“Am I to be tied up as well?” Soulgros asked, bound to a chair in the dining hall. This scene mirrored a previous occasion when a certain loli had taken Master out.
“Of course, you perverted stalker. We’re about to execute you,” said the loli, looking down at Soulgros with a smug grin. Clearly, she was enjoying the reversal of roles.
“Dragging Master around and getting him involved in a fight with Scrap Metal, it’s unbelievable. Not to mention letting the enemy master overpower you and needing Master to protect you…”
“I’m so jealous!” Vampille shouted, interrupting Laladie. Corine’s icy words quickly silenced her.
“Vampille, quiet!”
In the end, the members of Yerkchira the Messianic Legion were simply jealous that Soulgros had been protected by Master.
“Come on now. We did manage to defeat Heinichen the Steel Matriarch, so there’s no need to be so hard on Soulgros.” Leiss, the voice of reason within the group, tried to mediate. However, the others, upset about Soulgros having good memories with Master, weren’t placated. Schwarte, although her words remained calm, exuded an aura of discontent.
“Indeed, we might have issues with Soulgros, but we need the information she possesses,” Anat, the nominal leader of Yerkchira, said, diffusing the immediate tension. Despite this, the members were still not entirely satisfied, as it wasn’t Master’s directive.
“That’s right, Laladie. We must endure the unendurable,” Soulgros said, attempting to justify herself.
“Ugh! When did you get loose?! And stop touching me! Who knows what your body is mixed with?” Laladie recoiled.
“That’s so mean…” Soulgros lamented.
Soulgros nodded enthusiastically and patted Laladie on the shoulder. Laladie, more upset about being touched than about Soulgros escaping her bonds, grumbled in discontent. Being a slime species, slipping out of ropes was an easy task for Soulgros.
“So? Did you get any useful information from the master of that Scrap Metal guild?” Anat asked.
“Indeed. I discovered two reasons why Scrap Metal attacked us. One was Luscelt-dono’s animosity toward us. The other was a bounty issued by the prince,” Soulgros answered smoothly.
It was now clear to Yerkchira that the prince was involved. Luscelt hadn’t voluntarily disclosed this information; Soulgros had extracted it by forcefully tampering with his mind. Expecting the prince to foresee this was unreasonable.
“Why is the kingdom involved?” Vampille asked, displaying her lack of understanding—or interest.
“So, the kingdom is involved after all?” Anat mused, quickly piecing together the implications of Soulgros’s report. This ability to quickly grasp underlying truths was why she was the de facto leader, even if only nominally.
“By the way, I heard the kingdom is becoming quite unstable. Is that true?” Leiss asked, turning to Ritter, the “Kingdom Observer.” Ritter, who had been quietly maintaining her sword in preparation to cut down Soulgros, nodded impassively.
“The succession struggle is intensifying… or so I’ve heard.”
“O-Or so you’ve heard…? Are you not certain…?” Krankheit asked, her voice filled with concern as she watched Ritter tilt her head.
“I’m not interested,” Ritter replied flatly.
“Then what’s the point of being the ‘Kingdom Observer’?!” Corine exclaimed. What kind of observer lacks interest in their target? Corine’s outburst was met with nothing more than a tilted head from Ritter. Ritter’s unwavering loyalty to only those she personally acknowledged made her both a pure and frustrating ally. Unfortunately for Corine, she wasn’t one of the few Ritter deemed worth listening to.
“Nina said it… There’s going to be a lot more fighting from now on.”
“Nina is the princess of the kingdom,” Soulgros added, filling in the gaps in Ritter’s terse explanation.
“This sounds like a hassle,” Vampille remarked, seemingly uninterested.
“Whenever a new head of state is to be decided, it’s bound to be troublesome in any country,” Schwarte replied.
Indeed, with many nations adhering to absolute monarchies, such power struggles often became messy affairs.
“In any case, we need to deal with the prince who attempted to harm Master,” Anat said, and the others nodded in agreement.
Yes, the prince who forced Master into battle must be made to pay. The primary culprit, Heinichen the Steel Matriarch, was already dealt with—only one member had survived, and those who hadn’t participated in the attack on Yerkchira had already been killed by Leiss and Corine.
“Among the dark guilds, the dominance of Yerkchira the Messianic Legion is now certain. It’s time to consider something bigger,” Anat said.
“Oh? So, what do you plan to do?” Laladie asked, intrigued.
Anat smiled brightly. “We will take the kingdom.”