Episode 325
“The princess of the empire has been attacked!”
“Isn’t this going to lead to war!?”
“Oh, no way. I heard you weren’t seriously hurt.”
“But in our palace…”
Public opinion in the capital suddenly became noisy.
The princess of the world’s most powerful nation, although she is not a princess, her royal bloodline has been attacked. Anxiety was growing that a diplomatic dispute with the empire or, more seriously, a military conflict could occur.
But in other words, even the worst expectations were just that. That’s why the incident made some people even more confused.
[I urge you to provide a clear explanation for the unfortunate incident that occurred the previous day.]
Sigh.
“What kind of nonsense is this?…”
A protest message from the Eastern Kingdom of the Empire.
After receiving the report, Logan sighed deeply and held his head.
What on earth does that woman have in mind?
I was having a headache due to a situation that I couldn’t quite understand.
“…I guess I should say I’m glad I’m not a member of the royal family.”
“If the princess had died, the imperial family would have argued. They would have made huge demands.”
Dwayne and Damian, who had been called in urgently, added a word in front of Logan.
“The strange thing is that the princess has nothing to gain from this incident.”
“What about the Empire?”
“I don’t think there is anything on the Empire’s side. I would be surprised if the princess was dead or seriously injured…”
Damian tilted his head with an ambiguous expression.
Logan was slightly relieved to see that. It was because he didn’t seem to be so stupid that he couldn’t guess the reason.
“I can only guess one thing.”
“what?”
“No one deliberately puts effort into something they have nothing to gain.”
“Nothing unless you’re crazy.”
“Yes. So this is not what the princess did.”
“…The secret attack wasn’t a self-made play?”
“As I said, there is nothing to be gained. Even if you are seriously injured beyond recovery…”
“I am not the type to plot even at the expense of my own body.”
“People who are considered members of the royal family or royal family usually don’t do that. In the first place… except for the case of Your Majesty, who commits a crime without a plan. … It means that you are brave and decisive. It’s a compliment. It’s a compliment. Ha. Ha.”
When Logan narrowed his eyes and glared, Damian looked the other way and made an excuse.
‘It seems like this guy is slowly climbing up.’
But there was nothing wrong with the content.
“then?”
“It means it was done by a third party.”
“If you say that, I have no idea what you are aiming for.”
“Yes. This incident will end with us sending a gift to the Eastern King. So this is probably not the result that the third party was aiming for in the first place.”
“…You tried to kill the princess? Are you saying you don’t know the princess’s power?”
“yes.”
“The attacker’s behavior is consistent with those who attacked me and the queen earlier. That means they are the Empire. As expected, there is no evidence.”
“Then that means someone in the imperial family. Someone who benefits when a princess dies in our palace.”
“Are you really the emperor…?”
“No, not the emperor.”
Logan denied Dwayne’s speculation in a firm voice.
“If they had wanted to use it as an excuse for war, they would have sent people who would definitely kill me. The scale is too small for it to have been done by the emperor.”
Logan, recalling the emperor’s black eyes, spoke with confidence.
“then…?”
“They are probably the ones who want an immediate conflict between the kingdom and the empire. It is too rash to say that the black snake wizards tried to cut off the tail. In that case…” A wry smile
appeared on Logan’s face as Damian trailed off.
“There is not enough evidence, but for some reason, one person’s face comes to mind.”
“Strangely enough, so do I.”
“Prince Baros.”
“Second Prince.”
Logan and Damian made eye contact and nodded simultaneously.
A person who is constantly pointed out as the mastermind behind the tricks in the kingdom.
And since he went missing and returned, there have been a lot of bad rumors about him.
In other words, a person in power who has circumstances that warrant unreasonable measures.
“The only thing that bothers me is that you inferred that the 2nd prince’s safe return was evidence of cooperation with them. Then, it makes no sense for the 2nd prince to not know the princess’s abilities. This is not just a case of stabbing a collaborator, it is completely “It’s like digging in a shovel.”
“You might not know.”
“yes?”
“Those Kassel Mage Towers are not completely cooperating with the empire. It’s more like a relationship where they are just trying to use each other.”
The conversation with Luisa provided sufficient evidence to confirm such speculation.
“Are you saying the princess is hiding her powers?”
“Yes. If the 2nd Prince committed this without knowing…”
“We can use this.”
Damian and Logan looked at each other again and smiled mysteriously, and Dwayne, who was watching the scene blankly, could only pout.
* * *
– Many of McLane’s brave knights were sacrificed to stop and deal with Princess Luisa’s ambushers. Count Ronian McLane is taking great care of the princess, who is shocked and in mourning over the unexpected tragedy.
The royal family’s announcement put to rest all the rumors about the princess attack.
No, to be precise, one rumor spread as fact and silenced the rest.
“They say it was done by an imperial noble who loved the princess out of spite over marriage talks.”
“Count Ronian risked his life to prevent that.”
“Actually, I heard that the princess is taking care of the seriously injured Count Ronian?”
“Oh, then…”
“True love overcomes any obstacle.”
“Hey…”
A rumor that may dismay those who were worried about the diplomatic turmoil caused by the princess attack incident.
That was the rumor that only increased warmth rather than anxiety.
And the rumor was spreading strangely quickly even in the eastern part of the empire.
“It worked.”
As Logan, who received the report on public opinion, chuckled, Damian, who was reporting, smiled bitterly.
“Yes. Well, if something goes wrong in the atmosphere, Count Ronian may really have to proceed with marriage talks.”
“They will reject it. Don’t worry.”
“The person involved is in a very difficult situation right now.”
“I tell you to be patient. You were the one who wanted marriage talks in the first place. With public opinion formed like this, it will be difficult to find fault with the empire.”
“The princess shouldn’t do anything else.”
“If you don’t want to be known as the one who slaughtered all the assassins, you should follow him.”
The political relationship between the royal family and international relations, of which not even a single piece of information is known to ordinary people, seems more persuasive.
The rumor started by Logan’s words was doing its job well.
“…At times like this, my brain works really well.”
“What man?”
“Oh no. Anyway, if there are no major variables, there will be no diplomatic problems.”
Looking at Damian who was acting the other way, Logan just laughed it off.
However, Damian couldn’t help but laugh like that.
“But did you say they were ghosts?”
“hmm?”
“They are coming in and out of the palace so easily, so shouldn’t we take measures? Not all the people in the palace are superhumans like Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t wrong.
but.
“Those guys are not ones that can be stopped by defense.”
“But you can’t just sit there and ignore it.”
“That’s right.”
“yes?”
Doing this way, that way.
As Damian frowned at the conflicting words, Logan smiled strangely.
“Fortunately, there will soon be measures to provide some degree of protection.”
“yes?”
“I don’t want to keep letting the Empire guys come and go in my house as they please.”
With a smile on his face, Logan recalled the confidential report that came with the rumor of the attack a few days ago.
– The theory of installing the Great Magic Circle has been completed.
The first test subject will most likely be the royal palace.
When Logan remembered Clayton’s report and smiled like that.
Someone’s face was distorted again.
* * * [Ghosts of the imperial family, the princess is an important ally in our operation. But you’re going to interfere like this?]
Boom.
“Isn’t it because you don’t seem to be doing your job properly?”
Baros let out anger and glared at the communication port.
The three ghosts used in the operation were one of the cards he tried to hide until the end.
A ghost that can move without the Emperor’s permission.
The mission had to be successfully accomplished. No, even if I failed, I at least shouldn’t have left any evidence.
However, since the body was left intact at the scene, they were now only afraid of the emperor’s return to interrogate them again.
‘How did I get this place back?’
How on earth did the ghosts leave behind a corpse while dealing with Luisa, who was nothing more than a woman from a hot house?
The plan was completely ruined when two impossible assumptions came true. Rather than not doing it at all.
So it was natural that I felt like my stomach was going to explode.
However, the person in the communication zone did not understand his feelings at all.
[He didn’t seem like such a light person. I’m disappointed, prince.]
“Are you saying you’re judging me based on this situation?”
[Isn’t it worth it? The person who claims to be aiming for the throne is acting like a child with an impatient heart… There is a point in not getting along, and there is still enough time, so what’s so urgent?]
Ugh.
The old man’s inorganic gaze through the communication port forced Baros’s excitement to calm down.
It had been quite a while since I had seen Logan McLane, but those eyes made me feel uneasy just as much as his red eyes. The eerie feeling from my last meeting with the old man still occasionally came to mind in my dreams.
It looks like something was definitely done, but I couldn’t find anything.
‘Is that why I keep shaking?’
Damn it.
After thinking about it, it seemed like he was looking for an excuse for his failure, so Baros gritted his teeth without even realizing it.
‘If things continue like this, we’ll end up in the worst case again, just like before.’
After realizing how pathetic I was, I came to my senses.
Baros let out a long sigh and looked at the communication port again.
“…I think I made a big mistake this time. I apologize.”
The old man’s expression also changed at those unexpected words.
[Hoo?]
“But I have the shame of asking you another favor.”
[Please?]
“You will suffer losses again due to the people we mobilized this time. The worst case scenario is again…”
It was difficult to say out loud the terrible assumption that I never wanted to experience.
Fortunately, the old man seemed to understand the omitted afterword.
[Do we have to show results to make up for this failure?]
“Yes.”
[…It’s not difficult. But one thing is clear: I need to get a promise. I will never do something like this again without notice.]
Baros bit his lip at the old man’s words.
There will be someone other than the emperor to give instructions to.
Because it was like the ultimate insult to him.
But there was no choice.
“…I understand.”
[Hmm, good. This time, let’s try to believe it one more time. Then…]
While the old man continued to speak, Baros could do nothing other than nod helplessly.
And after some time.
“Your Majesty the Prince. Your Majesty is calling.”
Baros calmly accepted the expected call.
