3
The Nebulis palace.
The Queen’s Palace, surrounded by the Star, Moon, and Solar Spires.
The royal family began filing into the castle’s multipurpose hall. Those who sat at the round table were all heads of houses. Alice was attending for the Lou family on behalf of the queen, who had been injured.
Beside them stood their retainers. Combined with the royal guards also occupying the hall, there were likely fifty people in total. It was a gathering of the gentility, of those with the most authority within the superpower, but as the person attending in the queen’s stead, Alice viewed the spectacle in an entirely different light.
…These shrewd old foxes are all masters of manipulating conversations.
…Just being here is making it hard to breathe.
The topic of the conference was the restoration of the Sovereignty.
Discussions had already lasted several days. The upper crust needed to explain everything to the citizens, who the Imperial invasion had made uneasy, and most importantly, they needed to deliberate over the rescue of the abducted members of the royal family.
“…”
As her attendant next to her prepared a recording device, Alice glanced over at Rin, or rather, at the girl pretending to be her.
…When she’s holding still, she seems the spitting image of Rin.
…As long as she doesn’t speak out of turn during the conference, they should be none the wiser.
But just as she had thought that…
“Alice, my dear.”
“Y-yes?!”
That address had come from three seats away.
When the head of the Hydra, Talisman, called her name, Alice immediately turned to him.
“Oh, my apologies,” he said. “It looks like I’ve given you a fright.”
Clad in a luxurious white suit, he gave her a gentleman’s smile. She was impressed he had the gall to speak to her, the daughter of the queen, after leading the assassination plot against her mother himself.
“I see you are wearing new royal garb,” he noted.
“…Oh, yes.”
“Your previous outfit looked glorious on you, but it seems you’ve even upstaged that. How splendid. It matches the dignity you hold, Alice.”
Had anyone else said that line, she would have responded with a smile for the compliment.
At this moment, Alice was the queen’s proxy.
Until then, she had been wearing clothing tailored for a princess. By contrast, the outfit she now wore had been specially fashioned for her new role. Though it had been crafted in the same style as her earlier garb, her new clothes featured more florid red and blue hues.
“I suppose this conference is your debut of the new attire?”
“I’m very grateful for your words. The designer finished putting it together just in time for the conference.”
She was lying, of course. Alice had decided to debut her new outfit here, where the other royal family members of the Zoa and Hydra households were gathered, to show them her conviction to act as the queen’s proxy.
To show that she would not relinquish her mother’s throne.
Of course, Talisman must have realized that himself.
“If I may inquire, Lord Talisman, where is she?” Alice asked.
“You mean Mizy?” One of the princesses was missing. Talisman gave the empty seat a passing glance and smiled wanly. “It happened just a few days ago. Intruders found their way into Snow and Sun and—”
“You mean Salinger, the sorcerer?”
“Yes, indeed. If only we had been able to capture him. He slipped past us, however. I have tasked Mizerhyby with cleaning up after the incident.”
“…………”
“Well, that’s fine enough. It is time. I am sure you are all busy, so let us begin.” Talisman, the chairman of the conference, clapped his hands together. He glanced about the round table. “Let us first start with the continuation of yesterday’s subject, Defense Minister.”
“I shall begin, then.” A large, burly man stood up. “The invasion of the Imperial forces. Regarding that incident, we are unsure how they were able to cross the border into the Sovereignty. We believe they passed through the astral trial.”
“Just as the documents said.”
“Yes, it is believed there are members of the Imperial forces who have transplanted astral crests onto themselves. An Imperial soldier with an astral crest on their arm was witnessed in the battle that took place a few days ago.”
An artificial astral crest. None of the people in this room, Alice included, knew whether the Imperial forces had utilized a new type of technology to synthesize one.
…No, one person does.
…Lord Talisman should be aware.
It was vexing. If only Alice could say here and now, You have ties to the Imperial forces, and you’re the one behind everything. How much relief that would give her.
Until they could retrieve Sisbell, however, she couldn’t produce proof that he was the architect of it all.
“Though it is most repugnant to consider,” the defense minister continued, “the Imperial forces must indeed have developed astral technology that the Sovereignty has yet to acquire. I may be the defense minister, but I must say that the astral trial isn’t sufficient.”
“Are you proposing that we replace it with a certificate-of-residence check?” Talisman alone dispassionately nodded along.
“That was what we discussed up to yesterday. If there are no dissenting opinions, we will draw up an official notice today and begin enforcing the resolution at the border checkpoints starting tomorrow at midday.”
There were no objections.
“Alice, my dear.”
This time, she was called on by Lord Mask from the opposite side of the round table. He gazed at her as she held her tongue.
“As the queen’s proxy, or rather, as a princess of the Lou, do you not have an opinion on the matter?”
“…None in particular.” She tried her best to remain composed as she coolly agreed with the other cabinet members, refusing to reveal what was actually on her mind. “As for the next item on the agenda—”
“That would be the matter of the Revered Founder.”
“Tsk.” Alice unintentionally gulped when Lord Mask replied.
“I would like to awaken our Revered Founder.”
That had been Lord Mask’s proposal during a conference just a few days ago.
He sought vengeance against the Imperial forces—
—from the person who held more authority and astral power than even the queen. If they resuscitated the strongest, oldest astral mage in history, a war would come to fruition—one that could wipe the Empire off the map.
“…It is just as Her Majesty has already said,” Alice answered, addressing not only Lord Mask but also the cabinet members closest to the Zoa family and everyone in the room. “We will not entertain the idea of awakening the Revered Founder.”
“Hmm. I suppose you are referencing what happened in the neutral city of Ain. I am aware that it sustained some collateral damage when the Revered Founder awakened in the past.”
“That is exactly what transpired,” Alice replied.
The Founder had returned to her slumber. She was contained within a glass casket that only the queen could open.
“If an astral mage harms any country besides the Empire,” Alice asserted, “public opinion would sway in favor of the Empire. We must avoid that at all costs.”
Witches and sorcerers.
The world would return to the days of fearing them again if that was to come to pass. They could not allow that to happen.
“I will not give the key to anyone.”
“I am well aware. The queen has it, does she not?”
“No, I do.”
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the place shifted and tensed in a different way. Their eyes focused on the key in Alice’s hand.
“The attempt on the queen’s life a few days ago was unsuccessful, but if someone was to attack the queen again and steal the key, we would have a catastrophe on our hands. So it is in my possession.”
The key to the Founder’s casket. Alice conspicuously put it away in her pocket for all to see.
“Though we have yet to discover the mastermind behind the attempt, I have this to say to them: If you should like to assault me, by all means, be my guest.”
If they wanted it, they would need to be prepared for a battle against Aliceliese.
“A wise strategy. Had I been Her Majesty, I daresay I would have done the same.” Lord Mask clapped his hands together. “That settles it. We will entrust the matter of the Revered Founder to you, Alice. The Zoa family withdraws our earlier proposal.”
“What?”
“Why so surprised?” Lord Mask gave her a thin smile. Behind his metal mask was an inscrutable expression.
“You were against the Revered Founder’s awakening yourself,” Lord Mask noted.
“…Well, yes,” she answered.
She doubted her very own ears. He had backed down on his plan so readily, and it had all been over with so quickly, that Alice almost felt as though she had erred in preparing herself for the matter.
“Are you sure you have nothing else to add, Lord Mask?”
“Why, of course not. I pledge to all those here that I do not.”
It was preposterous. Something was clearly amiss. He had submitted too easily. The strange malaise made her feel something bordering on restlessness.
“…I am grateful you have agreed,” she said, though ruefully.
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