Duel Trial (3)
"The match is decided! I, Rauga von Württemberg, declare that Asella von Württemberg, the Third Princess, has emerged victorious in this righteous duel trial!"
Rauga shouted so loudly the stadium nearly shook. Right in front of me, Georg—who had barely clawed his way back from death's door—was clutching his chest and gasping for breath.
"This can't be... Me, the master of the Earth Palace, the next emperor...!"
"Nice triangle panties you're rocking."
"Shut up!"
Georg flailed his arm toward me. Disarmed and down to his underwear, with snot and dirt smeared across his face, he posed zero threat. The poison had weakened him just enough not to kill, and though I'd neutralized it right away, he was still a healthy bastard at heart.
Asella stepped forward with a sharp thud, kicking off the ground and tilting her chin up haughtily.
"Georg, you haven't forgotten, have you? You lost the duel, so you're banned from the imperial palace for three years."
"Don't make me laugh. The Earth Palace is my palace. I'm imperial blood. A successor, you hear me? Who the hell has the authority to kick me out?!"
Georg jabbed a finger at Asella, ranting hysterically.
"Go ahead and try. This trial's ruled by the chief justice anyway. What right do you have to restrain an imperial prince?!"
Georg was starting to throw a tantrum. Facing imminent exile, he was desperate.
Then a thunderous voice boomed in my ears.
"How disgraceful, Georg!"
The overwhelming pressure felt like lightning coursing through my veins. It was the emperor, leaping to his feet from his seat. His beard and hair were stark white, but his gaze was still fierce enough to give a whole battalion heart attacks. A true war hero who'd ushered in the empire's golden age.
"Y-Your Majesty."
"Every member of the imperial family witnessed the duel and its outcome. Losing isn't shameful. Not knowing how to lose—that's the real disgrace!"
Georg's shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him. He'd realized there was no escape.
"Your Majesty, please preserve your precious health."
At the physicians' pleas, the emperor sat back down. Propping his chin on his hand, he turned his gaze to me. Our eyes seemed to meet, though I wasn't sure, so I pressed on with Georg to wrap things up.
"Next, we'll declare the truth. Prince Georg, you know who hired the assassin to threaten Princess Asella and the western duke with black magic, right?"
"Kuh...! Th-that..."
Georg looked utterly panicked. Naming Camilla would cut off his last lifeline. Already on the verge of expulsion, losing her support would void their pact, leaving the Earth Palace abandoned and in ruins.
"You wouldn't dream of lying in this sacred duel trial, would you?"
"O-of course not."
Having been scolded by the emperor, he was weighing his least bad option. Finally, Georg spoke slowly.
"...But just so we're clear, I wasn't involved. I had no prior knowledge of any assassination plot. No accountability here!"
"Whether there's accountability or not, I'll take that into account."
"I heard the assassin's employer was in the Earth Palace. That's all I know."
Georg averted his eyes. Playing it that way, huh?
"So the baron slated for execution was innocent?"
"S-something like that."
"Well, well, looks like the true culprit's vanished into the shadows. Even the prince, master of the Earth Palace, couldn't pin it down."
"That's..."
"The Earth Palace is full of people. Visiting nobles, perhaps..."
I glanced slyly at the emperor.
"...Even imperial family members."
The emperor's eyebrow twitched. He'd caught on. We'd escalated to a duel trial because we suspected Camilla as the real culprit. This was my message to him: We'd drop the investigation to spare the duke reparations, so he needed to rein her in.
With Georg gone, Camilla isolated in the Earth Palace would be as good as confined anyway.
"Your Highness probably doesn't even know if the target was the duke or the princess."
"Y-yeah..."
"That's enough, Georg."
Asella strode up to him with deliberate steps.
"We've got what we need. Now get the hell out of the palace."
Georg could only hang his head in silence.
Asella turned to me with a smile curling her lips.
"The truth has been revealed! I, Rauga von Württemberg, the witness, hereby declare the duel trial concluded!"
We left the stadium amid polite applause from the imperial family.
Back in the waiting room, someone was waiting for us.
"Asella, Gotberg."
It was First Princess Heike. Asella scowled at the sight of her.
"Trying to bask in victory, and here's an eyesore."
"Mm, still got that edge. Good spirit. Gotberg, splendid performance."
"Thank you."
Mindful of Asella, I skipped a bit of formality in my reply. Wouldn't want another lecture like last time.
"What's your business? Try poaching my retainer again, and I'll duel you too."
"What, it's good news. Georg's exile is welcome for me too. As an ally of Moonlight Palace, I've brought a victory gift."
With her biggest rival weakened, Heike was opting to absorb our minor faction. Not a bad deal—I could squeeze plenty out of her.
"Mind if I snag some too? I think I earned it today."
"Of course, Gotberg."
Heike acknowledged it readily. Seeing her attitude, Asella flashed a sly grin. Scheming something wicked, no doubt.
Then her head maid came rushing in.
"Princess! His Majesty summons you—with an oracle."
"On my way."
"Um, the chief physician too..."
Me too? Asella and I exchanged puzzled looks.
"Talk later, Heike."
Imperial summons trumped everything. We left Heike behind and hurried off.
We ascended the stairs to the emperor's viewing box in the stadium. Mid-chat with a princess, he heard of our arrival from the head butler and turned.
We bowed in greeting, and he beckoned us closer.
"Asella, you've grown skilled with magic."
"Your praise humbles me."
The emperor's lips curved at her polite demeanor. His gaze shifted to me.
"Asella's personal physician. Gotberg, eh."
"I'm unworthy of your memory of my humble name."
"Her fiancé, too."
"Yes."
"The truth revealed by duel trial is absolute. Even I must accept it as proper."
He'd grasped my intent and would control Camilla. That sat well with me.
"Did you speak the truth, Asella?"
Asella hesitated, then answered.
"Gotberg spoke it."
The emperor turned to me with a benevolent smile.
"A fascinating young man has entered the fray."
I bowed, stealing a peek at his expression. Eyes brimming with amusement, yet laced with something unsettling. Now I knew whose eyes Asella had inherited.
"I was childhood friends with Charlotte."
Charlotte—the current empress, First Imperial Consort.
"I figured Heike or Georg would be the first to take Kwunter's head. But maybe not."
In other words, he'd named his firstborn successor out of respect for his first wife, but treated him like a puppet. He fully expected another child to usurp the throne. The succession war among his kids was practically his doing.
This guy was off his rocker too. Ah, so that's why the imperial family was such a mess.
"Cough, cough."
The emperor's stern facade cracked briefly as he hacked deeply. After the physicians tended him, he continued.
"I accept this duel’s truth. Gotberg, what say you?"
Of course, thanks. But zeroing in like that felt like a test of my gratitude. Asella tensed, sensing it too.
'Let's see.'
I scanned him with Diagnosis.
[Injury Status: Pneumonia]
[Injury Status: Hypertension]
[Injury Status: Osteoporosis]
...
A slew of age-related ailments.
"Your Majesty, as thanks for witnessing the duel trial, I'd like to present a truth."
"Granted."
I pulled a packet of medicine from my pocket.
"Take it morning and night after meals. It'll ease the coughing."
Cocoa concentrate, compressed and enhanced. Natural ingredients rivaling narcotic cough syrups in effect.
"Young man, what do you dare present to His Majesty? Unverified, isn't it?"
One of the emperor's physicians scolded me. I told him,
"It works great. As good as aspirin."
"Well, aspirin might've, but this formulation is new..."
The emperor raised his right hand, silencing the physician, who withdrew.
"Hm."
He took the cough medicine, examined it, then handed the packet to his physician.
"Gotberg, how does your skill rate in the Imperial Medical Office?"
I answered calmly to the emperor's question.
"Far superior to any healer, of course."
His eyes narrowed. I added,
"Divine power aside. Training that is a hassle."
"Hahaha!"
The emperor roared with laughter, then coughed again.
"I'll take it for now. Prove its worth, and we'll use it."
More open-minded than expected, this emperor. A prime opportunity—if he endorsed my meds, medicine would go mainstream, and my pharma factory would gain solid market footing.
"Understood. I'll prove it."
"Heh, I look forward to it."
The emperor turned to Asella.
"Asella."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We'll meet again."
He grinned, satisfied.
[Rising Star]
The imperial family of the empire wonders what you'll show them next.
I dismissed the status window message, and Asella scolded me.
"How could you pull that without consulting me? What if it had side effects? Total chaos."
"Come on, can't you trust my skills?"
"I do, but..."
Heading back to Moonlight Palace, Asella grumbled on.
"We won anyway. You survived nicely, young master."
"Back in the marquisate, I'm known as quite the scrapper."
"Liar. Those aren't the arms of a fighter."
I chuckled.
[No. 012: Empire's Fall 38% → 24%]
Victory secured, high marks from the emperor—Asella seemed in high spirits.
"You're racking up once-in-a-lifetime experiences thanks to me. Who else gets to trample an imperial prince?"
"Thought I was a goner."
"You'd have drowned in booze back home anyway."
"Hey, even so."
"Hehe, ignorance breeds courage, they say. Fits you perfect. I saw..."
Asella trailed off, then stopped.
"Princess?"
"Nothing. Later."
Asella grinned at me like a scheming villain plotting evil.