No Anomalies During the Operation (1)
Let's sort this out a bit. The previous king laid out the entire plan for Gobert while appointing him as the forward commander. If Elua's side caught on to the real intent behind sending Gobert to the front lines and something happened to him, it was probably meant to draw Gobert in, now that he knew the plan. Send Gobert off, then purge the palace ministers on a massive scale while killing off Elua. And if possible, take out Duke Alvis too—then have Gobert lead his legions back, crush the rest by force, and claim the throne. With all rivals eliminated and the military in hand, Gobert—illegitimate or not, still of royal blood—would rocket straight to the top of the kingdom.
But there's a trap there they never voiced aloud. If Gobert returns, what would the previous king be doing? Holding the throne and handing it smoothly to his son? Or using Gobert as a solid heir apparent while clinging to power until death? No way to know for sure, but it's not entirely unpredictable either. Ten years ago, when I first entered the palace and learned of Gobert's existence, I wondered why they'd kept him alive. If he was barely spared execution for his mother's unforgivable attempt to poison the queen, it would've been better to just kill him off. Treason typically wipes out the whole family, and sparing him sets a bad precedent. But they didn't, so maybe they left him as a 'backup' in case things shifted. Looks like I was right. Sly old bastard. He acts all benevolent on the surface, but I hear even that geezer clawed his way to the throne in his youth, washing blood with blood. That's why no one dared bare their teeth at him openly in his old age, even if he got fleeced like a mark here and there.
The problem is Gobert didn't go along with the previous king's plan—in fact, he killed the king. Even more shocking is that the motive was Elua... No matter what Gobert did, with the king still alive, Elua was doomed anyway. And if he didn't act fast, the palace faction would oust her and prop up Gobert. So he moved immediately. The appointment as forward commander was already official, so the moment the king died, he skipped the funeral and bolted to the front lines. Any delay, and the ministers carrying out the king's will might've pinned him down in the capital to revise the plan. And now, clutching six legions, he plans to become Elua's power base, huh? You mad bastard... I thought you were just a bland pushover, but you're half Sirdanel after all. Inheriting the serpent's blood, you end up biting your own father to death... Would it have been different if our family still held the throne? Honestly, no idea.
But... there's one thing that doesn't add up. If Kosa's vision was accurate, things should've played out way differently by now. Not Gobert and Elua at each other's throats, but teaming up to smash the arrogant noble council. Right?
"Kosa. Did Gobert tell Elua that he killed the king?"
"No, sir. He figured bringing it up right away would only make things worse, so he planned to leave the palace first and discuss it later."
Yeah, that tracks... What do you think happens if you tell your sister—who already suspects assassination—that 'actually, he was gonna kill you, so I beat him to it'? No sane person could swallow that. Especially not with Gobert's political position and Elua's personality. And from the snippets of conversation I've had with Elua, she's deeply suspicious and wary of him. Gobert bolted to the front as commander right after the king's death, even taking Kamei for extra protection. Elua must've assumed, like everyone else, that he poisoned the king and took those measures to oppose her. In reality, it was to keep the palace ministers from holding him in the capital or trying to take him out... How does a nationwide misunderstanding like this even happen?
Kosa continued. "But he still hasn't said anything because he's worried it might worsen her condition or send her into a rampage. He came to the inn to discuss his dilemmas with you and get advice. Though he was afraid you'd be furious about him killing the previous king, so he just tested the waters instead."
"Hah... what an idiot..."
All bold when offing his old man, but now... Can't be helped, though. That's just his nature. Even killing the king came from that timid goodness of his finally overriding his passivity to protect his sister. Well, it's done now—no turning back. So what do I do next? Truth be told, I have no intention of picking sides between Elua, Gobert, or the noble council. Not some enlightened retirement bullshit where I wash my hands of it all. I just can't predict the fallout if I step in, or what the endgame would be. Clearing up the misunderstanding by dragging them both here sounds nice, but it's not realistic. First, Elua mourns the king's death, and Gobert's her half-brother who killed their father, reasons be damned. Second, would she even believe the motive? Third, Kosa can't project memories to third parties. No point in her saying she 'saw the past.'
At least it's good that Gobert has no plans to attack Elua—in fact, he wants to protect her—and she can't touch him with his grip on Luchia's legions. Even if she tried assassination, Kamei as his guard captain would probably foil it. Hmm... For now, they won't screw each other over. If Gobert just holds his position, Elua can focus on clashing with the noble council. What I want is kingdom stability—aka inn stability. Ideally, the half-siblings reconcile, but that's not happening overnight. Persuading the thick-headed Elua can wait; let's talk to Gobert first. Stabilizing her rule is in both our interests, so we can brainstorm countermeasures together. Damn fool should've spilled everything to me from the start instead of half-assed probing that leaves everyone guessing. It's late now—tomorrow morning, I'll ask Mideronde for a dimensional gate and head to Luchia.
But if Gobert's set on protecting Elua, that raises another issue. Who the hell assassinated those lords whose territories the legions were blockading...? Gobert was the prime suspect before. If not him, then who? The only ones benefiting from stoking the noble council-palace feud are the Bakomor... Did they really send spies to pull off the hits? Hmm... No clue. If I could just ID who's involved, kidnap 'em, and have Kosa read their past, that'd settle it—but I have zero leads on connections...
Suddenly, Kosa rustled and sat up. Thinking what was she doing, I saw her just groping for the table in the corner to pour water. Must be parched from all the talking.
"Good work, Kosa. Keep the gold the commander gave you. Not that you planned to."
"Exactly, sir. Have a peaceful night."
I bid Kosa farewell and headed downstairs. The hall was mostly empty save a few tables, with the staff cleaning up.
"Hehe... Bertrand..."
Idi spotted me and grinned ear to ear. Nothing particular to say—she just smiles like that when our eyes meet. Cute little thing.
"Where you goin'... ? It's late..."
"Quick trip to Mideronde's."
"Huh...? This late...? Why there...? What's up...?"
Idi trailed after me, broom in hand.
"Checkin' something that'll just give you a headache if you worry about it."
"Headache...? What's that...? Somethin' only doable now...?"
She followed me out of the hall to the dimensional gate.
"Can't ya go tomorrow mornin'... ? That urgent...?"
"Hey, Idi. If you're that suspicious, just come with."
"Uh...?"
Caught off guard, she scratched her head. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
"If you're comin', hurry up. Cold out here, don't wanna stand around."
"Uh...? Uh... O-okay... I'll... come..."
Idi, already sweating through her pits and under her chest, nodded vigorously and followed me through the gate.