第３１掘：国を支えた聖女は只の人 そしてお子様は成長する (Part3)
"What kind of ridiculous nonsense are you spouting? There isn't the slightest benefit to taking in Rurua-sama right now. My brother said he wanted to hear our opinions, so I will speak plainly: you are a nuisance, so please leave here and go die outside."
As Ratz said this, the surrounding women nodded in agreement.
"H-how could you say such a thing!! Rurua-sama, you don't have to leave!! Yuki-san, please, don't do this!!"
Elju-sama stepped forward as if to shield me.
"Elju-sama, opinions based on emotion have no meaning in this place. I appreciate your sentiment, but could you please step back? And please, watch and listen carefully. This is the world that Seraria-sama, Aria-sama, the King of Roschur, and I did not want you to see."
Saying that, I moved Elju-sama behind me.
"Ratz and the others are all against protecting you, it seems. Don't expect a word from me. Persuade them yourself."
Yuki-sama was sipping his tea, looking completely relaxed. Truly, he is in a different league.
"That is my intention."
I replied to Yuki-sama. I haven't been representing a nation for nothing.
"Heh, fine. Go ahead and try. But don't think that being a Saintess or a high-ranking official of Litea is any sort of advantage. Rurua-sama, you were nearly assassinated. Moreover, twelve of your own guards were complicit. Even if you returned to the Holy Nation of Litea, you can't hope for reinstatement. If it were me, I would treat you as an imposter the moment you returned. Even if you somehow managed to return, you would be surrounded by enemies, never knowing when the next assassination attempt would come."
Ratz is quite learned and sharp-witted. It’s no wonder Yuki-sama chose her as a representative. However, she is naive.
"Indeed, as Ratz-san says, I am now just an ordinary person. And to those who know me, I am a nuisance. It may seem there is no benefit to keeping me in this dungeon. However, if I die outside, or if I somehow survive and return to Litea, I will leak the information I have about this dungeon to the Holy Nation. I will take revenge on the dungeon that refused to harbor me."
"Wha—!?"
"Rurua-sama!?"
"If you harbor me, I swear to accept Yuki-sama's designated protection. You may restrict my movements and forbid me from speaking about this dungeon as you see fit. Furthermore, I swear to answer all questions regarding the internal affairs, military intelligence, and policies of the Holy Nation of Litea to the best of my knowledge. It is embarrassing to admit, but I was at the very top of Litea. I believe I can be of use to the operations that Ratz-san and the others are about to undertake."
"N-no!! T-that would be an act of treason against the nation, Rurua-sama!?"
Elju-sama tried to stop me.
"Elju-sama. As you have heard, my only chance at reinstatement in the Holy Nation of Litea—a very slim one at that—is by betraying this place. If that is the case, I will choose to live, no matter how unsightly it may be."
"Hmm, I see. Well, Ratz, what do you think? She says she is still useful."
He didn't seem to feel even a breeze from my earlier threatening remarks. He didn't even try to support me. Yuki-sama truly intends to follow the judgment of Ratz and the others. If they say to kill me here, he will surely see it through.
"…We could just kill you here and dump you in some town, you know?"
"Who would transport me that far? Do you think no one would see you? It would only give people a reason to hold a grudge against this dungeon. You saved me because you wanted to avoid that, didn't you? And even if you hid me and it wasn't discovered that it was Ratz-san and the others, what would happen to that town? Litea would have a perfect excuse to condemn it."
"Then we'll just kill you here and use you as fertilizer. You'd make good DP, Rurua-sama."
"…!"
*Damn it.* If they kill me here, there would be no problems at all. There must be—there must be some way for me to survive…
"No!! I will absolutely not let you kill Rurua-sama!!"
Elju-sama shouted, intimidating Ratz and the others.
"You, the useless Saintess, stay silent. You have no right to speak here. Do you understand?"
"I-I do!! If you save Rurua-sama, I will ask my father and sister to promise even more robust support for this place!!"
"Oh? Brother, have the detailed talks regarding aid from the Kingdom of Roschur been finalized?"
"No, as you know, I'm a homebody. We'll discuss the details once Seraria returns."
"Hmm… Useless Saintess—no, Elju-sama. What will you do if you break that promise?"
Ratz glared at Elju-sama. Elju-sama’s legs were trembling. It couldn't be helped; she had never engaged in negotiations like this before.
"I-in that case… I-I will sever Rurua-sama’s head with my own hands!!"
I couldn't comprehend those words. The gentle Elju-sama had gambled not her own life, but mine.
"…If you had offered your own head, I would have dismissed it, but… I see, you are royalty after all. Hmm. Increased aid from Roschur, information on Litea, and even if the aid doesn't increase, we can just execute Rurua-sama—that is a compromise I can accept as a reason to save her. Please wait a moment; I will discuss it with everyone, just as my brother wished."
As Ratz began to confer with the others, Elju-sama sank to the floor, her body still trembling.
"I-I-I am so sorry. If I hadn't done that, Rurua-sama would have been…"
"No, Elju-sama. Thanks to you, it seems my life has been spared once more. I could not have persuaded them on my own. Even if I end up dying later, I will not hold a grudge against you."
I held Elju-sama’s trembling hands and thanked her. She had grown, if only a little. Even if I were to die here, my life would have had a clear purpose.
It seemed Ratz and the others had finished their meeting. Ratz stepped forward.
"Understood. We will harbor Rurua-sama here. However, we have a few conditions of our own."
It seems I managed to survive, after all.