CHAPTER 3
Carnivorous Chimera
1
The audience chamber, kingdom of Grace.
“Snow, raise your head,” Tillis orders a trembling Snow.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Seems they haven’t found the king yet since Tillis is sitting on the throne.
Having successfully escaped…that is, returned, from Toris, we’re here to report on our mission.
As a result of our report, Snow is bowed flat against the floor, head pressed down in supplication and avoiding eye contact with the calmly smiling Tillis.
She fearfully raises her head, trying to gauge the mood in the room.
“Snow, what’s done is done,” I tell her. “Stop moping and move on.”
“You bastard! You bastard! YOU BASTAAAARD!”
Snow jumps up and snarls at me at my attempt to comfort her.
My ultimate party trick froze time in the banquet hall, then caused the knights to go berserk.
Alice got us out of the situation with her quick thinking, taking Engel hostage and buying us the space to get out of the castle…
“I did not expect to receive a declaration of war for sending Snow on a mission of friendship.” What comes out of Tillis’s mouth sounds like a half chuckle. Her tone is mild, but her eyes show no sign of amusement.
“Your Highness! It’s truly not my fault. I was a step away from successfully seducing Prince Engel! If I, Snow, wound up unable to ride a unicorn, Toris would owe our kingdom, and I could indulge in a life of luxury. Hence I put myself out there with the intent to seduce him…”
“I—I see. I had hoped you would use some of your wiles, but I did not expect that level of commitment from you…”
Tillis seems a little repulsed by the explanation, but Snow points her finger at me.
“But this fool ruined it all! Six, what possessed you to do something so stupid?! Just how badly diseased is your soul that you could place such a thing atop the prince’s head?!”
“How dare you call it stupid! It’s a legendary party trick in my country! Each country has its own culture and its own standards. It’s a big world. Don’t judge everything by your narrow standards.”
Still, I do feel a little bad about it, and I’m sitting on the floor with my legs under me in penitence.
“A-and why did you, Sir Six, perform such a party trick…?”
“I was pissed off. I guess I regret it now, though.”
“Put more sincerity behind your apology, dammit!”
I mean, what’s done is done. I wish we could move on already.
“In addition to the crime against the prince…the declaration of war notes that there were attempts at intimidation…”
Tillis looks over the declaration, then casts her gaze to Snow.
“Oh! That’s all her!” I said. “She was throwing in little threats here and there. She even requested bribes from their diplomrrrph…!”
“Damn you! It’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness. I wasn’t trying to intimidate them. I was only trying to secure an advantage in negotiations by showing we had the teeth to back up our words… As for a bribe? Why, that was also a diplomatic tactic! I was only trying to see how they’d react to a straight-up demand!”
Snow covers my mouth with her hand, flinging outlandish excuses to see if they’ll stick.
Tillis calmly gazes down at Snow from the throne. “Snow, Captain of the Royal Guard. You are hereby stripped of your command. You are to remain in your current role and continue serving as second in command of the squadron.”
“Noooooo… Just as I finally recover my position, I’m demoted again…”
Tears stream down Snow’s face, but Tillis simply sighs.
“Well, it appears I have to add this mess to the list of issues to deal with… Sir Six, what do you intend to do? Unfortunately, blame for this incident rests squarely upon our shoulders. Even if we engage in open warfare, it’s likely our neighboring countries will side with Toris…”
“Alice says we should go around loudly advertising the fact that Toris has signed a nonaggression pact with the Demon Lord. Declare them enemies of humanity. If they bring up this incident, we deny it ever happened and claim it’s a lie they’ve made up to distract from the fact they’ve betrayed everybody else.”
Tillis goes motionless for a moment, then raises her brow.
“…I’m well aware I’m no saint, but her personality is something else. Still, let us go with that tactic for the neighboring countries. The nonaggression pact is real, after all…”
Even as she seems a little put off by the sheer audacity of the tactic, Tillis nods her assent to the proposal.
Alice figures so long as we stick to our story, the other countries won’t consider us the only bad guy in this fight.
“No doubt Toris will require time to prepare for war, so I doubt they will invade any time soon. At this point, there’s nothing we can do but reinforce our defenses and prepare for attacks from both the Demon Lord’s Army and Toris.” Tillis appears to have settled that particular issue to her satisfaction, her expression softening into something less stern. “Still, the primary issue remains… How shall we secure the water we need…?”
She frowns with concern…
As though waiting for that opening, Snow raises her head and pipes up. “Your Highness, I believe I have a solution! This man can requisition items from his country. Why not have him request a large supply of water? And once that solves our water problems, perhaps I can be restored to my old rank…”
“Hold up, just how many points do you think I have? It’d cost way too much to get enough water to fill the needs for an entire country! Besides, this is your fault for taking so long to seduce that old man! That body of is yours is your only real asset, and you can’t even use it properly!”
Snow raises her brows in anger…! “That’s enough out of you! It’s your damned fault I got demoted!”
“Yeah? You wanna go? Want a piece of this?! I’ll kick your sorry ass!”
As we start grappling, Tillis lets out a sigh of exasperation.
While locked in a test of arm strength with me, Snow appears to have a realization of some sort.
“Wait! Your Highness, the rain-making artifact is still usable! With His Majesty nowhere to be found, if Your Highness can take it upon yourself…!”
“Still, the primary issue remains… How shall we secure the water we need…?” Tillis completely ignores Snow, repeating her line from earlier.
Still grappling with Snow, I lower my voice and start whispering.
“Hey, Snow, I’ll grab Tillis. You go gather up enough people for the ritual. We aren’t betraying her; it’s for the good of the country. Gather a crowd in the courtyard and tell them Tillis is going to activate the artifact…”
“Of course, we can make it impossible for her to back down! You’re right. This isn’t a betrayal; it’s to save the country. No doubt in the end, Her Highness will understand…”
“Ah, I’ve got it!” Tillis interrupts our whispered conversation with an overly cheerful note.
Is it my imagination, or does she seem a little panicked?
“Knight Snow, I hereby task you with an assignment.”
Noticing my gaze, Tillis hardens her expression, turning a solemn look toward the kneeling Snow.
“The Tezan Desert, the desolate domain of the Sand King. You are aware of tales that the center of this desert is lush with vegetation, yes? And what the fruits that grow on these trees can do?”
“Yes, Your Highness! The water fruits, despite being only the size of a fingertip, produce a pool’s worth of water when squeezed… Um… Your Highness? I’m sure I’m mistaken but…”
Tillis orders flatly to a pale and trembling Snow.
“Go get those fruits.”
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