15-22. Public Audience

Satou’s here. There are people who want to settle everything by force everywhere. However, there aren’t many of them in modern Japan, but it might be unavoidable for that ratio to increase in another world.

◇

“This hallway is magnificent, isn’t it?”

“It’s just bad taste, this ostentatious wealth.”

Zena-san let out a sigh of admiration as we walked through the luxurious hallway of the Imperial Castle.

The hallway is full of carefully placed gold, silver, and ivory decorations; truly showy.

Liza thinks it’s bad taste, given the different culture of the Shiga Kingdom, but I think these ornaments are quite tasteful if arranged appropriately.

Just the three of us, Lady Liedill, and a maid guiding us.

Zakuga, the bodyguard, got into a quarrel with Lady Liedill’s comrades, the Temple Knights, and was dismissed when we arrived at the castle.

He was treated rather poorly, but since he didn’t particularly request our support, I left him be.

I was talking with Zena-san while walking between the ornamental pillars and statues when the maid suddenly made a sharp turn.

“Hey, where are you going? The audience hall is straight ahead, isn’t it?”

“I’m very sorry. The passage ahead is currently under renovation… therefore we cannot use it.”

The maid seemed afraid of Lady Liedill’s threatening attitude, averting her eyes as she said that.

–Oh?

I glanced at the map, bored, and saw no mention of any renovation in the hallway ahead.

I couldn’t see any signs of renovation, even after spinning the 3D map, so I checked the hallway with space magic [Clairvoyance].

As a result, I confirmed the maid was lying, and told Zena-san and Liza that fact with [Tactic Talk] magic.

“Renovation, huh… Must be because those idiots, Gilzem and Dazlim, fought inside the castle. Good grief, those idiots are just…”

Lady Liedill seemed to believe the maid’s lie.

Perhaps the maid averted her eyes to prevent Lady Liedill’s [Dragon Eyes] from seeing through it.

As I walked, on guard, I spotted a suspicious person behind a pillar.

“Yo, long ears.”

A giant weaselkin, carrying a three-meter long, thin sword, appeared.

He’s the number two of the Temple Knights, level 70.

In terms of level, he’s about as strong as the current Liza.

“Gwalba-dono… I’m sorry, but I’m acting under the imperial command of His Majesty. Let’s postpone any conflict if you please.”

“My business isn’t with you.”

He sneered and addressed Lady Liedill.

“This great one’s business is with the hero’s follower over there.”

“Are you going to point your sword at His Majesty’s guest?”

“What? Afraid of me, hero’s follower? What a big coward you are.”

–Cheap provocations.

“Gwalba-dono! Kuro-dono is a guest of His Majesty!”

“So what! Do you think I’ll miss this chance to fight someone strong?”

Lady Liedill’s restraint was brushed aside by Gwalba’s fighting spirit.

The people here can probably handle this sort of problem, since the country is isolated.

I can see how he’d develop this personality in such an environment.

“Wouldn’t it be better if your master were called 『Sissy』 rather than 『Hero』?”

“Is that a provocation?”

Liza, in the back, would snap if I let this go on, so I looked down at him with cold eyes.

“Hmph! A follower who doesn’t fight back at insults for his master is just garbage.”

The tip of a magic spear, wrapped in red light, appeared before Gwalba’s eyes, who seemed bored.

“W-what! Just when…”

Gwalba stepped back, using Flickering Movement, in a panic.

I wonder if the shiny hair on his forehead is from cold sweat?

“Excuse me, Master. This small fish will be dealt with quickly, please wait a moment.”

Liza apologized for her indiscretion, keeping her gaze on Gwalba.

I should have kicked Gwalba and made him faint when I sensed she was about to snap.

“Okay. I allow you to engage. You can seriously injure him, but try not to kill him.”

“Understood.”

Lady Liedill seemed surprised by my permission, trying to stop us hastily.

“Wait, Kuro-dono! Gwalba-dono’s personality and conduct are the lowest, but there’s no one but Captain who could match him in a fight among the Temple Knights.”

“Long ears! Don’t say that this great one is weaker than Captain!”

Irritated by the two’s quarrel, Liza shot a very small Magic Edge Canon between them.

“Just come at me. I will teach you your place.”

“Fine by me, you lizard!”

Gwalba’s unsheathed sword is clad in blue light.

“–A holy weapon?”

Zena-san was surprised.

She has her own holy dagger, yet she’s still genuinely surprised; it’s very Zena-san.

Zena-san’s honest, cute demeanor is truly a nice point.

“This is the holy sword granted by the emperor to this great one, Monofoshi Zao. An imitation magic spear made from low-class monsters can’t hope to rival it!”

“Shut that dirty mouth. You’re polluting the Magic Spear Douma that Master has created.”

The red pattern on the magic spear pulsed profusely, receiving Liza’s quiet anger.

“Here’s a greeting, Slashing Steel Flash! For now, die!”

Gwalba instantly used physical reinforcement on his body and swung down his long sword, using Flickering Movement.

The sharp slash, seemingly capable of cutting air molecules, sliced through Liza’s figure; the aftershock of the attack shattered the paving stones behind her.

A cloud of dust and roaring sound flowed from the depths of the hallway.

Gwalba’s grinning expression, certain of victory, froze.

“–You’re fit to be a street performer.”

“I-impossible! You evaded this great one’s Slashing Steel Flash?”

Liza’s magic spear, clad in Magic Edge, was thrust before Gwalba’s neck; his adamantine neck guard split in half.

It seems Gwalba couldn’t see Liza’s Flickering Movement and Ground Shrink.

“Merely leaving a decoy afterimage, every one of my companions can do that.”

She pulled the magic spear, saying that, and prepared her stance.

“Take your stance. I will teach you how the strong fight.”

Liza declared, without triumph.

◇

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Good work. Shall we go then? The emperor is probably tired of waiting too.”

Leaving Gwalba, who has been sunk into the wall, we urge the maid to lead the way.

His pride seems crushed by Liza, but he’s not mortally wounded; there should be no problem leaving that weasel alone.

“Y-yes!”

The maid, whose expression seemed to have lost her soul, regained her composure, straightened herself, and replied, guiding us while looking frightened.

“W-with that Gwalba-dono, to be so one-sided…”

“He probably had never fought an opponent of equal or greater strength. There were too many openings and wasteful moves.”

Liza said calmly to Lady Liedill, who muttered in disbelief.

Well, in addition to training with various opponents, Pochi and Tama every day, Liza also sparred with me, Hikaru, and even Black Dragon sometimes, so it’s no surprise she’s become strong.

Instantly recovering by returning to the solitary island palace and drinking advanced magic potions and elixirs, no matter how injured she gets, might have a significant impact too.

“Please wait in front of this door.”

When we arrived before a door made of an unknown alloy, the maid quickly ran to the Imperial Knights standing guard in front of it.

These knights seem to be a different affiliation than Lady Liedill’s Temple Knights.

I operate the menu to obtain information about the emperor.

He’s around level 40, not too high, his skills are mostly governmental and negotiation-type, the only thing we need to be wary of is the [Geass] skill we already know.

–No, there’s more.

I found a [Special Ability] column on the emperor’s status.

He has two Unique Skills, [Lucky Star] and [《Reflect Unlucky》].

Looks like the weasel emperor is a reincarnated person.

I’m intrigued by why he doesn’t hide his information.

Perhaps there’s no point in hiding it since his Geass skill is famous.

Just in case, I placed several layers of mind magic [<>] on Liza and Zena-san.

They already have automatic defensive items made by analyzing Raka, but I feel this magic is a stronger countermeasure against the emperor’s [Geass].

“We will be holding your weapons here.”

“Understood.”

I hand over the magic gun on my waist to the Imperial Knights.

Zena-san and Liza will wait in the waiting room next to the audience hall, so they can keep their weapons.

“Shiga Kingdom emissary Kuro-dono, step forward before His Majesty the emperor.”

I step into the audience hall, which is larger than Shiga Kingdom’s.

A massive throne stands in the room’s depths, displaying the emperor’s authority.

The purple-furred weasel emperor seated on that throne is also enormous.

–Mainly horizontally, that is.

I’ve seen many large people before, but he’s far larger even compared to real sumo wrestlers I’ve seen at the national sumo dome, let alone Mr. Overweight.

He’s at least three times the width of a normal man.

“–In other words, the Shiga Kingdom is going to be the patron of that guy?”

“Affirmative. Everything is exactly as written in that letter.”

After reading the Declaration of Independence, the emperor very subtly sighed, almost imperceptibly to those around him. And he muttered, in a very low voice that my Attentive Ears skill couldn’t quite pick up, “So he really chose that path,” I caught from the movement of his lips.

Apparently, the emperor had predicted the crown prince’s declaration of independence.

“What! Shiga Kingdom intends to cut off Dejima Island!”

“Those bastards! Now that it’s come to this, we should deploy our unrivaled airship force and raid their capital!”

“Aye! Even without utilizing science, our victory is assured if we deploy half of the Temple Knights, even if the dragon knights who appeared in Makiwa Kingdom were to intervene.”

The weasel ministers in the audience hall were roused when they heard about Dejima Island’s independence.

Unlike the weasels outside the country, I find those within the empire to be short-tempered, or rather, quick to anger.

It’s interesting how they bypassed Dejima Island and went straight to Shiga Kingdom.

Perhaps the Weasel Empire’s ministers have some complex about Shiga Kingdom.

“Call General Putepo.”

With the emperor’s command, a chamberlain quickly left the audience hall.

–So war is unavoidable, after all.

“General Putepo?”

“Are we going to leave the conquest to an incompetent person who only got his peerage from his family?”

“It might be possible to suppress Dejima Island if they’re alone…”

Quite a harsh assessment.

After a while, someone in odd, disorganized ceremonial clothes, who seems to be General Putepo, appears.

He’s a plump weaselkin, looking like a small fry.

“Your Majesty, I have come at your call.”

“Dejima Island has declared independence. Your third army is fit for the subjugation.”

“The crown prince rebelled! I, Putepo, will burn down all of Dejima Island and turn it into a hell where no one lives!”

“No need for unnecessary killing. Arrest only the crown prince by all means, or if that’s not possible–kill him.”

“I have certainly accepted Your Majesty’s command.”

General Putepo accepted the weasel emperor’s command with exaggerated gestures that reeked of theatrics.

“Please wait, Your Majesty!”

A lionkin and a tigerkin, wearing Temple Knights ceremonial dress, entered the audience hall, speaking in unison.

“Lord Gilzem and Lord Dazlim, huh…”

“Those rowdy bunch. They probably came here to protest and demand their participation.”

The ministers spoke ill of the two, who were surrounded by violent auras.

“Your Majesty’s authority would be tarnished if you left it to an incompetent general.”

“We will handle it all with just our platoons if you would leave it to us.”

Lionkin Gilzem and tigerkin Dazlim appealed to the emperor, flexing their muscles.

It must be a popular style in the Weasel Empire.

Dear me, communication between cultures is difficult, isn’t it.

The weasel emperor once again muttered, in a low voice that my [Attentive Ears] picked up, “These fools.”

“I’ve placed my trust in General Putepo. I am sure he will do the job as I wish it to be.”

Hearing the emperor, the two made sullen faces, while General Putepo had a satisfied smile on his entire face.

However–[As I wish it to be], huh.

I caught a glimpse of the emperor not wanting to win the war.

“Moreover, you Temple Knights have more fitting battles awaiting. Work hard to seek strength until that time.”

The weasel emperor followed up with the two, who looked displeased.

“We’ve prepared a new arena in the artificial labyrinth at the suburb. Capture the labyrinth and improve yourselves.”

The emperor instructed, and a chamberlain presented a tray with egg-sized jewels on it to the two.

It seems these are items called [Teleport Stones].

I’d like to learn how to make them if they’re what their name implies.

“Acknowledged!”

“I’m itching for a fight.”

The two gleefully took the [Teleport Stones], bowed to the emperor, and left the audience hall.

Now then, it’s time to speak with the emperor and get down to business…

I have to talk about science and the taboo.