Finally, you will meet the person face to face.
The fourth princess of Niosebuku, Synthenoisa, who had been the subject of many rumors, was a lady with an extravagant appearance that was truly befitting a princess.
"It's too orthodox, so it stands out."
Especially among the people I met at Niosebuku.
The luxurious dress, her skin and hair were polished to perfection. Her hair in particular was curled up into vertical rolls, making the description of "drill" a perfect fit.
A princess-like woman with this drill-like hairstyle... that's what I can describe in one word.
She's a villainous lady.
I never thought a villainous young lady would appear before my eyes. I once again think that it would be fun to reincarnate in another world.
"Thank you for coming to welcome us. It looks like a proper game of shogi."
As soon as they met, the fourth princess said.
It was a dignified and decisive voice, yet somehow tinged with sensuality.
Standing opposite me is Tamagushi.
It didn't look like he was welcoming guests, but rather like he was fighting off an enemy that had boarded the train.
"It's been a while, Tamagushi-san. You said you wouldn't take part in the fight for the throne, but you seem to have been quite active in public recently. I think you are the most formidable of your brothers."
"All I said was that I have no interest in the throne. I serve the king, so it's only natural that I won't become king. Isn't that the same for you, sister?"
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"Your sister's talent as a schemer is, so to speak, the talent of a royal advisor. It only shows its true value when used by a great person."
"My my, even though you're only half-sister, you're talking like she's some scheming old lady. It makes me sad."
"Isn't it true? That you love scheming more than anything else?"
Crackle crackle crackle crackle!
There is an invisible spark between the two women.
scared.
It's just scary.
But these two are still sisters.
A princess of the same bloodline as King Niosebuku. A conflict between blood relatives is called a familial feud.
A bitter feud between women like that...scary!
"So...can you introduce me to that wonderful gentleman?"
The villainess turns her gaze towards me.
It's me.
Well, if you're standing here next to Tamagushi, of course you're going to attract attention.
"Uh, I..."
"This is Lord Thao. He is my master."
Won't you let me say it?
Tamagushi, you're really taking control of the situation.
It was as if he was saying to everyone, "I won't let you say anything unnecessary."
"You're Sao-san. I'm very grateful to you for getting rid of that annoying Gangastora."
"Huh...?"
"I was planning to trap him soon, and hang him while making that simple-minded person regret his actions. I don't know whether to be happy that I've saved myself the trouble, or to regret that all my schemes have come to nothing."
A relaxed smile.
The pre-race predictions were that Gangasurah had an overwhelming advantage, but when you see this woman's smile, it seems that they were wrong.
"I never thought there would be such a dark horse hiding. As expected of Tamagushi-san, you're really good at unearthing hidden talent."
"What do you mean...?"
"Oh, so he is our younger brother. I had heard that father wanted a strong child, and even impregnated a female warrior who rampaged on the battlefield, but I never thought it was true... It seems that all his tearful efforts have paid off."
"Where did you get that...?!"
Tamagushi was confused and speechless.
The fourth princess, whom I just met today, knows the secret of my birth.
The only ones who know are probably myself, Tamagushi, and my mother, who remembers it.
"So that means that a 'branch' has spread to the royal capital... And it's extremely close to us...!"
"Intelligence is the foundation of any scheme. Strategies are devised based on the information gathered. To me, information is like a spear, a sword, a bow and arrow."
He says it calmly.
He is also quite bold, as he openly states, "I'm good at scheming."
"...Father had wished from the bottom of his heart for a powerful successor. If you could easily defeat Gangastora, who was said to be the strongest in history, then I'm sure he would be very happy in Hell."
"I have no intention of becoming the king of a country like this."
Moreover, this princess casually mentioned "hell," but does that mean that her father is definitely going to hell?
Is that okay...?
"Well, then, will you give your blessing to either me or my brother Terracoas to become king?"
"Neither of these will come true. The Kingdom of Niosebuku will be destroyed."
There would be no point in having a king in a country that was about to be destroyed.
"Oh, how scary. But I wonder if that is what you would want, Lady Laevateinn?"
...Laevateinn?
What's his name...?
"Why is that name here?"
"I think I wrote it down in the announcement. We have formed an alliance with Her Majesty Queen Laevateinn of the great nation of Leniosegura, who has been praised as a great ruler since the founding of the nation. With the backing of such a great nation, nothing could be more reassuring."
yes.
That is the biggest problem right now.
The shocking facts this woman brought to our attention are troubling us.
"Sao-san, you are from the Kingdom of Leniosegura. Therefore, you are receiving orders from Queen Laevateinn, right?"
"You know a lot about this again...!?"
"In that case, shouldn't you also side with me, your ally? Thank you for cleaning up the royal capital for me. The rest will be left to us."
That's what I mean.
People tend to think that I always act instinctively (especially my lower body) without thinking, but I am still a subordinate.
No, it existed before that.
There was no way I, a mere student attending the Royal Academy in the Royal Capital (the one not in Niosebuku), could go against the wishes of the Queen who rules the country...
If the Queen says right, you have to change direction even if you're trying to go left.
That's what makes sense.
Did the Fourth Princess, Synthenoiser, know that and still try to pull such a trick on me?
"Wait a moment. What you're saying sounds very suspicious."
As I stood there, it was Tamagushi who extended a helping hand.
This woman is reliable!
"First of all, are you really allied with that lady? That makes it suspicious."
"You think I'm lying?"
"There is no one whose words are more unreliable than yours."
"That's a sad thing to say. Even if we're only half sisters, we share the same blood...!"
The fourth princess said with a sad look on her face.
It really seems theatrical.
But hey, that's the problem.
I have formed an alliance with my queen... but I have no way of verifying it.
I've heard rumors about the Scheming Princess, so I'd be a fool to believe them so easily.
"If you've formed an alliance, surely there should be some kind of document or intermediary sent by the other side to prove it? Unless there's some kind of physical proof, I can't believe that what you're saying is true."
"I have the pledge, but it's not here. Of course not, right? It would be terrible to carry something so important around with me and accidentally let it fall out of my pocket. I've kept it safely at my headquarters."
"Then who will act as intermediary...?"
"There's no need for that. We have a strong bond of trust with each other..."
I don't quite get it.
As Tamagushi was glaring at, I couldn't help but think that the whole alliance thing was a lie to get me to back off.
"If you're so skeptical, why not check it out?"
The fourth princess said with a faint laugh.
"Sao-san, you should contact your own princess. Ask her, 'I heard you've formed an alliance with one of the forces of Niosebuku. Is that true?'"
"How ridiculous...! Do you know how far it is from here to the capital of Lenio Segura...?!"
It's no wonder Tamagushi is angry.
The capitals of Niosebuku and my home town of Reniosegura are far apart.
That's on a national scale.
Naturally, it's an otherworldly fantasy worldview.
There are no means of transportation such as cars, bullet trains, or airplanes, and there is no email or telephones.
In a situation like that, what would it cost to contact someone who is physically far away?
It's time.
In more advanced civilizations, a reply would come instantly unless the message was read and ignored, but with a letter or verbal report, you have to wait several days.
Frustratingly, despite being a fantasy world, there is no magic or skill equivalent to teleportation or telepathy.
So we really have to rely on human labor.
"I have to waste dozens of days just to find out whether your nonsense is true or not. Is that acceptable?!"
"I agree. Please rest assured that we have no intention of wasting our time on such pointless things."
"What do you mean?!"
"You are free to check as you wish, but there is no need for us to wait around for you to do so. We will continue to govern the royal capital, where King Niosebuku should reside, without any hesitation."
"What the heck?!"
In essence, it's a declaration that they're going to do what they want while we take our time to verify the facts.
We fought so hard(?) to defeat Gangastora and pacify the royal capital of Niosebuku, and now we have to just hand it over to the fourth princess who didn't put in any effort at all?
"That can't be allowed!"
"So, are you going to use force to eliminate us? We who are allies of your lord? If that's what you expected, then that's fine, but if not, then you're a traitor, aren't you?"
It really hurts when someone hits you there.
The scheming princess's aim is clear.
They are trying to take advantage of the fact that I am, after all, a servant of humans, and use their authority to their advantage.
Ninety-nine percent of what such a shady woman says is a lie.
But if there's even a one percent chance that it's true, there's no choice but to check it out.
The Queen will likely be giving birth to my child soon, and she is one of the women I must never betray.
"So, what will you do? Will you show your loyalty to your country and offer me the capital? Or will you come here and reveal your ambition?"
The fourth princess gave me a testing look.
It was clearly a look aimed at testing me.
Judging from previous reviews, this princess loves intrigue more than she loves food.
This is probably a first-class trial run by her.
By the way, as we were having this meeting, we were surrounded by a trivial number of Niosebuku soldiers, probably several thousand in number.
I can't let these people set foot in the royal capital where the women I've slept with are, so I keep them in the wilderness far away.
These are the soldiers led by the Fourth Princess.
Since she claims to "love intrigue," it seems she doesn't have any direct fighting power of her own, and so relies on her subordinates instead.
Those soldiers...
I was burned out in an instant.
GOOOOOOOOOOOO! The flames erupting from the "Pyro Stigma" create a scorching hell.
"Gughaaaaaaaaahhhh!?"
"It's burning! Burning, burning, burning, burning, burning!!"
"Why is this happening???"
The poor performance of the Niosebuku soldiers is a regular occurrence, so it probably doesn't matter if they're burned to the ground without question.
My personal motto is that rapists have no human rights.
"What?! What…?!"
As expected, the fourth princess stared at this situation with wide eyes.
All that remains in the burnt ruins are her, me, and Tamagushi.
"What... is this an attempt to rebel against the Kingdom of Leniosegura? Are you trying to become the overlord yourself?"
"No."
My loyalty to my queen remains unwavering.
I massacred the soldiers for the Queen's sake.
"I will act according to my own judgment. I will do what I believe is best for myself, for my country, and for the world."
"Huh?! Is that what a vassal does?! A vassal is merely a hand or a foot that follows the orders of their master...!"
Well, my queen is a great ruler.
If it's clear that what I do is in the national interest, most will accept it.
She also expects him to give her personal preferential treatment as her lover.
"I misread it, Onee-sama."
Tamagushi says:
"The logic of ordinary people is beyond the reach of Lord Thao, the true king. Your petty schemes will not work on him either. Plots can always be thwarted by the force of a great conqueror. That is why, since ancient times, there has never been a case of a schemer taking over the world."
No, it's not such a big deal.
For now, the solution will be in the next phase.