***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 134 Pandemonium***
The White City――Albenaria, the royal capital.
A meeting was being held in the audience chamber of the royal castle.
"I'm afraid it's too tyrannical, Your Majesty."
A series of pillars support the ceiling that one must look up to see.
The red carpet reminiscent of blood was trimmed in gold.
The nobles lined up on the left and right were all well-known and prominent in the kingdom, and at the far end of the center――on a throne at the top of a small staircase, sat a petite girl with an upright posture.
Her golden hair dyed red by the sunlight shining in, her intelligent purple eyes.
Dressed in a white dress, her figure was absolutely beautiful.
Queen Kreschenta tilted her head at the words of her vassal――the Duke of Arkasakos, and gave her a troubled look.
"However, we need everyone's cooperation to rebuild the kingdom's finances that Oji-sama had wasted. From the point of view of the Kingdom's national defense, armaments reorganization is an urgent matter. You understand that right?"
"But that doesn't mean we should lower our quotas."
Among the nobles, there are those who are entrusted with some areas as administrative territories.
Nonetheless, it's just management - all the land is officially owned by the King, and the tax revenue obtained there was also the King's. Quotations were part of the tax revenue given to nobles who had territories under their management.
Kreschenta was trying to fix the country's finances by lowering that, but of course the nobles will not unanimously agree to this.
The lanky old man with a long beard――the words of the Duke of Arkasakos were predictable.
"Her Majesty the Queen is putting effort into new endeavors in various places, including the establishment of military academies, but…when looking at finances, I think that is the first point that needs to be reconsidered. If our quotas were lowered on the spur of the moment, we wouldn't be able to make ends meet."
"Thankfully, the military academy receives donations from many nobles, so it seems like the kingdom doesn’t have any financial expenditures…As for the Citizen Elementary School, it is basically only the system that had been created. Expenditures are trivial subsidies, they are insignificant."
Citizen Elementary School――a system that could not even be called a school built in the city.
Most towns have some sort of facility, such as a conference hall owned by the country.
These facilities, which were only used once a month or so, were provided as educational facilities, and teachers recruited from the general public were asked to teach writing and arithmetic.
It was not obligatory, and was only encouraged.
The teachers would be paid enough to keep them fed, and the children would be offered a loaf of bread if they came to the classes, which would help the people reduce their food expenses.
It was thought that a certain number of children would be attracted to the school.
Those with administrative territory would be ordered to implement the system and pay for it out of their own pockets.
It would be an act of charity for children who had never had the opportunity to learn, and no one could refuse it outright if they were told that it was intended to increase national power in the future.
The establishment of a school would have an impact on the country's finances, but the expense would be minimal.
Donations will probably be collected for this as well, and as long as they put a little money as initial investment, the school will develop on its own.
Once it takes shape to a certain degree, a school can be built.
In this way, the intellectual level of the people will be raised, and eventually, the incompetent nobles would be replaced with new ones by means of examinations.
This was a plan that would take several decades to complete.
Kreschenta glanced at one of the nobles with no intention of making a complaint.
"Ah, Duke Arkasakos, your words are too much for Her Majesty the Queen."
"…you"
"I am sure we are all satisfied with what has been done. I think that the reduction of our quota is unavoidable, as Her Majesty the Queen has said. Our relations with the three neighboring countries are still not secure, aren't we supposed to put the Kingdom first? "
The young margrave who raised his voice was pale and had cold sweat on his face.
He glared at Arkasakos as if he were about to shoot him, but he never looked in his direction.
And along with his words, several others agreed with him.
Everyone that spoke had a relationship with Arkasakos, and the old man's face was dyed red.
He clenched his fists so tight they turned white as he said, "You betrayed me."
Kreschenta laughed inside her heart.
The secret ledger of Rolando Seva, a major merchant who was dealt with by her sister.
The legacy he left behind in the center of the Kingdom central was quite useful.
The names of many of the Kingdom's leading nobles were recorded there.
From the slave trade to the trade in stolen goods, including illegal drugs――the secret ledger was the most useful evidence to undermine the power of the Arkasakos faction that rebelled against Kreschenta.
"I, too, have made a difficult decision. Of course, if the country is revived, I promise to return it to its original state. Ten years at most, for that long——would you please cooperate with me?"
"... It seems I'm the only one complaining that he can't accept it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Queen."
Trembling, Arkasakos bows his head.
Kreschenta looked at him with a smile.
"No, I'm the one who's being unreasonable. Please raise your head."
"...Yes Your Majesty."
Kreschenta looked at his anguished face with a queen's face.
"I swear that in time I will repay your loyalty with what it deserves. ...Even if it’s painful right now, please accept that."
——Though when that time comes your face won't be here.
Continuing in her heart with a sneer, Kreschenta turned her attention to the future.
The place was a mansion built in a prime location in the Royal city——in its office.
The furnishings on the shelves and walls were of the highest quality, as were the chairs and desks.
"Damn, that Cursed Child! Each and every one of them being ensnared by that damned Cursed Child!!"
On that desk.
Slamming his favorite sake cup on the desk, the old man with a long beard――Arkasakos raged.
Shards flew off and the servants screamed, but Arkasakos ignored them.
"Calm down Father, don't lose your composure."
"Calm down!? Is this a situation where you can be calm!"
The old man's voice was a shriek, his wrinkled vocal cords trembling and his voice almost turned inside out.
The old man barked at the servants, with veins appearing on his forehead, ‘Alcohol!’
"No matter how you look at it, that Cursed Child is trying to kick me out of my position. …If that happens, you will have the same fate, Farre."
"Of course I understand. I have made some plans as well."
Farre Arkasakos――a thin man who looked to be in his prime, sat on the center sofa, sighing, his brow furrowed at his father's disgraceful behavior.
The old man also violently sat down on the opposite sofa as if he was venting out his anger, and fanned the alcohol cup brought by the servant.
"It seems that Roland Seva's secret ledger is in Her Majesty's hands."
"Roland――the pig merchant?"
"Yes, it seems that the Christand Cursed Child got rid of him in the chaos of the civil war. It's probably a decision that took into account post-war politics. She is surprisingly intelligent for someone who seems to be all about war."
"So it’s all because of those Cursed Child huh, damn it."
He cursed and pointed the empty cup at the servant.
The young servant trembled as if he was frightened, but slowly poured the sake.
Farre told the servant ‘me too’, and the servant panicked.
He was young, but he was a member of a branch of the family――It doesn't matter if he listened to them.
"...I see, however, if you think of the face of the traitors, it is not hard to understand. This is what happens when even though you're a noble, you associate with pigs, those scum."
"However, we are in a bit of a quagmire. We have to start building relationships from scratch again."
Arkasakos snorted at Farre's words.
"Oi, that's enough. Put down the alcohol and go outside."
Arkasakos drove the servant out.
Farre frowned and looked at his father.
"Too naive Farre, if we fall behind, we're already stuck. If we are passive, we will be at the mercy of that Cursed Child."
"... but there's no other way to do it. Any clever plan?"
"Ha, such a clever plan. It's simple."
Arkasakos spread out his hands.
He turned around and smiled cheerfully.
"Less than half a year has passed since the civil war, and the kingdom is in the midst of turmoil. The remnants of the younger brother's faction, the turbulent castle――anything can happen, don't you agree?"
"... No way"
"From the beginning, the royal family has a bloody history. In ten years, no one will care."
Arkasakos said as if it were a matter of course and sipped his wine.
"The previous King was also a worthless man, but in this case Gildanstein would have been better. It was all well and good until he took down Christand, but...humph, making us waste our time."
Farre nodded with a sigh while looking at the old man who was speaking in disgust.
"... OK. Let's move like that."
"Oh, but... don't aim for the throne, it's too blatant. Don't be greedy. That's how the House of Arkasakos continues to this day."
"I know. When?"
"Up to you. But within these six months."
Arkasakos orders Farre to go, and he leaves the room.
Arkasakos, who was left alone, folded his arms and told him to spit out his word.
"Damned Cursed Child. I'll make you regret underestimating me."
While imagining that doll-like beauty.
"Onee-sama! If you're back, why didn’t you come to me fir――"
Her reddish-gold hair was shaking and she was chagrined.
The Queen, as if expressing that, returned to the estate and immediately went to the living room where she could hear voices, leaving Anne behind, and threw open the door in front of her.
"Kreschenta, you're a nuisance. You're being rude."
She stiffened on the spot.
There was a beautiful young man with brownish-gold hair and an old man with one arm, both of whom were unfamiliar to her.
Selene was holding her hand to her head as if she had a headache, Krische was glaring at her younger sister's misbehavior, and Bery was smiling with a troubled look on her face.
No matter how she looked at it, they were dealing with guests.
Kreschenta’s cheeks were flushed when she saw it, and Anne, who was chasing the fast-paced Queen while holding her package in her hands, was ‘Kreschenta-sama?’ called her from behind.
"..."
Kreschenta slammed the door shut and quietly closed her eyes.
After catching her breath several times, she stared at Anne as if to tell her to open the door.
"Eh, uh... huh...?"
While Anne wondered why she closed her door, she opened the door quite normally and urged Kreschenta.
Queen Crescenta smiled elegantly,
"Oh, there was a visitor. Excuse me."
Then she entered the room as if nothing had happened.
The elegance in the air, the grace in her steps and smile, as if she were the queen herself.
The two men are taken aback and look at each other in bewilderment.
"Onee-sama, can you introduce them to me?"
"Aleha-san and Waltza-san. Krische met them by chance on the way home and brought them back... Anyway, who are you trying to deceive? What would you do if the door got damaged――Mugu?"
"K-Krische-sama, for now, let’s leave it there..."
Bery looked at Kreschenta, who was desperately trying to keep up her appearance, and stopped Krische’s mouth.
The two were puzzled, and she whispered to them of her position as the Queen.
Immediately, the two stood up in a panic, put their hands on their chests and saluted.
"It’s an honor, Your Majesty. I am Aleha, this person is Waltza, and we do not have a family name. During our journey, we met Krische, and due to fate I was invited to this estate. "
"Due to fate...? Is that so? Please enjoy your stay."
"Ha, thank you for your kind words. However, the sun has already set, and I’m afraid we will only be bothering you. We will take our leave now."
Kreschenta tilted her head to look at Selene.
Selene nodded as if tired.
"I am done talking with the two of you. I have to ask Her Majesty the Queen about something, ...so I will ask you two to leave now for today. ...I will send someone out later, and when you have found a place to stay, please inform me of your whereabouts."
"Understood."
"Just give Christand’s name at the inn...wait a minute."
Selene took a piece of parchment from the shelf, wrote in it in a neat stroke, and handed
That was enough. No one in the royal capital would have the guts to pretend to be a marshal of the Kingdom just for the cost of lodging.
"Thank you very much. Now, if you'll excuse me."
"Yes. Anne, sorry, but please see them off."
"Y-yes, come, come this way..."
The two bowed deeply before leaving the room and left.
Selene let out a deep sigh that echoed throughout the room.
"...Really. I want to see what's stuck in your head."
"...? It's the brain."
"That’s not what I mean."
"Uuu..."
Selene stood up and pinched Krische’s cheeks and stretched them.
Kreschenta asked curiously.
"What's wrong with those two?"
"Before the civil war, there was a war with the Holy Empire, right?"
"Nn... there was."
"Aleha Sarchenka, the general who fought against the Christand army at that time, and Waltza Grizzlandi, the assistant to the general——they are people that this child brought along."
"...Haah?"
Kreschenta stiffened for the second time today.
She looked at her older sister as if she was doubting her sanity.
"No way... even Onee-sama wouldn’t do such a thing."
"It’s that no way. I wonder what kind of nerves she has to be able to do such a thing."
"Gumu... if it doesn't work, then Krische is fine with it."
Krische, who seemed to be being blamed for something, looked at Selene dissatisfied.
"Krische, heard that they want to repay Selene, so Krische only brought them here, and if it doesn’t work, Krische thinks we should just say goodbye."
Selene sighs at Krische who told her that while pouting her lips while going ‘humph, humph’.
"That’s not how it is. If they asked for a way to return the favor, refusing it would be dishonorable."
"Hmm... Then what should we do?"
"... Well, it can't be helped, what’s done is done. The Empire will attack us no matter what the reason is."
"Nn... that's true. Either way, the result will be the same."
Kreschenta snuggled up to Krische and sat on the couch holding her arm.
With that, a cup of tea was placed in front of her, mixed with plenty of milk and honey.
She continued, looking unhappy at Berry's usual appearance.
"Aleha Sarchenka…I heard that he was an excellent general who received the title of Holy Knight at a young age. General Kalmeda in the East was easily killed. It doesn't seem that bad if you look at it in terms of strength."
"That's right...it was the opponent that even father was careful with...it's better than having such a person taken by another country."
Above all, the empire's strength lies in its nomadic cavalry.
Skilled light cavalry who could easily handle bows on horseback――furthermore, the enemy had an advantage in numbers, and the commander was Aleha Sarchenka, who easily defeated the eastern general Kalmeda.
The fact that even the Kingdom's strongest army, the Christand, chose a cautious plan and avoided settling the battle in the field because of his superiority.
If it wasn't for Krische, Christand would have been stuck there.
"If there’s a problem then it’s the internal I guess... It's not a very good time to attack at that kind of place, and it's a bit troublesome."
"…Time?"
Kreschenta nodded to Selene and sipped her tea.
And rubbed her cheek against Krische.
"Thanks to the ledger Onee-sama gave, things have become quite stable, but...the problem is Duke Arkasakos. They’re unexpectedly troublesome not showing a single gap. If Onee-sama can help me, there's a very easy solution."
"Krische’s help, is it?"
Krische tilted her head and Kreschenta smiled.
"I want Onee-sama to get rid of the Duke of Arkasakos. He’s really a nuisance."
She said with the face of a lovely girl.
