The Bait Is Taken
Shortly after I sent the panacea, a letter arrived from the Kingdom of Velos.
“It seems they’ve finally run out of ways to stall.”
“They held out for quite a while.”
The fake had taken the bait. They had sent a reply confirming their arrival here. They had dodged the issue six times already—a persistent bastard, to say the least. Still, since I’d managed to lure them in, I could consider the plan to be sailing smoothly.
However.
“What do you think?”
“Since we don’t know what kind of person they are, it’s all just speculation, but I don’t think they’ll go down without a fight.”
I agreed. This was the same guy who had twisted and turned six times, making every excuse in the book to avoid coming here. It was clear they sensed something was off.
“Could they have discovered it’s a sham marriage?”
“I don’t think so. If they had, they would have run away immediately. ...In my opinion, perhaps the act of moving into the Empire itself is a risk for them? It’s not that they suspect us, but rather that they are reluctant to visit the Empire itself.”
Entering the Empire is a risk in itself, huh?
“For example, perhaps they’re terrified of meeting you, Brother.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m serious.”
I thought she was joking, but Elizabeth’s expression was earnest. Was she really?
“From their perspective, how terrifying must Your Majesty be? You even cleaned out the remnants hidden in the Imperial Capital just recently.”
So, according to Elizabeth, I’m the designated bully for heretics.
“If you put it that way.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it the same for Black Mages? If I had to categorize it, the number of Black Mages I’ve killed is higher than the number of heretics.”
“...So, does that mean I should be afraid of you, Brother?”
“Just a joke.”
“...”
Elizabeth’s expression turned subtle.
“Should I be angry or not?”
“Usually, people just think things like that to themselves.”
“If I only thought it to myself, I was afraid you wouldn’t know.”
Well, people don’t know if you don’t say it out loud.
“I’ve never once regretted the fact that I learned black magic, but every time you make jokes like that, Brother, I feel like I regret it a little bit...”
“Are you being serious?”
Now I feel a bit sorry.
“I’m joking.”
“I’ve been had.”
Elizabeth laughed playfully. Her hair swayed adorably along with her shoulders as they shook with amusement. Recently, these kinds of pranks from Elizabeth had become quite frequent. I suppose you could say the distance between us had closed.
“Anyway. It’s just a metaphor, but don’t you think there might be a reason?”
“A reason.”
I know most of the stories from the original work. I’m not a ‘true fan’ who can recite the setting book from memory without looking, but at least if it’s a setting that appeared in the original, I tend to remember it. Thinking about that...
“What could be in the Empire?”
Nothing came to mind.
“In the first place, as you said, I just rooted out those who infiltrated the Imperial Capital a while ago. If something like that were in the Empire, they wouldn’t have been hiding.”
“Then it must be a personal reason for the fake king, not the heretics.”
Not a characteristic shared by heretics, but something the fake King of Velos alone possesses?
“...Perhaps a limit to the ability they possess.”
“Yes?”
“I mean, wouldn’t there be some kind of restriction on playing the role of a fake?”
What if the supernatural ability to mimic an appearance isn’t omnipotent? It’s actually a highly probable theory. It’s more convincing that there’s some kind of constraint rather than being able to wear someone else’s skin without any conditions.
“Let’s assume a few things.”
First, they must periodically maintain the stolen appearance. Second, they can only steal appearances within a certain range.
“In this case...”
In other words, it could be a constraint like having to maintain a certain distance from the original existence.
“Does that mean the King of Velos might still be alive?”
“I suppose so.”
Of course, it’s not certain.
“I can’t grasp the entire behavioral principle of the fanatics. It’s just a prediction.”
“But since he is someone skilled at acting as others, there is a possibility he has a predictable way of thinking.”
Either way, when he arrives, I’ll know what’s what.
“How much money did they spend?”
A voice of pure exhaustion escaped me. It couldn’t be helped, as I was looking at a sight so dazzling it looked as if they had literally plastered money all over it. They had practically renovated an entire detached palace. These guys. They were truly determined to get me married.
What’s scary is that this isn’t even preparation for a wedding. Many people misunderstand, but Sylvia and I don’t even have an official engagement. We are complete strangers. So what is this, then? It’s that. A formal meeting between families. Yes, that formal meeting where the elders of both families meet and laugh and chat.
In other words, these crazy bastards poured a massive budget into a mere meeting.
“Hahaha.”
The Minister of Finance laughed with a satisfied face. This crazy old man whined every single day about having no money, yet he even poured his own private funds into this.
“Minister of Finance.”
“Your Majesty, how is it? It looks good, doesn’t it?”
No. I just called you because I felt sorry for your money being wasted.
“How much did you spend?”
“Pardon? Ahem.”
“I’m not digging into how much you’ve skimmed off the top, so be honest.”
“...Ahem, I emptied the safe I’ve been saving up so frugally.”
Judging by the way he talks, he spent a little less than half.
“You should have spent it within the budget.”
“How can you say that! This will be a place used for a long time to come.”
Saying it will be used for a long time means he expects the Imperial lineage to increase, so this detached palace will be used. The old man is losing his mind.
“Isn’t it money you won’t even get back?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
When I clicked my tongue, the Minister of Finance said so firmly. “The grace I have received from Your Majesty is as vast as the sea. How could I begrudge that?”
He’ll regret it when he finds out no one is going to move into this palace.
“Your Majesty, then I shall go and finish the remaining work.”
“Yes, yes. Work hard.”
After the Minister of Finance left.
“...What is all this?”
Elizabeth, who had followed to see the palace, also had a look of disgust.
“It seems the ministers were all so excited they couldn’t control themselves.”
“Ah...”
Elizabeth drew out the end of her sentence as if she understood. She glanced around the interior of the palace and laughed playfully.
“They’re all going to have a bit of heartburn. Thinking that this palace they built so magnificently will be left abandoned.”
“It’s their own fault. I’ve told them repeatedly that I have no intention of marrying.”
“Heh heh.”
Was there something funny in what I said? Elizabeth looked amused.
“At this size, it wouldn’t be lacking for even ten royals to live in.”
Is that so? I calculated it in my head. After a rough estimate, considering the number of servants who would be staying in the palace at all times, it was a bit of a tight calculation.
“Ten is too many.”
“Heh heh. Then how about ten?”
Ten? It did seem like ten would be the limit. After all, not all royals live in the Imperial Palace; they become independent when they grow up and the time comes.
“Ten would be enough.”
“Heh heh heh.”
But why is she so happy?
“It’s nothing.”
“Is that so.”
“Anyway, with this, the preparations are all done.”
Indeed. Now I just need to hunt. The time has come.
On a day when the sun was shining brightly.
“The weather is nice.”
“The Goddess is blessing us. To be this sunny on such a meaningful day.”
I stood still in that spot and raised my hand. At the same time, the murmuring voices of the bureaucrats died down.
Thud!
The sound of the guards slamming their spears against the floor. With that, the gates of the Imperial Palace began to open slowly.
‘They’re here.’
Beyond the open gates, a carriage bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Velos appeared. The carriage moved slowly and arrived in front of me.
Creak-
As the door opened, a man stepped out of the carriage. As soon as he stepped down, he bowed deeply and respectfully.
“I greet the Sun of the Empire.”
“Haha... Why are you being so formal? We are to be family soon.”
I approached him, tapped his shoulder, and helped him up. ...Should I give the signal to Serena now? The timing is perfect.
Just as I was thinking that, the fake King grabbed my hand and whispered in a low voice.
“Our brother, the day has finally come. I have confirmed the message you sent. Ordinarily, I would never have left the kingdom... but I could not ignore the call of a brother who desperately seeks me.”
What the hell is this guy?
...My judgment was quick.
“It seems my message reached you well. I was worried about what I would do if you hadn’t known.”
“As expected.”
What message? I don’t know what it is, but this guy seems to be under a grand delusion right now.
‘...Should I just watch for now?’
My mind changed. I sent a subtle hand signal toward where Elizabeth was. She nodded, confirming the signal.
“Now, let’s go inside first. Let’s talk slowly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Haha. I told you to be comfortable.”
Let’s see. I want to see what exactly he saw that makes him act so friendly toward me.