continent was swept up in the Great War.
There was no way that other people would lose the opportunity of a weakening in military might, and the princess called the greatest genius of the imperial court realised that and came to surrender.
That’s what everyone thought, but the person herself gave a completely different answer.
“Surrender? Who?”
The appearance of the princess tilting her head was cute as you’d expect from a girl her age, but one shouldn’t be fooled by appearances.
Even his lord, a genius that was leading an army at the tender age of thirteen said this about this sister.
“Compared to elder sister, I’m still an idiot.”
The person that his monster of a master called a monster was the imperial princess right in front of him.
And because of that he didn’t let his guard down.
Indeed. He didn’t let his guard down. But…
“Ah, was that it? Was that the misunderstanding you were under?”
When her guard Sir Reia conveyed her correct predictions of our thoughts to the princess, she blinked and made a surprised face.
“That’s true. You could think like that. That’s ridiculous from my point of view, but other people could see it like that. Alright, in that case… I should let you understand what you’re dealing with?”
And the moment the imperial princess smiled brightly.
“Kuugh!”
“Khhhgh?”
“What are you doing, elder sister!”
Along with the feeling of something crushing my heart, I couldn’t breathe.
And that wasn’t just me, but everyone except for the princess and Sir Reia!
“Little brother, little brother. Did you really think I was fighting for the throne all for big brother or my cute little brother?”
As the princess made her way to our lord with elegant steps, we could only watch her go.
No matter how much we struggled to move our bodies, none of us could move a finger.
“The only reason why I fought in the succession war, was simply, because I needed a reason to play with Ast, my little brother.”
Even when the princess’s fingers were close enough to touch our lord’s cheeks, none of us could move at all.
“Th, then… what is it that you want, elder sister.”
At milord’s words, the princess smiled so brightly that one could not see her gleaming red eyes.
“Ast. That’s all I need.”
With that one sentence, everyone in the room immediately realised that something was wrong.
If the princess’s words were true, then Ast was not disposed of by the princess’s hands, but he had vanished overnight for a different reason.
“The man named Ast… is he not urrgghh… is he not the man that disappeared three days ago?”
“Mm, although to be accurate, he ran away.”
“Ran.. Away?”
Ran away? The man who created achievements that were near-unprecedented in imperial history?
“Lately, whenever I saw Ast I felt strange. Something felt ticklish inside me.”
“Huh, huh?”
Our lord was surprised at the sudden sigh and complaint, but the princess didn’t care.
“And so from a long time ago, whenever he did something bad, I said that if he kept doing that I’d marry him, you know.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
There was a lot of things that our lord wanted to take the princess to task for, but like us, our lord couldn’t move a finger either.
“Hm? Oh, that was just because whenever I said that Ast was horrified and ran away. I found that amusing. Well, either way, around a week ago I actually did it for real. But he ran away.”
Now what manner of bulls.h.i.t was this.
“Actually did it for real? Did what for real?”
“I told you, little brother. Marriage, of course.”
Marriage of a member of the imperial family involves all sorts of political maneuvering.
Especially of those that were very close in line to the throne, and among them the three people closest to it, their marriage was a national-level problem.
Even if Ast was one of the great heroes of this war, there would be an outcry of opposition from other n.o.bles.
No, even before that.
“And so he ran away? That Ast did?”
Running away during war was an very, very serious crime where no one would say anything if you were cut down on the spot for it.
And a general that led over an entire army ran away, and what was more, over pressure of marriage from his superior!
The war wasn’t even over yet!
“Seriously, a beauty like myself is offering to marry him. Ast really is a strange man.”
As we looked at Her Highness make a face as if she couldn’t understand, we all had faces that said we understood even less than that.
Right now, all we could do was barely nod our heads a bit, our lord was the only one who could speak at all.
Right now the imperial princess could take all our lives on a whim, but having created that serious situation, the princess was saying all sorts of ridiculous things.
“So the only thing elder sister wants is Ast, just him? Do you not even need the throne?”
“That’s what I’m saying, little brother?”
As the princess said so with a pure face, our lord shut his mouth.
And seemingly after thinking for a bit, he said with a serious expression.
“And why do you want this man so much that you’d go to such lengths?”
“Because I like him.”
“What?”
Although that serious expression was broken in just over five seconds.
“It was just a joke at first. To be honest I had no thoughts of really marrying him at all. But when he actually ran away my head just blanked out. And after I thought on it for three days I realised that I actually liked him.”
For a teenage girl talking about her love life, the imperial princess recounted it all too bluntly.
But at those words, our lord didn’t say anything at all, but started whimpering to himself.
“Yes, sister. So I understand that what elder sister wants is just that one man named Ast.”
After whimpering for about two minutes, our lord sighed and began talking.
“But even if I do understand, my followers won’t. So if you really don’t have any designs for the thr…”
“Here.”
“I was trying to put on some airs…”
Although he started talking with a majestic face, he was cut off in the middle but even as he grumbled, our lord took the doc.u.ment the princess handed over.
“A Gea.s.s Roll and the price is military a.s.sistance… just what are you planning to do, sister?”
“I need to capture Ast that’s run away but this war is too annoying. I just want to get it over with.”
“Is that so?”
She was called a genius among geniuses in the empire, and I never doubted that.
But right now, I started to doubt my own brain.
What the h.e.l.l did she just say. The princess that said she would end the war, and our lord who didn’t deny it?
Even if they’re geniuses blessed by the heavens, an adult like myself couldn’t follow the conversations of those who had barely lived more than ten years!
“I will think about it.”
“I’ll give you ’til tomorrow. If you don’t want it I can always go to big brother Ignal.”
As the princess got up from her seat, the rest of us could finally move our bodies a bit.
“Then see you tomorrow, little brother.”
As the princess and Sir Reia left without a single look back, none of us could move for a long time even after they left.
“What are you going to do, milord?”
When I asked to see if he really was going to take up the imperial princess’s offer, our lord smiled bitterly.
“If I refuse, it’s over?”
With that one sentence as his answer, our lord went to see the imperial princess the next morning with the Gea.s.s Roll in hand.
“Very good, little brother. Now should we end this war in about three years?”
And after she made that outlandish declaration, the war ended in just three short months.