第１０９９堀：国家のためと個人のため (Part1)
Chapter 1099: For the Nation and for the Individual
Side: Agil
“...And that’s the situation. Could you tell me in detail what you know about all of this?”
“Ah, you mean the daughter of Minister Nork?”
I had arrived at the Lancer Magic Academy for the first time in a while, trailing behind Yuki and the others. Before I could even unpack my gear, I was summoned urgently to the Principal’s office, only to be grilled for every scrap of information regarding the aftermath of the ‘Monster Attack Incident’ in Enaria.
To think that the daughter of the traitorous Minister Nork had been hiding here at the Lancer Magic Academy all this time.
The girl herself had been asked to return to her room for the time being. Given that no conclusion had been reached yet, that was only natural.
“Principal Popuri is right about the situation. Minister Nork was charged with high treason. It was clear he was in league with Roday, after all. Besides, didn’t King Blade of Roday himself say he personally executed the mastermind behind that plot? The one you all tagged along for?”
“Ah, so she was connected to that as well.”
“Exactly. So, Minister Nork is beyond any hope of clemency. His house has been dissolved. His entire clan, every last one of them, was executed immediately. It sounds cruel, I know, but we couldn’t afford to show mercy and let it become a future liability. Above all, what he did was simply too grave.”
Once he had committed such acts openly in the presence of the Holy King, there was no room for any intervention.
There were young children among his kin, but their heads were taken without hesitation. That was the magnitude of Minister Nork’s atrocities.
Usually, women and children might be sent off to a remote church, but this went far beyond that level. The decision was unanimous; not a single person dared to voice an objection to the King’s decree.
Well, I happen to agree with that sentiment.
“I see. Then what Principal Popuri did was the best way to save her life.”
“I suppose so. You never know where the connections lie, and since they were hunting down every relative of Minister Nork for execution, they must have inquired about her at some point. After all, the Minister used to brag about his daughter. He claimed she was even more talented than I am.”
“That’s the worst of it. Her existence was well-known in Enaria, then.”
“Exactly. That’s why it would have been disastrous if Principal Popuri hadn’t impulsively declared her dead during the Great Forest survey. Even so, Enaria has already disseminated word of Minister Nork’s crimes to every nation, and the warrants for the arrest of his associates are still active. It will be quite difficult for her to live on this continent. She might find a way to survive if she goes to a country other than Enaria, but she can’t even afford to be noticed.”
If she leaves the Lancer Magic Academy, she has no choice but to wither away, unable to put her talents to use. Moreover, she likely has no connections, and as a noble’s daughter, she has never worked a day in her life. Under normal circumstances, dying in a ditch would be the expected outcome.
“So, Yuki, you promised to do something for her?”
“No, I only said I’d do what I could...”
“But if you abandon her now, it won’t reflect well on Principal Popuri and the others. They are family, in a sense, so I doubt they’d make an issue of it openly, but still, you know?”
“Ah, yes, that’s true. I asked for this precisely because I want her saved. I wouldn’t want that kind of outcome. Though, the fact that the person I asked is Yuki-dono makes it complicated.”
As expected, Principal Popuri seems aware that she is asking for something incredibly unreasonable, offering a bitter smile.
At worst, Principal Popuri could try to shield her using the prestige of this academy and her own achievements, but that would put her at odds not just with Enaria, but with every major power on the If Continent. After all, she would be harboring a ‘traitor.’ Being a student wouldn’t be an excuse for that.
“I understand. That’s why we’re discussing what should be done, and what the optimal path is.”
“‘What should be done,’ you say. Are you a demon, Yuki? Are you asking me, a native of Enaria, that? Hmm, how can you be so sure she hasn’t inherited the will of the traitor Nork? Besides, from her perspective, Enaria took everything from her—her status and her family. That alone is enough for someone to harbor deep resentment.”
Exactly. Even if she bears no personal guilt for what Minister Nork did, she has lost everything due to the judgment passed by the nation. It’s harsh, but perhaps her only ‘sin’ was being born as Nork’s child. Born into a fate that led to this...
And what I fear most is the possibility of her turning her fangs toward Yuki.
She is the top student at this Lancer Magic Academy. She must be capable of some powerful magic; it wouldn’t be strange at all if she used it against him. That is why, as Yuki’s wife, I told him clearly that her very existence is a hazard...
“Well, I suppose. However, under my supervision, she would be able to keep those constraints, wouldn’t she?”
“...Ah, yes. That’s true. You could do it.”
That’s right. He, Yuki, possesses a skill that can resolve the possibility of betrayal: ‘Designated Protection,’ a gift from the gods. With this skill, he would never truly be betrayed.
But in truth, it’s more than that. Yuki is the type of person who doesn’t let himself be betrayed in the first place. He’s the type who finds a way to handle it.
“Haa... but why does Yuki go out of his way to shoulder such troublesome matters?”
After all, one could say that Naila Nonford fell from grace precisely because Yuki interfered with Minister Nork. That is why, by taking her in, Yuki is the one in the most danger. There’s no way he doesn’t realize that.
“I don’t consider it a burden. More than anything, the shortage of talent hasn’t changed. It would be a waste to let Naila rot here. Besides, if she goes to Weed, we can just insist she’s a different person with the same name.”
“Eh? No matter how you look at it, that won’t hold up... though, I suppose if Yuki says she’s someone else, even Enaria can’t easily intervene.”
“Right? Besides, she’s the one who came to me for help. I’m sure she’s looked into those details herself.”
“She knew the outcome of all that, and still asked for your help?”
“Probably. What do you think, Popuri?”
“Hmm. That is what puzzles me as well. Given her situation, she shouldn’t have been able to gather information from the outside, especially from Enaria, so easily. And then there’s the question of why now, at this timing. Even if she didn’t have the chance to meet Yuki-dono last time, if she had known, she could have plotted to attack him at any time. After all, even if her time at the academy was short, she was definitely here then.”
Hmm. When you put it that way, it is a strange story. Because it would mean the enemy was right in front of him and yet did nothing.
“Does that mean she has some other objective?”
“If not, she wouldn’t be making a direct appeal to me, who is now widely known as the Prince Consort of Weed. If things go poorly, this is the kind of case that could get her head chopped off the moment she’s handed over to Enaria.”
“That is certainly true. We don’t know what she is aiming for. Perhaps that is exactly why helping her is the right move.”
“Well, it’s also true that I’d have a guilty conscience otherwise. I understand Enaria has its laws, but surely only the perpetrator and those who actively participated in the plan should be punished? Executing women and children is a bit much.”
“That might be how you see it, Yuki, but they committed acts of such magnitude. Enaria was on the verge of collapse, after all. Principal Popuri, you understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I am well aware of that. That is precisely why, when Yuki-dono and the others first arrived, I did my best to ensure they wouldn’t meet Naila. Well, there were plenty of other things that were far more surprising than that, though.”