***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 138 Pet Owner and Dog***
"Even though you're descended from the Arkasakos family, you’re too lax! Do you understand Fare!"
The old man spat and howled at Fare Arkasakos, who kept bowing his head.
The other day——a knife by Arkasakos' bedside. Since then, the relationship between the two, who had never been good to begin with, had become even worse.
He never had any rebellion against his father.
Fare's explanation that the knife had been stolen finally convinced him, but the criticism became more severe than before, and Fare who bowed his head was fed up with it.
"Yes, father. I'll be careful from now on."
"Be careful you said? Don't let this happen again!! Don't disappoint me any more than this."
He wondered how many times had he responded to the old man's unreasonable demands, prostrating his head
Remembering that, , he felt agitation in his gut, but he didn't show it.
He had spent several decades under the old man's care in that way.
It was meaningless.
Seeing that the old man's anger had finally calmed down, Fare lifted his head.
"...Father, about the Queen."
"You know we won't be able to move for a while right. That's the message."
"... it's troublesome"
"Entering the mansion without anyone noticing, putting a knife on the neck of the Duke of the Kingdom...among those guards. At least the Queen has a piece that could do that."
He said as if spitting it out.
Arkasakos suspected an inside job first, interrogating everyone from the servants to the gardeners who came and went——Fare was, of course, no exception.
With Fare’s confirmed succession to the family, there was no sense in him betraying his father, and there was no merit in it. It was something that was obvious after a little thought, but even so, the old man was still not convinced.
He looked down on everything and was frightened of everything.
The Duke of Arkasakos of the Kingdom was such a small human being.
“The Cursed Child Krische… if the rumored ability is true, then it must be her.”
It was a trivial gossip in the city that led them to believe that Krische Christand might have been responsible for this incident.
It was a silly talk about a giant bat flying over the royal capital.
Although it was not impossible because of the existence of magical beasts, there had never been a case of a magical beast appearing in the royal capital.
They live in deep forests and mountains, and rarely appear in human settlements.
However, assuming that the sighting was not a mistake, and that there was indeed something flying in the skies of the capital, it would be safe to assume that it was a human who was a magic possessor.
It wasn't unusual for an assassin to invade a mansion along the roof, and above all, the origin of the rumor was in a first-class town, so the relevance to this case was high——and there was only one person that comes to mind.
The Arkasakos family's connections were deep and wide.
The house was well built, with first-class guards and a good view.
An assassin with the skill to get in and out without anyone noticing.
If there is a person who is that skilled in the underground business, they would have already spent money on that person. Even if they were not, it was impossible that they did not know of that existence.
This was a warning from Queen Kreschenta.
The implication that if they disobey, she can kill them anytime.
"Her Majesty the Queen seems to be exactly as rumored. Considering this case, it's quite difficult to kill her without being killed. What are we going to do? ”
The Duke of Arkasakos rubbed his eyes and said.
"We can't move right away. But if we don’t move, we’ll just get out limbs unilaterally ripped off. We need to change the board."
“The meeting in two weeks' time——that's where we will sow the seeds. Once the kingdom is stable, it can no longer be stopped. That must be avoided.”
Once the Kingdom is stable, it would be fine even if Kreschenta only look inward.
She will move to cut off what is inconvenient for her.
Of course Arkasakos' head would also be included in there.
But in the event of war, Kreschenta would not be to easily move.
If she disturbed the royal palace in the middle of a war, they would be at the mercy of other countries, so she would not be able to do anything to cut off Arkasakos, even if they were an eyesore.
The Arkasakos family, which has been at the center of the royal palace since ancient times, had a wide and deep network of contacts.
That would bring benefit to the Queen, and Kreschenta would probably think of disposing of the Arkasakos family only after she had taken control of their personal connections.
It was reasonable to think that that was the reason why she gave a warning instead of an assassination, if so there was some leeway.
“......Another war after the civil war is over? It could be a double-edged sword.”
"The royal capital will not be attacked. Even though they are exhausted, the royal army is strong. They will fight well for the sake of the kingdom."
The old man let out a vicious laugh, which Farre stared at with sober eyes.
“...It's about time for father to retire.”
A reception room decorated with gorgeous furnishings.
It was the drawing room of Count Nalkes in a first-class town.
Count Nalkes used his mansion as a meeting place, and many nobles used it to conduct transactions that could not be disclosed to the public.
Whether it was meeting for underground business or anything else, nobles had their reputation to consider.
To avoid suspicion or leave no evidence behind.
It is common for them to use intermediaries in this way, and Fare was one of them.
"……that’s"
"That's right. There is no way to confront that Queen."
That said, this time he was talking to Count Nalkes himself.
The Nalkes family itself was noble family appointed by the Duke of Arkasakos, but after Fare began to take over various jobs on his behalf, embraced it over time and was taken in hand as Fare's own protégé.
The information network of Nalkes, who acted as an intermediary, was extensive, and it was just the right means to counter his father, who controlled the information network of the Arkasakos family.
“If Father continues to cling to power, the Arkasakos family will surely be destroyed. What the Queen wants is a blind servant... someone who is too self-willed won't be able to survive in the kingdom after this."
He sipped his wine and looks at Nalkes' face.
Nalkes was examining Fare's words and thinking.
He was now considering whether it would be better for him to follow Fare or his father, the Duke of Arkasakos.
For many nobles, self-preservation comes before anything else, and this man was no exception.
They appeared to be in their mid-thirties——Fare and Nalkes, who turned 60 this year, were close in age, and perhaps their relationship was close to that of childhood friends because of their parents' relationship. When they were young, they often talked about their dreams and ideals, and they knew each other well, from each other hobbies to what kind of women they liked.
They had what could be called friendship, but they would easily throw it away like garbage for the sake of profit.
They can never let down their guard
That is the nature of nobles, otherwise they would not be able to survive in Royal’s territory.
In some cases, this man could easily betrays him, and he himself could easily discard this man.
It seemed like an endlessly cold relationship, but that was the kind of friendship that noble had.
"...Nalkes you sure have aged. Your gray hair stands out a lot."
"Huh? Ah... that's right, you age quickly."
Nalkes stroked his hair, which he brushed back.
Gray hair——Compared to Farre, who still looks like he's in his mid-thirties, Nalkes looked old. In terms of age, he should be a few years younger than Farre, but was it a constitutional problem or the effect of fatigue?
He laughed as he recalls the days when he hid from his parents and went out to buy women.
The handsome man of those days was gone. He was quite strong in such matters, and even pulled Fahre over——but the long years since then were reflected in his hair.
“In the past I used to mock you for not being greedy, but I guess I'm getting old, I’m thinking the same thing. ...I’m a little tired."
"... Farre-sama"
"I don't have the lust for power that my father has. It takes a lot of hard work to stay in the high branches of the kingdom, and what you get for doing so is meager.”
‘Let's talk now as friends’, Farre said.
"In any case, the Arkasakos family has no future, and it will be difficult to maintain it as it is. It means that the time has come for both you and I to think about how we should behave in the future."
“Haha……relaxing in the countryside, huh?”
"I don't think that's a bad thing these days."
‘Kuku’, laughing, Farre sank into the sofa as if tired.
"It's difficult to kill my father with these hands. It is highly probable that I will be retaliated against. ...but there's an easy way to do it."
“...An easy way.”
"Give that queen a reason. That will be easy."
He sipped his wine and squinted.
"Isn't there a job he’s already working on? It's fine to use it.... Then the Queen will easily kill my father."
“...you mean”
Nalkes leaned forward, propped his elbows on the desk, and looked at Fare.
“The assassination was a failure—that’s fine. The point is, all we need is the fact that it happened. ……Originally, great care was taken to avoid suspicion of the involvement of the Arkasakos family. Even if the Queen cannot punish the Arkasakos publicly, she won’t ignore it either. It's reasonable to think that Father got into a frenzy out of fear, so it's reasonable to dispose of him for the sake of the future."
Fare looked straight into his eyes and continued.
"At best, let them kill each other as they like. After that, if we show my submission and show our stomach... the Arkasakos family's connections also wouldn’t be bad for the Queen. Whatever form it takes, we will be able to continue to breath."
His father was an eyesore to the Queen.
She would probably want to kill him if she could.
The only reason she didn’t choose to do so was because she saw value in the Arkasakos family.
If Fare offers it and shows complete obedience, the queen will not do such pointless thing as destroying the Arkasakos.
Prostrating his head――It was no longer a hardship to live that way this in the game.
It would be a little better than bowing to that old man.
"...Until a little while ago, I was doubting if that queen was really a Cursed Child, but... in truth, she's a monster after all. The deaths of the young princes were also her doings... Considering that, the road of hostility against her isn't long. No blood, no tears, no empathy, Cursed Child is such a creature. Now that such a thing has won the throne, we should think about how to wag our tail."
‘It's the same as before,’ said Fare with a wry smile, and Nalkes also laughed.
"surely. ……Nothing has changed from before, for me and for you.”
"Yeah. Only the owner can change... but if everything settle with that, there's nothing to say."
Nalkes nodded at Fare, who seemed somewhat tired.
“Ouch!?”
“Okay, Kreschenta lost. Krische thought Kreschenta would remember a little better but......”
Krische, who had just put flick to Kreschenta forehead, ‘hmmm’ed and ‘uuhh’ed with her long sword in her hand.
Holding her forehead and getting teary-eyed, Kreschenta looked at her older sister with dissatisfaction.
It was a spacious indoor training room in the royal palace.
Kreschenta always tries to find some way to spend time with her older sister.
So what she set her sights on was her self-defense training.
‘Considering the danger of my life being targeted, it was better to learn a sword to the extent that I can protect myself, that way, Onee-sama can feel a little more at ease even when Onee-sama isn't around.’ ――and so on were enough reasons to persuade Krische.
As expected, even Krische couldn't refuse this request, with saying it’s troublesome, so they were supposed to do light training like this once every three days.
"... From my point of view, I think it's a great improvement."
Berry, who was observing while preparing tea, said with a troubled expression, and Krische tilted her head in dissatisfaction.
Kreschenta’s improvement, who had never held a sword properly, was unbelievable for ordinary people, but for Krische who compared her to herself, it's not so.
"Uu, the sword is heavy after all. My hand hurts too... and Onee-sama hits my forehead..."
"It's because Kreschenta doesn't take things seriously. Do you know? When you train a dog, you have to hit it and tell it that what's no is a no."
"... I'm not a dog."
Kreschenta’s purpose was to have fun practicing with her older sister.
Kreschenta was happy to be taught every step of the way by Krische, and naturally didn't put herself into training.
Even so, her growth was more than enough for an ordinary person, but Krische was a very stoic creature when it comes to self-improvement.
Krische was not willing to allow her little sister slack, and after thinking about how to motivate her, she decided to give Kreschenta a strict discipline: every time she lost a bout, she would do one flick on her forehead.
"Really, Kreschenta shouldn't be so unserious. If Kreschenta charged like before, first..."
"Ehehe, what should I do?"
However, it was a bit tricky to say whether there was an effect.
It certainly hurts to be hit on the forehead.
That being said, even that was within the limits of what she could endure, and the reward of being taught how to do things after that was bigger for Kreschenta. Krische’s disciplining didn't go very well.
Kreschenta asked this and that while pretending to be enthusiastic.
Basically, the lecture time was longer than the sword swing time.
She was dressed in a dress that made it difficult to move around――Kreschenta, like Krische, has similar sensibilities in this area and dislikes pants――and it was adorable to watch her rub against her sister and smile. Bery smiled wryly at the sight of that Queen.
Kreschenta, who was spoiled by clichés, looked very happy, and seeing her like that makes her smile.
Bery was aware that this training was an excuse for Kreschenta, but she said nothing about it.
Even if it was a one-sided effort, the results were more than enough, and as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
But of course, he also thought that if he was going to do it, she would prefer something a little more fruitful.
"Hmm... that's right, Krische-sama. Isn't it better for Kreschenta-sama to learn pure self-defense techniques rather than handling sword?"
" self-defense……"
“Yes, there aren’t many opportunities for Her Majesty the Queen to wield a sword…it’s more about fighting with bare hands and daggers. The handling of the sword is more than enough even now..."
"That's right, Onee-sama, I prefer that one."
Kreschenta said and immediately put the long sword she was holding on the shelf.
She could wield the long sword, but it would peel the skin off her hand.
Naturally it hurts.
And Kreschenta did not like pain.
Even though she started it herself, Kreschenta thought was there anyway she would be able to let go of this sword or not, so she immediately decided to go along with the proposal of the hated Bery.
“Occasionally, Argan-sama also says good things huh. That makes a lot more sense."
"I see. Thank you."
Bery chuckled and Krische pulled Kreschenta’s cheek with a troubled face.
"It's true that it’s as Bery said, but... it's difficult to hold back. Krische doesn’t know how self-defense techniques should be taught... If Kreschenta just dodge Krische’s sword, it will only become a game of tag."
"Simple hand-to-hand combat or something... umm, that's right..."
Bery approached them and beckons to Kreschenta.
She called out to Kreschenta who tilted her head and approached her, saying please excuse me, and took Kreschenta’s right hand,
"Uaahh!?"
She twisted it lightly as it was.
Kreschenta’s right arm was fully extended, and she lightly pressed down on her shoulder to block her movement.
Her arm was completely jointed, and she lost her balance and was on the verge of falling――Kreschenta screamed as she tried to resist.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's been a while and I'm a little sloppy..."
"W-what are you doing!?"
Uuu, holding Kreschenta’s arm from behind, and stroking her head to cheer her up, Bery looked at Krische.
Krische nodded with a little admiration.
"Oh, so that’s how it is. Krische, doesn't do that very often, so Krische completely forgot about it."
"Fufu, I think it's appropriate way to deal with an attacker. I've only learned a little from Gotoushu-sama, but it's very theoretical."
Krische basically thinks only about killing the opponent.
It was a simple and very easy way to eliminate danger, but it would be difficult for Kreschenta, who usually wears a dress and doesn't have a weapon.
Even a single kick can be used as a lethal means because Krische usually wears reinforced boots, but not Kreschenta.
Kreschenta’s attack power may be insufficient against a trained opponent, let alone against an amateur.
If you can't kill them with a single blow, attacking was rather risky.
It was obvious that the side with inferior physique would be at a disadvantage if the opponent grabbed them.
If so, the next step should be to block the opponent's movement, and that was what Bery suggested.
If she could master the joints, she would be able to handle even an opponent with far superior physical ability.
“I thought that something like this would be easier for Kreschenta-sama to remember this than something intuitive. …If you practice the sword every day, you will improve quickly, but this one won't take much time, and once Kreschenta-sama learn the logic, it will be easier for Kreschenta-sama."
“Uu……please let me go.”
Bery smiled happily while holding down Kreschenta, who was twisting and writhing.
Krische nodded as she poked at Kreschenta’s cheek.
"Then, let's start with the structure of the body. One by one, such as joints and muscles――"
――And then, about an hour later.
When Selene, who heard that they werepracticing swordsmanship, entered the room with Anne,
"Uhh, what are you doing?"
“Mmm-Mmuuguu!?”
There was Kreschenta rolling on the couch with her hands and feet tied.
Krische tilted her head and looked at it, and Bery looked at Selene with a troubled look.
"Uh, uh... We've changed direction a little from self-defense training to how to get out from the rope..."
"Look, Kreschenta. Selene has arrived. Krische've made it so that if you remove the joint properly, you can get out, so do your best. Otherwise, you won't have snacks."
"Mugu, uh..."
Selene pressed her forehead and sighed deeply.
Anne stared at the bound Queen while her face is red.
In her mind, Christand’s immorality had now advanced to the point of no return.
