How a Wizard Survives (46)
How a Wizard Survives (46)
The night before the palace banquet.
Ulysses and Ash were deep in a strategy meeting about Princess Alina.
Even while I'd been lazing around with Katrina, they hadn't been idle.
"First, the scenario where Princess Alina is a mage freed from a contract—we're ruling that out."
Ulysses dismissed one of the few remaining possibilities.
I'd thought it was a reasonably plausible assumption... but on further reflection, that didn't seem to be the case.
"Why? If a demon dies, you might not register on a Contractor Test, right? Wouldn't that be far more likely than assuming there's another Awakened One besides me?"
Admittedly, the sample size is absurdly small, but an Awakened One is said to appear only once every three hundred years.
Ulysses wore an expression of measured confidence.
"If Princess Alina had been a Contractor, that would mean she entered the contract of her own free will, wouldn't it?"
"W-well... yes."
"But why would Princess Alina do that? That woman is the sole heir to the Reshutal Kingdom."
"Last time, a duke who was supposedly one of only two left in the kingdom had a contract, didn't he?"
When I pointed that out, Ulysses shrugged and explained.
"Duke Duermin's life was rather eventful. All three of his older brothers died in accidents."
"Ah..."
So that was why he'd emphasized the "sole heir" part.
Ulysses, as if aiming to sharpen his disciple's reasoning, posed another question.
"Jaeger. In your experience, what kind of people usually make contracts with demons?"
"Demon contracts... are usually made by people who've gone all the way to the edge... no, more accurately, people with no other choice."
I began with the first answer that came to mind, then softened it out of consideration for Ash.
Both of them seemed to prefer my first phrasing.
"Right. Contractors are usually people who've gone all the way to the edge. Demons are terrifying, but Heretic Inquisitors are far more so."
"So Princess Alina has never been driven that far?"
"Exactly. The only daughter of the Reshutal king. Her relationship with her parents is excellent, and she's never faced a life-or-death threat like you, Ash. On top of that, the people and the nobility alike adore Princess Alina."
A princess straight out of a fairy tale.
No, fairy-tale princesses often face poisoning attempts or kidnappings. Princess Alina hasn't even endured that.
Chainfist's appearance was probably the only time she had ever faced real danger.
In other words, Princess Alina had no reason to go out of her way to make a contract with a demon.
"What could the Reshutal royal family possibly lack badly enough to make a contract? They already have the Einhold Family, a mage family, serving them."
"True enough..."
"So the possibility of her being a Contractor is ruled out first. That said, the chance of her being an Awakened One also doesn't look very high."
An Awakened One, huh.
I also thought that was a low probability.
But with the actual operation looming, the human mind can't help but grow cautious about everything.
"Do you have any basis for that?"
"This is a hypothesis I've built, but... to become an Awakened One, you'd need to be born as a son or daughter of a mage."
"R-really?"
"An Awakened One is essentially a mutation adapted to mana. Exposure to a parent's mana would make that mutation far more likely. You are a perfect example."
Ulysses's hypothesis was not without merit.
Facing the palace under the evening glow, I recalled the final hypothesis.
The formal uniform sat awkwardly on my body.
"In that case, Princess Alina is..."
"The last case. A demon. Frankly, I'd say this one is far easier."
"How is being a demon the easier option!"
"Jaeger, think about it. Whatever else you say, Princess Alina passed the Contractor Test."
The Contractor Test detects the contract itself between a demon and a Contractor.
If a contract is in place, even a demon cannot fool the test plate.
So then, what demons don't form contracts with mages?
Generally, a contract is considered the easiest way to increase a demon's power.
For demons, it's practically a necessity—barring the odd exceptions who dislike lending out their power.
"I see. If Princess Alina is a demon..."
"That would mean she's a lowly demon with no Contractor and no Demon Thralls. A demon born recently enough that neither a Summoning Circle nor a name is known at all."
Exactly.
Even Chainfist, whose faction was so small he had to pull off a near-suicidal charge, at least had a Contractor.
The Enfeeblement Demon, Diego, was the same.
Even at the lowest rank, didn't he go around with a cluster of Demon Thralls?
"The best case is that the princess is entirely human and we have misunderstood... but realistically, the odds are low."
"The fact that the princess went out of her way to take a Contractor Test is suspicious in itself. She clearly meant to put you at ease."
"I think so too."
I echoed Ash's sentiment.
Otherwise, why on earth would she have come all the way to the Inquisition Branch to take the test?
"The best thing to do is to investigate the princess directly. This banquet is our opportunity. You're a Heretic Inquisitor, so mana scans aren't a problem for you... Take this."
What Ulysses held out was a small monocle.
A fashion item nobles often wear.
You could practically call it useless.
"Is it a magic tool?"
"Of course it is. A monocle enchanted with See-Through Magic. Use it to monitor Princess Alina inside the palace."
"Erm..."
"If the princess really is a demon, she'll make some kind of move at the banquet. This banquet is a gathering swarming with the kingdom's nobles."
He's right.
If Princess Alina was a demon, that would mean she had infiltrated the royal family for some reason... and someone like that wouldn't just quietly enjoy a banquet.
As I recalled last night's meeting and fiddled with the monocle, Katrina approached me.
She looked tense as well, lingering before the palace entrance.
"...What's that?"
"I thought it might make me look scholarly. Does it suit me?"
"No... couldn't you at least have learned how to wear it before coming?"
Katrina, who won't give empty flattery even to her lover.
I struggled to wedge the monocle between my cheekbone and the bone around my eye, then meekly gave up.
"I didn't know it would be this hard."
"Shall I help?"
"Let's do it another time. They say it's not very good for your eyesight anyway..."
"Fine, good thinking."
As I slipped the monocle into my pocket, Katrina smirked and linked her arm through mine.
Well. It wouldn't do for a lady like her to just march in empty-handed either.
We passed through the castle gate without issue and entered the banquet hall.
The banquet was much like the last one, though the nighttime indoor setting seemed to have encouraged considerably bolder dresses.
Despite a demon having appeared last time, they still found the courage to attend again.
'Or maybe, like me, they received a royal invitation and couldn't refuse...'
On closer inspection, the atmosphere felt strained.
It hadn't even been half a year since the horrific disaster struck the kingdom.
"Welcome, Duke Reinhardt! It's good to see you cooperating with the Einhold Family."
The king and queen were circulating inside the banquet hall, greeting guests personally.
They clearly wanted to wash away this unpleasant atmosphere quickly.
Their efforts were not having much effect...
Then bright laughter rang out from one side of the hall.
"Is that true?"
"I'm telling you, at that moment, Holy Knight Jaeger delivered a kick to Duke Reinhardt..."
The host of that table was none other than Princess Alina.
With the last Saintess Election as her material, she and the other nobles transformed the mood of the hall.
'She didn't even see it herself at the time...'
As I was grumbling internally, Reinhardt shot a sharp frown in our direction.
Katrina stepped forward as if to shield me, but the impatient princess beckoned us over at once.
"Oh, Lady Katrina and Sir Jaeger have come too."
"It is an honor to be invited to such a distinguished occasion, Your Highness."
"Not at all. This banquet was meant to celebrate your distinguished services from the start, wasn't it?"
Princess Alina's face lit up with almost overwhelming warmth as she promptly yielded her seat.
Angelica had arrived a little earlier than us and was already seated.
Perhaps because this was a more stifling setting than usual, she didn't look very pleased.
'It's finally starting.'
Aside from the question of the princess's identity, I wasn't very enthusiastic about this banquet.
As someone sorely lacking in noble common sense and refinement, I'd count myself lucky not to embarrass myself here.
To my surprise, the time that followed was genuinely enjoyable.
Princess Alina kept the conversation flowing while subtly flattering me, and whenever it threatened to go too far, she steered it elsewhere.
By the time I came to my senses, I almost felt like spouting stories I shouldn't even tell.
The food and drink were far beyond anything I usually enjoyed, which certainly helped.
The others, swept up in the atmosphere at our table, loosened up just enough to be agreeable.
Thanks to all that, I began to let my guard down.
Princess Alina finally bared her fangs.
"Oh, how careless of me... Sir Jaeger. I'm sorry, but could I borrow a handkerchief?"
"A-a handkerchief, Your Highness?"
Feigning tipsiness, Alina spilled a little wine and asked me for help.
I, having burned the handkerchief she'd given me long ago, clicked my tongue inwardly.
This woman was doing this on purpose.
It figured—born to nobility, every word was a chess move to test, toy with, and manipulate.
It felt off to admit I didn't have one, though, so when I pulled out the handkerchief Katrina had bought me...
Alina's face flushed with surprise.
"This is... not the handkerchief I gave you, is it?"
"Pardon? Surely you don't mean..."
"Yes, perhaps Sir Jaeger sent it out to be laundered?"
While the other nobles flinched in alarm, Angelica squeezed her eyes shut as if a long-dreaded moment had finally arrived.
Katrina, unable to watch any longer, tried to step in... but I squeezed her hand hard under the table to desperately stop her. Someone as rigidly honest as Katrina might just blurt out the bald truth right here.
"I apologize. The handkerchief that Your Highness gifted me... met its end together with the Enfeeblement Demon, Diego."
"Together with a demon?"
"That's correct. Had I not had that handkerchief, I could not have defeated him."
Even to me, it sounded like complete bullshit, but I could not back down now.
I summoned all my imagination and packaged the handkerchief's final moments as heroically as possible.
By the time the grand tale of the handkerchief's adventure and sacrifice concluded, there were even a few nobles wearing expressions of deep emotion.
What was more, the king was even nudging Reinhardt, who sat beside him.
"Duke Reinhardt. Is that story all true?"
"...It sounds insane, but it's all true."
He could hardly admit that his niece had simply burned it.
Reinhardt replied as if telling a lie for the first time in his life... but that, in turn, lent it strong credibility.
"Well, then it can't be helped. I am pleased that my gift was put to such use."
Once Princess Alina had also backed down, satisfied, Angelica whispered quietly.
"Jaeger. That story you just told is better than a fair number of operas. It might really be made into a play soon."
"Surely not."
By the time my rambling tale ended, the banquet was already well underway.
The guests lingered over their food, played simple games, and chatted without pause.
Then Princess Alina quietly excused herself and rose from her seat.
"Oh dear, I think I'm slightly tipsy. I'll go rest in a side chamber for a bit. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
"I shall escort you!"
"Oh, Lady Katrina. I as well just for a moment..."
"Go on, then."
As soon as Princess Alina stood, a throng of men and women rose to follow her.
The moment she left the hall, I excused myself under the pretext of the restroom and left as well.
In a deserted corridor, I slipped out the window and deftly climbed onto the roof.
The cool night air blew away some of the tipsiness I'd accumulated.
'Let's see. The side chamber the princess entered... was it over there?'
I took the monocle from my pocket and held it before my eyes; the world beneath the thick bricks and roof tiles shone clearly into view.
A magic tool boasting excellent performance, as befitting something prepared by Ash and Ulysses.
It also possessed a function to destroy evidence in case of emergency.
I swept the monocle across the palace and soon found the princess nearby.
Inside the side chamber the princess had entered, besides her, there was one large silhouette.
One of the nobles who had attended today's banquet was drenched in a cold sweat that streamed down his face.
'As if she'd infiltrated the palace just to sit around quietly. It's starting now.'
Princess Alina approached the noble, old enough to be her father, with light steps.
The man's face was already suffused with immense rapture.