“Honestly, I can’t contain my rage at the fact that she’s a princess. The future of the kingdom is looking grim.”
May started to worry about the future of the Frisia Kingdom, which was unlike her. Honestly, I had the same thought at least once, so I didn’t say anything, and judging by Rin’s expression, she seemed to feel the same way.
“Bertia, execute that girl!”
Look at her abusing her power now that she doesn’t have to hide the fact that she’s a princess.
With a bold smile, Elise pointed at May, causing Bertia to awkwardly turn and look at me with pleading eyes.
“Shut up.”
“Yes!”
Elise immediately submitted like a whipped puppy. From behind, May poked her and joked, “Aren’t you capable of being a queen?”
“I need your help with something. It’s about Lavender, right?”
“You mean our children? Of course, they’re all on standby.”
Elise’s intelligence organization, Lavender, was created by her. Though it had few members, they were all highly capable and trustworthy, selected personally by Elise for their keen senses.
“Ask them to investigate the pirates in Bairn.”
“…Pirates? Not bandits?”
In Bairn, there isn’t even a river wide enough to sail a boat, let alone actual seas. The best they could handle were toys for children, like a little pond or stream for play.
As Elise said, looking for bandits in the Bairn Mountains made more sense.
“Just find anything for now. They introduced themselves as pirates.”
“Understood. Bertia, please proceed.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Bertia bowed deeply and politely excused herself as she left the room. I thought there was no need to stick around any longer, but May leaned on her leg and asked Elise, “But why are you just sitting here? I heard you’re a candidate for several positions too?”
“Do you tease me even knowing I’m a princess?”
To be honest, I was surprised too.
Tana had immediately backed down when she learned Elise was a princess, but Elise accepted her as a friend and let it slide.
I never expected May, who often clashed with her and insulted her the most, to come out like this.
Shrugging her shoulders, May popped a candy into her mouth and replied.
“You like this stuff. Honestly, I think you’d hate it more if you knelt here begging for forgiveness.”
“May does have quick wits.”
Rin seemed to think the same and added her agreement. When I glanced at Elise, her lip corners lifted, not in mockery but in a satisfied smile.
“You really weren’t just fawning over the Master for nothing.”
“And if Daniel marries me, you’ll be under my feet too, right?”
“That’s true, but… it seems unlikely.”
“Who knows?”
“Cut it out.”
I sensed they were about to start another fight, so I quickly intervened. I was too worn out to argue, so I just let it go.
“Everyone stop. Daniel’s already having a headache because of Eris, so don’t complicate things further with this.”
Thanks to Rin stepping up, I felt a bit relieved. At her words, May and Elise lowered their tails and clamped their mouths shut, but May, still holding her lollipop, chimed in.
“Doesn’t that girl try to kiss in front of the kids last night?”
“Did the Master kiss you? What about me?”
“No, that was because Ares and Arni seemed shy. It was out of my control!”
Ah, my head hurts.
Anyway, the investigation for the pirates will be handled by Bertia and Lavender, so I stepped out the door.
“Ah! Master!”
Elise’s voice lamenting my departure was heard after a long time. As I had already opened the door halfway, I hesitated for a moment and turned back.
“Participate in this competition. It’ll be boring just staying here all the time.”
“……”
“Hey! Let’s go together!”
“Daniel, should we grab a late-night snack? Do you remember the sandwiches we had in town?”
*
In the vast Bairn Stadium, all the lights go out in the evening. Of course, even deep into the night, there are huge magic lamps installed, so the operation isn’t hindered.
Still, basically, once the sun sets, the Bairn Stadium takes a moment to cool down the heated ground.
It was essentially the most valuable asset of the city of Bairn, so security was always given thorough attention, but just a few days ago, Rin and Daniel walked into the stadium with its doors wide open, while Anton’s crew snuck in to smoke.
You’d think the security of a place that holds the fate of the city would be tighter.
But the culprit was someone else.
“Last time, I was surprised when a bunch of kids came by.”
A man with messy hair was sitting in the stadium seats, laughing. His gold teeth gleamed even in the dark.
He was lazily twirling a pistol, something that nobles wanted but couldn’t acquire, on the palm of his hand, waiting for someone.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Glasses reflecting moonlight. From his tidy attire and straight posture, you could tell the boy came from a strict family.
He was the complete opposite of the messy-haired man who slouched and laughed carelessly with his legs up on the front seat.
“You’re here, huh? Move along quickly, brat. Don’t keep your brother waiting.”
“I’m also a student. Sneaking out of the hotel is not easy.”
“Shut up, I saw those Palace brats playing outside just last time.”
“……Just give me the bag.”
As Hendrick, the student from Pales Academy, extended his hand, the messy-haired man chuckled and pointed at the bag.
It was the hefty money bag Hendrick had given to Vermont.
Hendrick hurriedly grabbed the bag to avoid being seen and glared at the messy-haired man.
“You’re not planning to touch it, right?”
“Heh, you little brat. What would I do stealing the kids’ money?”
Suddenly, the man, who had been scratching his forehead with the pistol, sprang up and stood over Hendrick.
While sitting, one wouldn’t notice, but he was even taller than Hendrick, who was 180 cm. The boy faced someone who would dominate him completely for the first time in his life.
“Take good care of it yourself. If anyone finds out you secretly pocketed the money the kids collected, it’ll be us who gets stepped on.”
“……I know.”
The money gathered by countless students from the entrance exam class who felt they had to stomp on Anton. Once it became Hendrick’s personal possession, it diverged from its original purpose.
Still, Hendrick felt no guilt.
After all, what the entrance exam class wanted was to make sure Anton couldn’t disrupt their studies. Since they achieved their goal by spending the money, it was mutually beneficial.
“Hmm, did you say you’re in your third year?”
“Yes, I’ll be in my fourth year next year.”
The messy-haired man grinned with satisfaction and patted Hendrick’s shoulder.
“Let’s keep it like this next year. When I tell you to mess with those Palace kids, you’ll just incite them.”
He felt a sudden wave of migraine hitting Hendrick.
“Last time with Anton was just luck. Everyone had such strong complaints about him, it blew up at the right time and I threw out the idea for the money…”
Gah.
Kuah!
“So what?”
It wasn’t a joke, Hendrick was engulfed in pain so violent it felt like his eyes were about to pop out. He couldn’t understand why blood was rushing to his head while his shoulder was being pressed down. It just hurt.
“You just have to deal with it. That’s why I’m cleaning the money neatly, right?”
“……!”
“Aeos loses all the time, so it doesn’t matter if you poke them, but Pales? We’re not messing with them, you see? That’s why the older ones bother you so much. Understand?”
“Yes! Yes! I get it!”
“You won’t need to gather the kids’ money like last time. Just break a limb or two of the kids we’re talking about. That’s easy, right? When the time comes, I’ll drop you a little pocket change.”
“Ah, understood!”
Hendrick replied, sniffling as he cradled his shoulder, the money bag falling from his grip. Though he was a leader in the entrance exam class, he was just a small student in front of adults.
“Good, good business. Now you go. I’ll catch a ride here.”
“Ah, yes!”
Hendrick hurriedly grabbed the money bag and rushed out. Watching the boy’s urgency, the messy-haired man smirked and lit a cigarette.
After taking a deep drag and exhaling, the messy-haired man shifted his body toward a corner seat of the stadium. Somewhere people wouldn’t easily see.
“Did you see everything?”
There was no response.
The man clicked his tongue, sulking.
“I know everything. You’re pretty skilled, but if you let your guard down, you’d never find me.”
He had been caught without a doubt.
Ultimately, a white-haired assassin, who had been huddled behind the seats, revealed herself.
“Kid?”
The messy-haired man blinked in surprise at the small figure. She looked too young to be considered a hidden assassin.
But the moment he saw her hair color, the messy-haired man was certain.
“Ah, Chokugen? What business do you little rat-tails who suck up to the royal court have here?”
“Gold-toothed Jesant.”
“Huh?”
Sen systematically began to enumerate the information in her head.
“One of the ten officers under the Pirate Lord.”
“Wait, are you here to assassinate me or something? But you seem a bit short on numbers, and I don’t see any noteworthy moves.”
Sen corrected him regarding his continued jabs at the Chokugen.
“Not Chokugen anymore.”
“……Not anymore?”
He had a moment of confusion, but Jesant clutched his belly and burst into laughter. Even Sen, who struggled to feel emotions, could tell that was a clear mockery.
“You never officially became a member, huh? That’s why you say things like that.”
“……?”
“The Chokugen isn’t a group you can just leave from easily. If you think you can just walk away…”
Every word out of Jesant’s mouth ensnared Sen like sticky webs.
“They’re only leaving you alone because they have some reason not to deal with you.”
Jesant slapped his forehead, genuinely feeling sorry for Sen. Like a butterfly flapping its wings, oblivious to the spider’s web it had already entangled itself in.
“Of course, that ends now.”
At that instant, Jesant stretched out his right hand. The sleek pistol in his hand spewed fire in an instant.
“You’ll die here.”
