“Go ahead.”
“If this situation grows out of hand, the Restoration may be notably affected. However, I do not wish for that to happen. Of course, I have every intention of explaining the full truth to Your Majesty, but could you please resolve the situation with that alone?”
“You mean you want Stewart and Clement to leave the room?”
“Yes,” Rio said, nodding.
“Wh-What are you saying?! Don’t be ridiculous! This is a conflict regarding my family’s slave, what gives you the right to make such absurd demands?!”
Stewart flew into a rage. He had been expecting Rio to lie and dodge the question, yet now Stewart was the one being openly excluded instead.
“If you back down here, the situation can at least be resolved without affecting the Restoration. That is what I’m saying,” Rio said to Stewart coldly. While he appeared to be extremely calm, there was a horribly angry look in his eyes. It seemed he was putting on a rational front despite his bottomless rage towards Stewart.
“Grr...!”
That isn’t for you to decide, Stewart thought, but he swallowed those words at the pressure from Rio’s gaze.
“Perhaps it would be best to just come out and say it, Stewart. I can explain things to His Majesty if you need,” Duke Gregory interrupted.
Stewart took a deep breath to calm himself, then nodded. “Yes, so it seems. Can you please?”
“What do you mean by that, Clement?” Francois’s dubious gaze turned to Duke Gregory.
“It has to do with the reason we appeared before Amakawa in the first place, Your Majesty. During the attack on the castle yesterday, someone called Amakawa by the name Rio. When I mentioned that to Stewart in passing, he said it was a name he was familiar with.”
Duke Gregory observed Rio’s reaction as he gave his explanation. Stewart took the chance to sneer at Rio triumphantly.
Sora, huh?
Rio immediately realized the cause, but he didn’t think it was Sora’s fault at all. He had told her to call him what she wanted, since everyone’s memories would be reset through the transcendent rules anyway. But even if that hadn’t been the case, he wouldn’t blame her for paying attention to other things during the middle of a battle.
“When I questioned him for the details, he explained that Rio was the name of a felon in the Beltrum Kingdom. He attempted to kill Princess Flora and disappeared to avoid trial.”
Rio maintained an unreadable expression throughout Duke Gregory’s explanation.
“Amakawa’s past is unclear enough as is,” Duke Gregory continued. “If the Honorary Knight is actually a wanted criminal hiding his identity, this is a matter our kingdom cannot overlook. However, there is no proof that this Rio is the same person as Amakawa. That is why I asked Stewart to investigate the matter further.”
“There’s no mistaking it anymore. Amakawa is the same Rio that fled our kingdom to avoid his sins. Now that I think about it, our slave vanished shortly after he disappeared too. His former teacher, Professor Celia, is now living with him in his mansion. That should be more than enough evidence that he’s Rio.”
Stewart stood up from the sofa and pointed at Rio while giving his long-awaited accusation. Rio, however, remained silent without any emotion on his face.
Hmph. Not even a rebuttal, huh?
Stewart smiled in satisfaction, thinking Rio was panicking.
“If you don’t think I suffice as a witness, then there are others that knew him back then. Queen Christina, Princess Flora, Duke Fontaine’s daughter Roanna, and Count Brandt’s daughter Elise were all there. You can ask Professor Celia too. In fact, you can call them all here and make them testify whether Amakawa is the same person as that sinner or not. How about it?” Stewart suggested, talking away eloquently. He only mentioned the facts that were convenient to himself and connected his points with fiction strewn about, making himself seem better.
Rio closed his eyes, a rare frown on his face. He was thinking.
Why was Stewart pulling a stunt like this? Why was he so good at irritating others? Even if he didn’t know that Duke Huguenot had raised Latifa as an assassin, why didn’t he question why she had remained with Rio all this time? As someone with a reasonable sense of mind and listening ability, Rio paid attention to Stewart’s words.
But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t understand Stewart’s point. Was it because he was only thinking of himself? Could he only perceive the truth when it was convenient for him? Did he even consider what kind of effect this situation would have on the Restoration if his claim was dismissed?
If not, he could only be called a fool. No, it would be better if he was only a fool. If he was doing this maliciously, then there was no way of defending him.
“Onii-chan...” Latifa mumbled anxiously behind him. At that, Rio made his decision.
“It’s okay,” he said, turning around to smile at her gently.
Enough.
Stewart could do what he wanted.
If he wanted to charge towards his own ruin without considering the effect he’d have on those around him, why should Rio stop that?
If what he wanted was downfall, then he could fall as far as he wanted by himself.
Rio’s composure had reached its limit. He could have endured it if he was the only one being targeted, but his fuse was extremely short when Latifa was involved.
Stewart Huguenot had foolishly angered Rio. He had incurred the wrath of the man reincarnated from the Dragon King.
With Stewart being this foolish, there was no way to resolve the matter without involving the Restoration. In this situation, the punishment could no longer apply to Stewart alone.
“What shall we do, Haruto? Do you mind if those he named are summoned here?” Francois asked, deferring to Rio with a sigh.
“Do as you please.”
And so, Rio stopped thinking about how others would be affected.