Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Chapter 32: Tail Chase (5)
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"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's just surprising that you know the word 'disappearance.'"
"Wh-what? Just what do you take me for!"
"Someone simple-minded."
Bellego started throwing another tantrum, but I wasn't listening.
Instead, I turned my thoughts to the now-vanished cleaning supply closet.
'At least it's a relief that this world has no listening devices or surveillance cameras.'
If Gallonic and Leitan had considered even that and communicated in writing, things would have been much trickier.
We would've been left trembling in ignorance, only to end up like dogs fleeing a chasing chicken the moment pressure from the imperial family hit.
But Bellego's unexpected appearance had given me a chance to counter their moves.
'What's the most effective way to handle this...?'
How could I thwart their scheme?
Lost in thought, we had already returned to the banquet hall before I knew it.
I scanned the interior just in case, but Gretman was nowhere to be seen.
'No idea what he's thinking.'
Even when I'd excused myself to the restroom earlier, he'd waved me off without a hint of reluctance.
So why had he dragged me all the way here?
'Just to use me as window dressing?'
Not knowing his intentions left a bad taste.
We were already inside the imperial palace—no backing out now.
"Uncle Gallonic!"
Gallonic's name rang out suddenly.
I whipped my head toward the sound almost reflexively.
That's when I spotted a young woman rushing toward him with a beaming smile, throwing her arms around him.
'Is that her?'
A couple of hours earlier, Gretman and I had arrived right on time for the banquet's start.
But the princess—essentially the star of the show—had been absent.
Gretman's explanation boiled down to one word.
'Tardiness.'
A chronic habit, at that.
Even for a banquet held in her honor, she might skip it entirely if she wasn't in the mood.
I'd figured there was a good chance I wouldn't see her.
'She showed up after all.'
Her hair shimmered silver under the lights—the signature shade of the Atar imperial family.
Her pale skin and striking teal eyes were inherited from the empress, or so they said.
'Isola Taim Atar.'
The princess most beloved by the current emperor of the Atar Empire.
She was chattering away happily in front of Gallonic.
'I already knew the imperial family was Gallonic's backing, but...'
The intimacy on display far exceeded my expectations.
At least it cleared up one lingering question.
'Why Jordan never mentioned it before the council meeting.'
They probably saw the current power structure as a stain on the entire church.
It must have been embarrassing to admit they were kowtowing to an emperor instead of a god.
Makes sense they'd want to hush it up.
'Doesn't matter what the reason was.'
Whatever it was, I'd learned of Gallonic's existence and his patrons.
Right now, breaking this situation took priority.
'Once imperial authority intervenes, creating the investigative body will be impossible.'
The church's forces couldn't survive without supplies from the Atar Empire.
Few in Bihar would dare provoke the emperor's ire.
If imperial power above the church's pressed down, there'd be no room to maneuver.
'I need to make the first move.'
Fortunately, Leitan—Gallonic's strategist—was nowhere nearby.
'The separate secret meeting was suspicious enough. They're clearly trying to hide their connection...'
Which created an opening for me.
'And even the princess I thought wouldn't show has arrived.'
Everything seemed to be pushing me forward.
'In that case, no choice but to go.'
With one corner of my mouth curled up, I stared straight at Gallonic and stepped forward.
"H-hey!"
Bellego, who'd returned to the hall with me, ended up following along.
Gallonic's gaze landed on me, and his expression hardened.
Isola reacted immediately to the change.
"What's wrong? Is something... Whoa!"
She turned to follow his line of sight, her eyes widening in surprise.
Then she scurried right over to me.
Stopping in front of me, Isola cupped her cheeks with both hands.
"You're that outsider! Lord Gretman told me, so I rushed out here... Whoa, whoa, this is so cool!"
She even stretched her arm out, as if to touch the symbol above my head.
-She's not a bad kid, just a pathetic one.
-Naturally, since she's never had to think for herself.
-In any case, she shouldn't be too hard for you to handle.
That's when Gretman's words came back to me.
'So that's why he said that.'
He'd already pulled strings to get Isola to attend.
Probably slipped a word when I asked for the invitation.
As I pieced together Gretman's actions from afar, I followed his lead—placing a hand over my solar plexus.
Then, with slightly awkward movements, I bowed at the waist.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I'm Kai."
"Whoa, you passed with flying colors. So cool!"
Thanks to my bow, Isola reached the symbol and burst into giggles.
She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin up.
"You're the first outsider at a banquet of mine, right? Feel that puffed-up shoulder?"
"...Thank you for the invitation."
There was a brief pause, but I thought I'd responded well enough.
"Come on in. And who's with you... Huh? Huh! Old man?"
"Do you remember me, Your Highness?"
Bellego, grinning broadly in a way that didn't suit the moment, immediately tried acting familiar with Isola.
"Whoa! It's really Uncle Bellego! Whoa, whoa! Long time no see!"
It wasn't that surprising. He'd mentioned her earlier when talking about the passageway.
"What happened? You've gained so much weight—you're like a ball. Can I roll you?"
Isola laughed merrily, chatting warmly with Bellego.
Every word and gesture carried the bright aura unique to someone raised overflowing with love.
In the glittering banquet hall, Isola shone brighter than anything.
But to me, the shadows piled beneath that radiance loomed larger.
Just a slight dip of the gaze, and I could almost see what she'd trampled to reach that innocence.
"I've been away too long."
"Yeah, how could you not visit even once?"
"Haha, I have no face to show. In the meantime, you've become even more stunningly beautiful..."
Fortunately, the unpleasant thoughts didn't linger.
Bellego, who had been fawning over Isola with feigned enthusiasm, trailed off and flinched, his shoulders trembling.
I reflexively checked where his gaze had landed: two women standing not far from Isola.
One wore a dress, the other a low-ranking priestess robe. Affiliation...
'Agnosia.'
Bellego was doing everything to avoid looking at that priestess.
Running into her here, in my company, and panicking? A chill ran down my spine.
But now wasn't the time to probe.
"So how do you two know each other?"
"Ah, Priest Bellego and I are running an orphanage together."
I spoke up before Bellego could respond.
"An orphanage?"
"The kids we rescued from the farm near Kalom Castle had nowhere to go."
"Oh my, that happened? Are the children okay? Orphanages cost a fortune—want me to chip in?"
Jackpot.
"Don't hesitate to accept. Thank you."
I seized her offer without a shred of modesty.
"Sure. Where should I send it?"
"To Lord Horpe's residence, please."
"Whoa, you know Tiger Uncle too?"
"Yes, we crossed paths often on the front lines."
"Tch, everyone's so mean. Nobody introduces them to me."
She pouted briefly.
Then her eyes sparkled as she swept her hand around the banquet hall.
"But I'm the only one who could throw a banquet like this, right? Having fun?"
It wasn't a question seeking my opinion. It was a demand for the answer she wanted.
We'd barely met once, and our conversation had lasted only minutes.
But it was enough to grasp her type.
'No worries or cares, living in a flower garden her father the emperor cultivated.'
She probably believed the world existed for her sake.
Saying what I truly thought would ruin the mood.
'She might run crying to the emperor demanding my head.'
Not the ending I wanted, so I softened it.
"It's all new to me, so it's a bit unfamiliar... but Lord Gretman has taken good care of me."
"I knew it! Come play again next time!"
I hadn't said "fun" once, but she'd deftly reinterpreted it to fit her desires.
"By the way, who are the ones behind you?"
I had no desire to return, even as empty flattery, so I shifted topics with genuine curiosity.
To identify the priestess who'd rattled Bellego.
"Oh, Somir is a priestess from the Agnosia Church, and Giselle is my maid. Girls, say hi. This is the super-famous outsider from the front lines right now."
"...Pleased to meet you. I'm Somir Isha."
"I'm Giselle Isha."
"I'm Kai. It's a real pleasure."
As I committed Somir Isha's name to memory, Isola introduced someone else.
"This is Uncle Gallonic. He's with the Senoa Church."
An unnecessary formality, of course.
"Good to see you again, Priest Gallonic."
Gallonic's cheek twitched as he'd been glaring daggers at me.
That expression suited him so well—my lips kept curling up.
"Huh? You know Uncle?"
"Yes, we met at today's meeting."
"Meeting? What meeting? Was there a meeting today? Did Father hold one?"
She used the word four times.
A moment that made me profoundly feel Gretman's words about her being easy to handle.
'She hates being left out.'
Used to being the center, she was accustomed to attention.
She even seemed aware that a certain group existed for her sake.
So she reacted sensitively if she sensed something she didn't know during conversation.
The moment I realized that, I steered the talk by withholding bits of info.
Using a style that forced her to keep asking.
Controlling it so the conversation couldn't veer elsewhere.
The result was decent.
"No way! He really said that?"
"Yes, but no one quite believes it. The church facilitating human trafficking? Lies need some plausibility."
To corner Gallonic further, I turned to him.
"Isn't that right, Priest Gallonic?"
He couldn't deny it here.
"...Yes, indeed."
His eyes looked ready to tear me apart.
Blind to his blatant hostility, Isola fumed on her own.
"How could they spread such lies? They're so shameless and evil!"
"Don't worry. If the church is innocent, a thorough investigation will prove it."
With a subtle nudge, Isola clenched her fists and shouted.
"Right!"
Almost there.
"We need a thorough probe—no room for rumors!"
One more push.
"This isn't the place—we have to tell Father right now!"
My perfect play landed, and Gallonic and I wore opposite expressions.
Isola bolted from the banquet hall before anyone could stop her.
Left in her wake, I looked at Gallonic and let out a deflating "pfft."
'Good thing my preemptive strike hit home.'
If they planned to tattle to the emperor, I could do the same.
Just swapping emperor for princess—the essence was identical.
'Why play nice when they're scheming dirty?'
Beasts require their own handling.
'And the best approach is obvious.'
Strike first to win—that was my plan.
In the end, it led to the miracle of the investigative body forming just a month later.
'Worth enduring the caged monkey act at the zoo.'
Mission accomplished—no need to keep facing his sour mug.
I turned my back on Gallonic's murderous glare and left.