The Buildup Begins
After that day, my relationship with Elina didn't change as I'd hoped. She went right back to her old self, as if dismissing that night's vulnerability as mere drunkenness.
Or maybe she just doesn't want to show weakness in front of me?
I know it's just my delusion.
But damn, I wish it were true.
That would mean she's ripe for the taking. Enough fantasizing...
"Kill them!!"
We swept away the enemies charging at the sturdy northern walls. I needed feats. Lots of feats.
* * *
It had been quite some time since I'd arrived here. About a month?
In that time, I'd racked up achievements on the battlefield and built a rapport with Elina, even sharing meals.
It was a subordinate's relationship, but that was fine. I'd earned a baseline of trust as her underling.
Now it's time to start shaking things up.
Time to execute my plan. I already had a method in mind.
Another victory celebration was underway, and once everyone had passed out drunk that evening,
I slipped out quietly like a rat. There were guards here and there, but it didn't matter.
They
—slash—
couldn't detect my speed.
I passed the guards and arrived at the Underground Dungeon.
The place where that guy I'd captured alive—Sawada Riku or whatever his name was— was being held.
Living pretty luxuriously, huh.
It was a prison, but they'd stuck him in the noble quarters to coax him as a hero. I approached him.
To kill him.
Step by step...
There were various reasons I'd taken him alive, mainly to cover any possibilities. He might have been the protagonist.
That slim chance was why I'd spared him. But the odds of him being the protagonist were now zero.
If anything, he seemed more likely to be a demon king. A guy from another dimension.
Calling himself a hero but acting selfishly. And so strong no one could restrain him.
These seven heroes were probably the demon kings, and the protagonist's fate in this dimension was to defeat them.
I pieced the intel together again as I approached Sawada Riku.
Wonder when the real protagonist will show up.
According to the info in my head, the protagonist was a noble's bastard son like Elina, fleeing his father to the north.
That was all I had.
Always the same problem—too damn limited.
Maybe I'd grill Shimbu Rumkun about it later. Lost in those thoughts, I soon reached Sawada Riku's cell.
Magic restraints bound his wrists and ankles, suppressing his power.
These probably wouldn't hold him for long.
The only reason he was still here was his own will. If he decided to escape, it'd be tough but doable.
A prisoner living it up, sleeping soundly. I drew Holy Sword Gram and raised it high.
I'll make it quick. No pain, one strike.
Killing Sawada Riku was meant to rattle Elina. This dungeon was watched entirely by her people.
If he died here? She'd think,
Ah, there's a traitor inside. Someone's sold out to the old fogeys.
That would plant the seed of suspicion. Then the elders would use his death to attack her.
Elina would face doubts of betrayal from within and assaults from the elders outside. She'd waver.
And that's where I slip in.
If the plan worked, her conquest meter would skyrocket.
Best to wrap this up before the protagonist arrives.
Visions of a bright future danced in my head as I plunged Gram into Sawada Riku's neck.
Squelch—!
The dull sensation of piercing flesh. The cold metallic ring of severing his spine and hitting the floor echoed through the dungeon.
"Gurgle..."
He couldn't even scream. His life ended before he registered his death.
For a guy who'd strutted around as a hero, it was an utterly pathetic end. Heroes without protagonist protection are just empty shells.
I pulled Gram out with a blank expression. Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the dungeon walls red.
The board was set. Elina Veronica would trust no one now.
Her knights meant to protect her, her oath-sworn soldiers—they'd all look like potential traitors with knives at her throat. And in that pit of anxiety, the one extending a hand.
Me, pretending to defy the elders and see only her.
"Perfect."
I stowed the bloody Gram in my Inventory and slipped out of the dungeon without a trace, just like I'd entered.
* * *
The next morning, the northern command erupted in chaos.
"The empire's hero... is dead?"
My voice trembled faintly. My office filled with frigid silence.
Chris, who'd delivered the report, couldn't lift his head.
"I have no excuse! We checked the guards and dungeon perimeter, but there's no sign of intrusion!"
I slammed the desk.
Bang!
"No intrusion? That dungeon's off-limits to everyone but your people! What do you think 'no external traces' means?!"
Chris forced the words out.
"...It's likely an inside job."
Inside job. Meaning one of my subordinates near the dungeon last night had taken a bribe from the elders to kill the hero.
Who? Who's the traitor?
My gaze swept over Chris and the surrounding guards.
No... not Chris.
My mind said no, but my heart suspected him. Comrades I'd trusted at my back until yesterday.
I'd always been uneasy. Was their loyalty temporary?
Anxiety turned to distrust. Distrust spread like wildfire.
"Lock up every dungeon guard immediately! Interrogate them all, no exceptions!"
Chris bowed his head. And like waiting hyenas, they swarmed in.
"Archduke! What is the meaning of this?!"
Led by Kallion, the nobles burst through the office door.
"Killing a hero who could have been a bargaining chip with the empire or bolstering our forces—due to negligence! This is clear dereliction of duty!"
Accusations flew. They were grinning.
They saw this as their chance to drag me down.
"An inside traitor, you say? Can't even control your own men—a incompetent commander. Who would the soldiers follow now?"
I kept a poker face as I listened.
Pathetic.
Trusted subordinates might be traitors, elders biting now that I was vulnerable. I was thoroughly alone.
* * *
I watched from behind the door. The scene inside unfolded exactly as I'd scripted.
Alright, time for my entrance.
I straightened my clothes and strode into the office.
Step... step...
The heavy footfalls drew the elders' eyes to me.
"What? Outsider, get out!"
I ignored him, stepping in front of Elina. I glared at the elders with killing intent in my eyes.
Shing—!
Their accompanying knights sensed danger and drew swords. I whipped out Gram without hesitation.
"You want a piece of the man who captured the hero alive?"
Overwhelmed by my aura, the knights flinched back. The elders paled.
These old farts could talk big but had never smelled real blood.
"Y-you mad bastard..."
Kallion sputtered but did nothing else.
"Leave. If you shake my 'lord' any further, words won't cut it next time."
I emphasized "lord". The elders flushed red and purple, spitting curses as they fled.
Silence returned to the office.
Thud!
Elina slumped powerlessly into her chair. The composure vanished from her face.
Her hard-built power base had become untrustworthy in an instant. Full-blown panic.
I approached slowly, knelt on one knee, and took her trembling hand.
"Are you alright?"
She looked up at me. As my image filled her unfocused eyes, a faint light returned.
"There's a traitor inside. Among the knights I trusted most."
By saying that, I positioned myself above suspicion.
Obviously.
I was a newcomer. No ties to the elders.
Well, one connection: "enmity".
"If there's a traitor, we find and behead them. Simple."
I said calmly. She shook her head in anguish.
"But... who can I trust? Not even Chris."
"Use me."
I didn't say "trust me"—that could backfire.
She stared at me. Her eyes held confusion, fear, and a desperate desire to lean on someone.
Her fragile side was emerging. I didn't miss the opening.
Time to drive it home.
"I won't ask you to trust me. Just use me. And if you suspect me, cut me down."
I clasped her hand. I felt her cold fingers warming slowly under my touch.
"I'll stay by Veronica's side. I'll be your sword."
"Siegurd..."
Light entered her eyes. The moment I slipped into the Ice Queen's heart.
She's hooked.
The more blood she shed hunting "traitors," the more isolated she'd become. And the more she'd depend on me.
Perfect plan. I bowed my head like a loyal retainer.
But my lips twitched, barely suppressing a grin.
"I'll stay by your side today. No need to worry."
"..."
Elina's silence was her affirmative. Crises breed dependence fast.
I replied in the voice of the world's most devoted knight.
"As you command, 'my lord'."
Slowly, but deeply. My presence began to embed itself in her heart.