Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjo, Aruiha Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen - Volume 5 - Chapter 3.5

INTERMISSION 

A Plot for the Queen’s Assassination-Turned-Capture 

1 

The queen’s room. 

Even when day had turned to dusk the reception hall was flooded with light as though it were morning. During the day, it was filled with sunlight. During the night, it was illuminated with light absorbed by the moon crystal. Every surface rivaled the morning sun—the ceiling, walls, and pillars. 

“Please excuse my lateness, mother.” 

“You’re right on time. No need to apologize, Elletear.” 

The door opened. Queen Nebulis IIX exchanged looks with her oldest daughter, who carried herself into the room with grace. 

“We have fifteen minutes until the conference. It will be held in the office on this floor. We will go there five minutes beforehand.” 

“Yes, mother.” One of the most beautiful girls in the universe reverently bowed her head, smiling. 

Elletear Lou Nebulis IX. 

Her hair was an incredible emerald color tinged with gold. 

Her mature bust was even more bountiful than Alice’s, and faintly tinted pink. They possessed an allure that made men audibly gulp. Women, too. 

Her lovely smile reached her eyes. Her face could steal the hearts of all who gazed upon it. 

She was a beautiful siren. 

At the age of twenty, her beauty was approaching devilish levels. 

“How unusual,” Elletear piped up lyrically. “I had no idea you would resort to abusing your authority. My heart is racing.” 

“……” 

“You kept the House of Zoa in the palace by calling for an emergency family meeting. The plan is to send Alice to Liesbaden while their hands are tied.” 

The queen did not respond. 

Elletear seemed more delighted. “Conference between the three blood clans is an annual, time-honored tradition. Its purpose is to pray for the prosperity of the Lou, Zoa, and Hydra. To openly abuse this sacred space is audacious. Only the queen could pull that off.” 

“……” 

“Ha-ha, I wonder if Alice has reached Liesbaden by now. I hope she finds Sisbell.” 

“Elletear—” the queen chided. “You are speaking in front of subordinates. Do not say things that could be taken out of context.” 

“Oh, my apologies, your majesty .” 

Elletear and the queen were not the only ones occupying the room. 

Because they were having a formal meeting, policy secretaries and other assistants had assembled there. Four were chosen from their subordinates, waiting for the gathering. 

Though the Zoa and Hydra were not there, it would be bad if any subordinates overheard the conversation. 

“Dear me. It seems I was too excited.” Elletear tried to laugh it off, putting her hand to her mouth. “I thought this would be a great way to pass the time.” 

The clock tower was along the wall. The needle was indicating it was five minutes before the conference. 

“Let’s go. We cannot be late.” 

The queen spun around. She had turned the hem of her dress, sweeping it over the floor as she headed to the exit. 

In front of the queen, Elletear, and their four subordinates—a total of six people… 

Thunk …. The door swelled and ballooned like a bubble. 

“Good-bye, House of Lou.” 

The heavy metal door blistered red—and exploded. 

“Ah!” 

The queen’s room was engulfed in flames. The curtains disintegrated into ash. The shockwave peeled up the floorboards. The columns were blown away without a trace. 

What had happened? 

An explosion? A fire? As her vision blackened, the queen had flashbacks of countless blitz bombings from the Imperial forces on the battlefield. 

Remembering her history of surviving military attacks kept Queen Mirabella conscious. 

“Do not underestimate me !” 

The queen hadn’t been the one to raise her voice. 

This was the voice of one of the Founder’s descendants, a veteran who had conquered too many battlefields to count. It was the cry of Mirabella Lou Nebulis IIX. 

At the nape of her neck, the astral crest shined its brightest. 

“Five Hundred Gods of Wind —Force all to back off!” 

Wind swept up. 

The flames roared, blisteringly hot. Thick black smoke billowed. The raging wind summoned by the shockwave threatened to blast the hall to smithereens. 

“Ow…!” 

Queen Mirabella let the corners of her mouth curl, standing among the embers. 

Her thrust palm was bright red. 

Blood poured out of her fingertips, burned by the explosion. Had she reacted even a tenth of a second slower, her whole body would have been in that state. 

“…Astral power, you guarded me well.” 

She had barely succeeded. 

Her shield had made it with just a moment to spare. The subordinates behind her had been protected. 

“How are all of you holding up?” 

“We… We’re unscathed! You saved us, your majesty… We must stop the bleeding of your fingers!” 

“I am fine. They appear red, but the wounds are only skin-deep.” 

The four subordinates peeled themselves off the ground. Behind them, Elletear slowly got up. 

“……” 

“Elletear?” 

“That was very close. I was saved by your powers, your majesty.” 

Elletear was in one piece. Her royal dress was sooty from the flames. There was a tiny laceration on her mouth. 

“Your majesty! Princess Elletear! What in the world happened?!” 

Beyond what remained of the door, the elite armed guards came rushing in. With the atrocious state of the hall in front of them, all were speechless. 

The chandelier had crashed onto the ground. The carpets had burned away to nothing. The tiles decorating the floor had been ripped away. An explosion of that scale could not have occurred spontaneously. 

“This must have been some attack. Was it a bomb? Were there any suspicious figures outside the door? Is there a possibility that Imperial soldiers have intruded?” 

“N-no!” 

“We were in front of the door the entire time. We didn’t see a single suspicious person…” 

The two soldiers replied nervously. 

Both were trustworthy people who had served the House of Lou for many years. What they said held credibility. 

The culprit was close by. 

As soon as the queen and Elletear had tried to leave, the door had exploded. She couldn’t believe that this was a timed or remote attack. 

“Your majesty, may I speak my mind?” Elletear asked loudly. 

She was trying to get the attention of the subordinates and armed soldiers around them. 

“I heard a familiar voice at the moment of explosion.” 

“……” 

“What about you, your majesty?” 

“What a coincidence, Elletear. I did as well.” 

“Good-bye, House of Lou.” 

That statement could be interpreted as a declaration of war. And its composed voice was indeed familiar. 

“It sounded like the voice of Lord Mask from the House of Zoa.” 

Trembling in place, the subordinates and soldiers opened their eyes wide, gaping at Elletear before shifting their gaze to the queen. 

“I-I’m afraid that…I heard the same, your majesty.” 

“I did as well!” 

The policy secretaries and other assistants cautiously raised their hands. 

Naturally, they would be timid. The three bloodlines had never had a direct dispute. At least, not officially. 

Had the Zoa family broken the peace? Had they schemed to assassinate the queen? 

“Listen closely. Put the conference on hold.” 

More soldiers gathered, paling as they saw the embers. 

“Summon the House of Zoa immediately. Collect Lord Mask and Growley, their family head. Bring the other blood relatives and attendants.” 

Clack, clack… The hard echo of footsteps came from the rubble-strewn hallway. 

“Oh? What in the world—?” 

There stood a tall man in black. 

The agent at the center of the chaos himself. Lord Mask. He had casually walked into the room. 

“Your majesty, what happened?” 

He looked at the soldiers and vassals, observing the vestiges of the hollow doorframe. “I cannot believe this is the state of things right before the conference.” 

“As you can see, there has been an attack. It was the deed of a ruthless individual who schemed to assassinate the queen.” 

“…What?” 

He sounded surprised. It didn’t seem like he was pretending, though he was the greatest actor of the age. This reaction almost seemed suspicious. 

“And who is the culprit behind this?” 

“You, ” uttered the queen. 

The man in black stopped in his tracks for some time. “…Did I hear you correctly? I cannot grasp your meaning.” 

“I will hear what you have to say during questioning. You two, guards, please escort him to a special room. Once everyone has been summoned, we will put you under house arrest until the suspicions have been cleared.” 

“Urk.” 

A pair of guards closed in on him from either side. 

Just before he turned his back on them and started walking, Lord Mask looked at her. 

“…So that’s how it is. What an underhanded attack.” 

The Queen did not react. 

Her life had been threatened. She had no intention of acting benevolently toward her top suspect. 

“I will hear directly from the Zoa—” 

“Please wait, your majesty,” someone called out from the corridor. 

The wave of vassals and soldiers parted. A man and a woman slowly crossed the divide. 

“We were looking forward to having the conference. It has been so long. But it seems terrible things have occurred. You should tend to your own wounds first, my queen.” 

The third bloodline—the Hydra. 

The current head of the household was Talisman, the Wave. 

He wore a dignified suit that complemented his extraordinary physique. He had deep, chiseled features and immaculate silver hair, giving the impression of a man in the prime of his life, age notwithstanding. 

He snapped his fingers, and a medical care unit came running. 

“If something bad happened to the queen’s fingers, it would be unthinkable. We must treat you immediately.” 

“Lord Talisman, how would you suggest we deal with the Zoa?” 

“This is a serious affair. Allow me to manage it. We will hear out the Zoa. I believe it will be enough to have your records department sit in.” 

“You will handle the questioning? …That is certainly a reassuring proposal.” 

The Hydra were the moderates of the three families. They would have a better chance of getting the Zoa to cooperate if the Hydra smoothed everything over—rather than if the Lou subjected them to a rigorous investigation. 

“Let us also cooperate in searching for the culprit. I suggest that we have Vichyssoise take care of things.” 

“Please leave it to me.” 

From behind Talisman came forward a girl with flaming red hair. She was another person who had been planning to participate in the conference. 

The inquisitor of the Hydra, Vichyssoise. 

A girl with a stud in her left ear and a hoop in her right. Vichyssoise glared at Queen Mirabella, though she had heard this was just her nature. 

…It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen her… Her looks have changed quite a bit. 

Not that she could really pinpoint the difference. 

Mirabella remembered her tendency to look at the ground and her gloomy countenance. It seemed she had become more assertive in recent days. 

Maybe something had given her more confidence? 

“I am also in favor of Lord Talisman’s proposal.” 

“…Elletear.” 

“This plot was targeting you, your majesty. That is a serious crime. Comparisons can be drawn to Salinger, the transcendental sorcerer. We should mobilize the royal family to resolve this.” 

Though she had small scrapes all over, Princess Elletear’s smile did not waver. 

“Mother.” 

“…All right. Lord Talisman, Vichyssoise, please let me out. The Hydra and Lou will use our combined powers to see this through.” 

The arrangements were made immediately. 

After bowing, the two from Hydra exited. Elletear left the room behind them, surrounded by a medical treatment unit. 

The one who remained was the Founder’s descendant, Queen Mirabella Lou Nebulis IIX. 

“…I knew there would be a situation that calls for Sisbell.” 

She monologued to no one. The queen was speaking to herself. 

“Make haste, Alice. Bring back Sisbell. She would be able to identify the crime and our true enemy, though I imagine they will anticipate that.” 

If the culprit was not from the Imperial forces, but someone within the Sovereignty…their next target would be… 

“Alice, I am counting on you.” 

2 

The united stronghold. The Heavenly Empire. Or the Empire for short. 

In the military state, Yunmelngen housed the ultimate decision-making organization—the Imperial Senate. 

It should have been the one on the throne, but Yunmelngen was shut away in the castle, rarely offering any opinions. 

That was why most would say that the ones with power came from the Eight Great Apostles, the ultimate heads of the Imperial Senate. 

“Superb job, Risya. You are exceptional.” 

Standing behind the podium in the assembly, the military woman sighed in response. 

“…Haah .” 

“Are you displeased?” 

“Imagine being jostled awake in the middle of the night and summoned to this dreary place underground.” 

Risya In Empire. 

A tall woman wore smart black-rimmed glasses that suited her shapely face. 

She was twenty-two, the same age as Mismis. Risya was a talented woman who had climbed the ladder to become a Saint Disciple. Her ascent had been swift even in Imperial history. It made sense to call her a “Genius-of-All-Trades.” 

“I don’t need any special rewards or bonuses. I want a break.” 

“You should appeal to the throne.” 

“You serve royalty as a Saint Disciple. You are not under our jurisdiction.” 

The Eight Great Apostles. Eight supervisors of the Imperial Senate. 

Only the blurry outlines of their faces could be seen on monitors installed on the walls. 

“I thought you would say that. What did you want to speak with me about?” 

“About the special mission from a few days ago.” 

“Through the research of Omen—the amalgamation of intelligence—we’ve exposed Imperial soldiers to astral energy for artificial crests. This trial was a success.” 

“They got through the Sovereignty’s checkpoints. This is a wonderful accomplishment.” 

Applause rang out. It was awkward—as though someone had cut out the sound from the scene of a movie and edited it back in. 

“What an honor to receive your praise,” replied the Saint Disciple. “The human experiments labored hard. Of course, Nameless chose some good people.” 

The special mission was to capture the Sovereign queen. 

Twelve units had attempted the checkpoints. Ten had successfully gone through the borders. They were uncovering the Nebulis Sovereignty bit by bit, including the central state. Not even a century of war had managed to accomplish that. 

“… I was scared shitless to be honest.” 

There had been an accident that involved Iska, the successor of the Black Steel. Risya secretly had great hopes that he would become the strongest one in the military. He had been captured by the Ice Calamity Witch before the operation. 

“After you break through the Nebulis Sovereignty border, go to ground in Alcatroz and find Iska.” 

Unit 907 had successfully brought Iska back. 

At present, they were taking a break in the independent state of Alsamira, a desert far from the Empire. Risya hadn’t bothered to look into their situation. 

“Risya, you must have received the report.” 

One of the Eight Great Apostles firmed their voice. 

“Ten units successfully invaded the Sovereignty. Among them, one reached the central state.” 

The nucleus of the Paradise of Witches. In the residence of the Founder descendants, in the palace, was the Planetary Stronghold. 

“Were they able to enter the palace?” 

“No. However, they successfully photographed the exterior of the palace and the midair garden. These match the information we received from the captured witches.” 

“That aside, let us talk about the main subject.” The voice was cold. “While we were executing our plan to invade the Sovereignty, something interesting occurred in the palace itself.” 

“Yeah? That’s the first I’ve heard about this.” 

“A plot to assassinate the queen. To put it more appropriately—a coup d’état.” 

“……” The Saint Disciple went silent. 

It was rare to see her with a serious expression, her lightly rouged lips pursed together. That was how grave this matter was. 

“You mean Nebulis IIX has gotten herself into a civil war? I have to ask to be certain, but are you sure it wasn’t an Imperial attack?” 

“It was the witch’s own poison.” 

“There are those among the Founder’s descendants who are dissatisfied with the queen. Although, it seems they failed this operation.” 

The three Nebulis bloodlines. 

Risya naturally knew they weren’t a monolith. At the same time, there was something that didn’t ring true about this statement. 

“Dissatisfied? Would that be enough to compel them to attempt an assassination?” 

Behind her glasses, she looked up at the monitors on the wall, scowling. 

“Can’t you just tell me? There must be someone of one of the three bloodlines who supports the Empire, right? Who is it?” 

“Hm?” 

“Right. As a reward, we will divulge one thing to you. It’s true that we receive communications directly from one of them. That is—” 

“The purebred, ‘Subject E.’” 

The only thing Risya moved were her eyes. 

She had no interest in vagaries. If they weren’t going to tell her outright, they must not have been planning on sharing it with headquarters. 

She was more hung up on purebred . 

Not a vassal or an attendant. They were revealing that one of the blood relatives was tied to the Empire. 

But who? 

“The Sovereignty must be in pandemonium.” 

“Well, I suppose. Even an attempt at the queen’s life would be a big deal.” 

“Because of that, we will continue executing our plan. It is the ideal opportunity.” 

Fwoom , whirred the approaching elevator in the wall behind her. 

Was someone coming to the assembly? Eventually, it stopped, and the doors opened. 

“Right on time.” 

“ Welcome, Saint Disciples . This is the first time we’ve gathered so many of you together at once.” 

Five people. Risya couldn’t prevent a smile from creeping onto her face when she saw the distinguished lineup. 

“Oh my.” 

The direct reports to the throne. Top-ranking combatants. 

In the eleventh seat, Garganly, the “Absent Engineer.” 

In the tenth seat, Sir “Omen” Karosos Newton. 

In the eighth seat, Nameless, the “Invisible Hand of God.” 

In the fourth seat, Magnacasa, the director of headquarters. 

In the third seat, Mei the “Incessant Tempest.” 

Risya’s smile disappeared when the last person made his way off the elevator. 

“…Don’t you think this is a problem? The first seat?” 

A tall man in a thick coat. 

When she saw the man who carried a thin longsword on his shoulder, the military woman who acted as the throne’s staff officer made no attempt to mask her disdain. 

The first seat, Joheim, the “Flash” Knight. 

He was normally stationed in the castle tower. 

“The most direct report of all. Should someone who carries that responsibility be here? Should he leave his station as guard?” 

“Stop right there, Risya. We asked the throne directly to have him come here.” 

“So that he may report back directly to the throne.” 

“Better for him to make the report than us.” 

They made up the majority of the Saint Disciples—and two were ranked above the third seat at that. What were they planning to discuss? 

“We will continue the operation.” 

“And take advantage of the Nebulis Sovereignty’s civil war.” 

“We have already analyzed the route to the central state. We will enter the palace and put the finishing touches on the scheme to capture the queen.” 

An assassination plot against the queen brewed within the Sovereignty, while at the same time, outside their borders, a scheme was being devised to capture her. 

“The Nebulis Sovereignty will fall. We have no reason to let this opportunity escape us. We request that you participate in the war.” 

“Use the power of the highest-ranking combatants in the Empire to your heart’s content.”