第１８６掘：ジルバ帝国の落日 暗躍？の章 (Part2)
"No, a nation this large... it’s inevitable. We’ve forced many annexations, and there have been frequent assassination attempts. Yet, I have prevented and crushed them all. Is this latest movement of the same nature? If this isn't just some hot-headed youth acting out, then this is far too troublesome. I must investigate the connections behind this. At all costs, we must be the ones to take custody of that soldier."
"Well, you seem to be thinking about a lot of things. But he defied a royal order. I thought it wouldn't be right to just hand him over to your subordinates carelessly."
...Does this man think this incident wasn't under my orders?
"I see. My thanks. He did indeed break a royal order. I must judge him myself."
"...Though it seems there are many, including myself, who couldn't be judged by you. But fine."
"Guh..."
Can he not proceed without throwing in a jab?
"For now, because of your side's incompetence, our women had their sleeping quarters raided and were seen in... compromising states. Well, I’ll leave it to you to decide how to compensate us, including an apology. We were the ones who pushed to shorten the timeline to provoke this, after all. It was the perfect way to flush out those who don't listen to your orders, wasn't it?"
This man—he really was aiming for this all along.
He spoke as if he were holding us in check, but he intended to use us to eliminate those who were obstacles to him, all to make his future movements easier. Damn it, the fact that he’s helping me identify my own enemies makes it all the more malicious.
"We’ll be taking it easy here for about two weeks. Well, I’ll take on the role of the bait, so do your best. I’ll be expecting appropriate compensation, though."
Yuki said this as he handed over the soldier who had attacked them to the Royal Guard. Behind him, the beastman women, the women in knightly attire, and the young children were glaring at me. If Yuki hadn't handled it the way he did, the chances are high that this castle would already be devoid of life...
"...Understood. I will manage the compensation within these two weeks."
"Good. If you need any cooperation, let me know. I intend to make use of the Zilba Empire as well. As long as there’s profit in it for us, I’ll help. Well then, I’m off to get some breakfast."
With that, Yuki turned to leave with his subordinates, but just before exiting, he looked back at me.
"By the way, where did Steve go?"
"Steve?"
"Yeah, the goblin who came with us."
That monster of a goblin? I had ordered him to be assigned a room, ensuring he was treated with the utmost care so as not to cause any offense.
"...I'm right here."
The goblin appeared in the throne room, draped in nothing but a piece of ragged cloth.
"Oh, there you are. Where were you staying?"
"...The stables."
"Pfft, what kind of RPG is this?"
"...Shut up. My magic power has recovered, so the 'stable recovery' trick actually seems usable."
"Huh. I thought you couldn't recover magic power if you couldn't sleep soundly."
"Who knows? My level is off the charts, so my recovery rate is different. I won't know for sure until I test it elsewhere..."
"Still, though. If not for an opportunity like this, I’d never sleep in a stable worse than a tent."
They were chatting away cheerfully, but we were turning pale. In reality, this was the goblin who had mowed down our magic sword users, countless Royal Guards, and soldiers. To throw *him* into a stable... Was the person who did it a fool, or is there truly someone working in the shadows?
"Find the person who guided Steve to his room immediately!! Investigate their connections!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The senior vassals, who knew what had happened yesterday, immediately agreed with my assessment and began their investigation. Yet, to be treated like that and not show a shred of anger...
"Still, who just calmly sleeps in a stable?"
"Because throwing a tantrum would just be a waste of time, right? I can make it comfortable with magic anyway, so I thought I’d just have the Boss fix it when we met up today."
"Ah, well, that’s the status of goblins around here, I suppose."
"Right?"
A goblin that speaks so fluently and thinks so sharply. And his strength is greater than anyone in the Zilba Empire. Yuki, who commands such a being... Who on earth are you people?