NOVEL WEB Chapter 91
“I’m going to kill Anton.”
“So what? What’s it to me?”
At my answer, Silina’s expression turned blank.
And as if our conversation was shocking, Pina, who had completely passed out, fell over the table.
“What do you mean… ‘so what’?”
“Is there a connection between you saying you’re going to do such a thing and your knowledge about snakes?”
“Well, it’s not… entirely unrelated, is it?”
“No. From what I hear, it’s not. So stop beating around the bush and just say it clearly. Why do you know that information and how did you find out?”
“Ha, haha… HA…!”
Finally, Silina leaned forward as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“You’re trying too hard to stay quiet. Eliaernes, what are you really? You have this attitude of not caring about the world, despising the noble way of speaking, yet how can you be slyer than other nobles?”
“You just said it. Eliaernes.”
“That’s not what I’m asking right now. You… how can you be so unfazed after hearing that?”
“Because it’s none of my business.”
Whether Silina kills Anton or the Emperor, it has nothing to do with me.
Sure, Anton might be the biggest worthless scumbag in history. And as Silina said, he might think about collaborating with the Demon Race and selling out the Empire.
But right now, I’m not interested.
I already have a mountain of worries and thoughts swirling in my head; I don’t want to toss in even more complicated problems.
Besides, you’re going to kill the First Prince?
What’s the reason for telling me that, especially in front of Pina?
Is there something more than just asking for help?
Isn’t it the case that you’re trying to get my help with this?
That’s quite likely.
They might help me with this and later ask me to help them kill the First Prince.
Ugh, just thinking about it is horrifying.
Of course… If it’s true that he’s trying to collaborate with demons to sell out the Empire, that bastard can’t be left alive.
But that’s not something to think about now.
Can I really kill a human who’s the First Prince just because I can’t deal with a mere Dark Mage hiding in the underground?
…Hmm.
Uh… Actually, there’s nothing preventing me from doing it… Right…?
But if I just go and kill him, a lot of problems will arise.
Even if it falls on me alone, my Father and Mother, not to mention all of Eustetia, could be put in a tough spot.
So, I’ll think about Silina’s worries later.
When my troublesome personality and power align so that I can cause chaos again just like I did in my previous life without anyone saying a word.
Then it won’t be too late to listen and act on it.
“…Do you really think you won’t be concerned?”
“I might have said it a bit too strongly when I said it doesn’t matter. What I meant was I can’t focus on it right now.”
Silina narrowed her eyes.
“If what you mean is that you can’t focus on it now, does that mean you’ll be concerned about it later?”
“Well, I don’t know when that later will be if I can’t clear up my curiosity right now.”
“…Hah. Alright. I’ll get to the point.”
Thud. Silina put down her now cold tea and leaned back in her chair, seemingly abandoning her aristocratic poise and atmosphere as she spoke.
“Anton de Herman has had contact with a Dark Mage. I witnessed it myself. No matter how much this era tolerates dark magic, I think it’s a bit odd for royalty to have a personal meeting with a Dark Mage. So, I did a bit of digging.”
“Well, what a rare correct statement.”
“Shut up and listen. Anyway, the result of my investigation was related to that underground.”
“So?”
“I investigated through [Uranos]. The information that came out was about the ‘door’ you know, the snake, and the underground. And this is a secret, but I also know other information apart from that.”
Silina paused for a moment and turned her gaze to Pina.
I glanced at Pina as well.
She was still unconscious and didn’t move an inch.
She was breathing, so she wasn’t dead, at least.
Seeing that Pina was unconscious, Silina let out a short breath and continued.
“Anton has also been to that underground. More precisely, he has been to the door at the end of the Labyrinth.”
“…Then—”
“Right. The Dark Mage Anton met is likely the Dark Mage you want to kill.”
“So that’s why you’re offering help.”
Tsk, I clicked my tongue and gulped down the leftover Mint Chocolate Milk Pina had left.
“Right. Actually, I was planning to leave a much bigger debt this time, but that can’t happen now.”
This is why I can’t trust humans.
“If I kill that Dark Mage, then you’ll… Right. You’ll benefit from it. You’re just pretending you’re not interested, but it seems you want to become the Emperor, don’t you?”
“No. I have no plans to become an Emperor.”
I stared calmly into Silina’s eyes.
She wasn’t lying. I could feel her sincerity.
And a deep-seated hatred lingered there.
“As I just said, I want to kill Anton. For that, I need to grow my power. No matter how much I’ve risen to this position by overcoming my siblings and being a fellow royal, killing Anton isn’t an easy task.”
Silina took a light sip of her cooled tea and growled.
“That’s why this is very important to me.”
With such intentions, this issue would hold a significance for Silina, different from mine.
A Dark Mage hiding in the underground, trying to undermine Eustetia’s authority, and the First Prince Anton de Herman, who had a private meeting with the suspicious Dark Mage.
It’s possible that the Dark Mage Anton met and the one hiding in the underground are different entities.
But if the Second Princess of the Empire says that, the weight of her words changes.
It may not be more than a rumor, but it’s still a matter that could shake Anton’s position.
At the very least, Eustetia, our closest ally to the Empire, would suspect Anton.
Not only that.
Numerous nobles might suspect Anton too.
The First Prince who met with the Dark Mage that tried to create chaos in the Empire would soon become the talk of the town.
“Hmph…”
Even if Silina looks foolish, this shows that royalty is still royalty.
And I realized something through this.
Silina doesn’t lack political wits; she simply hasn’t been interested in engaging in politics.
Her goal is singular.
To kill the First Prince, Anton de Herman.
I don’t know why.
I won’t ask until she chooses to tell me.
Just as Silina doesn’t care how I got to know about the underground, I won’t be curious about it either.
This is the appropriate distance between me and Silina.
Moreover.
The distance between me, who holds many secrets, and those around me.
“I feel embarrassed to say something like this when I owe you my life, but I’ll say it anyway.”
Silina extended her hand.
“Eliaernes. I, Silina de Herman, the Second Princess of the Empire, will help you. So, I ask you.”
“Help me.”
I gazed at her slightly trembling fingertips.
Is it acting? A deliberate movement?
I still can’t tell.
But.
Even if that voice, expression, emotion, and gesture are all fake,
“Sure.”
I decided to take Silina’s hand.
With the help of a princess, this job should become significantly easier.
It means that if I go to Shivria now and slap her, I’ll have someone to cover for me.
…Not bad, huh?
Should I slap her once?
Since I’m going, a couple of slaps sound just right.
“Hey, can you help me avoid expulsion?”
“What kind of mischief are you planning to do to ask that?”
“Just answer me first.”
“Well, if you’re going to go find Shivria Eustetia and act like you did at the training grounds, I can’t help you with that.”
“…How do you know I was going to hit that girl?”
“I heard from Fabiana that you weren’t just going to hit her but wanted to smash her head. Anyway, I can’t help with that kind of thing. You’ll need Fabiana’s help for that. And to get Fabiana’s help, you’ll have to explain the whole situation now.”
Tsk, I clicked my tongue and sank into my chair.
“So what can you help with?”
“I’ll explain that from now on. You’ll like it.”
*
“—That’s the plan I came up with.”
When Silina finished explaining and sighed, an ambitious smile hung on her face.
“So, what do you think? Isn’t it a far more dignified and high-class noble method than what you were trying to do?”
Looking at Silina like that, I couldn’t help but admire her a little.
“If that’s what a dignified and high-class noble method is, then I don’t want to be a noble.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You little trash.”
“You know that’s not a compliment, right?”
“I was just about to stop anyway.”
“Arrogant.”
Hehehe, Silina laughed, looking cheerful, clearly pleased with her method, and stretched.
“Pheww… So, how do you feel?”
“It’s decent.”
“That’s it?”
Silina asked in a teasing tone.
Seeing her like that, I sighed.
“Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t know you were running the Merchant Association.”
“Of course. The Merchant Association was more carefully hidden and managed than letting people see my own body.”
It seems a bit funny that a princess speaks so confidently about just a merchant association, but it certainly is a commendable achievement.
The Merchant Association Silina runs is one of the top two associations in the Empire, if not the best.
“How did a little 17-year-old brat manage that?”
“I didn’t do it all by myself. I just cultivated what someone hiding in the cartel had prepared for me. And if I’m a brat, then you’re also a brat, so what nonsense are you talking about?”
“Then was that person originally a merchant?”
“Don’t just call him a merchant.”
Zing! Silina shot me a sharp glare.
“…Okay. So that person was originally a businessman?”
“I’m not sure. I just know he was skilled in many areas.”
It seems like saying he was skilled in many areas is an understatement considering the great achievements he made.
“Well, for now… I guess I understand.”
“So, you’re wondering if you can do it, right?”
“I can do it.”
Silina, who was momentarily at a loss for words, asked suspiciously.
“…You can answer that so easily?”
“Yep.”
“It’s about killing a person.”
“What’s so hard about it?”
“What if I lied to you? What if I was trying to deceive you?”
At Silina’s ridiculous question, I pulled out the device I had previously laid on the table.
On the screen was the word [Recording] with a red dot flashing.
“…Since when?”
“Since I walked in here.”
Silina’s face turned pale.