Master’s Smile

C103 – They Who Arranged the Assassination

Aaah, that was a surprise.

I sighed in relief and put my hand down.

I was really shocked.

To think that the coachman who had been driving the carriage was holding a bow aimed at Princess Neena….

I’m glad I happened to be watching him. If I hadn’t noticed, Princess Neena might have died.

My grand plan to “have Yelquchira members recognized for their skills by accomplishing their requests” was about to crumble from the start.

“…Thank you for your help, Master…. Nevertheless, to think Master, who had taught Ritter swordsmanship, is also able to cast powerful magic…. Who in the world are you?”

Princess Neena thanked and questioned me at once.

Well, that’s because I didn’t teach Ritter anything about swords, you see.

Besides, the only thing I have is a lot of wasted mana, and I would feel bad for the others if I couldn’t at least do this.

“UGYAAAAAA!?! M-MY AAAAAARM!?!”

The coachman… or rather, the assassin who targeted Princess Neena was screaming as he rolled on the ground.

…I might have overdone it a little, seeing that both of his arms had been obliterated.

But if I may make an excuse, even I couldn’t afford any leeway.

Thus, I couldn’t skillfully make only his bow disappear and had to forcefully remove his arms which were holding the bow as well.

F-Forgive me…. Would it be better if I stop the bleeding…?

“Ooh, Master can also use recovery magic!? In that case, help the knight rather than this goon instead.”

Princess Neena replied and went to the coachman whose arms I had obliterated.

Hmmm, certainly, I should help the escort knight who put his body on the line, rather than the assassin who tried to kill her.

Well, it might look suspicious if I put all my mana into it, so I’ll just cast a spell to the extent of barely keeping him alive.

“…Master, a terrific magic bullet.”

As I was casting a recovery spell on the fallen and unconscious knight, Ritter came up to me and praised me.

No, no, you were the one who was amazing.

She handled the chimera perfectly without letting it get out of hand.

No wonder Princess Neena trusted her that much.

“Nn.”

When I returned her compliment, Ritter nodded proudly and patted her head.

…? Did you hurt your head?

I was worried and checked to see if there was any wound on her but could not find one.

“…Pat.”

Ahh, I see!

I finally understood her gesture and stroked her beautiful black hair, trying not to damage it.

Ritter’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

Apparently, after having been stroked on her head by me before, she had gotten addicted to it and begged me again from time to time.

I was happy to see Ritter looking so happy, so I welcomed it.

I think it’s safe to say that she had finally given her recognition of me, right?

I hope the other members will also approve of me taking on some of their work now.

“Oi, you.”

Princess Neena called out to the coachman, who had lost both arms.

Having to be called, he froze and let out a little shriek.

“Sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll tell you all about the guy who hired me! So help me!! My arm, heal meee!!!”

Before even answering any of her questions, the coachman would tell her everything.

He wanted her to spare his life in exchange for handing over the information.

…Though, it was a bit brazen of him pleading with her to heal his arms.

Nevertheless, it would also be better to get some information on who hired him to target the princess either.

Now, what decision will the princess make…?

“No need.”

“…eh?”

As if to cut me off clearly from my thoughts, Princess Neena said only a few words.

Then, with her sword, she swiftly beheaded the coachman who was still opening his mouth looking dumbfounded.

Her swordsmanship was splendid, so it should have killed him without causing any more pain than necessary.

…Still, was it alright to kill the assassin like this?

It’s true that it was unacceptable to target the princess of Evans Kingdom, but you could have done it after making him give up his information, though?

“Hmph, there was no need to question him. I know exactly who sent this guy.”

Princess Neena replied looking uninterested and sheathed her sword.

“So you would go this far…, Esteemed brother…!”

◆

“Oh my, seems like he failed….”

In a certain room in the royal castle of Evans Kingdom.

In this place, Lintz’s private quarters, a skinny man raised his glasses with a snap and spoke.

The man in the dirty white coat was called Wissen, the name that Ritter had once taught to her master by fervently recalling her vague memory.

“The attack was unsuccessful, Prince. Princess Neena is still alive and well~”

“Tch! What were you doing, Wissen! You said you could do it, so I left it to you.”

Lintz’s face contorted in bitterness after receiving Wissen’s report.

The content of the report was something that could never be shared with anyone.

However, the ones who were there were Lintz, the mastermind of the attack, and Wissen, the alchemist.

In addition, there was one other.

“No, nooo, I did say that it would be easy to assassinate Princess Neena by using the chimera, the monster I created, but there was an unforeseen obstacle, you see.”

“Unforeseen obstacle? You don’t mean Ritter, do you? You should have already known she has strength beyond human understanding.”

“Well, I had expected that the chimera alone would not be able to defeat her. That was why I also sent an assassin disguised as the coachman, you know?”

Lintz glared sharply at Wissen, who irreverently made excuses.

However, as an unorthodox alchemist, there was no way he would be intimidated by such a thing.

Wissen, too, did not think that a chimera would be enough to defeat Ritter.

Ritter was the most powerful knight among the royal knights, and without a doubt the strongest knight in Neena’s faction.

Hence, the plan was to have an assassin disguised as a coachman shoot Neena while Ritter was doing her best to deal with the chimera.

“If I had to blame, it would be the man who was attached to the princess. I didn’t expect him to be such a powerful magician! Aaand he was also using some kind of magic with an attribute that I don’t understand! An attribute magic that can make the coachman’s arms blow away… I wonder what it was! Ihihihihihi!!!”

“Tsk…”

Wissen started laughing hysterically with his eyes whirling round and round behind his glasses.

Lintz saw this and knew that he had already entered his own world.

He let out a sigh, wondering why he was surrounded by so many mentally deranged people, remembering his former pawn, the guildmaster of Inicken, Rousseld.

But it was not the time for him to lament.

If he failed to assassinate Neena, he would not be able to become the next king unless he made his next move as soon as possible.

“Theldorff.”

“Ha!”

Thus, Lintz decided to take a new tack.

Theldorff, the knight commander of Evans Kingdom, who was boasted as the strongest military force among his faction.

He would surely be able to defeat Ritter.

“I’ll give you an order. Kill the nobles who belong to my foolish sister’s faction.”

“…….”

Yet, Lintz did not give Theldorff such a simple order as assassinating Neena.

Certainly, he might be able to kill Neena’s close aides, including Ritter.

However, Ritter was also quite capable and could not be simply killed with something like an assassination.

It would become a fierce battle without a doubt.

If that were to happen, there would most likely be witnesses, no matter how much he attempted to cover it up.

Furthermore, if Theldorff, who had already made it clear that he was in Lintz’s faction, had attacked Ritter and the others, Lintz’s safety would also be in danger.

Hence, Lintz tried to kill Neena indirectly.

The selection of the ruler of Evans Kingdom is democratic, with votes from the nobles.

If the nobles who voted for Neena were killed, then Lintz would inevitably become the king.

Even if he did not kill all the nobles in Neena’s faction, by setting an example, some of them would then become frightened and join Lintz’s faction.

Lintz was proud of his plan, but the question was whether Theldorff, the man who would carry it out, would submissively comply.

Though, he had already prepared a countermeasure.

“Where’s your reply, Theldorff?”

“…this kind of thing is-”

“Hou? You have the nerve to talk back to me?…I don’t mind stopping your daughter’s aid, though?”

“…!?”

Theldorff managed to resist his despicable order, but Lintz’s words forced him to remain silent.

The smile of his still small daughter came to his mind.

His pride as the kingdom knight and his daughter’s life. Weighing these two choices, Theldorff chose….

“…I understand.”

His scales tipped towards his daughter.

He then bowed to Lintz and left his private quarters promptly.

“Hmph, he should have done that right from the start…. Wissen! Is there anything else you can do for me now?”

“Ooof course! Stay tuned, Prince Lintz.”

After looking abjectly at Theldorff, Lintz also checked on Wissen.

If he had replied with nothing, he intended to dispose of him as useless.

He had given Wissen funds and experimental subjects for his experiments by illegal means, so it was only natural for Lintz wanting to dispose of him so as not to leave any evidence.

Lintz nodded in satisfaction at Wissen’s reply.

“Neena, the next king should be a strong one like me, not naive like you. Now, let’s get you out of this race, shall we?”

Lintz thought of Neena in the distance and grinned.